Exam experience, thoughts, etc.

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

All the good wishes and prayers *really* helped out! I wrote the exam and now it's done! It's SO strange that I'm 'free' I feel like I still have to study. I'm not used to this feeling of having no obligations. It's strange. Well, I'd have to agree with Loser's post about the exam. I suppose either I studied well or the exam I got just gave me subjects that were of main importance in the US (except for the amount of Wilson's dz qs! It's not that common, but on my exam it was). Although some things weren't represented on my exam, no bipolar, no depression, no OCD which I thought i would get. But some questions that I felt weren't fair as Kaplan and First aid would differ in their answers, so which one to choose? You decide! One thing in advanced, when you go with 'hunch' answers DO NOT CHANGE THEM! I changed 2 questions in my 3rd block and changed BOTH of them to the WRONG answer. Everyone told me not to change original answers and I didn't listen! Today I woke up early and my mom asked "why are you awake so early?" then I replied "b/c I'm ruminating (over the stupid changes I made)" but she's a double message woman because she asked and then left without listening to my answer. sigh. Do read the questions carefully. I actually kinda admired the boards people because they'll be describing a procedure or whatever leading you to believe it's something b/c you always associate that situation with a certain disease, mutation or whatever but then they'll change it to something that could theoretically happen and will make the answer different than what all the practice questions usually lead you up to. I hope that makes sense. Basically read the question carefully and understand the material!!!
I didn't sleep well the night before and I had that "up 24 hrs" feeling. It's not a tired feeling but a feeling of just, i don't know how to explain as if your brain is being fried! I'm sure you all know what i mean. Now I feel horrible my body just feels like it's going to break.
I feel I underperformed because of this and I doubt my scores will reflect my knowledge, a friend of mine always used to say "there's no point in crying over spilled milk." I knew my body would sabotage me in one way or another and it was with sleep. I even took zolpidiem the night before and it only kept me asleep until 4am. Anyone know why i took zolpidiem and not diazepam or one of the 'pams'? Zolpidiem technically shouldn't have any effect on mentation b/c it's sleep receptor specificity. Anyhow, the lack of energy is what really hurt me. If I could I would resit the exam, not that I'd want a fail though! It' s going to sound strange, but intially the exam was actually fun. And no, I'm not a masochist! I think some people built up the exam to be this fortress, but I think they (the USMLE) really want to see if you can think and process like a physician should. When doing practice qs i could almost guess what they were going to ask and although I was more thorough reading on the exam, it was a similar experience in the exam.
I'm so brain dead now that I can't think of specific percentages. It seemed that I got more than normal biostats/epidem. which I am weak at, however, i think i mysteriously (god?) was able to figure out some of the answers. screwed up on hardy wein! I knew I would!

I can't think of any specifics of each subject (blocking!). So I'll just run down my study routiene:

First went over by subject followed by a 6 week organ system review. The 6wks comprised of 6-10 hrs in library daily (only 1 day off in the whole 6wks). I suppose I'm a bit more fortunate than a lot of the members as I don't have work or family (children) obligations.

Week before the exam: first aid read by organ sys. w/referring to main texts only for subjects I still felt uncomfortable with (leukemia) then from front to back by subjects.

Prep time: pure step 1 prep time was 5 months although I was reviewing to a lesser extent during the 02-03 school year w/my regular courses (patho, pharm, etc.)

Books (oh gosh!)
General: Step Up (awesome!), First Aid, webpath (not too helpful)

Question sources:Qbank (i found very helpful), Qbook, NMS Step 1 6th ed., Robbins Review of Pathology, NBME (I'd take this score over the to come score!!!I think I had a repeated q or two)

Anatomy-Kaplan + HY Neuro + HY Embryo+ Underground clinical vignettes(UCV)
Biochem/Genetics/Molec.-Kaplan (the best!!!), HY biochem (not recomm.), I think Lipp would be overkill.
BSci- Kaplan, HY Bsci, UCV
Micro/Immuno-Ridic.Simple, Kaplan, UCV
Patho-Kaplan, Goljan, UCV
Pharm-Kaplan, Lippincott for GI and Resp (some very weird i-have-never-heard-of-that!?!)
Physiology- BRS, Kaplan, UCV

As for scores in my exams
qbank 70-73 however individual subjects ranged from 56(cell bio) to 80(micro/path), NMS range 54-76 ave:65, qbook 70, USMLE CD: 82

Now I reflect back on the energy I put in the preparation and feel a bit down. Why did I underperform my capabilities? I feel this is a trend in my life, i guess I'm in a bit of a learned helplessness state of mind at this point. I had some family pressure to take the exam, but it was ok as it didn't bother me and I felt ready before the deadline they imposed. But also pressure to perform well (cousin who scored very high upper 90s on step 1&2) enough of my whining! Feel free to ask Qs!

My thanks/merci/gracias/danke/grazie/obrigado/§ã§á§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ò§à/dzieki/dik/multimiri/лл!!!

sorry the post was more me complaining than informative! I have so much respect for you all. I've become very disenchanted with my med school experience as so many of my classmates are rather indifferent/uninterested in their education. Most of them seem as if they're doing it purely for money, prestige, or family and really bring me down about the future of physicians, but then there's this forum. Where the members are as diligent and truly interested in medicine as I and it's really been such a solace for me. I hope all of you on here (with exceptions of those immature members we get from time-to-time) achieve your goals.Regardless of how smart you are, or how some of might struggle with these hurdles (the boards) more than others, you have the true underlying core drive to be a physician and brainsmarts doesn't necessarily make a good physician.It's not wrong to want to be a physician for money or prestige (look at Dr. romano on ER, no heart, but great surgeon!), so even those who are in it for money/power/prestige, I applaud you for actually putting in the work required for you to achieve that goal whereas most people who have those particular reasons are usually not willing to work for it in my observations. Now I'll get off my soapbox!
p