Hello!

finally i'm done with my exam.......hoping & praying that i pass with a decent score!
i took my exam last week - yes it was on FRED. technically speaking there wasn't any major problem, my only worry related to that is a possible delay in scores. i would recommend to become familiar with fred before taking the exam esp. the format how lab values are displayed.......its a little different from the prometric software..... all lab values are not displayed together rather broken down into categories like blood, urine etc. it would be even better if you memorize the imp ones, will save you a lot of time.

regarding the subject matter, i was really surprised to see soooo many surgery questions........yes SURGERY!!! i didn't see it in any exam experiences posted before. if not more than that i got surgery almost equal to medicine. almost everything was covered......from trauma, ortho, ENT, pre-op, post-op, to pediatric & special surgery......surgery was definitely much more than my expectations!

in Medicine, major emphasis was on respiratory system - next was neuro & nephro. got very little cardiology. preventive medicine was heavily tested.....know all the screening guidelines by heart!
there were many Qs from endo too.....& yes...ELECTROLYTES ... V.V.IMP! know everything about K+, Na+, Ca++, at least that much given in kaplan.

after med & surgery.....was paeds then ob/gyn & then psych & biostats.
paeds qs were simpler but some gyne Qs were tough, should say somewhat twisted.
biostats - my weak subject always, don't know whether i did those Qs right or wrong!
i got many X-rays mainly related to ortho but they were very easy, no need to esp prepare for them.
got about 5 -6 EKGs, they were tough for me, may be because i'm not good at them to begin with.
got 1 -2 gross patho pics, no derma pics.

regarding step 1 Qs, not many, v. few - testing the basic concepts like different nerve functions.
i was expecting that pharma will be tested heavily but NO!!! there was no pharma at all!......i guess they knew that i have revised it!!!

in short, it was a pretty doable exam. Qs were not very long......if i can finish them in time, everyone can! there were many Qs in which u get stuck with 2 choices, can't decide.....but i tried not to waste time on those, just picked one & moved forward. i didn't recheck or changed any answers.

Regarding my prep & study material, i used kaplan notes & DVDs. took UW for 1 month, did kaplan Q book, couldn't finish Q bank.also did about half of the step 3 q book.
used first aid & crush very selectively.if u want an advise & have time, do study crush - i think its a very good & useful book to consolidate all your knowledge in the last days.
in the last 3 weeks, did kaplan simulated exam, ecfmg cd & nbme form 1 along with revision of my notes.i studied for a total of about 4 months.

i'm not telling my scores in practice qs right now beacuse i'm not feeling comfortable with that........will post them after getting my result.
i don't have any idea how well i did my exam........every night i dream of Qs that i got wrong or in which i got confused......sometimes get really tense.please pray for me that i pass with good scores!

bottom line is that .....stay CONFIDENT! remind yourself continuously that you have worked hard & you will do great! you deserve success!
never let your fears take control esp. on the exam day - try to stay calm - never think about the block that u have already finished just focus on the next!
if u feel necessary, take a break.......even while in the middle of block just lean backwards,close your eyes for few seconds & remind yourself that you have studied everything & you know everything.....shake off all the bad thoughts, remember how many people are praying for you & then start again .....bet ya, you will do GREAT!

wish you all the best!

thanks for the advice and your exam experience...really helpful. Wish you all the best for your exams!
Just wondering how many hours to put in a day if u have only 2 1/2 months left?

Thanks for posting your experience.I wish u get great scores.

I have a Q from you,u mentioned that Pharma from step 1 u revised before taking step 2,i have heard this before as well but what else do you think we should revise from step 1,i think pathology as well,what do u say,off course u never know what comes in exam as in your case u didn't get phrma Qs,so please let us know what other subjects u think we should revise.

My 2nd Q is,do the Biostatistics Qs come in as much detail as they do in step 1? just want to make sure. Thnaks in advance.

Goodluck
Crusty

Thanks alot for ur experience

I wish u get the mark u want .... good luck

Yeap..That's the spirit of a fighter..I appriciate your post..it will help me to take the preparation..Godd Luck for the best score..

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