Boards are frightening looking....am I normal?

[surfguy84]

First I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not even in med school yet. Ive got several interviews lined up in the coming weeks and months, but I cant help myself from looking ahead at USMLE step 1 sample questions....

I almost second guessing whether or not I should go into medicine for fear of not passing this test. I had no idea some of these questions had 6+ options to choose from. How in the hell do people learn this stuff well enough to not only pass, but do well?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

GTFO. You have lost your mind. Please go review your AMCAS and make sure you can answer the question "Why did you do that?" to everything that you wrote down on there. If you can get into med school, you can adequately function on a MCQ test.

 

[DermViser]

:troll:

 

[mcloaf]

Go away.

 

[Nephronlearner]

Yeah, multivariable calculus is also very frightening... do you think it might be related to the fact that I have never studied it?
Well... neither have you studied pathology.

....... just in case you aren't trolling.

 

[sinombre]

First I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not even in med school yet.

I actually lol'd

 

[surfguy84]

FYI not trolling. just neurotic.

 

[DermViser]

FYI not trolling. just neurotic.

Apparently. Newsflash: all professional exams are hard. But you take classes and you study. That's what professional school entails. If you're too scared, then you don't go to professional school.

 

[Nephronlearner]

FYI not trolling. just neurotic.

I am sure SAT's were scary as well when you were in elementary school... as far as I can tell that didn't prevent you from applying to high schools. Nor did MCAT prevent you from applying to colleges. So you are a bit late with being neurotic about standardised tests...

 

[Psai]

Nice try

 

[Mad Jack]

The only tests that should scare the he'll out of you are the ones you can't prepare for, like STD tests or your girlfriend asking you if she looks terrible in X outfit. Chill the F out.

 

[SlowCodeToChina]

Hundreds of thousands of people have done it before you, and hundreds of thousands of people will do it after you. Chances are, you'll be able to do it too. Some degree of neuroticism is necessary to succeed in medicine, but too much of anything is a bad thing. Stay on top of your secondaries/classes/life and party it up when you still have all the time in the world!

 

[Kaustikos]

GTFO. You have lost your mind. Please go review your AMCAS and make sure you can answer the question "Why did you do that?" to everything that you wrote down on there. If you can get into med school, you can adequately function on a MCQ test.

Yeah, seriously. As I approach boards... I'm more like "Can I take this exam already and be done studying!?" Which... joke is on me because I'm never done studying.

The only tests that should scare the he'll out of you are the ones you can't prepare for, like STD tests or your girlfriend asking you if she looks terrible in X outfit. Chill the F out.

If med school was 100% based on evaluations and exams were pimp questions; I'd be more worried. As in; I'd have multiple stress ulcers, hemorrhagic strokes and mi's manifesting into me spontaneously combusting.

 

[colbgw02]

semi-common nomenclature notwithstanding...usmle =/= boards.

 

[JP2740]

 

[Pons Asinorum]

semi-common nomenclature notwithstanding...usmle =/= boards.

On the Allo board they do.

 

[colbgw02]

Among the uninformed they do.

FIFY

yes, because the allo board is authoritative. again, I understand the convention, but that doesn't mean it's accurate. if undergrads collectively call the MCAT "the boards", are they also correct?

 

[Pons Asinorum]

FIFY

yes, because the allo board is authoritative. again, I understand the convention, but that doesn't mean it's accurate. if undergrads collectively call the MCAT "the boards", are they also correct?

Don't be silly, please.

 

[colbgw02]

Don't be silly, please.

okay

 

[AnonymousD.O.]

First I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not even in med school yet. Ive got several interviews lined up in the coming weeks and months, but I cant help myself from looking ahead at USMLE step 1 sample questions....

I almost second guessing whether or not I should go into medicine for fear of not passing this test. I had no idea some of these questions had 6+ options to choose from. How in the hell do people learn this stuff well enough to not only pass, but do well?

Stopped reading at "not even in med school yet"

 

[PL198]

LOL so hard at " The SAT looked hard when I was in elementary school," because that's honestly the most valid comparison. It's funny too because I remember how the first week of class we were talking about step 1 and grades and I said it was pretty important, more so than preclinical grades. Other people said that's stupid and that I was wrong, yet now they're all obsessed with step 1 and preparing for it.

 

[Ismet]

Moving to pre-allo.

 

[DermViser]

LOL so hard at " The SAT looked hard when I was in elementary school," because that's honestly the most valid comparison. It's funny too because I remember how the first week of class we were talking about step 1 and grades and I said it was pretty important, more so than preclinical grades. Other people said that's stupid and that I was wrong, yet now they're all obsessed with step 1 and preparing for it.

The same ones who go to class everyday, get mad when you don't go and watch online, then the first test comes back and see you did better than they did and then they start skipping class.

 

[DermViser]

Moving to pre-allo.

 

[Ismet]

I had no idea some of these questions had 6+ options to choose from.

Sometimes there are 10 answer choices. Happens on your clerkship shelf exams too. The thing is, usually a bunch of the choices make no sense and you can narrow it down considerably from 10. Usually. Unless it's a WTF question and you just hail mary it.

If you can get into med school and get through the first 2 years, the vast majority of people at US MD schools pass the boards.

 

[PL198]

The same ones who go to class everyday, get mad when you don't go and watch online, then the first test comes back and see you did better than they did and then they start skipping class.

actually they get mad when I don't go and don't even watch the lectures.... trolololololol but really I don't which makes it even funnier. #Competitive #Yolo

 

[Goro]

Believe it or not, they do!

We WILL take you to your intellectual limits.

BTW, COMLEX and USMLE questions can have up to 8-10 answers!

You're engaging in a fools' errand right now to be looking at material that suited to a MS2...it's like getting worked up over exam questions in basic Korean.

So quit fussing.

First I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not even in med school yet. Ive got several interviews lined up in the coming weeks and months, but I cant help myself from looking ahead at USMLE step 1 sample questions....

I almost second guessing whether or not I should go into medicine for fear of not passing this test. I had no idea some of these questions had 6+ options to choose from. How in the hell do people learn this stuff well enough to not only pass, but do well?

 

[DermViser]

Believe it or not, they do!

We WILL take you to your intellectual limits.

BTW, COMLEX and USMLE questions can have up to 8-10 answers!

You're engaging in a fools' errand right now to be looking at material that suited to a MS2...it's like getting worked up over exam questions in basic Korean.

So quit fussing.

OP apparently hasn't gotten to the last block of the sample USMLE Step 1 questions written in Korean to test your ability to empathize with the Korean population.

 

[Goro]

LOL!

OP apparently hasn't gotten to the last block of the sample USMLE Step 1 questions written in Korean to test your ability to empathize with the Korean population.

 

[FIREitUP]

i thought i missclicked on the allo thread after reading the title. glad to see there's no shortage of neuroticism entering the new class of med school

 

[AspiringERMD]

I saw this thread and googled for practice questions (never occurred to me to even look). Read them. Became about 10x more excited to finally get to medical school.

I'm sure that sentiment will die a bit during my first med school all-nighter...

 

[Holmwood]

First I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not even in med school yet. Ive got several interviews lined up in the coming weeks and months, but I cant help myself from looking ahead at USMLE step 1 sample questions....

I almost second guessing whether or not I should go into medicine for fear of not passing this test. I had no idea some of these questions had 6+ options to choose from. How in the hell do people learn this stuff well enough to not only pass, but do well?

*shakes fist/flippers*

Anyway, you have two years to get ready for that, and medical schools aren't so incompetent that they won't sufficiently prepare you to take those kinds of exams.

I'm sure you would have the same reaction as a pimply high school senior staring at your ACS ochem exam.

 

[sinombre]

I'm sure that sentiment will die a bit during my first med school all-nighter...

Yes, yes it will.

 

[cidem2065]

I saw this thread and googled for practice questions (never occurred to me to even look). Read them. Became about 10x more excited to finally get to medical school.

I'm sure that sentiment will die a bit during my first med school all-nighter...

Same here.

http://www.usmle.org/pdfs/step-1/2014samples_step1.pdf

Looked at #7 at random and got it right! I don't know why it's right, but that's not important just yet.

 

[AspiringERMD]

Same here.

http://www.usmle.org/pdfs/step-1/2014samples_step1.pdf

Looked at #7 at random and got it right! I don't know why it's right, but that's not important just yet.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I may come off as kind of starry-eyed idealistic once in awhile, but I talked to a LOT of people and did lots of research about how incredibly trying medical school (and beyond) is before leaving a great career in an unrelated field. I know I'm in my last semi-carefree year of life, if I get in. Putting together a bucket list actually

 

[cidem2065]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I may come off as kind of starry-eyed idealistic once in awhile, but I talked to a LOT of people and did lots of research about how incredibly trying medical school (and beyond) is before leaving a great career in an unrelated field. I know I'm in my last semi-carefree year of life, if I get in. Putting together a bucket list actually

I was on a great career path for many other people but it wasn't for me. Looking at these questions makes me excited to some day learn the material and really affirms my choice of career change.

 

[AspiringERMD]

I was on a great career path for many other people but it wasn't for me. Looking at these questions makes me excited to some day learn the material and really affirms my choice of career change.

+1 ^_^

 

[sinombre]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I may come off as kind of starry-eyed idealistic once in awhile, but I talked to a LOT of people and did lots of research about how incredibly trying medical school (and beyond) is before leaving a great career in an unrelated field. I know I'm in my last semi-carefree year of life, if I get in. Putting together a bucket list actually

It's good to have an idea of what you're getting yourself into. FWIW, I think the rigors of medical school are generally underplayed on SDN. But, I still enjoy life despite spending most of my time studying. I'm still able to go to the gym, cook, talk to friends, and have somehow managed my fiancee to not dump me.

 

[AspiringERMD]

It's good to have an idea of what you're getting yourself into. FWIW, I think the rigors of medical school are generally underplayed on SDN. But, I still enjoy life despite spending most of my time studying. I'm still able to go to the gym, cook, talk to friends, and have somehow managed my fiancee to not dump me.

I'm not surprised at all to hear they're underplayed on SDN from reading plenty of other sources and talking to med students and doctors. I have come to terms with the fact that I may cognitively understand how seemingly impossible it will feel, but I'll never really GET IT until I'm there.

 

[ConfusedChemist]

To answer, NO you are not normal. Stop wasting time and prepare for your interviews. If you get in THEN worry about step. In 4 years time. Also consider the fac that you haven't started med school....so clearly you wouldn't be able to answer questions. That would defeat the point of this medical school you're applying to now wouldn't it?

 

[Law2Doc]

Same here...

Looked at #7 at random and got it right! I don't know why it's right, but that's not important just yet.

It's called not being distracted by knowledge. The more you learn, the less wrong a lot of the other answer choices are going to start to look...

Looking at USMLE questions before med school is a lot like jamming a q-tip up your junk to see what an std test will feel like if you ultimately have to take one. It's just not something you ought to be doing. (And if you do, it's not something you ought to share with the group).

 

[DermViser]

It's good to have an idea of what you're getting yourself into. FWIW, I think the rigors of medical school are generally underplayed on SDN. But, I still enjoy life despite spending most of my time studying. I'm still able to go to the gym, cook, talk to friends, and have somehow managed my fiancee to not dump me.

I think that always happens once you're past the specific thing in question - a Pulmonary exam rolleyes, Step 1 etc. It's never as bad when you're past it. It's when you're in it when it can feel like the walls are caving in.

 

[Ismet]

I think that always happens once you're past the specific thing in question - a Pulmonary exam rolleyes, Step 1 etc. It's never as bad when you're past it. It's when you're in it when it can feel like the walls are caving in.

THIS!!!!! I know a lot of things sucked when I was in it, but looking back I think "that wasn't THAT bad." As much as it bugged me to hear upperclassmen write things off and say it wasn't that bad, I find myself doing it now too.

Except for Step 1. It really was that bad.

 

[BrCo]

This is very true. I've looked at UWorld and my SO's First Aid. It's motivation knowing that one day I'll be able to hopefully master those concepts.

I was on a great career path for many other people but it wasn't for me. Looking at these questions makes me excited to some day learn the material and really affirms my choice of career change.