Failed step 1 AGAIN

[wyne79]

I have taken the step I 4 times now and everytime i have come either close to two points or this last time one point of the average.Off course i was aiming for higher than just the average.
I have done the Kapplan review withthe videos,used all types of materials, and now i am just totally at lost.
Can anyone please give me any advise? Has anyone been in or close to the same situation?
I am now desperate and I would hate to give up now.
I do great in the practice exams( USMLE World) but yet i flank the actual exam!!!!
I really need some advice please...anyone

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[Terpskins99]

The OP could be a troll but I don't see the motivation from the tone of his/her posts. Certainly doesn't appear to be trying to be humorous in any way. Personally, as with any of my patients, I'd rather err on the side of caution than respond with some of the callous remarks by some of the posters here (not directed at you).

You've got to be kidding me.

You recommended he start taking beta blockers, SSRI's and marijuana as a study aid. This is your idea of erring on the side of caution???

To the OP... experiment with any sort of drugs to try and calm your nerves. A beta blocker perhaps? Or an SSRI? Heck smoke some weed if that calms you down.

 

[GMDMD]

You've got to be kidding me.

You recommended he start taking beta blockers, SSRI's and marijuana as a study aid. This is your idea of erring on the side of caution???

As opposed to... making belittling assumptions about the OP so you can feel good about yourself? Maybe the OP is a troll. But what if he/she is being real? If you just leave the thread alone it hurts no one.

No, I am not a doctor. I slept through family and haven't taken psych yet but my FM preceptor (admittedly not someone i would visit) routinely prescribed SSRIs for people with anxiety disorders and panic attacks.

I know an ophthalmologist who uses beta-blockers to "steady his hands" and as a side effect it keeps his heart rate down. Maybe it's a stretch but I've heard it can help keep focus. I know my heart was pounding for like 6 straight hours during my exam. Our pharm professor said beta blockers are commonly used by musicians and others to prevent stage fright. I have no EBM but a quick wikipedia search confirms this usage.

I might also suggest some breathing / relaxing techniques to avoid hyperventilating. Heck almost anything would be valuable if just for the placebo effect.

The marijuana part was mostly in jest seeing as the OP could afford it with a projected 250+ score. I'm sorry that you need to have that explained to you.

edit: as an add, if you note in my original post, you left out the part where i specifically told the OP to "seek out a doctor" to experiment with some therapies that might help. I also did not suggest anything "as a study aid", but rather to prevent test anxiety on the day of the exam.

 

[Lamborghini1315]

Also, yes I want to be a physician and yes the step exist for a reason....i would doubt myself if i wasn't one of the top 5 in my class throughout Basic Science,therefore I am in the right field...just need to find the reason why i do great in my practice or assessment test but poor in the actual exam.But thanks for the input.

That tells me how overrated class rankings are...most kids who actually study board material and try to do a thorough review of every subject don't actually have to Ace classes in school. There's a big tradeoff you make by simply memorizing some random facts in class to get an edge on your colleagues while they spend hours trying to learn things that don't often come through cold memorization. My point? You misunderstood your strengths based on your class performance...boards are like the major leagues, while course work is simply amateur league. Anyone can pass a course in med school but not the boards my friend, sorry to be harsh but get your act straight and address all your weaknesses by taking assessment exams.

 

[Terpskins99]

As opposed to... making belittling assumptions about the OP so you can feel good about yourself? Maybe the OP is a troll. But what if he/she is being real? If you just leave the thread alone it hurts no one.

No, I am not a doctor. I slept through family and haven't taken psych yet but my FM preceptor (admittedly not someone i would visit) routinely prescribed SSRIs for people with anxiety disorders and panic attacks.

I know an ophthalmologist who uses beta-blockers to "steady his hands" and as a side effect it keeps his heart rate down. Maybe it's a stretch but I've heard it can help keep focus. I know my heart was pounding for like 6 straight hours during my exam. Our pharm professor said beta blockers are commonly used by musicians and others to prevent stage fright. I have no EBM but a quick wikipedia search confirms this usage.

I might also suggest some breathing / relaxing techniques to avoid hyperventilating. Heck almost anything would be valuable if just for the placebo effect.

The marijuana part was mostly in jest seeing as the OP could afford it with a projected 250+ score. I'm sorry that you need to have that explained to you.

edit: as an add, if you note in my original post, you left out the part where i specifically told the OP to "seek out a doctor" to experiment with some therapies that might help. I also did not suggest anything "as a study aid", but rather to prevent test anxiety on the day of the exam.

Here's an idea. Why don't you stop violating the TOS and discontinue recommending medication to random strangers in the forums.

 

[AmyO]

You can take the step as many as 4 times within a 12 moths period according to ECFMG,and since your certification from the school is valid for 5 years, yes i can retake the step again. Now , the only thing is that from the time i took the first step for the first time, i have a period of 7 years to pass ALL the steps(I,II,III). As far as the school,I have been on a dismissed status since the two last time i have taken the exam.The school cannot prevent you from taking the step, but they can after you have passed the step prevent you from getting rotations.At that point your option is to transfer.But with my school worse comes to worse i will have to re-apply for 5th semester.

The OP is definitely a troll b/c the school CAN prevent you from taking the step according to the ECFMG website on the NBME site where you register to take the USMLE. From the ECFMG website: ""To be eligible for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS, you must be officially enrolled in a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is listed in IMED, available on the ECFMG website, both at the time that you apply and at the time you take the exam." The OP himself says that he has been "on dismissed status" since the last 2 times he took the exam. Thus his school is not going to approve him to the take the USMLE, which is required to prevent people not in medical school from taking the exam (like Kaplan people or whoever is crazy enough to want to take the exam). He's not eligible to take the exam so there's no way he/she took the exam. We all know how anal the NBME is about the rules.

http://www.ecfmg.org/2009ib/ibexam.html#eligibility

 

[GMDMD]

Here's an idea. Why don't you stop violating the TOS and discontinue recommending medication to random strangers in the forums.

I don't get it. First my ideas were stupid. I defended the logic in my post (which may apply to others with anxiety problems who haven't failed 4x) and now you're harping on me for violating forum TOS because I recommended someone go SEEK OUT A DOCTOR and suggested potential therapies his LICENSED PHYSICIAN might prescribe for him??

Are you sure you're not the troll in this forum?

 

[GMDMD]

That tells me how overrated class rankings are...most kids who actually study board material and try to do a thorough review of every subject don't actually have to Ace classes in school. There's a big tradeoff you make by simply memorizing some random facts in class to get an edge on your colleagues while they spend hours trying to learn things that don't often come through cold memorization. My point? You misunderstood your strengths based on your class performance...boards are like the major leagues, while course work is simply amateur league. Anyone can pass a course in med school but not the boards my friend, sorry to be harsh but get your act straight and address all your weaknesses by taking assessment exams.

I don't think I agree with this assessment. Most people tell you the best way to prepare for the boards is to perform well in your preclinical courses, particularly 2nd year if your curriculum is organ-system based (then go all-out for 4-6 weeks).

I think unless you go to a school which offers a really poor education, the depth of the material you learn throughout 2nd year is not necessarily high yield but it is definitely not irrelevant. It helps you get a better understanding of the overall picture of concepts, vs the high yield bullets you'll see in a review text. The more surrounding context you learn, the clearer the central concepts are 5 months down the road.

I would guess that your performance during 2nd year in particular is highly associated with your potential "ceiling" for step1 performance, depending on the amount of effort you put in during step1 prep. I would also wager that much more often than not the students in the top 25, 50% in preclinical coursework easily outscore those in the bottom half of classes. During step1 prep I found it easy to discern who really learned stuff well the first time around because they had a deeper understanding overall. Typically they were the same kids who honored all of their classes.

In my experience the best performers on our preclinical tests were not the best memorizers but those with sharper reasoning skills. The guys who outperformed their class rankings weren't studying review texts all year long. They were just really smart dudes who didn't care about their grades but stepped up their game for 5-6 weeks.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

The guys already been banned for trolling, let it rest.

 

[Hustlin]

You guys are truly horrible. How can you criticize someone when you do not even know the person. The only way is to go by assumption rather than by definition and of being in the known of the person before you. He asked for advice but nooooooo , there are some people here that resorted to calling him a liar. How ridiculous. I cannot believe anyone of you were accepted into med school or passed all of your exams or can build any fruitful relationships with your patients in the future if your game plan includes ASSUMPTION all the time. Good luck and I hope rather than being a physician near anyone ...you are a physician far away from everyone.

 

[Captopril]

You guys are truly horrible. How can you criticize someone when you do not even know the person. The only way is to go by assumption rather than by definition and of being in the known of the person before you. He asked for advice but nooooooo , there are some people here that resorted to calling him a liar. How ridiculous. I cannot believe anyone of you were accepted into med school or passed all of your exams or can build any fruitful relationships with your patients in the future if your game plan includes ASSUMPTION all the time. Good luck and I hope rather than being a physician near anyone ...you are a physician far away from everyone.

It's an online forum, not an outpatient clinic. Let's take the self-righteousness down a notch.

 

[bluntdissector]

It's an online forum, not an outpatient clinic. Let's take the self-righteousness down a notch.

 

[AllUpOnYoMama]

Just take 1/2 a xanax before the test