Break Clarification

[SearedTuna]

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Hey guys, I take my test this Thursday, 7/7 and wanted to clarify something about the breaks. I understand there is a 15 min tutorial and 45 min allotted break through the whole day so you get 60 min if you don't take the tutorial.

My question is if I finish block 1 with 12 minutes left do I hit end exam and this 12 minutes gets added onto my 60 and I now have a running break time of 72 min between block 1 and finishing? Or am I supposed to just let the screen keep going and I get up to go to the bathroom etc?

Also, I don't fully understand "unusual behavior". If I go to the bathroom in the middle of a block (30 min left) does that look suspicious? Am I allowed to eat/access my locker between any of the blocks or only certain ones? Thanks in advance!

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

My question is if I finish block 1 with 12 minutes left do I hit end exam and this 12 minutes gets added onto my 60 and I know have a running break time of 72 min between block 1 and finishing? Or am I supposed to just let the screen keep going and I get up to go to the bathroom etc?

Also, I don't fully understand "unusual behavior". If I go to the bathroom in the middle of a block (30 min left) does that look suspicious? Am I allowed to eat between any of the blocks or only certain ones? Thanks in advance!

Yes, if you finish a block early, the remaining time gets added to your break time. I ended up having an hour and a half of break, which was really nice. You do want to make sure you are on the break screen before taking a break. Don't just leave! Leaving your computer idle for a period (I think it's 5 min) that gets you flagged for irregular behavior.

If you have a true bathroom emergency, you can pause your screen in the middle of a block, but the clock is still running down and this may still get flagged as irregular behavior. Between blocks, however, the time is yours to do what you please. You can eat during any of them. Don't worry, they will give you a run down of all of this when you enter the test center.

Examples of irregular behavior: http://www.usmle.org/bulletin/irregular-behavior/#examples
Also, rules of conduct (mentions the break screen): http://www.usmle.org/bulletin/testing/

Edit: you may get a hard time for not utilizing the SDN search function 🙂

 

[Phloston]

Any extra block time you have that you don't use is subtracted from your break time. So if you, let's say, have 27 minutes of break time remaining and finish a block 25 minutes early, if you end that block, you'll have two minutes of break left.

Yes, you can leave as many times as you want mid-block. Typically students do 15-20 questions in a block, take a matcha break, then return to finish the block.

No, you can't eat after the third and fourth blocks and will get flagged for irregular behaviour if you do. USMLE says you can eat after the other blocks though.

 

[SearedTuna]

Thanks @doyouhaveaflag. I read through previous threads but saw a discrepancy as far actually clicking the end block button too early can cause a red flag. Just wanted to clarify. @Phloston I appreciate you taking the time and effort into placing a well thought out message

 

[Phloston]

Thanks @doyouhaveaflag. I read through previous threads but saw a discrepancy as far actually clicking the end block button too early can cause a red flag. Just wanted to clarify. @Phloston I appreciate you taking the time and effort into placing a well thought out message

Glad you were able to gauge the levity ;-)

 

[canary90]

Sorry for the random question in between. I really wonder how people are able to spare 10-12 minutes at the end of block?
While doing Uworld, I find myself really rushing and most of the times I just finish in time.
Are the stems in real exam shorter compared to Uworld or I am too slow?

Btw SearedTuna, Good luck for your exam!!! 🙂

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

Sorry for the random question in between. I really wonder how people are able to spare 10-12 minutes at the end of block?
While doing Uworld, I find myself really rushing and most of the times I just finish in time.
Are the stems in real exam shorter compared to Uworld or I am too slow?

Btw SearedTuna, Good luck for your exam!!! 🙂

I dunno, I've just always been a fast test taker. Usually dwelling on a question doesn't bring me any epiphanies, so I just move on if I don't know the answer. I finished most of my Uworld blocks in about 30 minutes, so I actually took quite a bit longer on the real thing. I don't think that was a product of having particularly different question stem lengths, but rather me being extra careful to make sure I was actually answering the question asked (my #1 cause of missed questions) and trying to minimize stupid mistakes.

I wish I had some pointers for you for not feeling rushed. How much through Uworld are you? Hopefully by the end you'll be more comfortable with the timing. I have a friend who struggled to finish blocks at first but had no problem on the real thing because he worked really hard on speeding up while doing Uworld.

 

[canary90]

I dunno, I've just always been a fast test taker. Usually dwelling on a question doesn't bring me any epiphanies, so I just move on if I don't know the answer. I finished most of my Uworld blocks in about 30 minutes, so I actually took quite a bit longer on the real thing. I don't think that was a product of having particularly different question stem lengths, but rather me being extra careful to make sure I was actually answering the question asked (my #1 cause of missed questions) and trying to minimize stupid mistakes.

I wish I had some pointers for you for not feeling rushed. How much through Uworld are you? Hopefully by the end you'll be more comfortable with the timing. I have a friend who struggled to finish blocks at first but had no problem on the real thing because he worked really hard on speeding up while doing Uworld.

Hey, thanks for the reply!
I have finished 36% of Uworld with an average of 73%. When I took my first 2 blocks of Uworld, I missed the last 4 questions in each block because of timing issue but 3rd block onwards I was able to finish in time.
I don't find myself wasting too much time thinking over a question if I am not sure of the answer or if I think I need more time to think over it. I just move on and come back to it at the end. If I have not had too hard of a time in a block, I get 3-4 minutes at the end to go over my marked/unanswered questions.
I rather think I spend more time in actually reading the stem and grasping it. Probably I have this issue since English is not my first language 😕
Hopefully I'll pace up with time

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

Probably I have this issue since English is not my first language 😕
Hopefully I'll pace up with time

Ah, that makes sense why timing could be tight for you. My friend that I mentioned in my last post is a very slow reader, and that's why he had issues with having enough time at first. I can't imagine trying to take this beast in a second language, but it sounds like you're up to the added challenge if you're already averaging 73%.

Others may have had a different experience, but I actually thought that, on average, the stems were a bit shorter on the real thing than Uworld. I had a few stems that were essays, but they did not make up the majority. I think with practice you can improve so that you're not rushing by the time you get to the end of Uworld, and then you'll be completely fine on the real exam. Best of luck!

 

[canary90]

Ah, that makes sense why timing could be tight for you. My friend that I mentioned in my last post is a very slow reader, and that's why he had issues with having enough time at first. I can't imagine trying to take this beast in a second language, but it sounds like you're up to the added challenge if you're already averaging 73%.

Others may have had a different experience, but I actually thought that, on average, the stems were a bit shorter on the real thing than Uworld. I had a few stems that were essays, but they did not make up the majority. I think with practice you can improve so that you're not rushing by the time you get to the end of Uworld, and then you'll be completely fine on the real exam. Best of luck!

Will do my best, Thank you!!! 🙂