Done with my NBDE 1 yesterday

[anniestar]

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Hi,
It was tiring and nerve wrecking.I am writing this for the benefit of those who are still to give there exams and I know how it feels when you are on the other side.I got lots of help from SDN and its members so I wanted to contribute something now.
Coming to the exam,my personal opinion is that stop worrying about the difficulty level being higher in 2010.this was my second attempt,i had taken the first one in dec 2009.I think the standard of the exam was the same.They check you THOROUGHLY.I felt better coz i think my preparation was better than last time.approx 300 questons plus minus 10 ,you can answer if you have studied well,the rest 100 u have to apply your knowledge and come to the best conclusion.If you get 30% of those correct u can get a decent score.I am just keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3 weeks to knw how i did.
There were a lot of questions on tmj ,read everthing you can lay your hands on about tmj.there were quite a few repeats verbatim,i dint even have to read the options to know the answer.there were few questions which looked familiar but they had changed something in it to make it tricky.testlets i think i got 7-8 of them,i dont remember exactly,out of these 2 were difficult,too many diseases and too may medications in one person.
sleep very well the night before coz its gonna be a lonnnnng day.know your matter well,reading superficially many times won't help until you know the things in and out.there were topics which i had read well and didnt get a single question out of it,there were others which were not discussed in detail in the sources i used and i got q out of those.but that is what exam is all about.i just wanna say one thing again that be confident ,use the standard sources like decks,asda papers and first aid.that is enough but know your matter in depth,you will be fine.
pls dont PM me for discussing anything which is unethical,for all other queries you might have i''ll be happy to answer here.
now i go back to my two and a half year old daughter who has become sick of seeing mumma studying all the time.
3 weeks of prayer and anticipation.oh my God.
ok take care
all the best

 

[rose82]

Thank you so much for your inputs.Good luck🙂

 

[mavel]

Thank you so much..have that well deserved rest and playtime with yur daughter... God Bless

Mavel

 

[teethie]

Thank you anniestar🙂, wish you good luck for ur result.

 

[wdent]

All best annistar..gud luck on ur results..
How long it took u to study all the materials!

 

[iomega]

Hey anniestar Best of Luck for ur results.

 

[make you smile]

Thanks for your input.All of us who are going to be taking the exam highly appreciate it.Good luck with your results.

 

[godblessus]

Finally done with the exam Yesterday...relieved..n feeling back to life! And yeah
ready to have fun with my kid again at least not worrying for the result for 2-3 weeks. I have given my 100% so keeping my fingers crossed

Honestly compared to ASDA papers it was quite different, i felt as if only 1-2 % were repeated. Clinical oriented questions were easy and straight forward compared to the other questions. I don't want to discourage any of the future test takers as this is what i perceived. Lastly go through pathology especially high yield facts of all diseases. Overall exam was okay not bad, if u have ur basics cleared u can do well. Also concentrate more on the ADAs favorite topics like Nervous system, hormones, pathology and antibiotics very well for clinical cases. I made few mistakes of going back and changing the answer. Go with ur 6th sense or gut feeling but never ever change the answer. Also don't forget to do TMJ very very well!!! Good luck everyone!!

 

[piratesword]

thanx for the info, anniestar.
i have qstions, how well did u read for the exam? did u read superficially and focusing on some topic while distracting attention on some or u read everything in deep?
how many hours did u read daily? and how long it took to read the books and make u satisfied for the test?

 

[happyk9]

What source is the best to study TMJ? Dental decks?

 

[anniestar]

@wdent----for this attempt i had started studying in mid february but considering that i had already taken the exam once,i would say that 4-5 months is good enough time and then it depends how many hours you can devote in a day.if you are just studying for the exam and dnt have other responsibilities nothing like it,just sit for 6-8 hrs and gv ur best shot.my case was different i studied for few hrs everyday and there were days when i could not study at all so it depends on your situation.
@happyk9----decks is not enough for tmj,u need to browse the net coz there were around 10-12 ques on tmj and asked for things i had not come across in decks.
@piratesword---reading supeficially won't help.read whatever u r reading really well.as i said the basic sources are enough but u need to understand things rather than mugging.

and one thing i forgot to mention in my previous post while doing anat try to visualise the relationship of one structure to the other.there were few superior,inferior,ant,post questions which are not directly covered anywhere but if u know the positions of struc in the body u can answer them.
all the best.

 

[godblessus]

What source is the best to study TMJ? Dental decks?

Decks are definitely not enough for TMJ, I did Okeson that helped, but still some questions were very confusing. Supplement with whatever u can including histology. Hope this helps!!

 

[happyk9]

Decks are definitely not enough for TMJ, I did Okeson that helped, but still some questions were very confusing. Supplement with whatever u can including histology. Hope this helps!!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[ashi]

hi thanx annistar.we all appreciate ur input ,
thanx a lot .god bless u.
one thing i need to know like from where u prepared lower limbs and like hw many quest they ask about lower limbs.
thanx

 

[anniestar]

hi thanx annistar.we all appreciate ur input ,
thanx a lot .god bless u.
one thing i need to know like from where u prepared lower limbs and like hw many quest they ask about lower limbs.
thanx

i used first aid and decks,nothing else.i did get a few questions but not many though.
but u never know so don't leave anything.go well prepared.
good luck

 

[georgia doc]

anniestar, did u go thru the 2010 decks or the previous ones? exam in a month and i am so tensed by the comments that the newer version is a must!..................i know, the subject matter might be the same, just the way of putting questions..............but the 2007 version doesnt have the testlet section...........what do i do😱

 

[anniestar]

anniestar, did u go thru the 2010 decks or the previous ones? exam in a month and i am so tensed by the comments that the newer version is a must!..................i know, the subject matter might be the same, just the way of putting questions..............but the 2007 version doesnt have the testlet section...........what do i do😱

i had 2007 version,it is quite good but later i had purchased the 2010 version too in soft copy.it is a little better but now since u have just one month don't worry too much about it.concentrate on revising what you already know.
2007 decks does have a testlet section where they have given 10 cases.
good luck

 

[cuspofcarabelli]

hey,
did u took the ASDA released exams? if yes , did they really helped u a lot?? im taking the released exams and scoring around 50-60... so i just want to know if I need to worry 2 much abt it?? i know i need to keep taking it till i really improved... my exam is scheduled for 1 wlk of July..
thanks

 

[pgopalak]

Hi,
Thankyou very much for sharing ur experiences. I have not started with nbde preparation but terribly afraid about the comments i receive from test takers now and then. Is 4-5 months fair enough for preparation?. How many hours do u really need to sit everyday for studying? . And is it adequate if i concentrate only on kaplan notes , Dental decks and Firstaid (usmle or dental???).Please kindly give me ur suggestions.
Thank you very much.

Hi,
It was tiring and nerve wrecking.I am writing this for the benefit of those who are still to give there exams and I know how it feels when you are on the other side.I got lots of help from SDN and its members so I wanted to contribute something now.
Coming to the exam,my personal opinion is that stop worrying about the difficulty level being higher in 2010.this was my second attempt,i had taken the first one in dec 2009.I think the standard of the exam was the same.They check you THOROUGHLY.I felt better coz i think my preparation was better than last time.approx 300 questons plus minus 10 ,you can answer if you have studied well,the rest 100 u have to apply your knowledge and come to the best conclusion.If you get 30% of those correct u can get a decent score.I am just keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3 weeks to knw how i did.
There were a lot of questions on tmj ,read everthing you can lay your hands on about tmj.there were quite a few repeats verbatim,i dint even have to read the options to know the answer.there were few questions which looked familiar but they had changed something in it to make it tricky.testlets i think i got 7-8 of them,i dont remember exactly,out of these 2 were difficult,too many diseases and too may medications in one person.
sleep very well the night before coz its gonna be a lonnnnng day.know your matter well,reading superficially many times won't help until you know the things in and out.there were topics which i had read well and didnt get a single question out of it,there were others which were not discussed in detail in the sources i used and i got q out of those.but that is what exam is all about.i just wanna say one thing again that be confident ,use the standard sources like decks,asda papers and first aid.that is enough but know your matter in depth,you will be fine.
pls dont PM me for discussing anything which is unethical,for all other queries you might have i''ll be happy to answer here.
now i go back to my two and a half year old daughter who has become sick of seeing mumma studying all the time.
3 weeks of prayer and anticipation.oh my God.
ok take care
all the best

 

[SSSDH]

i used first aid and decks,nothing else.i did get a few questions but not many though.
but u never know so don't leave anything.go well prepared.
good luck

Hi anniestar,
all the best for ur result. I have a question for u, do u still have the first aid book? r u willing to sell it. I have my exam in july.

 

[ashi]

thanx anniestar
all d best or ur result

 

[rose82]

i had 2007 version,it is quite good but later i had purchased the 2010 version too in soft copy.it is a little better but now since u have just one month don't worry too much about it.concentrate on revising what you already know.
2007 decks does have a testlet section where they have given 10 cases.
good luck

hi annie..can u please tell me if the separate 10 testlet cases given in 2007 is in 2010 version?i cant seem to find any in 2010?pls confirm...thanks

 

[Dental Sculptor]

Decks are definitely not enough for TMJ, I did Okeson that helped, but still some questions were very confusing. Supplement with whatever u can including histology. Hope this helps!!

Hi,
Which chapters do you advise all of us to read from Okeson. Are Chapter 1& 2 enough or should we read 1st 6 chapters . Please reply.

 

[georgia doc]

thank u anniestar for the prompt reply! really appreciate it...............yes, the 2007 version does have the clinical vignettes..............but do tell, r these the same cases as given in the newer version?

 

[R19]

hi i strtd prep for nbde 2 mons back. will probably finish with first reading of kaplan notes and decks by july end.i plan to give exam in dec...but im scared.not sure if ill b prep by then.are there any chances of getting admission in any univ. if i appear in dec??bcoz if im gonna pass all deadlines already i can wait and prep for some more time.😕 i know its just my decision but any advice will b very helpful.also i dont know when to appear for toefl.i mean i cant spare time to prep for toefl in between nbde studin.app.how much prep is usually needed for toefl??/bcoz i got 8 bands in ielts widout any prep

 

[anniestar]

@cuspofcarabelli----50-60 is too less on released exams,do not take the real test until u get around 85 on released exams.u have only one chance.
@pgopalak---well i would say first aid,released papers,decks are more than enough.for dental anatomy do kaplan notes.for the rest i think kaplan is too much and not gvn properly.in that time u can prac as many ques as u can lay ur hands on.
@sssdh--u can buy on amazon,i bought it for $30 second hand but excellent condition.i m not selling coz few pages my daughter has scribbled on it.
@rose82---testlets in 2010 are different from 2007 but 2007 give u a fair idea about que are framed.2010 i had softcopy,it was a separate folder.
@dental sculptor---i didnt have okeson,i used kaplan notes for da.read from that and see if u can answer questions.
@georgiadoc---they r different but 2007 ones are also good.
@R19---don't worry about clgs now,conc on exam,if u have a good score even if u get admission one yr later won't mtter much but if u r stuck with a bad score then it would be a bad situation so take the exam when u feel u r prepared.toefl is not a big deal.i think anybody can get around 100 and that is what clgs ask for.gv ur nbde and while waiting for ur result take toefl.

ok
good luck everyone.

 

[R19]

@cuspofcarabelli----50-60 is too less on released exams,do not take the real test until u get around 85 on released exams.u have only one chance.
@pgopalak---well i would say first aid,released papers,decks are more than enough.for dental anatomy do kaplan notes.for the rest i think kaplan is too much and not gvn properly.in that time u can prac as many ques as u can lay ur hands on.
@sssdh--u can buy on amazon,i bought it for $30 second hand but excellent condition.i m not selling coz few pages my daughter has scribbled on it.
@rose82---testlets in 2010 are different from 2007 but 2007 give u a fair idea about que are framed.2010 i had softcopy,it was a separate folder.
@dental sculptor---i didnt have okeson,i used kaplan notes for da.read from that and see if u can answer questions.
@georgiadoc---they r different but 2007 ones are also good.
@R19---don't worry about clgs now,conc on exam,if u have a good score even if u get admission one yr later won't mtter much but if u r stuck with a bad score then it would be a bad situation so take the exam when u feel u r prepared.toefl is not a big deal.i think anybody can get around 100 and that is what clgs ask for.gv ur nbde and while waiting for ur result take toefl.

ok
good luck everyone.

thanks for help.but just one more thing.....i hav heard that from 2012 onwards rules are going to change bringing into effect only pass fail criteria.so if one appear in 2011 but applies for universities for 2012 session then will they consider our scores or just pass-fail?

 

[SSSDH]

Hi anniestar,
Can u please suggest me which book should I buy for firstaid nbde, the Q&A one or the theory one?

thanks.

 

[godblessus]

Hi,
Which chapters do you advise all of us to read from Okeson. Are Chapter 1& 2 enough or should we read 1st 6 chapters . Please reply

I did first 6 chapters. But during last month i just did the chapter 1 and 6 both are very important...believe me do it thoroughly!! Good luck with preparation.

 

[pgopalak]

Hi what text book is this okeson? Never heard of it? Please give me some info and what i need to read?

Hi,
Which chapters do you advise all of us to read from Okeson. Are Chapter 1& 2 enough or should we read 1st 6 chapters . Please reply

I did first 6 chapters. But during last month i just did the chapter 1 and 6 both are very important...believe me do it thoroughly!! Good luck with preparation.

 

[pgopalak]

Hi annie,
Would you plz suggest whether nbde first aid or usmle firstaid is helpful?????Which one of the two is better?.Where can u purchase all the released papers of asda.

Hi anniestar,
Can u please suggest me which book should I buy for firstaid nbde, the Q&A one or the theory one?

thanks.

 

[anniestar]

i had nbde first aid not usmle and i liked the nbde 1 a lot.i had theory book not q and a so i cant say anything about it.

 

[SSSDH]

thank u anniestar.

i had nbde first aid not usmle and i liked the nbde 1 a lot.i had theory book not q and a so i cant say anything about it.

 

[rayman]

Hi,
Which chapters do you advise all of us to read from Okeson. Are Chapter 1& 2 enough or should we read 1st 6 chapters . Please reply

I did first 6 chapters. But during last month i just did the chapter 1 and 6 both are very important...believe me do it thoroughly!! Good luck with preparation.

hi i do really thank you for all
just i have q about biochem ?
what the best source to study?
thank you

 

[wdent]

Hey guys !
Just wana add one thing here to all of u and to anybody who will appear for nbde 1 that:
Nbde first aid,dental decks, + asda papers are NOT enough to ace ur exam!!! if u study these 3 sources its not gona take u more than 80% on ur fial score !!!!
U need aditional source ,example : Kplan book etc....
Thanks

Some of u might guess why wdent is sayin this !!! the reason is becz ive been told somthin and how they r askin in the exam is in differnt way !!! not tryin to scare anybody its just be damm 10000% sure before doin this exam !!
(anniestar ur advices r true to others and god bless u ... ,,but its just a matter i dont wana see brothers and sister misguided by other people here on sdn ! )

 

[teethie]

well said wadent 👍

Hey guys !
Just wana add one thing here to all of u and to anybody who will appear for nbde 1 that:
Nbde first aid,dental decks, + asda papers are NOT enough to ace ur exam!!! if u study these 3 sources its not gona take u more than 80% on ur fial score !!!!
U need aditional source ,example : Kplan book etc....
Thanks

Some of u might guess why wdent is sayin this !!! the reason is becz ive been told somthin and how they r askin in the exam is in differnt way !!! not tryin to scare anybody its just be damm 10000% sure before doin this exam !!
(anniestar ur advices r true to others and god bless u ... ,,but its just a matter i dont wana see brothers and sister misguided by other people here on sdn ! )

 

[wdent]

Thanks teethie..
Well its true what i have said and i take ful responsibility for every word that i mention...just dont wana see u guys there sufferin durin the exam,,thats what happned with me before...i ended up passin it but not the score that i wanted !!!
The thing is that begab askin some sdn members what to study for nbde1 and whats the best materials to ace the exam,,,they said nbdefist aid,decks and the recent asda papers and that those are MORE THAN ENOUGH ( i just belived them have no other choice )
my point brothers/sisters we all need and aditional source ,,kaplan or any book asa reference !!! wrote my exam last yr ,, came a cross lots of question in da real exam ive never seen before in decks or nbde 1st aid ,,, but now iam lookin they r straight from kaplan book,,,well i know its a big book and impossible to memorize it all , but @ least try to write notes and read as much as u can,,, ....
Thats my main point here ,,, its just i wish the best for everybody here...
Thanks !
God Bless You All ...wdent with love !

 

[R19]

Since from 2012 onwards rules are going to change, bringing into effect only pass fail criteria so if one appear in 2011 but applies for universities for 2012 session then will the dental schools consider our scores or just round it up as pass-fail?

 

[anekha]

Decks are definitely not enough for TMJ, I did Okeson that helped, but still some questions were very confusing. Supplement with whatever u can including histology. Hope this helps!!

hi thanks a lot 4 ur infomation..all d very best 4 ur result..can u tell me dat do we need to read all d drugs related with disease like in pharma..plz tell 4m were u read about d tmj...plz rply soon..thanks

 

[anniestar]

Hey guys !
Just wana add one thing here to all of u and to anybody who will appear for nbde 1 that:
Nbde first aid,dental decks, + asda papers are NOT enough to ace ur exam!!! if u study these 3 sources its not gona take u more than 80% on ur fial score !!!!
U need aditional source ,example : Kplan book etc....
Thanks

Some of u might guess why wdent is sayin this !!! the reason is becz ive been told somthin and how they r askin in the exam is in differnt way !!! not tryin to scare anybody its just be damm 10000% sure before doin this exam !!
(anniestar ur advices r true to others and god bless u ... ,,but its just a matter i dont wana see brothers and sister misguided by other people here on sdn ! )

hey,
i' tell u smthing.i used the three sources last time decks,papers and first aid and landed with a score of 84 which i didnt like and had registered for my re exam even before getting my result.i used the same sources again for the next 4 months.believe me i havent touched anything else and now i feel i have done better.the reason is that last time i was not thorough with these sources.i felt i was prepared and went and gve the exam but this time when i studied i discoverd so many things which i hadnt learnt last time.so in my opinion it is imp to know in and out of he topic from these sources rather than using a dozen of them. its just a personal opinion.
do the best u can.
good luck everyone.

 

[georgia doc]

i'll have to agree with u anniestar! just concentrate on the best sources available...............i have gone thru kaplan too. but i would probably just go thru the clinical corelates given at the side .........if i do get time..........just be thorough with the studying.......................plz pray for meeeeeeeeeeee

 

[wdent]

Cauz ur a Zupergurl !

 

[jeevb]

hi anniestar i just want to confirm my situation.actually i am doing througly first aid and then decks and kaplan review book.is i am gng on rite path for gud scores.and how did u study patho?

 

[anniestar]

hi anniestar i just want to confirm my situation.actually i am doing througly first aid and then decks and kaplan review book.is i am gng on rite path for gud scores.and how did u study patho?

yup,
u r going fine.try to give time to questions.u might read lot of theory but until u practice with questions u won't know where u stand.
i did patho from first aid and decks.actually i was not comfortable with kaplan patho at all.depends from person to person.i recommend kaplan book for DA as DA is not covered properly in first aid otherwise it is a great book for every subject.
all the best

 

[Dental Sculptor]

Hi,
Which chapters do you advise all of us to read from Okeson. Are Chapter 1& 2 enough or should we read 1st 6 chapters . Please reply

I did first 6 chapters. But during last month i just did the chapter 1 and 6 both are very important...believe me do it thoroughly!! Good luck with preparation.

-god blessus Thank you for the information.
Anniester- thank you also
pgopalk- okeson is TMJ book deals with occlusion, movements and problem management out of which only 1st 6 chapters are needed. i haven't read that still.

 

[pgopalak]

Dear anniestar,
Thank you very much for being a constant source of inspiration for all nbde test takers. I am taking the test for the first time and feeling very bad that i cannot retake if i end up with a pass score of 75 which is not enough though.This builds up a lot of stress in me.Please give me some tips to overcome this stress and where can i have access to all the asda papers?
Thanks for ur time and help!

yup,
u r going fine.try to give time to questions.u might read lot of theory but until u practice with questions u won't know where u stand.
i did patho from first aid and decks.actually i was not comfortable with kaplan patho at all.depends from person to person.i recommend kaplan book for DA as DA is not covered properly in first aid otherwise it is a great book for every subject.
all the best

 

[anniestar]

Dear anniestar,
Thank you very much for being a constant source of inspiration for all nbde test takers. I am taking the test for the first time and feeling very bad that i cannot retake if i end up with a pass score of 75 which is not enough though.This builds up a lot of stress in me.Please give me some tips to overcome this stress and where can i have access to all the asda papers?
Thanks for ur time and help!

well dear it's a tough time,very tough time.sometimes i feel i did well at other times i think of questions in which i just chose the best option and don't kw whether it is wrong or rite.
asda papers--i had bought a cd on amazon.it had lots of stuff inclding papers.that's a cheap way of doing it,if u buy directly from asda i think they r very costly.
when u think u r almost prepared for the exam just choose one day and do one of the asda paper,the recent ones in one go.then check and see how much u get ur raw score.if u get 330+ go and take ur exam otherwise gv another 15 days to ur prep.the papers which r coming these days are tougher than the released ones.keep this in mind.
keep praying thats it.
good luck

 

[anekha]

well dear it's a tough time,very tough time.sometimes i feel i did well at other times i think of questions in which i just chose the best option and don't kw whether it is wrong or rite.
asda papers--i had bought a cd on amazon.it had lots of stuff inclding papers.that's a cheap way of doing it,if u buy directly from asda i think they r very costly.
when u think u r almost prepared for the exam just choose one day and do one of the asda paper,the recent ones in one go.then check and see how much u get ur raw score.if u get 330+ go and take ur exam otherwise gv another 15 days to ur prep.the papers which r coming these days are tougher than the released ones.keep this in mind.
keep praying thats it.
good luck

hi anni can u plz teel which r d latest papers 4m asda dat u did..as i only have old ones...een i tried 2 get it 4m amazon but dere is no cd cuming out dere...

 

[godblessus]

hi thanks a lot 4 ur infomation..all d very best 4 ur result..can u tell me dat do we need to read all d drugs related with disease like in pharma..plz tell 4m were u read about d tmj...plz rply soon..thanks

Hi Anekha,

u don't have to do pharmac in detail. If u have first aid NBDE or usmle , it is very very nice short and sweet. If u do that it's enough. Just the basic mode of action and where does it act. Also the side effects but just brief. For pathology go through all the disease thoroughly. Know the basic pathology behind each disease. They ask everything basic. For TMJ i read OKESON chapter 1 very very useful and if possible supplement as much as u can. But do the first chapter of okeson especially TMJ VERY THOROUGHLY.

Good luck.👍

 

[godblessus]

hi i do really thank you for all
just i have q about biochem ?
what the best source to study?
thank you

Depends on when did u graduate and how long before u studied that. For me it was before 6 years. So I had to start with basics. I did kaplan notes then whatever i didn't get researched with google, there are lot of videos of biochem and da on youtube which are helpful to clear the basics. i also did some chapters of usmle biochem especially cvs, respi and kidney. So depending on when did u finished ur school u shd rely on the sources to understand the basic.

One more important thing i want to tell all future NBDE takers. Don't forget the decks. Especially the NOTES, IMPORTANT AND REMEMBER. This u see in BOLD letters in the decks. If u go through that thoroughly, believe me u will ace 30-50 % of the exam questions. Good luck!!

LET ME KNOW if i can be of any further help. A helping hand is not faraway!
Good Luck!!