Feb 17th CBSE

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madmaxfax said:
Zanki? I just looked into it. Its kind of flash cards? found a link in reddit. p.s thank you for your kind reply and consideration
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I would recommend USMLE Rx Flash Facts in Anki format. Each card takes a little longer to get through than a Zanki card, but there's only 10k of them versus Zanki's 26k and a lot of them are phrased like actual clinical vignettes. Granted, these are buzz-wordy vignettes and kind of easy, but by doing the deck, in a way you're already exposing yourself to some questions (its like doing an easy qbank).
 
docnick95 said:
I would recommend USMLE Rx Flash Facts in Anki format. Each card takes a little longer to get through than a Zanki card, but there's only 10k of them versus Zanki's 26k and a lot of them are phrased like actual clinical vignettes. Granted, these are buzz-wordy vignettes and kind of easy, but by doing the deck, in a way you're already exposing yourself to some questions (its like doing an easy qbank).
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Anyone recommend Brosencephalon or is that overkill?
 
docnick95 said:
I would recommend USMLE Rx Flash Facts in Anki format. Each card takes a little longer to get through than a Zanki card, but there's only 10k of them versus Zanki's 26k and a lot of them are phrased like actual clinical vignettes. Granted, these are buzz-wordy vignettes and kind of easy, but by doing the deck, in a way you're already exposing yourself to some questions (its like doing an easy qbank).
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I was under the impression that the CBSE rarely used buzzwords? The clinical vignette phrasing of questions is nice, but I would be afraid of using the buzzwords as a crutch. What are your thoughts? Are there similar resources with clinical vignette phrasing, but that do not have buzzwords?
 
O&MFS said:
I was under the impression that the CBSE rarely used buzzwords? The clinical vignette phrasing of questions is nice, but I would be afraid of using the buzzwords as a crutch. What are your thoughts? Are there similar resources with clinical vignette phrasing, but that do not have buzzwords?
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Any thing you are doing without uworld is WASTE OF TIME!! if you prefer reading, use first aid and uworld,you can add pathoma to it.
If you want more than just reading , Boards and Beyond + uworld is golden + Previous nbme practice test..... It is a very hard exam and there is so much material that you have to do it over and over and over again to not only remember but to understand. I wish I had more time. But regardless you have to keep doing problems and studying that when you leave the exam, you know you gave it the best of you best. Goodluck !
 
madmaxfax said:
Zanki? I just looked into it. Its kind of flash cards? found a link in reddit. p.s thank you for your kind reply and consideration
Click to expand...
Any thing you are doing without uworld is WASTE OF TIME!! if you prefer reading, use first aid and uworld,you can add pathoma to it.
If you want more than just reading , Boards and Beyond + uworld is golden + Previous nbme practice test..... It is a very hard exam and there is so much material that you have to do it over and over and over again to not only remember but to understand. I wish I had more time. But regardless you have to keep doing problems and studying that when you leave the exam, you know you gave it the best of you best. Goodluck !
 
Still nothing... any idea when to expect the results?
 
O&MFS said:
I was under the impression that the CBSE rarely used buzzwords? The clinical vignette phrasing of questions is nice, but I would be afraid of using the buzzwords as a crutch. What are your thoughts? Are there similar resources with clinical vignette phrasing, but that do not have buzzwords?
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I do not think there are any other comprehensive flash card packs for Step 1 that have vignette phrasing. Yes, it probably rarely uses buzzwords, but when you are studying Pathoma or First Aid, you have to first learn the typical/archetypal ways a certain pathology presents in, and that is what the flash cards are doing-just showing you the most typical scenarios.
I mean, these flash cards are quite comprehensive-they cover the whole of First Aid. After you finish them, you should still do qbanks because that is where you learn the most. I just think they put you in a better position than any other flash card pack. I would say other flash card packs are worse because they use techniques like cloze deletion and only test individual facts, whereas the Flash Facts deck mixes facts with some concepts.
I also think Flash Facts are better than Bros or Zanki because they mix in things like the typical demographics that present with certain diseases (ex. Adult T Cell Lymphoma typically associated with HTLV infection/IV drug use in Japanese/West African/Caribbean persons).
 
I just got an email saying the score report is available. But I can’t see anything when I log in. Anyone else?
 
Same here. Got the email too but no score report when I log in.
 
I actually just called them. They said they thought the NBME had published the results but they haven’t yet, so they're not actually available yet. He said you should get them soon (today).
 
The CBSE scores are scaled to have a mean of 70, a range of approximately 45 to 95, and a standard deviation of 8. The corresponding statistics for the OMS applicants who took the examination on February 17th is a mean of 53, range of 23 to 98, and a standard deviation of 12.5 ​
 
First attempt.. got a 61.
Did Ux2FAP, 2 NBME (avg 60, 64), and Bros Anki decks the last 2 weeks... I wish I discovered Anki earlier. Good luck!
 
This was my first attempt too. Got a 68. I only used FA and uworld.
I want to re-take to break that 70, but I don't know if I would have time to study during my internship.
Anyways, good luck to you all!
 
SirWinston said:
First attempt.. got a 61.
Did Ux2FAP, 2 NBME (avg 60, 64), and Bros Anki decks the last 2 weeks... I wish I discovered Anki earlier. Good luck!
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You did Uworld twice?
 
I did First Aid, Sketchy Micro and Pharm, Pathoma and Uworld; I feel like Micro didn't really help cause there weren't too man questions on it this time (there were plenty last time which is why I focused on it so much), Pathoma was definitely high yield, especially the first few chapters.
 
the test is scaled to 100 right?? total scale score : x. that is x/100???
 
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Scored in the 60s. Studied for 6 weeks using (FA+Pathoma) once, and about 500 Uworld questions.
 
EmekaDokinta said:
Any thing you are doing without uworld is WASTE OF TIME!! if you prefer reading, use first aid and uworld,you can add pathoma to it.
If you want more than just reading , Boards and Beyond + uworld is golden + Previous nbme practice test..... It is a very hard exam and there is so much material that you have to do it over and over and over again to not only remember but to understand. I wish I had more time. But regardless you have to keep doing problems and studying that when you leave the exam, you know you gave it the best of you best. Goodluck !
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Ok. first of all my deepest gratitude for your warmth kind and pure consideration and help towards my matter and all the mess trying to clear out. I am most obliged. My apologies to further bother you with questions, but I am trying to understand the whole concept, as I had little time from 29th November and also being two years off. So, as taken a look, Boards and Beyond are all these videos, which you subscribe to, and watch them-take notes as in pathoma videos right? Also should I do the quizzes? What about the books offered?? Uworld has the qbank and statistics review. so I do statistics and as many questions as possible, and also keeping notes if I come up with something I do not know, after I read through FA, Pathoma and Boards and Beyond?? Also take self assesments??
What about flash cards?? Zanki or Flash facts or Bros?? p.s. thank you for everything. p.s. 2 thank you everyone for all your advice, idealistic help and consideration. Good luck!!
 
First attempt - 53. I am less than a year out of school for reference. I Studied off and on for 6 weeks using First Aid and listened to half of pathoma. I know this was not the strongest effort but I was bummed out that even the areas I did study in pathoma/FA were unfamiliar to me. No, I did not make it through all of FirstAid. I plan to take the August 2018 exam; perhaps someone who scored well can help me understand how I can improve for next time.
Thank you to everyone who has shared tips, duly noted.
 
madmaxfax said:
Ok. first of all my deepest gratitude for your warmth kind and pure consideration and help towards my matter and all the mess trying to clear out. I am most obliged. My apologies to further bother you with questions, but I am trying to understand the whole concept, as I had little time from 29th November and also being two years off. So, as taken a look, Boards and Beyond are all these videos, which you subscribe to, and watch them-take notes as in pathoma videos right? Also should I do the quizzes? What about the books offered?? Uworld has the qbank and statistics review. so I do statistics and as many questions as possible, and also keeping notes if I come up with something I do not know, after I read through FA, Pathoma and Boards and Beyond?? Also take self assesments??
What about flash cards?? Zanki or Flash facts or Bros?? p.s. thank you for everything. p.s. 2 thank you everyone for all your advice, idealistic help and consideration. Good luck!!
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I would just watch boards and beyond. you can download his slides on his website as well. i would watch the videos like 3 time. The first time is usually slow because I am still trying to understand the concept and then the next time i watch the video, i am on like 1.75 speed. I would solve uworld problem inbetween like 4 videos. use uworld as a learning tool. I would watch cardio and solve only problems on cardio on uworld. pm me lets talk
 
EmekaDokinta said:
I would just watch boards and beyond. you can download his slides on his website as well. i would watch the videos like 3 time. The first time is usually slow because I am still trying to understand the concept and then the next time i watch the video, i am on like 1.75 speed. I would solve uworld problem inbetween like 4 videos. use uworld as a learning tool. I would watch cardio and solve only problems on cardio on uworld. pm me lets talk
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Did you use UWorld to quiz yourself on topics you were currently learning on Boards and Beyond (i.e. watch cardio videos all day / study... then practice cardio UWorld questions)? Is it feasible to study like that alongside Dental School coursework? Also, if you feel comfortable in answering this, how did you do on the February exam?
 
aliqudsi said:
Not bad for a first attempt, especially if you're planning on taking it again. I got a 45 last time, 69 this time. Not sure if I should take it again...
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How’d you manage a 25 point increase?! That’s quite significant.
 
Reality? said:
How’d you manage a 25 point increase?! That’s quite significant.
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The first time around I only did First Aid, no videos, no uWorld, no questions, nothing. This time I gave it my all, really focused on Micro/Pharm (Sketchy) I relay focused on Micro because the July exam was very heavy on it, and it was my weak area; unfortunately this exam had maybe 3 questions on Micro total.

I used First Aid as my layout guide, went chapter by chapter studying the relevant Pathoma videos to each chapter, and finishing off with the pharm vids from sketchy; I would then do some uWord about the specific topics I just studied.

I'm not very impressed with my score, and am considering retaking, but I'm not sure yet; if I do retake I'd probably just study uWorld and hope for an easier set of questions next time around...
 
aliqudsi said:
The first time around I only did First Aid, no videos, no uWorld, no questions, nothing. This time I gave it my all, really focused on Micro/Pharm (Sketchy) I relay focused on Micro because the July exam was very heavy on it, and it was my weak area; unfortunately this exam had maybe 3 questions on Micro total.

I used First Aid as my layout guide, went chapter by chapter studying the relevant Pathoma videos to each chapter, and finishing off with the pharm vids from sketchy; I would then do some uWord about the specific topics I just studied.

I'm not very impressed with my score, and am considering retaking, but I'm not sure yet; if I do retake I'd probably just study uWorld and hope for an easier set of questions next time around...
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What would you say is a good target score to have a good chance of matching? 70?
 
aliqudsi said:
What do you think of a 69? Retake to try for 70+?
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I'm still in DS lol i'm not a resident. I'm just basing that on what the attendings I've talked to at my school have told me. They said they will not accept applications below 65. They said 65+ is competitive but obviously the higher the better. Assuming you have that then your app would be looked at here. He also said that the amount of externships you have and the strength of you rec letters plays a very large part --> can really show your commitment to the profession.
 
Scored a 98. I looked at all the past CBSE threads for tips during my preparation so I feel obligated to contribute some thoughts.

Background: currently a D2 with a pass/fail dental curriculum so I essentially focused on studying for this exam for 5 months straight while my dental classes were secondary. I was fortunate that my first year medical curriculum helped with the more challenging concepts (especially in neurology, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular) so I was not learning too many things from scratch.

I used First Aid (2x), Pathoma (1x videos, 2x text), SketchyMicro/Pharm (2x), UWorld (1x), and NBMEs (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). I started by going through Behavioral Science, Biochemistry, and Microbiology in First Aid. I watched all of SketchyMicro alongside FA Microbiology. Then I started the first 3 chapters of Pathoma alongside FA Immunology and Pathology. For the rest of Pathoma, for each organ system, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters and watch the relevant SketchyPharm videos. Finally, I finished off FA and SketchyPharm psychiatry.

With my foundation set, I started doing UWorld on random, untimed, tutor. I actually answered all the questions open-book and aimed for the highest percentage correct as if it were a game (ended with a 95.9%). This forced me to really research each question and the answer choices in First Aid, Pathoma, and Sketchy to reach a decisive conclusion. I think this process made me remember correct answers well, and by the end of nearly 2500 questions, I had most of First Aid memorized. However, this is an unorthodox and time-consuming approach so it’s probably not for everyone.

At this point, I had about a month left. I re-watched SketchyMicro and SketchyPharm at 2x speed (a lot easier the second time after UWorld). I re-read Pathoma and First Aid (which was also easier since I referenced them constantly during UWorld). I reviewed my UWorld notes on mostly low-yield trivia to cover my bases. Two weeks prior, I started doing NBME’s. The NBME interface is identical to that of the CBSE, so definitely do at least one to become familiar. 13, 15, and 16 were done casually for additional practice questions. 17, 18, and 19 were done timed on weekend mornings to simulate the actual exam.

I thought the actual CBSE exam was objectively harder than all the NBME’s. Comparatively, there were more questions not covered in the resources I studied. There were more times where I thought two answer choices were “correct” and had to pick and pray. I know for a fact that I got 8 wrong, and there’s certainly more that I’m unaware of. I thought I was going to underperform because I was getting fewer wrong on my practice NBME’s. However, the real exam had a more generous curve (perhaps to account for its greater difficulty) so trust your NBME scores.
 
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docnick95 said:
I would recommend USMLE Rx Flash Facts in Anki format. Each card takes a little longer to get through than a Zanki card, but there's only 10k of them versus Zanki's 26k and a lot of them are phrased like actual clinical vignettes. Granted, these are buzz-wordy vignettes and kind of easy, but by doing the deck, in a way you're already exposing yourself to some questions (its like doing an easy qbank).
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thank you so much for your consideration. just downloaded anki, I think all of it, am confused of how to import and work the whole thing, will get a look and most probably purchase flash facts that are ready in form and everything. If I am doing right many zanki cards are repeated in different chapters as the downloads show me. I ve downloaded a dozen apkgs with each chapter and a path&physiology and pharm apkg. cant tell the difference between every chapter from salt decks and the whole path&physiology apkg.
 
Arabidopsis said:
Scored a 98. I looked at all the past CBSE threads for tips during my preparation so I feel obligated to contribute some thoughts.

Background: currently a D2 with a pass/fail dental curriculum so I essentially focused on studying for this exam for 5 months straight while my dental classes were secondary. I was fortunate that my first year medical curriculum helped with the more challenging concepts (especially in neurology, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular) so I was not learning too many things from scratch.

I used First Aid (2x), Pathoma (1x videos, 2x text), SketchyMicro/Pharm (2x), UWorld (1x), and NBMEs (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). I started by going through Behavioral Science, Biochemistry, and Microbiology in First Aid. I watched all of SketchyMicro alongside FA Microbiology. Then I started the first 3 chapters of Pathoma alongside FA Immunology and Pathology. For the rest of Pathoma, for each organ system, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters and watch the relevant SketchyPharm videos. Finally, I finished off FA and SketchyPharm psychiatry.

With my foundation set, I started doing UWorld. I actually answered all the questions open-book and aimed for the highest percentage correct as if it were a game (ended with a 95.9%). This forced me to really research each question and the answer choices in First Aid, Pathoma, and Sketchy to reach a decisive conclusion. I think this process made me remember correct answers well, and by the end of nearly 2500 questions, I had most of First Aid memorized. However, this is an unorthodox and time-consuming approach so it’s probably not for everyone.

At this point, I had about a month left. I re-watched SketchyMicro and SketchyPharm at 2x speed (a lot easier the second time after UWorld). I re-read Pathoma and First Aid (which was also easier since I referenced them constantly during UWorld). I reviewed my UWorld notes on mostly low-yield trivia to cover my bases. Two weeks prior, I started doing NBME’s. The NBME interface is identical to that of the CBSE, so definitely do at least one to become familiar. 13, 15, and 16 were done casually for additional practice questions. 17, 18, and 19 were done timed on weekend mornings to simulate the actual exam.

I thought the actual CBSE exam was objectively harder than all the NBME’s. Comparatively, there were more questions not covered in the resources I studied. There were more times where I thought two answer choices were “correct” and had to pick and pray. I know for a fact that I got 8 wrong, and there’s certainly more that I’m unaware of. I thought I was going to underperform because I was getting fewer wrong on my practice NBME’s. However, the real exam had a more generous curve (perhaps to account for its greater difficulty) so trust your NBME scores.
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How many hours per day were you putting in?
 
one question. in the nbme there is the actual score report saying that it will be available till 22th August and if someone is not happy with the score then it will not be reported. Is now my score visible or must I some how report it? and if I dont want to??
 
madmaxfax said:
one question. in the nbme there is the actual score report saying that it will be available till 22th August and if someone is not happy with the score then it will not be reported. Is now my score visible or must I some how report it? and if I dont want to??
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You self-report your highest score and upload it to the PASS application when you apply, just download the PDF to your computer and save it before it goes away on Aug 22nd.
 
sjv said:
You self-report your highest score and upload it to the PASS application when you apply, just download the PDF to your computer and save it before it goes away on Aug 22nd.
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so for self reporting, do I send the pdf some where or upload it to pass if I get a good score?? particularly I didnt make it for so little. so is this score visible, staying there until 22nd August?? must I delete it somehow?? one last question. total scaled score: x is x/100??? p.s. will retake. got so close for so little time. thank you for your kind consideration
 
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madmaxfax said:
so for self reporting, do I send the pdf some where or upload it to pass if I get a good score?? particularly I didnt make it for so little. so is this score visible, staying there until 22nd August?? must I delete it somehow?? one last question. total scaled score: x is x/100??? p.s. will retake. got so close for so little time. thank you for your kind consideration
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No, it just says there on the website, no one will see it but you, but you won't be able to save it after Aug 22nd. When you start to fill out your PASS application, there is a section to upload documents and that is where you will upload the PDF of the score of your choice after you retake. I believe it is out of 100.
 
sjv said:
No, it just says there on the website, no one will see it but you, but you won't be able to save it after Aug 22nd. When you start to fill out your PASS application, there is a section to upload documents and that is where you will upload the PDF of the score of your choice after you retake. I believe it is out of 100.
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ok. great. my deepest gratitude for your kind warmth consideration and help towards my matter and fuzz. Then I got so really close. August then again. wish you all the best
 
got an 84 (this was my 2nd attempt, 62 first)
My strategy was to tackle sketchy micro/pharm, then pathoma, then uWorld. I barely used first aid except to double check answers when going through uWorld. I hit like 67% of uWorld questions. This regimen will take like ~4 months to get through properly. I got through uWorld once, but if I got to go through my incorrect answers one more time I probably would have boosted that score a bit more.
In my experience, learning pathoma and systemic physiology will get you to low/mid 60s. Add in pharm and micro and you will boost that to mid 70s. Add in biochem and anatomy and you will hit the mid 80s.
 
toothsucker said:
got an 84 (this was my 2nd attempt, 62 first)
My strategy was to tackle sketchy micro/pharm, then pathoma, then uWorld. I barely used first aid except to double check answers when going through uWorld. I hit like 67% of uWorld questions. This regimen will take like ~4 months to get through properly. I got through uWorld once, but if I got to go through my incorrect answers one more time I probably would have boosted that score a bit more.
In my experience, learning pathoma and systemic physiology will get you to low/mid 60s. Add in pharm and micro and you will boost that to mid 70s. Add in biochem and anatomy and you will hit the mid 80s.
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That's a heck of a score!!!
 
Arabidopsis said:
Scored a 98. I looked at all the past CBSE threads for tips during my preparation so I feel obligated to contribute some thoughts.

Background: currently a D2 with a pass/fail dental curriculum so I essentially focused on studying for this exam for 5 months straight while my dental classes were secondary. I was fortunate that my first year medical curriculum helped with the more challenging concepts (especially in neurology, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular) so I was not learning too many things from scratch.

I used First Aid (2x), Pathoma (1x videos, 2x text), SketchyMicro/Pharm (2x), UWorld (1x), and NBMEs (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). I started by going through Behavioral Science, Biochemistry, and Microbiology in First Aid. I watched all of SketchyMicro alongside FA Microbiology. Then I started the first 3 chapters of Pathoma alongside FA Immunology and Pathology. For the rest of Pathoma, for each organ system, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters and watch the relevant SketchyPharm videos. Finally, I finished off FA and SketchyPharm psychiatry.

With my foundation set, I started doing UWorld on random, untimed, tutor. I actually answered all the questions open-book and aimed for the highest percentage correct as if it were a game (ended with a 95.9%). This forced me to really research each question and the answer choices in First Aid, Pathoma, and Sketchy to reach a decisive conclusion. I think this process made me remember correct answers well, and by the end of nearly 2500 questions, I had most of First Aid memorized. However, this is an unorthodox and time-consuming approach so it’s probably not for everyone.

At this point, I had about a month left. I re-watched SketchyMicro and SketchyPharm at 2x speed (a lot easier the second time after UWorld). I re-read Pathoma and First Aid (which was also easier since I referenced them constantly during UWorld). I reviewed my UWorld notes on mostly low-yield trivia to cover my bases. Two weeks prior, I started doing NBME’s. The NBME interface is identical to that of the CBSE, so definitely do at least one to become familiar. 13, 15, and 16 were done casually for additional practice questions. 17, 18, and 19 were done timed on weekend mornings to simulate the actual exam.

I thought the actual CBSE exam was objectively harder than all the NBME’s. Comparatively, there were more questions not covered in the resources I studied. There were more times where I thought two answer choices were “correct” and had to pick and pray. I know for a fact that I got 8 wrong, and there’s certainly more that I’m unaware of. I thought I was going to underperform because I was getting fewer wrong on my practice NBME’s. However, the real exam had a more generous curve (perhaps to account for its greater difficulty) so trust your NBME scores.
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Did you ever study Anatomy or Embryology in any great detail? As of now my strategy is to just learn whatever is in First Aid for the corresponding Anatomy and Embryology of each of the organ systems. I am wondering if we need to do more than that for the CBSE. Thanks and congrats on an amazing score-probably highest in the nation lol!
 
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docnick95 said:
Did you ever study Anatomy or Embryology in any great detail? As of now my strategy is to just learn whatever is in First Aid for the corresponding Anatomy and Embryology of each of the organ systems. I am wondering if we need to do more than that for the CBSE. Thanks and congrats on an amazing score-probably highest in the nation lol!
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I personally feel that anatomy and embryology are the two hardest subjects to prepare for because there's so much trivia that you either know or don't. I studied the entirety of First Aid as best as I could, including the anatomy and embryology sections of each organ system. I can recall 3 embryology questions on my CBSE that were specific trivia which were straight from First Aid.

From my own experience, some high yield topics in anatomy include brachial plexus, peroneal/tibial nerves, knee ligaments, lymph node drainage, circle of Willis, cerebral cortex regions, nerve roots for reflexes, coronary arteries, female pelvic ligaments, fore/mid/hindgut blood supply, pectinate line, and hernias. Some high yield topics in embryology include ecto/meso/endoderm derivatives, fetal circulation, gastrointestinal abnormalities (atresias, malrotation, divisum, diverticulum, ventral wall defects, etc.), Mullerian/Wolffian ducts, and branchial arch/pouch derivatives. It's important to know the clinical presentations and implications associated with normal and abnormal structures.

After my second dedicated read of First Aid, I specifically reviewed the anatomy questions and explanations in UWorld to fill any gaps (you can filter by subject). In fact, on my exam, I had a musculoskeletal anatomy question that was in UWorld but not First Aid. I'm pretty certain you can still score 80+ without mastering anatomy and embryology. Physiology and pathology should be prioritized if you lack time.
 
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The_Surgeon said:
I guess I am posting a bit late... I got a 67 for my first attempt - currently a D2. Taking it again in August.
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Do you mind sharing how you prepared and what you would recommend or do differently? I think it would be very helpful to future test-takers.
 
The_Surgeon said:
Hello RSDM — of course!

My philosophy when it comes to studying is 1) Truly understand something before moving on 2) Why waste time on restudying things you already know? As you can tell, I really do not like to waste time relearning things.

Background/Tips
  • I go to a school with a medical school curriculum - helpful but not required.
  • I didn't go into dental school knowing I wanted to do OMS, so don't stress if you think you are late
  • I go to a school that IS ranked - so grades were of concern whilst prepping for CBSE
    • Getting all the stupid things in dental school completed while studying for CBSE is difficult, but honestly most of dental school is about "did you memorize that sentence on slide 48 from lecture 2 weeks ago?" Just make Anki cards or whatever you have to do to just memorize the details.
    • As for lab work - just be antisocial when you are working. Every time we were scheduled to be in lab, I just put on earphones to listen to audiobooks/podcasts while doing all my lab work because really you don't have time to go in after hours. I never went to lab outside of class hours because I just laser-focused during class.
  • Don't give up your hobbies to study 24/7 - except the 2weeks before CBSE- that's when you say goodbye world
    • For example, continue to workout, run, do photography, rock climb, go biking, hiking, backpacking! I did this all throughout!
Resources used
  • Classic: UWorld, FA, Sketchy Micro/Pharm, Pathoma
    • One comment about Pathoma - People swear by this, but I don't think one should rely on this for everything. It is helpful when Dr. Sattar connects path and phys, but if you cannot do it yourself - CBSE questions might surprise you. Yes, watch it once if you have very little exposure to the diseases - but ONLY watch it once and just go through his notes if you need more review.
    • Some people enjoyed Sketchy Path, but I didn't have the time or patience to watch all those videos. It it important to learn pathology in relation to patient presentation - which only comes with practice through questions and not watching numerous different sources explaining the same disease (some people seriously watch youtube, Khan academy, pathoma, sketchy, kaplan videos about the disease).
    • I used UWorld as my practice questions (timed/random), but I think there is a better method - listed below in Timeline.
  • Anki Cards - Every single day, regardless if you have dental school exams and what not, I always did my sets of Anki cards. If I was super busy, I only did my "review" sets without adding new cards. It is important to get the answers correct, but also add explanations in the "extra" box so that you understand reasons. I find Zanki to be useful - but I also modified and added to them. It honestly doesn't take much time/effort to answer some memory Q's from Anki - this will make your Step 1 prep during OMS a lot easier too. If you don't have facts memorized - it is difficult to apply concepts.
  • NBME exams for simulating real exams
Suggested Timeline (will use this for my second run too)
  • Start off with FA with respective Anki cards to expose yourself to the topics covered. Don't try to focus on what is high yield or not - that is up to the CBSE exam writers and not what we say on SDN. Of course, if you are short on time - focus on high yields
  • Use UWorld for practice
    • This is where you apply your memorized facts/concepts to clinical situations. Most questions are written in a way where you decipher the patient presentation, link it to a concept, and use that concept to arrive to a specific fact.
    • If you are confident about your test taking speed, I would just to tutor mode/random. I never did subject specific-blocks because I thought it would a bias.
    • Go through UWorld tutor/random and mark the questions that you got wrong and those with explanations you had no idea about - very important to master these concepts. Go through UWorld another time of the marked questions. (again, why go through Uworld 2 times completely when you understand the questions you got right? Don't waste time). There is about 60+ish blocks if you do them 40q per. As your going through UWorld, write on a notebook paper of CONCEPTS of what you are getting wrong (not facts or entire explanations - HUGE waste of time). After your question block - go understand those concepts. If you are STILL getting questions wrong or if you can't understand something - make Anki cards out of them and drill them into your head.
  • Use NBME to simulate the real exam
    • Use your saturday mornings (about 4.5 hours) to go through an entire NBME. There are many out there for free and for purchase. The CBSE (NBME) questions are written VERY differently from UWorld - different sentence structure, length, lab value format, etc. So use this to gauge how well you are doing in apply your concepts. After your exam block - that's when you go out and play with friends/family/hobbies/etc. At the end of the day - go through your NBME answers and make Anki cards of the ones you got wrong.
  • Your last two weeks before CBSE - seriously say goodbye to the world. Delete FB, instagram, or whatever your other social media obligations are.
    • Go over all the concepts you are still missing - or taking a long time to reproduce in your head when asked a question on the spot. you need to improve your recall speed.
    • go over the pesky details that you just didn't want to memorize (all those stupid tables in FA).
    • do a NBME test 1 Saturday before your real CBSE - I suggest this to be your last exam. I seriously don't think it is worth the time to simulate the real exam 2 days before CBSE - you will just kid yourself.
Any other questions - please feel free to ask!
Click to expand...

When you were making Anki cards from FA, did you make a card for every single minute detail? How did you decide what deserves a card or not?
 
Arabidopsis said:
Scored a 98. I looked at all the past CBSE threads for tips during my preparation so I feel obligated to contribute some thoughts.

Background: currently a D2 with a pass/fail dental curriculum so I essentially focused on studying for this exam for 5 months straight while my dental classes were secondary. I was fortunate that my first year medical curriculum helped with the more challenging concepts (especially in neurology, renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular) so I was not learning too many things from scratch.

I used First Aid (2x), Pathoma (1x videos, 2x text), SketchyMicro/Pharm (2x), UWorld (1x), and NBMEs (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19). I started by going through Behavioral Science, Biochemistry, and Microbiology in First Aid. I watched all of SketchyMicro alongside FA Microbiology. Then I started the first 3 chapters of Pathoma alongside FA Immunology and Pathology. For the rest of Pathoma, for each organ system, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters and watch the relevant SketchyPharm videos. Finally, I finished off FA and SketchyPharm psychiatry.

With my foundation set, I started doing UWorld on random, untimed, tutor. I actually answered all the questions open-book and aimed for the highest percentage correct as if it were a game (ended with a 95.9%). This forced me to really research each question and the answer choices in First Aid, Pathoma, and Sketchy to reach a decisive conclusion. I think this process made me remember correct answers well, and by the end of nearly 2500 questions, I had most of First Aid memorized. However, this is an unorthodox and time-consuming approach so it’s probably not for everyone.

At this point, I had about a month left. I re-watched SketchyMicro and SketchyPharm at 2x speed (a lot easier the second time after UWorld). I re-read Pathoma and First Aid (which was also easier since I referenced them constantly during UWorld). I reviewed my UWorld notes on mostly low-yield trivia to cover my bases. Two weeks prior, I started doing NBME’s. The NBME interface is identical to that of the CBSE, so definitely do at least one to become familiar. 13, 15, and 16 were done casually for additional practice questions. 17, 18, and 19 were done timed on weekend mornings to simulate the actual exam.

I thought the actual CBSE exam was objectively harder than all the NBME’s. Comparatively, there were more questions not covered in the resources I studied. There were more times where I thought two answer choices were “correct” and had to pick and pray. I know for a fact that I got 8 wrong, and there’s certainly more that I’m unaware of. I thought I was going to underperform because I was getting fewer wrong on my practice NBME’s. However, the real exam had a more generous curve (perhaps to account for its greater difficulty) so trust your NBME scores.
Click to expand...

Congrats on the early match!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
The_Surgeon said:
Hello RSDM — of course!

My philosophy when it comes to studying is 1) Truly understand something before moving on 2) Why waste time on restudying things you already know? As you can tell, I really do not like to waste time relearning things.

Background/Tips
  • I go to a school with a medical school curriculum - helpful but not required.
  • I didn't go into dental school knowing I wanted to do OMS, so don't stress if you think you are late
  • I go to a school that IS ranked - so grades were of concern whilst prepping for CBSE
    • Getting all the stupid things in dental school completed while studying for CBSE is difficult, but honestly most of dental school is about "did you memorize that sentence on slide 48 from lecture 2 weeks ago?" Just make Anki cards or whatever you have to do to just memorize the details.
    • As for lab work - just be antisocial when you are working. Every time we were scheduled to be in lab, I just put on earphones to listen to audiobooks/podcasts while doing all my lab work because really you don't have time to go in after hours. I never went to lab outside of class hours because I just laser-focused during class.
  • Don't give up your hobbies to study 24/7 - except the 2weeks before CBSE- that's when you say goodbye world
    • For example, continue to workout, run, do photography, rock climb, go biking, hiking, backpacking! I did this all throughout!
Resources used
  • Classic: UWorld, FA, Sketchy Micro/Pharm, Pathoma
    • One comment about Pathoma - People swear by this, but I don't think one should rely on this for everything. It is helpful when Dr. Sattar connects path and phys, but if you cannot do it yourself - CBSE questions might surprise you. Yes, watch it once if you have very little exposure to the diseases - but ONLY watch it once and just go through his notes if you need more review.
    • Some people enjoyed Sketchy Path, but I didn't have the time or patience to watch all those videos. It it important to learn pathology in relation to patient presentation - which only comes with practice through questions and not watching numerous different sources explaining the same disease (some people seriously watch youtube, Khan academy, pathoma, sketchy, kaplan videos about the disease).
    • I used UWorld as my practice questions (timed/random), but I think there is a better method - listed below in Timeline.
  • Anki Cards - Every single day, regardless if you have dental school exams and what not, I always did my sets of Anki cards. If I was super busy, I only did my "review" sets without adding new cards. It is important to get the answers correct, but also add explanations in the "extra" box so that you understand reasons. I find Zanki to be useful - but I also modified and added to them. It honestly doesn't take much time/effort to answer some memory Q's from Anki - this will make your Step 1 prep during OMS a lot easier too. If you don't have facts memorized - it is difficult to apply concepts.
  • NBME exams for simulating real exams
Suggested Timeline (will use this for my second run too)
  • Start off with FA with respective Anki cards to expose yourself to the topics covered. Don't try to focus on what is high yield or not - that is up to the CBSE exam writers and not what we say on SDN. Of course, if you are short on time - focus on high yields
  • Use UWorld for practice
    • This is where you apply your memorized facts/concepts to clinical situations. Most questions are written in a way where you decipher the patient presentation, link it to a concept, and use that concept to arrive to a specific fact.
    • If you are confident about your test taking speed, I would just to tutor mode/random. I never did subject specific-blocks because I thought it would a bias.
    • Go through UWorld tutor/random and mark the questions that you got wrong and those with explanations you had no idea about - very important to master these concepts. Go through UWorld another time of the marked questions. (again, why go through Uworld 2 times completely when you understand the questions you got right? Don't waste time). There is about 60+ish blocks if you do them 40q per. As your going through UWorld, write on a notebook paper of CONCEPTS of what you are getting wrong (not facts or entire explanations - HUGE waste of time). After your question block - go understand those concepts. If you are STILL getting questions wrong or if you can't understand something - make Anki cards out of them and drill them into your head.
  • Use NBME to simulate the real exam
    • Use your saturday mornings (about 4.5 hours) to go through an entire NBME. There are many out there for free and for purchase. The CBSE (NBME) questions are written VERY differently from UWorld - different sentence structure, length, lab value format, etc. So use this to gauge how well you are doing in apply your concepts. After your exam block - that's when you go out and play with friends/family/hobbies/etc. At the end of the day - go through your NBME answers and make Anki cards of the ones you got wrong.
  • Your last two weeks before CBSE - seriously say goodbye to the world. Delete FB, instagram, or whatever your other social media obligations are.
    • Go over all the concepts you are still missing - or taking a long time to reproduce in your head when asked a question on the spot. you need to improve your recall speed.
    • go over the pesky details that you just didn't want to memorize (all those stupid tables in FA).
    • do a NBME test 1 Saturday before your real CBSE - I suggest this to be your last exam. I seriously don't think it is worth the time to simulate the real exam 2 days before CBSE - you will just kid yourself.
Any other questions - please feel free to ask!
Click to expand...
How many months did you study
 
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