high scores on WORLD

[AllUpOnYoMama]

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Whats up. So lately I've been getting decent scores on WORLD... average about 65% with highs in the low 70s. The weird thing is that I feel like I dont know jack. I find myself being able to reason through the questions and pick the correct answer. I'm using WORLD as a learning tool and have not gone over FA yet.... so I dont know jack when it comes to details but when it comes to concepts, I use common sense to narrow down the answer choices which I get correct. Basically, I end up feeling like it was a lucky guess. Is this normal? Anyone feel this way? Thanks for the reply

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

I agree with you completely.

The more I study, the more my scores go down

(figure that out)

 

[sendwich]

same here. I find that if I think too hard, I panic and choose the wrong answer on UWorld. But if I put my mind on coast, overall % goes up. Plus, dont know jack from FA either.

This is concerning, right?

 

[Slide]

Whats up. So lately I've been getting decent scores on WORLD... average about 65% with highs in the low 70s. The weird thing is that I feel like I dont know jack. I find myself being able to reason through the questions and pick the correct answer. I'm using WORLD as a learning tool and have not gone over FA yet.... so I dont know jack when it comes to details but when it comes to concepts, I use common sense to narrow down the answer choices which I get correct. Basically, I end up feeling like it was a lucky guess. Is this normal? Anyone feel this way? Thanks for the reply

Ha, guess what? The real thing is just like this. So don't worry too much.

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

Ha, guess what? The real thing is just like this. So don't worry too much.

What do you suggest we do?

 

[AllUpOnYoMama]

I've noticed that if the question is a direct recall question, I usually get it wrong. If its a concept based q, then Im more than likely to get it right. Is the step more concept based where you can reason out the answers? I just find myself surprised when I get 73% correct on a 48 q timed block. this sucks.

 

[Slide]

I've noticed that if the question is a direct recall question, I usually get it wrong. If its a concept based q, then Im more than likely to get it right. Is the step more concept based where you can reason out the answers? I just find myself surprised when I get 73% correct on a 48 q timed block. this sucks.

There is some recall on the real thing but a good bit is also concept-based, like in physiology, pathophys, or even biochem and neuroanatomy. For some of the recall questions if you don't know the answer you can often eliminate all or most of the wrong answers. For instance, one neuro question was asking that if you were a neurosurgeon ready to ablate a portion of a patient's brain that had parkinson's, which part of the efferent basal ganglia pathway would you ablate? I knew the answer, but just by looking at some of the answer choices, you just had to know which one them was associated with the pathway. Some of the choices were nuclues accumbens, medulla (seriously wtf), and substantia nigra (was tempting but not correct; SN being damaged is what's wrong in the first place). So yeah, even if you didn't know the answer right off the bat, you could reason your way to it.

 

[Deferoxamine]

Yeah my first day on UWorld was like upper 70%'s. Hasn't been that high since. I know the feeling.

Some of the choices were nuclues accumbens, medulla (seriously wtf), and substantia nigra (was tempting but not correct; SN being damaged is what's wrong in the first place). So yeah, even if you didn't know the answer right off the bat, you could reason your way to it.

GPi and/or STN? 😀

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Yeah my first day on UWorld was like upper 70%'s. Hasn't been that high since. I know the feeling.



GPi and/or STN? 😀

Yeah, I was thinking STN too. Hey, random fact, I learned the other day - maybe you guys already know this - that the deep brain stimulation of the STN works kind of like constant GnRH analogs. When it's pulsatile, it's agonistic, but continuous admin. causes antagonism. Continuous DBS causes desensitization and inhibition of the STN.

 

[Slide]

Yeah my first day on UWorld was like upper 70%'s. Hasn't been that high since. I know the feeling.



GPi and/or STN? 😀

Answer was GPi if I recall correctly. That was my first hunch, but just by seeing the other answer choices I knew it had to be the answer. This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about when I say that you can just figure it out even if you don't really know the answer.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Answer was GPi if I recall correctly. That was my first hunch, but just by seeing the other answer choices I knew it had to be the answer. This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about when I say that you can just figure it out even if you don't really know the answer.

Was STN an answer choice? Lol, because I probably would have picked it over GPi! Thanks for the example of a question, Slide!

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

How similar are UWorld questions to the real thing?

Do they have questions that are almost verbatim?

 

[Slide]

Was STN an answer choice? Lol, because I probably would have picked it over GPi! Thanks for the example of a question, Slide!

I didn't see STN as an answer, else I would've been really conflicted.

How similar are UWorld questions to the real thing?

Do they have questions that are almost verbatim?

Yes, some questions were almost the exact same as the ones I saw in the UWSAs and in UWorld. I'm not saying which ones though 🙂

 

[sebsvenmdc]

I didn't see STN as an answer, else I would've been really conflicted.



Yes, some questions were almost the exact same as the ones I saw in the UWSAs and in UWorld. I'm not saying which ones though 🙂

Could you say how many were similar? I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth sacrificing a bit of book studying to go over all of the UW answers again. Currently, I'm on track to finish UW once and get thru the first 1/2 of the bank.

Thanks!

 

[Slide]

Could you say how many were similar? I'm trying to figure out whether it's worth sacrificing a bit of book studying to go over all of the UW answers again. Currently, I'm on track to finish UW once and get thru the first 1/2 of the bank.

Thanks!

5-7, IIRC. I wouldn't necessarily sacrifice core studying to simply memorize questions from UWorld, but if you had gained the knowledge and info from the questions you've done, you'll be able to answer them.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

5-7, IIRC. I wouldn't necessarily sacrifice core studying to simply memorize questions from UWorld, but if you had gained the knowledge and info from the questions you've done, you'll be able to answer them.

Lol, yeah, memorizing them doesn't sound like a good high yield plan. What does IIRC mean?

 

[Slide]

Lol, yeah, memorizing them doesn't sound like a good high yield plan. What does IIRC mean?

IIRC = If I recall correctly. Main message I just wanted to get across was to finish UWorld and use it as a learning tool, not as an almighty predictor of your score.

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

IIRC = If I recall correctly. Main message I just wanted to get across was to finish UWorld and use it as a learning tool, not as an almighty predictor of your score.

I've been trying to annotate all the educational objectives into FA, do you think I need to do that or should I just read them? Time is what I am worried about.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

IIRC = If I recall correctly. Main message I just wanted to get across was to finish UWorld and use it as a learning tool, not as an almighty predictor of your score.

Lol, sorry, I'm not going to ask you any more questions!!! Congrats on being done...it must feel amazing!

 

[sebsvenmdc]

I've been trying to annotate all the educational objectives into FA, do you think I need to do that or should I just read them? Time is what I am worried about.

I definitely think this is the fastest way to annotate...otherwise if you try to reword or write more...you end up taking 10mins/q!

 

[NCF145]

I didn't see STN as an answer, else I would've been really conflicted.



Yes, some questions were almost the exact same as the ones I saw in the UWSAs and in UWorld. I'm not saying which ones though 🙂

Neurosurgeons can either ablate the GPi or insert an electrode that stimulates the STN to help relieve Parkinson's symptoms which haven't been relieved by standard medication.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Neurosurgeons can either ablate the GPi or insert an electrode that stimulates the STN to help relieve Parkinson's symptoms which haven't been relieved by standard medication.

And the constant stimulation of the STN is actually inhibition of it. That's definitely counterintuitive at first glance.

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

And the constant stimulation of the STN is actually inhibition of it.

Why?

 

[Kuba]

I feel exactly the same way... I haven't finished systems or learned most of my drugs and yet somehow I'm getting a lot of the questions right.. Makes me feel like I'll be exposed on the real thing.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Why?

Not entirely sure of the specifics, but you essentially exhaust the STN's stimulatory ability...whether that's creating a deficiency of neurotransmitter in the corresponding neuronal terminals or affecting the presynaptic receptors, etc...not sure...I just know that you functionally "burn out" the STN. It was mentioned on DIT. I'm good at getting the gist, and not so hot on the exact specifics! But like I mentioned above, think of it as the electrical form of constant leuprolide stimulation...inhibition occurs.

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

Not entirely sure of the specifics, but you essentially exhaust the STN's stimulatory ability...whether that's creating a deficiency of neurotransmitter in the corresponding neuronal terminals or affecting the presynaptic receptors, etc...not sure...I just know that you functionally "burn out" the STN. It was mentioned on DIT. I'm good at getting the gist, and not so hot on the exact specifics! But like I mentioned above, think of it as the electrical form of constant leuprolide stimulation...inhibition occurs.

Ok, because I was thinking from the pathway it didn't make sense. Thanks.

 

[pseudoknot]

I feel exactly the same way... I haven't finished systems or learned most of my drugs and yet somehow I'm getting a lot of the questions right.. Makes me feel like I'll be exposed on the real thing.

I'm sure the real test is the same way. It's not some magical thing that sees into your head. With multiple choice tests you can often use related knowledge to rule out answers even if you don't completely know what the question is about.