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I just wanted to share my test experience. I would have appreciated someone sharing this with me before the actual event.
Before I start, I would like to mention that one of the previous posts from a couple of weeks ago mentioned a specific test question and the answer--it turned out that I got that exact question on my test. So, I think we should all be careful to stick to discussing topics covered vs. specific questions...most everybody does!
Ok--what I did to prepare:
I took 6 weeks. I used the Kaplan intense prep lecture notes almost exclusively. (The 2002 edition). For behavioral science I also skimmed High Yield, but I think Kaplan BS was extremely thorough. Both of them were helpful, but if you don't want to be spending tons of money, the Kaplan BS was plenty. Plus it explained statistics in a lot of detail and gave lots of other explanations. There were a few weird BS questions that I got that came straight out of Kaplan.
I used First Aid during the last week to recap. I also looked at StepUp, which I liked, but I came across it too late in the game to really go over it enough.
I also used QBank-- I did 82% of these questions with a 64% average. I did 2% of IV QBank. (I think IV Qbank was a helpful review, but not at the same level as QBank.)
I also did the released questions and read the Kaplan explanations. VERY VERY helpful-- some of my test questions came straight from that test. Also, the real thing was very similar. It is a great window to the real thing.
My study schdeule:
(I divided up the number of pages in the Kaplan books by the number of days I had available to study the topic. This averaged out to about 78 pp/day. I could comfortably make it through 60, but 78 was pushing it-- also it depended on the topic--pharm, path and bio went slowly, but micro, anatomy and immuno were faster reads.) For those topics that I didn't have enough time to cover, I revisited them later.
Pharm 4 days
Physio 5 days
Path 4-5 days
Micro 4 days
Immuno 2 1/2 days
Pharm 3 days
Path 2 days
Anatomy 3 days (embryo crammed in there--also did some embryo while studying congenital heart defects etc. when studying path)
Biochem 5 days
Behav Sci 2 days
Review 2 1/2 days (w/first aid)
I studied from 8-12
Lunch 12-1
Study 1-5
Qbank 5-6
Dinner & break 6-7:30
Qbank 7:30-10:30
Break before bed 10:30-11:30
Bed 11:30
---
How the test went: I was very nervous, which was annoying because, well, it just is. It gets in your way. There was no need to be so nervous. The test was straightforward. I only had one question where I had no idea what they were asking me, and that was a biochem question dealing with southern blotting. Other than that, you either knew it or you didn't.
Qbank was a great preparer. Mostly because after doing it everyday I got so used to it that the real test was a familiar experience. Also, the caliber of questions was similar. In many ways the QBank questions were pickier.
While there were questions that were presented like studies or research data, these were not scary--just stay focused on what the actual question is and not all the charts and graphs. The question in and of itself is usually simple; it's weeding through the smokescreen of extraneous info that can be distracting and confusing. So try not to get bogged down by that!
Pharm: I had a lot of antivirals on my test. I had only 2-3 antibiotic questions.
Micro: I had several fungus questions, no parasite questions. Bacteria questions, of course.
BS: LOTS of "what do you say next.." I found Qbank to be VERY VERY helpful in teaching you how to approach these. Also the High Yield had good instruction here. I had a few epidemiology Qs where you had to interpret data. Not complex data, just ratios. And personality disorders of course. Plus, sens & spec--know how to calculate. Also, know which types of studies are which.
Path: Lots of it. Vitamin def, inborn metabolic diseases, Wilson's disease, Wernicke Korsakoff, and KNOW your immunologic diseases-- PMN probs and Bcell/Tcell deficiencies seen in kids. I had one slide that was supposed to be showing a child's eyes, but I couldn't see the pupils or the iris at all-- I had no idea what they were trying to show. Other slides were fine. I had one slide STRAIGHT outta first aid; actually a few were. So make sure to look at those path pics. Lots of sleep disorders.
Bio chem: not too much here. Lots of southern blots.
Immuno: super easy straightforward questions. On the level of needing to know the difference between a CD4 and a CD8 cell. Pretty basic.
Please keep in mind that this is all total subjective recall. I am probably forgetting about a lot of questions--esp biochem, I just don't remember much about what I got.
My best advice is to work hard and not get distracted by worry. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be--it wasn't easy, but it also wasn't impossible. It is a very do-able experience. Remain positive.
Before I start, I would like to mention that one of the previous posts from a couple of weeks ago mentioned a specific test question and the answer--it turned out that I got that exact question on my test. So, I think we should all be careful to stick to discussing topics covered vs. specific questions...most everybody does!
Ok--what I did to prepare:
I took 6 weeks. I used the Kaplan intense prep lecture notes almost exclusively. (The 2002 edition). For behavioral science I also skimmed High Yield, but I think Kaplan BS was extremely thorough. Both of them were helpful, but if you don't want to be spending tons of money, the Kaplan BS was plenty. Plus it explained statistics in a lot of detail and gave lots of other explanations. There were a few weird BS questions that I got that came straight out of Kaplan.
I used First Aid during the last week to recap. I also looked at StepUp, which I liked, but I came across it too late in the game to really go over it enough.
I also used QBank-- I did 82% of these questions with a 64% average. I did 2% of IV QBank. (I think IV Qbank was a helpful review, but not at the same level as QBank.)
I also did the released questions and read the Kaplan explanations. VERY VERY helpful-- some of my test questions came straight from that test. Also, the real thing was very similar. It is a great window to the real thing.
My study schdeule:
(I divided up the number of pages in the Kaplan books by the number of days I had available to study the topic. This averaged out to about 78 pp/day. I could comfortably make it through 60, but 78 was pushing it-- also it depended on the topic--pharm, path and bio went slowly, but micro, anatomy and immuno were faster reads.) For those topics that I didn't have enough time to cover, I revisited them later.
Pharm 4 days
Physio 5 days
Path 4-5 days
Micro 4 days
Immuno 2 1/2 days
Pharm 3 days
Path 2 days
Anatomy 3 days (embryo crammed in there--also did some embryo while studying congenital heart defects etc. when studying path)
Biochem 5 days
Behav Sci 2 days
Review 2 1/2 days (w/first aid)
I studied from 8-12
Lunch 12-1
Study 1-5
Qbank 5-6
Dinner & break 6-7:30
Qbank 7:30-10:30
Break before bed 10:30-11:30
Bed 11:30
---
How the test went: I was very nervous, which was annoying because, well, it just is. It gets in your way. There was no need to be so nervous. The test was straightforward. I only had one question where I had no idea what they were asking me, and that was a biochem question dealing with southern blotting. Other than that, you either knew it or you didn't.
Qbank was a great preparer. Mostly because after doing it everyday I got so used to it that the real test was a familiar experience. Also, the caliber of questions was similar. In many ways the QBank questions were pickier.
While there were questions that were presented like studies or research data, these were not scary--just stay focused on what the actual question is and not all the charts and graphs. The question in and of itself is usually simple; it's weeding through the smokescreen of extraneous info that can be distracting and confusing. So try not to get bogged down by that!
Pharm: I had a lot of antivirals on my test. I had only 2-3 antibiotic questions.
Micro: I had several fungus questions, no parasite questions. Bacteria questions, of course.
BS: LOTS of "what do you say next.." I found Qbank to be VERY VERY helpful in teaching you how to approach these. Also the High Yield had good instruction here. I had a few epidemiology Qs where you had to interpret data. Not complex data, just ratios. And personality disorders of course. Plus, sens & spec--know how to calculate. Also, know which types of studies are which.
Path: Lots of it. Vitamin def, inborn metabolic diseases, Wilson's disease, Wernicke Korsakoff, and KNOW your immunologic diseases-- PMN probs and Bcell/Tcell deficiencies seen in kids. I had one slide that was supposed to be showing a child's eyes, but I couldn't see the pupils or the iris at all-- I had no idea what they were trying to show. Other slides were fine. I had one slide STRAIGHT outta first aid; actually a few were. So make sure to look at those path pics. Lots of sleep disorders.
Bio chem: not too much here. Lots of southern blots.
Immuno: super easy straightforward questions. On the level of needing to know the difference between a CD4 and a CD8 cell. Pretty basic.
Please keep in mind that this is all total subjective recall. I am probably forgetting about a lot of questions--esp biochem, I just don't remember much about what I got.
My best advice is to work hard and not get distracted by worry. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be--it wasn't easy, but it also wasn't impossible. It is a very do-able experience. Remain positive.
