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Just curios how you guys found the first couple of tests in med school. I've been out of undergrad/premed classes for over 5 years now! Worried that I might have lost that studying tenacity!
NonTrads who've been out of school of years..how did you find your first test?
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It is good that you are worried. That means that you will work harder than you need and know the material better.
If you were not worried, then that would be concerning. 🙂
I am not in med school yet, but I took a couple of classes to prove that the last 20 years of not being in undergrad have not caused me to be "brain damaged." The tests were just like I remembered them being. Some questions were very obvious, and some were "what was that question even asking about???"
I think that your old habits will come back. That could be good or bad considering what they used to be. 🙂
Good luck!
dsoz
If you were not worried, then that would be concerning. 🙂
I am not in med school yet, but I took a couple of classes to prove that the last 20 years of not being in undergrad have not caused me to be "brain damaged." The tests were just like I remembered them being. Some questions were very obvious, and some were "what was that question even asking about???"
I think that your old habits will come back. That could be good or bad considering what they used to be. 🙂
Good luck!
dsoz
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good point... i was the typical premed in undergrad, but delayed applying for 5 years (got an MBA and worked). I used to pull crazy allnighters in undergrad, but my master's wasn't even close in difficulty in comparison and work is well..work, 9-5 usually.
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It was a bit tough, to be honest. I was out of the habit, but too confident about the material since I'd had it before.
I would not ever advocate attempting to pre-study med school material, but it wouldn't hurt to do some things to warm up your brain. Do puzzles, challenge yourself to remember peoples' names better, learn a new skill. Keep it fun.
I would not ever advocate attempting to pre-study med school material, but it wouldn't hurt to do some things to warm up your brain. Do puzzles, challenge yourself to remember peoples' names better, learn a new skill. Keep it fun.
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Not going to lie...I did not do well on my first test (I had been out of school for about six years at this point. Last MC test I took was my MCAT).
Thankfully, our professor had a policy where if you did better on the same material on the final, that score would "replace" your score on the midterm, so it all worked out.
Thankfully, our professor had a policy where if you did better on the same material on the final, that score would "replace" your score on the midterm, so it all worked out.
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That first test was rough. But it was also rough for many traditional students. No worries.
Biggest difficulty I found was learning how to learn - once I did that, I was set. Try different study methods, try to link in with an M2 who can talk you through what worked for them, if your school has an academic resources department try to get linked in early. Maybe take a study skills course summer before (but for heaven's sake nothing else).
Biggest difficulty I found was learning how to learn - once I did that, I was set. Try different study methods, try to link in with an M2 who can talk you through what worked for them, if your school has an academic resources department try to get linked in early. Maybe take a study skills course summer before (but for heaven's sake nothing else).
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Hate to tell you, but auditing one class is far different from an entire course load, particularly depending on what course you audited. (I.e. human behavior, alone, would probably seem like a joke.) The difficulty is when you pile all of the coursework on top of each other.
One of the biggest difficulties, if not the central challenge, of med school is efficiency - which would probably not be a factor in taking one course.
Not trying to scare you off, I'm sure you'll do fine, but give you a different perspective.
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i stuck my dick in the test and made it like it.
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To me, it wasn't the first couple of tests but it was the pace that made things more challenging.
In med school, the materials (and the tests) are pretty straight forward but often times, the pace is so fast and furious that you could easily fall behind if you don't always try to keep up.
In med school, the materials (and the tests) are pretty straight forward but often times, the pace is so fast and furious that you could easily fall behind if you don't always try to keep up.
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Urologist humor. You're-all-a-jest.
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Balancing a full load is a great skill, particularly for the non-traditional crowd who may be married, have kids, etc. And it certainly lends to succeeding in school.
BUT - a full load of medical school courses is different. A personal example -- I found it much easier to study for several hours every night when I'd spent the day doing something totally different (like a demanding job). I also found it easier to brute-force knowledge for the MCAT, undergrad courses, etc. Despite having spent a large chunk of time studying for the MCAT, and not being that far away from undergrad, I still found it an adjustment. And I wasn't alone, even among some previously high-performing nontraditional students.
Lastly - you probably have some great knowledge and experience to bring to the table. I apologize if I offended. But I've seen a "know-it-all" attitude bite (some) nontraditional students in the backside. I'd advise respecting the beast until you've tamed it.
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As a response to the OP, the first test was a lot more difficult than I expected and I put in crazy hours for the second one, which went a lot better. It took me a solid semester to get the hang of the exams. I will say if you're a great crammer the preclinical years are going to be a lot easier for you.
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I used to be an AWESOME crammer...my whole thing was that until my senior year (when i was done with all premed classes) I'd never take an exam without pulling an all nighter.
lord knows if i still got that in me...guess we'll see. luckily the med school i'm going to is a true pass/fail school!
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I'm not making a judgment either way on your asserion of your time management abilities, but be aware that, breaking down these hours to weekly amounts, you're still clocking in right around what I'd consider to be a fairly average med school load for most people. I only mention that because, as numberwunn alluded, it sounds like you might be underestimating what you're getting into, especially at the beginning before you've really gotten efficient at studying. The best advice I can give you is to just go balls-to-the-wall until the first exam and adjust accordingly. It's way, way easier to ease off than catch up.
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I have found it incredibly hard to slog through everything and keep up momentum. The first test was difficult, but it is definitely harder when there is a long series of exams to keep forging ahead. Part of it is just being motivated and focussed and keeping optimistic and constantly persistent.
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Things were okay until my first anatomy exam. That was one of the darkest days of my life.
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Best piece of advice in the thread.
You'd much rather over-study for the first exam and adjust your study habits down than do poorly/fail the first exam and be in a panic to do well in the other exams for the rest of the semester. The first method will be much less stressful. Don't worry so much about whether you can handle med school or not. If you've made it this far, you're capable of getting through med school. We had a fair number of nontrads in our class and all of them have done well so far. You'd be surprised how quickly you get into the swing of studying when you have a ton of material and exams looming over you. Best of luck in med school!
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First exams weren't difficult because I have a huge background in research. It was the second year that was difficult. Bringing concepts together into clinically oriented questions was difficult for myself... which was further reinforced because I did really well in Pharm/Genetics.
Again - strong background helped me in certain areas. But other areas I sucked at.
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Our first test was "easy" and the class average was like 96. Well, I got a 76. Imagine how bad that made me feel! But, since then, I mostly do above the class average.
So, no matter how you do in the beginning, do not despair. A lot of it is how you are accustomed to studying, and that takes time to figure out. One other trap is to let being a non-trad be an emotional crutch. Sure, it made me feel better in the beginning to think of how people had had entire courses on this one test we had. But, really, I have done better than plenty of people who have learned some of these things three times and the feeling of being at a disadvantage went away within a few weeks of fall semester. A lot of it comes down to what you are doing right now.
You will also see soon enough how the comparing gets super crazy and really messes with people's emotions. Just try and distance yourself from that as much as possible and laugh at how these people who are off their rockers are going to be doctors someday 🙂
So, no matter how you do in the beginning, do not despair. A lot of it is how you are accustomed to studying, and that takes time to figure out. One other trap is to let being a non-trad be an emotional crutch. Sure, it made me feel better in the beginning to think of how people had had entire courses on this one test we had. But, really, I have done better than plenty of people who have learned some of these things three times and the feeling of being at a disadvantage went away within a few weeks of fall semester. A lot of it comes down to what you are doing right now.
You will also see soon enough how the comparing gets super crazy and really messes with people's emotions. Just try and distance yourself from that as much as possible and laugh at how these people who are off their rockers are going to be doctors someday 🙂
