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Hello everyone. I am a second year who will write the exam in June 2011. Meanwhile let this be a good thread where everyone share their study progress and recent trend of the exam.
Give the guy a break, man. He's not even 24 hours removed from taking his test, and you're already asking him for details.
EDIT: 9 posts, 9 questions. If everyone used the forum this selfishly, there would never be any answers, just questions. Ironically (and maybe hypocritically), I'm criticizing selfish posts by making a selfish post. . . This is just something that really annoys me.
Give the guy a break, man. He's not even 24 hours removed from taking his test, and you're already asking him for details.
EDIT: 9 posts, 9 questions. If everyone used the forum this selfishly, there would never be any answers, just questions. Ironically (and maybe hypocritically), I'm criticizing selfish posts by making a selfish post. . . This is just something that really annoys me.
hey everyone,
i just need some advice on what to do next?
Urx about 75% complete random/timed, avg: 79%
5 weeks out uwsa1 - 760/262
4 wks out nbme5 - 247
last 20 blocks on uw random timed first time, avg: 84%
i have about 3 and half weeks left and plan on doing fa 2 more times and few more nbmes. Is it normal for scores to go down from uwsa to nbmes?
Where's the source for more immuno/diff material after the 17th. I couldn't find any such thing on the official Step 1 website.
http://www.usmle.org/general_information/announcements.aspx
go to the "next" page and it is the the last announcement titled "Revised Step 1 Content Outline" under the date November 02, 2010. Hopefully some of the people who take the test this next week can shed some light onto what kind of changes are actually being made. If you compare the 2010 and 2011 Content outlines, Immunology has alot more bullets under it.
interesting.. it looks like the basic stuff that's in FA though.. nothing I wouldn't have expected, but I guess we'll have to see
hey guys.. so er odd question. im probably just being paranoid. i will not be drinking coffee the morning of so i dont have to pee during the exam.. however, is anyone worried about having to go #2 during the exam? LOL... will hte adrenaline just take care of it and not have the gut be as motile (via inhibiting VIP and whatnot?).... anyone have any experience with this? lol should i just buy some imodium or something? hahaha im so paranoid sometimes....
I was also asked about the downstream mediators of the phospholipase C pathway. And maybe I'm just green-minded, but I loved the "qiss and qiq until you're siq of sqs" mnemonic. I didn't have any difficulty remembering that at all 😉Since a few people asked: the mnemonics I posted are in FA's endocrine section. At least they are in the 2010? I added a few signals to each as appropriate when they came up in UWorld or Qbank. I am not responsible for the accuracy of my addtions to FA's list, nor do I think they will prove very high yield. 🙂
Gs = GCFLATCHAMP is glucagon, calcitonin, FSH, LH, ACTH, TSH, CRH, hCG, ADH (V2 aquaporins), MSH, PTH.
Gq = GGGOAAAT is gastrin, GnRH, GHRH, oxytocin, ADH(V1, vasoconstrictor), alpha1 adrenergics, angiotensin 2, and TRH.
PETCAT is a list of steroid hormones, though it's admittedly kind of stupid to have a mnemonic for these.
JAK/STAT is the intracellular cascade transmitting signals for GH, prolactin, and most cytokines. There are 2 UWorld questions on these.
Intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity is possessed by the receptors for insulin, IGF-1, PDGF, and other growth factors.
I also loved "qiss and qiq til siq of sqs," though you need to remember SPDHV as well ("Speed have" for me, stupid but it worked). Write them across the top of the page with spaces like so.
--S----P----D----H----V
qiss---qiq--si----qs---qs
Final note, I got zero questions on these on my exam. For me, it was far more useful (by 1 question) to know the downstream mediators of Gq. Others' exam experiences will differ..
re: imodium. best time to take it would be the morning of? ive actually never taken it before in my life haha...
Gs = GCFLATCHAMP is glucagon, calcitonin, FSH, LH, ACTH, TSH, CRH, hCG, ADH (V2 aquaporins), MSH, PTH.
Gq = GGGOAAAT is gastrin, GnRH, GHRH, oxytocin, ADH(V1, vasoconstrictor), alpha1 adrenergics, angiotensin 2, and TRH.
this mnemonic never made sense to me. If you just memorize the mnemonics on the bottom of that page (inhibitory is "mad 2s," Gq coupled is"HAV 1 M&M," and everything else is Gs), then you have memorized everything in that above mnemonic.... with the one you posted you have to not only remember the mnemonic but hten also remember which order to put the receptors in...just seems like a lot of unnecssary work. But i guess if it works...
hey guys.. so er odd question. im probably just being paranoid. i will not be drinking coffee the morning of so i dont have to pee during the exam.. however, is anyone worried about having to go #2 during the exam? LOL... will hte adrenaline just take care of it and not have the gut be as motile (via inhibiting VIP and whatnot?).... anyone have any experience with this? lol should i just buy some imodium or something? hahaha im so paranoid sometimes....
Hey guys,
So i took Step 1 yesterday FINALLY
Someone said this earlier but it is true, how well you do is based upon your state of mind during the exam, if you got enough sleep, etc.
I again did not sleep the night before the test. I was fine until the last 10 qs in the first block. I start feeling dizzy and thought i was going to faint. I forced myself to make it through that block and then take a break even though i hadnt planned on taking one that early. So then i took a break ate some candy and drank some water and went back in. I felt dizzy during the whole 2nd block also so i decided to lean back as far as possible in my chair and that made me feel better so i took most of my blocks like that. I probably looked really funny but oh well. Anyways, blocks 3-7 were ok and i felt fine. I ran out of time on every single block didnt get to check any of my marked answers.
I feel you. I did a simulated exam so I had zero anxiety and zero sleep issues, but I started feeling exactly like you from my second block. The screen got fuzzy, I couldn't see properly, I felt dizzy. It was bad. It was so bad that even though this was supposed to be like the real exam I ended up cheating on my break time. I think I took close to 3 hours break and that was the only way I was able to finish. (I didn't have issues with timing within blocks though. I'm somehow usually always fast with Qs)
So my biggest concern for test day is how I will manage to sit through the entire thing and have so little break time.
Guys, can I ask you something entirely different? My present issue is being able to focus on studying. I so not like studying that I use every and any excuse to distract myself. Even getting myself to a library is an issue. Any tricks/suggestions on how to discipline oneself? Promises of treats/prizes or punishment does NOT work in my case.
Thanks.
Yeah, I tried to do a full 7 blocks yesterday and I couldn't make it without taking several hours break in between. My goal is to try to do better next weekend on the next 7 hour block. I still have 3 more practice tests to "get it right".
In terms of distractions, I think for me it is key to get enough sleep and to vary up my studying location as necessary. Sometimes it just gets boring to study in the same place 7 days in a row. Go to starbucks, go to another library, study at home in your living room, study with a friend, whatever it takes.
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Also I'd disable things like Facebook or Twitter if they're a distraction. I disabled my FB before my dedicated study time and it's probably helped loads.
Guys, can I ask you something entirely different? My present issue is being able to focus on studying. I so not like studying that I use every and any excuse to distract myself. Even getting myself to a library is an issue. Any tricks/suggestions on how to discipline oneself? Promises of treats/prizes or punishment does NOT work in my case.
Thanks.
When I switch off my wlan I work a lot better.
location is not a factor for me, I could stay in box-room for the whole day.
Also, something that worked really well for me was writing down exactly how many minutes I worked in every session and adding it up at the end of the day.
Initially without the intention to do x hours but somehow it motivates me to be better than yesterday, even if its working 15minutes longer...give this a try.
I'll try the minute keeping thing, thx.
I did consider disabling internet but then how do you use UW?
I'll try the minute keeping thing, thx.
I did consider disabling internet but then how do you use UW?
oy.. thats what im afraid of!!! hahaha like its questions 20 and you realize damn! you gotta go bad..I know a lot of people who are disabling their facebook/internet, etc. I don't feel like its that much of a problem as long as you limit yourself.
Try working in 1.5 hour blocks and taking 5-15 minute breaks AWAY from your study area. I find that really works for me, since I get my breaks in but I get 1.5 hours of continuous studying, which is a better learning experience for me instead of taking "mini" breaks during studying which we all know turns out to be like 5-10 minute breaks for every 2 minutes of studying
@ar2388 I don't know about Imodium but I think that's definitely something I will consider! During my last testing experience (MCAT) APPARENTLY, I was so stressed the night before, I gave myself self-induced explosive diarrhea (we're all professionals here right??) during the test I had to cut my physical sciences section short bc I had to go so bad.. so.. just ya know.. fyi
fair point, apart from the Qbanks I can do everything else offline.
About 8 days out and I want to dieee. I just don't want to study anymore. I feel like I'm just glossing over FA and whatever else at this point. I swear I'd take it tomorrow if I could. Just for kicks I checked the NBME site but there were no available dates before mine to bump it up to.
Anyone else having trouble focusing with barely a week to go? I feel like I'm just going to lose information out of my mind the more I sit around.
About 8 days out and I want to dieee. I just don't want to study anymore. I feel like I'm just glossing over FA and whatever else at this point. I swear I'd take it tomorrow if I could. Just for kicks I checked the NBME site but there were no available dates before mine to bump it up to.
Anyone else having trouble focusing with barely a week to go? I feel like I'm just going to lose information out of my mind the more I sit around.
244/99
Stoked.
I listened to a few of his lectures last year. They're funny (I think I'm one of the few people who appreciate his sense of humor) and very good at integrating info but too slow and disorganized for a final review, IMO. I think your plan is good. Maybe also try to redo the questions you got wrong on UW, just to see if you learned the explanations well.Test is this Friday. Not sure what is left to cover. I've read over First Aid again, and there are still things that I am not picking up on. I am going to spend the next four days going over Intro Pharm, Intro Path, heart sounds, renal path, and maybe some neuroanatomy.
Would it be helpful to listen to Golijan as well?
I listened to a few of his lectures last year. They're funny (I think I'm one of the few people who appreciate his sense of humor) and very good at integrating info but too slow and disorganized for a final review, IMO. I think your plan is good. Maybe also try to redo the questions you got wrong on UW, just to see if you learned the explanations well.
the plus side of forums is honesty...im 3 weeks out till my exam and well i got a 520/224 on uworld SA1. I wanna get at least a 235 does anyone know what to make of this, or have any suggestions for the next 3 weeks. Be honest please!
Done and done. Good luck everybody! Will post a thorough run through of my experiences/study plan in a few days after I make some serious alterations to my GGT levels and NADH/NAD ratios.
I only got one question on my exam that I can recall. I believe it was something to the effect of, "A woman with a history of radical mastectomy 10 yrs ago presents to the physicians office with painless lumps in her 'upper arm'. What is the most likely cause: (a)-(g)" (listed options were various pathogens and cancer).Sorry for the second post but how much breast pathology are you guys seeing on the exam? I know it's different per person but I just want an idea since I am super bad at it....
Okay this sounds stupid but where are these free 150 Qs? Can someone post the link? I found free 138Qs but I'm not sure if that's the one...
Also where is the conversion for those 150Qs to a 3 digit score?