Physiology Shelf

[marr]

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Alright, just took the Phys Shelf. If you did well in your phys class, then you should pass. If you didn't then pray, alot!! The meat: CV,renal, Pulm, Hormones were all evenly distributed. They weren't nitpicky, they really do want you to know the big picture in phys. Meaning that you have to make several logical steps to get to the answer without knowing some obsure aspects of phys. KNOW THE OVERALL BIG PICTURE. Of course, some were just gimme but those are very few. The question were very second year like but what they were really after was the phys aspect of a disease. Don't panic, read the stem, know what they are asking. It's kinda intimidating but work through them. If you are short on time BRS Phys will help, if you have time do Pre-Test. Pre-test came amazingly close to the Phys shelf. Expect arrows, and interpreting lab values and do a few calc here and there. Hope this helps!!

 

[karaxand]

So you say that you used BRS and Pre-test, how about Kaplan? I was wondering if I should dedicate my time to watching the videos and going through their physio prep book?

 

[marr]

Hmm, don't know much about kaplan! Never seen anyone using it. I would stick with Pretest, it has all the info you need to do well on the shelf.

 

[karaxand]

Thanks for your input.

 

[thesauce]

Funny you should mention Kaplan. I read the whole physio book in 1.5 days before the exam and I felt like a wasted my time. The questions just aren't posed in the same manner that Kaplan presents it.

 

[McGillGrad]

A quick update on the current shelf. It is no longer as general as it once was. It now is half UW questions and half multi-discipline 2nd order questions where knowing many details help to hone in on the right answer. In other words, if you don't know detail AND concept then you are going to make a significant number of educated 50/50 guesses.

 

[tncekm]

How far ahead do people start prepping for this exam? I'm a bit confused as well, is it a first or second year exam? I read a quote saying that the questions were second-year-like, but I was under the impression my school has it in the first year.

Thx.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I read the phys BRS for 2 days before taking it and scored pretty well. It seems like there are always a few questions on every NBME that come from nowhere (i.e. material you haven't covered), so don't sweat that too much. I seem to recall endocrinology getting hit pretty hard on my phys shelf, so paying that a little more attention might be wise.

 

[tncekm]

I read the phys BRS for 2 days before taking it and scored pretty well. It seems like there are always a few questions on every NBME that come from nowhere (i.e. material you haven't covered), so don't sweat that too much. I seem to recall endocrinology getting hit pretty hard on my phys shelf, so paying that a little more attention might be wise.

Thanks for the reply! But, I'm a bit confused... everyone just made this exam seem like a horribly difficult experience, so I wasn't expecting the answer "2 days". 😆 So, mind if I ask a few more questions?

1. Did you do really well in physio?
2. Did you review old material as you went along?
3. Are you a lot smarter than most of your classmates? (serious question)

Thx.

 

[braveone]

what's a shelf?

 

[Mr hawkings]

Thanks for the reply! But, I'm a bit confused... everyone just made this exam seem like a horribly difficult experience, so I wasn't expecting the answer "2 days". 😆 So, mind if I ask a few more questions?

1. Did you do really well in physio?
2. Did you review old material as you went along?
3. Are you a lot smarter than most of your classmates? (serious question)

Thx.

The reason it seems difficult is that it is a comprehensive exam. Depending on how phys is structured in your school, you could be either well prepared for it or not very prepared.
I havent taken the phys one yet but i did take the biochem one and did very well and so did most of my classmates.
Milkman and i are at the same school and i think they do a pretty good job at focusing the subject courses and exams on NBME-type material.

 

[go lakers]

How far ahead do people start prepping for this exam? I'm a bit confused as well, is it a first or second year exam? I read a quote saying that the questions were second-year-like, but I was under the impression my school has it in the first year.

Thx.

It's an M1 exam for us but it is structured like step1 (vignettes). So if you aren't used to that style, it's a bit overwhelming.

And time management is an actual issue for most people on the NBME shelf exams; it never was for our school exams.

 

[MilkmanAl]

everyone just made this exam seem like a horribly difficult experience, so I wasn't expecting the answer "2 days".

In fairness, I thought the phys shelf was the hardest one from first year. I would've studied far more than 2 days if I'd had more than that, but time constraints forcedme to burn through the BRS in a weekend (plus the preceding Friday, I guess).

1. Did you do really well in physio?

I wouldn't say I did really well, but it was my best class. The material made a whole lot of sense to me, for the most part.

2. Did you review old material as you went along?

Nope.

3. Are you a lot smarter than most of your classmates? (serious question)

Hard to say. I'm an exceptionally good test-taker, though. That certainly helps a lot.

Milkman and i are at the same school and i think they do a pretty good job at focusing the subject courses and exams on NBME-type material.

Agreed. We got shafted in the cardio block, so you guys will probably do much better than we did thanks to the prof change.

what's a shelf?

It's a one-subject exam composed of retired Step 1 questions. Most have 125 questions, but some have extra 25-question sections tacked onto the end.

 

[tncekm]

Thanks for the input, guys. I'm feeling a bit more relieved now!

 

[reedman]

Great post! Thank you.

 

[brickandlace]

hey guys - i'm a bit confused because i thought shelfs weren't taken until 3rd year rotations. when are these subject-based shelfs taken? during 1st and 2nd year?

 

[tncekm]

My strategy: Read BRS Physio. Didn't have time to do practice problems to any degree.
Class rank: somewhere in the middle
Result: ~93rd percentile

It's a very conceptual test, but the details aren't horrible. Pretty sure it'll separate the kids who memorize all the old exams and do well in the course because of it from the kids who really know what's going on.

 

[MilkmanAl]

it'll separate the kids who memorize all the old exams and do well in the course because of it from the kids who really know what's going on.

Agree with this statement and would add that it'll weed out people who memorize, period, unless you're really good at it. The phys shelf is very conceptual.

 

[tncekm]

Agree with this statement and would add that it'll weed out people who memorize, period, unless you're really good at it. The phys shelf is very conceptual.

I'm just hoping that my performance will translate over to Step 1. I really like the idea of a 250+ step 1. lol

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Yeah, the physio shelf is no joke in terms of really knowing the stuff. There's just no way to BS your way through it. My neck was sore from literally not lifting my head once for the entire period.

We only had 2 days to study for it and I found BRS to be very good prep. It's all I used. I scored 96th percentile and was very surprised! Especially since I discovered afterward that the front cover had all the normal lab values printed there. I think not using them forced me to get to the meat behind the questions...and saved some time. I also happen to be pretty good at standardized tests, 13 bio mcat. But if you really understand all the stuff in BRS you should be solid. Some people thought it wasn't good prep, but I think they weren't confident enough in BRS and as a result didn't think about what each question was really asking... and did too many practice tests before hand, rather than just studying. Practice test make my brain hurt.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

hey guys - i'm a bit confused because i thought shelfs weren't taken until 3rd year rotations. when are these subject-based shelfs taken? during 1st and 2nd year?

Depends. Some schools might not use them. Our school uses them as finals in some of the first year courses. Probably same for 2nd year.

 

[tncekm]

Yeah, the physio shelf is no joke in terms of really knowing the stuff. There's just no way to BS your way through it. My neck was sore from literally not lifting my head once for the entire period.

We only had 2 days to study for it and I found BRS to be very good prep. It's all I used. I scored 96th percentile and was very surprised! Especially since I discovered afterward that the front cover had all the normal lab values printed there. I think not using them forced me to get to the meat behind the questions...and saved some time.

Yeah, you didn't need the lab values at all IMHO. I think they're there just to confuse you! Ha, ha.

I also happen to be pretty good at standardized tests, 13 bio mcat.

Similar with me. I averaged 13s in the sciences with my AAMC's.

But if you really understand all the stuff in BRS you should be solid.

Yep. Very little arbitrary crap, lots of meat and potatoes. I think it's more straightforward than the MCAT was, honestly.

Some people thought it wasn't good prep, but I think they weren't confident enough in BRS and as a result didn't think about what each question was really asking... and did too many practice tests before hand, rather than just studying. Practice test make my brain hurt.

I dunno, I didn't do any practice probs, but I can't see how it'd hurt.

 

[RySerr21]

Pre test physio is pretty terrible. There are errors all over the place. Not only errors in the answer keys, but some of the answers and answer responses were just flat out wrong.


For peeps just starting physio i would recommend to just study from Costanzo and also BRS. Thats basically what I did the entire year, ignoring my school's own core notes and lectures. I did fine on my school exams, and really well on the shelf. You might also take a look at the cases and problems book from BRS as well. Its pretty good and most of the cases they present showed up on the exam in one form or another.