Test-taking strategy for poorly-worded / ambiguous questions

[Foot Fetish]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

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[jw3600]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

You are insufferable.

 

[evilbooyaa]

My god, man.

You are one of the most annoying people in all of SDN. Congrats.

If you're getting solid 95% on every exam (since you're certain on 95% of all test questions), isn't that good enough?

However, if you really wanna fight for the last 2-5% (and stick out like a sore thumb) then go to your professors. Discuss it with them with your reasoning. Honestly, that's the only thing that's actually going to be productive.
Asking other students and then berating them for their lack of knowledge about the intricacies that you've developed continues to be a dumb as hell idea.
However, if all you want to do is feel superior to all the other medical students, then carry on with your current thought process. Seems like that's your main focus throughout all of medical school.

 

[NWwildcat2013]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

Its frustrating but try not to overthink things. It is a skill to learn to see past minor errors and still pick the answer that is the closest to being right and still the best compared to others. It is also a skill to know what the question was going for. This will save you second guessing and overanalyzing that will kill you on Step 1.

Also, in real life and in the clinic patients will have contradictory findings or findings that just don't quite match with a disease but they still have it.

 

[Foot Fetish]

My god, man.

You are one of the most annoying people in all of SDN. Congrats.

If you're getting solid 95% on every exam (since you're certain on 95% of all test questions), isn't that good enough?

However, if you really wanna fight for the last 2-5% (and stick out like a sore thumb) then go to your professors. Discuss it with them with your reasoning. Honestly, that's the only thing that's actually going to be productive.
Asking other students and then berating them for their lack of knowledge about the intricacies that you've developed continues to be a dumb as hell idea.
However, if all you want to do is feel superior to all the other medical students, then carry on with your current thought process. Seems like that's your main focus throughout all of medical school.

I never said I berated anyone for their logic. I ask them how they answered, explain my reasoning if they ask, and then just let it go. I never make it a point to prove anyone wrong, and when talking to people irl I always maintain the possibility that I could be totally incorrect. Another thing about me is that I absolutely hate approaching professors to nitpick about questions and point-grub. I have never done that unless it was a frank grading error. My online persona is not representative of how I behave in real life social situations. It reflects how I think, but I'm not foolish enough to display my eccentricities. I just see SDN as a place where I can ask my taboo questions in anonymity.

 

[Goro]

Go with your gut choice; it's usually the correct.

And always discuss poorly worded questions with the course coordinator or whoever wrote the question; we can't fix them without feedback!

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

 

[musicalfeet]

Go with your gut choice; it's usually the correct.

And always discuss poorly worded questions with the course coordinator or whoever wrote the question; we can't fix them without feedback!

Found that worked much better. First test cycle, I realized I changed a lot of my "right' answers to "wrong" answers when it came down to two answer choices that I thought could be it. Second cycle, I vowed to suck it up and not change an answer unless I could provide an extremely good argument as to why my "new" answer was right. Did better even though material was harder and there were more questions I wasn't sure about.

 

[npappasan]

I hate to break it to you, but the main reason for getting it wrong is giving an incorrect answer or flat out not knowing the answer to the question BEING ASKED. Just sayin...

 

[sliceofbread136]

I hate to break it to you, but the main reason for getting it wrong is giving an incorrect answer or flat out not knowing the answer to the question BEING ASKED. Just sayin...

This. Some prime dunning Kruger effect going on here

 

[Psai]

Hint: you're not deep studying or critically thinking in a way that a majority of your classmates aren't. You're overthinking the question and getting it wrong because you thought wrong. Sorry to break it to you champ.

 

[Azete]

It's pretty easy to overthink on exams, I do it all the time; and no, it doesn't have anything to do with having too much knowledge.

If a guy is having right abdominal pain radiating to his shoulder with nausea and jaundice, you're pretty sure it's cholelithiasis. But then you read it gets worse with exertion and you see "heart failure" as an option and start thinking "hmmm..." -- and before you know it you've diagnosed a 73 year old man with dextrocardia and hep C just to make the story fit your logic.

My advice? Read the question like a sane human being would and go with that answer.

 

[NotYou20]

I recommend not being a tool

 

[ERDOC555]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

I actually think this is a really good question.

I find myself in the same situation you described and I've found that at my school the "simple" common sense answer is more often the right answer. We use NBME exams and all the questions are pretty easy and straightforward. Very few are higher order questions and it's mostly you know it or you don't. After 4-5 exams I've come to realize that each question is testing a factoid and not any sort of higher order knowledge... yet. The few I get wrong each test come almost entirely from easy Q's that I over analyze, although there's usually 1 question per exam that just dumbfounds me because it's a random factoid that I'd never know unless I studied 12 hours a day like you (which I personally don't think is worth it to go from a 96 to a 98). I've shifted towards the easy answer and have seen an improvement. When I get stuck between a complex but good answer and a mediocre but obvious answer I pretend I'm the professor that chose the question and think about what he/she wanted the students to take away from the course, and that usually solves it.

For those who have taken Step 1:
Does this trend of straightforward questions continue or do we get into complex higher order questions that take 3-4 steps to figure out?

 

[ortnakas]

.and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...
Any advice?

You're reading too much into it. Their answer is marked correct because it is correct, and you know more than you technically need to so you're going down the rabbit hole with the distractors.

Also, try to be really sure that you're not berating your classmates. Even subconsciously. With statements like "they haven't reached the level of understanding that comes with deep studying" and "I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on," I find it a bit hard to believe you're not at least a little bit condescending in real life. (And at any rate, you're breaking the important rule that after-exam-time is for beer-drinking, not question-analyzing.)

Found that worked much better. First test cycle, I realized I changed a lot of my "right' answers to "wrong" answers when it came down to two answer choices that I thought could be it. Second cycle, I vowed to suck it up and not change an answer unless I could provide an extremely good argument as to why my "new" answer was right. Did better even though material was harder and there were more questions I wasn't sure about.

I'm similar. I find that the first time I check my answers, I tend to find details I legitimately missed the first time and change wrong answers to right ones. But if I have time to make a third pass, nothing good happens-- I almost invariably overthink and change from right to wrong.

 

[DocWinter]

I'd echo what most people are saying but it would probably come out a jumble of nonsense to you, as I'm just one of those mortals in the middle of my class fighting for Bs and hoping for a 90%. My crude studying style is a whackjob of discombobulation widely known to lack comprehension or any element of "deep" studying. I actually just call it "shallow" studying and get the giggles when nets me all those subtly flawed questions...

 

[username456789]

I'm amazed at how many people get triggered by Foot Fetish's posts. He's easily one of my favorite posters.

 

[3characterslong]

I'm amazed at how many people get triggered by Foot Fetish's posts. He's easily one of my favorite posters.

I liked Foot Fetish better when I thought he was a girl.

 

[meurotic]

I'm amazed at how many people get triggered by Foot Fetish's posts. He's easily one of my favorite posters.

Don't feed the troll!

 

[jw3600]

I'm amazed at how many people get triggered by Foot Fetish's posts. He's easily one of my favorite posters.

I will never understand using the word trigger there. I don't think people are beside themselves about his posts, just think he's a clown.

 

[Kahreek]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

thinkers or theoricists are not awarded in med school. Studying more makes all the poorly made questions appear simpler next time. It hurts but it is the reality.
By the way i was never top 5% so take it as you will.

 

[username456789]

I will never understand using the word trigger there. I don't think people are beside themselves about his posts, just think he's a clown.

That's fine, at least you admit it. You're stuck on it because you're trying to link it to the more recent en vogue use of the word to suggest that someone is flying off the handle. It absolutely works here.

 

[operaman]

You need to realize that what you refer to as nuanced understanding could, in this case, be translated as overthinking. In the end you wind up selecting the right answer to the wrong question. Be very careful because boards questions are frequently written to trip up people who do this. If you've ever written your own multiple choice questions, you know that writing good wrong answer choices is not easy, but one great way is to write a distractor that answers a similar yet distinctly different question than the one being asked. It's hard, but do try and focus your nuanced understanding on remaining within the scope of the question you're being asked.

 

[jw3600]

I actually think this is a really good question.

I find myself in the same situation you described and I've found that at my school the "simple" common sense answer is more often the right answer. We use NBME exams and all the questions are pretty easy and straightforward. Very few are higher order questions and it's mostly you know it or you don't. After 4-5 exams I've come to realize that each question is testing a factoid and not any sort of higher order knowledge... yet. The few I get wrong each test come almost entirely from easy Q's that I over analyze, although there's usually 1 question per exam that just dumbfounds me because it's a random factoid that I'd never know unless I studied 12 hours a day like you (which I personally don't think is worth it to go from a 96 to a 98). I've shifted towards the easy answer and have seen an improvement. When I get stuck between a complex but good answer and a mediocre but obvious answer I pretend I'm the professor that chose the question and think about what he/she wanted the students to take away from the course, and that usually solves it.

For those who have taken Step 1:
Does this trend of straightforward questions continue or do we get into complex higher order questions that take 3-4 steps to figure out?

I'll answer the question that neither you or OP have actually verbalized but seem to desperately need the answer to. If you can't see how ridiculous this "dilemma" you and him are having, you will struggle immensely with the interpersonal and communication aspects that medicine requires to have patients and colleagues like and respect you. Those skills are far more important to succeeding in medicine that getting 95% vs 97% of step 1 questions correctly.

 

[npappasan]

Me- "Is it true that every time you say "no", you really mean "yes"?"

Her- "No"

Damn...

 

[username456789]

I'll answer the question that neither you or OP have actually verbalized but seem to desperately need the answer to. If you can't see how ridiculous this "dilemma" you and him are having, you will struggle immensely with the interpersonal and communication aspects that medicine requires to have patients and colleagues like and respect you. Those skills are far more important to succeeding in medicine that getting 95% vs 97% of step 1 questions correctly.

This makes absolutely no sense and just smacks of insecurity. We don't need to invoke Burnett's Law here out of pettiness.

Sure, FF and Dermpire could probably be more tactful in their inquiries, but you're way overcompensating with your criticism.

 

[Milotic]

This topic is specifically for students who are at the top of the class. One thing about med school exams has been really annoying me, and I want some advice from people who may have faced the same issue (@NWwildcat2013 )...I study a lot more than most people in my class, as you may know if you have been reading my threads..So, on a typical exam, I enter with comprehensive knowledge of all of the material that was presented in the block, not just the high-yield info that some less studious classmates may focus on. This allows me to answer ~95% of the questions with absolute certainty, but then I face a conundrum with the remaining subset of the questions, which other students may not face...There are often poorly-worded or ambiguous questions / answer choices , and I end up stuck between two choices: one which to me seems technically more correct but which I know 90% of the class would not see my line of reasoning on because they haven't reached the nuanced understanding that comes with "deep" studying...and then there is an answer choice that is *almost* correct but flawed in a very subtle, often semantic way but which contains some sort of high-yield phrase that you know will make 90% of the class select it even though it is critically flawed. I have talked to people about such questions after exams, and without fail, the subtlety of the flaw is lost on them, and they just say, "Oh yeah that one was easy; I just saw *high yield phrase* and chose it..." But in the end, they're the ones who have the last laugh (at least on that particular question) because their answer is marked correct...

What should I do when I find myself in this situation? History has told me that I should try to think like a less-prepared student and select the answer that appeals to the "lowest common denominator" of the class if I want to get this type of question right. It's just that it really bugs me as a matter of principle. In the real world, my patients won't benefit because I chose the therapy that 95% of doctors would have chosen in that situation...They will benefit becauae I chose the RIGHT therapy given their personal situation, with all its subtleties...Also, for those of you who have studied for and taken the boards, is it like this too? Or does it reward the people who know enough to be wary of very tricky questions...because I feel like, one day, on an *actually* difficult exam, the answer that appeals to the "common-denominator" student may be the wrong one, and the question will reward the student who deeply scrutinizes it. I keep waiting for questions like this in medical school, but they never come. It's always just a question that they intended to be straightforward but which seemed unignorably problematic to me because I essentially studied "too much" and thus read into it in a way that most people didn't.

Any advice?

What specialty do you want to do?

 

[jw3600]

This makes absolutely no sense and just smacks of insecurity. We don't need to invoke Burnett's Law here out of pettiness.

Sure, FF and Dermpire could probably be more tactful in their inquiries, but you're way overcompensating with your criticism.

Insecurity about what? Overcompensating for?

Edit: Is burnetts law the one where I say they won't be good doctors? I don't think that. Just they need to re prioritize their concerns.

 

[Anicetus]

I'm amazed at how many people get triggered by Foot Fetish's posts. He's easily one of my favorite posters.

I liked @libraryismyhome. He will be missed.

@failedatlife makes me feel better about myself, unlike most posters on SDN.

 

[Rekt]

What specialty do you want to do?

I got 20$ on Derm.

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

Pretty sure OP is in my med school class--will try and sniff him/her out and report back.

Btw, you really are just the absolute worst.

 

[ortnakas]

Pretty sure OP is in my med school class--will try and sniff him/her out and report back.

Btw, you really are just the absolute worst.

Please don't dox OP. I mean, it's probably clear I'm not his biggest fan, but that's still not a cool move.

 

[Psai]

Pretty sure OP is in my med school class--will try and sniff him/her out and report back.

Btw, you really are just the absolute worst.

Probably not a good idea to dox people

 

[I'm No Superman]

Sounds like a problem using logic and common sense. But I can understand how that happens after spending 12 hours a day studying.

 

[zaztong]

Why do you bother for the extra 1-2%, especially if you already going to get AOA?... It's such a waste of your time when you can focus on other parts of your app or even work on getting the subtleties in Step - where they would NEVER be ambiguous or poorly worded. Think about it - multiple choice questions test multiple choice format directly. It only extremely indirectly ever becomes relevant to your clinical practice. Just because it's a subtlety on paper does not necessarily extend to real-life practice subtleties, ask any "high-scoring" physician. Your logic is flawed in that practical sense because of "extreme unproductive perfectionism" and you should just drop it.

We can't stop you from wasting your time, but it seriously is, unless you're planning to get into academic medicine.

 

[Ace Khalifa]

Why do you bother for the extra 1-2%, especially if you already going to get AOA?... It's such a waste of your time when you can focus on other parts of your app or even work on getting the subtleties in Step - where they would NEVER be ambiguous or poorly worded. Think about it - multiple choice questions test multiple choice format directly. It only extremely indirectly ever becomes relevant to your clinical practice. Just because it's a subtlety on paper does not necessarily extend to real-life practice subtleties, ask any "high-scoring" physician. Your logic is flawed in that practical sense because of "extreme unproductive perfectionism" and you should just drop it.

We can't stop you from wasting your time, but it seriously is, unless you're planning to get into academic medicine.

He won't get AOA cuz his school's criteria requires much more than strictly the GPA requirement, IIRC from one of his earlier threads. It's like my school's requirements - leadership, service, research, professionalism aka how has this student contributed to student life and this medical school positively?

 

[evilbooyaa]

Please don't dox OP. I mean, it's probably clear I'm not his biggest fan, but that's still not a cool move.

Probably not a good idea to dox people

Agree with both of these posts. Although annoying, SDN is anonymous, and unless people want themselves to become known, it's better to keep that anonymity shroud.

FF may be a very nice, normal appearing person IRL, who knows.

 

[KHE]

I recall reading a study a few years back that showed on any multiple choice test, SAT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT etc. etc. AS WELL AS multiple choice exams given at undergraduate institutions, it was the LONGEST answer that was the correct 40% of the time.

In essence, you could achieve a 40% by simply selecting the longest answer to every question. So when in doubt, go with the LONGEST answer.