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Just trying to gauge what type of test Step 1 is by seeing which handicap option you guys would pick if given the choice:
Option 1: Unlimited time - you are in a hotel room and have as much time as you want to take the exam. However, just like the real exam, you do not have access to your cell phone, laptop, books, notes, etc. Additionally there is no internet access and you cannot communicate with anyone outside the room unless you are ordering food. You can take as much time as you like as the hotel room has a bed, bathroom, coffee-maker, microwave, fridge, laundry machine, etc. and you can have food delivered or bring your own, however, you cannot leave the room and resume your normal life until you submit the exam.
Option 2: Open book/note/qbank/etc - you can bring whatever resources you want to the testing center. However the exam is still timed like normal. You do have access to the internet as well as any subscription sites (eg - UpToDate). Additionally, your testing computer is preloaded with PDF's of any relevant textbook, review guide, qbank (+explanations), etc. written in the past 10 years. You have up to an hour before the exam to peruse these resources and organize/flag them if you wish. The only exception to the open book/note/qbank rule is that you cannot communicate with the outside world. No texts, IM's, phone calls, message board posts, chats, etc. Any question you answer must come from your own knowledge/reasoning skills or stuff you look up in the resources.
3 questions regarding the scenario:
1) Which one would you pick, given you have up to 2 months of dedicated study time (upper limit for most US schools) after making your choice.
2) How would you study based on your choice?
3) If you were forced to pick the other option, how would you alter your study plan, if at all?
EDIT: For option 2 you can still look stuff up during your exam. The one hour before the exam is just to organize/flag/bookmark the 1000's of resources you have at your disposal so you can find them more easily when you need to look something up while answering questions on the exam.
Option 1: Unlimited time - you are in a hotel room and have as much time as you want to take the exam. However, just like the real exam, you do not have access to your cell phone, laptop, books, notes, etc. Additionally there is no internet access and you cannot communicate with anyone outside the room unless you are ordering food. You can take as much time as you like as the hotel room has a bed, bathroom, coffee-maker, microwave, fridge, laundry machine, etc. and you can have food delivered or bring your own, however, you cannot leave the room and resume your normal life until you submit the exam.
Option 2: Open book/note/qbank/etc - you can bring whatever resources you want to the testing center. However the exam is still timed like normal. You do have access to the internet as well as any subscription sites (eg - UpToDate). Additionally, your testing computer is preloaded with PDF's of any relevant textbook, review guide, qbank (+explanations), etc. written in the past 10 years. You have up to an hour before the exam to peruse these resources and organize/flag them if you wish. The only exception to the open book/note/qbank rule is that you cannot communicate with the outside world. No texts, IM's, phone calls, message board posts, chats, etc. Any question you answer must come from your own knowledge/reasoning skills or stuff you look up in the resources.
3 questions regarding the scenario:
1) Which one would you pick, given you have up to 2 months of dedicated study time (upper limit for most US schools) after making your choice.
2) How would you study based on your choice?
3) If you were forced to pick the other option, how would you alter your study plan, if at all?
EDIT: For option 2 you can still look stuff up during your exam. The one hour before the exam is just to organize/flag/bookmark the 1000's of resources you have at your disposal so you can find them more easily when you need to look something up while answering questions on the exam.
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