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My experience..
#346247
unstableangina - 10/08/08 12:53

prep time - 4 1/2 months.. serious for 3 months..

wat i did:

Kaplan notes anat, biochem, pharm, micro - 3 reads
BRS Physio - 3 reads
RR Goljan - 3 reads
BRS behav sci - 3 reads
HY biostat - 3 reads
HY CMB - selected topics
Conrad Fischer ethics - 2 reads
goljan audios- once full.. selected second time.. the Best thing i did..
FA ~ 70% once - my weakest link

MCQS: my strongest link

Kaplan Qbank - around 1900qs (70%) completed 74% used it in during my first read of kaplan notes 3 months b4 exam

NBME 1 - 179/200 1 month b4
NBME 2 - 170/200 15 days b4
NBME 3 - 191/200 4 days b4 exam
NBME 4 - 660 250 predicted after my 2nd read.. 10 days b4 exam
NBME 5 - 187/200 14 days b4 exam
NBME 6 - 183/200 13 days b4 exam
UWSA 1 - 740/800 260 predicted.. 12 days b4 exam
UWSA 2 - 800/800 265+ predicted... 5 days b4 exam
UW 80% once subject wise untimed mostly.. used it more as a study tool.
USMLE CD - 48,40,49 137/150

other MCQS i used -

Board simulator series - my most favourite.. it s tough but i enjoyed.. but least like the exam pattern.. good for knowledge.. dont do it ANYWHERE near the exam..

Robbins Qbook - 1200 qs - too good
BRS physio - 110 review qs
RR goljan - 100 review qs
BRS behav. sci - 100 review qs
Fischer ethics - 100 qs
Kaplan qbook - did only 100-200 qs.. didnt like it/ find time
random mcqs in the forum..

My exam day -

slept 6 hrs... wanted to b relaxed.. reached at 8:30.. took first 2 blocks together then took break after every block..exam doable.. took gatorade in breaks and also one granola bar every break.. sandwich for lunch.. finished exactly in time with 5 mins break time to spare..

Pros in my prep:

MCQs.. UW, Kaplan, robbins, BSS
Goljan Audios
RR Goljan
Fischer ethics a must..

Cons:
kept First Aid for the last n messed up my preparation..
should have taken some NBMEs earlier.. had some qs almost same from NBME
didnt take notes in UW.. my biggest blunder.. so couldnt revise UW at all..

Points i wanted to make..

The dont trust ur memory but only ur knowledge.. so last 10 days useless.. so not much use postponing... this is jus my view

also do a lot of MCQs... it ll really help u.. believe me..

also understand the MLE.. u dont hav to be perfect.. u jus hav to be good enough..

a good nite sleep is must.. u have to sit thro for 8 hrs... so better take a good nite rest.. otherwise u ll be in a soup

i felt that sittin in the chair bending forward for 8 hrs killed my back.. so be prepared for it..

Bottomline - do FA, NBME early...take UW notes and hav a good nite sleep... be confident.. never take the exam if u r not confident
any doubts post here...

Also help others.. i believe my good karma only got me here.. i kno i was no where near perfect... if u help others god ll help u!!

my score - 259/99.. 16 stars out of 19.. star in behaviour science can u believe it???

HELP OTHERS.. wat somebody did for me one day im doin today ... sharing the experience

also never humiliate anybody..

Ppl i wanna thank -
First God.. then my parents, brother, sister.. without them i wont be here today.. so many sacrifices they made for me
then Ebnalfady (thanks for ur qs), Rizowana (my dearest pal here.. also my first pal here), OKT3, Ultradocmansu, irfanmir, rei (my NBME discussion partner), MDsurgeon (thanks for makin me laugh which is somethin i would have forgot if not for u), sam82, varap, harsh, shiney, strongsoul (for all ur motivation) and others whom i forgot to mention (sorry)..


i ll conclude my post like my other posts..

Pls dont forget to include me in ur prayers.. i ve jus begun my journey

P.S sorry for troubling u all with a lenghty post

* Thank god!!!! Got my results ....its 229/95
#346196
nucleus2007 - 10/08/08 12:13

Thank god, my family, my study partners, and all the forum members who help so selflessly,
without your help I wouldn't have achieved it!!!!!!
Thanks OKT3, Bro Ultradocmansu, rizowana, ebnalfady, Unstableangina, sam82, aimhigh, jhana, and all forum members.

I'm a 2001 graduate, mom with a busy 5 year old and out of touch with the subject for quite sometime. Started my preparation around an year ago but not seriously intial months.
Studied seriously for 6-8 months. Read kaplan 3 times and goljan 2-3 times listened to audio2-3 times. DVDs for biochem,genetics, immuno, physio.

I used kaplan notes for all subjects except patho I used Goljan along with audios, UW is best ,did it online for 2 months and revised it for the second time, and that was a wise decision. Q bank did few things offline but couldnt finish it.
NBME scores:
2 months before the exam nbme 2 460
11/2 months before exam nbme 5 450
20 days before exam nbme 3 490

I took the practise CD at the center 1 week before exam
43/50, 43/50, 36/50
I strongly advise its good to take this at the center so that no surprises on the exam day.

Took the exam on 13th sept. The exam is more like nbme 5, and had lots of slides ,mris, x rays and graphs...patho and pathophys got major share next pharma and micro, immuno and mol were tough and had lots of stats. couldn't sleep well previous day, so please take some medication if you have problem with sleep and rest well the previous day.

Good luck everybody and dont go to exam till you feel confident that you are ready.
And for all ladies and moms who are struggling with family and kids, please have patience and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, We can definitely get through this monster because we have done this already in medical school.


GOOD LUCK!!!!

hey rizowana...do u have any step 2 material on hand..??? if u do have it could you post it as well...thx

nbme 1 Q
#339944
nang - 09/18/08 20:31

A 42 yr old man has pneumococcal pneumonia and acute fibrinous pleuritis. Which of the following enz is required to eliminate the exudate and restore the normal pleural anatomy?
a collagen
b plasmin
c stromeolysin
d trombin
e trypsin
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470018
nang - 09/18/08 20:32

post the answer and explanation pl. Coz i m confusing. thanks
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470057
nang - 09/18/08 20:47

any body ????
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470127
ebnalfady - 09/18/08 21:29

can u please tell us the number of the question and in which form(section)from nbme 1
gl
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470140
irfanmir - 09/18/08 21:36

i dont know but by elimination process C is the ans
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470145
hysty - 09/18/08 21:39

trypsin
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470150
hysty - 09/18/08 21:42

plasmin...
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470154
hysty - 09/18/08 21:44

i think i'll stay with trypsin...:-D
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470156
ebnalfady - 09/18/08 21:44

can u please tell us the number of the question and in which form(section)from nbme 1
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470157
neverlate - 09/18/08 21:45

Ans is A: collagenase. Check Goljan P34 2nd ed. It says that the repair by connective tissue (fibrosis) requires collagense (metalloproteinases ) which replaces type II ocllagen with type I collagen-which has about 80% more tenstile strenght.

Plasmin and streptolysin take place in the blood vessels (Golajn P 259, 14-1 digram)
Thrombin is a clotting factor III (an enzyme that catalyzes Fibrinogen-factor I to fibrin monomer + fibrinopeptides A and B.
Trypsin is degraded by trypsinase from trypisinogen?? Not sure about this one.
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470164
hysty - 09/18/08 21:50

but the q is asking what enz would clear the "exudate" so in my opinion proteolytic enz is what they are asking for...not sure though...plz post the correct ans n explanation


* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470192
usmled - 09/18/08 22:13

guys why not plasmin, plasmin will cleave fibrin and will resolve fibrinous pleuritis
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470204
upinthesky - 09/18/08 22:17

as neverlate says....... the collagenase............it's a fibrinous pleuritis, and that means that there are collagen fibers in the exudate along with the other inflammatory cells.........
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470211
hysty - 09/18/08 22:24

fibrinous pleuritis will have inflammatory cells and serum so both plasmin and trypsin may be correct....when FP is severe and prolonged then collagen is formed and the term for that is "adhesive pleuritis" not FP....
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470437
nang - 09/18/08 23:57

this is from Form 1 block 3 no. 48. The ans which I have is B. I think it should be E. Kind of confusing though.
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470446
hysty - 09/19/08 00:01

yeah "B" is correct and makes sense too
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* Re:nbme 1 Q
#1470538
krishn - 09/19/08 02:00

it should be trypsin . proteolytic enzyme like trypsin removes the exudate.
collagenase mainly in tissue repair ...i feel its trypsin

NBME 6, block 1
#338412
r111010 - 09/15/08 11:45

Q5
A healthy 28 yr old single mother of 3 healthy children recently started employment as a secretary at a local corporation. She has a variety of health care plans from which to choose. Which of the following plans is most likely to have the lowest out of pocket cost for this patient and her family.
A) Fee for service
B)HMO
C)Personal tax exempt health care account
D)Point of service
E)PPO

B or E ??

Q29
A 32 yr old woman and her 31 yr old husband come to the physician because they want to have baby but are concerned about the impact this will have on the wife's emotional state.She has had three major depressive episodes and numerous panic attacks within past 10 yrs. She discontinued her anti depressant medication 6 month ago and has been asymptomatic for the past year. She is concerned that she may become depressed while pregnant and will be unable to take any medication because of the pregnancy. Which is the most appropriate response for the physician.
A)The depression associated with pregnancy is unrelated to major depression, therefore you are not at greater risk of being depressed while pregnant.
B)The risk for depression is greatest after delivery and depression during pregnancy can often be treated safely.
C)The risk for depression is greatest during pregnancy, but electroconvulsive therapy is quite safe.
D)Since you have been symptom free for the past year, you should not be at greater risk for depression then the normal population.
E)We will need to follow you closely since the suicide rate is higher for women who are pregnant than for women who are not pregnant.

Q42
this is a graph, asking abount relationship between PaCo2 and VA
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1462180
pankyash - 09/15/08 12:03

29 is B.. post partum dep is common..
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1462367
letsallget99 - 09/15/08 13:23

q5==== HMO
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1462513
r111010 - 09/15/08 14:20

thanks pankyash and letsallget99
what for Q42----D or E ??
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1463153
r111010 - 09/15/08 18:56

..
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1463812
neverlate - 09/16/08 06:08

Q5 answer is E and not B. HMO cost patients lots of money (deductibles and others). PPO is the best coverage you can have. It is 100% coverage with no annual deductible. Copayment may be more than HMO but costs you less if you get it thru your employer.

I hope this help
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1463911
letsallget99 - 09/16/08 09:13

Neverlate I assumed the same thing after taking this test and then talked to family members who are in health care industry....After doing some research it's actually HMO's....Look at the question they are not asking better coverage just stating which has the least out of pocket expenses...HMO's you don't pay copay's etc....HMO is less expensive to have... Research it...


http://www.solveyourproblem.com/health-i...-HMO.shtml
http://www.epinions.com/content_1229430916
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1465861
r111010 - 09/17/08 00:42

thanks neverlate and letsallget99

can you pl. ans and explain Q42?
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1466120
kikuu - 09/17/08 08:33

why not D for q29?
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* Re:NBME 6, block 1
#1466247
pankyash - 09/17/08 09:45

being symptom free does not mean she got cured completely.. she is more likely to have depressive episodes in the future obviously..

nbme-2,2,33
#343046
shiney - 09/29/08 03:15

A 57 year old man recieves a sintered titanium oxide implant during total hip arthroplasty following injury.during the first 6 weeks following surgery,bone ingrowth annels to bone-metal interface in both the femur and actabulum,thus securing the prosthesis in position.type 1 collagen secertion in the 1st stage of matrix formation is mediated by which of following cell types?
1.chondroblasts
2.chondrocytes
3.endothelial cells
4.macrophage
5.osteoblast
6.osteoclast
7.osteocytes
explain as well.
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* Re:nbme-2,2,33
#1485673
upinthesky - 09/29/08 03:23

55555555...
osteoblasts are the cells in the bone that secreted the type I collagen..
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* Re:nbme-2,2,33
#1485674
pankyash - 09/29/08 03:24

i think 3 but really no idea..
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* Re:nbme-2,2,33
#1485693
ebnalfady - 09/29/08 04:53

5.osteoblast is the correct answer
gl
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* Re:nbme-2,2,33
#1485701
shiney - 09/29/08 05:37

yes you all are right.
answer is 5.
agree with upinthesky explanation.
osteoblast secrets osteoid which is type 1 collagen.
thank you

nbme1 q
#340044
krishn - 09/19/08 03:26

2 yr old boy was brought to ER acidentally after consuming iron sulfate capsules?
which of the following symptom u see ?
a.) G.I BLEED
b.) METABOLIC ALKALOSIS
c.)POLYCYTHEMIA
d.)RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION
e.)URINARY RETENSION


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* Re:nbme1 q
#1470564
pankyash - 09/19/08 03:27

its AAAA. acute iron toxicity causes haemorrhagic gastritis..
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* Re:nbme1 q
#1470768
rkmehta - 09/19/08 09:52

aaaaaaaa

NBME block 4
#338483
r111010 - 09/15/08 14:10

Q1 Knee MRI
ans D or E ??


Q6
graph, asking for median # of episodes of UTI
B or C ??
pl expalin

Q10
lumber disc herniation into spinal canal
which ligament is pushed into spinal root nerves?
A or E ??


Q16
A case control study is performed to determine the association between brain tumor and cell phone use. The results show an odds ratio of 4.3(95% confidence interval 0.9-8.2) for an association between brain tumors and cell phone use. Assume that a 99% confidence interval was computed rather then the 95% confidence interval. Which of the following statements best describes the size of the 99% confidence interval compared to the 95% confidence interval?
A)Larger
B)Smaller
C)The same
D) Cannot be determined from the information given
pl. explain


Q46
A 22yr old woman participates in a clinical study of a putative protein hormone[Thrombopoietin] that is synthesized in the liver in response to a decrease in the blood platelet concentration. Injections of the hormone causes an increase in platelet production. Which of the following is the most likely location of the receptor that accounts for the increase in the platelet count?
A)In the cytoplasm of hepatocytes
B)Inthe cytoplasm of megrakaryocytes
C)In the nucleus of hepatocytes
D)In the nucleus of megakaryocytes
E)On the cell membrane of hypetocytes
F)On the cell membrane of megakaryocytes
B or D

Q44
is the ans for specificity is E ??



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* Re:NBME block 4
#1462766
pankyash - 09/15/08 16:09

Q16.. it will b larger.. CI = mean +/- (z score)(std error of the population)
z score for 95% is 1.98
and for 99% is 2.58
thats y it wil b larger
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1462772
pankyash - 09/15/08 16:11

Q46 is B..
coz its a protein hormone i.e water soluble.. cant cross cell memb..

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* Re:NBME block 4
#1462775
pankyash - 09/15/08 16:11

sorry its F.. sorry 4 the typo..
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1463149
r111010 - 09/15/08 18:55

thanks pankyash,
for other questions, what is your ans.?
sorry they are graph or table can not type.
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1463172
r111010 - 09/15/08 19:08

this is NBME 6
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1463715
pankyash - 09/16/08 01:56

i dont have nbme.. so i could ans these Q only..
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1465866
r111010 - 09/17/08 00:45

pankyash,
what is your email?
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1465952
pankyash - 09/17/08 01:29

usmle.31
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1466011
upinthesky - 09/17/08 02:38

46 is NOTTT BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB... all the protein hormones and substances have their receptors in the CELLULAR MEMBRANE.....
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* Re:NBME block 4
#1466026
pankyash - 09/17/08 03:25

yeeesssss upin.. 46 is nottt bbbbbbbbbb.. :-) that was a typo.. but i corrected it in the next post.. check that.. :-)

* NBME 5, block1
#339099
shkazi - 09/16/08 20:12

A study is conducted to compare 2 drugs (X&Y) for rx of arthritis pain. Fifty subjects are selected for the study.; half are assigned to take drug X and half to take drug Y. One month later, pain relief is assessed. Following a 1 wk washout period (no drug), those who took drug X are reassigned o drug Y, and those who took drug Y, and thsoe who took drug Y are reassigned to drug X. One mnth later, pain relief with two drugs is tehn compd across 5 subjects. Study design?

Case control
case series
Cross over
Cross-sectional
Historical cohort
Prospective cohort
Randomized clinical trial
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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465409
letsallget99 - 09/16/08 20:24

cross over
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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465422
shkazi - 09/16/08 20:44

Nbme answers list as prospective cohort???
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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465430
letsallget99 - 09/16/08 20:51

I haven't looked at any answers given for 5...From my own experience anytime both sides receive both of drugs being tested it is known as crossover study...For prospective cohort it would say something like study is for drug x and 50 subjects get it and the other 50 get placebo and followed over two months....Then it would be a prospective cohort...Hope this helps....
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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465435
letsallget99 - 09/16/08 20:54

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/b...cross.html - Here is a definition
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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465442
masha - 09/16/08 21:00

lets,
i agree w u for sure, it is cross over............


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* Re:NBME 5, block1
#1465487
pali45915 - 09/16/08 21:25

Randomized Cross-Over Clinical Trial:
A prospective, analytical, experimental study using primary data generated in the clinical environment. Individuals with a chronic condition are randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups, and, after a sufficient treatment period and often a washout period, are switched to the other treatment for the same period. This design is susceptible to bias if carry over effects from the first treatment occur. An important variant is the "N of One" clinical trial in which alternative treatments for a chronically affected individual are administered in a random sequence and the individual is observed in a double blind fashion to determine which treatment is the best.

plse, do you have answers to nbme 5, plse send to yakayi