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doctorsaheb - 11/01/06
finally i am done with the exam . i really dont know how i did it . my scores will reflect it . one thinng is sure this exam is a real stressor . man 8 hours . my neck was hurting when i was in my 6 block . u have to be mentallly and physicially strong to ace in this test . i got around 20 questions on DM . 5 questions from biochem 15 questions from pharma and may be 20 questions from anat ( very rare ) . not much ct's . not even a single problem . lot of immunology which i was weak in . rest all patho . lot of physio interpretation stuff . i had to guess for atleast 2 last questions in each block no time . it was my weakness . RED BULL helped me a lot . i think posting the question would not help because they ask the same concepts but in different form rather i would call it a lenghty and difficult way . FA WAS HELPFUL TO ME . goljan is great . u can answer 50% of the paper if u listen to his lecture .
not much to say . really worried about my score .
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malvika - 10/28/06
Hello dear friends, i cant believe its time I would write this..have been waiting for the exam to get over and now it has and here I am! Sorry for not writing immediately...i was/am back on the bed with an extremely severe backache after the exam and though I had planned to go away for the last 2 days...couldn't do that on account of my backache. I shall write whatever i can right now and write some more tomorrow as I cant sit for long.
This was one of the most surreal experienes of my life...all your struggles,hard work and apprehensions..and then boom,boom--8 hours slip by in a flash!
I reached the center early..and my center staff was just wonderful..got thru the permit,id's, and started at 9:15 sharp I had a quick review of the tutorial and then did the first 2 blocks without a break.The first block was doable..not easy and not that tough..seemed to focus on antimicrobials with emphasis on pneumonias,some complicated drug interactions,MOA of neoplastic{favourite was doxorubicin and vincristine},4-5 Cts on lower limb lesions-knee joint hit posteriorly,ankle sprains and abdomen{which i think i messed up thoroughly--i knew the answers but couldn't place them on the CT],childhood infections{one was Kawasaki}, and tricky behavioural questions-u literally come down to 2 choices and then pick one and move on.There was one about a woman whoc had post partum depression and could not bond with the baby--what would u advise the husband??
Second was extremely tough---i felt like i was in a zoo---lots of mice,deer ,baboons--all involving gene expressions and very much at the molecular level...I have guessed for about 90% of this blockand felt really bad after it ended.Took a 10 minute break and started my 3 rd--this one seemed okay...patho with micro,patho with immuno...lots of integrations{Goljan is great!}...heavy focus on cardio--know atherosclerosis,all kinds of cardiomyopathies,know murmurs really well, 2 questions on fetal circulation with a picture ,ARDS with question on compliance,slides{excellant quality} on malaria,anemias with lab value interpretation.cant remember more from this one.
4th and 5th block were the toughest of all---its not that u dont know but u dont know enough..guys..they go really deep on the concepts..hads tons of physio and lots and lots of arrow questions--effects of drugs,ventilator settings, lots of q's on physiology of pregnancy _again i was stuck between 2-3 choices a sthe questions are so well worded, it just got hard to pick one},lots of anatomy--i knew the answers but unfortunately..again to choose them on the CT/MRI---I had lots and lots of CTS/MRIS/SLIDES---heavy emphasis on pictorial diagnosis and i felt so bad that never revised theCT before the exam..Very simple biostats-case control,corelations,just 2 calculations on PPV,sensittivity.
Sorry guys, have to go now.I am using a laptop on the bed and cant go for long..need to take a break but shall definitely post much,much more tomorrow..thank you my dear friends for all your prayers,good wishes and help..i love you all and God bless each and evry one of you and help you to reach your silver lining.
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malvika - 10/28/06
Hello dear friends, i cant believe its time I would write this..have been waiting for the exam to get over and now it has and here I am! Sorry for not writing immediately...i was/am back on the bed with an extremely severe backache after the exam and though I had planned to go away for the last 2 days...couldn't do that on account of my backache. I shall write whatever i can right now and write some more tomorrow as I cant sit for long.
This was one of the most surreal experienes of my life...all your struggles,hard work and apprehensions..and then boom,boom--8 hours slip by in a flash!
I reached the center early..and my center staff was just wonderful..got thru the permit,id's, and started at 9:15 sharp I had a quick review of the tutorial and then did the first 2 blocks without a break.The first block was doable..not easy and not that tough..seemed to focus on antimicrobials with emphasis on pneumonias,some complicated drug interactions,MOA of neoplastic{favourite was doxorubicin and vincristine},4-5 Cts on lower limb lesions-knee joint hit posteriorly,ankle sprains and abdomen{which i think i messed up thoroughly--i knew the answers but couldn't place them on the CT],childhood infections{one was Kawasaki}, and tricky behavioural questions-u literally come down to 2 choices and then pick one and move on.There was one about a woman whoc had post partum depression and could not bond with the baby--what would u advise the husband??
Second was extremely tough---i felt like i was in a zoo---lots of mice,deer ,baboons--all involving gene expressions and very much at the molecular level...I have guessed for about 90% of this blockand felt really bad after it ended.Took a 10 minute break and started my 3 rd--this one seemed okay...patho with micro,patho with immuno...lots of integrations{Goljan is great!}...heavy focus on cardio--know atherosclerosis,all kinds of cardiomyopathies,know murmurs really well, 2 questions on fetal circulation with a picture ,ARDS with question on compliance,slides{excellant quality} on malaria,anemias with lab value interpretation.cant remember more from this one.
4th and 5th block were the toughest of all---its not that u dont know but u dont know enough..guys..they go really deep on the concepts..hads tons of physio and lots and lots of arrow questions--effects of drugs,ventilator settings, lots of q's on physiology of pregnancy _again i was stuck between 2-3 choices a sthe questions are so well worded, it just got hard to pick one},lots of anatomy--i knew the answers but unfortunately..again to choose them on the CT/MRI---I had lots and lots of CTS/MRIS/SLIDES---heavy emphasis on pictorial diagnosis and i felt so bad that never revised theCT before the exam..Very simple biostats-case control,corelations,just 2 calculations on PPV,sensittivity.
Sorry guys, have to go now.I am using a laptop on the bed and cant go for long..need to take a break but shall definitely post much,much more tomorrow..thank you my dear friends for all your prayers,good wishes and help..i love you all and God bless each and evry one of you and help you to reach your silver lining.
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nyle - 11/01/06
Hello everyone, i gave my exam yesterday ,
i can't say how i did it , but my first bock was horrible , i was too terrified after that block ,it was mostly immuno but i don't know where are they getting those kind of questions ,MAN, no book will i say is enough for immuno.I don't want to scare you at all ,but want to enlighten you so you would be mentally prepared and won't be scared like me.
now the rest of the exam was not easy neither too difficult ,i would say that if you follow what people suggest you repeatedly ,you can beat this exam easily . DO Q BANK VERY WELL ,DO READ ALL KAPLAN BOOKS 2 OR 3 TIMES AND AFTER THAT MEMORIZE FIRST AID ,IN THE END DO AS MANY NBME'S AS YOU CAN, AND JUST GO FOR IT DON'T WAIT OR EXTEND FOR TOO LONG .
in my exam it was mostly patho , physio and pharm ,all other subj were there but not heavily tested , i did not get any ct's and just two or three mri's , one was arteriogram of brain ,asking lesion ,beh science was around ten -twelve questions ,not too difficult ,i found immuno very diff and also pharma diff, but pharma is always my weakest subject ,and all of you, i think won't find it difficult like me .
Anyway, please pray for me ,i hope i pass decently ,and wish you all best of luck!!!
If you need to ask me anything regarding exam ,please feel free. Also i drank red bull before last two blocks and it helped a lot.:-)
good luck!!!
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nyle - 11/01/06
Hello everyone, i gave my exam yesterday ,
i can't say how i did it , but my first bock was horrible , i was too terrified after that block ,it was mostly immuno but i don't know where are they getting those kind of questions ,MAN, no book will i say is enough for immuno.I don't want to scare you at all ,but want to enlighten you so you would be mentally prepared and won't be scared like me.
now the rest of the exam was not easy neither too difficult ,i would say that if you follow what people suggest you repeatedly ,you can beat this exam easily . DO Q BANK VERY WELL ,DO READ ALL KAPLAN BOOKS 2 OR 3 TIMES AND AFTER THAT MEMORIZE FIRST AID ,IN THE END DO AS MANY NBME'S AS YOU CAN, AND JUST GO FOR IT DON'T WAIT OR EXTEND FOR TOO LONG .
in my exam it was mostly patho , physio and pharm ,all other subj were there but not heavily tested , i did not get any ct's and just two or three mri's , one was arteriogram of brain ,asking lesion ,beh science was around ten -twelve questions ,not too difficult ,i found immuno very diff and also pharma diff, but pharma is always my weakest subject ,and all of you, i think won't find it difficult like me .
Anyway, please pray for me ,i hope i pass decently ,and wish you all best of luck!!!
If you need to ask me anything regarding exam ,please feel free. Also i drank red bull before last two blocks and it helped a lot.:-)
good luck!!!
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malvika - 10/30/06
Hello dear friends...just wanted to continue from where i left off earlier..
My last 2 blocks had chunks and chunks of immuno and anatomy,genetics..lots of gross as well as neuroanatomy..stress was laid on-interleukins{know them cold!},Kawasakis,SCID{3 questions}, Digeorges with diagram identification,TH helper subset questions, autotolerance,pick put the right arm of immunity affected, Graves,polyarteritia nodosa,Brutons,some very vague and tough questions on hypersensitivities-not direct at all but kind of twisted.
Embryo of heart--sinus venosus,omphalocele vs gastrochisis-very well worded..again hard to choose between 2 options, one q on HOX genes--had no idea,reproductive endocrines--haeav emphasis on specific histo findings of menstrual cycle{no real clues to go with that...just look at the histo and identify the day of the cycle..had actuall 3 of those in different blocks}.easy identificatin of thyrois disorders, confusing q about role of calcitonin,know all MEN syndromes
A table with different epidem studies and a case scenario--easy...forward looking type of study=cohort
Biochem pathways..friends knnnow the rate limiting enzymes cold--u should be able to write down what is what theyr--u think u know it but for me under time pressure i was literally racking my brains when asked to point out the enzymes on a diagram--sure i messed that up
know the fetal circulation well-q's were repeated in 2 blocks
3-4 questions on identification of inheritance patterns-one was mitochondrial pattern
Lots of newborn physiology q's--found them tough
multiple sclerosis,Guillain barre-again repeated questions
Cant remember more now but will keep posting as i do.
A few tips and mistakes hope u dont make which i unfortunately did:
1. Please dont ignore anatomy and behavioural science--they r as imp as patho and physio r--in fact ALL Q'S R WELL DISTRIBUTED
2 Start FA from atleats a month before the exam day---u will practice recall if u do it repeatedly and wont miss simple questions on the test{its difficult to immediately recall with that damn clock clickin away!!"
3.Learn to intergrate subjects as u prepare--I did not do that and regret it--
4.Physio GRAPHS R SO HIGH YIELD--Kaplan is enough but practice puttin them down on paper---ALL autonomic system is so heavily tested.
5.CTS AND MRI interpretation is a must---lost so many valuable q's just because i could not identify them on the exam---knew the answers though and felt miserable!{still get nightmares about those questions}
6. Bio stats is simple calculations--so know basic formulas wel-SEnsitvity,specifi,PPV,odds ratio,incidence rate,infant mortality rates
&.Biochem rate limiting enzymes along with arrows for FAD/NAD/NADPH/GTP--knw what is where
8.Glomerulonephritis--2 q's with justbthe immunoflorescence pattern--very little in the stem of the question to go on--webpath has that in detail
I cant remember more now--but will post more as and when it rings a bell.
I dont have much hope from this exam and am praying hard to pass but please dont let my experience in any way scare you--instead please let it help u better --all of you have the potential to make it and i wish all of you the best of luck in your preparation.This exam is not a monster but can be managed with lots of good,hard preparation,luck and lots of prayers.Please dont postpone your exam for too long...i wish i had not delayed it so much--6-7 months of consistent studying,q-banks and revisions of notes is realy important.
All my very best to all of you{i have tried and thanked all of you in my earlier post} and aplogise if i ahve missed anyone. Good luck friends--u CAN ALL DO IT!!
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malvika - 10/30/06
Hello dear friends...just wanted to continue from where i left off earlier..
My last 2 blocks had chunks and chunks of immuno and anatomy,genetics..lots of gross as well as neuroanatomy..stress was laid on-interleukins{know them cold!},Kawasakis,SCID{3 questions}, Digeorges with diagram identification,TH helper subset questions, autotolerance,pick put the right arm of immunity affected, Graves,polyarteritia nodosa,Brutons,some very vague and tough questions on hypersensitivities-not direct at all but kind of twisted.
Embryo of heart--sinus venosus,omphalocele vs gastrochisis-very well worded..again hard to choose between 2 options, one q on HOX genes--had no idea,reproductive endocrines--haeav emphasis on specific histo findings of menstrual cycle{no real clues to go with that...just look at the histo and identify the day of the cycle..had actuall 3 of those in different blocks}.easy identificatin of thyrois disorders, confusing q about role of calcitonin,know all MEN syndromes
A table with different epidem studies and a case scenario--easy...forward looking type of study=cohort
Biochem pathways..friends knnnow the rate limiting enzymes cold--u should be able to write down what is what theyr--u think u know it but for me under time pressure i was literally racking my brains when asked to point out the enzymes on a diagram--sure i messed that up
know the fetal circulation well-q's were repeated in 2 blocks
3-4 questions on identification of inheritance patterns-one was mitochondrial pattern
Lots of newborn physiology q's--found them tough
multiple sclerosis,Guillain barre-again repeated questions
Cant remember more now but will keep posting as i do.
A few tips and mistakes hope u dont make which i unfortunately did:
1. Please dont ignore anatomy and behavioural science--they r as imp as patho and physio r--in fact ALL Q'S R WELL DISTRIBUTED
2 Start FA from atleats a month before the exam day---u will practice recall if u do it repeatedly and wont miss simple questions on the test{its difficult to immediately recall with that damn clock clickin away!!"
3.Learn to intergrate subjects as u prepare--I did not do that and regret it--
4.Physio GRAPHS R SO HIGH YIELD--Kaplan is enough but practice puttin them down on paper---ALL autonomic system is so heavily tested.
5.CTS AND MRI interpretation is a must---lost so many valuable q's just because i could not identify them on the exam---knew the answers though and felt miserable!{still get nightmares about those questions}
6. Bio stats is simple calculations--so know basic formulas wel-SEnsitvity,specifi,PPV,odds ratio,incidence rate,infant mortality rates
&.Biochem rate limiting enzymes along with arrows for FAD/NAD/NADPH/GTP--knw what is where
8.Glomerulonephritis--2 q's with justbthe immunoflorescence pattern--very little in the stem of the question to go on--webpath has that in detail
I cant remember more now--but will post more as and when it rings a bell.
I dont have much hope from this exam and am praying hard to pass but please dont let my experience in any way scare you--instead please let it help u better --all of you have the potential to make it and i wish all of you the best of luck in your preparation.This exam is not a monster but can be managed with lots of good,hard preparation,luck and lots of prayers.Please dont postpone your exam for too long...i wish i had not delayed it so much--6-7 months of consistent studying,q-banks and revisions of notes is realy important.
All my very best to all of you{i have tried and thanked all of you in my earlier post} and aplogise if i ahve missed anyone. Good luck friends--u CAN ALL DO IT!!
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cidcon4 - 11/01/06
hi friends
I am done with my exam,it was hectic,but you can do it with proper breaks,I found all subjects were covered,I cannot say how I did,some qus were really hard,they ask concepts in very different way
subjectwise
1Anatomy many cts,lots of diagrams you have to point the structure
2physio grafs,endocrine qus with arrows
3 biochem pathways point deficiecy
4patho many dermatology picturess
5pharmac MOA mainly
6micro straight forward, immuno difficult
7BS biostatistics ,doctor pt relationships
I am very thankful to all my forum friend,this forum is very helpful , I came to know very late about this forum in last two months
Good luck to you all!!!!!!!!
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cidcon4 - 11/01/06
hi friends
I am done with my exam,it was hectic,but you can do it with proper breaks,I found all subjects were covered,I cannot say how I did,some qus were really hard,they ask concepts in very different way
subjectwise
1Anatomy many cts,lots of diagrams you have to point the structure
2physio grafs,endocrine qus with arrows
3 biochem pathways point deficiecy
4patho many dermatology picturess
5pharmac MOA mainly
6micro straight forward, immuno difficult
7BS biostatistics ,doctor pt relationships
I am very thankful to all my forum friend,this forum is very helpful , I came to know very late about this forum in last two months
Good luck to you all!!!!!!!!
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