« Falling In Love Again | Main | Bridging Hostilities Between Iran and the US »
Delaying Step 1 for More Time to Study
Anthony Rudine -- Well, I officially chickened out and changed the day for my Step 1 examination. As much as I dislike studying for this blasted thing and as much as I do not want to prolong my agony, I would much rather get a good score this time and not have any regrets.
I guess my primary reasoning for the switch was that I had wanted to get certain study guides read and questions done, and I did not feel that I had the time to complete them while maintaining sanity. So the switch was made, and luckily there was a time that worked with my schedule. The new exam date will give me about one and a half weeks off before my clinical rotations begin. I cannot wait.
I have a feeling that the clinical years will be even more than I am expecting, a thrill greater than I can imagine. I have been told by older and wiser students who have gone before that the third year is in fact great, much better than the second year. I just hope they are right. I know they will be.
I think that I have just become so incredibly tired and frustrated with studying for Step 1 that I have missed the big picture. It is about the patients and the experience – not what some test score turns out to be. I just hope that the test score that actually appears on my scoring report is somewhere close to what I am hoping for. Time will tell. Until then, good luck, and see you in a week.
June 20, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
One of the most respected clinicians at Vanderbilt commented to me that medical students often worry so much about their board scores because they believe it's for residencies, and that is a real shame. He said that the board exam should just be about passing, and showing that you've acquired a base level of knowledge.
I'll be taking Step 1 in a matter of days. Just today I visited my testing center and learned that the USMLE folks have become even more picky than before: not only have they banned digital watches as before, but now they don't allow any watches at all, and they also prohibit earplugs! I wish that all this attention to detail could be focused instead on refining the test itself.
Good luck on your exam Anthony...
Posted by: David Y | Jun 20, 2006 11:44:03 AM
No matter how much you study for the exam, you'll never feel completely ready. I studied medicine in one of the Caribbean medical schools, and all throughout 2nd year, me and some friends were trying our hardest to nail Step 1 studying.
We only had THREE weeks to take it and start rotations right after, so we buckled down and promised each other we wouldnt change our test date.
It got tempting to postpone and try to study up for a better score, but we didnt. We pulled through, faced up to Step 1, and each of us scored over 240 on USMLE Step 1 (the same exam that every US med student will take). So as a Caribbean student with a supposed "sub-par" education than yourself, my advice to you is: If your reason for postponing is "I havent read this book or done these questions or whatever", just realize that you'll never feel 100% ready for Step 1. So just go in there and do your best on it, you'll pass with a good score if you COMPREHEND the material, not if you can squeeze out another two weeks of random Step 1 facts.
Best of luck partner!
Posted by: Abdul Malek | Jun 20, 2006 3:38:58 PM
I did the same thing... I simply "freaked out" and pushed the panic button (extension). Test anxiety is a problem for me... but what could have been the worst case scenario? I would not have passed the exam. So what to do now? Just review, review, review,... when I receive my exam ticket, take the exam. Fear is such a strong emotion, and most difficult to combat once it takes hold of you. But honestly, I have been through tougher times... and I will get through this, and so will you.. :o) Stay positive, focused, and determined..
Posted by: Anoo G | Jun 20, 2006 7:24:43 PM
i´m in 5th year, you're right anthony, clinical time it´s the best. i don´t get too much what Step 1 is about (cause i´m from a different country) but i think is that you need to do some exam to start the next year. am i right? if it is so, don´t worry, think that it´s not the last exam, you got a lot of exams waiting for you for the rest of you´re life, that´s our career. so why are you so frustrated for one more? you know you´re as much as brilliant as anyone, you did the last 2 years, aren´t you? something you would have to learn in those! just make a new date and start to learn, don´t use too much you're memory, use logic, medicine is logic, the life´s logic, anything has a why and an easy answer, things doesn´t happen just because; if you use the logic in everything you learn, it would be easier to you to remember and you won´t forget in a couple of weeks, as everything you learn in the other way. my advice is study all the time that you get for it but consciously. you will never gonna know everything cus you´re human, nobody knows everything you will figure it out when some good doctor says or does a stupid thing (it happens everyday). just read as much as you can, sleep well, eat well and calm down, trust in what you got
Posted by: Nathalia | Jun 21, 2006 12:54:21 PM
Waooo, If I tell you you wont believe it, I'm schedule for June 28th so I havent finish all the questions and I was about to call to reschedule my exam, so what happened, today while studying, I got a called from Prometric saying that I reserved the day but I was not confirmed, so I said THANK YOU JESUS, that was my sign, so I said please I want to push back my exam and now that you said I'm not confirmed for the 28th so I didnt have to pay the extra fee.. DONT YOU THINK WAS A GOD SIGN, people I wish you all the best and If any of you are in the BOSTON AREA, get back to me, we can get a good chat for this amazing and rollercoaster experience...call STEP 1.. Good luck to all of you !!!
Posted by: Fernando II | Jun 21, 2006 1:20:54 PM
Take your time, but believe me, you'll never be good enought... never as good as you would like... "Knowledge knows that doesn't know"
best wishes!
Posted by: Gisele Lino | Jun 22, 2006 8:09:45 PM
It does not matter what day you take a test...you originally picked your first date....so what if you had picked the date originally a week later you would not have been postponeing it you would have just been taking it on time.....
Don't worry....Take the test when you feel that you did what you wanted to do before you take the test...that way .... no regrets...
Good luck
Posted by: vonna | Jul 11, 2006 3:09:12 PM
They don't prohibit earplugs, they just have to check them out beforehand.
Posted by: | Jul 14, 2006 5:24:39 PM
