# Second Consecutive Failure



## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

Applied for US residency programme..failed! Took another exam...failed!...Just cant understand why i have been acting so indifferent?  As per rule i should cry, stop eating, loose my sleep, vent out all the frustration but ever since yesterday i have been so normal,doing my routine stuff, rather busy cheering up my homies who also failed..isnt it weird?


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Are you applying for US medical residencies? It is extremely difficult for foreign graduates to secure a spot, I can't imagine the stress.


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

Yup...its tough n imagine i gave one whole year to studies to get in to the residency..paid the fee on my own..confined myself in to a room..but dont know what went wrong on test day, i couldn't make it :| its like m back to the starting point!


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Which of the tests are you having trouble with? I guess it is one of USMLE 1, 2 or 3. All of them are hard, the first much more so than the rest. I prepared for about 4 months for the first one, about 1 month for the second one and the third one is still left to do!

I don't know your whole situation, but you should give yourself some time to figure out what went wrong. Was it nerves? If so, you can do practice questions in real, timed settings till you become more comfortable with working under a time limit. If you haven't, I recommend using the USMLE world bank. It has about 2500 questions. It is gold. Go through them 2 or 3 times. I did not need anything else for part 1.


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

Wow! glad to know that u r done with 2 steps in no time  R u also a FMG? Its step1...yeah i did USMLE World twice..Well i reckon my probem is time management plus exam anxiety :| have lost my confidence after these failures..trying to recompose myself..dont know if i would be able to retake it or not :blank


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## woot (Aug 7, 2009)

If you've never failed, you've never lived.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

dr bee said:


> Wow! glad to know that u r done with 2 steps in no time  R u also a FMG? Its step1...yeah i did USMLE World twice..Well i reckon my probem is time management plus exam anxiety :| have lost my confidence after these failures..trying to recompose myself..dont know if i would be able to retake it or not :blank


Naww, I had the easier path. I am an AMG.

You should keep in mind that step 1 is often considered the hardest of the three steps. It is an extremely difficult exam that many people can't pass. But given the right preparation, it is possible.

You should give yourself plenty of time to prepare for it. Don't spread yourself too thin. Use only a few good resources and know them inside out. I strongly recommend knowing First Aid inside and out. Simultaneously, hammer away at those questions. Do 100 questions a day, for 2 months. A week or 2 weeks before exam, read through first aid, 3 or 4 times.

This is what I did and it worked well. Are there any school officials/professors you can talk to about your situation and discuss what your next step should be?


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

woot said:


> If you've never failed, you've never lived.


Yeah u r absolutely right n i desperately need tons of motivation at the moment :|


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

alte said:


> Naww, I had the easier path. I am an AMG.
> 
> You should keep in mind that step 1 is often considered the hardest of the three steps. It is an extremely difficult exam that many people can't pass. But given the right preparation, it is possible.
> 
> ...


 Lucky man!  I went through Kaplan notes,First Aid n Goljan for Pathology..Did u do NBME Forms? is it a must-do?
Well..i belong to a Doctor Family..i discussed the issue with them n they all r of the opinion that i must retake it.
U r so right about the questions..my cousin who aced step1 with 99 also suggesting me to do 100 plus mcqs per day but he is saying that dont take more than 3,4 months to get prepared..what do u suggest?


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

dr bee said:


> Lucky man!  I went through Kaplan notes,First Aid n Goljan for Pathology..Did u do NBME Forms? is it a must-do?
> Well..i belong to a Doctor Family..i discussed the issue with them n they all r of the opinion that i must retake it.
> U r so right about the questions..my cousin who aced step1 with 99 also suggesting me to do 100 plus mcqs per day but he is saying that dont take more than 3,4 months to get prepared..what do u suggest?


Throw out Kaplan notes.

Here is what you should do in brief, step by step.

1. First Aid cover to cover, attempt to memorize everything in this book (2-3 weeks of dedicated 8-10 hour a day studying).
2. USMLE world question bank, 100+ questions a day in timed format (~3-4 weeks).
3. Simultaneously with step 2, listen to Goljan's pathology audio every day.
4. Week to two weeks before the exam, do nothing but First Aid. Read it three or four plus times till you know like it the back of your hand.

If you have more time, you can go through the question bank a second time (or atleast the ones you got wrong / marked).

The idea with the above study plan is to focus on a few resources but to know them well (with multiple passes). This way on exam day, you will reflexively remember the information inspite of nerves which is normal.

This worked well for me, and will work well for an AMG or an FMG who has a good science background.

You can always supplement your weaker areas with other books (like High Yield Immunology etc).

edit: i did not do NBME.


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

alte said:


> Throw out Kaplan notes.
> 
> Here is what you should do in brief, step by step.
> 
> ...


 Thats so kind of u...gonna follow this strategy..hope it works well...thank u so much


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

You should also talk with your school advisors to see if they have any suggestions. I honestly don't know how well the above strategy works for FMGs because they don't have the 2 years of basic science courses that AMGs have. The above strategy focuses on high yield information and assumes you have enough background to be able to deduce / fill in the rest.
Good luck anyway. Let me know if you have any questions.


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## dr bee (Nov 18, 2011)

alte said:


> You should also talk with your school advisors to see if they have any suggestions. I honestly don't know how well the above strategy works for FMGs because they don't have the 2 years of basic science courses that AMGs have. The above strategy focuses on high yield information and assumes you have enough background to be able to deduce / fill in the rest.
> Good luck anyway. Let me know if you have any questions.


 Okay i will..ya we do study basic science during initial 2 years of MBBS. Thanx a lot!  okay i will PM u if come across any difficulty..hope u regularly visit this forum.


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