Desperate! Need advice and help...

[drmat]

Hi USMLE family,

I am an old grad and have been battling with this exam since like forever.
Out of frustration, I took a review class this summer and took nbme 11 before we started classes and I got 190. To my amazement, I took nbme 12 after the review class and got 185, my score dropped!

Apart from the feeling that I have wasted so much money on this class, I have also wasted time because I have to take this exam in August, latest.

I am trying to pick up pieces of my life again and I am wondering if it is possible to go from 185 to like 235 in 6-7 weeks realistically?

Secondly, how do you guys stay motivated? I know I have to study FA but I lack the zeal to study and assimilate anything. Is there any motivational video or book out there you think can be helpful?
I want to study but I end up sitting in the library for hours without doing anything.
I am getting closer to my elastic limit because I do not know how much more I can take this.

Any advice, tips, prayers and suggestions are welcome....

[Garciarussell]

Dr. Mat,

I'd like to first say, chill out. You're going to pass no matter what. You've invested a lot of time into this exam and you will pass.

Ok. Now for the useful stuff.

1. You have problems studying and find yourself sitting in the library without accomplishing much. Do like I did, find a place where you can talk out loud and then read over the HY tables (FA 2015) out-loud in that place. Engaging your brain to read, convert visual information to motor actions, and then contract muscles in your face takes a lot of brain power. It's likely that some of that information will remain in your memory. This worked well for me towards the end.

2. Do subject based exams in UW using "incorrect" questions until you clear out the sub-sections with 0 questions left in each section.

3. Talk out FA pharmacology section for each system starting with the pharm section. Say everything on the page out loud, look at it, then look away and say it.

I found this method works best for people with anxiety about the exam (people like me).

I'm still waiting on my scores.

Good luck to you Dr. Mat! Oh, and if someone else is reading this and you get some help from it, good luck to you too!

H