Post FTCM Exam 1 Reflections

 Hey y'all! 

So we have received our exam grades for the first exam. 360 improvement for me compared to last term. This was honestly the first exam that I left since starting medical school knowing that I had passed. I walked in calm and left calm. My level of preparation was totally different than previous terms. I attacked every topic from every angle that I possibly could. This was my 2nd highest exam score to date and to add to that I have never seen scores on individual blocks like what I saw yesterday! There is a purpose in everything. Sure I had been passing exams but sometimes I was barely getting by and I couldn't figure out why for the life of me. This experience of redoing the material has taught me so much and it has only just begun. 

If you didn't get the score you want on this exam, I would encourage you to dive a little deeper. Have you been memorizing or actually learning? In my case I realized I never properly learned so many things because I had simply memorized them. I never really thought of that but now that I actually understand what is actually happening in lecture, I definitely see it. As you are reviewing ask yourself who, what, when, where, why? Take it back to the basics like you are explaining it to a 5 yo kid. Trust me it works! When you do a practice question, look at what is given in the vignette that absolutely must be true in order for the correct answer to be right. A lot of times there will be only 1 line that indicates what that thing is. So many things present similarly but you have to be able to pick up what's unique. Ask yourself what would support this answer choice as you are eliminating things and turn it into another question. In instances when more than one option is possible, think about what would be most common/likely. 

I've started making my pre-reads way deeper than they were in the past. By the time I walk into lecture I have already gone through Pathoma or Sketchy for drugs really thoroughly. Things are definitely clicking a lot better for me this term and my grade reflects that. Don't be afraid to make changes and don't get discouraged if the first exam didn't go the way you like. Everyone can always improve. Wishing you must success for the rest of the term!

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