Test Day tips for USMLE

While the multiple choice format is not uncommon during our training years, an 8 hour multiple block exam is different, it needs some kind of strategy to keep yourself focused and fresh during your whole test day,  while at the beginning of a test session adrenaline can keep you up to speed during your first blocks it tends to fade away and you may feel exhausted during your last couple of blocks, it’s not uncommon that exhaustion makes you feel like reading gibberish and makes you read twice or even three times each question to understand them.

A major part of the exhaustion is caused by anxiety and a vague fear for your results, either you are counting questions to try and predict your score or feel like failing (which unfortunately it’s a really normal feeling during a really long and complex exam) and more so if you feel like the score is the most important thing in your life, first of all let’s get some things clear to ease your mind a bit:

 You cannot predict your outcome by counting your questions during the exam it only takes your attention away from the next question in the block; it consumes both your allotted time and your mental attention. 

The results are not the most important thing in your life try to put it in perspective, remember that there are other things that are more important for you, also it is not the only thing that matters for your application to a program you like, and if you fail you can take it again and it’s not the end of your career. 

Results depend mostly on your preparation, there is no other way around this you have to make your best effort and keep yourself focused toward your goals for a long period of time.

Today we are sharing some test taking tips for you to use during your exams hopefully these tips will help you get improve your performance and keep you calmed and focused.

The first answer is always the best answer

This is something you will hear very often, the first answer you think about its probably the right answer and you should really think at least three times before changing it, many of us get doubtful about our first guess and then try to change it, when in doubt trust your first guess, also if you really don’t trust your answer try and explain yourself why the new answer is better chances are you were right the first time.

In case you really want to change an answer make it only if you have a really clear argument about it. When in doubt trust your first logic.

Make your best guess

There will be times when a question doesn’t sound like anything familiar to your preparation, and that’s ok it happens, it’s in those questions where you take a guess, now logic may help you find which one might be but most importantly which of the answers you are sure are not the answer, if you can take 2 out of the group you will increase your odds up to a 50% to take a right guess.

And there will be questions where you will need to make a guess, so try and reduce your choices to the most logical probabilities.

 

Read the question again

After reading a question most of the times you have an idea of what to look for in the answers, generally the answer is there waiting for you, but when in the multiple answers there is nothing that looks like the thing you thought up, maybe it’s a mistake in your reading, so before trying to fit an answer to your own logic try and read the question again, sometimes our interpretation of the question may be wrong. This alone can help you improve your results a lot.

Don’t rush take your time

You have 8 hours to complete the test, don’t try to race to the finish line, it’s not about doing it fast, there is enough time to complete the test and not be in a hurry to finish all blocks, relax and read each question slowly, paying attention and understand the context, many of our misinterpretations come from the fact that we are racing against the clock.

There is enough time in each exam to answer and make 2 reviews of all the blocks, don’t rush, take your time and your score will be better.

Use sugar at the end

A little trick that might help you at the end, before the last 2 blocks of any given exam, go out and take some form of sugar, drink some water and take a couple of big breaths, relax for a bit and think about something else (like what you will be doing later that day) this simple action will increase your attention and will help you finish with a clear mind.

Stop Counting

As it was said before you can’t predict the outcome for these exams, don’t count the ones you think you have right or wrong, this is only keeping your attention on the count and making you waste time in the middle of an exam, try not to think about the results until they actually arrive, it’s better to focus on the question in front of you and not in the probable results of the last block.

Each question is a separate event

This is something that might help you keep relaxed and focused, think about each question in its own time and not about your last one, stop skimming forward to see the next questions, and keep your attention on the present one, each question is a separate event and you shouldn’t worry about how many wrong in a row you think you have or if the next one is a hard one or not, this only takes away attention from your current question and also makes you feel anxious about the results.

Treat each question as a separate event and focus on each one in its own time, if you leave some questions without answers, don’t think about them until you finish your block.

Hopefully these tips will help you improve your performance during test day, as always we would like you to check our products and visit us at www.usmleprepguide.com and if you have other test day tips to help everyone your are welcome to leave them in the comments section.