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Marcela Hinojosa-Soria Clapp Match 2019


Matched, and here goes my testimony! God is good! All the glory to HIM! He gives wisdom and opened the path for me!
This is what I did:
I started preparing for step 1 on 2016, matched 2019 FM, total of 3 years.
5 LORs, applied to 71 programs for which I met the requirements. Did thorough research to find where to apply.
A. Study time: Step 1: 9 months. Step 2CK: 3 months. Step 2 CS: 2 weeks. Step 3: 2 months. Passed them all at thefirst attempt.
B. 9-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week on a university library, couldn’t do it at home, get distracted easily.
C. 2 NMBE for step 1, 2CK. 1 NBME for step 3.
D. Did NBME Mid-late part on the study period. Same with UWORLD self assessments. But also trained myself doing as many sets of questions as done at each step. i.e. 7 blocks of 40 questions a day, once or twice a month before step 1.
E. Matched 2019 on the specialty and program I loved FM. Step 1: used FA did it three times, uworld once (did not have time to do it twice, I wish I could have do it 2 times) youtube videos, kaplan classes videos. Kaplan books set. Made my own notes from FA, uworld, youtube videos.
Step 2CK: FA twice, uworld once (you do it twice, I would do that myself), some of my step 1 personal notes.
Step 2CS: FA, uworld. 2 friends of mine helped me by role playing the patients for 4 -6 hours a day 3 days a week. USMLE CS experience Asmaa Shaboun, and made notes from her notes. Youtube timers for CS. Made my personal notes from FA.
Step 3: uworld full version, with CCS, and Statistics. did it twice, all of it. MTB used it only as a guide, read it all once. Made my own notes, used old noted from step 1, step 2CK.
I used cram fighter cramfighter.com to configurate my schedule and assignments. Totally recommend to purchase it.
I am an old graduate (2010) worked 4.5 years at home country after graduation, then moved to the US. And then started process for ECFMG (learning it for the first time)
Besides all the studying, I worked on the medical field in the US (GCH). To save and pay for tests uworld, books, interview travel, etc (worked-saved enough for test-study/prepared for test-took test-repeat) Did observership on residency I liked, volunteered (I love to volunteer in health events) in several events. Last thing I did but I should have done earlier, probably before CS: accent reduction classes, did it before interviews, helped me to speak clearly, with confidence, and people does not need to try to understand what I am saying, instead they focus on the content of my speech. Highly recommend: www.clarifyspeech.com Jarrod Purkeypile

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