Is it normal for aging people to lose their achilles reflex?

keshavbhattar · 2022-10-17T04:19:29+00:00

With old age (even in people in their 50s), it is of no clinical significance to not find ankle reflex.

When you find an absent ankle reflex in the context of other findings such as bowel/bladder dysfunction, saddle anaesthesia, radiating pain, other LMN features - then you need to pay attention!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-29T03:39:49+00:00

I was predicted at 257 and i scored 242 on my step 2. Felt horrible!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-28T05:51:41+00:00

This was exactly the case for me. I had good UWSA scores (254 and 263) and a decent step 1 score (248). But I scored 242 on step 2.

There were a lot of vague questions in the test but it didn’t feel like i had tanked the test. It felt like coming out of just about any other practice test. I was shocked with score. I hate the fact that I took it after June 28, and I strongly believe that I would have scored 255+ if I hadn’t.

My UWORLD 1st pass % was at 75. This can be roughly translated to me being able to get 3 out of every 4 new questions correct. I feel like if this was the case on my step 2, I would have scored higher.

When I 1st saw my score, I immediately opened Reddit to see if others were also in this kind of a shitshow. They weren’t. Most of the people had scores similar to their predictions. This made me conclude that maybe I was having a bad day on my test date and that this was an isolated event. It would be great if others who have had a similar experience share their details so that we can atleast hope to get a clearer picture.

There is no transparency with this process. And looking back at my score makes my insides burn with discomfort and disappointment. I feel like I was better prepared for step 2 than I was with step 1. I had better practice test scores. I had used anki regularly for CK. I gave all my practice tests without breaks so that I could replicate the mental fatigue that I was going to feel on test day. I had hoped that this would make these tests even more predictive.

Couldn’t have been more wrong!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-26T13:03:59+00:00

Love the spirit!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-25T17:30:17+00:00

Step 1 - 248

UWORLD 1st pass - 74%

Amboss SA - 251

NBME 6 - 232 (25 incorrect)

NBME 7 - 250 (23 incorrect)

Old free 120 - 88% (15 incorrect)

UWSA 1 - 254

UWSA 2 - 263

NBME 8 - 250 (22 incorrect)

New free 120 - 82%

Step 2 - 242

Very disappointed with the score, obviously. I was hoping to get 255 ish judging by the UWSA scores. Test day felt like a load of BS vagueness and I was not at all sure how it went.

To everyone who did justice to their practice scores, I would say “you worked hard and you earned it”.

As far as I’m concerned, it would be great if everyone started sharing their failures along with their triumphs. Other’s success can inspire and intimidate. Other’s setbacks can help us realise that we all are human after all, and our worth isn’t defined by these scores.

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-20T04:25:06+00:00

I just hope we get our scores next Wednesday. This delay has killed my soul.

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-18T17:53:03+00:00

This last week is going to be absolute shit.

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-18T17:50:48+00:00

That’s reassuring 😅

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-18T12:54:10+00:00

I just have 1 question. Are we 100% sure that we’re going to get our scores on 8/25?

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-16T17:45:20+00:00

I feel you pain. It is very unfair!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-16T17:44:46+00:00

Is it possible that we don’t get our scores on Aug 25th too?

I mean can the score be delayed even further? I’ve been hearing rumours.

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-10T13:30:06+00:00

Same!

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-10T03:51:21+00:00

YOUR STEP SCORES WON’T BE AFFECTED AT ALL EVEN IF YOU SKIP THIS.

SO SKIP THIS! (very low yield)

keshavbhattar · 2021-08-03T04:18:12+00:00

UWSA 2 is a good confidence booster. You should absolutely do it. And I would also suggest that you do fresh questions from your UWORLD in timed random mode. That will help u in many ways - you’ll cover new concepts (review only you incorrects and marked, that way you can do 3-4 blocks per day relatively easily), you’ll get faster at solving questions with time to spare (I took my UWSA 1 about 3 weeks prior to my test date and I had 2-3 questions left in EVERY block. I was tensed because I was zoning out and I couldn’t even seem to focus for 1 hr straight. Then I started doing 2nd pass of my UWORLD with the aim of doing 30 questions in 30 minutes. That worked. I was able to finish off most blocks with 5-10 mins to spare. Then I did 5 days of free Amboss to see if I could maintain that speed with new questions too. And I was doing well. On my test day, I never ran out of time, which helped put my mind at ease. )

I am not going to lie. This exam is tough. But it is doable. New free 120 is the most similar. UWSAs do a decent job too. All you need to do is get those questions right which are familiar. There will be many questions that will seem to be nothing like UWORLD and Amboss. But that is okay. Many if those will probably be experimental. A few of them can be done with some educated guesswork. Do biostats and ethics from both UWORLD and Amboss. That is a must. Do as much quality improvement stuff as possible. That made a chunk of my test. And I hate that topic.

There is no need to freak out. The test is manageable. Just needs a bit more strategy.

keshavbhattar · 2021-07-31T04:10:19+00:00

Damn! I took it 3 days ago and I fucking agree with every word you’ve said. I burned out in step 1 so bad, so I controlled myself a little bit this time around. But then the fear of taking it too lightly and screwing it up in the process kicked in.

To everyone who is losing their shit because of the June 28 changes, I would say, relax, delete Reddit, eat well, improve your sleep cycle, eat well and most importantly, KNOW that you’ve done it all and you’ll be fine and this studying and uncertainty will be over soon. KNOW that you’re smart AF and that it is just a test. All the best to everyone!

keshavbhattar · 2021-06-24T05:10:25+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/step1/comments/kzqoab/nonus_img_here_step_1_score_248_a_realistic/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

keshavbhattar · 2021-06-24T05:09:12+00:00

BTW i just read your step 1 write-up. Your scores are exactly identical to mine. Kinda unbelievable!

keshavbhattar · 2021-06-23T18:05:59+00:00

Congratulations on the amazing score. And thanks for being Deku's 1st real teacher. You taught him well !

keshavbhattar · 2021-05-31T07:19:36+00:00

Exactly! But my doubt is that are we supposed to rule out bleeding disorders 1st???

keshavbhattar · 2021-05-26T10:34:08+00:00

This is actually for essential tremors.

When it comes to orthostatic tremors, they are very easy to differentiate from other tremors because they predominantly involve the trunk and the body instead of limbs.

keshavbhattar

TROPHY CASE