How to Pass Your First Medical School Tests

Palms sweaty, you walk into the exam room, drop off your cell phone with the attending proctor, take your assigned seat and check your pencil's sharpness. The clock ticks, seconds remain, then the words of "You may begin" come through the speakers and your first medical school exam starts. Do you have what it takes to score high, or even pass? Have you studied enough Netter's anatomy? Did you review every possible formula and structure for biochemistry? Look at all the Histology slides? Are you prepared? Sure, this is not the MCAT or the USMLE exams, but it can feel just as stressful.

I just took my first medical school exam set and, to my surprise, I survived! I made a lot of mistakes in preparing but I also made some good decisions that helped everything go better and I hope you can learn from these. The first sets of tests are especially grueling for first year medical students but with a few tips you can make your exam week much smoother. Medical school demands much of its students yet the well-prepared and diligent ones will find great success.

Oddly enough, the test part itself it not what I (and many of my classmates) found to be the hardest. Instead, the preparation, both mentally and physically before the exam was the most stressful. Why? For starters, most of the class had no idea what the exam would be like. Sure, we knew the basics (there would be multiple choice with "x" amount of questions, roughly 4 from each lecture, worth 20% of our total grade and so on) but none of us felt like we truly knew what to expect. Even in undergraduate, there's that nagging uncertainty before starting the first exam in a new class. Multiply that by 20, factoring in the pressure of medical school and the over-worry common amongst perfectionist (i.e. many medical students) and you have a very intense situation indeed.

I found it best to avoid or ignore the constant chatter amongst my classmates about the upcoming exams. Much of it was pure speculation and rumors, almost all untrue. Even the innocent conversations about study loads I ignored, as I found that such discussions created a lot of inner stress. Was I up to par with the rest of the class in my studying? Was I falling behind? Was I going to fail the exams because I didn't know enough? All these questions kept popping up in my mind until I learned to shut them out, helping me immensely both psychologically and physically.

While everyone talks about the importance of getting proper rest and exercise before exams, I have to reiterate it here. The times when I took just a 10-15 minute exercise break to work out or run helped immensely and helped refresh my mind. Also, being sure to eat properly and avoid the rush to instant microwave food kept me sane during these weeks, as meals weren't something to just get over with but something that could be enjoyed (of course, a copy of Netter's flashcards was present at the dinner table too).

Finally, I did make an effort to get to know second, third and fourth year medical students and talk to them about the exams beforehand. They actually had already been through the stress of first year and gave me many valuable tips on how to handle it and what to expect. Unlike the wild rumors and hype amongst my classmates, these conversations really helped out and put many of my fears to rest.

The first exams in medical school can be the most stressful thing ever experienced by many student physicians. However, a little planning can go a long way in avoiding such stress. Study hard, but be sure to take to time to relax; don't let the stress go to your head, and be sure to get proper nutrition and exercise. Go for it!