Test Day Swagger
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Well tomorrow is the big day. I’m taking the next part of my medical boards, known as the USMLE Step 2 CK. The computer-based exam covers pretty much all of med school so far. It’s quite the marathon with 368 questions over 8 hours, plus an hour of break time. All the questions are based around patient cases with x-rays, labs, and plenty of pictures to complete the story.
Students taking their medical boards are fortunate enough to have a testing center right on campus. The Academic Testing Center is located in the Center for Creative Education on the HSC. It’s great that students don’t have to worry about traveling out of town and can sleep in their own bed the night before the big test. The proctors for boards are the same folks who proctor all med school exams, so it’s nice to see some familiar faces. They do their best to ensure that everything runs smoothly and the environment is as relaxing as can be. If it wasn’t for the mental bombardment it wouldn’t be such a bad place to hang out!
This is one of the last tests I’ll have to take before I graduate. I look forward to a time when I won’t have the dark cloud of an exam constantly hanging over me. But such is the life of any student; we are chronic test takers. When it comes to exams, it’s obviously helpful to crack the books beforehand. Yet attitude on the big day also plays a huge role. Even if your palms are sweaty and your belly is producing sounds you’ve never heard before, you have to stay positive and take your seat with confidence. Whether you call it moxie, mojo, or swagger, I think the best way to give yourself a boost before a big test is with music. Here are some of songs I’ll have on my iPod before the exam.
Europe – “The Final Countdown”
Muse – “Time is Running Out”
One Block Radius – “Loud and Clear”
MGMT – “Kids”
The Killers – “All These Things that I’ve Done”
So what are some of your favorite pre-exam swagger songs???
