chronicles of an introvert writer, aspiring doctor, and a man within a shell
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"NMAT: The Aftermath"
De La Salle University: the NMAT site
I couldn't describe the intensity of my emotions the moment I woke up the morning of April 11, 2010 and suddenly realized that I was about to take NMAT, which I spent more or less a month to have a good grasp of. However, the anxiety didn't rob me of my sanity and I was able to tread forward to Dela Salle-Taft with so much excitement that almost overshadowed my apprehensions, thanks to the mantras I had used to kick off any tendencies of anxiety attack like "I can do this", "I'm good enough to make it", and "God is with me all the time". With confidence and faith on my pocket, I went straight to the testing site 30 minutes ahead of the 7:00 A.M. start time. As expected, the proctors didn't comply to the start time and left me along with the other examinees ample time to prepare our morale for the inevitable battle of the brains. On my part, I took it as an opportunity to relax and survey the scene around me. There were a lot of students and graduates from all over the country who went there for the sole purpose of finding if they will make or break it on the NMAT, which one of the major requirements that medical schools require from students/graduates who dream of becoming a doctor. Until then, I hadn't realized that I was really not alone in this predicament of RN-to-MD transition. Maybe it's just so rare in my case to find someone who shares the same interests as I have. Going back on the NMAT, we started it with so much vigor and enthusiasm and ended feeling exhausted, and overly drained of brain glucose. Part 1 was quite confusing and amusing at the same time (especially the perceptual acuity part) although I ended up randomly shading most of the items of the quantitative part due to the time constraint. I remember how most of the people who already took the exam emphasized about time management especially on the first part which has an allotted time of 3 hours for the 200-item exam. True enough, time is of the enemy especially if you're not a fast reader and a quick thinker. For the Part 2 of the exam, which we took after lunch, I consider Biology and Sociology as the easiest while Physics and Chemistry the hardest, which caused me stiff neck after straining my neck muscles trying to solve items I haven't encounter either from my classes in college or during my intensive self-review. In general, NMAT is an exam that highlights the basics but will not assure you a good place in the medical school of your interest. There is still the interview process that is school-specific that you have to overcome and of course, your GPA really matters a lot. However, NMAT is not the end-of-it-all exam that will promise you a successful career both in medical school and on practice; resiliency is still the key. That's why after I took the exam, I took a deep breath to render comfort to myself and temporarily withdraw myself from the stresses of the exam, the results of which will be posted after 10 working days on their site: http://nmat.cem-inc.org.ph/cem_nmat/default.aspx. After all, NMAT is not the only gauge of one's knowledge or wisdom. I only view it as a preparation and a mere pre-requisite, no more, no less.
Hi there, I was also one of the examinees of April's NMAT and all I can say, that I am thankful that I didn't review a thing. I bought the MSA reviewer but never opened a page (am gonna sell it though), so I left myself free from those headaches. Am glad that it's over and the anxiety which I had felt has finally disappeared. I'm a registered nurse and I can say that the exam was difficult for an average nurse like me. Well, really, if you want a very high score, you should have at least taken BIO or chemistry as your course.
There were a lot of people who've taken the exam, and imagine if that was a convention full of doctors - man, that gathering would have been huge! The only thing that pissed me off was the line outside of the school, which took me very long just to enter the school.
Let's just do our best at med school and do what we're supposed to do later - Serve humanity as doctors.
Hi Zeldascorn!Thanks for dropping by!I'm so glad that even as a registered nurse, you still consider Medicine as a career alternative. BTW, you should be grateful that you didn't open a single page of MSA reviewer. Believe me: it's a lot harder than the actual exam. But my self review including the sample tests issued by CEM really helped me a lot. I'm an incoming senior nursing stude and I hope that my passion to be a doctor will still linger one year from now. I hope that God will direct you to the right path. Keep dreaming dude!
I know, I've been told and read that the MSA reviewer was a lot harder than the actual exam per se. That's why i didn't lay a single finger on it. I wanted to assess my current stock knowledge, therefore, reviewing for the NMAT wasn't my thing.
So, you're a senior nursing student. I wish you all the best in the upcoming board examination. Now that the BON, has changed, the board exam might actually change also. I took the board last November 2009 and am grateful that I'm one of the lucky few who made it. Well, anyway, you will make it as well as long as you have the passion and determination to do so. And knowing that you have the dream of becoming a doctor, passing the board will just be a walk in the park for you.
Hi there, I was also one of the examinees of April's NMAT and all I can say, that I am thankful that I didn't review a thing. I bought the MSA reviewer but never opened a page (am gonna sell it though), so I left myself free from those headaches. Am glad that it's over and the anxiety which I had felt has finally disappeared. I'm a registered nurse and I can say that the exam was difficult for an average nurse like me. Well, really, if you want a very high score, you should have at least taken BIO or chemistry as your course.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of people who've taken the exam, and imagine if that was a convention full of doctors - man, that gathering would have been huge! The only thing that pissed me off was the line outside of the school, which took me very long just to enter the school.
Let's just do our best at med school and do what we're supposed to do later - Serve humanity as doctors.
Zeldascorn
zeldascorn.blogspot.com
Hi Zeldascorn!Thanks for dropping by!I'm so glad that even as a registered nurse, you still consider Medicine as a career alternative. BTW, you should be grateful that you didn't open a single page of MSA reviewer. Believe me: it's a lot harder than the actual exam. But my self review including the sample tests issued by CEM really helped me a lot. I'm an incoming senior nursing stude and I hope that my passion to be a doctor will still linger one year from now. I hope that God will direct you to the right path. Keep dreaming dude!
ReplyDeleteI know, I've been told and read that the MSA reviewer was a lot harder than the actual exam per se. That's why i didn't lay a single finger on it. I wanted to assess my current stock knowledge, therefore, reviewing for the NMAT wasn't my thing.
ReplyDeleteSo, you're a senior nursing student. I wish you all the best in the upcoming board examination. Now that the BON, has changed, the board exam might actually change also. I took the board last November 2009 and am grateful that I'm one of the lucky few who made it. Well, anyway, you will make it as well as long as you have the passion and determination to do so. And knowing that you have the dream of becoming a doctor, passing the board will just be a walk in the park for you.
Well, then, Good luck, and may God bless you.
Dan Emmanuel R. Ventura, R.N.