"NMAT: The Verdict"

I just learned my NMAT result yesterday, earlier than I expected (CEM informed us during the exam that the electronic copy of the NMAT result would be posted 10 working days after the exam on their website), and up until now, I've been brooding about what the heck has happened to my score. I prepared so much for the exam to get an 85+ that might have given me a chance to receive a possible scholarship or if I was lucky enough, a 90+ percentile rank that might have pushed me one step closer to my dream of entering UPCM (UP College of Medicine), which is every aspiring doctor's dream, I suppose. However, things really happen for a reason and in my case, destiny betrayed my own plans and timing. I got a 72 percentile rank, which means that I belong to the upper 28% of those who took the test last April and 72% scored lower than me. Good enough for me to enter most of the medical schools in the metro but not good enough to get me a scholarship or enter my dream school.

           I've always been told that it's better to aim for perfection but miss it rather than aim for imperfection  and achieve it. It's one good proverb that has molded my attitude towards 'aiming high'. However, people often overlook the fact that 'aiming high' is also about taking risk, and more often than not, people become frustrated and devastated if they didn't meet their expectations. True enough, 'aiming high but expecting less' is one good strategy to avoid self-devastation from an unmet expectations. Perhaps God wants me to take a bird's eye view of the situation and find for myself the next step I'm going to take from here. Maybe Medicine is not for me or this is not yet the right time for me to pursue such profession. I'm currently planning to retake NMAT this April and take my review and preparation to a higher level. I'm really desperate to at least get a scholarship because I'm not an "anak ng Diyos" (rich kid) to just leave this as it is and not do anything to alleviate my parents' financial burden just in case I'm going to pursue Med right after my graduation. And if upon trying the second time and I stumble again, I will just take it as nature's way of telling me that I'm taking the wrong path in life. Maybe that's how life really goes. But for me, NMAT is just a requirement and will not define a person's real intelligence or wisdom. If I will base it on my own goal and expectation, there will be no doubt that I really failed the exam. But life is not about winning all the time. I will try my luck again and maybe next time, God will really give what my heart desires. As for now, I will stick to another essential maxim of life: Winners never quit, and quitters never win.

"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.

NMAT: The Beginning

The 'mind-boggling' NMAT review:


One week ago, I finally received the NMAT reviewer that I purchased from e-bay, which deducted more or less 400 pesos from my pocket (including delivery charge). I considered that as a better and more convenient option than to enroll in any one of the capitalistic review centers for NMAT (National Medical Admission Test). Also, sparing myself a thousand bucks by doing an arduous yet economical self-review instead of attending an expensive review class will save my mother from financial anxiety and will further give myself an opportunity to learn the basics of self-discipline. I ordered the first set of NMAT reviewer (200-pages reviewer/handouts)from an e-bayer who happened to be a third year medical student from Antipolo. Upon receiving the package, I purchased a ring-binder on our local bookstore to make the documents more organized and well-prepared for the three months that I will spend reviewing for that career-defining exam. Although the online registration for the April NMAT is not ready yet (usually, registration starts one month before the actual exam), I've already been reading the contents of the reviewer just to make some essence out of my long period of hibernation. Resources wise, I already compiled all the necessary information that will be of great help to me for the exam, including tips in acing the NMAT. For the record, NMAT consists of two parts:

Part I:

Verbal. This subtest consists of two types of test items, namely, word analogies and reading comprehension, which measure verbal ability in English. Items in reading comprehension are based on the content of portions of published materials covering a wide range of topics, e.g., social, scientific, medical,
philosophical, literary.

Inductive Reasoning. This subtest consists of number, letter, and figural series and figure grouping items. These items are known to measure induction which is the ability to form and test a hypothesis directed at finding a principle with which to identify an element fitting a given relationship.

Quantitative. This subtest consists of three types of items, namely, fundamental operations, problem solving, and data interpretation. These items are intended to measure general reasoning which is defined as the ability to organize and apply knowledge of basic mathematics and reasoning to find solutions for them.

Perceptual Acuity. This subtest consists of three types of items, namely, hidden figure, mirror image, and identical information. Solutions to these items involve accuracy in visual perception, an ability linked to extensiveness of scanning, a cognitive style associated with meticulousness, concern with detail, and
sharp, yet wide-ranging focus of attention.

Part II:

The four subtests that compose Part II are Biology, Physics, Social Science, and Chemistry. Social Science includes items in psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The items in the four subtests are limited to the content coverage of the areas that are common and basic to the curricula of the degree programs considered as premedical
courses. On the whole, these four subtests measure complex mental abilities because solution to the items require the use of the different cognitive skills of knowledge, comprehension, application (process), analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation.

Source: NMAT Online

The reviewer that I have in hand covers almost all the subjects included in Part 2 (Social Sciences, Biology, and Chemistry) and some from Part 1 (English and Mathematics). For a while, I have considered self-review as a better choice for it will bring out more the best in me but at this point in time, I'm still struggling to set aside at least 3 hours of daily review in preparation for the NMAT because of my busy daily schedule. I think my success for the NMAT lies on the strategy that I will apply in apportioning my time and practicing self-discipline. The subjects are purely basic and because I really want to ace the NMAT, I began my review 2 months ahead of time, not taking for granted all the information that I have learned from my past classes and from the reviewer itself. I also ordered the MSA NMAT Reviewer by Allan Carreon from the MSA website, but after almost one month of waiting, I have a strong feeling that I will never get the book either because of fraudulence or technical problems in the website itself. It will be better if you just purchase the book directly from bookstores. Nonetheless, it's really not of a great loss for me if I will base it on the reviews made by past NMAT takers for that specific book. Most of them said that the reviewer is far more difficult than the actual NMAT exam. Doing a comprehensive self-study and practice (upon registration, CEM will provide 2 sets of practice tests which according to past NMAT takers, are of a great help as far as having a good grasp of the actual exam is concerned) are still the best way to prepare. I'm still not halfway from finishing my self-review but with the grace from God and a sprinkling of perseverance and discipline, I know I can surpass the Herculean task of absorbing a major load of information that I badly need to get a good grade. And if you're going to take the same path this April, let's just hope and pray that God will give us the desires of our hearts. Good luck April 2010 NMAT takers!


My 'personalized' NMAT reviewer:

When Doctors become Nurses and When Nurses become Doctors

This is a complicated world, indeed. As complicated as the mind-boggling dilemma I'm facing right now. Three months from now, I'll be back to nursing school to complete some unfinished business. One year is left of me to finish my degree and I will make a major decision soon after my graduation (if God will allow me to): whether to pursue my nursing career or advance to med school. Undoubtedly, I will risk being ridiculed by most of my relatives if I pursue my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. In addition to that, I will spend most of my life being a social retarded inside the med school the moment I decide to grab that option. I'm about to start my NMAT review next week but I'm still undecided if I will take the exam to pursue the medical career or just to prove something for myself. I have been thinking that if I will not get a scholarship from any med school, I'll better leave the dream in the oblivion considering many factors that are halting me to take a step forward in the med school. It all started way back 2005 when the mass exodus of Pinoy doctors who made a career shift to nursing robbed the profession of medicine its usual glitter. I read one of the articles about it just recently, entitled When Pinoy doctors become US nurses. It tackled a lot about the still ongoing decline of college students' interests in pursuing the medical profession. I thought I was all alone in my struggle but when I read one of the very inspiring articles of my co-blogger, Aubrey, who is facing the same dilemma as I am, the glitter came back. Through her article entitled When doctors become nurses , I have realized that a lot of nursing graduates and students alike still consider pursuing the medical career as one of their options. I just wonder why the world is like this: Doctors turning to nurses and nurses wanting to be doctors. Perhaps this is what we call a battle between convenience and principle. No matter what explanation you can give, I still don't get this phenomenon. But what's important for me is I have my very supportive family who's always there in spite of doubts and worries to support me in my every endeavours. Maybe I will just wait and see how will I fare in the upcoming NMAT. I will ask guidance from God who knows everything that is best for me. Through that, I will surely know if I have to turn from a nurse to a doctor or stay as a nurse for as long as I can take.

Drugs me to Hell!

Its not just a simple frustration. Its a series of frustrations that reached its crescendo just recently. I was terminated from my call center job in Makati last month, the reason why I immediately turned to the jobseekers' safe haven (jobstreet) to look for a job. I submitted my modified resume to every call center company(medical transcription company included) available in the web, desperate to have a replacement job because I couldn't imagine myself jobless on the holiday season. After a couple of days, I received a call from Convergys and then I undergone the normal screening procedures soon afterwards. I passed all the company's standards for communication (which I already expected given the fact that I already had the experience) but when the nurse handed me the medical exam results, I staggered to what I just saw in my x-ray findings. The information printed is very clear: PTB in upper right lung field. Of course I'm not dumb to consider this as not threatening because even an average person without as much medical knowledge as I have knows what that means: Pulmonary Tuberculosis or TB as we all know. I composed myself for a moment. Frustrated as I was, I make-believed that I still had the power to bribe a doctor somewhere to give me a fit-to-work clearance although I had a strong gut-feeling that this was not going to be a walk in the park for me. True enough, I didn't find any doctor that was gullible enough to believe my frail theory that this finding was a big mistake. All of them attributed the diagnosis from the pollution , environment, and stress that I had acquired during my first call center exposure aggravated by the fact that I had to travel from bocaue all the way to Makati and vice versa to report in my job.For this reason, I have to suffer 6 months of medication therapy that will start this month and will end by May next year. And the best news of all is I won't have have a job. Even though I was accepted as an online writer (I'm still waiting for the company's confirmation), I would admit that this is not a well-paying job. Luckily, I received free medications from a health center so my family will not be burdened by this but I still don't have enough reasons to feel lucky in my situation. Perhaps God wants me to have a rest and realize that life is not all about money-making. Perhaps He just wants me to have an opportunity to do soul-searching. Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. I really don't know. But the medication regimen that consists of (1)Rifampicin, (1)Isoniazid, (3) Pyrazinamide, (2) Ethambutol, and (1) Ascorbic Acid daily is taking its toll on me. Now I know why DOH requires directly observed treatment for TB patients. Its really difficult to stick to the regimen and take the specific quantity on a daily basis. Its ironic that I have a nursing background but I'm applying it not on caring other people but on treating this stupid disease that I consider like a bane gradually destroying my own existence. On a positive note, the disease is letting me contemplate on my real priorities in life. Right now, I'm considering my plan of taking up Medicine one year after finishing my nursing course. Maybe this is another stupid decision but this is my dream and I will not let this lifetime pass without it turning into reality. I will start to review for NMAT maybe next week once I receive my money. I'm pretty positive about my decision of taking the NMAT this coming April before the start of next school year. Maybe there is still something great waiting for me. I'm quite optimistic about that.I'll wait and see. 'Til next time......