I don't know who on #MedStudentTwitter needs to hear this, but Step 1 is not the High Jump. A high score doesn't win, and a low score doesn't eliminate you from contention; it doesn't determine how good of a doctor you will be, and it certainly doesn't determine your worth.
It's not really a competition at all, but if you need a track and field analogy it's more like that weird water obstacle in the Steeplechase.
You might leap right over it. You might stumble. You might fall face first with an embarrassing splash and get trampled a bit like I did.
You might leap right over it. You might stumble. You might fall face first with an embarrassing splash and get trampled a bit like I did.
But all that matters is that you get over it somehow; and then you can keep running. If you really stumble it might mean you have some catching up to do, but the nice thing about this- compared to the real Steeplechase- is that finishing is the goal, not beating anybody else.
At best, it's a proxy for your medical knowledge; in reality, it's measure of how much you studied for that test, how good you are at test taking, and all sorts of other privileges and advantages that go along with succeeding at standardized testing.
What it can't measure is your clinical reasoning, your empathy, your dedication to your patients, your cultural, professional, and personal humility- all the things that will make you a great doctor.
You have to get past it; there's no way around that, just like in the Steeplechase. So by all means study hard during your dedicated prep time.
But I'm begging you; please don't attach ANY of your self-worth, as a person or as a physician, to that score.
But I'm begging you; please don't attach ANY of your self-worth, as a person or as a physician, to that score.
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