A lot of people have been asking me about my board exam experience because they noticed that I seem nonchalant about the whole process. Hear me now: it was like dying a slow and painful death but I opted to just laugh it out, like I usually do. But then again, only a few would understand the feeling so let me just recount it by dividing it into three phases: Review phase, Exam Phase, and the Post-Exam Phase.
This is the story of my life. Hahaha. I now bring you, KC Cervales' Physician Licensure Exam Stages of Feels.
The longest phase because this is the entirety of the three month review.
Stage 1: Happy-Go-Lucky Stage
I. Review Phase
The longest phase because this is the entirety of the three month review.
Stage 1: Happy-Go-Lucky Stage
You just got done with your internship. Yay freedom!
But you signed up for a review program that starts three days after the last day of your internship. At this stage you would still think "Sus, orientation pa lang naman yan. May three months pa naman! Maaga pa masyado para magpaka-toxic". So you book a flight to some exotic beach and bask in the heat of the sun. Awww yeah! And the minute you come back, you would still not pick up your book because you have a major vacation hangover.
But if you do pick up your book, you'd be doing a half-assed reading because "maaga pa naman".
Stage 2: The Hype
This stage can overlap with the first stage. You'd be getting these pep talks from friends and lecturers regarding their board exam experience. Along the way, they will inspire, motivate and empower you up to the point wherein you just want to pump your fist in the air and shout "LET'S DOOO DEEEEEZZZZ!". Then you go home, study and become productive. If you finish on time, you reward yourself by allotting some time for relaxation. And since you are so psyched to study, do not also forget to take care of yourself at this point in time. Mahirap magkasakit kapag nag-aaral. Believe me, I've been there.
Stage 3: Lag Phase
Despite being productive, you notice that you still keep on having backlog reading and it seems to be increasing exponentially. But there is no need to panic, the motivation from stage 2 and caffeine will always save the day. You know you can still stick to your schedule.
This is the part wherein I turned Gloria Jean's in Pan Pacific into my own personal study hall. Time is of the essence for a caffeine powered and extremely motivated examinee.
Stage 4: Agitation
I think at this stage, no explanations are necessary. Just imagine the bulk of what you have to read: 3 years worth of med school subjects. Despite being consolidated, it's still too much that it drags you behind your timeframe...and it kills you. You would notice that you'd be saying more of these:
"Shit lang! Bakit ang dami pa rin ng backlog ko?!"
"Ano ba yan, dapat second reading na ako by this time eh!"
But if you do pick up your book, you'd be doing a half-assed reading because "maaga pa naman".
Stage 2: The Hype
This stage can overlap with the first stage. You'd be getting these pep talks from friends and lecturers regarding their board exam experience. Along the way, they will inspire, motivate and empower you up to the point wherein you just want to pump your fist in the air and shout "LET'S DOOO DEEEEEZZZZ!". Then you go home, study and become productive. If you finish on time, you reward yourself by allotting some time for relaxation. And since you are so psyched to study, do not also forget to take care of yourself at this point in time. Mahirap magkasakit kapag nag-aaral. Believe me, I've been there.
Stage 3: Lag Phase
Despite being productive, you notice that you still keep on having backlog reading and it seems to be increasing exponentially. But there is no need to panic, the motivation from stage 2 and caffeine will always save the day. You know you can still stick to your schedule.
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| Coffee and Trans |
This is the part wherein I turned Gloria Jean's in Pan Pacific into my own personal study hall. Time is of the essence for a caffeine powered and extremely motivated examinee.
Stage 4: Agitation
I think at this stage, no explanations are necessary. Just imagine the bulk of what you have to read: 3 years worth of med school subjects. Despite being consolidated, it's still too much that it drags you behind your timeframe...and it kills you. You would notice that you'd be saying more of these:
"Shit lang! Bakit ang dami pa rin ng backlog ko?!"
"Ano ba yan, dapat second reading na ako by this time eh!"
Stage 5: Panic Rising
The exam draws near and you feel nowhere near ready despite having read everything more than twice. At this point, you might have answered a lot of mock exams already and you are freaking out because you don't seem get more than 50% of the items correctly. My advice is just to keep on reading.
Persistent thought: "What the hell is happening? Brain don't fail me now. Aaargh!"
Stage 6: Doomsday Thoughts and Decreased Self-Esteem
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| You can act hysterical...but never give up :) |
Persistent thought: "What the hell is happening? Brain don't fail me now. Aaargh!"
Stage 6: Doomsday Thoughts and Decreased Self-Esteem
This is the part wherein you feel hopeless and on the verge of giving up because you seem to have no grasp of the topics but the weird thing is that you still keep on going. You also blame yourself for all the slacking during the early phases of the review. The funny part about this you think of crazy fallback plans if ever you don't pass. You think of taking the board exam on February or some scenarios such as getting married and having 6 kids or auditioning for that coveted token fat friend role in the movies. But then you shake it off and go to that trusty coffee shop and stay there until the wee hours. Self-deprecating thoughts may come in between your study breaks. Some of the thoughts I had at this stage:
"Babagsak yata ako. Huhuhuhu."
"Ganun ba akong kabobo?" *sob*
"Wala nang pumapasok sa utak ko. Pagod na pagod na ako. Punyeta talaga!"
If you're having these thoughts, it's better to surround yourself with people who matter to you. They can help lift your spirits up.
Stage 7: Rebuilding
This came in during the day before the board exam. Since I was firm on taking the August boards, I had to salvage what was left of my self-esteem so that I have the guts to show up at MLQU the next morning. I thought that I have come this far to even quit and if I do, what I did during the entire three months would go to waste. At this point, you just want to get this over with. At lahat ng board exam pamahiin, papatulan mo na.
For the entire four days, this is the cycle of feels.
Stage 1: Tangle of Nerves
Since this is the big day, you could not help feeling nervous. I assure you that it's normal. Those who aren't nervous aren't human. But I'm kidding on that part because all of us were nervous and anxious up to the point that it was so intense, I could feel it so thick up in the air, I could slice it with a butter knife. The best way to calm down is to just go to your room, relax and drink it all in. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the proctor.
Stage 2: Dafuq Stage
I got so much feedback from my friends that no one is ever sure of what will come out in the board exam. And it's true! As soon as I got the test paper for every exam:
On the other hand, it feels good whenever you were able to answer something that you are sure of. What's funny is that sometimes, the voices of your med school professors reverberate in your ears, as if as they are whispering the answers to you. Let me also tell you that the board exam isn't perfect, you would sometimes find oddly placed questions. An example of it is a Legal Medicine question on the Pathology exam. It was a funny but a total kamot-ulo moment for me.
I also consider the August 2014 Physician Licensure Exams as a "Surprise, Madafaka!!!" exam because I noticed that there are some fields that the examiners focused on. Being the diligent examinee, you wouldn't focus on a single organ system because your impulse would be to study everything. Not only that, there are some questions that were not covered during med school and in the review. Sagutan mo na lang kasi wala ka nang magagawa dahil nandyan na yan.
Stage 3: Resignation
After answering the exam, you'll feel so drained and your self esteem once again took so much beating that you'll be resigned to the fact that you will fail. Dudes, take the chill pill after every exam because it helps if the mind is relaxed. In my case, nagkakalat talaga ako kapag mataas ang stress levels ko so what I did was listened to music while eating and reading. It helped me focus more on the next exam. Don't have lengthy discussions with your friends about the previous exam and just study for the next subject.
Stage 1: Depression
Since you have resigned yourself into thinking that you will fail, the added weight of fatigue will make you want to cry your eyes out until you are dehydrated.
Talk to your family or friends so you can get it off your chest. It pays to have someone who understands the feeling. Or you can go out and relax because you deserve it. Choose whatever works for you.
Stage 2: Anxiety
We were promised that the board exam results would be out after three days. Just imagine our frustration when the result wasn't released on the third day.
"Babagsak yata ako. Huhuhuhu."
"Ganun ba akong kabobo?" *sob*
"Wala nang pumapasok sa utak ko. Pagod na pagod na ako. Punyeta talaga!"
If you're having these thoughts, it's better to surround yourself with people who matter to you. They can help lift your spirits up.
Stage 7: Rebuilding
This came in during the day before the board exam. Since I was firm on taking the August boards, I had to salvage what was left of my self-esteem so that I have the guts to show up at MLQU the next morning. I thought that I have come this far to even quit and if I do, what I did during the entire three months would go to waste. At this point, you just want to get this over with. At lahat ng board exam pamahiin, papatulan mo na.
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| The legendary Red Ribbon Chicken Empanada Kailangan mong kumain nito para maging "chicken" ang exam. |
II. Exam Phase
For the entire four days, this is the cycle of feels.
Stage 1: Tangle of Nerves
Since this is the big day, you could not help feeling nervous. I assure you that it's normal. Those who aren't nervous aren't human. But I'm kidding on that part because all of us were nervous and anxious up to the point that it was so intense, I could feel it so thick up in the air, I could slice it with a butter knife. The best way to calm down is to just go to your room, relax and drink it all in. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the proctor.
Stage 2: Dafuq Stage
I got so much feedback from my friends that no one is ever sure of what will come out in the board exam. And it's true! As soon as I got the test paper for every exam:
 |
| True story, bro! |
On the other hand, it feels good whenever you were able to answer something that you are sure of. What's funny is that sometimes, the voices of your med school professors reverberate in your ears, as if as they are whispering the answers to you. Let me also tell you that the board exam isn't perfect, you would sometimes find oddly placed questions. An example of it is a Legal Medicine question on the Pathology exam. It was a funny but a total kamot-ulo moment for me.
I also consider the August 2014 Physician Licensure Exams as a "Surprise, Madafaka!!!" exam because I noticed that there are some fields that the examiners focused on. Being the diligent examinee, you wouldn't focus on a single organ system because your impulse would be to study everything. Not only that, there are some questions that were not covered during med school and in the review. Sagutan mo na lang kasi wala ka nang magagawa dahil nandyan na yan.
Stage 3: Resignation
After answering the exam, you'll feel so drained and your self esteem once again took so much beating that you'll be resigned to the fact that you will fail. Dudes, take the chill pill after every exam because it helps if the mind is relaxed. In my case, nagkakalat talaga ako kapag mataas ang stress levels ko so what I did was listened to music while eating and reading. It helped me focus more on the next exam. Don't have lengthy discussions with your friends about the previous exam and just study for the next subject.
III. Post-Exam
Stage 1: Depression
Since you have resigned yourself into thinking that you will fail, the added weight of fatigue will make you want to cry your eyes out until you are dehydrated.
Talk to your family or friends so you can get it off your chest. It pays to have someone who understands the feeling. Or you can go out and relax because you deserve it. Choose whatever works for you.
Stage 2: Anxiety
We were promised that the board exam results would be out after three days. Just imagine our frustration when the result wasn't released on the third day.
I had friends and classmates who called PRC and they were informed that the result would be released in the morning of the next day. As early as 5am, there were people checking out the PRC website but there was nothing so they speculated that 5pm would be the time of the release. The clock struck at 5pm and still there were no results. Having doomsday thoughts and lodging a residency application with the board exam results to follow, my anxiety levels skyrocketed.
Until I got a message from Viber at around 9PM: "MAY RESULTS NA", which brings us to the last stage.
Stage 3: Result Fueled Feels
After getting the message, I immediately went to the PRC website to check the results. My hands were shaking as I was typing. Hahaha. And then I saw this:
That's the time I sighed out of relief, cried and wailed like a banshee. The word "happy" isn't enough to describe how I felt. And the best part is that my friends passed too. Whoopee!
Well that's just me. I'm sure there are other "Physician Licensure Exam Stages of Feels" per examinee. Maybe they can give you a non-neurotic version. Hahaha. Care to share yours?
Stage 3: Result Fueled Feels
After getting the message, I immediately went to the PRC website to check the results. My hands were shaking as I was typing. Hahaha. And then I saw this:
That's the time I sighed out of relief, cried and wailed like a banshee. The word "happy" isn't enough to describe how I felt. And the best part is that my friends passed too. Whoopee!
Well that's just me. I'm sure there are other "Physician Licensure Exam Stages of Feels" per examinee. Maybe they can give you a non-neurotic version. Hahaha. Care to share yours?
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