Slide 1

LMCC STRATEGY SESSION
MJ ABUNASSAR
PGY1 - MEDICINE
Acknowledgment:
All those who have taken the exam before us and passed
along this information….


Slide 2

CONGRATS!
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YOU HAVE FINALLY MADE IT TO
BACK TO BASICS…

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CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

There will be plenty of time to celebrate –
but first…
A ‘little’ quiz.


Slide 3

LMCC step 1
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MCQ SECTION

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CDMQ SECTION

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The Bad NEWS – it’s a long day

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THE GOOD NEWS – you’ve been
preparing for it for years…
THANKS UOTTAWA!!!


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RESOURCES

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TORONTO NOTES
MOST people study from them, most of the
objectives from the MCC website are
covered.

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Where else?
Case Files –great for CDMQ preparation,
and for reviewing Internal Medicine and
Surgery (REMEMBER – time is of the
essence – Internal Med is about 600 pages of
TO notes, Surgery is another 350 or so…)


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Where else?
LMCC Prep books
USMLE STEP 2 MATERIALS – including
USMLE WORLD question bank (Great
resource)
Canada Q Bank
LMCC exams.com etc…
OLD EXAMS – from the library – you will
be surprised how many key concepts are
asked every year.


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Back to Basics Lectures
I attended most of them – I thought they
were a nice change from studying alone/in
groups.
 There are some sessions I STRONGLY
recommend:
 All POP HEALTH/ETHICS sessions
 OBS GYNE SESSIONS
 GENERAL PEDS sessions
 For the rest – review lecture slides that will
be presented – if you think you will benefit –
COME IN!



Slide 7

THE STRATEGY
The exam:
 Remember it’s divided into sections –
 MEDICINE (TO NOTES 600 pages +)
 OBS GYNE (TO NOTES 100 pages)
 SURGERY (TO NOTES 350 pages +)
 PSYCH (TO NOTES 60 pages)
 POP HEALTH/ETHICS (TO notes 45
pages)
 PEDS (100 pages)



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My recommendation:
Focus on OBS GYNE, POP
HEALTH/ETHICS, PEDS and PSYCH in
TORONTO notes (300 pages) – learn
those 300 pages as well as you can – then
review surgery and internal starting
broadly and moving inward as time
allows…


Slide 9

What some people did to study for
Surgery and Internal
Attend B2B lectures/review the lecture
slides
 Read the case files books
 Do practice questions on both
 Look up specific questions/sections in TO
Notes, text books etc…
 The highest yield TO NOTES surgery
section is GEN SURG (I THINK)
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Schedule I used – 12 days before my
LMCC (I wrote may 7/2012)
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DAY 1 – OBS (AM), GYNE (PM), Evening – review
questions/old exams with friends – RELAX
DAY 2 – PSYCH (AM), POP HEALTH (PM), Evening –
gym, review questions/Q-banks – RELAX
DAY 3 – PEDS – 1st ½ TO notes AM, 2nd ½ PM,
Evening – go over Q’s with study group or alone,
relax/gym
DAY 4- Internal Med – Case files review of
cases/MCQ questions, reviewed B2B lecture slides –
Had studied this +++ in CARMS, went out
DAY 5- Surgery (AM review Gen Sx TO notes) PM
Case files, Old questions/Q BANK, RELAX
REPEATED THESE 5 days…


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2 Days before my LMCC – Had a list of
topics I wanted to spend more time on –
focused attention there – it was mostly obs
gyne, formulas, peds.
Did MORE practice questions +++, Q bank,
old exams, timed myself on questions – ie 1
minute per question +/MCC Online EXAMS – bought them – DID
them under timed setting – alone at home
1/week x 3 weeks $ 180… can be pricey


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DAY OF THE EXAM


YOUR OBJECTIVES

1)MAKE IT THROUGH… ALIVE!
Don’t panic, keep a level head, don’t think “how am I
doing?”
2)Answer every question- do your best to complete it
– get every EASY question RIGHT! A hard question
is HARD after 5 minutes!

I finished with about 3 minutes to spare for MCQ
Most people finished with plenty of time for CDMQ
though.


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MORE?
Sleep well before the exam
 Bring LUNCH
 Quit studying early the night before – call
a friend/ watch Vampire Diaries??
whatever
 Show up to the exam with a smile
knowing you are prepared and that you
no longer have to be cooped up studying
as of 5pm that day!
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Slide 14

THANKS!


I wish you all successful and prosperous
careers!



Hope to see you on MEDICINE 