USMLE Meltdown

I took my USMLE Step 1 yesterday which is the licensing exam for medical students. The exam started at 8am and so I woke up at 6 to eat breakfast and get to the testing site early. I printed off the confirmation email and was out the door with my lunch pale at 6:45. I arrived at the site at 7:10 and looked over a few things in the car and headed into the building at 7:30. I waited in the line for about 5 minutes. I finally arrived at the desk and handed the young lady my id. She asked for my testing permit and I handed her the confirmation email. She then informed me this was not the testing permit and without the testing permit I would not be able to take the test. She told me if I could make it home and back by 8:30 they would let me take the test. I left in a frantic and found the nearest FedEx Kinko’s on my GPS and raced there. I ran in got on the computer and found the email with the testing permit. This email had a link in it to sign in on the USMLE website. Well I didn’t have my username and password. I tried to the "forgot username" page but this was no success so I called the USMLE people in the middle of listening to some menus I find my ID number on another email. I copy and paste this in to the box and start trying every password I know. None of these are working. I then realized when I copied and pasted the ID number I copied the space at the end. I then deleted the space tried a password and it worked! I printed shut down the computer ran out of the FedEx Kinko’s and drove as fast as I could back to the testing site. I got there at 8:05 and didn’t get into take the test until 8:30. Luckily another guy in my class was there and had not started the test either so that was relaxing. While waiting in the lobby I went and asked the young lady if I had been rude and yelled at her and she informed me that I had not so I was thankful I didn’t lose my temper with her.

I finally entered the testing site logged on to the test and the first question popped up. I knew the answer! It was Hairy Cell Leukemia and I was on my way. I remember a few questions in between as well, but my last question was a dreaded multimedia question of a heart sound. Luckily I knew that answer which was Coarctaion of the Aorta and I was done. I finished at about 2:00 and was relieved to be on my way home. Now I just have to take the COMLEX on Friday and then it is SUMMER.