As you enjoy the remaining days of your vacation after the rigorous USMLE review and anticipating the much-awaited USMLE scores, reduce your anxiety by focusing on any activity that could help you develop your personality. Why?

After you have answered all the questions on your USMLE step one to the best of your knowledge and skills, as aided by your dedication and hard work during your USMLE review, it's time to relax a bit and enjoy the remaining time given to you in relaxation while unconsciously developing your personality. This is because, after step one USMLE, you will simultaneously prepare your papers for your medical residency application, of which may or may not require a personal interview with the residency training director. In addition, your Step 2 CS will require well-developed interpersonal skills to get through it successfully.

Healthy and interpersonal relationships are good for personality development. The following are some of the ways you can do to consolidate your relationships with people:

• Learn to Like People. No one can expect people to respond to you favorably unless you show an interest in them. Furthermore, a little or nothing is gained by a pretended interest because as a rule even a child can tell when a person dislikes him. Any individual shows his regard or dislike for people by a variety of little mannerisms that are easily detected by those concerned.

• Learn to Understand People. Every individual, old or young, has his cherished hopes, hobbies, interests, and forms of recreation. Usually he also manifests certain fears and aversions. You will find that certain people whom you thought uninteresting have many commendable points.

• Learn to be Considerate of People. Practically everyone reacts favorably to thoughtful people. Thoughtful persons give their time and effort and help others with their problems.

• Learn to be Socially Skillful with People. The socially skillful person avoids arguments and seldom "says what he thinks." He also avoids crude frankness in favor of intelligently worded commendations to people who deserve recognition. It is judicious to get acquaintances knowing that one respect their judgment and believes in their ability. It is also a social skill to be as tactful as possible when criticizing people. It is much easier on a person's ego to be told that his argument is "good as far as it went" or that the remarks made will be recognized as being in a humorous vein.

Such mutuality of behavior is closely associated with the concept of desirable personality. The well-adjusted person, as a rule, manifests the social or interpersonal skills and other constructive forms of behavior that is essential to establish rapport for a satisfactory step 2 CS score.