How well will a school prepare me for USMLE compared to other schools?

[Gauss44]

How well will a school prepare me for USMLE compared to other schools?

I wish I could find out what percentage of students from each medical scored 230 or better on USMLE.

Is there any similar information available anywhere???

I have looked and looked to no avail. (Passing USMLE isn't very relevant since a barely passing score is so low that it isn't even competitive.)

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[Law2Doc]

How well will a school prepare me for USMLE compared to other schools?

I wish I could find out what percentage of students from each medical scored 230 or better on USMLE.

Is there any similar information available anywhere???

I have looked and looked to no avail. (Passing USMLE isn't very relevant since a barely passing score is so low that it isn't even competitive.)

There won't be much info available because med schools don't publish Step 1 scores -- a tacit agreement meant to allow for educators flexibility to try new teaching approaches (PBL, more clinical experience earlier) without worrying how it will impact their competitiveness based on boards. In truth, few med schools will do much to "prepare you" for the Steps. You end up doing this on your own. All med schools will cover the foundation, and all US allo schools do it reasonably well, but for the most part the learning for these tests comes individually -- based on your own effort and aptitude. You will prepare for Step 1 with First Aid, a qbank, and various board review type books. Everyone does. It's not the med school that impacts this. No school has claim to the best scorers, and you will hear stories every year of the top scorers being at schools you'd never expect. Now some of the lower ranked schools incorporate board review courses into their curriculum, and perhaps that could be useful for some. but I'd say what is most important would be how long a time period you are given to study. People who take it after 10 weeks of dedicated study time are going to be better off than the place that gives you a month, and so on. I'd say that's the only real thing to focus on. No school is going to get you your "230 or better' and odds are that if you are going to be in this range at one school, you'll be there at all schools -- it's really an individual effort.

 

[Gauss44]

There won't be much info available because med schools don't publish Step 1 scores -- a tacit agreement meant to allow for educators flexibility to try new teaching approaches (PBL, more clinical experience earlier) without worrying how it will impact their competitiveness based on boards. In truth, few med schools will do much to "prepare you" for the Steps. You end up doing this on your own. All med schools will cover the foundation, and all US allo schools do it reasonably well, but for the most part the learning for these tests comes individually -- based on your own effort and aptitude. You will prepare for Step 1 with First Aid, a qbank, and various board review type books. Everyone does. It's not the med school that impacts this. No school has claim to the best scorers, and you will hear stories every year of the top scorers being at schools you'd never expect. Now some of the lower ranked schools incorporate board review courses into their curriculum, and perhaps that could be useful for some. but I'd say what is most important would be how long a time period you are given to study. People who take it after 10 weeks of dedicated study time are going to be better off than the place that gives you a month, and so on. I'd say that's the only real thing to focus on. No school is going to get you your "230 or better' and odds are that if you are going to be in this range at one school, you'll be there at all schools -- it's really an individual effort.

So if my main goal in going to medical school is to get into a choice residency, how should I proceed? Harvard, Caribbean, all equally good?

I've done a lot of research and still feel clueless...

 

[QofQuimica]

So if my main goal in going to medical school is to get into a choice residency, how should I proceed? Harvard, Caribbean, all equally good?.

Go to any accredited American medical school (MD or DO), and study your derriere off. That's how you do well on Step 1. The other major things that PDs care about besides Step 1 are your third year clerkship grades and then some other factors like LORs, AOA status and research may also come into play. But the highest yield things for being competitive on residency apps are to do well on Step 1 and on your MS3 clerkships.

Read the current Caribbean thread if you haven't already; it explains why L2D and I are both pretty wary of opting to attend Caribbean schools.

 

[zebalong]

So if my main goal in going to medical school is to get into a choice residency, how should I proceed? Harvard, Caribbean, all equally good?

I've done a lot of research and still feel clueless...

It depends on what your idea of a "choice" residency is. If you mean one of the most competitive residency spots that even good students have trouble landing.. for instance IM at UCSF/MGH blah blah blah. Then going to the most prestigious MD school you can get yourself into will serve you well, but as others have said, that is only part of the pie. People who get accepted into these choice residencies not only go to big name schools but usually have their share of great board scores/clerkship grades/research.

 

[Gfliptastic]

Were you expecting a REAL answer to this question?

I have friends at Ross who got 240's and a guy w/ a 255. The gal I'm dating, her friend took USMLE and didn't pass. Does that mean Ross is better than her med school?

I wish there were a "our med school will get you a 2xx" school, but one's ability to attain a Step 1 score is so individually variable, it would be an exercise in futility to say that.

I, for one, hated pharm. But I am great at patho. My friends did categorically better in pharm than I did on the Step 1, yet I did slightly better because I was better at Patho.

There is NO hand-holding in any med school that I know of. No one at my school told me relish in pharm like it was a best friend of mine, cuz I really HATE pharm. I devoted maybe 20% of my time to it. Patho was my "meal-ticket", I reinforced that, and did what I could in pharm.

My personal decision was to not study pharm. The only cookie-cutter med school's have is to help you pass the Step. They can't guarantee you a score because we are each individuals w/ our own skill sets and talents, and even personal interests. How you do on the Step is entirely up to you, NOT necessarily your med school!

 

[flodhi1]

I have a random questions if anyone could answer it. I've heard from many resources that the Step 1 is an individual effort and I completely agree. The part I don't understand is that everyone says wait till 2nd year to study for the step 1 while they also say that more time will get you a higher score. A friend of mine who is in a residency program said that if every medical student was given "enough" time then almost everyone would be able to do well on step 1. Wouldn't it be smart for first year medical students to read specific first aid sections and answer specific usmle q bank questions for courses they are finishing up? Thus being completely used to and comfortable with usmle style questions and when the time comes to crank up the studying in 2nd year they already have a lot of things down cold.

 

[zebalong]

I have a random questions if anyone could answer it. I've heard from many resources that the Step 1 is an individual effort and I completely agree. The part I don't understand is that everyone says wait till 2nd year to study for the step 1 while they also say that more time will get you a higher score. A friend of mine who is in a residency program said that if every medical student was given "enough" time then almost everyone would be able to do well on step 1. Wouldn't it be smart for first year medical students to read specific first aid sections and answer specific usmle q bank questions for courses they are finishing up? Thus being completely used to and comfortable with usmle style questions and when the time comes to crank up the studying in 2nd year they already have a lot of things down cold.

If you have time to do it, it isn't a horrible idea in order to supplement the material you cover in class... but it shouldn't sacrifice learning the material presented in class unless you know for a fact that your school woefully does a horrible job in preparing you for a certain subject. But be aware that by the time step 1 comes around.. all that biochem and anatomy that you did have down cold, will be fuzzy again and you'll need to redo a lot of it - suffice to say you might be a little quicker at it vs. the person who never did questions first year.

The thing is that many people don't have time to learn things well and do a ton of questions, i saw problems with this even in some of my classmates 2nd year. Add to the fact that there is a theoretical limit to what you can score based on your own test taking abilities, most people can hit their potential in the study time given to them during 2nd year if they prepare well throughout the year.

My own example is that i started studying real early, the summer after first year and continued throughout 2nd year. I had already hit my potential before my dedicated study period started - all my NBME practice tests were within a 4 point range and i only scored 1 point higher on the real deal then i did on my first practice exam right at the beginning of my study period. Suffice to say if i started studying even earlier, like in first year, i still would have hit my max and not much would have changed. Step 1 does correlate with effort but in my experience once you hit your own ceiling - you've hit it.

I'm very happy with my score, all specialty options are wide open, so don't think that just because i scored one point higher that it was a bad thing, i just wanted to say that i capped out really early probably because i started really early - and I would argue that starting even earlier doesn't necessary produce more results.

 

[Law2Doc]

So if my main goal in going to medical school is to get into a choice residency, how should I proceed? Harvard, Caribbean, all equally good?

I've done a lot of research and still feel clueless...

Um no, don't be silly. You didn't ask a question about Caribbean schools and there was no reason to assume that was even in the differential from your initial question. A top score from the Caribbean is barely equivalent to a borderline pass from a US allo school. It won't drive the residency decisions because nobody will get past the IMG label to even see your score. You cannot compare apples and oranges. Your goal to get a "choice residency" should be to get into US allo if you can, DO if you can't. Offshore is the last ditch effort if you cant get into a US school, after multiple attempts. Once you get past this threshold, then I think you need to select the program based on something other than USMLE.

But no, Harvard and Caribbean aren't equally good. Caribbean more or less negates your shot at a "choice" residency, makes you a beggar who cannot be a chooser.

I actually answered your question above -- no US schools are known to better prepare you for the USMLE than others. How you score is going to depend on you, and probably will happen regardless of where you are attending school. So select a school for other reasons.

 

[flodhi1]

If you have time to do it, it isn't a horrible idea in order to supplement the material you cover in class... but it shouldn't sacrifice learning the material presented in class unless you know for a fact that your school woefully does a horrible job in preparing you for a certain subject. But be aware that by the time step 1 comes around.. all that biochem and anatomy that you did have down cold, will be fuzzy again and you'll need to redo a lot of it - suffice to say you might be a little quicker at it vs. the person who never did questions first year.

The thing is that many people don't have time to learn things well and do a ton of questions, i saw problems with this even in some of my classmates 2nd year. Add to the fact that there is a theoretical limit to what you can score based on your own test taking abilities, most people can hit their potential in the study time given to them during 2nd year if they prepare well throughout the year.

My own example is that i started studying real early, the summer after first year and continued throughout 2nd year. I had already hit my potential before my dedicated study period started - all my NBME practice tests were within a 4 point range and i only scored 1 point higher on the real deal then i did on my first practice exam right at the beginning of my study period. Suffice to say if i started studying even earlier, like in first year, i still would have hit my max and not much would have changed. Step 1 does correlate with effort but in my experience once you hit your own ceiling - you've hit it.

I'm very happy with my score, all specialty options are wide open, so don't think that just because i scored one point higher that it was a bad thing, i just wanted to say that i capped out really early probably because i started really early - and I would argue that starting even earlier doesn't necessary produce more results.

I understand what you mean and it makes sense but it's a little discouraging to know that there's a "limit". When I was young, I always thought, in life no matter what obstacles you face if you put in your all nothing can stop you but that's definitely not realistic. I remember when I first joined the Marine Corp I ran 1 mile in 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Almost 3 months later I was running 3 miles in 16 minutes and 45 seconds but no matter how hard I tried it never got better it actually deteriorated with time. I've always tried to figure out a way to beat that "cap" be it academically or physically and I thought maybe preparing early would but I guess I'm wrong? Thanks for your response.

 

[Gfliptastic]

I think if I vibe w/ what zeb said, and having taken the Step 1 myself, you really need to ask yourself how awesome is your memory. You get about 2 months over the summer to study for the Step. And let me tell you, the stuff you study week 2 is NOT as "fresh" as the stuff you study week 7. Granted, you can jog your memory w/ far less effort in subsequent efforts, but there really is something to saying that the most brains do have a finite "RAM".

I had zeb's attitude. I studied for the Step from day 1. Telling myself I wasn't learning things to pass an exam, I was learning things for the Step. When we finished anatomy I went and got some NBME/USMLE anatomy questions. And did great.

However, once med school pours it on, you DON'T have time to go back and remember everything in anatomy and genetics, on top of trying to keep up w/ the sheer flood of information from pharm or patho. There is NO point in sacrificing your immediate study tasks, at risk of doing poorly in your coursework.

That said, it is to your benefit to learn the stuff you have in front of you really well, cuz reacquainting yourself w/ it during Step prep is easier than had you tried to do the minimum to pass your exams, and studied for Step concurrently.

I mean, if you find yourself w/ free time in Basic Sciences, it won't hurt you to try to start your UWorld or Qbanking. But the moment you find yourself not fully understanding a concept in your concurrent classes, you DROP what you are doing Step wise, and address the problem stat!

 

[flodhi1]

I think if I vibe w/ what zeb said, and having taken the Step 1 myself, you really need to ask yourself how awesome is your memory. You get about 2 months over the summer to study for the Step. And let me tell you, the stuff you study week 2 is NOT as "fresh" as the stuff you study week 7. Granted, you can jog your memory w/ far less effort in subsequent efforts, but there really is something to saying that the most brains do have a finite "RAM".

I had zeb's attitude. I studied for the Step from day 1. Telling myself I wasn't learning things to pass an exam, I was learning things for the Step. When we finished anatomy I went and got some NBME/USMLE anatomy questions. And did great.

However, once med school pours it on, you DON'T have time to go back and remember everything in anatomy and genetics, on top of trying to keep up w/ the sheer flood of information from pharm or patho. There is NO point in sacrificing your immediate study tasks, at risk of doing poorly in your coursework.

That said, it is to your benefit to learn the stuff you have in front of you really well, cuz reacquainting yourself w/ it during Step prep is easier than had you tried to do the minimum to pass your exams, and studied for Step concurrently.

I mean, if you find yourself w/ free time in Basic Sciences, it won't hurt you to try to start your UWorld or Qbanking. But the moment you find yourself not fully understanding a concept in your concurrent classes, you DROP what you are doing Step wise, and address the problem stat!

Sounds great. I was only going to plan on putting 1-2 hours / week for step 1 nothing more than that and devoting 98 % of my time towards my course work. I must admit though my memory is not the greatest. Even though I'm doing very well in my coursework, I've already forgotten the details especially from Biochemistry even though I took it no more than a month and half ago.

 

[deleted390966]

Does anyone in med school feel that your school does NOT prepare you well for the USMLE and that you have to study a lot on your own to "fill the knowledge holes"?

 

[shouldigomd]

It's the same idea as undergrad. Do you think the biology course at Harvard is any more special than the one at FSU? It is all very standardized and what you learn is pretty much the same. Thus Harvard kid doesn't have any MCAT advantage over FSU kid. It comes down to individual effort as most people here have mentioned.

What is notable however is that not all schools give you the same time to study. That now is probably directly correlated with step performance. I had 3 months to study and I don't think I would have been able to do nearly as well in 4-5 weeks like some schools give.

 

[deleted390966]

What school gives you 3 months to study?

 

[Law2Doc]

Does anyone in med school feel that your school does NOT prepare you well for the USMLE and that you have to study a lot on your own to "fill the knowledge holes"?

Not sure why you bumped a 3 year old thread to ask this, but if you read above you'll see statements to the effect that all US allo schools give you the foundation you need but all require that you "study a lot to fill in the knowledge holes." there are no short cuts. Most of us didn't pass USMLE primarilly based on med school knowledge so much as based on the preparation we did using First Aid and other books and qbanks thereafter. Med school is important because you don't want to be hearing most of this info for the first time when you are studying, but frankly all US allo schools get you to a pretty reasonable starting point, and most of this battle is going to be won by the amount of time and effort you put in, not where you attended. So pick the school on other criteria.