Its not in FA, but it is elsewhere...should I bother??

[Nooblet]

So I have come across numerous facts that I never even heard of in classes, is not mentioned in the first aid, didnt see a single question on it in U-world, but is found in other reputable review books like BRS path. Should these be ignored? In terms of what I am aiming for as a score, I don't want to have a complete blank on any questions...at least be able to make an educated guess. For example, tumors of the teeth? Cmon now...

If anyone who has taken the exam could comment it would be much appreciated!

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[IMGUSMLEStep1]

Well, I don't think there is a yes or no answer to your question. It depends on what you want.

Anything basic sciences related is fair game for step 1, and people who take the test usually mention that there was an occasional question about a low yield topic that wasn't covered in first aid. If you want to get every single question right on your test, then you probably need to learn all the facts in your review books (besides first aid).

Now to be realistic, going through ALL of your basic sciences again would take several months. For the USMLE, the majority of questions cover high yield topics, thus these should be your focus. Whether or not you should study the low yield topics is up to you, your target score, and the time you have to prepare. If you don't want to miss a single question and have the time to study everything, then that may be the path for you to take. If you're okay with missing the occasional low yield question and still get a good score, then I'd say skip these low yield topics.

 

[vicinihil]

I didn't use BRS Path but chose Goljan Path instead. >90% of the stuff that shows up on the boards will be in FA AND Goljan but certainly you may get a few curve balls here and there. If the fact is not too complicated to remember, I recommend making a few flashcards and quickly go through it the day or two before the exam just in case they show up. Don't put too much effort into it because the yield is relatively low.

 

[mikkey]

I haven't taken my exam yet, but I've been told by several people who scored 240+ that they didn't bother memorizing anything that wasn't in first aid. They didn't annotate either. They did however read RR Path, MMRS and BRS Physio to make sure they remembered the concepts.
A caveat: these students were at the top of their class, so that has got to count for something...
I hope this helps!

 

[Nooblet]

thanks for everyones input...i've decided to focus more on the points BRS path has with the key picture next to them.