Postponing Step 1 to 3rd year

[Darkskies]

Hi everyone,

I have about 8 weeks left until my step 1 exam except we also have many course exams that are coming up and will detract from my boards studying. Effectively, it cuts down my boards studying time to 6 weeks or possibly even less. I am at a DO school currently signed up for both the step 1 and the Comlex exam. I feel very behind at this point and my school's curriculum has not helped. I wish I could have done things differently starting at the beginning of 2nd year. I know I can do well on the boards as I did very well on the MCAT exam. I think taking only the Comlex exam would be as if I were copping out yet I'm not confident at this point that I can score as well as I would like on the USMLE step 1. So, I'm wondering if anyone has taken the USMLE step 1 in 3rd or 4th year? How feasible is this? I would really appreciate some advice as I am stressed out with the position I am in currently. Thanks!!!

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[reverieinvictus]

Hi everyone,

I have about 8 weeks left until my step 1 exam except we also have many course exams that are coming up and will detract from my boards studying. Effectively, it cuts down my boards studying time to 6 weeks or possibly even less. I am at a DO school currently signed up for both the step 1 and the Comlex exam. I feel very behind at this point and my school's curriculum has not helped. I wish I could have done things differently starting at the beginning of 2nd year. I know I can do well on the boards as I did very well on the MCAT exam. I think taking only the Comlex exam would be as if I were copping out yet I'm not confident at this point that I can score as well as I would like on the USMLE step 1. So, I'm wondering if anyone has taken the USMLE step 1 in 3rd or 4th year? How feasible is this? I would really appreciate some advice as I am stressed out with the position I am in currently. Thanks!!!

Yup, I'm in this same position except I have <5 weeks left for USMLE and COMLEX. I was considering pushing USMLE back to end of 3rd year and just doing the COMLEX right now. School gives us limited time for board study.

 

[Petypet]

Some of my peers seem to be considering this as well, however they are thinking more along the lines of December. Our curriculum has the potential to be easy for the first few months of 3rd year so that may work. The advice that we got from a few 3rd/4th years was that if you aren't ready to take it now, you probably won't be any more ready in a year with the potential to have a miserable 3rd year schedule.

6-7 weeks is plenty for the average american medical student, and from my reading it should include approximately 10-14 hour days for those 6 weeks. In my 6 weeks I plan 2.5 passes of FA, 1 more pass of uworld, 1 pass of pathoma, 1 pass of rapid review, and my annotations from uworld. You can get a lot done in 6 weeks if you actually plan out what you need to accomplish daily/hourly.

 

[Darkskies]

Some of my peers seem to be considering this as well, however they are thinking more along the lines of December. Our curriculum has the potential to be easy for the first few months of 3rd year so that may work. The advice that we got from a few 3rd/4th years was that if you aren't ready to take it now, you probably won't be any more ready in a year with the potential to have a miserable 3rd year schedule.

6-7 weeks is plenty for the average american medical student, and from my reading it should include approximately 10-14 hour days for those 6 weeks. In my 6 weeks I plan 2.5 passes of FA, 1 more pass of uworld, 1 pass of pathoma, 1 pass of rapid review, and my annotations from uworld. You can get a lot done in 6 weeks if you actually plan out what you need to accomplish daily/hourly.

Thanks for the replies, guys! So far, I still have 1800 questions left on UWorld. My studying goes very slow since it usually takes me 2 and sometimes even three days to get through a First Aid Chapter. The other issue is remembering information learned in past chapters. How do you review information from the other chapters as well as doing questions and studying a new chapter on top of everything else?

Does anyone ever take Step 1 at the end of third year or beginning of 4th year? I guess 4th year might be too late since you have to start scheduling interviews by then right?

 

[CherryRedDracul]

Thanks for the replies, guys! So far, I still have 1800 questions left on UWorld. My studying goes very slow since it usually takes me 2 and sometimes even three days to get through a First Aid Chapter. The other issue is remembering information learned in past chapters. How do you review information from the other chapters as well as doing questions and studying a new chapter on top of everything else?

Does anyone ever take Step 1 at the end of third year or beginning of 4th year? I guess 4th year might be too late since you have to start scheduling interviews by then right?

I focus on learning concepts on the first pass and I turn the nitty-gritty details into flashcards that I can review every day. My subsequent passes are where I really start to focus on putting everything together given that I now have some sort of an overall picture from my first pass. All in all, Step 1 still is just like one large cram-a-thon that takes weeks to months to do. It helps if you did well in your preclinical classes because the concepts come back to you fast. However, it does seem like there can be an advantage taking Step 1 after mandatory clerkships because when you have patient contact, their illnesses and diseases are a lot more memorable.

As far as I know, UPenn med students take their Step 1 after clerkships.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

For those of you considering postponing...what would you have done differently during the year or before to make sure you would be ready to take both during the summer? Started qbanks earlier? Covered FA?

 

[bulldogmed]

Hi everyone,

I have about 8 weeks left until my step 1 exam except we also have many course exams that are coming up and will detract from my boards studying. Effectively, it cuts down my boards studying time to 6 weeks or possibly even less. I am at a DO school currently signed up for both the step 1 and the Comlex exam. I feel very behind at this point and my school's curriculum has not helped. I wish I could have done things differently starting at the beginning of 2nd year. I know I can do well on the boards as I did very well on the MCAT exam. I think taking only the Comlex exam would be as if I were copping out yet I'm not confident at this point that I can score as well as I would like on the USMLE step 1. So, I'm wondering if anyone has taken the USMLE step 1 in 3rd or 4th year? How feasible is this? I would really appreciate some advice as I am stressed out with the position I am in currently. Thanks!!!

5 weeks is more than enough time to study for the boards. The majority of med students do it this way. Don't postpone Step 1 for a year. You're liable to forget a lot of basic science details in your clerkships.

 

[StIGMA]

A (very) few medical schools now have students take step 1 after 3rd year (Columbia, UPenn, others?) and report slightly higher average scores. It would not be advisable to take it in the middle of third year during clerkships.

 

[Darkskies]

Hi guys,

I'm getting really dejected at this point. I have a little less than 7 weeks before my scheduled step 1 exam. I've only gone through Microbiology, Hem/Onc, GI, Cardiology, Psychiatry, and the Endocrine chapters on First Aid and Pathoma. Even though I went through them thoroughly, I feel like I'm forgetting a lot of the details especially since I haven't reviewed a few of these subjects for a couple of weeks now. I feel like my knowledge for pharmacology is very weak as well. I wish I'd just been doing kaplan videos and firecracker since the past summer or at least the beginning of 2nd year instead of paying so much attention to classes. I feel very underprepared. Is there any hope for me for doing well on the Step 1? I'm fine with even just getting a 200-210 grade. When I do random questions on UWorld I get anywhere from 40-57% right. I still have a ton of the UWorld questions left to complete in time(probably like 70-80%).

I'm generally a good standardized test taker and had very high SAT scores as well as a 32 MCAT score(with a 13 on the bio). I've never felt this unprepared for a standardized exam. I think I should be able to do fine on the COMLEX since it's an easier test but I'm not sure about the USMLE. Would it really be a bad idea to postpone it to the end of 3rd year? I like to learn things thoroughly and with a good understanding which is why it takes me longer to go through chapters on FA/Pathoma but I realize now that there's no time for steady, comprehensive/painstaking study. My learning style would be better accommodated if I were doing solid board studying since the beginning of 2nd year or even doing Firecracker in the summer between 1st and 2nd year. My school curriculum did not teach to the boards at all!

I think my biggest issue is that I need a disciplined schedule or a 'tried and true' method for tackling the boards. This was present for the MCAT as well as the SATs but for the boards there are so many different resources and opinions. Would DIT be able to give me grounding/solid schedule so that by the end of it I should be good enough to get a passing score on the USMLE(a 230 would be my dream score at this point but even a 200 is enough)? Should I just postpone it to the end of 3rd year knowing now that I should be doing comprehensive board studying throughout that year(like I should have been doing this year)??? Please reply as I'm very frustrated and discouraged right now. Thanks!

 

[Darkskies]

If you need a disciplined schedule, do DIT. It's expensive but it gets the job done.
I'm confused about why you say "200 is enough" on USMLE. I'm a DO student too, and I have been under the impression that we shouldn't take USMLE unless we are confident that we will do well on it. I think that having a score of 200 would be worse than not taking it at all...

Thanks for the reply! Does anyone think it's worth it to buy the new DIT course for 800 dollars or will an older version of just the videos(obtained from a classmate) suffice? Do you still get the advantage of having a schedule made and prepared for you by having only the videos(from an older version)? How come everyone on SDN blasts DIT? I'm definitely someone who feels overwhelmed and rather behind and would greatly benefit from having a fixed schedule that pretty much guarantees me a good score if I stick to it. I was under the impression that any Step 1 score as long as it's not failing is better than a slightly above average COMLEX score since many residencies don't know how to interpret it..

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Thanks for the reply! Does anyone think it's worth it to buy the new DIT course for 800 dollars or will an older version of just the videos(obtained from a classmate) suffice? Do you still get the advantage of having a schedule made and prepared for you by having only the videos(from an older version)? How come everyone on SDN blasts DIT? I'm definitely someone who feels overwhelmed and rather behind and would greatly benefit from having a fixed schedule that pretty much guarantees me a good score if I stick to it. I was under the impression that any Step 1 score as long as it's not failing is better than a slightly above average COMLEX score since many residencies don't know how to interpret it..

Getting a below average score on usmle will def hurt more than help. Residencies will wonder whether your decent comlex score really shows if you know your stuff. You should only take usmle if you can do average at the least.

 

[Darkskies]

Well if you buy DIT then you get the book which helps keep me focused during the videos, but it's not totally essential if you're broke. I'm not sure why SDN hates on DIT so much. I think it's a pretty good review and my uworld averages have gone from 70% to 80% after watching about 1/3 of the DIT lectures.
And I'm still of the (not-very-well-informed) opinion that for DO students, a below-average USMLE score is worse than no USMLE at all, but I'm curious what others think...

Thanks! Do you think if I get DIT, finish it in 30-45 days, supplement it with UWorld questions, and maybe a little bit of First Aid and Pathoma, I should be guaranteed to at least pass the boards(maybe even do above average)? I think I'll take an NBME at the end of this month and if I don't do well, I'll limit myself to just taking the COMLEX this year.

 

[oingoboingo]

Thanks! Do you think if I get DIT, finish it in 30-45 days, supplement it with UWorld questions, and maybe a little bit of First Aid and Pathoma, I should be guaranteed to at least pass the boards(maybe even do above average)? I think I'll take an NBME at the end of this month and if I don't do well, I'll limit myself to just taking the COMLEX this year.

Yes, DIT+UWorld+Pathoma+a skim of Savarese should be sufficient.
If you don't take USMLE step 1, remember that you can always take step 2 if you want to show that you can perform well on USMLE exams.

 

[Darkskies]

Yes, DIT+UWorld+Pathoma+a skim of Savarese should be sufficient.
If you don't take USMLE step 1, remember that you can always take step 2 if you want to show that you can perform well on USMLE exams.

Thanks for your advice! It's really helping me out. I did some UWorld questions again and my score was a 69%. It seems like my averages keep fluctuating with each set of questions.. Do you think it's possible for me to get a 220 or above considering I have a little more than 6 weeks remaining?

 

[Darkskies]

Hi again,

Sorry for bumping this thread. My scores have increased on practice UWorld questions but as of yet, I still have to review Respiratory, Renal, Neuro, Musculoskeletal and Biochem. I'm mostly worried about Biochem as I haven't touched the subject since last year. Do I still have enough time to learn enough Biochem plus the other subjects as well to be prepared for the step 1 exam? How much Biochem and Neuro is generally on the exam? I think I'll just be using the 2012 DIT videos instead of buying the new videos for 800 dollars. Is this a good idea or should I just buy the newest DIT? Thanks in advance!

 

[tantacles]

Hi again,

Sorry for bumping this thread. My scores have increased on practice UWorld questions but as of yet, I still have to review Respiratory, Renal, Neuro, Musculoskeletal and Biochem. I'm mostly worried about Biochem as I haven't touched the subject since last year. Do I still have enough time to learn enough Biochem plus the other subjects as well to be prepared for the step 1 exam? How much Biochem and Neuro is generally on the exam? I think I'll just be using the 2012 DIT videos instead of buying the new videos for 800 dollars. Is this a good idea or should I just buy the newest DIT? Thanks in advance!

Just use the old DIT. It's basically the same.

 

[Darkskies]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I was wondering if I were to only take the COMLEX Step 1 exam, score well and then score very high on the USMLE Step 2 exam will that mitigate some of the disadvantage I would have for not having taken the USMLE Step 1 exam? At this point, the specialties I'm interested in include IM(Infectious disease/Allergy and Immunology), Psychiatry, and EM.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I was wondering if I were to only take the COMLEX Step 1 exam, score well and then score very high on the USMLE Step 2 exam will that mitigate some of the disadvantage I would have for not having taken the USMLE Step 1 exam? At this point, the specialties I'm interested in include IM(Infectious disease/Allergy and Immunology), Psychiatry, and EM.

Our dean said that like 70% of ACGME residencies take Comlex. The ones you want also happen to be DO friendly.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Our dean said that like 70% of ACGME residencies take Comlex. The ones you want also happen to be DO friendly.

just because they take don't mean they value it as much as Step 1. A high score on COMLEX isn't the same as a high score on Step 1.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

just because they take don't mean they value it as much as Step 1. A high score on COMLEX isn't the same as a high score on Step 1.

Nobody's denying that taking step 1 and doing well on it is best option. But you don't want to take step 1 and score low on it while your comlex is decent. If you can get 230+ on NBMEs I would be leaning towards taking step 1.

 

[da Vincis World]

Our dean said that like 70% of ACGME residencies take Comlex. The ones you want also happen to be DO friendly.

This is highly dependent on what specialties you are looking at. ~0% of ACGME Gen Surg, Radiology, Anesthesia, etc residencies take comlex only.

I've found that most DO admins don't really want you taking USMLE at all.

 

[da Vincis World]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I was wondering if I were to only take the COMLEX Step 1 exam, score well and then score very high on the USMLE Step 2 exam will that mitigate some of the disadvantage I would have for not having taken the USMLE Step 1 exam? At this point, the specialties I'm interested in include IM(Infectious disease/Allergy and Immunology), Psychiatry, and EM.

With psych you should be fine. EM is quite competitive....I wouldn't count on it without a competitive USMLE score. IM......depends on where you want to go.

 

[da Vincis World]

I know quite a few who tried to postpone USMLE to 3rd year.....most of them ended up not taking the test at all. Those who did end up taking it were disappointed with their scores. It is not easy to find time to study for step 1 during 3rd year rotations. Keep in mind that you'll have step 2 at the end of 3rd year that you'll also need to study for...usually during your 3rd year rotations.

 

[DermViser]

I've found that most DO admins don't really want you taking USMLE at all.

Gosh, I wonder why...

 

[Dr Dazzle]

This is highly dependent on what specialties you are looking at. ~0% of ACGME Gen Surg, Radiology, Anesthesia, etc residencies take comlex only.

I've found that most DO admins don't really want you taking USMLE at all.

I thought ACGME Anesthesia was pretty open to DOs along with ACGME EM?

 

[da Vincis World]

I thought ACGME Anesthesia was pretty open to DOs along with ACGME EM?

They absolutely are but most of the programs want to see a usmle score. You will absolutely be at a huge disadvantage applying to ACGME anesthesia or EM without usmle step 1.

DO friendly does not mean comlex friendly.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

They absolutely are but most of the programs want to see a usmle score. You will absolutely be at a huge disadvantage applying to ACGME anesthesia or EM without usmle step 1.

DO friendly does not mean comlex friendly.

Cool. Any insight on scores/grades required to be competitive for these two?

 

[da Vincis World]

Cool. Any insight on scores/grades required to be competitive for these two?

Grades.... I have no idea. I wouldn't want to show up with less than a 230 on step 1......however, it can certainly be done with less than that.
And as I always say.... Who you know matters way more than grades/scores. Find out who the key players (PD, assoc. PD, chair) are for your desired programs and get to know them. ie.... If you find out that the PD for xyz's anesthesia program is a pediatric anesthesiologist, try to setup a peds anesthesia rotation there or try to spend a week in peds during your general anesthesia rotation there.

 

[Darkskies]

I know quite a few who tried to postpone USMLE to 3rd year.....most of them ended up not taking the test at all. Those who did end up taking it were disappointed with their scores. It is not easy to find time to study for step 1 during 3rd year rotations. Keep in mind that you'll have step 2 at the end of 3rd year that you'll also need to study for...usually during your 3rd year rotations.

I realize that but do most people start studying for Step 2 in January or straight from the get go during the fall semester when rotations start? My idea was to take the Step 1 in December or early January and then start studying for COMLEX level 2.

 

[frodohobo]

Any update from those that ended up taking step 1 after or during 3rd year?