Sign up for Step 1 for June 7-9 or 14-15?

[rocketbooster]

My school's 3rd year orientation starts the Monday after the 14th. We get out of class after the 1st week of May. So, I'd have ~5 weeks to study for June 9th vs. ~6 weeks to study for June 14th. That'd be a 3 day weekend before clinicals vs. 1 week off before clinicals.

I really do want some time off in between Step 1 and clinicals, but if it cost me losing lots of study time then I would go with the shorter break regardless. So for those who take Step 1 or about to take it, what would you choose? Is the extra week (more like 5 days) of studying worth missing the longer break?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[xanthomondo]

My school's 3rd year orientation starts the Monday after the 14th. We get out of class after the 1st week of May. So, I'd have ~5 weeks to study for June 9th vs. ~6 weeks to study for June 14th. That'd be a 3 day weekend before clinicals vs. 1 week off before clinicals.

I really do want some time off in between Step 1 and clinicals, but if it cost me losing lots of study time then I would go with the shorter break regardless. So for those who take Step 1 or about to take it, what would you choose? Is the extra week (more like 5 days) of studying worth missing the longer break?

You can only study for so hard for so long. You will most likely be burning out after about 5 weeks and the extra week won't be too useful. I took it after the 5 week mark and would do it again.

 

[K31]

Take the week off. At least in my experience, yield declines significantly after about 4 weeks.

 

[XRanger]

June 1-3

 

[Rothbard]

nm

 

[rocketbooster]

Unless you're dead set on a non-competitive residency, this is the most important test in your life - it can easily close doors for you. Sure, you won't learn as much in week 6 as you will in week 5, but there is still a difference between 230 and 235. Spend the five weeks studying. When you're setting up your third year schedule, try to put one or two easy rotations first and let yourself slack off; at my school, the psych rotation is 4 weeks and comes with a 1 week vacation, so I scheduled it first and used that as my post-exam break.

Lots of second years who are sure they want a non-competitive residency end up changing their minds by the time they've finished third year.

Yea, it's only a 5 day difference though and I really want a break before clinicals start. Plus I already started studying now.

Anyone else?

 

[sirenomelia]

A handful of my friends/ classmates who were either/ both neurotic and obsessive either scheduled initially or switched to the latest dates they could get. I dont think it made any difference. If you are picking between different days of the week- you may want to consider who else will be there in the testing environment. I remember one of my step 3 days it was a wednesday or something and there was this endless stream of quasi ******ed looking, inconsiderate noisy aholes coming in and out of the sylvan to take some 45 minutes non-test. When I was done and leaving and the clueless attendant lady who was oblivious to my having gone through 2 days of 7 hour testing to certify for my professional licensing asked me if I had a nice day with my test and I just asked who those peopel were and she detailed how that day was their HS equivalency or GED day or something lame like that. It was very disruptive.

 

[da8s0859q]

My school's 3rd year orientation starts the Monday after the 14th. We get out of class after the 1st week of May. So, I'd have ~5 weeks to study for June 9th vs. ~6 weeks to study for June 14th. That'd be a 3 day weekend before clinicals vs. 1 week off before clinicals.

I really do want some time off in between Step 1 and clinicals, but if it cost me losing lots of study time then I would go with the shorter break regardless. So for those who take Step 1 or about to take it, what would you choose? Is the extra week (more like 5 days) of studying worth missing the longer break?

I was in a very similar position. I elected to schedule early and give myself about a ten-day vacation before M3 started.

I'm happy I did that. I was so mentally checked out by the week preceding the test, I can't imagine having had to push through an extra week of relatively lower-yield studying. And looking back, starting M3 without at least a week of decompression would have really sucked.

I did decently on Step (well north of 240, if it matters / is of any context). Would an extra week of studying in a semi-burned out state have landed me a few more points? Maybe, maybe not. But you gotta draw the line somewhere. After having lightly studied for the thing since February and then doing dedicated Step prep for the final ~5 weeks, taking a trip for a few days and then coming back with a few days of absolutely jack to do before M3 started was worth more to me.

Point of diminishing returns.