11 weeks to study, thinking of not using First Aid

[dizzyorange]

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When I mentioned this to my counselor at school he flipped out and said no way. I've just finished classes at my school and now have 11 weeks to study for Step 1. I did poorly in my 1st two years - I did not pass any class by more than 2 points and had to repeat micro because I failed it the first time around. Obviously I am not going to get a 250, but it is vital that I at least get the average b/c otherwise I am not going to match.

I started flipping through FA today, and honestly am pretty discouraged. The vast majority of it just doesn't make any sense. Some sections that I studied hard in class, like behavioral science, do make sense. But micro and pharm might just as well be written in binary. Going through FA would not be any kind of review for me, it would be mostly primary learning. I estimate that I would be able to learn 15-20 pages of FA a day, if I spend about 2/3 of my day on it. As there are 500 pages, it would take a solid month just to get through it once, leaving little time for questions during that month. I am obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed but I pulled off miracles on the SAT and MCAT in similar situations so that is what I am clinging to at this point. From what people have said, Step 1 is different because you can't just figure stuff out on the test, you either know it or you don't.

I learn best from doing questions, and from lots of repetition. Realizing that I have to cut my losses at this point, I don't think I'm going to use FA. It just takes too long to look up every entry. Also, it doesn't make much sense to use review books because I never learned the material the first time around. My tentative plan now is:

EDITED:
Costanzo Physiology (once)
Lippincott Illustrated Review of Micro (once)
Kaplan Pharmacology videos Raymond (twice)
Goljan audio (twice)
UWorld (twice)
USMLE Secrets (twice)
FA Cases for Step 1 (twice)
any time left go over UWorld for a third time.

Has anyone else prepared for the boards without FA? I would like to hear how you did it and how it worked out for you.

 

[Sam212]

When I mentioned this to my counselor at school he flipped out and said no way. I've just finished classes at my school and now have 11 weeks to study for Step 1. I did poorly in my 1st two years - I did not pass any class by more than 2 points and had to repeat micro because I failed it the first time around. Obviously I am not going to get a 250, but it is vital that I at least get the average b/c otherwise I am not going to match.

I started flipping through FA today, and honestly am pretty discouraged. The vast majority of it just doesn't make any sense. Some sections that I studied hard in class, like behavioral science, do make sense. But micro and pharm might just as well be written in binary. Going through FA would not be any kind of review for me, it would be mostly primary learning. I estimate that I would be able to learn 15-20 pages of FA a day, if I spend about 2/3 of my day on it. As there are 500 pages, it would take a solid month just to get through it once, leaving little time for questions during that month. I am obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed but I pulled off miracles on the SAT and MCAT in similar situations so that is what I am clinging to at this point. From what people have said, Step 1 is different because you can't just figure stuff out on the test, you either know it or you don't.

I learn best from doing questions, and from lots of repetition. Realizing that I have to cut my losses at this point, I don't think I'm going to use FA. It just takes too long to look up every entry. Also, it doesn't make much sense to use review books because I never learned the material the first time around. My tentative plan now is:

Costanzo - Physiology (cover to cover)
Lippincott Illustrated Review of Micro (cover to cover)
Kaplan Pharmacology videos Raymond (watch twice)
Goljan audio (listen twice)
UWorld (do every question 3-4 times)
USMLE Secrets (cover to cover 3-4 times, FA substitute, not nearly as comprehensive but it explains concepts in some detail)
FA Cases for Step 1 (cover to cover twice)
Any time left over I'll probably either do QBank or FA Q&A or Klatt&Kumar's Review of Pathology.

Has anyone else prepared for the boards without FA? I would like to hear how you did it and how it worked out for you.

How do you plan to read all that in 11 weeks and retain all that? Pharm and Micro is all memorization, nothing really to comprehend, and it's all there in first aid. Read RR Goljan for Path and supplement it with lectures. For all other subjects, I'd honestly follw FA, and whatever I don't understand or looks foreign, I would look it up in respective texts (Costanzo, Lippincott, etc.) I would try and understand the concepts and then annotate the little small details that you may find in Uworld explanations and whatnot. That's what I would do.

 

[dizzyorange]

yeah it's a lot of stuff. I probably have to cut down some of it. It will be hard to retain, no question. But imagine learning from FA on the 1st day of med school. Would you still be able to do it? That is sort of the situation I am in now.

 

[Sam212]

I can't imagine that you have forgotten everything. I am sure you'd be able to recall many topics as you read through first aid. If you don't recall a topic or can't understand, just look it up.

 

[kstreet]

Sign up for gunner training. Do all the flashcards in lite form, do all the questions. With this, there's def still spare time to get through real question banks in 11 weeks. Good luck.

 

[Chemist0157]

You'll be surprised how much you remember while going through FA. There's no way you got through medical school and know only a little of what is in there.

 

[Encephalectomy]

I'd go with med micro made simple if you're going to use a micro review book. Not sure what the best plan for you is though. you probably have enough time to taus it if your intense about it.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

When I mentioned this to my counselor at school he flipped out and said no way. I've just finished classes at my school and now have 11 weeks to study for Step 1. I did poorly in my 1st two years - I did not pass any class by more than 2 points and had to repeat micro because I failed it the first time around. Obviously I am not going to get a 250, but it is vital that I at least get the average b/c otherwise I am not going to match.

I started flipping through FA today, and honestly am pretty discouraged. The vast majority of it just doesn't make any sense. Some sections that I studied hard in class, like behavioral science, do make sense. But micro and pharm might just as well be written in binary. Going through FA would not be any kind of review for me, it would be mostly primary learning. I estimate that I would be able to learn 15-20 pages of FA a day, if I spend about 2/3 of my day on it. As there are 500 pages, it would take a solid month just to get through it once, leaving little time for questions during that month. I am obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed but I pulled off miracles on the SAT and MCAT in similar situations so that is what I am clinging to at this point. From what people have said, Step 1 is different because you can't just figure stuff out on the test, you either know it or you don't.

I learn best from doing questions, and from lots of repetition. Realizing that I have to cut my losses at this point, I don't think I'm going to use FA. It just takes too long to look up every entry. Also, it doesn't make much sense to use review books because I never learned the material the first time around. My tentative plan now is:

EDITED:
Costanzo Physiology (once)
Lippincott Illustrated Review of Micro (once)
Kaplan Pharmacology videos Raymond (twice)
Goljan audio (twice)
UWorld (twice)
USMLE Secrets (twice)
FA Cases for Step 1 (twice)
any time left go over UWorld for a third time.

Has anyone else prepared for the boards without FA? I would like to hear how you did it and how it worked out for you.

In 11 weeks of full time study, you could do a comprehensive review program such as Kaplan in addition to thoroughly covering FA. This might be a good idea if your fundamental knowledge base is as poor as you say it is.

 

[fahimaz7]

Do first aid.. Don't be stupid. Add Kaplan if you are weak in your medical training up to this point.

 

[unsung]

Sign up for gunner training. Do all the flashcards in lite form, do all the questions. With this, there's def still spare time to get through real question banks in 11 weeks. Good luck.

If you learn better from doing Qs, I would definitely recommend this. Sometimes I will read a page somewhere, think I've retained the info, go back 5 min later to try to answer a Q (open-ended, not multiple choice) on that material... and hit a blank.

Ppl really don't retain as much as they think they do from just reading. And this super true especially for me. lol

Btw... I think Goljan covers practically everything in FA (!). Excepting the biostats stuff or the behavior stuff, biochem, pharm/bugs, in detail, etc. But for pathophys? Goljan exceeds FA for sure... if you go through Goljan, you will have blown FA out of the water. So... don't be scared of FA is what I'm sayin' 😉

 

[dozitgetchahi]

When I mentioned this to my counselor at school he flipped out and said no way. I've just finished classes at my school and now have 11 weeks to study for Step 1. I did poorly in my 1st two years - I did not pass any class by more than 2 points and had to repeat micro because I failed it the first time around. Obviously I am not going to get a 250, but it is vital that I at least get the average b/c otherwise I am not going to match.

I started flipping through FA today, and honestly am pretty discouraged. The vast majority of it just doesn't make any sense. Some sections that I studied hard in class, like behavioral science, do make sense. But micro and pharm might just as well be written in binary. Going through FA would not be any kind of review for me, it would be mostly primary learning. I estimate that I would be able to learn 15-20 pages of FA a day, if I spend about 2/3 of my day on it. As there are 500 pages, it would take a solid month just to get through it once, leaving little time for questions during that month. I am obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed but I pulled off miracles on the SAT and MCAT in similar situations so that is what I am clinging to at this point. From what people have said, Step 1 is different because you can't just figure stuff out on the test, you either know it or you don't.

I learn best from doing questions, and from lots of repetition. Realizing that I have to cut my losses at this point, I don't think I'm going to use FA. It just takes too long to look up every entry. Also, it doesn't make much sense to use review books because I never learned the material the first time around. My tentative plan now is:

EDITED:
Costanzo Physiology (once)
Lippincott Illustrated Review of Micro (once)
Kaplan Pharmacology videos Raymond (twice)
Goljan audio (twice)
UWorld (twice)
USMLE Secrets (twice)
FA Cases for Step 1 (twice)
any time left go over UWorld for a third time.

Has anyone else prepared for the boards without FA? I would like to hear how you did it and how it worked out for you.

If you really feel this weak on the material, supplement FA but don't use some of those texts. Use BRS Physio rather than the full Costanzo - it's also written by Costanzo and is much shorter and more boards-focused. CMMRS is way easier to read than Lippencott's and will help material stick way better. I'd also use FA ultimately overall - some people have passed studying it alone.

 

[MossPoh]

You are really pushing that man....
Cruising for a ban at this rate.


First Aid is a supplement. It is a convenient consolidation of the high yield facts from all of those books you want to use. People don't use it because it is the best teacher. Honestly, some of the format is crap and confusing in it. (That is why you annotate) People use it because it is the most important stuff in one spot and if it is in there, it is generally worth your time to know. If it isn't, then it most likely isn't.

FA has some good mnemonics, some bad and a lot of mediocre ones. It has some good illustrations, some bad and a lot of mediocre ones. That plays through with everything. The glory is that it has the guts of the exam on those pages and then you can tailor it to YOUR needs. So, no. I wouldn't dump it completely. I'd use it as the central hub for all that other crap spinning around that you will bog yourself down with, or all those questions you miss (or get right) on qbanks, that needs more detailed info in one location.

 

[dizzyorange]

I'm going to use First Aid... if I don't use it and do poorly on the exam, I'll be shooting myself for going against the advice of everyone I know plus everyone on the internet. The one thing I will NOT do is read RR Goljan. That stuff is ridiculous. You guys who are reading it are from another planet (or worked hard the first 2 years 🙁 )

So having spent an entire day reading old SDN posts here is my revised study plan:

FA
FA Q&A
FA Cases
UWorld
USMLE Step 1 Secrets
Goljan audio
Kaplan Pharm videos
BRS physiology

Goal is the average: 222.

 

[dizzyorange]

Hey one more question: I read somewhere that it's worthwhile to read the first 7 chapters of Robbins. What do you guys think? I am actually considering doing this.

 

[Sam212]

Hey one more question: I read somewhere that it's worthwhile to read the first 7 chapters of Robbins. What do you guys think? I am actually considering doing this.

thats worse than reading goljan

 

[esperanza27]

Hi Dizzyorange,

I just replied to u in more detailed but it got erased...

But in a nutshell:
FA----- I believe is a very important book to go thru b4 ur exam.....
It can be very overwhelmng at first, but most of the topics in the test is all there, u have to find the way to Digest FA.

What has worked for me:
Is 2 things:
*Break it into pieces---study by parts----
*Use another resource to do the topics itself--specially ur weak subjects(Kaplan webprep-online, or live lectures-or centerprep) Ex: you go through Endocrine--- then do FA-Endo---then do all the questions u can possibly find and do the Endocrine questions....etc....

Set urself a realistic schedule---& Try to keep it simple. Try 2Maximize Ur potential.

Dont use material that u r not comfortable with, ONLY U KNOW Where U R at this point....Strengthen Ur weakness---Understand Concepts---& Do many questions--TO UNDERSTAND & Practice ur timing as well.

Good Luck In Ur studies.....
& DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE URSELF---U know more than U think U know....👍

 

[dizzyorange]

Hi Dizzyorange,

I just replied to u in more detailed but it got erased...

But in a nutshell:
FA----- I believe is a very important book to go thru b4 ur exam.....
It can be very overwhelmng at first, but most of the topics in the test is all there, u have to find the way to Digest FA.

What has worked for me:
Is 2 things:
*Break it into pieces---study by parts----
*Use another resource to do the topics itself--specially ur weak subjects(Kaplan webprep-online, or live lectures-or centerprep) Ex: you go through Endocrine--- then do FA-Endo---then do all the questions u can possibly find and do the Endocrine questions....etc....

Set urself a realistic schedule---& Try to keep it simple. Try 2Maximize Ur potential.

Dont use material that u r not comfortable with, ONLY U KNOW Where U R at this point....Strengthen Ur weakness---Understand Concepts---& Do many questions--TO UNDERSTAND & Practice ur timing as well.

Good Luck In Ur studies.....
& DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE URSELF---U know more than U think U know....👍

Thanks for the positive message guys. I spent an entire day doing FA as a trial to see how much I would retain the next day. This morning I opened it up and it was like I never read it yesterday 🙁

So... I am going to change my setlist one more time, this time it's final, and a little less ambitious (but more realistic) than before.

10 and 2/3 weeks to go:

FA Cases
FA Q&A (900 USMLERx q's in a book)
Step 1 Secrets
USMLEWorld


Anytime left over I will read Step 1 Secrets again. I love this book... maybe because it's easy, but it's also more clinically oriented than pretty much any other Step 1 source so it'll be good for next year.

My next post will be in late June when I get my score. Good luck everybody!

 

[Stixman28]

Thanks for the positive message guys. I spent an entire day doing FA as a trial to see how much I would retain the next day. This morning I opened it up and it was like I never read it yesterday 🙁

So... I am going to change my setlist one more time, this time it's final, and a little less ambitious (but more realistic) than before.

10 and 2/3 weeks to go:

FA Cases
FA Q&A (900 USMLERx q's in a book)
Step 1 Secrets
USMLEWorld


Anytime left over I will read Step 1 Secrets again. I love this book... maybe because it's easy, but it's also more clinically oriented than pretty much any other Step 1 source so it'll be good for next year.

My next post will be in late June when I get my score. Good luck everybody!

secrets seems old, can anyone vouch for its continued relevance?

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Yeah, I haven't heard too many people singing the praises of Step 1 Secrets.

I'd say if you're having trouble with FA as a "core" book, you might find Medessentials to be easier to deal with. The people I've known that couldn't get into the format of FA seemed to like Medessentials a lot more