2007 USMLE Step I Experiences

[missmod]

I think I'll start the thread, since I just finished Step I today! Boy does it feel good to have it over with. In case you guys are wondering, my med school is on a different schedule, so we do basic sciences in 1.5 years, do one year of clerkships, and then take the boards.

So I started a 6 week study schedule (started after new years). The first five weeks, I studied for about 9-10 hours with a lot of breaks and took weekends off to either have fun or catch up/review. The last week I saved just for review and as many questions as I could fit into my 10 hour day. I have to say, this last week was the worst. Not in the no-sleep-cram-for-a-test kind of way, but in the huge-weight-on-your-shoulders kind of way.

Now for a breakdown of the subjects...

Biochem: There was not a lot of biochem on my exam. A few key enzyme deficiency ones (Lesch Nyhan, Maple Syrup Disease) but all of the questions were very obvious and did not require you to put much thought into it. Don't blow off porphyria and lead poisoning-- for some reason I got so many questions on that!

Molecular Bio: This was a big one! I think the NBME is moving away from the biochem towards questions on molecular bio. Many questions about DNA regulation, transcription, translation, bacterial plasmids, etc. Sometimes these questions look very scary -- they are always so long and use long names for molecules or restriction enzymes that you have never heard of. You need to get used to the question style and realize that what they are asking is very simple. The NBME forms have questions very similar to the molecular bio ones I saw on the exam.

Pharm: Another one I thought would be difficult but not. Big drugs you should know a lot about (like antihypertensives, drugs for hyperlipidemias, cardic drugs, etc.) However, I wouldn't worry too much about the side effects for every tiny drug -- especially the chemo and immunosupressant drugs that kept on tripping me up so much.

Micro/Immuno: I had not a single question on parasites! That huge chart of worms and helminths in First Aid had me worried for a while, but it was not a big part of my exam. If anything, just know the key phrases because if they do test you on it, it would be a really obvious scenario. Mostly bacterial processes and what you would use to treat them... or what was their mechanism of disease (i.e. endotoxn, exotoxin, etc.) Know immunology and cytokines well, as well as the functions of all the cells. Different immune deficiencies were all asked on my exam (there is one page in First Aid that sums them up very well).

Anatomy/Neuroanatomy: Always combined with a pathology question or an imagine. I had a few branchial plexus/lumbar plexus questions. Many questions would give you a clinical scenario, then ask you to identiy the artery/nerve/organ on a CT scan/MRI/angiogram/brain cross section. Again, I think Qbank does not help you much at all because there aren't that many images. All i can say is look through some atlases quickly as you are studying anatomy -- not Netters bc that won't help much, but books that will give you real radiographic images.

Physio: This was almost always combined with Pathology--they would ask the physiology behind some path process. I had so many questions where the question asked "what would be the levels of x, y, and z enzymes/hormones?", answer choices being "increased, decreased, etc"

Pathology: Not as detailed orientated as Kaplan. Very little histology related pathology -- most of the questions though, required you to make a diagnosis and then know something about the pathophys of the disease or the treatment of the disease. There were also a lot of images -- MANY more than Qbank's representation.

All in all, I think the test more manageable than Kaplan's Qbank. Don't let Qbank discourage you -- ! Doing the questions help you to learn, so if you were getting them all right then the questions are too easy and not really helping you much. I do remember many questions that I knew only because I got the question wrong on Kaplan's Qbank. Also, the NBME tests are VERY good and very representative of the real thing. They also help you get used to the wording of the Q's, which can be a LITTLE different from what Qbank is like. I did forms 2, 3, and 4 and I thought 2 and 3 were the best. A few images on those practice exams were repeated on my actual exam.

Goljan's book and lectures were great. He pointed out lots of things that wound up being on the exam and presents them in a way that really sticks. Also, his images are a great resource.

I've been lurking for a while and haven't really posted since applying to med school, but I have to say you guys have really helped me out during my boards studying. Good luck to everyone else getting ready to take this monster.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drbetty]

The schedule: (adapted from many helpful friends)

-Spring - skimmed through most of the resources to get the "big picture". Befriended Goljan.
-Mid March
-Studied~7 weeks, took 4 days off, cooked dinner & worked out everyday. very impt to take care of yourself. Did ~100 Robbins &/or Q-bank questions daily. Studied by organ systems. Goljan while running, grocery shopping, driving car, eating, breathing, etc.

The resources:

• Practice questions:
  • Qbank - very detail-oriented. waaay too much detail at times. Didn't want to spend more $ on UW, so I don't know what I'm missing out on. 51% completed; scores btw 70-80%
  • Robbins Path questions - amazing. challenging questions & emphasizes important pathology
  • BRS path chapter questions & comprehensive exam - easy, but helps to reinforce important pathology
  • some Q-book & some BRS Physiology chapter questions as needed
• First Aid - the lack of organization & typos got on my nerves and I whited out ~20% of the book. Grr I seriously went through a bottle of white out each week. However, I don't know of a better general review book, and annotating facilitates memorization.
• Anatomy/Embryology
  • couldn't bring myself to tolerate more than a few hours of Kaplan videos or to finish HY. didn't think it was worth the time cramming low yield information.
  • just memorized FA
• Biostats/Behavior Science/Psychiatry:
  • Kaplan Video --> helpful for biostats & the professor is funny. overkill at times
  • HY Behavior Science - read only psych section.
• Biochemistry/Cell & Molecular Bio/Genetics
  • Lippincott's - worth the time
  • HY Cell Bio (old edition) -
• Micro
  • Clinical Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple -
  • know that Qbank micro is waaaaay overkill.
• Immunology
  • HY - skimmed through & thought it was horrible
  • Lange - easy to read
• Pathology
  • Goljan audio - did i mention that he is is a wonderful teacher? except his jokes got annoying but he gets you thinking in the right way.
  • BRS path - concise. complements goljan audio
• Pharm
  • FA - basically all you need to know!!
  • Lange cards - helpful clinical vignettes. overkill at times
  • Qbank pharm is waaay overkill.
• HY Neuro - overkill at times. know neuroanatomy well!
• BRS Physiology -

Summary:

• Goljan audio, Robbins path questions, Lange immuno, CMMRS, Lippincott's biochem, kaplan video for biostats only --> invaluable.
• I hate HY. The series should be renamed "low yield".
• Practice questions are crucial in solidifying concepts.
• Didn't use a histo source. Can often figure out the answer based on question stem.
• Studying for Step 1 sucks, especially when the weather is perfect & sunny. But, remember that you survived the MCAT! In my opinion, it was a much more awful experience because you are not guaranteed a life as a doctor, general chemistry equations have nothing to do w/your future, and all your non-pre-med friends are out partying. While studying for Step 1, remember that you will be a doctor, most of what your studying is clinically impt, & nobody is partying - your med school friends are suffering & studying too!

 

[txguy]

when you guys all say you get through all these qbanks and qbooks and what not
how much time are you spending with answers
it takes me an hour to do the 50q's and then another 2 hours to go over all the answers right and wrong

im just wondering how many you do per day vs. how much time you spend using other materials
thanks

Don't worry, it takes me that long too!

I'm trying to do 100 Q per day. So thats about 6 hours each day dedicated to questions (2 hours to do then, 4 hours to review). The rest of the day (about 5-6 hours) is spent reviewing other materials.

Keep soldiering on!

-tx

 

[domer621]

Reading over every single answer explanation takes up time and is low yield compared to reading other things. I usually only read up on the questions I got wrong and the questions I guessed on. I do think reading that little "key point" in UW is worth it for every question, though. You also gradually get faster as you do more questions.

I hate HY. The series should be renamed "low yield".

 

[BobCat3]

So before I get into my experience I'll just get the numbers out of the way.

MCAT: 40
NBME 1: 226 (1st day of only step 1 studying)
NBME 2: 228 ( 2 weeks into studying)
150 released Q's: 90%(~260 using the calculator, 3 days before my exam)
Step 1: 253/99


So i'll tell you my study schedule:

I got off school mid may and originally planned to take the test in 3.5 weeks. I spent my first weekend off figuring out my schedule. There are many schedules online you can use to help you figure out what to do. After i tried to come up with a schedule i realized i needed more time just to go through everything once, so i pushed my date back to have about 4.5 weeks to study.

My schedule, generally speaking:

Biochem
Micro
Immuno
Then i switched the a organ based system, for each organ I did embryo, phys, anatomy, path, and pharm
General stuff
Cardio/vascular
Heme/Onc
Resp
Gi
Endo
Skin/Musculo
Renal
Reproductive
Nervous
then i switch to a quick read of Behavioral
then finished with about 6 days of review (i really needed that review time)

Books
Behavioral: FA/HY, great quick read, dont mess around with unnecessary details, just get a good feel for the examples used
Anatomy: FA/Kaplan book(pretty good)
Biochem: FA/kaplan book (pretty good, but long...i would try to read on things your weak in and skip the rest)
Immuno: FA/kaplan book (enough of what you need, the stuff in the margins of the pages are great)
Micro: FA, all you need
Embryo: HY, waste of time, just use FA
Phys: FA, BRS (quick read), Kaplan (pretty dense, the cardio section is good)
Path: FA,BRS, Kaplan (for heme/onc), Goljan audio (one of the best things you can do to prep)
Pharm: FA
Biostats: FA

Questions:
I started with Kaplan Q-Bank, hated it bc of its random useless pharm questions. Switched to USMLEworld, the best thing ever. I highly recommend it. I only finished about 60% of the questions, though, averaged about a 75%. If i could go back and do it again, I would try to do every behavioral/biostat question in the questions banks. Even if I didnt have time to do other subject questions.

I studied probably 6-8 hours a day generally speaking probably more when i was doin my review. I took some half days off and nights off but not many whole days off. I tried to do questions when ever i was tired of studying.

The NBME exams were pretty close to the real thing. The 150 free questions were easier than the real thing but my score on it was just alittle higher than what i got on the real thing.

Advice:

FA is great, it's kinda scary how the book is so high yield, while i was reading everything for the first time i incorporated FA briefly for each subject but not that much. Then during my review i pretty much read FA over. If I could do it again I would spend more time with FA. Also i didnt look at any pictures not even the FA ones, but i dont think you should spend that much time looking at pictures. If you have time then do it, if not its ok.

if you have a question that's easy to look up during ur break that you werent sure of during one of your blocks look it up, i didnt and i got a question asking basically the same thing in a later block

When you are picking ur date to take the test months in advance try to work out a reasonable study schedule then so you dont do what i did and have to change the date a few weeks before.

Any questions just post em here, ill try to answer them

 

[blz]

there's a whole thread for USMLE experiences. why are there so many people who think they are entitled to their own thread about their experience only?

 

[Taus]

there's a whole thread for USMLE experiences. why are there so many people who think they are entitled to their own thread about their experience only?

a 40 mcat will do that to u....jk

 

[dianamd]

there's a whole thread for USMLE experiences. why are there so many people who think they are entitled to their own thread about their experience only?

My question precisely.

 

[treasurefull2]

yeah, move this ish outta here..

 

[ChiefToma]

jealous?

yep, I am.

now you feel

 

[Long Dong]

a 40 mcat will do that to u....jk

 

[cdql]

there's a whole thread for USMLE experiences. why are there so many people who think they are entitled to their own thread about their experience only?

easier to see as opposed to thumbing through that whole thread

 

[IzzyMD09]

where is the NBME calculator? ...im about to take the 150 q's and i have 3 days of studying left

havent spent time "memorizing first aid" but i was going to do that based on how low my score is

if its pretty high i think ill spend minimum time with FA and more with UW seeing as how FA i feel is only good as an outline

 

[Shades McCool]

where is the NBME calculator? ...im about to take the 150 q's and i have 3 days of studying left

havent spent time "memorizing first aid" but i was going to do that based on how low my score is

if its pretty high i think ill spend minimum time with FA and more with UW seeing as how FA i feel is only good as an outline

There was very little on the test that wasn't in FA.

 

[N-Surge]

Took it today. What fun times!

1. USMLE World. Do this if you do any questions you are going to learn from. I felt like I was sitting at UW all day long! It is isn't harder or easier. It's just as nit picky as the REAL thing. And the problems were the length and feel of Review of Pathology as well.

2. NBME assessment is worth it. Take them timed. I don't even know why there is any other option. It is to simulate a half day at the test center!

3. Some suggested materials:

RR Pathology
RR Biochemistry
RR Microbiology/Immunology <- I mostly used Rosenthal's cards.
PharmCards (Lippincott's)
BRS Physiology
Clinical Anatomy (Maybe "mini" Moore or RR) <- I am not kidding, wish I'd read more!

If you simply go buy a full set of RR and JUST study that, along with USMLE World and maybe a few NBME assessments, I think you will do very well. This is what I probably would have done, after the fact... along with the PharmCards.

Good luck!

 

[BobCat3]

i made a new thread for that exact reason, the thread where everyone writes of there experiences is so full of other non-important info ie people chit chatin about other things i figure this way its easier for people who want to read of other's experiences

 

[domer621]

MCAT: 40

Anyone who isn't a genius/savant should probably stop reading at this point.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Anyone who isn't a genius/savant should probably stop reading at this point.

I dunno, I know plenty of people with lower MCAT scores than his who outscored him on Step 1.

 

[Roy7]

I dunno, I know plenty of people with lower MCAT scores than his who outscored him on Step 1.

Yeah but the MCAT is much more a thinking test than step 1 is, and on step 1, what you learned and how hard you studied really comes into play in terms of your final score. If he crammed for every single exam and is in the middle of his class yet still busted 250, his method obviously worked, and his natural intelligence which is largely responsible for his MCAT score came into play.

All his MCAT score really says is that he's got the potential to be amongst the 250+ group simply on natural intelligence.

 

[La Tipsoh]

My GPA in undergrade was great (3.8) at a top 20 university. Being naive, I thought this was going to carry me easily into a top tier medical school. With this attidue, I studied enough for the MCAT, but I didn't loose any sleep over it. My MCAT score was a 32(good but not great); it got me into a good medical school, but not a top 20 program like I had wanted. This event in my life got me to thinking how important standarized test were becoming, and how I needed to put everything I had into preparing for the USMLE. With this in mind, I absolutly busted my ass my first two years in medical school to accumulate all I could, thinking that would be the most important factor that would help me on the boards....and boy was I right. Here are my impressions/reccomendation on how to destroy the USMLE:




A) I think the best thing you can do right now is study hard and do well in your medical school classes! I am willing to bet that the people who score highest on there Step 1 exam are, for the most part, the same people at the top of there class at their respective medical school. No matter how hard you study the 4-6wks before the exam, you will have to rely on the knowledge you accumulated over the past couple of years for many of the questions. That being said, don’t underestimate the value of studying as hard as you possibly can for those 4-6 weeks before the exam as they can (and will) make a difference between an adequate score and a great score.

B) They key to studying for the Step1 Exam (and here I am referring to the 4-6 weeks you will probably set aside to devote yourself strictly to the studying) is to keep your resources small, but to memorize every last word in them. Also, use an electronic Question bank, such as Kaplan or USMLE World. They help you get familiar with the way certain material is asked. More on that later.

I used 3 primary sources to study. Again, it isn’t a lengthy list, but I knew everything in these books/resources, inside and out. I think too many people use 10-15 books and get overwhelmed trying to read everything and end up knowing very little, and being able to apply even less.

1) First Aid for USMLE step 1: This book has been used by every medical student and they publish new editions every year to keep up with the boards. Your primary goal should be to MEMORIZE this book. It is well written, but takes some getting used to. At first glance, it might not seem to have that much information in it, but if you really look at all of the diagrams and text, there is a ton of info in here. Again, memorize even the smallest detail; it wouldn’t be in this book if it wasn’t already asked on boards, or has a high likelihood of being asked. Some people will say “First Aid isn’t enough to do well” but I am willing to bet the vast majority of these people simply read over First Aid, highlighted it a bit, and didn’t memorize it. (That or they just got a crappy test and nothing else would have helped anyway). It took me 4 weeks to get through the book once, and then over the next 2 weeks I got through it 2 more times. If you know this cold you will get a good score. You can use this book during the MII year to supplement your test studying, but it is truly best used the 4-6 wks you set aside to devote yourself to kicking the USMLE's ass.

2) Goljan Lectures- Dr. Goljan is a professor and MD, but he also works for the Kaplan Corporation and lectures around the country to medical students enrolled in Kaplan’s “board prep” program. Someone in 2003 recorded all of his lectures and they circulated around the internet like wildfire. These lectures were actually given to foreign medical school grads prepping for the boards which you will notice as he makes reference to it during his lecture. He has a really odd sense of humor, but everything he says is high yield for the boards. There are about 37 lectures, each an hour long. I recommend listening to his lecture and writing your notes from these lectures directly into First Aid; this way all of your information is in one place. Goljan makes really good correlations between different subject matters that aren’t always obvious at first glance, which is how the Boards asks their questions. I was able to listen to the whole series of lectures three times some selected lectures 4+ times. Don’t be afraid to pause the CD often and rewind to fully understand everything he says. It is well worth your time to listen to this. Besides First Aid, this is the best thing you can spend your time doing. I had multiple questions that I would not have gotten if it weren’t for Goljan.


3) Q bank- There are two main online question banks that people use. The most popular one is Kaplan Qbank, which you can get off there website www.kaplan.com. They are also the most expensive ($199 for 1mo access/ $399 for 3mo). You get access to about 2200 questions and I hear the explanations are very good. I also hear some of the questions are esoteric or too basic. However, it is the most popular and most of my friends who used it really liked it. Most people recommend doing 1-2 blocks of 50Qs a day on the “random” mode. Scores in the 50-60s% are expected early on, but as you close in on your test date, scores in the 70s and low 80% will let you know you are going to do really well on the exam. I didn’t use Kaplan.
I did some research and decided to buy USMLE World at http://www.usmleworld.com. It is about 1900Qs and not only is it cheaper ($50 1mo, $60 for 45d, and $70 for 2mo) but I felt the questions were really well written and the explanations were unbelievable. USMLE World has diagrams/pictures in their explanations, Kaplan typically doesn’t. The key to using these Qbanks is not only learning the answer to the question, but also WHY the others are wrong. USMLE World did a really good job at this. Again I recommend doing 1-2 random timed blocks of 50 questions each day and thoroughly going over the explanations. There is one drawback to USMLE world, however, and that is that the questions are REALLY hard. They are written to help you prepare for the difficult boards question and not give you a false sense of confidence that you are ready, when you probably aren’t. If you know the USMLE world Questions cold in combination with FA and Goljan, you will be good to go for the exam. That being said, you may score in the 30%-50% early on (which can be INCREDIBLY frustrating!) but that score should go up as the test date approaches. Anything above a 60% means you are ready to pass, and scores in the upper 70s/low 80s near test day mean you are ready to do really well.
(Side Note: there is another Qbank called UsmleRx (“Qmax”) which is by the authors of first aid. I bought early on hoping it would supplement by FA studying….I stopped doing the Qs after 1.5 weeks. The questions just simply aren’t written in the board’s style (all you have to read is the last sentence in 90% of the Qs) and the explanations had errors in them. I also found the questions to be a little basic in scope. Stick with FA the book, not the Q bank)

Books I referenced during MSII yr to Study for classes/pseudo-prep for boards, but not during the 6wks I wasstudying for the boards:
1) FA2007
2) Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple
3) Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple-
4) Blackwell Underground Clinical Vignettes: Biochemistry Step 1-
5) BRS Path by Castanzo
6). BRS Path

I didn't use any of the HY series, The best ones, I hear, are the Neuroanatomy and Biochemistry. DO NOT waste your time reading the Embryology one, it is WAY too detailed for the boards, what is in First Aid is enough. Trust me, I tried to read the embryo one for about 30mins and then had to stop, its absurdly detailed.


Here is how I studied

6wks 12hrs/day, 2 days off, 2 half day

First 4 weeks: I Focused on First Aid, Goljan and Qbank. Set up your study schedule properly according to your strengths, weakness, or stuff you know you just need more time on. I won’t go into too much detail on what day I did what, except to say that your schedule should HONESTLY reflect what you are good at, bad at, and what you know you will need to spend for time on. For instance, I am pretty good at cardio, but for some reason, I know I am always “slow” when I study cardio. Therefore I gave myself 3 days for cardio. I am not that hot at Psych, however I know the stuff they test on isn’t that hard so I did Psych in one day.
As far as Goljan is concerned, you can either listen to the section that corresponds to the FA section you are studying, or you can just go straight thru his lectures. He does reference stuff in later lectures that he talked about in earlier lectures, so if you choose to “jump around”, be aware of that. Also TAKE YOUR NOTES FROM HIS LECTURES IN YOUR FA!! The convenience of having all of your notes in one place can not be over-emphasized. Also, do not neglect Neuro, everyone I talked to had a TON of Neuroscience on their exam, and you’ll notice a significant chunk of FA is devoted to it for this reason. I must have had at least 50 neuro questions on my exam.

Last 2 weeks: I focused on reviewing FA and Goljan, emphasizing my weaknesses and stuff I knew would be short term memory (esp in the last week) I reviewed Micro while going thru FA the first time, but the last week I learned the Micro in FA so well I could recite the entire thing to you. When you get a micro question on the boards, you either know it right away or you bomb out. Don’t bomb out.
I also took this approach for FA Immuno, FA Neoplasia, and the FA Pharm chapter (which is basically Michalis Menten, Autonomics, and Toxicology). As said earlier, I got thru FA two more times in the last 2 weeks, as well as Goljan again (I had an audioplayer that could make his lectures play at 150%....and I skipped his jokes the second time around)

Last 3 days: Reviewed FA weakness, Did the Pharm chapter in FA a few times, the Embryo chapter in FA for the first time, and the Biochem chapter again (I did the biochem chapter about 4 times in total so the last time thru was truly just a review). In retrospect this was a good strategy: I had about 20 Questions on Autonomics/Michalis Menten, a bunch of Biochem, while only 3 or 4 embryo Qs

My thoughts on the Test Material-Out of each block of 50 questions, approximately:

• 30-35 Questions you will know from studying and from working hard in medical school
• 15 Questions you *should* know from the 6 weeks where you have been studying as hard as you can
• 0-5Qs- Really Abstract or something you never heard of where you will probably have to end up guessing b/c you can only eliminate 2 or 3 of the choices.
• Remember, out of the 350Qs, 50 are “experimental” and will not count towards your grade. You don’t know which ones they are, but if there is a question that is poorly worded, do not get too freaked out as it may be an experimental question.

Hope this helps, ask me any questions if you would like!

 

[nowai]

Great advice, thank you.

 

[blz]

lets try to keep all these posts in the usmle experiences thread. that way theres a nice database of experiences people can use. i know that thread helped me out a lot when i was prepping for this test.

overall, your advice is good but nothing new. good job with your score.

 

[smohamma]

Hey! Thanks for all the advice. I am an M1, and I was contemplating buying some books by the Board Review Series for the courses I am going to be taking in the first year - as a supplement. . I was not sure if I should get the BRS or High Yield or First Aid...... I really want to do well on the USMLE ... I did not do amazing on the MCATs and I really want to start learning/knowing/memorizing the basic material from the very start.. so I was hoping u would have some good advice for that. Thanks!

 

[treasurefull2]

great great great advice, but needs to be relocated...

 

[nightowl]

Thanks for the great advice! one question: any idea where to get the goljan lectures for free? Thanks again! And congrats on the awesome score =)

 

[Medikit]

lets try to keep all these posts in the usmle experiences thread. that way theres a nice database of experiences people can use. i know that thread helped me out a lot when i was prepping for this test.

overall, your advice is good but nothing new. good job with your score.

I disagree, I think there should be a separate advice thread from the USMLE experience thread. As it is I think a few advice threads here and there aren't really a terrible thing.

 

[fakin' the funk]

lets try to keep all these posts in the usmle experiences thread. that way theres a nice database of experiences people can use. i know that thread helped me out a lot when i was prepping for this test.

overall, your advice is good but nothing new. good job with your score.

Yes but this way you get to make your OWN thread

 

[domer621]

Hmm, and here I was under the impression that a 32 MCAT was a damn solid score...

 

[afterwords]

Hi! Congratulations for your success, and thank for sharing this advice. I have one question....when you were reviewing for the last couple of weeks, what did you do? You said you went over FA twice during that time. How? What were your strategies? Thank you!

 

[neoncandle]

Though it is nothing new it is one of the best comprehensive posts I have seen on the subject and I completely agree with his plan. It works!

Though when I was taking it, I felt a little less sure than he did, I still got a solid score with this method.

 

[Pianoboe01]

I dunno, I know plenty of people with lower MCAT scores than his who outscored him on Step 1.

Like me
28 MCAT, 256 Step 1

 

[exmike]

there's a whole thread for USMLE experiences. why are there so many people who think they are entitled to their own thread about their experience only?

yeah.. tons of these members with like single digit #'s of posts that suddenly appear to give their advice after they ace the step 1. curious.
just stick it in the experiences thread! where were you all when you were lurking these forums before you got your score huh?

 

[joe6102]

Like me
28 MCAT, 256 Step 1

Me too.

 

[La Tipsoh]

Hi! Congratulations for your success, and thank for sharing this advice. I have one question....when you were reviewing for the last couple of weeks, what did you do? You said you went over FA twice during that time. How? What were your strategies? Thank you!

During the last two weeks, I basically used the same study plan I set up for the first 4, just in Over-Drive. After your 1st pass of FA, you should have a REALLY good handle on everything. The next two passes are for "locking it in" as my friends and I say. Don't be anal and say "10min/page" and time yourself, b/c then you won't get anything done excpet watching the clock. Just make a consciouss effort to move! Coffee was a good boost for me, but some people get a "post high crash" so be careful. You're running a marathon, not a 100m sprint.

I guess my best adivice, again, is to BE THOUROUGH and get all of the concepts the first time trough, picking up as many details as you can...and then "tighten down the details" the next 2+ times through. I wish I could be more specific, but "my details" and "your details" will be different based on of strengths and weaknesses. I probably spent about 8hrs on the muscleskeletal the second time through b/c I was suprised by how much I forgot from this section after my first pass. Contrast that with the Renal section...I spent maybe 2hours on my second pass, and then I just listened to Goljan again on 130% speed for my thrid pass with my FA opened in front of me.

There is no method that "if you do this you will get 240+", you just have to be honest with your weakness and make sure you address them all. Don't kid yourself into thinking you know something when you really don't. Autonomics is the prime example here. Most people have no idea what is going on with Alpha1, Beta 2, M3, PLC, PKA, etc etc. They don't get it, but they memorize a few acronyms and pray for the best. This will work if you want to pass, but not if you want to rock it.

Hope that helps some....best of luck!!

 

[afterwords]

Yes, that helps! Thank you posting a reply! Again, congratulations for your success....you worked so hard; you truly deserve it.

 

[Old_Mil]

Congratulations! (out of curiousity, what was your 2 digit score?)

 

[fakin' the funk]

easier to see as opposed to thumbing through that whole thread

I'm sure. I can imagine future MS2's doing SDN searches for "253/99" and "my step 1 advice." Quite useful indeed.

This is for all the I-get-my-own-thread-to-show-off-my-high-score posters:

 

[HunterGatherer]

There are some very good individual experiences outside the step 1 thread. When people(those starting 2nd year) who really need the info search for info on step 1 preperations the step 1 thread will pop up. Individual experiences like these outside that thread will be lost to those who are not reading the forums now.

at this point I imagine most of the people in this forum are starting third year and this thread falls to page 2 before the week is over.

Maybe OP should cut and paste this into the step 1 thread.

 

[txguy]

Nice strategy...thanks

-tx

 

[La Tipsoh]

Congratulations! (out of curiousity, what was your 2 digit score?)

Any three digit score above a 238 (or was it 236?) this year was a "99"...so to answr your question, 99.

 

[blz]

these threads would be useful if the person who posted them frequently replied to give on the spot advice, which you can't really do from the step1 experiences thread. however, given that this guy just posted this without really being available to answer questions, i find this whole thread useless and a sad attempt to showoff his score (eventhough i think his MCAT is a lot more impressive).

 

[tacrum43]

Wow, thanks for the great post OP!

I had been thinking that focusing on a more manageable number of resources was a good idea. Thanks for confirming that, and offering your helpful suggestions on which ones to use.

 

[dianamd]

these threads would be useful if the person who posted them frequently replied to give on the spot advice, which you can't really do from the step1 experiences thread. however, given that this guy just posted this without really being available to answer questions, i find this whole thread useless and a sad attempt to showoff his score (eventhough i think his MCAT is a lot more impressive).

It's true, the fact that the OP posts and then doesn't reply really negates the potential efficacy of these posts. And it shows them to be even more about the OP's ego than helping others.

Furthermore, the OP states that he made an original thread so that people could identify his post easily and see how to get his score. But in fact, when people do a search on Step 1 experiences, the official thread will come up -- not this one. So these types of threads ("My experience") are less helpful than posting in the original thread.

And of course, they reveal the OP's oversized ego, which is bad enough.

 

[babyMD]

Here are my stats:

MCAT: 30
NBME form 2: 247 (two weeks out)
Finished 60% Qbank (~74% average on last 300 random)
UW: 30% (~78% on last 250 random)

Actual score: 259/99

What I used:
FA--the step 1 BIBLE!! Must have
Path: Goljan!! (absolutely critical--both the audio and the book)
Pharm: Kaplan, BRS flashcards
Phys: BRS
Micro: Ridiculously simple--a MUST have!! and MicroCards
Biochem: Goljan--really good, btw
Anatomy/histo/mol bio/embryo: Kaplan-Anatomy book-incl neuroanatomy--I had ~25 anatomy q's and ~22 of them were neuroanatomy (so focus on that!)
Immuno: Last 80 pgs of Lange's "medical microbiology and immuno" by Levinson
Biostats/behavioral: Kaplan

I studied with a systems based approach for 4 weeks using a schedule a friend gave me, but I basically just used it to make sure I hit everything in those four weeks and to gauge my progress.
At the 2 week mark, I took NBME form 2, and then hit my week points for a week, then just did questions for the last week.
The day before the test (I'm too type A to take off the day before a test--MUST CRAM!!) but, if you can, I would stronly suggest taking it completely off or cutting your studying off around 2pm.

Don't worry if you come out of the test feeling like you bombed it. I felt that my range was anywhere from 170-240. I never would have guessed 259.

Suggestions:
1) Only study for 6 weeks. Everyone told me I should start my studying at the beginning of 2nd year and even hit it hard Christmas break and spring break. DON'T DO IT!! It will only frustrate you and you won't remember ANYTHING you studied. Take Christmas break and spring break as your summer break and ENJOY IT!! Come back ready to hit the books hard.
--I would suggest using your review books along with your class notes. At my school, our schedule was basically 2 weeks, then a test, so I would use my review books that first week, starting w/ embryo-->anatomy/histo-->phys-->path-->pharm and especially look at FA!! It has a lot of great mnemonics that would have made classwork a lot easier. It will also help sort through the mass of material you're responsible for and let you know what you really need to know.

2) GOLJAN, GOLJAN, GOLJAN, GOLJAN!!! you MUST have his audio. I listened to every one of his lectures at least 30 times. I just dropped them all on my iPod and listened to him whenever I was doing ANYTHING (gym, walking to/from the library, eating, etc.) I picked up tons of easy points just from listening to him and every time i listened to him, I learned something new, or made new associations. The guy's just simply AMAZING!!
--His book is actually pretty terrible UNLESS you have his audio--then it's about as amazing as he is. It has really good charts, pics, high yield points, etc. I did print out his 100pg HY notes, but didn't get a chance to go through them.

3) UW!! The test is JUST LIKE UW! If I could do anything differently, I would have switched my time to more UW/less Qbank. Qbank is good for spot checking (ie, study cardio, then do a cardio block--see how much you retained) but UW really makes you think 3 or 4 steps at a time--just like the actual test. The test format is exactly like UW and I thought the difficulty was pretty comparable (sorry guys, it's not a lot easier)

4) Find a schedule and STICK TO IT!! Those 6 weeks of studying you MUST get through ALL the material. Don't worry if you don't feel like anything's sticking--that's what the practice q's are for (and read the explanations--they bring concepts together)
Schedule in days off!! You will get burned out if you don't take a day off here or there. I didn't have one specific day of the week that i took off, but I had several events I wanted to go to, so I just used those as my days off--and ENJOY them guilt free. If you work hard on your days on, you can enjoy your days off.
Also, have a daily schedule of what you want to accomplish (ie, study 7-11:30, work out/lunch, study 2-6, supper break, study 7-11) that was pretty much my day every day.

5) Focus on material at the beginning of the 6 weeks and questions at the end. I don't learn very much from questions. I have to have the basics down and then try to learn how to use them. You may be different so just do what you have been doing for 2 years and don't change now. I did more q's the last week than i did the 5 weeks leading up to it combined. Also, it gets quicker to read the explanations if you're "reviewing" instead of "learning" the material. These 6 weeks are all about time management.

6) Don't listen to ANYBODY those last 6 weeks. Everyone's different and learns in different ways. Get a system down and stick to it. The worst thing to do is see someone with a different review book (that just happens to be "THE REVIEW BOOK" for that topic) remember, it's better to KNOW one source than to "get the gist" of 3 different books.

7) Pharm/micro/immuno--These were my lowest scores on Qbank (and had me really worried going into the test) but were actually the most straightforward on the test. Def study them, but don't stress over them. I had a 40% average in Micro/immuno in Qbank, but had the * off the chart (on the good side) on all three of these sections so don't let these stress you out.

8) Annotate FA as you go (during the first 4 weeks). I memorize by writing and my FA was ridiculous after that month i had written so much in it. Those last 2 weeks, all you want to do is use FA and Qbank/UW bc you don't have time to keep flipping back b/w all your books. I actually left all my books at home and ONLY had my Goljan path and FA with me those last two weeks.

9) 2-3 days before test day--make sure you hit EVERY SINGLE behavioral science/biostats question (and immuno if you have time). There were a lot of "what would you say next to this patient" that would have been difficult, but Qbank and UW do a pretty good job of covering the important things.
Also, go back through the neuroanatomy in FA--that was really high yield for me.

10) Last, but most importantly, on test day....RELAX!! (I know, you think it's impossible) but, no, really. You've studied SO HARD for this. Take your time and don't let yourself make stupid mistakes. I took the full time in each block. There was no way I was skimping on the time to get out of there faster. I took the full break time too (5 min, 5, 5, 15-lunch, 10, 10). I really didn't feel that fatigued and it was amazing how fast the hour went by when I was taking q's.
What I would suggest is if you don't know that answer immediately, skip it or mark it and come back to it. (I prefer to answer it and mark it so I don't forget to answer one) I would usually end a block on first pass w/ about 15-20 min to spare, go back and hit any that I had to think about/calculate anything (btw, i didn't have a single hard calculation--one sensitivity calc...but a lot of conceptually twisted stuff) which usually left about 5-8 min, and then hit the ones I just didn't know, then start going through from the top and making sure i didn't put the wrong ans for one of the q's I actually knew (I caught 3 q's that I meant to put one ans, and instead clicked a different one)

Sorry for writing so much, but there was someone who posted pretty close to this same system and it worked for me. I'm just trying to pass on some of what worked.

Good luck everyone and God bless!!

 

[nowai]

Wow, so many envious people.

Good job on the score OP and thanks for your advice.

 

[Arctic Char]

i have what doctors call a little bit of a hangover.

but i can still type.

step 1 sucked. the test was tailor made for my weaknesses. i studied totally wrong for the test. i did not use first aid as much as i should have, and that is my biggest regret. i went about studying for this thing in the same stubborn way i do most things. but, for a change, the outcome on this one is probably a bad one. i was thrown TONS of microbial pharm - random side effects i didn't know and obscure applications - and a lot of reproductive pathology as well. my two weakest areas. and seriously - who really study's these two topics greatly? they are in the frigin very back of any book, any review text imaginable. i never get around to the very last chapters very deeply. ****ing UW had what, 11 questions on repro? yet step 1 gave me at least 30-40 questions on the subject . . . UGH!!!!!

as far as the questions requiring you to think - they are easy. easy cheesy. the kinds of questions are clear on the exam: the ones that ask you to think, the ones that ask you to regurgitate, and the ones that are meant to challenge you. once you clarify what kind of question it is, you can then apply your mind appropriately. this is key. well, its key for any standardized test really. but, that also requires that you know what to do when you get there. but i was very, VERY surprised at how much the test required me to have memorized. everyone says its a test about understanding and thinking, and to some degree thats true - but i was shocked to have been asked questions that were clearly asking me "did you memorize this?" e.g. every last side effect and application of every last microbial pharmacological agent - AND I HAVE TWO DEGREES IN PHARM!!!!!!!

but, pharmacology degrees - NOT pharmacy. so, any cell and molec is kosher, just not random bull$hit that not even a pharmacist knows.

speaking of cell and molec. i had very little. i got one HOX question that was pointless. and one question about enhancers that a ******ed puppy could have answered. and very little biochem. damnit, i was desperatly hoping for more cell and molec and biochem. the NBME must have seen my grades from the last two years and made an exam *just* for me . . . bastards.

the anatomy was ridiculously easy. i probably screwed a few up though. i mean, for the most part, for any given subject, the questions are easy on step 1 . . . its the answer choices that are impossible. for instance: you'll narrow it down to two choices that differ as much as the words re-position and translocation. have fun figuring that one out (but please don't have fun giving a $hit).

hmm, what else . . . micro wasn't so bad. and micro is a weak area for me. just make sure you know it well. its relatively straightforward. ooh, reminds me - i got a mucor question!! i had reviewed that only two days beforehand and got a little lucky. but i had very little, if any, virology. thank god. lots of bacteriology that was straighforward - but they asked me to know the specific 2nd choice antimicrobial for any and every given species. unbelievable. i'm not talking ceftriaxone for gonorrhea (or however the hell you spell that thing) . .. i'm talking every single last thing noted in first aid. every detail. i made the mistake of perusing it, glancing at it thinking it wasn't important.

phys - there were no tricks. just be able to read and understand anything in BRS phys and you are golden. don't waste your time memorizing too much of it though . . . just make sure the information is integrated into a stable, working framework in your mind. from there the exam will give you the answer.

i would say that 85% of my exam was the long-winded, 6-10 line passages that take up half the page. not everyone gets a lot of these, but i got them almost exclusively. especially the last two blocks, which was nice because by that time in the exam i wasn't tired or anything, i just wanted to read more and more about a question i wouldn't know the ****ing answer to. i mean, seriously, at that point in the exam, making me read that much they might as well hand the mouse over to my 8-month-old niece, and just let her go to town waving the thing all over the screen and babbling jibberish. WHICH, is probably what i would have done if the testing center didn't have me on video camera.


embryology . . . not much. had a question about the origin of melanocytes. which . . . wait a sec . . . let me go check that out . . . YES!!! i'm a genius. neural crest baby . . .

biostats - UW annoyed me, but it was a life saver. do UW biostats a day or two before the test and you are rock solid. at least thats how it worked for me, i can't make any gurantees for you.

i don't know if i got this question right or not, but in my estimation the appropriate first approach to a 16 year-old female is "So, what's going on?" . . . it was better than any other answer choices and i've seen other docs do it this way and seemed to work well. weird question though. thats one funny thing about the behvioral/bioethics/physician-patient questions: you can study it al day, and do a ton of questions, but the NBME is very talented at giving you very little to choose from and making it a tough question to answer. just remember - as opposed to reallife - referral is never the correct answer on step 1.

so, i guess i'll summarize by saying: yes you have to have first aid memorized. all of it. no, that is not enough. you need to do thousands of questions as well. i focused on the latter and it got me a lot of questions right. not memorizing FA hurt me big time though. we'll see what my score is, but i Know - with a capital K - that it will not be superfly dynamite.

before the test i was sitting outside the door with 3 people who were sitting for their MCAT . . . that put things in a good perspective for me, 'cause i hated the MCAT more than anything, and no matter how poorly i do on step 1 i still will have an MD and a job somewhere. so, i had more sympathy for them than for myself.

memorize first aid, do all of UW thoroughly, and listen to goljan lectures. then use a napkin when you finish eating the USMLE for breakfast.

save the leftovers for step 2.

good luck to anyone else yet to take it. and lastly, but most surely, THANK YOU to everyone here on SDN who has been supportive, sharing, informative, civil, entertaining, and otherwise an important resource. i wish i had heeded some of your words better than i did. but thank you nonetheless. you guys are all great, nomatter what your scores are!!

going to the mountain

 

[Sage880]

Wow, that test sucked! Not unfair or anything - just hard. I did Qbank, USMLEWorld, and all 4 NMBE's and thought they were all easier. Hardly any questions that were "gut-shot" answers. Didn't feel that there was much pathology on it at all. Almost all patho-phys. They'd describe a disease but it would be ridiculously obvious and then ask some weird patho-phys question that I'd have to think about for 10 minutes to even find a way the disease would act on that parameter.

Anyway, here's what I was hoping going into it:

Super happy score: >250
Expected score from NBME exams: 240-250
Minimum score to not send me into a depression spiral: >230

Expected score after that test: 215-225.

I'll let you know (in case anyone cares) what I get in 4-6 weeks. Before you all flame me saying I should be happy with anything over 215, I'm an IMG. So anything under 230 makes me ineligible for most residency programs. And, realistically, we kinda need 240 to really have a chance these days.

Well, at least if I get a low score it will make my decision where to practice a little easier. Roll on Canada!

 

[Arctic Char]

Wow, that test sucked! Not unfair or anything - just hard. I did Qbank, USMLEWorld, and all 4 NMBE's and thought they were all easier. Hardly any questions that were "gut-shot" answers. Didn't feel that there was much pathology on it at all. Almost all patho-phys. They'd describe a disease but it would be ridiculously obvious and then ask some weird patho-phys question that I'd have to think about for 10 minutes to even find a way the disease would act on that parameter.

Anyway, here's what I was hoping going into it:

Super happy score: >250
Expected score from NBME exams: 240-250
Minimum score to not send me into a depression spiral: >230

Expected score after that test: 215-225.

I'll let you know (in case anyone cares) what I get in 4-6 weeks. Before you all flame me saying I should be happy with anything over 215, I'm an IMG. So anything under 230 makes me ineligible for most residency programs. And, realistically, we kinda need 240 to really have a chance these days.

Well, at least if I get a low score it will make my decision where to practice a little easier. Roll on Canada!

dude, i hear you. i'm in the same boat. i was shooting for 230 . . i'd be amazed if i broke 210. i'm also an "IMG" . . . so i know what you mean. that being said however, scoring high on step 1 helps you a lot, but not acing it appears to be quite forgivable from what i've seen. not by academic snobs like my old boss, but by people who are otherwise good and good to work with. so, a poor step is not the end of us . . . the nbme were abused children anyway

 

[jiy76]

Dude relax first of all i'm sure u did fine. second of all u dont need a 240 as an img to get a residency thats a little ridiculous to assume that people can get that kind of score. U should aim to beat the mean which is around 217 or so so getting in the 220's is fine. Obviously the higher the better but cmon its not easy to get a 240+ on this exam...despite all the ridiculously high scores posted on this forum.

 

[Sage880]

Dude relax first of all i'm sure u did fine. second of all u dont need a 240 as an img to get a residency thats a little ridiculous to assume that people can get that kind of score.

Hmmm, really? That's great that you're such a good resource for IMGs! I want to get into EM. Can you list all the IMG's you know with a non-FM or IM residency and their board scores?

 

[jiy76]

Umm buddy u said u need at least a 230+ and probably a 240+ for most residencies...thats completely inaccurate. You didnt mention specific residencies. Yes if u want to get EM a higher score is important and helps but step 2 scores as well as rotations and making connections helps just as well. so u are incorrect in either circumstance.