MS1 here so I can speak to this a little bit
1. Failing a quiz - sounds pretty terrible, right?? The reality is that it's not a big deal so don't get too stressed by that! We have quizzes every 2-3 weeks, with each cycle having 4 quizzes - 1 for each of the courses we are taking. Given that it's piled up like that, there are just going to be times where you don't get to prep enough for a particular class. Sometimes you just have a lot of personal things going on during that particular 2 week stretch that makes it very difficult to keep on top of the material during that time period and so unfortunately, you may fail a quiz. Luckily - the only thing that actually matters is whether or not you pass the course!
I, myself, failed a quiz this past term *GASP* lol but I did have some acute personal family issues on my plate on during that cycle of quizzes and had little time to really learn the material to the level of detail that was required. How did the rest of the course end up? Somewhere >90% for my course average which is forever recorded as a P (No Honors)!
Moral of the story is - we all strive to do the best we can, but because we are a pass/fail school WITHOUT rank during our first two years (pretty important too IMO), it ultimately gives us the flexibility to not have to ALWAYS worry about school and instead, gives us the freedom to be a real person who will sometimes have to deal with real world personal issues, so long as we quickly return to making school our priority. As a result, I feel like I've really been able to enjoy my time in medical school, make some amazing friends, keep active by going to the gym and going out, and visit friends in Boston/New England all while still being able to do well in my medical school courses since I have the peace of mind knowing that I can take a small hit, if necessary, and it won't have serious repercussions. Whether this is specific to Dartmouth or just any true pass/fail med school, I can't say - all I know is that it is definitely the case here lol.
That said, I don't want people to think that we take advantage of this and aim for a 70% aka just passing either lol. Students here definitely work hard because they want to do as well as they can, even though they know they won't be receiving Honors, no matter what they score. We all want to feel that we know the material as well as possible for the sake of our futures as health care providers. Hope that gives you a better insight into the whole "failing a quiz" comment!
2. I've heard the same thing from MS3 and MS4's as well. I haven't been using a Step I study aid in conjunction with my classes, although I know some classmates who do (which they say is quite helpful for some courses where the material is not necessarily as organized). Since I'm only an MS1, I'm probably not the most helpful person for this topic - sorry!!
3. For Boards - I believe we still offer 5-6 weeks of prep but I'm not entirely certain. If there are any 2nd years on here, they would definitely be able to answer that for you!
If you have any other questions - feel free to post them and I'll try to give answers whenever I'm on here!