A couple questions regarding Step 1 Studying

[Tympany]

Hi, sorry I have a couple questions so please bear with me.

1. I just started M2 recently and I was thinking, let's say hypothetically I attend a school where grades do not matter. We have comprehensive exams that consist of Step 1 like-questions that we take seriously for our own benefit. I'm a better self-learner and I don't get too much out of our class powerpoints. If I just studied using Step 1 resources (First Aid, Pathoma, etc.), would that be sufficient enough to get a good Step 1 score?

2. Am I forgetting any material? I currently have First Aid, Pathoma, BRS Physiology, and Uworld. What else should I use for a great score?

3. I don't want to waste my uworld questions yet (recommendations here are to use it during dedicated studying time). Do people have toner recommendations for great test banks that won't break the bank?

Thanks!

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[mw18]

So a Yale student....

Haha, but as a fellow MS2 I obviously don't know, but I've read on here and heard from third and fourth years that the info you learn in class can be much more helpful on rotations and in life. So it is still important. Just what I've heard. I've often wondered the same thing about just studying for step 1, though. Tests matter where I go though.

 

[Tympany]

So a Yale student....

Haha, but as a fellow MS2 I obviously don't know, but I've read on here and heard from third and fourth years that the info you learn in class can be much more helpful on rotations and in life. So it is still important. Just what I've heard. I've often wondered the same thing about just studying for step 1, though. Tests matter where I go though.

Thanks for the input. If your tests mattered, but were still catered like Step-1 questions, would you study differently? You might miss a few low-yield questions using only Step 1 materials, but you still should be able to hit the major points, right?

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Pretty much everyone who starts M2 year and wants a decent Step 1 score puts class material on the backburner and does FA, Pathoma, and Qbank questions 90% of the time. Class powerpoints are crammed using recordings at 2.0x speed and the B's, C's, and couple of F's you may get are overshadowed by the sense of gratification you get when you open your score report.

No one cares about preclinical grades. Just don't fail whole blocks. Step 1 is more important.

 

[Tympany]

Thanks OnePunch. Regarding study material, did I miss anything listed above (Pathoma, BRS Physio, and First Aid)? I'm hearing mixed results about things like Goljan and stuff.

For question banks, I heard that we should save Uworld for our dedicated study time, and not to use it during the school year. Are there question banks that I should buy to use along with my classes? Maybe Kaplan?

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Thanks OnePunch. Regarding study material, did I miss anything listed above (Pathoma, BRS Physio, and First Aid)? I'm hearing mixed results about things like Goljan and stuff.

For question banks, I heard that we should save Uworld for our dedicated study time, and not to use it during the school year. Are there question banks that I should buy to use along with my classes? Maybe Kaplan?

If your asking for my perspective:

1.) Pathoma and FA are a must. BRS Phys is a great supplement for if you are weak in phys. If you are destroying phys in Qbank then there is no point in doing BRS.
2.) IMHO, Goljan Audio is out of date. The only reason I listened to it was because I like listening to podcasts while I run. It fit my schedule. I did not go out of my way to listen. The Goljan book is a great reference book, but I used it little for dedicated prep.
3.) Qbanks will be the best way to find out your weaknesses. If you are weak in a subject, review it in FA and do something else to supplement if you have time (micro = microcards, pharm = lange pharm cards). I recommend Kaplan during second year, I found it more comprehensive than USMLERx. Try to finish it before starting UWORLD.
4.) I've heard SO many people say wait until dedicated to start UWORLD. If I had listened to them I would not have done well on Step 1. I am super slow at going through UWORLD questions. I could only get through 2 sets a day. I started UWORLD in December of my M2 year and never regret my decision. I only had to get through it 1.5 times since my slow-style helped me learn it best. Start UWORLD when you feel ready, and don't rely on naysayers.

 

[Qester]

I personally learned the school information presented to me as best I could and it payed dividends on my Step 1 score, may not work for everyone but I was very happy with the preparation my school gave me.

 

[jqueb29]

Pretty much everyone who starts M2 year and wants a decent Step 1 score puts class material on the backburner and does FA, Pathoma, and Qbank questions 90% of the time. Class powerpoints are crammed using recordings at 2.0x speed and the B's, C's, and couple of F's you may get are overshadowed by the sense of gratification you get when you open your score report.

No one cares about preclinical grades. Just don't fail whole blocks. Step 1 is more important.

If you're at a school where there are no grades and no class rank, this is good advice. I wouldn't advise this for anyone who does have class rank though; it's perfectly manageable to do excellent in classes and on Step.

 

[MrWonderful]

 

[Vans42]

I got a 250+ and did FA, UWorld, Pathoma (although not all of it, and mostly the book, not the videos), and Sketchy micro (early in the year to study for my micro class). I also only studied for Step 1 during designated study time. Getting a good base is the best thing you can do.

FA 3x passes
UWorld 175% (untimed tutor, 20 questions in each set)
Pathoma (maybe 30%, although I did more to study for Path during the year)
Sketchy Micro (everything except viruses during first semester of MS2 - did not review for Step 1 designated study time)

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

If you're at a school where there are no grades and no class rank, this is good advice. I wouldn't advise this for anyone who does have class rank though; it's perfectly manageable to do excellent in classes and on Step.

Residency Program Directors seem to disagree, just look at Figure 1:
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PD-Survey-Report-2014.pdf

Class rank <<<<<<<< Step 1 score. This is true across the board.

If you are shooting for AOA, then yes, class rank and GPA matter. But for the medical student just trying to survive the minutia of 2nd year and get a great score, I'd take a great score over class rank any day.

 

[Qester]

Residency Program Directors seem to disagree, just look at Figure 1:
http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PD-Survey-Report-2014.pdf

Class rank <<<<<<<< Step 1 score. This is true across the board.

If you are shooting for AOA, then yes, class rank and GPA matter. But for the medical student just trying to survive the minutia of 2nd year and get a great score, I'd take a great score over class rank any day.

According to the Report you had linked it appears to me that:

On a 5 point scale a 4.1 (Step 1) isn't that much more significant than class ranking (3.9) across all specialties. So I definitely wouldn't say its "<<<<<<<< " important.
What you could say is that almost every program will evaluate your Step 1 (94%) while only about 7 of 10 programs will evaluate you class ranking (69%).

I think of it this way...If I am applying to only 10 programs, approximately 7 of the 10 will evaluate BOTH my step 1 and my class ranking and almost with equal consideration. So I wouldn't underestimate class rank by any means, I'd rather do well in both and impress 7 out of 10 programs, than rock one while making the other suffer hoping to impress the 3 out of 10 but potentially hurting my chances with the other 7.

Also in cases like Dermatology both Step 1 and Class Rank have a 4.3 rating (although again Step 1 is more likely evaluated).
For Internal Medicine 74% of programs will look at your class rank and give it a significance of 4.0.
Internal Medicine/pediatrics actually has Class rank (4.2) > Step 1 (4.1)
Neurology they are equal at 4.0, as with pediatrics.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

According to the Report you had linked it appears to me that:

On a 5 point scale a 4.1 (Step 1) isn't that much more significant than class ranking (3.9) across all specialties. So I definitely wouldn't say its "<<<<<<<< " important.
What you could say is that almost every program will evaluate your Step 1 (94%) while only about 7 of 10 programs will evaluate you class ranking (69%).

I think of it this way...If I am applying to only 10 programs, approximately 7 of the 10 will evaluate BOTH my step 1 and my class ranking and almost with equal consideration. So I wouldn't underestimate class rank by any means, I'd rather do well in both and impress 7 out of 10 programs, than rock one while making the other suffer hoping to impress the 3 out of 10 but potentially hurting my chances with the other 7.

Also in cases like Dermatology both Step 1 and Class Rank have a 4.3 rating (although again Step 1 is more likely evaluated).
For Internal Medicine 74% of programs will look at your class rank and give it a significance of 4.0.
Internal Medicine/pediatrics actually has Class rank (4.2) > Step 1 (4.1)
Neurology they are equal at 4.0, as with pediatrics.

You're counting grains of sand, in a desert, on a massive continent known as "USMLE Step 1" (I hear it sucks there). The big picture here is that Step 1 score is king.

All I'm saying is, if you had to choose one, choose Step over class rank. Many students HAVE to choose just one! There are TONS of very smart people in medical school, some can knock Step 1 out of the park and also get A's on all their exams. I'm speaking for the students who can't do that. The students who are tired of all the low-yield minutia crammed into their heads by professors who are only lecturing because they bring in the most research money and don't even bother to teach the topics that appear on the USMLE.

You can be #1 in your class, AOA, GHHS, a damn Nobel Peace Prize winner, that 215 on Step 1 sure as heck isn't going to get you that ENT/Derm/Plastics/Ortho residency you always wanted. Get a 250+ and the doors all open.

We can count decimal places all day and fool ourselves into a false sense of intellectual superiority, or into thinking that one factor is more important than it really is. But at the end of the day, when you decide on a specialty, you are going to walk into your dean's office and say "I want to go into X." Their first question is going to be "Well what is your Step 1 score?"

 

[Dracula5000]

You're counting grains of sand, in a desert, on a massive continent known as "USMLE Step 1" (I hear it sucks there). The big picture here is that Step 1 score is king.

All I'm saying is, if you had to choose one, choose Step over class rank. Many students HAVE to choose just one! There are TONS of very smart people in medical school, some can knock Step 1 out of the park and also get A's on all their exams. I'm speaking for the students who can't do that. The students who are tired of all the low-yield minutia crammed into their heads by professors who are only lecturing because they bring in the most research money and don't even bother to teach the topics that appear on the USMLE.

You can be #1 in your class, AOA, GHHS, a damn Nobel Peace Prize winner, that 215 on Step 1 sure as heck isn't going to get you that ENT/Derm/Plastics/Ortho residency you always wanted. Get a 250+ and the doors all open.

We can count decimal places all day and fool ourselves into a false sense of intellectual superiority, or into thinking that one factor is more important than it really is. But at the end of the day, when you decide on a specialty, you are going to walk into your dean's office and say "I want to go into X." Their first question is going to be "Well what is your Step 1 score?"

You hit the nail on the coffin, TOTALLY agree with you on this. Metrics are KING! Everything else is either filler or BS.

And I have a saying, MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ****! THE RARE FEW WHO DO, HAVE EITHER TASTED IT OR STEPPED IN IT BEFORE!