A question from MS1 starting this July.

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First Aid, BRS path or Rapid Review Path and BRS physiology. Go through those when you go through your blocks. They may seem like bare bones compared to your classes but dont fret it because itll be more than what you need to know for the boards. Oh, and Goljan pathology audio lectures too.
 
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DrHuang, thanks! That seems like quite a bit of a list, but I am sure you have much experience behind the advise. I really appreciate it.
 
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Dude, I didn't even know what Step 1 was until halfway through first year and I did fine so you're way ahead of the game.

But yeah, picking yourself up a copy of First Aid isn't the worst thing in the world. I also like BRS Physio, it's really good for just basic physiology and you'll use it in board prep too. Hmm...if you really struggle with Embryo a boards prep book may help but it's so low yield for Step 1 I can't wholeheartedly recommend it. Maybe HY Neuro depending on how much neuroanatomy you learn first year?

Aside from that, just a word of advice. You're being admitted now so you'll be the class of 2013 right? Just be too careful of getting too worked up about Step 1. Each year we get closer and closer to the eventually change over to the new testing system the NBME wants to start with two "Gateway" exams instead of three steps. If I was a betting man, I still think the entering class will use the old system (Since they haven't really come very public with the "new" system yet) but you never know.
 
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It looks like you're going to be at BCM, so clearly you're fairly intelligent. With one of the highest step 1 averages in the nation, I don't think you'll have any problems with this test! With that said, keep in mind that the biggest lesson to learn is that the books which work for other people may not work for you. For example, everyone trumped up First Aid, and I unfortunately have 2 copies of it (2 different years) and I really hated the book. Still, you could use that as your outline and branch out from there. Keep in mind that First Aid is insufficient for medical school tests. This is a major reason why many of my classmates managed mediocre test scores-- "but I knew everything in First Aid"!
 
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Anon-y-mouse, thanks for the reassurance. And yes, I know it may not work for me when it may work for others...I will keep that in my mind. I will definintely have to wait till orientation to see what books are offered and peruse through to see what may catch my eye the best.
 
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Honor everything in Years 1 and 2, and that's your Step 1 prep right there.

I didn't even purchase First Aid until 2nd year had ended and I still did spectacularly.
 
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NPR said:
Honor everything in Years 1 and 2, and that's your Step 1 prep right there.

I didn't even purchase First Aid until 2nd year had ended and I still did spectacularly.
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QFT; The best way to do well on step 1 us to do well in your classes. And no, Goljan audio wont redundant with BRS path but using RR Path and Goljan audio probaby would be.
 
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NPR said:
Honor everything in Years 1 and 2, and that's your Step 1 prep right there.

I didn't even purchase First Aid until 2nd year had ended and I still did spectacularly.
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Could you elaborate on your study methods for 1st and 2nd year? I'm about to start 2nd year, but just wanted to see how you went about studying for lecture and exams. Thanks for the help!
 
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DrHuang said:
First Aid, BRS path or Rapid Review Path and BRS physiology. Go through those when you go through your blocks. They may seem like bare bones compared to your classes but dont fret it because itll be more than what you need to know for the boards. Oh, and Goljan pathology audio lectures too.
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This is overkill. Do not do this. Pour all your effort into whichever class you're currently taking. This is your board prep. Plain and simple. Also, pick up first aid (FA) in the summer between your first and second year and just peek at it. then, glance at FA all throughout your second year, as an auxiliary resource. when second year ends you'll be very familiar with your FA, which will facilitate studying. Do not do any path now!! that's freakin insane! Start worrying about path in your second year, buy RR path, and listen to goljan. You will kill step 1 with this advice, as long as you're reasonably bright and put in some effort.
 
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BrisketAttack said:
This is overkill. Do not do this. Pour all your effort into whichever class you're currently taking. This is your board prep. Plain and simple. Also, pick up first aid (FA) in the summer between your first and second year and just peek at it. then, glance at FA all throughout your second year, as an auxiliary resource. when second year ends you'll be very familiar with your FA, which will facilitate studying. Do not do any path now!! that's freakin insane! Start worrying about path in your second year, buy RR path, and listen to goljan. You will kill step 1 with this advice, as long as you're reasonably bright and put in some effort.
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BCM has a fully integrated curriculum that spans 18 months. "Do not do any path now" is bad advice, since students pretty much hit the ground running with all disciplines. However, I do agree that the primary focus should be on doing well in school, and boards after the preclinical curriculum finishes!
 
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FadingPromise said:
Hey guys,

I am a student just about to start the medical school from this July. I know that it is very early to worry about step I already; however, I just thought it would never hurt to ask ahead and be somewhat prepared (not in studying...but just knowing some basic info).

I talked to upperclass students in my school and asked about experience with boards. While it was hard to integrate all their advises since everyone has a different way of working, it seemed that many suggested I buy a review book or two on Board exams at the orientation. Then, they told me look at it now and then while studying through my blocks so that I can keep some big pictures about what is happening with my learning in school curriculum and integrate it with Board test information.

My question is, was this doable for anyone? And if so, I really wanted to know which book was most helpful for doing this. People seem to suggest different book, and I thought many people have done spectacular here on board in this site. So a small advise would be appreciated a lot.

I am not a gunner 🙂 I am actually quite far from that corner and I struggle to meet my ends meet in standardized tests...so any information would be very helpful. I read some threads already in Faqs but couldn't find an integrated answer for this question. If I missed something, I apologize ahead.

Thanks in advance guys. Have a good day.
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FadingPromise, isn't Baylor College of Medicine's policy pretty lax when it comes to Step 1? I think you can take it WHENEVER you want literally. You just have to have a passing score before graduation. So with that, things will be less stressful, while other medical students have to cram it at the end of MS-2 in order to promote to MS-3.

Yes, borrow a used first Aid, you can go to half-price bookstores and get it a 2006 or 2007 edition. Use it along with your classes and the books that are recommended in FA and here on SDN by people who did well (which is like everybody), but you'll see similarities in books that were chosen.

Then buy the new First Aid the year you are taking it. Baylor's basic sciences are only a year and a half. So you pretty much get a six month gap after wards in which you should take your boards.
 
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Doctor4Life1769 said:
Could you elaborate on your study methods for 1st and 2nd year? I'm about to start 2nd year, but just wanted to see how you went about studying for lecture and exams. Thanks for the help!
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I studied for Step 1 like I studied for Year 2 and Year 1. I know I hated this advice when I received it but you should study the same way you've always studied as it works for you.

My method has always been to get through things quickly but to do it over and over and over again. I tried to slow down and be more thorough during Step 1 studying but I just couldn't change at this stage of the game.

So again, as I mentioned, repetition was the key for me. So in 2nd year, I would go to class and force myself to take notes by hand just to stay awake (I wouldn't actually look at the notes again unless the lecturer had mentioned something I couldn't find elsewhere)

Once classes were done, I'd go over the syllabus, the powerpoints, any review book resources, and frontnotes/backnotes once. Before I slept, I'd go over everything again. I'd use every weekend to go over everything again. And I would take one final glance at everything in the final week before exams.

Worked well for me, was able to honor most of my 2nd year courses.
 
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oh, i see. i wasn't sure what BCM was. my proposed study methods would obviously work best with a conventional, subject-based, two year curriculum. as such, my previous advice doesn't apply too well. best of luck to you anyway.
 
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I'd agree that the best you can do is study for your actual coursework. Any memorization you do for the step will be completely wasted.

I bought a copy of FA that was ~2 years out of date at half price books and kept it on the toilet (no joke) and flipped through it every now and then during my classes. It's better to get an understanding of what's on the test, rather than trying to memorize it solely for the boards (eg, oh, I'm responsible for the urea cycle...that's good to know, maybe I'll make sure I really have that down before my biochem test)
 
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BrisketAttack said:
This is overkill. Do not do this. Pour all your effort into whichever class you're currently taking. This is your board prep. Plain and simple. Also, pick up first aid (FA) in the summer between your first and second year and just peek at it. then, glance at FA all throughout your second year, as an auxiliary resource. when second year ends you'll be very familiar with your FA, which will facilitate studying. Do not do any path now!! that's freakin insane! Start worrying about path in your second year, buy RR path, and listen to goljan. You will kill step 1 with this advice, as long as you're reasonably bright and put in some effort.
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I meant do what I said as he was going through his blocks, not off the bat...thats just crazy.
 
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During your first two years of medical school, read through the corresponding section of First Aid. If you are gunning for 240+...read through Rapid Review Pathology along with your pathology coursework. Otherwise try to do extremely well in your coursework and therefore learning the information thoroughly the first time around.
 
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DrHuang said:
First Aid, BRS path or Rapid Review Path and BRS physiology. Go through those when you go through your blocks. They may seem like bare bones compared to your classes but dont fret it because itll be more than what you need to know for the boards. Oh, and Goljan pathology audio lectures too.
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Totally agree. Buy a First Aid and use it/make notes in it during first year. Do the same with your BRS Phys and BRS or Goljan Path and use them to study for step. Goljan lectures are awesome but don't start them until after you have had path for a month or two- they assume you know the fundamental path he is talking about.

Congrats on starting your first year!!
 
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ALL YOUR HARD WORK SPENT ANNOTATING THROUGH THE FIRST TWO YEARS WILL BE WORTHLESS BY THE TIME YOU START STUDYING.

well maybe not all, but most... that little note you wrote down that made perfect sense will either be completely incomprehensible or youll realize is irrelevant. you have to be in a mindset to study for step, you cant casually do it. so either be a huge gunner/nerd/rockstar/whatever and go balls to the wall constantly or just do as well as you can in your classes and then worry about step 1 once youre done with your second year. it will all come back if you learned it, it will be very difficult to have to learn it for the first time again.
 
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DrHuang said:
I meant do what I said as he was going through his blocks, not off the bat...thats just crazy.
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yeah, i'm a dolt, and i misunderstood. my brain's mush at this point. been drinking all day every day since the step. just yesterday i forgot what a pancreas was. seriously, i forgot it's anatomical location and function. took me about 3 minutes to remember. man, 3rd year's gonna be a blast. gotta lay off the sauce.
 
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I think its best to get advice straight from the horse's mouth:
http://www.nbme.org/PDF/ItemWriting_2003/2003IWGwhole.pdf

The particularly highyield part is Section II:Writing One-Best-Answer Questions for the Basic and Clinical Sciences.

It is from 2003, so the out-of-date section for Step 1 is the section III about 'extended matching', which is no longer used on step 1 exams.

In terms of how to use this information, I found it helpful to study by doing practice questions. As well, it wouldn't hurt yourself to write your own questions on material you find difficult. In this way, you would begin to appreciate and understand the test-maker's framework for how they construct questions from the material you are studying. (ie Never memorize one page from First Aid or Robbins pathology). You must be integrating everything you read and annotating the margins of review books with what you read in class (which is what Goljan is famous for with his pathology textbook, Rapid Review of Pathology). The best studiers, and test-takers are able to 'synthesize and apply' if you will (I'm quoting from this NBME manual). I know this response to your question is somewhat vague, as I don't recommend certain textbooks, but at this point, starting medical school, I think you must be adapted to the material, esp. how it is tested, to help guide your studying.
In other study strategies, I found at bootleg version of FirstAid2007 in PDF format on the web. It was very helpful to use adobe's search feature to look up terms. For example, a search for the term 'edema' appears over 46 times and if you use the advanced search feature, you can scan thru the results to see edema assoc. with Kwashiokor disease and capillary fluid exchange in cardio physiology section. That's what the boards are made of!

*Spoiler* The guide contains actual NBME practice test questions. You know, like the ones you pay $45 for 😉
 
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Thanks Tumed. I am surprised I am getting so many nice responses...now I actually have more answers than I thought I would get 🙂
 
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BUMP

I'm not very good with standardized tests, so I really need to get something that I can read as I go through each block. Ideally, I would finish my anatomy block, and spend a few days going over the anatomy portion of step 1, make notes, etc... then go to the next block, and do the same when the block is over.

Does everyone still recommend first aid for doing this? The reason I ask is because there's this new first aid book I've been hearing about (a much longer version). Are there any other books you think I should use (e.g. BRS)?

thank you! 🙂
 
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phospho said:
I'm not very good with standardized tests, so I really need to get something that I can read as I go through each block. Ideally, I would finish my anatomy block, and spend a few days going over the anatomy portion of step 1, make notes, etc... then go to the next block, and do the same when the block is over.

Does everyone still recommend first aid for doing this? The reason I ask is because there's this new first aid book I've been hearing about (a much longer version). Are there any other books you think I should use (e.g. BRS)?
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There are three problems with this:

1) First Aid doesn't have an "anatomy" section, "biochemistry" section, etc. It's divided up by organ systems, not by subjects.

2) First Aid anatomy is VERY rudimentary compared to what you need to know for class.

3) There is actually very little anatomy on the exam. Most of the topics on Step 1 are from 2nd year.
 
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smq123 said:
There are three problems with this:

1) First Aid doesn't have an "anatomy" section, "biochemistry" section, etc. It's divided up by organ systems, not by subjects.

2) First Aid anatomy is VERY rudimentary compared to what you need to know for class.

3) There is actually very little anatomy on the exam. Most of the topics on Step 1 are from 2nd year.
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I do realize that most of the studying I'll be doing is in M2, but I would like to be able to remember that small amount of anatomy, biochemistry, etc... that we take in year 1. And you're right, they are only a few pages in First Aid that cover those, which is why I'm thinking that the extended version of first aid might be better. Do you still think that would be stupid?

Also, quick question, do you have any idea what the name of that new first aid "extended version" book is?
 
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First Aid is just First Aid... it is getting longer. It has something like 60 more topics this year than last.

There are 2 new books, First Aid General Principles and First Aid Organ Systems that are intended to be supplemental to First Aid... but the reviews I've read aren't the best. If you're looking for something to supplement your M1-M2 coursework, talk to the students at your school and see what they recommend as having the best fit for your class. When it comes down to USMLE study, First Aid + a few select review texts will probably do the job (also a QBank)
 
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Depakote said:
First Aid is just First Aid... it is getting longer. It has something like 60 more topics this year than last.

There are 2 new books, First Aid General Principles and First Aid Organ Systems that are intended to be supplemental to First Aid... but the reviews I've read aren't the best. If you're looking for something to supplement your M1-M2 coursework, talk to the students at your school and see what they recommend as having the best fit for your class. When it comes down to USMLE study, First Aid + a few select review texts will probably do the job (also a QBank)
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thanks for the post... quick question, what is Qbank? is it like when you're studying for the MCAT and you buy a membership with kaplan? or is it a book?

thanks🙂
 
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phospho said:
thanks for the post... quick question, what is Qbank? is it like when you're studying for the MCAT and you buy a membership with kaplan? or is it a book?

thanks🙂
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They're online.

http://www.usmleworld.com/
^that's the good one

Kaplan has one too, but 🙄
 
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phospho said:
I do realize that most of the studying I'll be doing is in M2, but I would like to be able to remember that small amount of anatomy, biochemistry, etc... that we take in year 1. And you're right, they are only a few pages in First Aid that cover those, which is why I'm thinking that the extended version of first aid might be better. Do you still think that would be stupid?
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I think it's mostly just a waste of time. It's not even that a few pages in FA cover those topics - in many cases, it's just a few paragraphs.

I would annotate BRS physio, though - THAT will help you when it comes to Step 1 prep time. Don't worry too much about "retaining" anatomy for Step 1, though.
 
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