Advice for final 1-2 weeks

[pathologyDO]

I'm in serious need of advice and a solid study plan. My USMLE is scheduled for 1 week away and I am scoring 20 pts below what I would at minimum want to score. I am considering postponing my exam another week to give me more time. However, my problem seems to be that I am not studying effectively. My NBMEs are looking like so:

May 31st NBME 15 -> 188

June 7th NBME 16 -> 200

June 14th (today) NBME 17 -> 200

As you can see after busting my @ss for the last week, my score remained the same. Here is my distribution for subjects on NBME (which btw, even the "extended feedback" seems absolutely worthless... but here it is). Please, please help me come up with a good study plan. I'm pretty much freaking out about not being able to do any better on these stupid tests!! I'm usually a good test taker so I'm not sure why the NBME format is messing with me so much.

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[Dharma]

How are you studying? What resources? Finished UW yet? Did you go through it thoroughly, i.e. all answers and explanations while taking notes? How is the FA run going? Pathoma?

If you're only hitting 200 a week out from the test, I'd consider bailing on the USMLE and just going with COMLEX (since you have that option). My NBME average ended up being my exact score on the real thing. Very good predictors, indeed.

 

[rodmichael82]

I would absolutely NOT sit the exam if you're scoring 200. You have a very high probability of actually failing the exam.
1) The exam is much harder than the NBMEs.
2) NBME 16 and 17 is probably most predictive and it's just not worth having a crap stain on your record for the rest of your life.
3) The exam is very heavy on pathology and the fact that you're borderline in Path is NOT good news.

Delay the exam. Watch the Pathoma videos and memorize that book cold. Focus all your energy after that on specific section in First aid (Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology). If you can focus on all of that you should be able to hit > 225.

 

[pathologyDO]

How are you studying? What resources? Finished UW yet? Did you go through it thoroughly, i.e. all answers and explanations while taking notes? How is the FA run going? Pathoma?

If you're only hitting 200 a week out from the test, I'd consider bailing on the USMLE and just going with COMLEX (since you have that option). My NBME average ended up being my exact score on the real thing. Very good predictors, indeed.

So yeah I've made a full pass through FA 15 but I started going through over Spring break so those sections (MSK, Cardio, GI) are starting to get fuzzy for me. I have 35% left on UWorld (avg 55%) and honestly wasn't spending much time reviewing the answers until recently. Pathoma I've gotten all the way through as well but again, parts I finished months ago and haven't reviewed since. I'm considering postponing my exam another 2 weeks so that I would have 3 weeks left to go through the material and I think with that much extra time there is no way I couldn't pull off a 220+ on the USMLE. I think I just need to refocus my study plan to get the score I need. Oh I forgot to mention... we were given Kaplan HY videos to watch but I haven't utilized those yet either...

I would absolutely NOT sit the exam if you're scoring 200. You have a very high probability of actually failing the exam.
1) The exam is much harder than the NBMEs.
2) NBME 16 and 17 is probably most predictive and it's just not worth having a crap stain on your record for the rest of your life.
3) The exam is very heavy on pathology and the fact that you're borderline in Path is NOT good news.

Delay the exam. Watch the Pathoma videos and memorize that book cold. Focus all your energy after that on specific section in First aid (Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology). If you can focus on all of that you should be able to hit > 225.

Thank you for this. I dunno how I was able to go up 12 pts the first week but then this last week I didn't improve at all, despite pulling 10-11 hour days. I mainly went through Reproduction in FA, Endocrine FA, and the corresponding Pathoma vids. I also focused hard on Picmonic micro cards as well as some pharm that I had been doing bad on. Unfortunately it seemed like NBME 17 hit all the points I didn't study this past week.

I know this is ridiculous but do you guys have some sort of schedule I could follow if I delay my exam to 3 weeks from tomorrow? I think with that much time there is no way I couldn't pull off 220+, especially since I've made my first pass through FA and this next pass will be connecting dots. I just need a solid schedule to stick with, I feel like that is really what is holding me back... inefficiency and no solid schedule

 

[Dharma]

I would absolutely NOT sit the exam if you're scoring 200. You have a very high probability of actually failing the exam.
1) The exam is much harder than the NBMEs.
2) NBME 16 and 17 is probably most predictive and it's just not worth having a crap stain on your record for the rest of your life.
3) The exam is very heavy on pathology and the fact that you're borderline in Path is NOT good news.

Delay the exam. Watch the Pathoma videos and memorize that book cold. Focus all your energy after that on specific section in First aid (Pathology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology). If you can focus on all of that you should be able to hit > 225.

Agree with everything. But #1 is a bit misleading. Yes, the real deal is more difficulty, but NBME scores tend to be pretty darn close to real deal. That said, yes, 200 is a bit too close to failing to take a chance.

OP do you have time to hunker down and hit all of the points mentioned above? Or will you be starting rotations soon? That makes a HUGE difference. I know most DO schools do not offer too much time for dedicated prep.

 

[Dharma]

and honestly wasn't spending much time reviewing the answers until recently.

There's your problem (or at least part of it). UW is a learning tool and if you aren't thoroughly reviewing ALL of the answers and explanations (balling charts, diagrams, pics, etc)... then you're not getting your money's worth. I'm not a fan of using UW % to extrapolate likely success on the USMLE (although I'm sure there is some correlation). Matters not... it's a solid learning tool but only IF used correctly.

 

[pathologyDO]

Agree with everything. But #1 is a bit misleading. Yes, the real deal is more difficulty, but NBME scores tend to be pretty darn close to real deal. That said, yes, 200 is a bit too close to failing to take a chance.

OP do you have time to hunker down and hit all of the points mentioned above? Or will you be starting rotations soon? That makes a HUGE difference. I know most DO schools do not offer too much time for dedicated prep.

fortunately my first rotation doesn't begin until August 4th, and we don't have orientation until July 21st I believe so I do have some time to delay but have to get permission to do so

 

[pathologyDO]

Alright I went ahead and rescheduled both USMLE and COMLEX, I wont take either for 3 weeks. But I still need to get a schedule together!!

 

[aspiringmd1015]

is your UW cumulative on random? or doing it system based?

 

[rodmichael82]

Alright I went ahead and rescheduled both USMLE and COMLEX, I wont take either for 3 weeks. But I still need to get a schedule together!!

Go through all of Pathoma. Break down the days by System. 2 days do Cardiovascular (Pathoma and then FA for Pathology) on one day and then the next day do the Physiology and Pharmacology. Similar to that do ALL of the organ system Cardiovascular, respiratory, Renal, endocrine, GI, Heme/Onc, women's health, MSK/Derm etc.
Then make 2 days for Immunology and Microbiology (straight up memorize everything in FA).
2 days for Biochemistry, 1 day for Biostatistics. At this point I wouldn't really put too much effort into Gross Anatomy and embryology. There's too much crap in Anatomy and embryo it's just not worth t. I would dedicate that time towards Pathology, Physiology, Pharm- the Big Ps.
Every single day do 2 timed blocks of Uworld. READ EVERY SINGLE EXPLANATION, EVERY SINGLE TABLE, READ EVERY SINGLE THING IN UWORLD. If you have to spend 6 hours doing those 2 Uworld blocks that's okay.
Find Goljan Audio PDF and read 5 pages a day. I think Goljan PDF file of his audio is pretty damn good.
That was my schedule for step 1 and it worked out pretty well. On the NBMEs for step 1 I was scoring in the 250s so it worked out for me. I think it's a systematic way of addressing everything.

 

[pathologyDO]

is your UW cumulative on random? or doing it system based?

completely random, timed, unused

 

[pathologyDO]

Go through all of Pathoma. Break down the days by System. 2 days do Cardiovascular (Pathoma and then FA for Pathology) on one day and then the next day do the Physiology and Pharmacology. Similar to that do ALL of the organ system Cardiovascular, respiratory, Renal, endocrine, GI, Heme/Onc, women's health, MSK/Derm etc.
Then make 2 days for Immunology and Microbiology (straight up memorize everything in FA).
2 days for Biochemistry, 1 day for Biostatistics. At this point I wouldn't really put too much effort into Gross Anatomy and embryology. There's too much crap in Anatomy and embryo it's just not worth t. I would dedicate that time towards Pathology, Physiology, Pharm- the Big Ps.
Every single day do 2 timed blocks of Uworld. READ EVERY SINGLE EXPLANATION, EVERY SINGLE TABLE, READ EVERY SINGLE THING IN UWORLD. If you have to spend 6 hours doing those 2 Uworld blocks that's okay.
Find Goljan Audio PDF and read 5 pages a day. I think Goljan PDF file of his audio is pretty damn good.
That was my schedule for step 1 and it worked out pretty well. On the NBMEs for step 1 I was scoring in the 250s so it worked out for me. I think it's a systematic way of addressing everything.

I will likely use this as my schedule! When you say goljan audio pdf, are you referring to his high yield notes or an audio transcript? And btw, nice job killin it!

 

[starstarie]

Also i would add that when you are going through the sources you need to do it actively. Don't just watch the video- take notes, say it out loud, or write it out in a wipeboard,or use flashcards. Youd be surprised at how much you can think you have learned when in reality most of it is just going in one ear and out the other.

 

[rodmichael82]

I will likely use this as my schedule! When you say goljan audio pdf, are you referring to his high yield notes or an audio transcript? And btw, nice job killin it!

I read his audio transcript (someone typed everything he said crazy but thanks to whoever that person is) and listened to his audio transcript and pathoma videos while at the gym or driving my car. You should do the same. Your previous scores indicate fundamental weakness in knowledge. Therefore, I would say if you can really absorb goljan audio and pathoma that alone should bring you into the > 220 zone. Just follow the schedule I talked about and I would be shocked if you don't improve at least 25 points.

The trick to Pharm, Micro and Biochemistry is to dedicate 15 minutes each running through 1 organ system drugs focusing on mechanisms and major side effects, running through 3-4 pages of micro and running through a pathway of biochem or 2-3 pages of biochem with focus on genetics, vitamins all on a daily basis. The daily repetition (sacrifice of 30-45 minutes a day) is what helps sink those relatively high yield topics. Those aren't things you just read one day and then go back to a couple weeks later.

Usmle step 1 was really just a long 12 hour grind for 3 weeks for me. Starting the day with my dedicated organ system (Pathoma and FA) or the Physio, Pharm for the organ system, then 6 hours of Uworld and then 30 minutes - 1 hour of the repetition of the memory heavy topics (Pharm, Micro, Biochem).

 

[ASharmaEarth411]

Memorizing is key.

 

[stevesteve123]

delay

 

[pathologyDO]

Alright so just touching back with progress. I completely reset UWorld to start fresh and not get bogged down by my low scores. My new average is 65% after 4 tests with a high of 68% and low of 61%. Now I know 4 tests isn't much yet but I wasn't able to break 55% on the first pass, so getting in mid-upper 60s is boosting my confidence. There are only 1 or 2 questions per exam that I just know the answer from memory, but those are the easier questions or ones with pictures. The rest I am actively thinking through before looking at answers and I am actually knowing the answers before looking at them.

@rodmichael82 , I've taken your advice and am going through all systems again with a new system every 2 days, going through Pathoma and actually hand writing notes as he talks - I never realized how much stuff I just glossed over and never really realized was important until doing this. Besides that I have also been listening to Goljan audio during lunch/dinner/car rides and sprinkling in some time set aside for micro each day. When I go through UWorld I am making anki cards over the topics and then the next morning reviewing to make sure I have all the things I missed down pat. I'm seriously hoping this is going to put me into the 230+ range come 2-1/2 weeks from now.

Anyways, thanks for all the help. I'm gunna post my progress on this thread for the next few weeks... who knows, maybe someone else will be inspired by it if I end up doing well 🙂

 

[pathologyDO]

Oh btw, this weekend I would like to do another practice exam. I have done NBME 15, 16, and 17... so should I go backwards and do an earlier NBME or do a UWSA?

 

[davezhan]

If I were you, I'd do the UWSAs. They come with explanations, so best to take advantage of that. Also, for me at least, all 3 of my exams 2 x UWSAs and NBME 17 gave me the same score albeit they were all quite low... but still it's predictive imo.

 

[pathologyDO]

If I were you, I'd do the UWSAs. They come with explanations, so best to take advantage of that. Also, for me at least, all 3 of my exams 2 x UWSAs and NBME 17 gave me the same score albeit they were all quite low... but still it's predictive imo.

I like the fact that they actually *gasp* give you explanations for the questions. My biggest buggaboo with NBME is even if you pay the extra $10 they don't even give you the correct answers.

 

[rodmichael82]

Oh btw, this weekend I would like to do another practice exam. I have done NBME 15, 16, and 17... so should I go backwards and do an earlier NBME or do a UWSA?

I would wait a little bit more before doing UWSA or any practice exam. I would take a practice exam mid next week maybe and really just try to focus on learning the material and running through Uworld right now.
I just don't want you rushing into another exam in less than a week of the prep we spoke about.
Keep up the good work and keep me updated.

 

[pathologyDO]

Alright well, today and yesterday all I was able to get done was about 6 hours of Goljan audio during my drive to and from the parents. Tomorrow is a new day... gunna start the week with GI, then do Heme Onc and finish the week with MSK. Hopefully my next exam is going to be good. I'm feeling confident but also wary at the same time because the amount of knowledge is pretty substantial... yet I feel like this second time through that it is in fact finite though, and most of it you can tie together with a good base of concepts.

Hope everyone out there is having a great Father's day !

 

[davezhan]

I would wait a little bit more before doing UWSA or any practice exam. I would take a practice exam mid next week maybe and really just try to focus on learning the material and running through Uworld right now.
I just don't want you rushing into another exam in less than a week of the prep we spoke about.
Keep up the good work and keep me updated.

Hey I'm going to follow the same advice here since my scores for my practice exams are on par with PathologyDO's and I also happened to get a delay. Will keep you guys updated.
@pathologyDO - let me know what works for you and what doesn't since I'll be going through the same thing and vice versa I'll keep you updated on what works and doesn't work for me.

 

[pathologyDO]

Hey I'm going to follow the same advice here since my scores for my practice exams are on par with PathologyDO's and I also happened to get a delay. Will keep you guys updated.
@pathologyDO - let me know what works for you and what doesn't since I'll be going through the same thing and vice versa I'll keep you updated on what works and doesn't work for me.

Welcome! Lets beast it out!! So far everything he has suggested is GOLD, follow rodmichael's advice and you will start seeing scores go up. The real test will be this weekend when I take another NBME or UWSA so stay tuned.

Yes, let us know your progress too - I think having this as a place to log the progress of people in our situation will make for a good resource to refer to in the future when other people are having the same issues.

Anyways, best of luck!!

 

[davezhan]

Welcome! Lets beast it out!! So far everything he has suggested is GOLD, follow rodmichael's advice and you will start seeing scores go up. The real test will be this weekend when I take another NBME or UWSA so stay tuned.

Yes, let us know your progress too - I think having this as a place to log the progress of people in our situation will make for a good resource to refer to in the future when other people are having the same issues.

Anyways, best of luck!!

I agree. I was pretty lost and hopeless during my first few weeks of prep since my scores essentially plateaued and I couldn't find much targeted helpful advice on SDN. I'm hoping we can make it out not only alive but on top so that our record left behind here can encourage future students who similarly struggle to not give up and to have hope. That is my hope and I'm sure going to work my a$$ off to try to make it reality.

Good luck to you too! Let's do this!!

 

[pathologyDO]

Alright so update of my progress with UWorld: I have done 11 blocks of UWorld (44, timed, random) after a reset and am scoring an average of 65% still, so I think this is a good sign. Although may seem small to most, I was able to actually score a 70% today which is my highest yet (previously 68% high). I think that I'm feeling much more confident and like I actually know the material, in particular, the material that I ahve gone through a 2nd time in FA.

My current idea: The 2nd pass of FA is absolutely essential, you will not begin to really tie together concepts well enough until this is done. My first go through of UWorld was while going through FA a first time and I scored an average of 51%, and now my second time through I'm averaging 65% and I expect that number to climb as I make the 2nd pass through Neuro, Repro, and Endocrine next week. This weekend I will take another NBME and we will see where that lands me (previous attempts were both ~200).

 

[davezhan]

Alright so I just reset my UWorld. Went through it once and plan to do so again on tutor mode to save time from re-reviewing each question afterwards. I am getting through Pathoma book with videos. I know this is pretty late in the game going through it a first pass but I'll just skip the FA sections on path to make up for the lost time. I still need more time to review stuff so I probably won't take another NBME until the weekend. @pathologyDO: How did that NBME over the weekend turn out?

 

[aspiringmd1015]

Usmle step 1 was really just a long 12 hour grind for 3 weeks for me. Starting the day with my dedicated organ system (Pathoma and FA) or the Physio, Pharm for the organ system, then 6 hours of Uworld and then 30 minutes - 1 hour of the repetition of the memory heavy topics (Pharm, Micro, Biochem).[/QUOTE]
so with this, youd either read only path and fa path one day for an organ system, and the physio pharm and i guess anatomy the next?

 

[aspiringmd1015]

i really like this approach as well, on average how many minutes/hours of goljan audio were you watching? ALso, you said you were spending 6 hours on UW, how much time were you spending on FA(physio pharm etc. on average) I realized i was just trying to power through each day with just a generalized list of topics i needed to cover for the day, but realized that i should also take into account time. So now im trying to figure out how much time to allocate to each source within my day, which will make it less of a clatter and more organized as previous posts. Thanks for the tips btw guys

 

[davezhan]

Update: Just finished all Pathoma lectures. Moving onto FA and Qbank... will take an NBME this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[aspiringmd1015]

ehmmm...

 

[rodmichael82]

Alright so update of my progress with UWorld: I have done 11 blocks of UWorld (44, timed, random) after a reset and am scoring an average of 65% still, so I think this is a good sign. Although may seem small to most, I was able to actually score a 70% today which is my highest yet (previously 68% high). I think that I'm feeling much more confident and like I actually know the material, in particular, the material that I ahve gone through a 2nd time in FA.

My current idea: The 2nd pass of FA is absolutely essential, you will not begin to really tie together concepts well enough until this is done. My first go through of UWorld was while going through FA a first time and I scored an average of 51%, and now my second time through I'm averaging 65% and I expect that number to climb as I make the 2nd pass through Neuro, Repro, and Endocrine next week. This weekend I will take another NBME and we will see where that lands me (previous attempts were both ~200).

Any updates on your new NBME?

 

[rodmichael82]

Usmle step 1 was really just a long 12 hour grind for 3 weeks for me. Starting the day with my dedicated organ system (Pathoma and FA) or the Physio, Pharm for the organ system, then 6 hours of Uworld and then 30 minutes - 1 hour of the repetition of the memory heavy topics (Pharm, Micro, Biochem).

Yes that's what I did. For example Cardiology I would watch the Pathoma for Vascular and Cardio then read the Pathoma for it. Then I would read the Goljan PDF or listen to Goljan cardio audio (both same thing). Sometimes it took 2 days to do just the Pathology but that's okay. Then the next day I would read Physiology and Pharmacology. For
Some organ systems it was wiser to do Physiology and Pharm first before the Path. For example if you don't understand after load,preload and its effect on Cardiac output then you won't understand the principles behind MI and how hypertension can cause cardiomyopathies.

 

[rodmichael82]

i really like this approach as well, on average how many minutes/hours of goljan audio were you watching? ALso, you said you were spending 6 hours on UW, how much time were you spending on FA(physio pharm etc. on average) I realized i was just trying to power through each day with just a generalized list of topics i needed to cover for the day, but realized that i should also take into account time. So now im trying to figure out how much time to allocate to each source within my day, which will make it less of a clatter and more organized as previous posts. Thanks for the tips btw guys

You need to get through Pathoma, FA in 6 hours and Uworld in 6 hours. Break everything down to 50-50. No one resource is the best. A lot of people will tell you oh spend a lot of time on Uworld, spend a lot of time on Pathoma, spend a lot of time on FA. You have to do it ALL. However, closer to the exam you should be dedicating more time to First aid because it really is the one resource that some how some where in it contains the answer to the majority of the things you will see on the exam. However, First aid is pretty dry and without a good foundation from Pathoma and Uworld it will just be random words and lines that will feel impossible to memorize. Hence why blending FA initially into your day with Pathoma and Uworld will ease you into it and make it more comfortable. The random FA Pathology tables that looked daunting actually added more critical information and learning especially right after reading/understand/memorizing Pathoma. It works like magic trust me.
Some of my friends ended up annotating little bits of critical info from Uworld and Pathoma into FA and just read FA in it's entirety 2x before the exam (I think that's a little too overboard but hey it's an option). They did end up scoring better than me so I'm just pointing that out. I think that's only doable though if you have either 2-3 months of dedicated study time or have been doing it through out the year.

 

[aspiringmd1015]

awesome. I've went through pathoma roughly 2x throughout the year, dedicated just started today, have about 8 weeks. So thats why i was asking. I can roughly get through a pathoma chapter in about an hour, some less some more depending on the chapter. FA path is a different story, on the 2nd day schedule i hope to finish path from pathoma and FA within 3 hours. Then spend the next 3 hours revising what i read the day before in physio pharm to really get it to stick. Its amazing how much info you think you will remember, and the next time you come back to it some of it feels new lol anyways will be taking my first nbme on the 16th of this month. Will also be posting my results. (went through kaplan q bank throughout the year, and fiddled around with RX)

 

[davezhan]

God I feel awful. Any tips on not getting too depressed? I suppose I have to set all my sights on doing as best as I can on this exam because I have sacrificed and am still sacrificing so much. =(

I had to push all my friends away while they're having fun before their first rotation begins. All the fun fun fun and I can't participate in any of it because I still have to prep for the test while everyone else is enjoying summer. If there is a hell for depression, this is emotionally a bit close to it.

 

[davezhan]

It's so hard to stay happy =(

 

[davezhan]

You need to get through Pathoma, FA in 6 hours and Uworld in 6 hours. Break everything down to 50-50. No one resource is the best. A lot of people will tell you oh spend a lot of time on Uworld, spend a lot of time on Pathoma, spend a lot of time on FA. You have to do it ALL. However, closer to the exam you should be dedicating more time to First aid because it really is the one resource that some how some where in it contains the answer to the majority of the things you will see on the exam. However, First aid is pretty dry and without a good foundation from Pathoma and Uworld it will just be random words and lines that will feel impossible to memorize. Hence why blending FA initially into your day with Pathoma and Uworld will ease you into it and make it more comfortable. The random FA Pathology tables that looked daunting actually added more critical information and learning especially right after reading/understand/memorizing Pathoma. It works like magic trust me.
Some of my friends ended up annotating little bits of critical info from Uworld and Pathoma into FA and just read FA in it's entirety 2x before the exam (I think that's a little too overboard but hey it's an option). They did end up scoring better than me so I'm just pointing that out. I think that's only doable though if you have either 2-3 months of dedicated study time or have been doing it through out the year.

I think you're right if you have time. I've been in contact with the great Phloston and given the time of 4 weeks, he told me to just stick to reading FA as many times as I can while doing UWorld Qbank and NOTHING ELSE. Apparently, this is the HIGHEST YIELD method for 1 month for someone of my and PathologyDO's level. Yes, I was told to ditch Pathoma despite just finishing it once through. Just wanted to put this here - @pathologyDO.

He also told me to do nothing but NBME questions 10 days before the real deal because NBMEs are apparently closest to the real deal in terms of question style and content.

 

[pathologyDO]

Any updates on your new NBME?

I ended up not taking it because we had no option other than to move over the weekend. I could take one this weekend but I'm afraid that if I score poorly it will just ruin my confidence going into the exam, plus with all the moving costs I'm not exactly game to throw down another $60 lol, but I dunno, do you think I still need to take one to be sure?

 

[pathologyDO]

I think you're right if you have time. I've been in contact with the great Phloston and given the time of 4 weeks, he told me to just stick to reading FA as many times as I can while doing UWorld Qbank and NOTHING ELSE. Apparently, this is the HIGHEST YIELD method for 1 month for someone of my and PathologyDO's level. Yes, I was told to ditch Pathoma despite just finishing it once through. Just wanted to put this here - @pathologyDO.

He also told me to do nothing but NBME questions 10 days before the real deal because NBMEs are apparently closest to the real deal in terms of question style and content.

hmm no pathoma? I have still been using it going through a second time and I mean its ridiculous how much of the little things he adds in are super high yield that I always just ignored before because I was looking at big picture stuff.

OK so my USMLE is next Thursday and I've gotten through a good portion of FA a second time. Next week Mon, Tues, and Wednesday I was contemplating about focusing on primarily 6 hours UWorld daily, then the other 6 hours split between micro/pharm/biochem and if enough time immuno. @rodmichael82 does that sound like a good plan? So far your advice has been wicked good, I've seen my scores go up 10-15% on UWorld so thank you so much dude!

 

[davezhan]

hmm no pathoma? I have still been using it going through a second time and I mean its ridiculous how much of the little things he adds in are super high yield that I always just ignored before because I was looking at big picture stuff.

OK so my USMLE is next Thursday and I've gotten through a good portion of FA a second time. Next week Mon, Tues, and Wednesday I was contemplating about focusing on primarily 6 hours UWorld daily, then the other 6 hours split between micro/pharm/biochem and if enough time immuno. @rodmichael82 does that sound like a good plan? So far your advice has been wicked good, I've seen my scores go up 10-15% on UWorld so thank you so much dude!

Good luck man. @rodmichael82 : stay on the boards after PathologyDO takes his exam because I'll be up next and believe it or not, I'm also following the advice here as well. Don't ditch because I'll need your help too.

 

[davezhan]

Also, @pathologyDO and @rodmichael82 : is there any way to make memorizing all this information more efficient? I'm looking at these drugs everyday and they are STILL not sticking. Not to mention the stuff in Pathoma. They show up in my Qbank and I recognize them but I still don't know them well enough to get the question right - then after a few days I forget the concepts. Ugh. Anyway to make it all stick? I think I understand the basic concepts having gone through Pathoma but to associate a random name like Paget's disease has DCIS in the nipple with some underlying carcinoma, can occur in the vulva and is also a bone disease involving osteoblasts and clasts... like what the actual fk??? How do you guys memorize all this seemingly random information associated with a random name.

 

[rodmichael82]

I ended up not taking it because we had no option other than to move over the weekend. I could take one this weekend but I'm afraid that if I score poorly it will just ruin my confidence going into the exam, plus with all the moving costs I'm not exactly game to throw down another $60 lol, but I dunno, do you think I still need to take one to be sure?

Yes you should take a NBME before taking the exam. They are the closest thing to the actual exam. Also to see progress

 

[rodmichael82]

Good luck man. @rodmichael82 : stay on the boards after PathologyDO takes his exam because I'll be up next and believe it or not, I'm also following the advice here as well. Don't ditch because I'll need your help too.

Yeah sure! Give me a min

 

[aspiringmd1015]

paget's disease of bone: nothing to do with cancer in itself, BUT it does increase the risk for osteosarcoma(osteoblasts proliferative like theyre at a rave and can get a mutation and badabing badaboom), Pagets disease of nipple is almost always a/c with an underlying ca, and pagets of vulva doesnt have to be. Thats what i remember.

 

[rodmichael82]

Also, @pathologyDO and @rodmichael82 : is there any way to make memorizing all this information more efficient? I'm looking at these drugs everyday and they are STILL not sticking. Not to mention the stuff in Pathoma. They show up in my Qbank and I recognize them but I still don't know them well enough to get the question right - then after a few days I forget the concepts. Ugh. Anyway to make it all stick? I think I understand the basic concepts having gone through Pathoma but to associate a random name like Paget's disease has DCIS in the nipple with some underlying carcinoma, can occur in the vulva and is also a bone disease involving osteoblasts and clasts... like what the actual fk??? How do you guys memorize all this seemingly random information associated with a random name.

Honestly for me it was just memorizing Pathoma by watching his videos and reading the chapter over and over again through out the year. Maybe you can try flash cards?
In terms of Pharm. I think Pharm is easy if you understand the physiology.
If you know that muscurinic and histamine receptors cause increased secretions of fluids then you understand antichinergics and antihistamines can be used to help someone with allergic rhinitis. So you focus on the mechanism of action of the drug, then memorize the drugs to that class (again use flash cards?) and then understand clinical use.

A lot of step 1 has memorization. You can use Pathoma to ease into this memorization because he comes up with cool teaching skills e.g weGners poly arthritis. The G stands for upper airway, lower airway and kidneys. The stuff he teaches really sticks.
I WOULD SAY THE KEY TO MEMORIZING Pathoma for me was to listen to his one chapter, write thorough notes in the side bars. Then reread just the chapter with my
Notes 1-2x depending on how much it stuck. In the future if i had a problem then I would watch his video again or read that chapter again.

 

[davezhan]

So it sounds like it's all about how many passes I can get through and how many times I see this material. Understood. I'm using memorang to make memorizing FA a bit easier. Let's see how it turns out. Will be taking an NBME this weekend as a 2nd baseline after having gone through Pathoma (with videos) once and then another one next weekend just focusing on memorization to see if it makes a difference. T minus a little less than 1 month until exam.

 

[ladybug1552]

God I feel awful. Any tips on not getting too depressed? I suppose I have to set all my sights on doing as best as I can on this exam because I have sacrificed and am still sacrificing so much. =(

I had to push all my friends away while they're having fun before their first rotation begins. All the fun fun fun and I can't participate in any of it because I still have to prep for the test while everyone else is enjoying summer. If there is a hell for depression, this is emotionally a bit close to it.

Davezhan, I know EXACTLY how you feel. All of my friends have finished boards and are off partying together while I'm in my isolation station still chugging away at material. It really is the worst 🙁 Trying to stay strong and count down the days. Remember that this is temporary and in the grand scheme of things, this is a small chunk of our lives that will end up impacting our whole careers. That's the pep talk I give myself at least. Keep fighting the good fight and all of this will be over soon!

 

[aspiringmd1015]

also something else i did, instead of writing notes from UW into FA (too messy, handwriting sucks, dont want carpopedal spasms) i just type it up on a word document as i go, and put it into my FA when i do the system again. Another thign im doing starting today, is i started another word document, jotting down all the new things that i learn in FA, that i havent remembered/seen before, and then at the end of the day i just go through that again. Dont worry my bro's, the grind sucks, but theres always time to party, fist pump etc. time to beast this exam is now, and only now. lets get it!!

 

[davezhan]

Davezhan, I know EXACTLY how you feel. All of my friends have finished boards and are off partying together while I'm in my isolation station still chugging away at material. It really is the worst 🙁 Trying to stay strong and count down the days. Remember that this is temporary and in the grand scheme of things, this is a small chunk of our lives that will end up impacting our whole careers. That's the pep talk I give myself at least. Keep fighting the good fight and all of this will be over soon!

Best of luck to you. Sending positive vibes your way. We can do this. I found listening to the fight song to motivate me. Having heard it only once in the grocery store today, it's now my anthem for step 1 studying haha -->