Advice on how to manage last week of prep

[loveoforganic2]

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Going to be a bit of a lengthy post so I can provide context, but I'd greatly appreciate any input.

I'm taking my test next Thursday. I laid out a daily schedule for dedicated prep time, and the work I have left, I'm not going to be able to get through, so I'm looking for opinions on what others feel would be most beneficial - I'm having a hard time deciding. I theoretically could push my test back a week, but I've already taken extra time since I'm going into a gap year, I'm burned out, and I'm in a good place scorewise (I consider anything over a 250 more or less equivalent), so moving my test back isn't a consideration I'm entertaining.

Prior to dedicated time, I did
>GT to about 75% completion spread over spring of 1st year to early fall of second year
>~60% of Qbank and ~10% of Rx spread over second year
>2 passes through pathoma spread over second year
>About a month before dedicated time, made a pass through FA and Kaplan videos for pharm and behavioral over the course of ~10 days

During dedicated time, I have done
>UW once on random timed tutor w/extensive annotations (started at ~83%, averaged 84.5%, and finished last 10 blocks at 87%)
>1 pass of FA (part of the way through a second one)
>2 passes through pathoma (part of the way through a third one)

Practice tests -
>Free 150 - 91% (8 weeks ago, 1st day of dedicated)
>NBME 7 - 264 (5 weeks ago)
>UWSA1 - 265 (87%, 3 weeks ago)
>UWSA2 - 265 (91%, 3 weeks ago)
>NBME 11 - 252 (1 week ago)
>NBME 12 - 261 (1 week ago)

What I have scheduled to get done before test day - 5 days -
>6 chapters of pathoma (will be finished with those today, so 4 days of prep time left not counting today)
>FA (Repro, Neuro, H/O, and MSK chapters)
>NBME 13 and 15

During my last pass of FA (and UW annotations) and pathoma, I'm making a word document full of bullet points I want to see again before test day. This is a BIG document (currently 48 pages of 8 font text, 3 columns per page). I was planning on doing this and reviewing a powerpoint full of my incorrect answers on the NBME's I've taken during the two days prior to the test.

Based on the time I have left, the options I see for my remaining time are
>(A) - Finish FA and making my study guide and review the study guide for 2 days. The exchange would be NOT doing NBME 13 and 15 (had originally planned on taking them in a single 8 hour sitting, which is what I did with NBME 11 and 12).
>(B) - Finish FA repro along w/making the study guide for repro (a weak point of mine, along with the embryo also covered in that chapter), try to skim whatever FA neuro, h/o, and MSK chapters trying to find stuff I really need to see again (without putting anything into the study guide) in a single day, take the NBME's in a single day, and then review my study guide for 2 days.

The giant bullet point document cram right before the test is a technique I used throughout second year, and it works very well for me, so I'm leaning toward option A. The idea of not doing the 2 most recent NBME's doesn't leave me feeling great, but the consensus seems to be that the current test isn't super similar to the NBME's, and I consider myself a fairly good standardized test taker.

Miscellaneous - I consider neuroanatomy/imaging and renal histopathology weaknesses. I recently went through webpath neuroanatomy, and I found it helpful. Was thinking of adding on a second pass of that and webpath renal during the two days before my test.

ANYWAY. I think that's about it. Sorry for writing a novel (probably time that could have been better spent studying), but thank you in advance for any comments/advice!

 

[JP2740]

You are destined to get 260+. I think it would be a huge mistake to not do NBME 13 and 15 man esp with what your scores were, but now you're getting really close to the test. I don't know how fast you hit things.

I think NBME 13+15+FA embryo, pharm (all pharm), micro, biochem, and some other stuff in the intros at your own discretion should be done towards the end no matter who you are, you tend to forget some of these things. It netted me quite a few points on the real deal.

Also going through NBME incorrects got me like 2 questions on the real deal. You'll be happy you did a lot of NBMEs.

I think your comprehensive document isn't going to help you that much with your knowledge level right now. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's just the truth IMO.

edit: I wanted to do anatomy/neuroanatomy but couldn't get to it at the end. I settled on blasting through kaplan's anatomy which got me 1 question right on the real deal, so I'm glad I did it.

 

[Brain Bucket]

Agree. I would have chosen to do the NBMEs.

1. You might do questions that show up on the real thing. You likely would have gotten them anyway, but if you didn't, you'd kick yourself afterward.
2. They may point out weaknesses you hadn't realized, making your final review even more high-yield.
3. They'll give you a boost in confidence or a kick in the arse, both of which are useful if utilized well.

Caveat: You know yourself best. If you think option A will serve you better, you should do that.

 

[loveoforganic2]

You are destined to get 260+. I think it would be a huge mistake to not do NBME 13 and 15 man esp with what your scores were, but now you're getting really close to the test. I don't know how fast you hit things.

I think NBME 13+15+FA embryo, pharm (all pharm), micro, biochem, and some other stuff in the intros at your own discretion should be done towards the end no matter who you are, you tend to forget some of these things. It netted me quite a few points on the real deal.

Also going through NBME incorrects got me like 2 questions on the real deal. You'll be happy you did a lot of NBMEs.

I think your comprehensive document isn't going to help you that much with your knowledge level right now. I know you don't want to hear it, but it's just the truth IMO.

edit: I wanted to do anatomy/neuroanatomy but couldn't get to it at the end. I settled on blasting through kaplan's anatomy which got me 1 question right on the real deal, so I'm glad I did it.

As far as embryo/pharm/micro/biochem, pretty much everything I didn't feel strongly confident about has already been put into the the study guide. I definitely have a strong knowledge base as is, but I think in those 2 days I could shift myself from "question stems generally prompt recollection of what I need to know" to "I can regurgitate 95% the material in FA, UW, and pathoma." My strategy in prepping has been thorough understanding and locking up the high yield material, so that I can use that background to get the oddball questions by process of elimination (and that's what I feel I did in a lot of the UW oddball Q's).

I know it sounds like I'm arguing against you, but I'm just trying to flesh out my rationale. It would eat at me to not do NBME 13/15. I haven't reviewed my NBME ppt yet, so this may play a part in me diminishing its benefit. I'm confident I won't have significant issues with timing on the real deal, and the double header with NBME's 11/12 helped me figure out how I'm going to allot my break time. It seems like what I would stand to gain by doing NBME's 13/15 is picking up 1-3 questions on the real deal (like you said you did), based on seeing a couple new concepts the NBME likes to test that prep companies haven't picked up on and integrated yet. I feel like locking up the high yield topics I know I'm weak in would potentially allow me to get a couple of those questions by process of elimination regardless, and I'd be at less risk of being nailed on the real deal by a test heavy in a relative weakness.

I agree that NBME's are as high yield a resource as you can possibly have - straight from the horse's mouth - but a lot of those questions are going to be things I know, when the study guide is things I've personally identified as things I'd like to see again. Is there an additional benefit to doing the NBME's that you think I'm not seeing?

Thanks for your input!

Edit: are you referring to the Kaplan videos for neuroanatomy? I watched a couple hours of one of them, and I felt like it was decent, but the amount of neuro info included that wasn't directly anatomy made it lower yield (particularly at this point in my prep). Webpath was a good review for gross specimens and getting an idea of the 3D relations of the brain (since it had horizontal, sagittal, and coronal sections, but it was super light (pretty much nonexistant) on MRI's. There was a thread posted recently by Transformers that had a brain MRI review. I was thinking it might be decent yield to do that following a quick pass again through webpath neuro. It seems like neuroimaging might be one of those oddballs that can occasionally be heavy on a test.

While I'm thinking of it, I would also consider localizing brain lesions as a fairly significant weakness

 

[loveoforganic2]

Agree. I would have chosen to do the NBMEs.

1. You might do questions that show up on the real thing. You likely would have gotten them anyway, but if you didn't, you'd kick yourself afterward.
2. They may point out weaknesses you hadn't realized, making your final review even more high-yield.
3. They'll give you a boost in confidence or a kick in the arse, both of which are useful if utilized well.

Caveat: You know yourself best. If you think option A will serve you better, you should do that.

Thank you for your input as well. I agree with all your points (except 1 - ignorance is bliss!), including your caveat, and ultimately I'm going to do what I feel is best, but you all might be able to change what I think that is 🙂

 

[JP2740]

I meant kaplan qbank anatomy. It helped me.

I got a question from nbme15 slightly worded differently on the real deal, and I would've absolutely got wrong without it.

If you really want to do your big document, why not do nbme 13 and 15 + your 50 page doc and call it a day? Your averages suggest a 260+ unless you panic or something crazy happens on the real deal.

 

[loveoforganic2]

I meant kaplan qbank anatomy. It helped me.

I got a question from nbme15 slightly worded differently on the real deal, and I would've absolutely got wrong without it.

If you really want to do your big document, why not do nbme 13 and 15 + your 50 page doc and call it a day? Your averages suggest a 260+ unless you panic or something crazy happens on the real deal.

I wouldn't have time honestly. I'm a fairly slow worker - 10-11 hrs to do and review the NBME's, study guide is prob going to take me a day and a half to finish first pass.

Thank you all for the input, think I'm going to be dumb and follow the guide, we'll see what happens

 

[JP2740]

I wouldn't have time honestly. I'm a fairly slow worker - 10-11 hrs to do and review the NBME's, study guide is prob going to take me a day and a half to finish first pass.

Thank you all for the input, think I'm going to be dumb and follow the guide, we'll see what happens

Youre planning on doing the guide multiple times? lol. I think you'll find this will help minimally on the real test day. Having an exact question I got wrong on nbme15 appear made me happy dude. Doing that guide you made 1 time will probably be useful, but multiple times? nah

 

[kaleerkalut]

I wouldn't have time honestly. I'm a fairly slow worker - 10-11 hrs to do and review the NBME's, study guide is prob going to take me a day and a half to finish first pass.

Thank you all for the input, think I'm going to be dumb and follow the guide, we'll see what happens

Just wanted to say pick what you feel most comfortable with and go with that. Do not think twice about it. You will drive yourself insane the last few days (I pretty much did) trying to "optimize" time and end up wasting more time than possible.

I personally liked option A skipping the NBMEs (especially if you were going to do them back-to-back). I would focus on a last pass of FA if you can squeeze it.

Good luck 👍

 

[loveoforganic2]

Thanks dudes. Been really burned out, and studying has gone exceedingly poorly the past week. Most have become reallllly apathetic about this test. Pushing the test back a week did me in! Going to try to do whatever I can manage the motivation for the next two days and hope for the best. Thanks again, and good luck if anyone else hasn't taken it yet!

 

[Kal EI]

Thanks dudes. Been really burned out, and studying has gone exceedingly poorly the past week. Most have become reallllly apathetic about this test. Pushing the test back a week did me in! Going to try to do whatever I can manage the motivation for the next two days and hope for the best. Thanks again, and good luck if anyone else hasn't taken it yet!

I think a lot of people slow down test week. Just natural. You'll do great.

 

[Morsetlis]

Thanks dudes. Been really burned out, and studying has gone exceedingly poorly the past week. Most have become reallllly apathetic about this test. Pushing the test back a week did me in! Going to try to do whatever I can manage the motivation for the next two days and hope for the best. Thanks again, and good luck if anyone else hasn't taken it yet!

You know more than enough to get 250+. I hope you relaxed during your last week.
Tell us when you get your scores!
I personally thought NBME 15 was harder than the UWSA but matched the real deal pretty well..

 

[loveoforganic2]

You know more than enough to get 250+. I hope you relaxed during your last week.
Tell us when you get your scores!
I personally thought NBME 15 was harder than the UWSA but matched the real deal pretty well..

I had missed this post, sorry, wasn't checking the step forums much. I did relax, although it wasn't really voluntary - just didn't care enough about the test to study much anymore! Ended up with a 256, and I'm plenty happy. Detailed write up there - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=14334253&postcount=4963 - if anyone was interested

 

[Brain Bucket]

I had missed this post, sorry, wasn't checking the step forums much. I did relax, although it wasn't really voluntary - just didn't care enough about the test to study much anymore! Ended up with a 256, and I'm plenty happy. Detailed write up there - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=14334253&postcount=4963 - if anyone was interested

Cheers Bro! And Gratz!