Step I advice - stamina

[Haversian Canal]

The energy just disappears after 5 hours.

I usually use pre-exam stress (and adrenaline) to keep going. But for usmle, and other things in life, its the long term important (marathon not sprint)

 

[Instatewaiter]

I thought it was going to be an issue for me but really the day was over before i knew it.

I did however bring about a gallon of coffee with me just in case I got tired but 2 years of build up to that point gave me plenty of adrenaline to push through it.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I finished the exam in 5 hours. That would be perfect for you, since you lose interest by then anyways.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

Do you take breaks? Remember that you have break time during the exam - between each block you can get up, walk around, have a snack, whatever. It might be good to do some "practice tests" using whatever Qbank you're using, just to work on the timing of your breaks. Try taking a short break between each block, or maybe it will be better for you to push through the first few blocks without any breaks, then take most of your break time between the last blocks.

Really, 5 hours is pretty good, and you should expect to be feeling a little drained after 5 hours of just about any activity, but you do need to be able to get through to the end. You don't want to rush through the exam and make extra mistakes because you didn't give yourself time to double check.

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

z

 

[Terpskins99]

The energy just disappears after 5 hours.

I usually use pre-exam stress (and adrenaline) to keep going. But for usmle, and other things in life, its the long term important (marathon not sprint)

Everyone gets spent by the 5th or 6th section. Try to simulate full length exams every so often (one saturday a month perhaps?). The more your body gets familiar with it, the easier it will get to stay focused.

I always took a few minutes to relax after every block. Sometimes make a run to the locker for a quick snack or swig from my cherry coke/starbucks coffee. And even to the bathroom just to splash some cold water onto my face.

Outside of that, just take care of yourself. Make sure to get plenty of sleep, eat healthy (and regularly!) and exercise. Doing this just the night before the exam probably won't do much. But over a period of a couple of months, it should work wonders for your stamina.

 

[78222]

I had no problem with stamina during the exam. I think the adrenaline just starts pumping and the exam goes much faster than you expect. I brought several bananas and red bulls and would take a few minutes after every block to eat a banana. I think it helped.