Am I crazy for thinking it's way too early to start studying for Step 1?

[Lannister]

I'm finishing up M1, and it seems like most of my friends are already freaking out about step 1. Some have already started studying, and a lot plan to start studying over the summer. I mentioned that I don't really plan on doing any serious studying until January of M2, and everyone acted like that was a horrible idea. It made me feel kind of stupid/lazy, honestly.

I really have no desire to study over the summer, because I would much rather enjoy my last summer. If that makes me lazy, then fine, I'm lazy. But even studying at the beginning of M2 seems somewhat pointless. I just feel like I'm not going to remember things that I study almost a full year before the test, so why waste my time?

Is it a bad idea to not study during summer and/or the first half of M2?

Of course I want to do well, but I'm by no means gunning for an amazing score. I don't really have any interest in super competitive specialties, and I'd be perfectly happy in family med.

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[Brorthopedic]

I didn't start studying until halfway through M2 around December. I'm currently scoring well on the practice NBMEs, not burnt out and regret nothing.

Enjoy your last summer, just make sure you bust your butt when it comes time to grind.

 

[Lannister]

I'm under the impression that first of all, it depends a lot on your school's curriculum. There are probably schools out there that prepare their students very well for Step in terms of "high yield" stuff.

Second, I a lot of people say you should at least try to use review material like UFAP after studying school materials throughout the year.

From what I understand, my school does most of the super important stuff during M2. During M1 we covered biochem, immunology, musculoskeletal, and the nervous system/psych. Maybe it would make sense to do very light review over those subjects early on?

I have been reading certain sections of First Aid throughout this year, only because our end of block exams are NBME.

 

[ortnakas]

Normal (usually, somewhat curriculum dependent).

At my school studying for class was studying for boards in fall of second year. Doing your first pass of Pathoma and using a qbank to study are both good ideas. Overall, I'm personally in the "you can't review what you haven't learned yet" camp.

 

[68PGunner]

Bang out and solidify the stuff that you've learned in First Year if you want to semi study during your summer. Otherwise, it's pointless to study stuff that you haven't learned.

However, I would definitely take some time to organize your material and make a plan for your Step 1 study. You don't want to fumble through your study of Step 1 by trying out diff study materials and strategies.

 

[MSTP18]

No, you are not crazy.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Get Kaplan or Rx and do like 10-15 questions a day on the stuff you have covered. Reference explanations in first aid. Towards the end of summer, watch first 3 chapters of pathoma. Maybe watch the sketchy bacteria. Maybe watch a couple boards and beyond videos on subjects you know you didn't learn well. This isn't too much, but will provide a good review of first year material as well as a preview of foundational 2nd year material. Should be enough to satisfy your urge to study, but not enough to keep you studying all day and end up sick of it before you even start next year.

 

[sliceofbread136]

January is a good time to start. That's when I started

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Take the summer off.

I started studying at the beginning of second year NOT because I was pressured into it, but because that is when it felt like the time was right for me.

Start studying when the time feels right; everyone needs different amounts of time.

 

[Goro]

I'm finishing up M1, and it seems like most of my friends are already freaking out about step 1. Some have already started studying, and a lot plan to start studying over the summer. I mentioned that I don't really plan on doing any serious studying until January of M2, and everyone acted like that was a horrible idea. It made me feel kind of stupid/lazy, honestly.

I really have no desire to study over the summer, because I would much rather enjoy my last summer. If that makes me lazy, then fine, I'm lazy. But even studying at the beginning of M2 seems somewhat pointless. I just feel like I'm not going to remember things that I study almost a full year before the test, so why waste my time?

Is it a bad idea to not study during summer and/or the first half of M2?

Of course I want to do well, but I'm by no means gunning for an amazing score. I don't really have any interest in super competitive specialties, and I'd be perfectly happy in family med.

You should be enjoying the summer, and preparing for your second year courses.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

best thing i did that summer was NOTHING

doing just fine now

 

[sinombre]

best thing i did that summer was NOTHING

doing just fine now

Hey look, we agree about something

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Hey look, we agree about something

i knew wed get there eventually, nameless one

 

[Lannister]

Thanks for the advice everyone, glad to see all the responses telling me to enjoy my summer!
I do think it's a good idea to come up with a solid study plan, so I will definitely work on that over the summer!

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Thanks for the advice everyone, glad to see all the responses telling me to enjoy my summer!
I do think it's a good idea to come up with a solid study plan, so I will definitely work on that over the summer!

good luck to you, and enjoy your last golden summer

 

[Money4MyHoney]

Start using First aid and bros Anki deck

 

[Lannister]

good luck to you, and enjoy your last golden summer

Thanks! Just gotta make it through this last week and a half of classes first!

 

[Pepe18]

.

 

[Newhorizons21]

You do you. My dedicated is in January and I want to review a lot of stuff over summer. Now that I know a lot more, the stuff from the beginning of the year makes more sense the second time through. Does my studying mean you should study? Of course not. You know yourself enough to know whether or not studying would be beneficial or it will burn you out

I think all the confusion in the discussion about when to start studying comes from two major differences in med school curriculums: 18 months vs 2 years and Systems vs Traditional curriculums. You should always clarify this when asking for/reading advice.

I see people at 2 year schools say "Don't start in the summer! I didn't start until January!", but for someone at an 18 month school Summer=January.

I'm in a systems curriculum and have completed my micro, neurology, MSK, and GI blocks. In that sort of curriculum I used the hell out pathoma and sketchy throughout M1 and plan to use it to review this summer. I'm not going to see that stuff again in M2.

It seems like the essence of Step1 prep advice boils down this: Follow along with FAP+sketchy when you are taught those things, start focusing on Step prep ~6 months out from your test date (whether that's Jan of M2 or July of M2), and hammer UWorld during dedicated.

 

[LyMed]

I wouldn't study over the summer, but I would start during MS2. Nothing strenuous, but the purpose isn't to remember it for a year. Instead, the purpose is that during your dedicated time, you're reviewing, not learning material for the first time.

 

[xoggyux]

2-3 hours of study a week is not going to ruin a good summer. Get a qbank (USLM-rx or uWorld), do 1 45 question test early in the week (takes about 1h) and then read on those that you got wrong (or that you got right for the wrong reasons) during the end of the week. Three months worth of doing this is ~600 questions at a cost to you of 3h per week it is a great deal to keep that brain fresh yet ready to go for 2nd year.
You can do most of your reading while pooping and it won't affect your summer at all!

 

[IsWhat]

I'll probably study pretty heavily over the summer. I'm in a systems curriculum where everything is presented (path/micro/physio, genetics, etc.) and we won't be exposed to that material again until dedicated board prep. We also have an accelerated year 1 where we cover roughly 80% of the total material to make room for a mostly clinical based second year.

 

[iBS1972]

Don't study in the summer. Seriously, use it to relax and travel, and have fun.
You can following along in First Aid when 2nd year starts, review the nonpatho portions in First Aid before or during your corresponding system block. Make sure you can explain all of it (not in minute details, but just so you understand the important points and that you're not just memorizing it). More than likely, your second year blocks will start out with a lecture or two reviewing the important 1st year/physiological details about what they're going into. This should be sufficient. Then follow along for the rest of the lectures.

Edit: As previous post have pointed out, it depends on what your school curriculum is. My was 1st year physiology, 2nd year pathology.

 

[Gorne]

There is absolutely nothing you can do during the summer prior to M2 to prepare you for step 1. Anything you review, you will forget and have to review it again anyway. Bolster your app in some other way that does not involve review books.

 

[Lannister]

My dedicated is in January

Wait, you get an entire semester off to study for step 1? That seems a little excessive...I think we get 5 weeks.

 

[iBS1972]

Wait, you get an entire semester off to study for step 1? That seems a little excessive...I think we get 5 weeks.

Duration of dedicated study time varies from school to school, and even from class to class. For us, it was 5 weeks. But schools that are not even half an hour away from us have up to 9 weeks of study period. And then some other schools don't have their students take step 1 until after they finish many of their clerkships.
Usually people say 4-5 weeks is sufficient, but there were a few in my class who took the first block off in third year to give them more time on top of the 5 week.

 

[Lannister]

Duration of dedicated study time varies from school to school, and even from class to class. For us, it was 5 weeks. But schools that are not even half an hour away from us have up to 9 weeks of study period. And then some other schools don't have their students take step 1 until after they finish many of their clerkships.
Usually people say 4-5 weeks is sufficient, but there were a few in my class who took the first block off in third year to give them more time on top of the 5 week.

Oh for sure, I've definitely heard that it varies, but if your dedicated starts in January and you took the exam in June that's like 20 weeks off, right? And an entire semester of med school that you're just studying and not actually learning anything new? I've just never heard of anyone getting that much time off!

 

[Pepe18]

.

 

[Lannister]

No, we have 7 weeks total and then we start rotations. It's the 1.5 yr preclinical curriculum (Step is offered throughout the year. I think we take it at the beginning of March and then rotation start in March as well)

Ohhh okay, makes more sense!

 

[iBS1972]

Oh for sure, I've definitely heard that it varies, but if your dedicated starts in January and you took the exam in June that's like 20 weeks off, right? And an entire semester of med school that you're just studying and not actually learning anything new? I've just never heard of anyone getting that much time off!

I doubt they used the whole block to study, as half of our third year blocks are 6 weeks, so more than likely they took a practice test near the end of the dedicated 5 weeks, realized they didn't score as well as they wanted to, studied for 3 or 4 more weeks, and then used the rest of the block to chill. They made up this block in forth year, as there are only 4 or so required rotations in forth year (the rest are used as electives, aways, vacation, or academic medicine/research).

 

[68PGunner]

When people said they're prepping for board in Jan or early fall, they mean that they're putting school lectures on the back burner by being happy with a pass or a B on those blocks while spending 70-80% of their time w/ board relevant materials.

 

[Anicetus]

Pre average of 230--> you are crazy for studying for step 1 before MS2.

Post average of 230 (2016)--> let's be real, this test puts communism into our career by limiting your specialty choice and region to live in this country due to an exam. If it meant being in cow town vs Miami beaches doing a specialty I'll enjoy forever, I'd gladly study during M1 summer.

 

[Newhorizons21]

Ohhh okay, makes more sense!

At my school we finish classes in December of M2 and then have to take Step by the end of January.

It's nice to have more time for electives/aways before application time, but I'm definitely going to start reviewing this summer.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I didn't study at all for boards until my dedicated time. I devoted that time to churning out pubs. To each their own.

 

[urgenthelp]

IMO doing Q bank before second year is waste. Doing sketchy micro and sketchy pharm over the summer, that'd be a good idea. That's just a bunch of BS you have to look at over and over to learn so the sooner the better imo. Also I think can be easily done with minimal time commitment.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Keep any prep to a minimum - burning out is a serious consideration. You will hate yourself for thinking you were being a good student by starting early if 1/3 of the way through M2 year you can't stand the sight of First aid or you develop IBS when you were in the same room with it (as I did).

 

[Foot Fetish]

Look at all these gunners telling you not to study during the summer. Meanwhile they're secretly memorizing FA and doing q-banks. Classic gunner tactic.

 

[68PGunner]

Look at all these gunners telling you not to study during the summer. Meanwhile they're secretly memorizing FA and doing q-banks. Classic gunner tactic.

Got to keep the competition for Derm down in order to secure a spot.

 

[SmurfTurf]

Our school gave us a "recommended" guide for studying over the summer. It's basically a schedule to do your first pass of first aid plus a couple Qbank questions. We also have a 18 month curriculum though and so we are taking step 1 in February, so very different if you're not going to be taking it until June like a lot of medical schools do.

We have a pretty fair mix in our class of "omg this isn't enough! I need to do all the QBanks over summer + sketchy + panthoma" all the way to "screw this, I'm on vacation damnit".


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[docbsb2015]

11 days out from step right now. The only thing I would have done differently is learning all sketchy bugs and drugs during M1 summer...especially drugs. Micro videos are very easy. Pharm videos are a little more convoluted and lengthy. Start early and have a good foundation and pharm will be a piece of cake. Other than sketchy videos I wouldn't do anything.

 

[dpmd]

I enjoyed my summer (got married and had a honeymoon so I really enjoyed it) but I probably would have gotten a better score had I started earlier. No need to be freaked out about it at this point but your idea of working on a study schedule to begin later is probably a good compromise.

 

[mcloaf]

Pre average of 230--> you are crazy for studying for step 1 before MS2.

Post average of 230 (2016)--> let's be real, this test puts communism into our career by limiting your specialty choice and region to live in this country due to an exam. If it meant being in cow town vs Miami beaches doing a specialty I'll enjoy forever, I'd gladly study during M1 summer.

Not sure what they're teaching in schools these days but giving the best choices to the applicants who work to make themselves the most competitive doesn't sound like communism to me.

 

[Lannister]

you can't stand the sight of First aid or you develop IBS when you were in the same room with it (as I did)

Hahah pretty much everything about med school triggers my IBS.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Hahah pretty much everything about med school triggers my IBS.

For me, it was horrible abdominal pain (like serious 8/9-10). It came out of nowhere, and since I was studying around the clock, I couldn't really figure out what was causing it. Until, I actually took the test and the pain disappeared 1-2 days later.

 

[Lannister]

For me, it was horrible abdominal pain (like serious 8/9-10). It came out of nowhere, and since I was studying around the clock, I couldn't really figure out what was causing it. Until, I actually took the test and the pain disappeared 1-2 days later.

Dude I can totally relate. I always know it's been a stressful week when I'm on the floor of the bathroom crying because of the abdominal pain.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Dude I can totally relate. I always know it's been a stressful week when I'm on the floor of the bathroom crying because of the abdominal pain.

For shizzle, OP. You can get through it as well. Growing pains, literally and figuratively.

Damn it medicine.

 

[Anicetus]

Not sure what they're teaching in schools these days but giving the best choices to the applicants who work to make themselves the most competitive doesn't sound like communism to me.

Except "work" may not result in "competitive". A lot of it is also luck, abilities, natural gift. Unless you literally are going to call <230 step 1 scores just people who were lazy or didn't want it badly enough.

The fact that we exile the bottom of the class/step scorers to cow towns and fly over states is communistic. It's an indirect way of distributing doctors where needed.

 

[guytakingboards]

It depends on your curriculum, your goal score, how good a student you are, AND how okay you are with burning out (potentially multiple times).

I dunno if I was a 2nd or 3rd quartile student but I certainly wasn't close to AOA --> I of course scored lower than my friends who were AOA. I started in January of M2 and took the test in June. Probably burned out 3-4x along the way and nearly completely lost my **** in April. I did get my goal score though.

I said this to family the other month; studying for the USMLE's were some of the worst darkest times of my life. Anxiety, lack of sleep, etc...

My advice is take the vacation and not worry about step but you do you.

 

[mcloaf]

Except "work" may not result in "competitive". A lot of it is also luck, abilities, natural gift. Unless you literally are going to call <230 step 1 scores just people who were lazy or didn't want it badly enough.

The fact that we exile the bottom of the class/step scorers to cow towns and fly over states is communistic. It's an indirect way of distributing doctors where needed.

Fortunately there's some middle ground between "the only thing determining your step score is the amount you work" and "it's all based on luck and innate ability." I don't think everyone who scores below 230 is lazy or doesn't want it enough, but I have zero doubt that if you surveyed people across the spectrum those scoring 250+ put in on average more work than those in the low 200s. Scoring well on step 1 requires (at least for most people) both hard work and ability.

Besides, that whole argument implies that step 1 is the only way to make oneself competitive, which is false. Make connections. Do research. Kill your clinical rotations. Someone who coasts through med school on their way to being a mediocre applicant and then is bummed they can't do ortho at HSS isn't getting any sympathy from me.

There are a limited number of training positions. The most desirable spots go to the strongest applicants, I don't see what about that strikes you as unfair or communistic. Well qualified applicants have a range of choices in terms of location and specialty. I don't think it's fair to focus on the situation of people who are at the bottom of the curve and use only that population to draw conclusions about the overall system. A communist system, at least in my mind, would have everyone take some sort of aptitude exam and then just assign all graduating medical students to a position based on societal need without any input from students on location or specialty. If you put in the work to be a good applicant nobody is going to force you to do FM in a flyover state. Alternatively if you're selling a ****ty product (crappy application) you're not going to have as many choices, still doesn't strike me as having any relation to communism.