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EDIT: Deleting my post because it might have contained too much info about what was on the exam. Don't need to get hunted down for "irregular behavior." 😉
Another Step 1 Experience (long post)
- Thread starter Jaded Soul
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js, this is awesome. thank you for taking the time to post all of this! your pharm experience has me pretty worried, though. you said that first aid wasn't sufficient for the pharm on your test. do you think first aid covered at least 60% of that material?
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Jaded Soul,
You indeed studied a lot. I am sure you did great on Step 1. Everyone leaves the exam upset.
So, cheer up and go out and have a good time. I am sure your MS3 year will start soon! Better party now.. time will be a rare commodity during 3rd year.
You indeed studied a lot. I am sure you did great on Step 1. Everyone leaves the exam upset.
So, cheer up and go out and have a good time. I am sure your MS3 year will start soon! Better party now.. time will be a rare commodity during 3rd year.
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I took the test on june 10, I had a very different test, mine had few pharm questions in contrast to what i expected, and the questions were about side effects and DOC. Physiology like the author wrote, again, was expecting more. Mine was renal physiology and respiratory, not much about cardio and GI.
Pathology alot about them, specially renal and respiratory. Biochemistry, ALOT!! i wasnt expecting that!!! I studied bio the last and didnt put the emphasis that the test was asking me!!. Ethics got like 2-3 questions about what to say to a patient, very little phsyc 5-10 questions in whole examen. Anatomy, everything neruoanatomy, central and peripheral!!
I used all my time in every block, even though i was using in qbank 30-40 minutes per block. I didnt use my lunch hour, every time a block ended a took a 10 minute break, woke around the waiting room, went to the bathroom and breath slowly. I finish the test at 3 o'clock, as almost everyone that takes the test i got out of there feeling I flunk the test, I almost dont remember specific questions about the test, my mind went blank after the test.
And i was seated very far from the door and even there the noise that the door made everytime someone opened it took away my concentration, i dont know why they have a freaking door, if the opening/closing process is gonna make more noise than the one there is in the waiting room ( which is alomst 0).
my studying sources were: BRS Path and Phys, High Yield Micro, Kaplan book for Pharm. High yield for Behavioral. and First Aid for Anatomy and bio, i got the qbank questions, which help me alot.
Pathology alot about them, specially renal and respiratory. Biochemistry, ALOT!! i wasnt expecting that!!! I studied bio the last and didnt put the emphasis that the test was asking me!!. Ethics got like 2-3 questions about what to say to a patient, very little phsyc 5-10 questions in whole examen. Anatomy, everything neruoanatomy, central and peripheral!!
I used all my time in every block, even though i was using in qbank 30-40 minutes per block. I didnt use my lunch hour, every time a block ended a took a 10 minute break, woke around the waiting room, went to the bathroom and breath slowly. I finish the test at 3 o'clock, as almost everyone that takes the test i got out of there feeling I flunk the test, I almost dont remember specific questions about the test, my mind went blank after the test.
And i was seated very far from the door and even there the noise that the door made everytime someone opened it took away my concentration, i dont know why they have a freaking door, if the opening/closing process is gonna make more noise than the one there is in the waiting room ( which is alomst 0).
my studying sources were: BRS Path and Phys, High Yield Micro, Kaplan book for Pharm. High yield for Behavioral. and First Aid for Anatomy and bio, i got the qbank questions, which help me alot.
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Jaded: Thanks for sharing the experience.
I have 2 questions for you. Did you find the UCVs series useful? Did you use the Kaplan books for review?
Thanks!
Amimigut
🙂
I have 2 questions for you. Did you find the UCVs series useful? Did you use the Kaplan books for review?
Thanks!
Amimigut
🙂
jaded and mig24x: thanks for your posts. just have a quick question - did you think first aid was enough for your anatomy questions? I keep hearing that anatomy is the least emphasized on the test. Is that really true?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Hopefully these answers are still of use to you after the looong forum downtime!
UCVs were actually decent in the last week when I was done with my studying and just doing a bunch of questions. It kept me sharp because I wasn't studying anything new at all. They didn't add any new information and I did not use them as review. If you time your studying better, you won't need them.
I didn't use Kaplan review books. I've never even seen one.
It depends on your own test and how much you remember from your course. Neuroanatomy was the most represented part of anatomy on my test. Big on nerve lesions and also visual pathway lesions. In my opinion, First Aid was not enough. High Yield Neuroanatomy was excellent and a quick read. Compared to the rest, anatomy didn't "feel" like a big part of the test.
UCVs were actually decent in the last week when I was done with my studying and just doing a bunch of questions. It kept me sharp because I wasn't studying anything new at all. They didn't add any new information and I did not use them as review. If you time your studying better, you won't need them.
I didn't use Kaplan review books. I've never even seen one.
It depends on your own test and how much you remember from your course. Neuroanatomy was the most represented part of anatomy on my test. Big on nerve lesions and also visual pathway lesions. In my opinion, First Aid was not enough. High Yield Neuroanatomy was excellent and a quick read. Compared to the rest, anatomy didn't "feel" like a big part of the test.
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I took it on June 11th. I studied for about 4.5-5 weeks. I could have used another day or so... maybe even a week to study, but I had to start my preceptorship. Students from my school are only given a small window of time that we can prepare and study for the boards. I should have done more practice tests, taken a simulated exam... all that good stuff. BUT... time plays into what a person is capable of achieving, and I ran out of it... However, I still felt prepared, though I don't feel too hot about the test after it was over. I think we're all supposed to feel like we flunked when we walk out... so instead, I think about how I think I compared to the majority of people I know who are very likely to pass. And that tells me I probably passed or better... so, keep your fingers crossed! Here's my story on Step 1:
Books used and my rating:
Kaplan books (for course) purchased USED from a friend--- pretty good. Didn't finish the behavorial sciences bc I ran out of time; Did not use the micro section... found a better book (Micro and ID in the HIGH YIELD series is excellent!). The anatomy wasn't too great- I'd ignore that and find a book that focuses on innervations, neuroanatomy, common injuries, and dermatomes. Biochem, path, phys, pharm were decent.
Boards and Wards Pathophys--- I LOVE THIS BOOK. A+++++ Need I say more??? It's organ-based, and it hits on the important stuff. It's easy to read (you could do it in a few days probably), yet it's not scrimpy or too short. It is thorough and high yield--- again... I LOVE this book.
HIGH YIELD Micro and ID: Another good book--- great summaries and charts. The last few pages are very high yeild in that they cover major board topics. Again, this one hits on the important stuff.
First Aid--- A must! I added lots of notes from Kaplan questions and other books. I missed some easy questions (I looked them up afterwards) that I could have gotten right had I spent more time with this one... I used it more as a second reference for info while reading the other review books.
Step Up--- It's organ system based. I give it a B. It's a good way to get familiar with material you haven't seen in ages, but you need to supplement it with other books.
Katzung Pharm review--- A- This was good, but I didn't read the whole thing... it's too thick. The questions in this are good at covering the important stuff, so pick the drugs you don't know too well and do that section. Also, I recommend the autonomics and cardio drug sections.
Books I bought that I wish I had used:
1. NMS Questions--- I only did about 100 from this book (time factor);
2. Q-book (I did about 50 anatomy and 50 phys... was very useful- should have spent more time with it!);
3. HIGH YIELD Neuroanatomy
hmm... can't think of the others.
What worked:
Do Kaplan questions, but don't expect the real exam to be JUST like these questions... although they did help a good bit. Also, I recommend doing the Kaplan questions in the timed format and then looking at the answers... ALL the answers. I started out doing a question and then immdiately looking to see if I had gotten it correct and to read the response. I felt like I learned more by doing all the questions and THEN going back to the answers... that way you have to think about it twice. Repetition works.
Do the USMLE released questions. I did about 50 of the 150 (time factor!!!!AHHH!)... I got at least 2 questions right from doing these questions (well, part of these questions).
Read and learn First Aid to the best of your ability. Write notes in it and refer to them if you can't remember something or get a questions wrong.
Things to NOT ingore:
Bugs: know the basics (duh) and know some details as well. It's important to recognize common pathogens.
Neuroanatomy: you know... what vasculature gets what, lesions, think BIG picture type stuff.
Path: TONS!!!! I LOVE that pathophys book listed above... I mean it! READ IT!
Phys: Endo, cardio, pulm were pretty big on my exam.
Immuno: I ignored too much of this... I know that I bombed those questions... not that there were tons, but it seemed like it since several had me stumped (and shouldn't have!).
Things I could have spent MUCH less time on:
Histo--- few questions
Pharm--- I had lots of pharm questions, but I spent too much time learning intricate details... know MOA, major side effects, and for PETE's SAKE: memorize that list in First Aid that covers stuff like induction of p450's and phototoxicity and such...
Phys--- it wasn't that bad... pretty easy compared to kaplan questions in the lecture book series.
Taking the test:
My first two sections were NASTY hard... I don't know why... I don't think it's simply because they were the first two sections of the day- I think that they actually contained more difficult content than the other sections. I had to take a break after the first block to gather my wits (talk myself up: You are a Bad-Ass... you know this stuff... you are the bomb... you can do it... -- I have to cheerlead myself into the right mind frame sometimes). The next sections weren't so bad. It seemed like the test was broken into three types of questions... "No way am I gonna EVER guess this one"... "I can narrow it down to 2 choices"... and "DUH EASY" categories.... I missed plenty in the first (I'm betting!). I feel dumb for the ones I should have gotten correct in the latter category but probably didn't simply because I didn't read the Released Items (the other 100) or memorize enough of First Aid. Some other notes I made about the test... ear plugs do not work well enough. I had to chew (SMACK!) gum in order to drown out the noise of nearby test-takers. Some were taking tests that must have required typed essays or something... the ticktickbambamtititibamclickticktick of their keys almost drove me crazy at first. However, I discovered that ear plugs amplified the reception of any noise I made with my mouth, so I chomped gum like crazy. Hopefully I didn't annoy those around me, but if I did... well... Call me selfish-- Me passing the boards-- and hopefully doing pretty good--- was VERYMUCH more important to me. I bet mine was more expensive anyway....
Ok, so that's my version of The HORRORS of STEP 1 of the USMLE. Remember- read those released items and do lots of questions! Q-bank rocks, but it's not perfect.
Books used and my rating:
Kaplan books (for course) purchased USED from a friend--- pretty good. Didn't finish the behavorial sciences bc I ran out of time; Did not use the micro section... found a better book (Micro and ID in the HIGH YIELD series is excellent!). The anatomy wasn't too great- I'd ignore that and find a book that focuses on innervations, neuroanatomy, common injuries, and dermatomes. Biochem, path, phys, pharm were decent.
Boards and Wards Pathophys--- I LOVE THIS BOOK. A+++++ Need I say more??? It's organ-based, and it hits on the important stuff. It's easy to read (you could do it in a few days probably), yet it's not scrimpy or too short. It is thorough and high yield--- again... I LOVE this book.
HIGH YIELD Micro and ID: Another good book--- great summaries and charts. The last few pages are very high yeild in that they cover major board topics. Again, this one hits on the important stuff.
First Aid--- A must! I added lots of notes from Kaplan questions and other books. I missed some easy questions (I looked them up afterwards) that I could have gotten right had I spent more time with this one... I used it more as a second reference for info while reading the other review books.
Step Up--- It's organ system based. I give it a B. It's a good way to get familiar with material you haven't seen in ages, but you need to supplement it with other books.
Katzung Pharm review--- A- This was good, but I didn't read the whole thing... it's too thick. The questions in this are good at covering the important stuff, so pick the drugs you don't know too well and do that section. Also, I recommend the autonomics and cardio drug sections.
Books I bought that I wish I had used:
1. NMS Questions--- I only did about 100 from this book (time factor);
2. Q-book (I did about 50 anatomy and 50 phys... was very useful- should have spent more time with it!);
3. HIGH YIELD Neuroanatomy
hmm... can't think of the others.
What worked:
Do Kaplan questions, but don't expect the real exam to be JUST like these questions... although they did help a good bit. Also, I recommend doing the Kaplan questions in the timed format and then looking at the answers... ALL the answers. I started out doing a question and then immdiately looking to see if I had gotten it correct and to read the response. I felt like I learned more by doing all the questions and THEN going back to the answers... that way you have to think about it twice. Repetition works.
Do the USMLE released questions. I did about 50 of the 150 (time factor!!!!AHHH!)... I got at least 2 questions right from doing these questions (well, part of these questions).
Read and learn First Aid to the best of your ability. Write notes in it and refer to them if you can't remember something or get a questions wrong.
Things to NOT ingore:
Bugs: know the basics (duh) and know some details as well. It's important to recognize common pathogens.
Neuroanatomy: you know... what vasculature gets what, lesions, think BIG picture type stuff.
Path: TONS!!!! I LOVE that pathophys book listed above... I mean it! READ IT!
Phys: Endo, cardio, pulm were pretty big on my exam.
Immuno: I ignored too much of this... I know that I bombed those questions... not that there were tons, but it seemed like it since several had me stumped (and shouldn't have!).
Things I could have spent MUCH less time on:
Histo--- few questions
Pharm--- I had lots of pharm questions, but I spent too much time learning intricate details... know MOA, major side effects, and for PETE's SAKE: memorize that list in First Aid that covers stuff like induction of p450's and phototoxicity and such...
Phys--- it wasn't that bad... pretty easy compared to kaplan questions in the lecture book series.
Taking the test:
My first two sections were NASTY hard... I don't know why... I don't think it's simply because they were the first two sections of the day- I think that they actually contained more difficult content than the other sections. I had to take a break after the first block to gather my wits (talk myself up: You are a Bad-Ass... you know this stuff... you are the bomb... you can do it... -- I have to cheerlead myself into the right mind frame sometimes). The next sections weren't so bad. It seemed like the test was broken into three types of questions... "No way am I gonna EVER guess this one"... "I can narrow it down to 2 choices"... and "DUH EASY" categories.... I missed plenty in the first (I'm betting!). I feel dumb for the ones I should have gotten correct in the latter category but probably didn't simply because I didn't read the Released Items (the other 100) or memorize enough of First Aid. Some other notes I made about the test... ear plugs do not work well enough. I had to chew (SMACK!) gum in order to drown out the noise of nearby test-takers. Some were taking tests that must have required typed essays or something... the ticktickbambamtititibamclickticktick of their keys almost drove me crazy at first. However, I discovered that ear plugs amplified the reception of any noise I made with my mouth, so I chomped gum like crazy. Hopefully I didn't annoy those around me, but if I did... well... Call me selfish-- Me passing the boards-- and hopefully doing pretty good--- was VERYMUCH more important to me. I bet mine was more expensive anyway....
Ok, so that's my version of The HORRORS of STEP 1 of the USMLE. Remember- read those released items and do lots of questions! Q-bank rocks, but it's not perfect.
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thanks for your post and i hope you rocked that test.
i'm glad you mentioned a third of the quesionts were pretty 'easy'... cuz judging from most other posts it seems like the entire test was freakin difficult and if such, id on tkno how 90% of the people are passin.
when you say qbank quesitons arent like the real test.. can you discuss a bit on the difference? is it the type of content.. or the type of questioning that is the difference? the difficulty level?
thanks
i'm glad you mentioned a third of the quesionts were pretty 'easy'... cuz judging from most other posts it seems like the entire test was freakin difficult and if such, id on tkno how 90% of the people are passin.
when you say qbank quesitons arent like the real test.. can you discuss a bit on the difference? is it the type of content.. or the type of questioning that is the difference? the difficulty level?
thanks
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hey jaded soul,
well first off congrats on finishing! you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and i'm sure that you did well on the exam.
i am taking the exam on friday. i have pretty much finished studying what i can in all the subjects. what i want to know is what should i do to make the most of my next 4 days? is it better to just do questions or should i spend more time reviewing "high yield stuff". i don't feel like i can cram anything more into my brain.
also, i'm a little worried because my qbank scores are all over the place. i go anwhere from a 50 to a 75% depending on the types of questions. but in other review books (qbook, robbins patho) i am faring significantly better (in the 60-70's).
i know this message is all jumbled (like my brain right now) but i just want to know how to make the best of my last couple of days i guess.
thanks again
well first off congrats on finishing! you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and i'm sure that you did well on the exam.
i am taking the exam on friday. i have pretty much finished studying what i can in all the subjects. what i want to know is what should i do to make the most of my next 4 days? is it better to just do questions or should i spend more time reviewing "high yield stuff". i don't feel like i can cram anything more into my brain.
also, i'm a little worried because my qbank scores are all over the place. i go anwhere from a 50 to a 75% depending on the types of questions. but in other review books (qbook, robbins patho) i am faring significantly better (in the 60-70's).
i know this message is all jumbled (like my brain right now) but i just want to know how to make the best of my last couple of days i guess.
thanks again
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I can't tell you what's the best thing to do since it's different for everyone and I don't even know if I passed yet. I planned my studying to leave the last week for review or to do a bunch of questions. I went with the questions since I was all studied-out by them.
Don't worry too much about your Qbank score. It's a great resource, but the real test has a different feel to it. Definitely do the released items you can get on the USMLE website. If you want an extra boost of confidence, do the released items twice.
Don't cram the day before. I didn't even study the day before. Just take it easy and get yourself mentally prepared to sit in front of computer for up to 7 hours if you aren't used to it.
Good luck!
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You ask about how qbank questions compared to the real thing...
This one is hard... some of the questions were very similiar. The format is the same, but the subject material on the real test isn't nearly as repetitive as qbank. Qbank rehashes ALOT of the same material. I felt that the real test covered more diseases, more topics. It was more representative of what we've done for the past two years. In contrast, to me (only my opinion!), it seemed like once you did at least half the questions, you probably covered all the diseases/topics/mainsubjects that the rest of the questions covered. I think that's why scores get better and better as you keep on doing questions. I think I started out with a 68 average for awhile (only doing questions from organ systems I had read though! so it was biased)... but then I started doing questions in all categories (randomly) from all organ systems. My score at first dropped and I made some 50's and up... but by the end of Qbank (and I didn't do 100 of the q's... and I didn't redo the ones i missed either though I read alllll of the answers to ALL the previous questions I had accomplished) I was making 80's on some exams... (but usually- 70's and sometimes a 60-something). My average at the end was a 65... but as mentioned... this was without even finishing 100 questions. So... I think that there is just mroe variety on the real thing. But the easy questions are obvious... I mean... they'll give you a pic and it is fairly obvious what it is... then all you have to do is put a disease to it. Like I don't wanna give any q's away, so I can't explain, but it's comparable to the released questions. Oh, by the way, those released questions are somewhere on the USMLE web site and the answers are on Kaplan and the USMLE site.... so just check around there... there's 150 total. Do them! I wish i had done more than the first 50... I learned a few things that showed up on the test (maybe 3-4 questions)...
Hope some of that rambling helps.
This one is hard... some of the questions were very similiar. The format is the same, but the subject material on the real test isn't nearly as repetitive as qbank. Qbank rehashes ALOT of the same material. I felt that the real test covered more diseases, more topics. It was more representative of what we've done for the past two years. In contrast, to me (only my opinion!), it seemed like once you did at least half the questions, you probably covered all the diseases/topics/mainsubjects that the rest of the questions covered. I think that's why scores get better and better as you keep on doing questions. I think I started out with a 68 average for awhile (only doing questions from organ systems I had read though! so it was biased)... but then I started doing questions in all categories (randomly) from all organ systems. My score at first dropped and I made some 50's and up... but by the end of Qbank (and I didn't do 100 of the q's... and I didn't redo the ones i missed either though I read alllll of the answers to ALL the previous questions I had accomplished) I was making 80's on some exams... (but usually- 70's and sometimes a 60-something). My average at the end was a 65... but as mentioned... this was without even finishing 100 questions. So... I think that there is just mroe variety on the real thing. But the easy questions are obvious... I mean... they'll give you a pic and it is fairly obvious what it is... then all you have to do is put a disease to it. Like I don't wanna give any q's away, so I can't explain, but it's comparable to the released questions. Oh, by the way, those released questions are somewhere on the USMLE web site and the answers are on Kaplan and the USMLE site.... so just check around there... there's 150 total. Do them! I wish i had done more than the first 50... I learned a few things that showed up on the test (maybe 3-4 questions)...
Hope some of that rambling helps.
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Are all these subjects (ie, parasitology, histology, etc), are these all taught in medical school or are they expected to be "leftover" information from undergrad?
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I took the test on May 30th and got my results a few days ago. My score was 230/93. I used Kaplan (live lecture and web prep), First Aid, and pathguy.com website.
I am very happy with this score, especially with all the rage about DO students not doing as well. (I am a DO student)
I studied for about 6 weeks, 10-12 hours/day. Solid.
If you can get ahold of Kaplan books or even the webprep, it will really help you out.
Good Luck.
Normal Force
I am very happy with this score, especially with all the rage about DO students not doing as well. (I am a DO student)
I studied for about 6 weeks, 10-12 hours/day. Solid.
If you can get ahold of Kaplan books or even the webprep, it will really help you out.
Good Luck.
Normal Force
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There's a topic list for Step 1 on the USMLE website. Some schools to better jobs at touching upon all the topics than others. Taking courses like molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics in undergrad is beneficial though, because they are fair game on the exam but tend to get less emphasis in med school curriculum compared to subjects like pathology, pharmacology, physiology, etc.
