anyone mind telling me if I'm insane? - step 1 schedule

[Bevo]

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Im taking my step 1 in febuary and trying to organize myself.

My target date is the end of Febuary. I haven't really done much since I stopped with my basic sciences, so a few things are rusty. Thought this time in Miami might provide me with some reinforcement of my basic sciences. It hasn't done anything. Finally rotated with a doctor who bothered to question and teach us stuff. Rest of the time was "closet" time with the Exam Room network (ern.com)

So here is my schedule. I got to figure in a few days for driving home and stuff. (2-3 days) and my schedule isn't set as to when I'll be leaving Miami.

I need some opnions on the sources I'll be using and stuff and to see if my approach will be decent.

PDF or doc


I'll be content with average (~215-220), but if Im gonna aim high, might as well aim for the stars (260+)

but this schedule might be really over ambitious...
trying to aim for 8 to 10 hours of studying per day.

-------------excerpt from file----------------------------------------------


Goals
To accomplish before Nov 12th
1. Go through Goljan at least once in audio
2. Go through Anti-microbials and ANS drugs and Cardiac drugs in 1st aid
3. Go through Path in 1st aid
4. Go through Physio 1st aid

Goals From the time I get home till I start Falcon
1. Go through 1st aid 2x
2. Finish All of Qbank + IV Qbank and do missed questions over
3. Go through Goljan HY 2x
4. Take NBME #1 and Kaplan simulated exams
Aiming for a ~500 on nbme #1 by the time I start Falcon and when I end a ~600 on nbme on #2

Each subject will be covered as such:
Read related section in 1st aid
Read selection in review book/review materials
Re-read section in 1st aid
Do questions out of qbook of that day?s subject
Do random Qbank questions unrelated to any topics covered.

On my own I will spend
10 days on pathology ~5 days on pharm
~5 days on physio ~5 days on micro
~4 days in biochem ~3 days in neuroanatomy
~2 days in immunology ~3 days for anatomy, histo and embryo
~2 days for molecular and cell biology and genetics ~2 days for behavioral science
41 days of studying.

Sources
Path = Goljan Audio + Goljan General and Systemic Path notes, Robbins Review question book
Pharm = 1st aid and Kaplan pharm
Genetics = Kaplan genetics
Physio = stars or brs
Micro = MMRS or HY
Biochem = lippincott illustrated or BRS
Neuro = HY Neuro
Immuno = ? Kaplan?
Anat, Histo, embryo = 1st aid? Need anything more?
Moll cell = HY cell bio
BS = HY BS

1st aid for step 1/2
Kaplan Qbook
Goljan HY/sectional HY
Webpath, learningradiology.com (concentration on cns)
USMLE Step 1 secrets
Kaplan IV Qbank and Qbank (till feb 14th)
Exammaster Qbank (with falcon)

 

[zorro21]

you are insane.

 

[bigfrank]

Yes, you are truly insane (if not floridly psychotic) but you might be "in the stars" if you keep to the schedule!

 

[Bevo]

been thinking about to scale that beast down some.

Dropping the anat/histo/embryo to 1 day only from 1st aid.
Maybe switching all that physio and path into organ systems instead prob with pharm as well.

spending less time with micro/immuno

any other suggestions ?

 

[j_sde]

dude, alot of my classmates as well as my opinion of step 1 right after we took it was that there was 1/3 easy material 1/3 challenging and about 1/10 stuff you would never even come across if you studied forever for this test. the rest is mixed inbetween. my point is... your going overboard, alot of the test is not material based. its sorta just figure out the problem based on basic information. i would spend time doing questions.

 

[itsaliger]

my schedule is not that different than yours but with a lot less time at the end . . .

i have 38 days scheduled for going over similar review books, with similar allocations for each subject,
and then i have a month for just reviewing first aid and qbank (although the first two weeks of that month i'll be going to 2 weddings and home for a break, so really 14 days of intense q-banking at the end). i'm scheduled to take the test jan. 18.

can i ask: what is 'falcon'?

good luck . . .
i liked your calender word template, by the way - i'm using it to make my schedule too 🙂

 

[Bevo]

falcon reviews

heh, just a table I made in word.

 

[stomper627]

Insanity.
Id focus on questions.