Beneficial to study for Step 1 during 2nd yr spring?

[guitarguy23]

Can anyone speak to this? I just wanted to get an idea of who found it helpful/not helpful to study for Step 1 during the whole spring semester before taking it. Right now, I am trying to balance classwork and Step 1 studying during the semester If anyone HAS taken the exam and did/did not do this I would appreciate the feedback! Thnaks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[link2swim06]

Can anyone speak to this? I just wanted to get an idea of who found it helpful/not helpful to study for Step 1 during the whole spring semester before taking it. Right now, I am trying to balance classwork and Step 1 studying during the semester If anyone HAS taken the exam and did/did not do this I would appreciate the feedback! Thnaks.

The objective should be to learn the info in your classes as throughly as possible. That material is highly represented on step 1 and it should consume 90%+ of your study time.

However, doing 5-10 questions from kaplan qbank and taking notes from the explanations into first aid for 15-30 minutes a day would be helpful. I'd save uworld for the few months before the test.

 

[Etorphine]

The objective should be to learn the info in your classes as throughly as possible. That material is highly represented on step 1 and it should consume 90%+ of your study time.

This +1. It is the tried and true method. Try and learn your class material thoroughly right now, and just take the time to really learn it. Save the bulk of the NBME's + questions until dedicated review period.

 

[JJMrK]

I did about a chapter of FA per week starting in ~February and found it beneficial. Didn't have to get used to the format during dedicated time and had already seen most of the book once. Also did a couple NBME exams in early/late March to get a feel for my baseline.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I've been reviewing the relevant physio/biochemistry as we go through organ systems. Only takes an hour or so every day but it builds up so you see the same material a few times.

 

[oingoboingo]

This +1. It is the tried and true method. Try and learn your class material thoroughly right now, and just take the time to really learn it. Save the bulk of the NBME's + questions until dedicated review period.

My school only gives 3 weeks of dedicated board study time. Is that really enough time to get through the NBMEs and Q banks?

 

[Etorphine]

My school only gives 3 weeks of dedicated board study time. Is that really enough time to get through the NBMEs and Q banks?

definitely, there are some 250+ people on here that did great in that time span. A lot of them have said that conversely, too much time and you run the risk of burning out when you're putting in the 10+ hr days, and it starts to become a concern when maximizing performance.

 

[sobored]

My school only gives 3 weeks of dedicated board study time. Is that really enough time to get through the NBMEs and Q banks?

No freaking way. You are not going to remember everything you learned the last 2 years, so by default you will need to review a lot of material during your study period. Couple that with trying to get through thousands of questions and practice tests (while also going over questions thoroughly), I say there is no way 3 weeks is enough for all of that. Slow and steady wins the race IMO. Start reviewing/doing some practice questions months out, then go really hard during your dedicated period.

 

[sobored]

definitely, there are some 250+ people on here that did great in that time span. A lot of them have said that conversely, too much time and you run the risk of burning out when you're putting in the 10+ hr days, and it starts to become a concern when maximizing performance.

I call BS on those people. Maybe there are a few rare people that can accomplish this, but I would say the VAST majority of people have been reviewing for some time before that. Something strange about med students is this crazy need to tell people how much they've accomplished with how little they've studied. I went through this hell last year and did very well, and I don't believe all these "studied for 3 weeks and got 90th%ile+" stories. Most have probably been reviewing for a while.

 

[alpinism]

Yeahhh its pretty rare to only study for 3 weeks and end up with a 250+.

Also, if your aiming for a good score, you'll probably want to do more than just NBMEs and q banks (re: FA, RR, Pathoma). In which case, you'll definitely need more than 3 weeks.

 

[JJMrK]

My school only gives 3 weeks of dedicated board study time. Is that really enough time to get through the NBMEs and Q banks?

Doubtful. It's probably possible, but would take a really talented student. If you have 6 or 8 weeks of dedicated time, stay focused, and start studying initially in late Winter or early Spring, I think most med students can pull off a 240 or 250.

 

[Donald Juan]

I've started studying now, and I'm really glad I am. I feel I am making progress, I'm still keeping up with my classes, and if I only had a few weeks at this point I would be freaking out at the vast amount of information. Maybe some people can recall every drug, enzyme, and genetic defect they ever learned in the first two years, but I can hardly remember what was on my test two weeks ago, much less 6-12 months out.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Not hardcore, but having a first run of FA complete (along with some proportion of a QBank) and under your belt prior to the dedicated studying time definitely can't hurt.

 

[Cmaster]

Can anyone speak to this? I just wanted to get an idea of who found it helpful/not helpful to study for Step 1 during the whole spring semester before taking it. Right now, I am trying to balance classwork and Step 1 studying during the semester If anyone HAS taken the exam and did/did not do this I would appreciate the feedback! Thnaks.

I studied for step 1 through out my second year. During the spring semester, i kick up my board study a couple notches. I still studied for my classes, but spent just as much time going through firecrakcer and Uworld. It served me well. I scored well, and am happy about how i did things. I finished my first pass of uworld and covered every topic before i started my dedicated 6 weeks of studying. I dont think i would have been as comfortable during my dedicated board prep time, if i had not started studying for step 1 earlier.

There are a lot of different strategies for studying for the boards. Just got to find what works for you.

Also, i think 3 weeks of board prep time is not enough time. If i were you, i would start studying now.

 

[oingoboingo]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Will ramp up board studying immediately