hey guys, just took step 1 on tuesday and i have to say i echo all the thoughts people posted thus far. i would just say that it's not necessarily bad to push your test date back if you honestly feel you are going to fail. i'd originally planned a super-ambitious 3-week study schedule and by week 2 knew that it wouldn't cut it. this is, after all, one of the most important tests you'll ever take and it's worth going into it being reasonably confident you've given it your all. that being said, there's a point where pushing it back is a bad idea. i pushed my date back once, which was a good move, but then i moved it back again about 5 days, in a state of panic, about 10 days before. THAT was a bad move...i was so burned out by the end and now that i'm done, i know i wouldn't have done any better/worse if i'd taken it 5 days earlier. ok, i don't know if all that rambling makes sense but the basic point is: don't try to think ahead too far when you're studying - that is, don't keep thinking about how much stuf you have left when you've just begun studying. it's enough to make any sane person panic.
some things i would do if i (gasp) had to do it again:
- i wouldn't read hy immuno; think all the info is pretty much fine in FA.
- fewer sources = better; FA is gold. everything else that you do should be geared toward understanding and memorizing FA. not just blindly "memorizing" it but using techniques that help you better grasp the details and understand the facts.
- goljan is GOLD. even if i didn't get any specific q's that he mentioned in his lectures, he helped me understand and integrate things i wouldn't have been able to do on my own. that being said, if you don't have his lectures, it's not the end of the world...fa. like i said, has all you need.
here are a few other pointers:
- qbank is great, but it's NOT important to get through EVERY SINGLE question. (i got through 84%). i made it a mission after reading this thread, feeling that if i didn't finish every one of those 2100+ questions i'd be missing out. it's easy to just get to panic mode where you're doing blocks of 50 questions and not spending enough time reading and understanding the answers (to ALL the questions, not just the ones you missed, etc. etc.) because you just want to finish. thus, IMO it's better to do less and actually understand, top to bottom, the ones you complete. (Analogy: doing fewer sets of heavy weights as opposed to less effective workouts with baby light weights - you may look superficially "toned" in the latter approach but the first method is what really kills and strengthens your muscles.)
- more on qbank: it can make you feel so miserable - don't let it. the real yardstick is that, somewhere in the middle of your studying, the questions will sort of start to "make sense". i.e. even if you don't get the answer right, it will look sort of familiar, or you'll at least understand what they're trying to test. it's sort of the breakthrough point, and you'll see your score start rising. don't be panicked if it's not hitting 80% by the end. the real test isn't very q-bank-esque in my opinion; it's a lot shorter and tests more basic concepts. that being said, i found qbank very helpful and would DEFINITELY recommend doing it. the best thing about qbank is it allows you to get the timing down - by the end i was knocking out the 50 questions in approximately 25-30 minutes.
- do the free nbme tests, but don't sweat it if you can't find the answer to every single question you get wrong. i think nbme form 4 is ridiculously hard in its grading (the questions seemed fairly easy to me but i was disappointed with my score - even after redoing the test looking up all the answers with all the sources i had, it was a 245...don't have a clue what i didn't get right) while form 2 and 1 are much more forgiving in the score reporting.
- more random things: if you like your family, go home and study. there is nothing better than having someone cook and take care of you while you go into "regression"-mode due to the stress of studying. i went into hibernation for about 5 weeks and don't think i could have handled being around 130 stressed people back near school. also, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. i went running every day, ate lots of fruits/veggies/whole grains, got at least 7 hours of sleep.
i'm not going to sugar coat it: you will feel soooooo miserable during this period, so worried and scared and miserable and stressed. but believe me, it's true: odds are overwhelming that you WILL pass. just do the work, do the best you can and hang in there.
whew, i think that's all - will post more if i think of anything...
