Critique my study plan? Please?

[fuzzywuz]

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First off, thanks for reading this thread. Hope you guys can provide some suggestions and insights on my approach and timing.

I will start studying the second week of May. From there, I have a total of 7 weeks of prep time. Below is the breakdown (I will proceed in that particular order):

4 days of physiology (BRS physio)
5 days of pathology (Goljan Lect + slides + RR)
4 days of pharmacology (Kaplan lecture notes + videos)
3 days of microbiology (Clinical Micro Made Ridic Simple)
3 days of biochem (RR Biochem)
2 days of anatomy (Roadmap Anatomy)
2 days of immunology (Levinson - Immuno ch only)
1 day of B. science (HY Behav Sci)
2 days of neuro (HY neuroanatomy)
1 day of Embryo (FA + QBank, some ch of HY ...maybe...)

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The above time line will take me through my first run. I will taking my required NBME (school-mandated) immediately after my 2 days of neuro (won't have that day to cover embryo, but not a big loss).

During my first run, I will annotate FA and be doing questions. 1 Block in the noon after studying my day's worth of work. Spend time reviewing in the afternoon. Do an addition 1-2 blocks of UWORLD in the evening.
-----------

Start of 2nd Pass will leave me with 3 weeks before the test. I intend on using the first week to review my weakest area w/ FA + the respective resource above. Continue to do at least 3-4 blocks (gotta see how much I can handle, will adjust accordingly).

-----------

3rd Pass (2 weeks to go)--- Rapidly review all of FA as many times as possible and do as many questions as possible.

-----------
5 days to test date = 4-5 blocks / day.

Last few days will involve more questions, though lighter load.

Day before test - Rest time. Review FA.

------------------------------------------------

So that's all I have for now. I've been trying to figure out how I can incorporate NBMEs into my study schedule. I don't want to waste money on a "baseline" test. I guess I can use UWORLD self-assessment for that.

Main concerns: How should I allocate my questions? Am I doing too many blocks per day? What about NBME incorporation? Keep in mind, I have a school required NBME immediately after my first pass.


Thanks for reading!!!

 

[RySerr21]

First off, thanks for reading this thread. Hope you guys can provide some suggestions and insights on my approach and timing.

I will start studying the second week of May. From there, I have a total of 7 weeks of prep time. Below is the breakdown (I will proceed in that particular order):

4 days of physiology (BRS physio)
5 days of pathology (Goljan Lect + slides + RR)
4 days of pharmacology (Kaplan lecture notes + videos)
3 days of microbiology (Clinical Micro Made Ridic Simple)
3 days of biochem (RR Biochem)
2 days of anatomy (Roadmap Anatomy)
2 days of immunology (Levinson - Immuno ch only)
1 day of B. science (HY Behav Sci)
2 days of neuro (HY neuroanatomy)
1 day of Embryo (FA + QBank, some ch of HY ...maybe...)

-----------
The above time line will take me through my first run. I will taking my required NBME (school-mandated) immediately after my 2 days of neuro (won't have that day to cover embryo, but not a big loss).

During my first run, I will annotate FA and be doing questions. 1 Block in the noon after studying my day's worth of work. Spend time reviewing in the afternoon. Do an addition 1-2 blocks of UWORLD in the evening.
-----------

Start of 2nd Pass will leave me with 3 weeks before the test. I intend on using the first week to review my weakest area w/ FA + the respective resource above. Continue to do at least 3-4 blocks (gotta see how much I can handle, will adjust accordingly).

-----------

3rd Pass (2 weeks to go)--- Rapidly review all of FA as many times as possible and do as many questions as possible.

-----------
5 days to test date = 4-5 blocks / day.

Last few days will involve more questions, though lighter load.

Day before test - Rest time. Review FA.

------------------------------------------------

So that's all I have for now. I've been trying to figure out how I can incorporate NBMEs into my study schedule. I don't want to waste money on a "baseline" test. I guess I can use UWORLD self-assessment for that.

Main concerns: How should I allocate my questions? Am I doing too many blocks per day? What about NBME incorporation? Keep in mind, I have a school required NBME immediately after my first pass.


Thanks for reading!!!

its hard to say cuz i dont know you or how fast you study....seems pretty intense though. Don't underestimate how long it takes to do a block of questions and then review the answers, especially if you review the answers. At the minimum, it will take two to two and a half hours to complete and review a block (and thats reviewing quickly). 4 to 5 blocks a day? Thats pretty much your whole day right there.

the only things that seem a little unreasonable to me are the Goljan timeline and the pharm timeline, only b/c you are also watching teh videos/listening to the audio. Its time consuming. Have you read Goljan or kaplan yet? If not,, be aware that it is going to take you some serious time. You can't just burn through it and expect to pick up everything. Its really desne.

But again, i dont konw wher eyou stand with the material or how quickly you go through things. But, chances are that its probably going to take you longer than you anticipate.

 

[fuzzywuz]

Thanks for the reply! I was worried about putting too much on the plate. Regarding pharm, I haven't used Kaplan video (I've browsed some chapters in the lecture note book). As for path, I've never used the audio lectures before. I did occasionally go through RR.

I'm not sure if I should cut anything out since all of those seem to be gold in their respective topics.

If I have 3 weeks left after my first pass, maybe I should just lengthen my path and pharm days? Hopefully it'll take 1 extra week... leaving me with 2 weeks to consolidate FA and UWORLD.

As for questions, I guess 4-5 blocks is too ambitious. I should just stick with 3 minimum blocks per day near the end of the study plan?

 

[RySerr21]

Thanks for the reply! I was worried about putting too much on the plate. Regarding pharm, I haven't used Kaplan video (I've browsed some chapters in the lecture note book). As for path, I've never used the audio lectures before. I did occasionally go through RR.

I'm not sure if I should cut anything out since all of those seem to be gold in their respective topics.

If I have 3 weeks left after my first pass, maybe I should just lengthen my path and pharm days? Hopefully it'll take 1 extra week... leaving me with 2 weeks to consolidate FA and UWORLD.

As for questions, I guess 4-5 blocks is too ambitious. I should just stick with 3 minimum blocks per day near the end of the study plan?

Yea you could lengthen your path and pharm days. You may be able to shorten others, like immuno? its not too much info, might be possible to do in a day.

3 blocks a day is even a lot, but again it all depends on how quickly you go through stuff. I think two is definitely doable, 3 is possible too.

I think just keep an open mind and realize that your schedule may end up not being anything like what you planned, so dont let it freak you out.

 

[Scared2011]

oops wrong post!