First year advice?

[MSSM2013]

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I am a first year, what should I do now to improve my board score?

I am currently using all BRS books to compliment my classes.

I've identified two approaches.

1. (What I am doing right now): learn all the materials from preclinical classes even though they are pass/fail and I don't get anything besides personal satisfication by doing well, not really doing anything specific for the board.

2. What some people seem to be doing: do not study the class material at all, goes strictly by the step 1 study materials and hopefully pass all their classes (very likely, passing is easy)

So, basically if I go by 2 I could have great knowledge in all the step 1 stuff but then again, I would never go in depth in my studies, where as if I go by 1 (which is what I am doing right now), I'll be learning deeper than what the step requires and i'll just be pulling things out.


Final question: does high class rank generally correlate with a higher board score? At the moment I think I am among the top 10%

 

[McGillGrad]

The difference between average step scores and 240+ step scores is not using review books to study.... it is what you learned in your classes in 1st and 2nd year. Everyone uses the review books to study, but not everyone tries hard to absorb and integrate basic sciences.

 

[Deferoxamine]

The difference between average step scores and 240+ step scores is not using review books to study.... it is what you learned in your classes in 1st and 2nd year. Everyone uses the review books to study, but not everyone tries hard to absorb and integrate basic sciences.

Probably some truth to this.

Also, the key is to not throw in the towel after first-year. Just keep working your butt off. There are times (especially in second year) when your efforts and the mid-yield things you know REALLY REALLY well will not be reflected on your exam scores for classes... this is because they have to throw in questions that the coat-tail riders will get right (and therefore will pass the test) while somewhat screwing over the worker bees who get tripped up on poorly-worded questions that seem a little too easy.

So even if you don't nail an H every time, just stay at it. Trick yourself into thinking you're on a grade borderline before every course final exam... it'll motivate you to work a lot harder.

Flash forward to Step 1... you should be ready to handle the high pressure, high stakes, and the mid-to-low yield info during your Step 1 study time to land you the extra points.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

I disagree entirely. If you have a Biochem course that asks you to memorize the chemical structure of molecules, or a physiology course that expects you to write out the clotting cascade, or worse, the bradyknin kalikrien pathway, you are going to be led WAY off course for step 1.

Now, saying that, I tried very hard to do very well in my coursework. I did well on Step 1. Mostly Honors in the classes, 248 on step 1.

I know of people who barely passed (65-70) most of their courses and nailed a 240+.

I do not think success comes from either course work or review books, but by practicing question taking skills by doing as many multiple choice questions as you can.

This does NOT mean you should start UWorld or Kaplan Qbank in your first year. If you REALLY want to burn out and hate your life, annotate in First Aid from your review books. If you want to do med school the way it was designed, take the first year course work as a foundation for your second year courses. Unless you do a purely system-based school (which you should not have gone to), most of what you need to learn can be accomplished in your second year, with review books filling in the "step stuff" you missed in your first year.

Bottom Line: As Conrad Fischer tells you in his Step 2 videos, the Boards ask you stupid artificial questions. As I say, train for the test, not for life. Do questions

 

[MedGirl08]

Do you have any known major weaknesses? For instance I was weak in biochem - I then decided I wanted to make biochem one of my strengths. Using review books 1.5 years out doesn't seem like it's going to help much.

But I would do well in your classes and pick one or 2 areas and transform them from a weakness to a strength.

 

[Mortal_Lessons]

I am a first year, what should I do now to improve my board score?

I am currently using all BRS books to compliment my classes.

I've identified two approaches.

1. (What I am doing right now): learn all the materials from preclinical classes even though they are pass/fail and I don't get anything besides personal satisfication by doing well, not really doing anything specific for the board.

2. What some people seem to be doing: do not study the class material at all, goes strictly by the step 1 study materials and hopefully pass all their classes (very likely, passing is easy)

So, basically if I go by 2 I could have great knowledge in all the step 1 stuff but then again, I would never go in depth in my studies, where as if I go by 1 (which is what I am doing right now), I'll be learning deeper than what the step requires and i'll just be pulling things out.


Final question: does high class rank generally correlate with a higher board score? At the moment I think I am among the top 10%

The best preparation for Step 1 is doing well and learning as much as you can your first 2 years. I would not sacrifice class-based learning for the boards, with a minor exception being the Spring of your second year. But for now, focus on your classes and read the textbooks and class materials, and if you have the time (which you really shouldn't if you're studying hard for classes) go through some of more popular review books. I also recommend MicroCards and PharmCards when the time comes for microbiology and pharmacology. And yes, I do believe there's a strong positive correlation between class rank and board score.