Have most people started reviewing?

[nope80]

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When do most people typically start studying? Reading these boards it seems as though most have started a daily review system. Is this typical? How many hours do people spend a night? And how do you find time with school work??

The year has just gone by so quickly and I'm starting to panic because in 2 months school will be over and I will have 4 weeks to study from then. I feel like I should have started reviewing earlier but didn't realize that it was coming so quickly

 

[DoctaJay]

I don't have a set time where I do something, but I have goals, and my goals are (in order):

1) Read every section of First Aid for Step 1,and highlight it. (highlighting just lets me know that I've actually read something before)

2) Do ALL the USMLE World questions in tutor mode,and annotate First Aid.

3) Read BRS Pathology

4) Do practice tests and all the questions I got wrong in USMLE World again.

I think the most important part about reading posts in this forum is to see all the great advice and figure out what fits you best. The Taus is graet, but it just wouldn't work for me. So yeah, choose what fits you best.

 

[ENThopeful]

i dont think most people are reviewing, but SDN certainly is. This forum has picked up a lot of steam in the last few weeks.

 

[Vonsmack]

My main strategy has been to review anatomy, physiology, histology of systems as we go through them second year. I think going through path courses you naturally do that anyways in order to fully understand mechanisms and the pathophys of certain diseases. A lot of kids in my class are starting to be go-getters and are studying biochem, neuro pathways, genetics, i.e. first year stuff. I haven't got there yet, maybe next block..

I wouldn't panic though. I've read lots of experiences where they do zero board studying till after 2nd year, bust it for a month and score fine. If youre worried about it, then put in an extra hour of work for boards a night-can't hurt.

 

[sprinkibrio]

Very, very few people who got 240+ at my school review before the 5 hard core weeks when school ends. People on here I think are mostly FMGs, Carribean students whose schools give them months off, or schools with students who have already finished MS2.

I'm listening to Goljan, reading RR path, and own all the books I plan to use, but that's it so far. If it doesn't help me with my courses I'm not doing it yet.

 

[ENThopeful]

Very, very few people who got 240+ at my school review before the 5 hard core weeks when school ends. People on here I think are mostly FMGs, Carribean students whose schools give them months off, or schools with students who have already finished MS2.

I'm listening to Goljan, reading RR path, and own all the books I plan to use, but that's it so far. If it doesn't help me with my courses I'm not doing it yet.

haha you are probably being sand bagged

 

[Jwax]

When do most people typically start studying? Reading these boards it seems as though most have started a daily review system. Is this typical? How many hours do people spend a night? And how do you find time with school work??

The year has just gone by so quickly and I'm starting to panic because in 2 months school will be over and I will have 4 weeks to study from then. I feel like I should have started reviewing earlier but didn't realize that it was coming so quickly

I know exactly how you feel and feel exactly the same way. I started out this semester thinking I would start studying, if only a couple hours a week, up until spring break. Then I'd start hitting it even harder. Spring break is in a week and I've scarcely done anything. I think my studying intentions were bigger than my stamina reserves. I'm not aiming for anything great so I think the reality is I'm going to just focus on classes until April 13. That's when we've finished our second test block for the semester and only have comprehensive finals in May to look forward to. I think I'll be able to study for comp. path and pharm finals for a month then be able to pick up FA and read 1st year stuff for a week or so, and then re-view 2nd year stuff and put it all together in another month. Hopefully it can all be fit into the amount of time I've given myself... I try to not look at these forums too much because it freaks me out to see how much some people are already studying. I also remind myself that these people on here score ridiculously well and I'm not going to be that awesome and (here's the important part) I'm okay with that. I have to remind myself though 🙂.

 

[zephyrhills123]

When do most people typically start studying? Reading these boards it seems as though most have started a daily review system. Is this typical? How many hours do people spend a night? And how do you find time with school work??

The year has just gone by so quickly and I'm starting to panic because in 2 months school will be over and I will have 4 weeks to study from then. I feel like I should have started reviewing earlier but didn't realize that it was coming so quickly

I definitely had lofty goals for studying but it's been hard to fit it in b/c I am lazy & get tired of studying pretty quickly. Our school has a deadline for boards though -- gotta take it before June 22nd or something, and we have our comprehensive final on May 23rd (I'm taking step 1 on June 3rd!) . We do get finished w/ classes about May 11th though (I wish we got a real month of studying). I do know a few people who have been reviewing since the beginning of Feb -- I am not one of them.

As for me: I'm going to try to put in at least a Saturday afternoon & Sunday morning for reviewing stuff; when it is mid-April, I'm aiming for a 1-2 hours every weekday & the same Sat afternoon/Sun morning schedule. Once classes get out I'm going to study for the full days. 🙁

To quote Jarhead: Welcome to the Suck.

 

[MedicineForLife 777]

I've also wondered the same thing! I'm about to start studying for Step as well, and I have no clue how I'll find the time to spare outside of studying for class to focus on Step stuff.

I've been reading the book list thread, and it seems like everyone is using at least 5 or so books other than First Aid. Where do you find time to read all those? Are you guys just fast readers? I actually take pretty long to get through books.....

 

[GMDMD]

I've also wondered the same thing! I'm about to start studying for Step as well, and I have no clue how I'll find the time to spare outside of studying for class to focus on Step stuff.

I've been reading the book list thread, and it seems like everyone is using at least 5 or so books other than First Aid. Where do you find time to read all those? Are you guys just fast readers? I actually take pretty long to get through books.....

It is very common for people who spread themselves too thin to do poorly. It is better to know 90% of a few texts than 50% of many. Know FA, a path book and brs phys (plus do a question bank) and you are gold. Use all other texts as ancillary reference manuals, not for reading.

...

Also, don't worry about all of the gunners starting so early. Step1 material has a remarkably short halflife. It can never hurt you to review stuff early. But you might look back and wish you had spent your few moments of free time otherwise. You'd be suprirsed how fast your forget stuff. You'll also be surprised how fast you peak ~4-5 weeks. Excess early studying will give you diminishing returns.

 

[Re3iRtH]

It is very common for people who spread themselves too thin to do poorly. It is better to know 90% of a few texts than 50% of many. Know FA, a path book and brs phys (plus do a question bank) and you are gold. Use all other texts as ancillary reference manuals, not for reading.

...

Also, don't worry about all of the gunners starting so early. Step1 material has a remarkably short halflife. It can never hurt you to review stuff early. But you might look back and wish you had spent your few moments of free time otherwise. You'd be suprirsed how fast your forget stuff. You'll also be surprised how fast you peak ~4-5 weeks. Excess early studying will give you diminishing returns.

This doesn't seem to be the case with the majority of
the uber-higher scorers on this forum.

 

[leahmaria]

DoctaJay--

My goals are nearly identical! (Substituting listening to Goljan at least once through for your BRS path)

How's it coming?

 

[ENThopeful]

This doesn't seem to be the case with the majority of
the uber-higher scorers on this forum.

Yea. if you are studying to memorize, then don't start early. If you study to understand medicine, it sticks. Reading and asking why, as Goljan says, is the key to success..

 

[DoctaJay]

DoctaJay--

My goals are nearly identical! (Substituting listening to Goljan at least once through for your BRS path)

How's it coming?

Well I'm currently in the midst of a crazy test week so it has been paused but after this week is spring break, and I plan to hit it hard. BRS Path is such a good read, and Goljan's audio is straight too. My true goal though is to get through BRS Path quick enough that I can review it more than once and really know it, not just superficially. How's it going for you leahmaria?

 

[igottaquestion]

Yea. if you are studying to memorize, then don't start early. If you study to understand medicine, it sticks. Reading and asking why, as Goljan says, is the key to success..

yeah, it seems reasonable that it's a curvilinear thing: if you're just going to memorize stuff to regurgitate for the exam, then starting several weeks before is probably best so you hit your "peak" at the right time; if you want to have a better understanding of and put into long-term memory material from the first two years, then starting to review months earlier would seem to make more sense to me.

 

[harrisonIM]

I've definitely started reviewing (started daily review in february). Before that it was just following along goljan audio during each of the systems.

You find more time to review when you place board prep on the top of your things to do. Make sure you put in the hours for board prep first then take care of school work. Some people will say studying for coursework is board prep. Some people (like myself) disagree. If you decide to start reviewing daily yes your school grades will suffer. You have to choose one or the other, or sleep a little less.

 

[MedicineForLife 777]

How long does it typically take you guys to read one book (BRS physiology, RR path, RR/HY biochem, etc.)? I'm wondering if I'm spending too much time on each book....

 

[ENThopeful]

you probably are, not to be mean or anything. I ended up spending too much time with one book in the beginning of my prep. Most schedules dedicate a week at most to a minisubject like biochem. If you feel like you need the time, then by all means take it, but we are getting down to crunch time where schedules are all important.

 

[GMDMD]

This doesn't seem to be the case with the majority of the uber-higher scorers on this forum.

Are you sure? My understanding is that most people take 4-8 weeks. The 3 month plans are for the outlier schools that give their students 5 months to study.

Just focus on your classes. You can try to study a little here, study a little there, etc in between classes etc. But when you add it all up (factoring in how much you forget bc you started reviewing 5 months early), a lot of what you accomplish studying early you can achieve in 2 solid days of studying during prime-time. Just add two more days to your schedule and enjoy the free time that you have now.

Seriously. Wait until third year. Then you will appreciate how fast this **** leaks out of your brain.

 

[Slide]

Right now I'm spending spring break and the next 3 weeks reviewing stuff from M1 year and doing USMLEWorld/Kaplan Qbank. I'm mainly going through biochem, neuro, and some physiology to refresh my understanding of those topics. So far I've only done the systems parts that are going on currently in my path class and micro/immuno in FA, but since I have a path board exam at the end of the year anyway, I'm saving the heavy RRS path till then.

 

[leahmaria]

Well I'm currently in the midst of a crazy test week so it has been paused but after this week is spring break, and I plan to hit it hard. BRS Path is such a good read, and Goljan's audio is straight too. My true goal though is to get through BRS Path quick enough that I can review it more than once and really know it, not just superficially. How's it going for you leahmaria?

It's coming! I'm almost halfway done with uw (though I have a couple hundred wrong answers to go back through, too!!), and I took uw assessment 1 at the beginning of my spring break (I passed! but I have a lot of work to do!). I've been listening to Goljan for the material we've done since Christmas, but I have to go back to the material from before Christmas...I'm having a hard time finding time for that. Good luck with your crazy test week! When is your boards date?

 

[THE armada]

I've definitely started reviewing (started daily review in february). Before that it was just following along goljan audio during each of the systems.

You find more time to review when you place board prep on the top of your things to do. Make sure you put in the hours for board prep first then take care of school work. Some people will say studying for coursework is board prep. Some people (like myself) disagree. If you decide to start reviewing daily yes your school grades will suffer. You have to choose one or the other, or sleep a little less.

I'm curious how most people feel about that. I'm not cool with let my grades slip here at the end. Maybe my school is different from others but I feel like the stuff we're doing now is still very high yield. I'm just reviewing through audio sources when driving or working out and skimming flash cards for an hour while watching TV at night. All my other time is spent on class work.

 

[WildTumor]

I'm curious how most people feel about that. I'm not cool with let my grades slip here at the end. Maybe my school is different from others but I feel like the stuff we're doing now is still very high yield. I'm just reviewing through audio sources when driving or working out and skimming flash cards for an hour while watching TV at night. All my other time is spent on class work.

Two thoughts:

1) Overall, your BOARDS matter a whole lot more. So you may want to sacrifice a few points on your class grades for an extra few on the boards. Remember that your grades for the first two years don't count much compared to your third year evals, boards, and other stuff.

2) Just spend 45min - 1hr a night highlighting FA and doing 20-30 questions. This should suffice and you could probably find the time.

 

[GMDMD]

if you want to have a better understanding of and put into long-term memory material from the first two years, then starting to review months earlier would seem to make more sense to me.

You don't need months to understand vs memorize. That's what 2nd year is for- understanding. 6 weeks is plenty of time to reunderstand the material without resorting to blatant memorization.

Whether you understand the material or whether you're a memorizer, studying months ahead of time it, to me, futile wasted time better spent in enjoying the sun. If you don't use it, you lose it. FAST.

If you want to get ahead, start studying a bit every night no more than 1 month before your allotted hardcore study time (MAYBE earlier if your school gives you <6 weeks time off). If you start studying months earlier you won't even remember going over the stuff you first touched. Unless you're some sort of genius, in which case all you need is 4 weeks.

 

[silas2642]

When do most people typically start studying? Reading these boards it seems as though most have started a daily review system. Is this typical? How many hours do people spend a night? And how do you find time with school work??

The year has just gone by so quickly and I'm starting to panic because in 2 months school will be over and I will have 4 weeks to study from then. I feel like I should have started reviewing earlier but didn't realize that it was coming so quickly

I'm trying to out of complete and sheer terror of flunking my boards.

 

[ENThopeful]

I'm curious how most people feel about that. I'm not cool with let my grades slip here at the end. Maybe my school is different from others but I feel like the stuff we're doing now is still very high yield. I'm just reviewing through audio sources when driving or working out and skimming flash cards for an hour while watching TV at night. All my other time is spent on class work.

In my opinion, school grades dont have to drop while studying for boards. Most people really only study for school now the weekend before, unlike first year where you have to start rote memorization weeks before. At least where I am at, concepts are starting to take over, in which case you can master them easily in a weekend of studying.

My grades are starting to take a hit simply because something has got to give. Unfortunately, I cannot maintain intense board studying in the weekday, then switch over to intense class studying. I find myself using class study time to relax a bit and focusing specifically on just what I believe to be board worthy material - hence my grades have been taking a hit.

I am hoping that it will all pay off but who really knows?

 

[silas2642]

In my opinion, school grades dont have to drop while studying for boards. Most people really only study for school now the weekend before, unlike first year where you have to start rote memorization weeks before. At least where I am at, concepts are starting to take over, in which case you can master them easily in a weekend of studying.

My grades are starting to take a hit simply because something has got to give. Unfortunately, I cannot maintain intense board studying in the weekday, then switch over to intense class studying. I find myself using class study time to relax a bit and focusing specifically on just what I believe to be board worthy material - hence my grades have been taking a hit.

I am hoping that it will all pay off but who really knows?

Well, the nice thing about second year is that for the vast majority of us, studying for classes IS studying for boards. There is probably more detail in our classes than we actually need to know for the boards, but for the most part, as we go through our syllabi all we have to do is peak through RR and First Aid to get an idea of what we need to know for the boards and I think and hope that that counts as a first pass.

It seems that the consensus on this forum is that pre-clinical grades don't really matter unless you're going for something like derm, in which case, may God go with you because you need everything to be perfect-- perfect pre-clinical grades, perfect board scores, perfect clinical grades, perfect skin, perfect multiple publications, and a perfect soul to sell to program directors so that you can work 30 hours a week while the rest of us are buried, quite literally, in **** for 80 hours a week. Wow, I really got off track, didn't I?

 

[THE armada]

In my opinion, school grades dont have to drop while studying for boards. Most people really only study for school now the weekend before, unlike first year where you have to start rote memorization weeks before. At least where I am at, concepts are starting to take over, in which case you can master them easily in a weekend of studying.

My grades are starting to take a hit simply because something has got to give. Unfortunately, I cannot maintain intense board studying in the weekday, then switch over to intense class studying. I find myself using class study time to relax a bit and focusing specifically on just what I believe to be board worthy material - hence my grades have been taking a hit.

I am hoping that it will all pay off but who really knows?

Yeah, we're not there yet. We have systems based so its seems to be new stuff with every course.

 

[ENThopeful]

Maybe my school has a way different curriculum. We essentially finished all the important modules like GI, cardio, pulm, a long time ago. Now we have stuff like repro where they have people come in and drone on and on about things like IVF, that I have no interest in.

No matter what though, as long as you are learning, and focusing on your end goal, thats key.