honest advice needed

[jdig]

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let's say for example, that you had previously failed step one, but gone on and passed cs and then just recently ck. let's say you were trying to scramble this year...
lets say you just graduated from a carribean school...
and just for fun let's say your step one is scheduled for feb 9, hopefully just in time to get the score reported for the scramble.
how would you prepare for this beast? how does 2 weeks of solid review of f/a followed by world q's for 2 weeks sound? followed by an nbme and then one week of shoring up weak areas?
thanks so much for your help!

 

[mmed]

You can mix all that together in concentrated dose. Don’t go to much detail in that short time left. I think it is better to start Q’s and if a question or group of questions is in weak area and still not covered from the explanation just review it and continue Q’s again.

 

[pmick]

Jdig

I am about to do the same exact thing. I was initially thinking I would wait till 2008, but then I was like "F___ it," maybe ill go for it and if it doesn't work out, then there is always next year. My test date is on January 30, so I have like 11 days less than you to study. How are you going to plan your days ahead while using First Aid and UWorld? Good luck studying-you'll do great.

Lefty

 

[Tired]

You can take Step 2 even though you failed Step 1? You can continue through your MS3 and MS4 years without passing Step 1?

All I can say is wow. I have two friends who were bounced out of school before they started MS3 clerkships because they couldn't pass Step 1. Lucky you.

 

[lotanna]

You can take Step 2 even though you failed Step 1? You can continue through your MS3 and MS4 years without passing Step 1?

All I can say is wow. I have two friends who were bounced out of school before they started MS3 clerkships because they couldn't pass Step 1. Lucky you.

I know, same with my schl, you get puled right out of rotations if u fail step I. some schls dont require, hopkins doesnt, so most students take it their 3rd yr, but I cant imagine not taking boards till 4th yr.
@ poster, I'm sure you'll do ok, especially since u've made it thru rotations and prob learned a lot on the floors. since you've a month, I'd spend a lot more time on questions. If there are certain areas that u arent strong in, I'd brush up rather quickly. why not take an nbme now also, just so u have an idea of where u are, I think it'd be helpful.

 

[jdig]

hey guys thanks so much for the encouragement...
truly clinicals helped tremendously, and just being fresh off ck material helps my #'s are up on q's...
i think i will do exactly that, tons of q's and then hit the exam as planned.. if i pass i can scramble, of not, re-take and look for a leftover family med slot which supposedly are not terribly hard to find 🙂

 

[jdig]

hey lefty,
are you up against step one as well?

 

[pmick]

I am. These next few weeks will be stressful. You sound like you are on top of everything, but I on the other hand am a train wreck. Could u give me a breakdown of how you are planning to structure your remaining days?

 

[jdig]

not sure if this wll help, but my study schedule is:
each day
i do 20-25 pages of f/a first thing in the morning, as i read i make note cards on any info that is unfamiliar OR that i want to memorize.
then i go through the cards until i have them 90%.
then re-read carefully f/a. then cards again.
then do usmlerx q's in that subject. 50 or so..i write down all the answers.
then cards once again, then f/a once before bed. also i read the questions i wrote down earlier at this time.
i am trying to do a cyclical pattern and approach the material from a few angles.
i have 2 more weeks in this fashion until i am through f/a. though i wont hit some sections quite as hard as others. areas i am "hopeless" in i will likely save to skim a few days prior to the test. but the big players i am hitting pretty throuroughly.
then random usmle world q's 200 per day, reading all answers carefully.
if i am over 60% i gotta go for it at that time. if not i will take an nbme and spend another week on weak areas, althugh that may cause me to miss the scramble, better that than failing again. there will be spots out there post scramble.
can you not push your test back and team upon this thing?

 

[pmick]

I wish I could. I think it would be great to keep in touch leading up to the scramble and after just in case one of us comes across something that is not well published. Ill PM you regarding that stuff. Good luck with all of your studying. What do you want to do regarding residency? I was thinking FP, but depending on what happens with the scramble, I suppose it could be anything.