How do you have time to study for both step 1 and classes???

[BlueJasper]

It seems that many of you have already started studying, or will start soon, for step 1. I want to know is: HOW THE HECK DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO STUDY FOR THE STEP WHILE CONCURRENTLY DOING WELL IN YOUR CLASSES??

My curriculum is pretty brutal and we are tested every other week; there is absolutely no time to start studying for step 1 until mid may when school is over..unless you let your grades fall..

Do early step 1 takers/studiers just not care about classes?

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

as many people have said before,

what you're learning in class is the same **** tested on step 1.

unless you instantly dump all knowledge the minute after an exam, you should already know what you need to know. For 1st year stuff, just take an hour/day out of your current schedule. You can't spare even an hour?

 

[KNightInBlue]

It seems that many of you have already started studying, or will start soon, for step 1. I want to know is: HOW THE HECK DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO STUDY FOR THE STEP WHILE CONCURRENTLY DOING WELL IN YOUR CLASSES??

My curriculum is pretty brutal and we are tested every other week; there is absolutely no time to start studying for step 1 until mid may when school is over..unless you let your grades fall..

Do early step 1 takers/studiers just not care about classes?

simple, I am not trying to honor anything this semester........just pass is good enough for me........plus I don't really go to lectures or lab anymore (once again, not trying to honor this semester, so there's no point)............all that extra time (avg 8hrs a day) - I am putting it towards step 1......reading/annotating FA, doing questions.......


but youdontknowjack is also right.........that is, if ur school teaches board relevant material (and generally, 2nd yr path and pharm are about as board relevant as you can get)

 

[surprisedgirl]

damn im just so lazy i like to sit around, watch tv, talk on the phone, hang out w/ my boyfriend, instead of studying, i barely manage to keep up w/ my classes as it is.....i read all the board relevant material for my classes at the time near the test, but htat's as far as i go, i've had big goals of doing questions, studying, reviewing old material for boards, but somehow i waste the day away and the next thing i know its time for bed...........hopefully i get outta this habit come boards studying time. im a bit worried that i wont get better even in may.

 

[Taus]

just work on getting your plan and materials together so you can hit the ground running when its time...

though doing an hour or so every day....or at least a couple hours on the weekend should be doable

 

[akpete]

damn im just so lazy i like to sit around, watch tv, talk on the phone, hang out w/ my boyfriend, instead of studying, i barely manage to keep up w/ my classes as it is.....i read all the board relevant material for my classes at the time near the test, but htat's as far as i go, i've had big goals of doing questions, studying, reviewing old material for boards, but somehow i waste the day away and the next thing i know its time for bed...........hopefully i get outta this habit come boards studying time. im a bit worried that i wont get better even in may.

You just described my daily life exactly. Throw in the internet too.

 

[G0S2]

It's too early to begin studying hard core for the Step. MS2 is fairly high-yield so try to learn as much as you can in your courses. Every day I try to do 20 Q's on QBank on tutor mode and annotate FA. Nothing serious at this point given classes are too demanding. I firmly believe that by the end of 5 weeks of continuous studying in May/June I will be trying to do anything but look at Step 1 material.

 

[BlueJasper]

Well I guess my problem is that I do try to do well and honor in classes..but I am not so sure that my curriculum is 'teaching to the boards' per se..

I have been making it a point to learn as much about path this year as I can. I have also been researching the best study materials to use come may..

I guess I am getting a bit scared, hearing that many people have already started studying now. I hope I don't get smoked by this test...

 

[surprisedgirl]

akpete, i feel good that i'm not hte only one....everyone else on here plus everyone else i know seems to know much better how to manage time....

 

[surprisedgirl]

G0S2, are you doing qbank by subjects or just random?

 

[G0S2]

G0S2, are you doing qbank by subjects or just random?

Random (all subjects) on tutor mode. Anything that seems significant I copy into FA.

 

[G0S2]

Well I guess my problem is that I do try to do well and honor in classes..but I am not so sure that my curriculum is 'teaching to the boards' per se..

I have been making it a point to learn as much about path this year as I can. I have also been researching the best study materials to use come may..

I guess I am getting a bit scared, hearing that many people have already started studying now. I hope I don't get smoked by this test...

If you have been working hard in path then you have done a lot of prep for the boards. Do not worry about those people studying now. Learn as much in your coursework as you can for the remainder of the year. If you have shelf exams (or a comprehensive final) at the end like I do then you will be doing some overall review at the end of the semester at any rate.

When it comes to Step 1 studying time, I have heard over and again that question banks are as important, if not more than reviewing. My days will be half review, half Q's (QBanks (Kaplan and USMLE World) and NBME exams.

 

[domer621]

My days will be half review, half Q's (QBanks (Kaplan and USMLE World) and NBME exams.

G0S2: When will you be breaking out the USMLE World bank? After you've gone through Kaplan's once?

 

[Wrigleyville]

Spend your spare time reviewing the subjects you were already taught. Also, go through first aid briefly when you start the review process to make sure there aren't any things you don't remember at all -- some schools do a better job teaching for the boards than others.

I had never heard of a bunch of the inborn errors of metabolism before I picked up First Aid (they are very low on the practical knowledge scale, but high on demonstrating basic science concepts, which is why they are on boards). It was a pain in the ass to waste additional time learning them for the first time when I should have been reviewing them.

 

[G0S2]

G0S2: When will you be breaking out the USMLE World bank? After you've gone through Kaplan's once?

I occasionally will do 10 Q's here and there (on tutor mode). The general consensus is that UW is pretty good as far as I have read, therefore, I do want to save the majority of the UW Q's for when it is closer to exam time. They are really good Q's with better explanations than Kaplan in my opinion.