how long between end of classes and boards?

[westernmed007]

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I have heard a minimum of 6 weeks? A max of 8? What do you think?

 

[Doctor Bagel]

My school only gives us a maximum of 6 weeks, so I don't think 6 is a true minimum. Most people here seem to take it 4 or so weeks after we get out. I would guess it depends on what you end the year with. We finish up with comprehensive path and pharm exams, which covers a good chunk of our board prep anyway.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

From the time you start studying, I'd say minimum of three weeks, maximum of six.

 

[lankysudanese]

i don't think that limiting yourself to maximum of 6wks, especially when you haven't even started your preparation for Step 1 (and therefore don't know where you stand), is a good idea. you need to adjust the time period (after you start studying) according to what your level of performance is. i recommend that you leave out a block of 8 weeks. if u find that you are getting closer to your intended Step 1 score during the 5th-6th week then you can go ahead and take the test. but if you are still not quite there, then you will be glad you had the extra time to work on any weaknesses.

Note: my initial plan was for 12wks. I studied for 12wks even though i was hitting >255 in the NBMEs at wk 8, and I'm glad that I waited until the end of 12wk period to take the exam.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

I don't know of many schools that are going to guarantee you even two complete months for full Step 1 prep, so I don't think 8 weeks is a realistic "minimum". I base my 4 to 6 on the fact that a lot of people who did well on the test basically stated any time after 6 weeks felt like they weren't really moving forward, just spinning their gears, memorizing stuff at the rate they forgot stuff.

Incidentally, can you go into the reason why you're glad you spent an extra month studying after scoring 255's on NBME's? I'd feel like I wasted that month.

 

[lankysudanese]

Incidentally, can you go into the reason why you're glad you spent an extra month studying after scoring 255's on NBME's? I'd feel like I wasted that month.

My goal score was much higher than that, and I like to be over-prepared in order to achieve my goals. I worked on tying off some loose ends…and got my goal score. I would have taken 2 more months if necessary (and still graduated on time) b/c my step 1 performance mattered more than the vacation time that I sacrificed.

I'm aware that most school provide 4-6wks for Step 1 prep, but a fair number do provide significant flexibility.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I think more than 4 weeks of Step I prep is frightening.

I understand that it is the right choice for some people, but make sure it is the right choice for you. Do you have the strength? Do you really need that much time? What is keeping you from being more efficient?

 

[lord_jeebus]

My goal score was much higher than that, and I like to be over-prepared in order to achieve my goals.

Did you break 270?

If so

1. Corner the market on an out-of-print book of your choice.
2. Announce your score and simultaneously endorse the book.
3. Retire

 

[lankysudanese]

Did you break 270?

I wish.

1. Corner the market on an out-of-print book of your choice.
2. Announce your score and simultaneously endorse the book.
3. Retire

..you mean just like what you did with the 1st edition of HY mol bio? it's quite amazing how your 268 transformed this book into a "collector's edition" overnight😀😎!!!!!!!

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

My goal score was much higher than that, and I like to be over-prepared in order to achieve my goals. I worked on tying off some loose ends…and got my goal score. I would have taken 2 more months if necessary (and still graduated on time) b/c my step 1 performance mattered more than the vacation time that I sacrificed.

I'm aware that most school provide 4-6wks for Step 1 prep, but a fair number do provide significant flexibility.

Sorry to grill you, I'm not accusing, just curious. Why was your "goal" score higher than 255? Maybe it's my opinion, but once you break that number, you're realling getting diminishing returns on your investment. I can understand being willing to sacrifice vacation time, but I would have used that extra month for research, or audition rotations or more interviews if you're worried about getting into a competitive program.

And maybe I'm in the minority here, but we're expected to have our Step 1 taken by the time third year starts. Doing so means we have to sacrifice a great deal of flexiliblity in our fourth year schedules (i.e., it's more a punishment and not an option) which can make scheduling all the fourth year stuff (intervies, Step 2 CS/CK, away rotations) much more difficult.

 

[lankysudanese]

Sorry to grill you, I'm not accusing, just curious. Why was your "goal" score higher than 255? Maybe it's my opinion, but once you break that number, you're realling getting diminishing returns on your investment. I can understand being willing to sacrifice vacation time, but I would have used that extra month for research, or audition rotations or more interviews if you're worried about getting into a competitive program.

And maybe I'm in the minority here, but we're expected to have our Step 1 taken by the time third year starts. Doing so means we have to sacrifice a great deal of flexiliblity in our fourth year schedules (i.e., it's more a punishment and not an option) which can make scheduling all the fourth year stuff (intervies, Step 2 CS/CK, away rotations) much more difficult.

I don't think that you are in the minority, b/c I'm starting to realize that not many schools offer such flexibility in the 3rd/4th years. Because I got credit for research done after MS1, I am only required to do 72wks of work during 3rd and 4th year in order to graduate. That left me with ~30wks for vacation, Step 1, Step 2, interviews etc.

I've never heard this theory of diminishing returns after 255. The only score brackets that matter (according to our IM PD) are 230 (for consideration for interview) and >2SD (for them to be truly amazed by your Step 1 score).

To the OP: sorry for hijacking the thread. I didn't think my first post would cause such a commotion.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Well, to continue the hijacking of this thread...

One good goal is 230. Few programs will use a higher score as a cut-off. But if you think bigger your score can be an asset that does more than get you an interview.

I think a great goal for many is a two digit score of 99. I too did not think that anyone used this score, but on the interview trail I got complemented at many places on my "double 99s". "That's the highest score you can get, right?" said one interviewer. Looking over the table at the paperwork people fill out, indeed many places just had "99/99" or "99%/99%". (I resisted temptation to give the "two digit score is not a percentile" talk.) This was more common in IM programs than Anesthesiology programs. So not everyone even uses the 3 digit score, although I think they should.

Beyond that, I think you get a bit of recognition for each decade. I think you can justify target scores as high as 270 for this reason. 280 probably isn't feasible.

 

[lord_jeebus]

One more thing...

I saw at one program that I had been assigned a "9.1," and no other scores or grades (like the Dean's letter adjective that many programs seem to love) on the face sheet. I think it is plausible that many programs will streamline their process by putting things like scores and grades into a formula to produce a single number to represent your academic aptitude. From this perspective, every point could make a difference.

 

[SoCuteMD]

The idea of twelve weeks to prepare for Step 1 just isn't realistic for most students. Taking 12 weeks would have left me with only 1 month of vacation during 4th year, which would make interviews next to impossible. I would have been left doing important core rotations until the end of August, which would make doing audition rotations and getting letters from aways that would count in the application process next to impossible.

I studied for 4.5 weeks and I made EVERY day count for something. If I didn't feel like studying, I'd mark it as a day off and hit the pool for the morning so that I could feel like I'd really had a day off. Otherwise, I was sitting in my study spot with my books open, actively learning. In the end I got a score that I was thrilled about, that most people in the Step 1 forum would be happy with, and I was done in time to start third year on time!

 

[fakin' the funk]

Note: my initial plan was for 12wks. I studied for 12wks even though i was hitting >255 in the NBMEs at wk 8, and I'm glad that I waited until the end of 12wk period to take the exam.....My goal score was much higher than that, and I like to be over-prepared in order to achieve my goals.

Welcome to SDN, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[lankysudanese]

Welcome to SDN, ladies and gentlemen.

well then let me say "welcome to my medical school, where a goal score of >255 is considered reasonable". Like lord_jeebus said, aiming for something close to 270 is not unrealistic (even outside of SDN)

 

[doctorFred]

We had a Step 1 talk a little while back, and our Vice Dean told us not to plan on studying for more than 6 weeks, as historically, a small but sizable percentage of students report that 6+ weeks begins to be detrimental to their score (and mental health.) I think for the vast majority of medical students, 5 weeks is a good target. I'd like to get done sooner so I'm planning on 4.

 

[Helo]

d

 

[SeventhSon]

12 weeks wtf, i plan on taking 3.5 weeks, please tell me there are some people out here on SDN doing the same

 

[mudphudwannabe]

I took 3 weeks and definitely surpassed my goal score-wise. I'm not saying it's right for everybody, but I do believe that a shorter period of time is better for some people. Don't feel intimidated by the time others are taking - just focus on what is best for you.

 

[temmie]

12 weeks wtf, i plan on taking 3.5 weeks, please tell me there are some people out here on SDN doing the same

SeventhSon, you are not alone. My school gives about 5 weeks. I am be taking mine within 2 weeks of that. I think i should be okay cos i have reviewed most of the big picture major organ system, doing kaplan Qbank; not scoring sky high yet ( in the 50s ) but i am at that point where i think a good break will be of great benefit to my 3rd year life and honestly, i think that's just as important as the boards.

Like one of my friends said " this is just another exam". It's not our first and it sure aint going to be our last.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[lankysudanese]

It's not our first and it sure aint going to be our last.

yeah, but it is the last exam for which the actual score matters - after that, for the Step II, III and board certifications you just have to pass. so definitely don't freak out, but also dont blow it off either.

 

[SoCuteMD]

12 weeks wtf, i plan on taking 3.5 weeks, please tell me there are some people out here on SDN doing the same

I took it in 4.5 weeks and was very happy with how I did. I could have taken it in less time - my last week was a bit lazy.

I frankly don't understand how people can study for 12 weeks. Not just for the sheer "I would have put my fist through a window" thing, but because my school simply does not have that much extra time to study. Anything longer than 6 weeks would have started eating into my 4th year vacation time (which, let's face it, is actually INTERVIEW time), and anything longer than 14 weeks would have been impossible.

Honestly as far as Step 1 goes I firmly believe that you have laid the foundation and "built the house" so to speak in your first two years. Dedicated Step 1 studying should be the equivalent of bringing in a decorator to choose curtains and add finishing touches, not re-building the house.

As far as Step 1 being the last test for which your score matters, I strongly disagree. Step 2 is important for many fields (one poll of Emergency Medicine residency PDs actually showed that it was MORE important to them than Step 1). If you apply for a fellowship, which is more and more common in this day and age, they will see your Step 2 score and may hold a poor score against you. Last year when an emergency medicine program closed and their residents were forced to find spots elsewhere, I remember one resident regretting having not taken Step 3 seriously as it meant some doors were closed to him.

Shelf exams during clinical rotations also matter as much if not more than Step 1 scores.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Shelf exams during clinical rotations also matter as much if not more than Step 1 scores.

I agree that Step 2 is more important than people think, but I really don't think shelf exams are. Does your school put your shelf scores in your MSPE? Or are we talking about the importance of honoring clinical rotations?

 

[SoCuteMD]

I agree that Step 2 is more important than people think, but I really don't think shelf exams are. Does your school put your shelf scores in your MSPE? Or are we talking about the importance of honoring clinical rotations?

Some schools do put them in the MSPE. Ours also count for a significant portion of our clinical rotation grade.

 

[Pascal8]

I took 3 weeks and definitely surpassed my goal score-wise. I'm not saying it's right for everybody, but I do believe that a shorter period of time is better for some people. Don't feel intimidated by the time others are taking - just focus on what is best for you.

so true ..what a wise doc !!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

What are these vague goals, please specify them.