How long do you typically get to study for Step 1?

[alyxvance]

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I'm a little freaked out about Step 1 already and I was just wondering, does anyone know how long you generally get off to study for it? I think I might be attending SUNY Upstate or SUNY Buffalo and I can't really find anything on their websites about this. I am NOT a crammer and it took me 4 whole months of studying for the MCAT before I felt ready. I'm not sure what this will translate into in terms of Step 1.

I know that others have said that their schools give them some extra elective time to use to study at the end of 2nd year -- if a school didn't do this, would you be at a disadvantage? I'm not sure if I should use this as part of my school selection criteria.

 

[Nymphicus]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It is in the school's best interest to have their students do well on Step 1.

We get 6 weeks of dedicated time off, but it is combined with Christmas break, so if we really wanted to we could have up to 8 weeks.

Most of the students at my school take between 5 and 6 weeks to study for it.

 

[notbobtrustme]

get into medical school first.

worrying about Step I right now is like landing a backflip and then worrying about your 2016 US Olympic gymnastics run.

 

[GopherMD]

get into medical school first.

worrying about Step I right now is like landing a backflip and then worrying about your 2016 US Olympic gymnastics run.

I believe the OP has already been accepted.

But yeah, I think it's a little early to be worrying about studying for step 1...

 

[SixStringPsych]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It is in the school's best interest to have their students do well on Step 1.

We get 6 weeks of dedicated time off, but it is combined with Christmas break, so if we really wanted to we could have up to 8 weeks.

Most of the students at my school take between 5 and 6 weeks to study for it.

This.

I highly doubt any school would not give you time off to study for it, I have friends who just finished their last block this past week and have between now and the end of June to study (depends when they registered for the exam).

But of course you should try and find someone, somewhere that goes to those schools and ask them, or just call them up I guess to make sure.

 

[alyxvance]

get into medical school first.

worrying about Step I right now is like landing a backflip and then worrying about your 2016 US Olympic gymnastics run.

Already accepted. I get that it's too early to be studying for this, or really fretting about it yet. But I don't think it's too early to be thinking about what the schools I may be attending will put me through when having to study for Step 1. That was all I was really after.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Already accepted. I get that it's too early to be studying for this, or really fretting about it yet. But I don't think it's too early to be thinking about what the schools I may be attending will put me through when having to study for Step 1. That was all I was really after.

You'll be fine. There's enough to stress out about in med school. Save the stress over boards for M2.

 

[jm192]

Already accepted. I get that it's too early to be studying for this, or really fretting about it yet. But I don't think it's too early to be thinking about what the schools I may be attending will put me through when having to study for Step 1. That was all I was really after.

It is.

You'll have plenty of time to study. You do this stuff over 2 years. A lot of it's redundant. A lot of it's cumulative. Teachers in path will give you a quick refresher of the anatomy and physiology.

Thousands of people have come through the schools you are considering, and some absurd percentage in the 99's have passed, done well, matched etc. You won't be the first person that went that put 4 months into the MCAT.

 

[bollywoodlover]

I'm going to UTHSC-San Antonio and with the new curriculum we get out early from classes and have 8 weeks to study if we want and this doesn't include christmas break. I think we were trying to move towards a 1.5 yr pre clinical curriculum like Baylor. Baylor som has the highest board scores in the nation, but they almost give their student unlimited time to study for it.

 

[Daodejing]

There's a fine line between having enough time and having too much time to study for this exam. Most people need a dedicated studying period of ~4-6 weeks on avg. Sure, some people could use the extra time and benefit from it, but it's also just as easy to see reduced returns on investment. Many people peak well before they take the exam, and therefore, don't perform as well as they could have. The opposite holds true as well.

 

[alyxvance]

There's a fine line between having enough time and having too much time to study for this exam. Most people need a dedicated studying period of ~4-6 weeks on avg. Sure, some people could use the extra time and benefit from it, but it's also just as easy to see reduced returns on investment. Many people peak well before they take the exam, and therefore, don't perform as well as they could have. The opposite holds true as well.

^ True.

God I hate tests. Why am I going to med school again?