How study effectively for your Step 1 via preclinical courses.

[exmike]

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I was thinking about how I studied two months for my MCAT and still probably could have learned some more stuff. It is making me wonder how I can possibly cram two years of info into my head during the month I get to study for Step 1.

Do you guys have any recommendations for things to do or ways to study during your first two years that will alleviate the burden of studying for Step 1's? I dont think what I'm currently doing is very effective because I forget most of the stuff a month after the course is over.

 

[Blade28]

You'd be surprised how much you actually retained. 8 weeks is a long time to review MSI/MSII material, especially if you're hitting the books 8-10 hr/day.

 

[modemduck]

You'd be surprised how much you actually retained. 8 weeks is a long time to review MSI/MSII material, especially if you're hitting the books 8-10 hr/day.

Dude,
8 wks to study? that seems pretty long... I know at our school you can only max out at like 5 wks before 3rd yr starts.... most people do it in 3.5 wks. I am just starting and realize that however well you did on the subject in the first place in terms of really understanding it and not just cramming really will determine how well you can review it. G/L =)

-RA

 

[IlianaSedai]

Do you guys have any recommendations for things to do or ways to study during your first two years that will alleviate the burden of studying for Step 1's? I dont think what I'm currently doing is very effective because I forget most of the stuff a month after the course is over.

Here's what I would do:

1st year - Chill, do nothing in preparation for Step 1 except study for classes.

2nd year - At the beginning of the year, buy First Aid (which I didn't do -- I bought Step Up, which actually worked fine for me until I bought FA in January) and choose all of your review books by reading the forums, polling people at your school, etc. I got,

• BRS Physiology
• BRS Pathology
• High Yield Anatomy
• High Yield Embryology
• BRS Behavioral Science
• your choice of books for microbiology, pharmacology, other subjects I've forgotten

Then as you go cover specific subjects during the year, read the corresponding chapters in those books. By doing this, you will very likely cover 98% of EVERYTHING important that was covered during 1st year, with NO EXTRA REVIEW. Just ask a MS-3 at your school about when material from which of your review books was covered later, to make it more efficient. Microbiology was covered during Infectious Diseases, a lot of Embryology was covered during the Reproductive system section, etc.

 

[Stinger86]

Relax and enjoy your first year. If you pay attention to any of the classes, make it physiology. At the beginning of your second year, buy First Aid, BRS Pathology, Robbin's Review of Pathology, and BRS Behavioral Science. If you think they'd help you, I'd recommend Clinical Micro made ridiculously simple and Lippincott's Pharmacology as well. Use FA to review all course material as you learn it in class, and use the other study guides to help you fill in the holes or help you focus on what's important/high yield. A review text's greatest asset is indicating to you what is clincally important and high-yield.

Whatever you do, begin your studying for the Step 1 at the beginning of your second year. This does not mean pull all-nighters like a speed junkie; just study the information you learn in class and try to retain it. That's a key point. So many people in my class study for the exams, and not the future. Once a given exam is over they think, "well, thank god i don't have to study that again until May" and then they perform a complete mental bowel movement. Why wait until a month before the step?? These people are then going to have to "re-learn" 30 test's worth of information again (yeah, you can retain some old material, but you can also lose a TON if you don't consolidate it over time). Start retaining material now and building upon your knowledge base, so that when your boards roll around, you'll hardly need to study much at all. You'll perform really well on the nbme's, and you should be a lot less stressed than your classmates come May/June.

Also, while you're studying second year courses, be sure to relate the diseases with stuff you learned your first year. For example, when you study GERD, review the anatomy and histology of the GI tract, along with the physiology and cell biology. Then add in the microbiology and pathology, followed by pharmacological treatments. It's kinda like reading a collection of short stories on the body, and it should really help tie everything together and get you thinking in more than one direction. If anything, that should really help you on the Step and in the hospital. Good luck!