How to attack the USMLE Step 1

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Great post.

While I learned half the stuff you mentioned through trial and error and asking people on SDN (not using big books), there was still questions I had which you helped answer.

Till this day I still feel like an idiot for trying to learn biochem from Harper's. I hated biochem with a passion until I started using Lippincott and now I enjoy biochem. The biochem professors told us to not learn from lippincott cause its 'just a review book.'
 
link2swim06 said:
any worth in starting to do question banks now for the upcoming June test?
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The way I tackled world was in sync with the system of path I was learning at the time. So I'd do all the World questions for Cardio when we were covering cardio etc. That way by the time your done with systems, you've covered world once. Some people like to save questions for the end to keep them fresh. I don't agree with this, I think you want to know World like the back of your hand, and beat it to death. If you need new questions for practice get another q bank.
 
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I read your blog post. There were really nice tips.
I have used Snell's clinical anatomy and K.L Moore's clinical oriented anatomy, both of which you haven't mentioned. What do you think about these books.

In addition, what do you think about Guyton and Hall's Physiology.
 
Ahsankmc said:
I read your blog post. There were really nice tips.
I have used Snell's clinical anatomy and K.L Moore's clinical oriented anatomy, both of which you haven't mentioned. What do you think about these books.

In addition, what do you think about Guyton and Hall's Physiology.
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I am familiar with all three books, many of my classmates used them. I think both Snell's and Moore's are way too long to know what is important out of that info for the boards. I think you should go to a bookstore and contrast the books I suggested versus the books you're considering. These two books are huge, and really the Road Map has all the super important points from these books into a condensed and succinct source. I think approaching it the way I suggest is scary at first. Its easy to be tempted to use these huge time consuming sources because all the first years are using them, and you feel like the fish out of water, but everyone I know that did what I did, did great on the internal component. Obviously there's a lot of variability between schools, so as I said in my post, if you do feel insecure that you're not covering what they want, take full advantage of the note taking service to cover the gaps. I think it can take as much time to work on mastering the important points 100% in Road Map then going to one of those huge sources and reading the whole chapter, and subsequently deconstructing what's important -- its just not efficient, requires a lot more work, and you don't even know that what you're getting out of the book is what you should know eventually for the boards. There's just so much extra information that you will forget, that's not covered on the boards in those books.

I own Guyton, and used it for part of my masters --- I wish I knew about Costanzo at the time. I think Costanzo blows Guyton out of the water, again go to the bookstore and look at them both hopefully you will see what I am talking about.
 
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Lbgem said:
Would it be rude to ask what score you got?
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i'd prefer to not say exactly since many of my classmates read my blog and I get really annoyed when they all compare etc. but I was scoring consistently on my practice tests above a 240. hope that helps.
 
fwiw I used waaaaay fewer resources than that (paid attention in class + First Aid + a little Kaplan's QBank + all of UWorld) and still did fine on Step 1. I used RR Path as a supplement to path during the year but didn't read all of it.

I'm not knocking your method at all, but I find that sometimes people get way too bogged down by way too many resources and never manage to know any of them well. My experience, and that of a couple of friends of mine who scored 244 and 260, suggest that your performance isn't based on the number of resources you use but how well you use the ones you have.
 
This is how I recommend you attack Step 1:
shadow-strike-trident.jpg
 
armybound said:
fwiw I used waaaaay fewer resources than that (paid attention in class + First Aid + a little Kaplan's QBank + all of UWorld) and still did fine on Step 1. I used RR Path as a supplement to path during the year but didn't read all of it.

I'm not knocking your method at all, but I find that sometimes people get way too bogged down by way too many resources and never manage to know any of them well. My experience, and that of a couple of friends of mine who scored 244 and 260, suggest that your performance isn't based on the number of resources you use but how well you use the ones you have.
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Amybound, I think you're missing my point. I am recommending one source for each topic (minus anatomy which I think you need a couple sources for) and then consolidating all the sources into one (into the FA). I agree with the philosophy of using as least as possible so, if you can get away with less, then go for it, however for me I know I needed at least one primary source per class. Then again you went to lecture, and I didn't so that's also another thing to consider.
 
Msizzle said:
Amybound, I think you're missing my point. I am recommending one source for each topic (minus anatomy which I think you need a couple sources for) and then consolidating all the sources into one (into the FA). I agree with the philosophy of using as least as possible so, if you can get away with less, then go for it, however for me I know I needed at least one primary source per class. Then again you went to lecture, and I didn't so that's also another thing to consider.
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I hear you. Does your school not have syllabi? Or did you not use them to study for your core classes?
 
armybound said:
I hear you. Does your school not have syllabi? Or did you not use them to study for your core classes?
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My school's internal component all had some form of a syllabus, however the final was determined by an internal quiz and an custom NBME final. I always just used the primary source and for the internal quiz I would read the class notes provided by the note taking service. The NBME final was most important though and the board sources compliment that.
 
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