How to Study for Step 1

[ILovetheOC]

Hi all. I'm so lost as to how to beging studying for Step1. I want to enjoy my Christmas vacation and not do anything but I feel guilty if I do nothing. Thoughts? How do I approach studying for the boards in addition to studying for my classes? I'm so stressing out.

Also, with respect to First Aid, how much do editions change each year?

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[DOCTORSAIB]

Hi all. I'm so lost as to how to beging studying for Step1. I want to enjoy my Christmas vacation and not do anything but I feel guilty if I do nothing. Thoughts? How do I approach studying for the boards in addition to studying for my classes? I'm so stressing out.

Also, with respect to First Aid, how much do editions change each year?

Hey man, you've joined SDN, just that puts you WAY ahead of most of your classmates. You certainly do NOT need to start studying yet for boards. If you really, really wanted to, you could always start with one of the detail-oriented (wait, isn't everything detail-oriented!) subjects like immuno, micro, anatomy, etc. Nothing intense. Just read for understanding, review, and recognition. Then start doing questions from the several question banks availabe (Board Simulator Series, IV Qbank, etc) or question books (Kaplan's Qbook, Appleton & Lange, NMS, etc) to test knowledge. Then towards the end of your studying, use "regular" Qbank since it's still the best question bank available.

From my research, no, there is not a huge difference b/w different editions of FA, especially if we're talking a difference of a year (2005 vs. 2006). The new 2006 edition just came out. It hasn't hit the stores yet but should be availabe at least by next week, if not sooner. Get it, use it alongside class, with other relevant review books (assuming you don't do this already).

There are some EXCELLENT advice from this years test-takers. Read them! Check out the stickies at the top of the forum or do a search for names like BigFrank, LongDong, Idiopathic, p53, HamOnWholeWheat, Omarsalleh, etc (there are many other super-stars).

Oh yeah, don't forget to join the 2006 Step 1 team (Go Cobras!). G'luck.

 

[SCSlug]

Hey man, you've joined SDN, just that puts you WAY ahead of most of your classmates. You certainly do NOT need to start studying yet for boards. If you really, really wanted to, you could always start with one of the detail-oriented (wait, isn't everything detail-oriented!) subjects like immuno, micro, anatomy, etc. Nothing intense. Just read for understanding, review, and recognition. Then start doing questions from the several question banks availabe (Board Simulator Series, IV Qbank, etc) or question books (Kaplan's Qbook, Appleton & Lange, NMS, etc) to test knowledge. Then towards the end of your studying, use "regular" Qbank since it's still the best question bank available.

From my research, no, there is not a huge difference b/w different editions of FA, especially if we're talking a difference of a year (2005 vs. 2006). The new 2006 edition just came out. It hasn't hit the stores yet but should be availabe at least by next week, if not sooner. Get it, use it alongside class, with other relevant review books (assuming you don't do this already).

There are some EXCELLENT advice from this years test-takers. Read them! Check out the stickies at the top of the forum or do a search for names like BigFrank, LongDong, Idiopathic, p53, HamOnWholeWheat, Omarsalleh, etc (there are many other super-stars).

Oh yeah, don't forget to join the 2006 Step 1 team (Go Cobras!). G'luck.

Hi,

I'm new to SDN,

When everyone is referencing FA (First Aid) are they talking about the First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 Book? Is this good to get to make sure that I am on track while studying during my M1 and M2 years?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[SkylineMD]

Hi,

I'm new to SDN,

When everyone is referencing FA (First Aid) are they talking about the First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 Book? Is this good to get to make sure that I am on track while studying during my M1 and M2 years?

Thanks,

Eric

Eric,

welcome to SDN (I'm somewhat of a rookie to this site as well but there's lots of great advice... if you can sift through the threads for it). Yes, you are right about the FA being First Aid for USMLE Step 1. At least in this section of SDN, it's all about USMLE step 1 and complex 1.

I found that FA was a pretty good guide through my past semester (at least in the biochemistry/molecular aspects). Throughout the year I just took random notes in the book and often just made diagrams that made it easier for me to memorize things. When studying for the shelf, I think this was very important because prior to sitting down for the exam, it was much easier for me to go through the respective section in FA than to gloss through HY or BRS. I didn't solely rely on FA which I think is a mistake that many people do when studying for shelves. Sure FA is a guide but it is in no ways a shortcut to studying the material.

Hope that helps