USMLE How to study/memorize FA?! I'm lost :(

[lucky01]

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Hello,

I'm in a predicament, 2 of my seniors told me not to worry about memorizing the details in FA. Just know the bigger picture of everything that's going on. Is that true? For example i'm studying grave's disease atm, and it says on FA that it's associated with HLA-B8. To me that seems like a small detail, is it true that i can get away with just knowing what grave's disease is in general and be okay for step 1?

Can anyone who's written step 1 please help a brother out.

Thanks!

 

[Taxonomy]

Hello,

I'm in a predicament, 2 of my seniors told me not to worry about memorizing the details in FA. Just know the bigger picture of everything that's going on. Is that true? For example i'm studying grave's disease atm, and it says on FA that it's associated with HLA-B8. To me that seems like a small detail, is it true that i can get away with just knowing what grave's disease is in general and be okay for step 1?

Can anyone who's written step 1 please help a brother out.

Thanks!

Your seniors are either lying to you or are *****s. Details are what is tested essentially. You need to know details. Knowing big picture helps to get an idea what is going on in question and patient presentation, but to answer that question you'll have to know details.

There is no other way of memorizing anything (not only FA) but going through it many times. Repetition is what makes you memorize it. We are not computers that can write data going only once, we are biological organisms that are wired in a way that requires to go through same stuff again and again until it's "written" into long term memory. Anki cards or just reading FA many times is the only way. That and plus Qbanks to learn actively.

 

[libertyyne]

Step one is not just a memorization test, it is an application test. Do uworld questions, take an NBME and see how you are in terms of prepation . Many high scorers dont memorize FA.

 

[LyMed]

You should LEARN the majority of FA. The mechanism, symptoms, pharm of Graves can be learned and not memorized. A minority of FA is unfortunately pure memorization, but it is kept to a minimum.

 

[751866]

Your seniors are either lying to you or are *****s. Details are what is tested essentially. You need to know details. Knowing big picture helps to get an idea what is going on in question and patient presentation, but to answer that question you'll have to know details.

There is no other way of memorizing anything (not only FA) but going through it many times. Repetition is what makes you memorize it. We are not computers that can write data going only once, we are biological organisms that are wired in a way that requires to go through same stuff again and again until it's "written" into long term memory. Anki cards or just reading FA many times is the only way. That and plus Qbanks to learn actively.

Well, call me a ***** for getting ~90th percentile on Step 1&2 without memorizing (even reading) FA. If you understand concepts you can do well, but you will probably miss some factual questions that are acquired by brute forcing tiny details. There is no one-size-fits-all. If OP is doing well on UWorld and practice exams without brute forcing a lot (a few things here and there sounds much different than what you're suggesting), then why the hell would the OP spend more time if the OP is comfortable with the score range? There's a trade off, but the FA cult needs to realize that FA is a pretty ****ty resource. It's essentially a list of items you should understand, with the limited exception of a few facts that often can't be understood without going waaaaayyyy beyond any medical science curriculum (i.e. why a certain gene locus is associated with a disease).

 

[Redbarron21]

As a general evidence based approach, rereading material (such as First Aid) has been correlated with higher test scores but does have diminishing return after about the 3rd read through. Practice questions have been shown to yield the best results when preparing for exams as they simulate testing environment and force you to extrapolate and apply knowledge rather than just memorizing. I have written a blog article reviewing several different study techniques and how to apply them toward Step 1 studying. First Aid actually has a summary of the same review article in their "Guide to Efficient Exam Preparation" chapter. MedGunner Board Prep

 

[HY Guru]

Hello,

I'm in a predicament, 2 of my seniors told me not to worry about memorizing the details in FA. Just know the bigger picture of everything that's going on. Is that true? For example i'm studying grave's disease atm, and it says on FA that it's associated with HLA-B8. To me that seems like a small detail, is it true that i can get away with just knowing what grave's disease is in general and be okay for step 1?

Can anyone who's written step 1 please help a brother out.

Thanks!

Have a mentality of a funnel - recognize that you need to have a broad understanding of the topic, the basic mechanism of disease, & how this relates to other pathologies i.e. integrations. This is best exemplified by biochem metabolism - before going down to the nitty gritty memorizing facts - first get a broad picture of the pathway - why does our body need this pathway? what is the regulation of this pathway? what are the rate limiting steps? - and then dive into the details.

Rinse and repeat for multiple concepts and see how it goes! Hope this helps Cheers.

 

[biowhizkid1850]

Let's be real those aren't your friends. Learning the concepts and big picture is one step towards the right direction but it's way more than that. If you were to just memorize the test takers will take you for a ride as the test twist questions in a way you won't understand unless you have grasped the concept. Also remember those little details will be asked.