To Tono,
It may be too late now for you to change your study direction, but let me try to give you some advice, from the standpoint of being someone in your situation not so long ago:
1. If you can't get to the US, the Kaplan Home study program is your best choice. It costs $500 USD though for 2 textbooks, an 800-question Q-bank book, and 2 full-test on a CD. After having read that throughly, you can take the Kaplan Q-review on the internet, which now has 3,200 questions on both the clinical vignettes (1,000 questions) and the Q-bank (2,000+ questions). The cost is $400 for 3 month access, or $430 for 6 month access.
2. If you can get to the US, you may want to take either the course on the VCR, AND / OR the live lecture course. Many people I know take both of them. They watch the VCRs for a few months first, then they take the live lecture course. I know of a doctor from Pakistan who failed the USMLE-1 6 times. She had already given up all hopes when someone lent her $4,000 to take those 2 courses. First, she spent 4 months doing nothing but watching the Kaplan USMLE-1 on the VCR tapes. Second, she went to the Kaplan live lectures for 7 weeks. Third, she did the Kaplan Q-review for 2 months. In 8 months, her scores jumped from 160 to 229, not extremely high, but enough to get her a residency. By the way she already paid back the $4,000 loan.
Unless you want to delay your plan, to make extremely sure you'll pass this evil exam, you can only do (1) above. If so, you need to start the Q-review internet course NOW, because it may take any smart person at least 2 months to learn those 3,000+ questions/answers and their related materials. That's all you need. I think 90% of the USMLE-1 materials are covered in those things, if you know even only 80% of them, you'll still score in the 70-ish% which is a clear pass.
Hope you do well.... The MOST IMPORTANT advice, however, is:
1. When you practice the Q-review, for each question you read the question FIRST,
2. then the entire question paragraph SECOND, pay special attention to info that is related to the question,
3. then to come up with some general direction, some general answer THIRD,
4. then and only then should you read down and choose the answer that is closest to yours. Click it, and move on.
5. If in the rare cases you can't find the answer most closest to yours, then and only then should you change your mind (no ther option anyway!!!) and pick the one that you agree with the most, or disagree the least, then move on. Like a bad relationshhip, once you've movd on, you never look back, never regret.
It's just like that in the REAL exam... By then you'll have had 2.5 months of experience in taking this EVIL exam. Good luck!
