Is 6 weeks enough to do average?

[angkshus]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I hate to sound too annoying but I've been in denial about the boards. I'm taking them in June and I have about 6 weeks to study. I have not been annotating and I have barely skimmed FA. Apparently the majority of my class studied over spring break but I do not. Now I'm starting to freak out - like I'm doomed to fail with only 6 weeks of board prep! I have a modest goal of scoring average.
It seems like a lot of people on sdn take 8-10 weeks and/OR they've been diligently studying for step 1 along with their classes (which I obviously haven't). I was wondering if anyone who studied for 6 weeks could offer reassurance and advice on starting from scratch (well not completely since I've supposedly been studying this stuff for 2 years). Perhaps a condensed 6 week taus plan?

 

[IM Substance P]

I hate to sound too annoying but I've been in denial about the boards. I'm taking them in June and I have about 6 weeks to study. I have not been annotating and I have barely skimmed FA. Apparently the majority of my class studied over spring break but I do not. Now I'm starting to freak out - like I'm doomed to fail with only 6 weeks of board prep! I have a modest goal of scoring average.
It seems like a lot of people on sdn take 8-10 weeks and/OR they've been diligently studying for step 1 along with their classes (which I obviously haven't). I was wondering if anyone who studied for 6 weeks could offer reassurance and advice on starting from scratch (well not completely since I've supposedly been studying this stuff for 2 years). Perhaps a condensed 6 week taus plan?

First of all, it totally depends on your situation. Are you an American student or an IMG? Most American students have a scant 3-4 weeks to prepare for Step 1.

Secondly, there is point where you will have diminishing returns. I studied for three solid weeks and do not think I could have lasted another second. I have a feeling some people on these message boards overinflate their study times -- kind of an ego thing maybe, I dunno.

Finally, SDN seems to be biased toward the ultragunners.

You can achieve an excellent score with only 4 weeks of prep.

 

[angkshus]

First of all, it totally depends on your situation. Are you an American student or an IMG? Most American students have a scant 3-4 weeks to prepare for Step 1.

Secondly, there is point where you will have diminishing returns. I studied for three solid weeks and do not think I could have lasted another second. I have a feeling some people on these message boards overinflate their study times -- kind of an ego thing maybe, I dunno.

Finally, SDN seems to be biased toward the ultragunners.

You can achieve an excellent score with only 4 weeks of prep.

I am an american student. I'm surprised that you said most american students get 3-4 weeks. My schools gives us 8 weeks and I know quite few classmates who plan to use all of that time to study. I took a practice exam and completely bombed it so I'm a little frustrated that I've been taking classes for 2 years for this exam and I feel like I'm starting from ground zero. 6 weeks is going to fly by.

 

[username456789]

It totally depends on where you've been the last two years. The better you've done as far as learning the material, the more likely it is that you'll do well on the exam given X amount of time.

Eight weeks is probably on the high side of US schools. Our school gives us up to 6 weeks (but that basically means taking the exam the day before M3 orientation starts). Most people at my school are taking about 4-5 weeks.


Edit: My first sentence basically says what IM SP said. I should learn to read before posting.

 

[badasshairday]

Yup. Most people at my school take it after 3-5 weeks of study. The average is between 3.5 and 4.5 weeks. If you think about it, it is hard to study 12 hours a day 7 days a week for more than 4 weeks. You just get burned out and gains start to diminish. I've even talked to many M3's at my school who said they took 4 weeks, and wish they had taken only 3.5, just because of burn out, the extra study was not even very helpful. So 6 weeks should be more than adequate. 👍

 

[IMGUSMLEStep1]

I would say only register for the exam if you're sure you can do it in the little time you have left. It's best to take a practice test from USMLE World or NBME first to find out where you stand.

 

[starkcrazy]

I would say only register for the exam if you're sure you can do it in the little time you have left. It's best to take a practice test from USMLE World or NBME first to find out where you stand.

I don't think he/she has that flexibility since Step 1 must be passed prior to 3rd year rotations.

Sidenote - OP, you need to get your anxiety under control to ace the test. Don't freak out. It will only drag you down and take up a chunk of your time. Forget about results + residency + whatever life outcomes will result from this. JUST focus on the task at hand like you've got blinders on.

 

[illixir]

6 weeks is definately enough time. You just have to work hard and keep your eye on the prize.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I think 6 weeks of Step I prep is frightening! I'm not sure what's accomplished after 4 weeks, to be honest, for most people. There must be a point where the losses outweigh the gains.

 

[angkshus]

A few days ago, I was considering pushing it back and studying for 7 and half weeks 😱 but now I'm going to go for it in 6. Thanks for the replies!

 

[prionsRbad]

First of all, it totally depends on your situation. Are you an American student or an IMG? Most American students have a scant 3-4 weeks to prepare for Step 1.

Secondly, there is point where you will have diminishing returns. I studied for three solid weeks and do not think I could have lasted another second. I have a feeling some people on these message boards overinflate their study times -- kind of an ego thing maybe, I dunno.

Finally, SDN seems to be biased toward the ultragunners.

You can achieve an excellent score with only 4 weeks of prep.

I'm so glad you said this! Honesty is refreshing 😀 I was getting really sick of the "I've been studying since January, will I be prepared enough" threads 🙄

I have from May 3rd (last day of class) to June 15th to study and I know that will be enough time if I put in 12 hour days.

 

[DiverDoc]

I'm so glad you said this! Honesty is refreshing 😀 I was getting really sick of the "I've been studying since January, will I be prepared enough" threads 🙄

I have from May 3rd (last day of class) to June 15th to study and I know that will be enough time if I put in 12 hour days.

Exactly my plan. Although I do read a little bit of FA a day to make the worries go away. Last day for us is May 6👍

 

[prionsRbad]

Exactly my plan. Although I do read a little bit of FA a day to make the worries go away. Last day for us is May 6👍

Good luck to you! Haha, "15 pages of FA a day keep the worries at bay" 😉

I Haven't seen you on SDN since we were both applying back in 2008! 😀 Glad you're doing well. Keep on trucking! Clinicals are soooo close!

 

[Eudjinn]

I'm so glad you said this! Honesty is refreshing 😀 I was getting really sick of the "I've been studying since January, will I be prepared enough" threads 🙄

I have from May 3rd (last day of class) to June 15th to study and I know that will be enough time if I put in 12 hour days.

+2 My plan as well. May 3rd last day of class. USMLE june 14/comlex june 21... gives me exactly 6 weeks for usmle/7 for comlex (omm in between)... come to think of it; it's probably too much time. I also dislike the crazy gunner threads that are taking the boards like the same time as I am and have already completed Taus 5x or something like that. I've been following FA with classes, reading it here and there, getting my feet wet with UW and listening to Goljan with undivided attention (I don't get how people say they can listen to it just while doing other stuff - it's impossible to absorb anything without sitting down and actually listening and following along imo - plus the stuff he says is such high yield I've already had numerous Q's in UW straight from his mouth)

All in all, I'm glad we agree that this is enough time. I'm not shooting for just average either. I just prefer to sit down and bust my butt 12h/day for 6-7 days a week for a few weeks, take care of business and forget about it.

 

[InTheMaking]

I'll be curious to see all your results. And see if they proved "excellent".

 

[prionsRbad]

I'll be curious to see all your results. And see if they proved "excellent".

Oh come on! You're so cynical! Aren't you studying for a week? 😉

 

[InTheMaking]

Oh come on! You're so cynical! Aren't you studying for a week? 😉

Let me rephrase, I don't think an excellent score is possible with just 4 weeks of study. At least for the normal medical student. At excellent score I put at 230-240+.

 

[metalrex]

I hate to sound too annoying but I've been in denial about the boards. I'm taking them in June and I have about 6 weeks to study. I have not been annotating and I have barely skimmed FA. Apparently the majority of my class studied over spring break but I do not. Now I'm starting to freak out - like I'm doomed to fail with only 6 weeks of board prep! I have a modest goal of scoring average.
It seems like a lot of people on sdn take 8-10 weeks and/OR they've been diligently studying for step 1 along with their classes (which I obviously haven't). I was wondering if anyone who studied for 6 weeks could offer reassurance and advice on starting from scratch (well not completely since I've supposedly been studying this stuff for 2 years). Perhaps a condensed 6 week taus plan?

6 weeks is ample time..even Dr Tao Le says that a gunner schedule is anywhere btw 2 months (nearest to yr 6 weeks)-3 months!.Just plan to do all the essentials like FA,GOLJAN RR, UW n u will be fine, aim to complete all these by early May so that u can do some tests n review rest of the month.Im takin d boards early June too.I have a schedule which works fr 6 weeks..i dun see any attach button here?!!! Neway,check out the firstaid team blog/website, they have some schedules posted in there as well.

Good luck dear!

 

[metalrex]

+2 My plan as well. May 3rd last day of class. USMLE june 14/comlex june 21... gives me exactly 6 weeks for usmle/7 for comlex (omm in between)... come to think of it; it's probably too much time. I also dislike the crazy gunner threads that are taking the boards like the same time as I am and have already completed Taus 5x or something like that. I've been following FA with classes, reading it here and there, getting my feet wet with UW and listening to Goljan with undivided attention (I don't get how people say they can listen to it just while doing other stuff - it's impossible to absorb anything without sitting down and actually listening and following along imo - plus the stuff he says is such high yield I've already had numerous Q's in UW straight from his mouth)

All in all, I'm glad we agree that this is enough time. I'm not shooting for just average either. I just prefer to sit down and bust my butt 12h/day for 6-7 days a week for a few weeks, take care of business and forget about it.

Great mindset !👍

 

[metalrex]

I hate to sound too annoying but I've been in denial about the boards. I'm taking them in June and I have about 6 weeks to study. I have not been annotating and I have barely skimmed FA. Apparently the majority of my class studied over spring break but I do not. Now I'm starting to freak out - like I'm doomed to fail with only 6 weeks of board prep! I have a modest goal of scoring average.
It seems like a lot of people on sdn take 8-10 weeks and/OR they've been diligently studying for step 1 along with their classes (which I obviously haven't). I was wondering if anyone who studied for 6 weeks could offer reassurance and advice on starting from scratch (well not completely since I've supposedly been studying this stuff for 2 years). Perhaps a condensed 6 week taus plan?

Here's a sample plan i got , i think from FA website.

 

[SpecialmED]

I think i'm confused here, 6 weeks? I've already studied 8 and I feel like I'm just getting the hang of it. Also I've heard its pretty standard to study 4-6 Months.

I mean if you've been studying for the past 2 years while in your class then I'd understand... but can somebody help me out on what I'm missing here.

 

[badasshairday]

I think i'm confused here, 6 weeks? I've already studied 8 and I feel like I'm just getting the hang of it. Also I've heard its pretty standard to study 4-6 Months.

I mean if you've been studying for the past 2 years while in your class then I'd understand... but can somebody help me out on what I'm missing here.

Most people only have a couple of weeks off after second year to take boards. Hence, they only get to REALLY study for boards all for a couple of weeks. For instance, at my school we finish school in mid-May. Most people take Step 1 after 3.5 to 4.5 weeks of study. Our school is right around the national average for Step 1 scores. I don't know where anyone can get 4-6 months of dedicated study unless you are an FMG who graduated med school a while back...

 

[SpecialmED]

I assumed people ignored their classes except a few days before a test and studied for boards instead...

 

[MilkmanAl]

That's what I do, minus the "except for a few days before the test" part.

 

[badasshairday]

I assumed people ignored their classes except a few days before a test and studied for boards instead...

hmm. I guess it depends on your school. We have a cumulative (whole second year) final for pathology. Also have a cumulative pharm exam. So ignoring those and studying for boards doesn't really make sense because those two topics are huge topics for boards... So I guess in essence, studying for classes is like studying for boards? Also our school puts high yield stuff at the end, ie. antibiotics, endocrine, ect., plus like I said it is cumulative for path and pharm.

Many people also are reading through FA here and there and working on Qbanks. And I don't think anyone is going to sit through the thousands of lecture notes to review for the final path exam, most will use a review book. Personally I studied pathology out of GOljan, have been doing that all year, so I get the big integrated picture. Our pharm class is super high yield, taught very well (we really have to know our stuff. Free response questions, no multiple choice. 515 drugs, side efx, mechs, uses!). But the real hardcore board study starts after school ends.

 

[tzank32]

hey guys so im basically in a similar bind. I'm a US med student taking boards in mid June, but I my classes end on May 19th, so i have basically 8 weeks till my test, and 4 weeks of class-free studying. Now, Ive done about 25% of UW and read probably 40% of FA for the first time. I'm a pretty slow reader and an basically near the bottom of my class. In the event of time and trying to not spread myself thin, im thinking of just BRS Path + BRS Phys + FA + UW, with teh goal to completely understand those resources. Is this enough to do alright? Not really hoping for an sdn type score. any input is really appreciated.