Step I Just starting Med School

Started by Spathi
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Spathi

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Ok the MCAT kind of caught me off guard and I want to be better prepared for the Step 1.

What is the best way to start studying at least a little throughtout years 1 and 2 so I'm not totally unprepared and must cram?
 
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don't worry about it until- at the earliest winter of your M2 year.
otherwise do what above poster said- study your ass off, it'll pay off when you take step 1.
 
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In addition to studying for class tests, I would get kaplan step 1 video lectures and kaplan step 1 notes and watch the lectures and go through the notes for each particular subject before you take a test in it in class. By the end of 2nd year you'll have a good command of all the important concepts you need for step 1.
 
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I looked on Kaplan's page and it seems like you have to buy 3 months so then you can only go to their centers to watch the videos?
 
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The best advice IMO would be to not think of Step I until you complete 2nd year. However, during second year learn your Pathology like a motherfu*ker, above and beyond so that even the most obscure stuff becomes 2nd nature. Pathology is what really ties all the disciplines together and ultimately makes all the meaningless facts you learned 1st year congeal into all that is medicine. So, yeah, do that.
 
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Don't steal from Peter to pay Paul. By that I mean, don't take time away from your normal class studying to study for Step 1. If you find yourself mastering all the material in the class and you want to do some extra work for Step 1, by all means do it. But I think the vast majority of students are going to get more out of absolutely mastering a topic than taking a test on it versus casually learning a topic than trying to study ahead or review old material for Step 1.

I.E. it's much better to know heart murmurs COLD the first time you do cardio versus spending one night on it then trying to go back and learn some biochem.
 
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what most people forgot to tell you is that you shouldn't start studying too early (like during first year) for boards. you will get burned out and pissed off, and then you'll regret not enjoying what little free time you had. i partied hard every time me and my friends went out and even sometimes when they didn't 😀 and i managed to do pretty damn well on both sets of boards. it's all about time management and like everyone else said, if you learn stuff the first time, you won't have to re-learn it during your board study, you'll just have to remember it 😎.
 
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