Step I Mid March Boards & Need advise

[temmie]

Hi guys

My med school starts 3rd year in April, so we are required to take the boards before then. It's an excellent, top of the line school but we only get about a month off for boards studying. So basically, i have started preparing.

I wanted to run my plan through the expert, experienced folks in the house to make sure that i am on right track. My resource list includes

1) Google (it's pretty helpful)
2) BRS physio
3) BRS path
4) HY biochem
5) FA
6) Step up (Also comprehensive but i like their random side notes)
7) Golgen audio path
8) Robbins path review questions
9) Kaplan Q bank

At this point, i am done reviewing the HY biochem excluding the pathways; Respiratory phys and path; Renal phys and path; Endocine phys and path.

I am currently working on GI. Also i am doing the all the kaplan Qbank session, except the one block (repro) that has not been covered at my school yet. So far, i have been getting in the 40s. After each 50block, i spend about 2 hrs reviewing the answers both correct or not.

Once school starts in january, my goal is to study for school work during the weekend (~10hrs total) and spend about 4-5hrs a day during the week on board stuff. I dont know what speciality i am going into yet, but like most other med students, i want to get the best that i can.

At this point, i am a bit scared of pharm. I have the baby katsung pharm but i have a problem memorizing a bunch of drug names and side effects. Any advise here would be great.

Also i was going to give myself until about 2 weeks to the exam, and then just study mostly from FA, step-up and my notebook on random Qbank concepts, and also take the NBME practise questions.

This is my plan so far, i am very open to constructive advise. Thanks guys and have a happy holiday.

 

[lankysudanese]

my goal is to study for school work during the weekend (~10hrs total) and spend about 4-5hrs a day during the week on board stuff.

this might jeopardize your second year grades and (as far as i know) most "top of the line" medical schools which "start 3rd year in April" are competitive and have tough grading schemes. A couple of my classmates studied hardcore for a total of 4wks for step 1 and both got >260. So, I would suggest that you try and learn as much as possible from your second year curriculum, and then worry about Step 1 when the time comes.

Your books/resources list looks good though.

Good luck

 

[lord_jeebus]

I agree, starting now is fine but the bulk of your time should go to current coursework.

If Step Up is really working for you, keep it, but I don't see a role for it in a plan that has First Aid (as any good plan does).

I recommend that anyone with a review book list of that length consider getting HY Cell and Molecular Biology, 1999 edition. Hopefully I have not made this book too expensive. You will get a lot of bang for your buck in testable facts that are not in First Aid or Step Up. Biochemistry lab techniques are also important; I don't know if they're in HY Biochem but if not, borrow a copy of Lippincott and read the last couple of chapters.

USMLEWorld is probably better than QBank, although if you're starting questions now, QBank is probably the right choice.

I wouldn't bother using Baby Katzung except as an occasional reference for things you don't understand the mechanisms for. First Aid is, amazingly, perfect for Pharm.