Need Advice Needed Regarding my Step 1 Study Schedule

[Clemson Doc]

Hi,

I am planning on taking Step 1 in early May, and will have the next four months to study full-time. My current plan is to study Monday through Friday, for 6-8 hours per day, and take weekends off. I do not want to burn out, but I do want to make my available study time count. I hope to do very well on Step 1 but do not feel that I have the best foundation at this point (i.e., I have passed the first two years of medical school but know that I have some deficiencies in my knowledge).

I have purchased the USMLERx question bank, which has around 3,000 questions total. I plan to use all of these. I also have the Kaplan subject books (the light blue ones from last year's Kaplan WebPrep course; there is one for each subject). There are several thousand pages total in the 8 books. I will also purchase First Aid 2008 when it comes out.

How does this sound?

1. Read through a chapter in the Kaplan book.
2. As I read, annotate important info on that topic in the margins in First Aid (which will eventually become my primary source of review).
3. Once I finish that subject, I do the practice questions from the USMLERx question bank on that topic.
4. Review question explanations and review any info again if necessary.

I am also curious if I should add any additional sources to my review. I know a lot of people like "Step Up to Step 1," and I have also noticed that there is a "Step 1 Made Ridiculously Simple" book. Thoughts on either of these books? What about Robbins path audio? I know it is used by a lot of people.

Considering my situation, the resources I have available, and the study time I have at my disposal over the next four months, how does my proposed schedule sound? I welcome any and all comments. Thanks so much!

-Clemson Doc

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[lord_jeebus]

Although my knowledge of its content is second-hand, I do not think USMLERx is the strongest question bank available.

Where do you think your "deficiencies" are? I think given the ample time you have, you should first focus on filling those at a comfortable pace, than using the final few weeks for a more conventional comprehensive review.

I can recommend strategies for specific subjects if you know you are weak in particular ones. If you feel your weaknesses are more general, perhaps it would be best to combine books like the Kaplan series you have with a question bank, as you suggested.

I would not purchase Step Up or Step I Made Ridiculously Simple. I don't know what this Robbins audio is -- if you mean Goljan audio...

 

[Clemson Doc]

Although my knowledge of its content is second-hand, I do not think USMLERx is the strongest question bank available.

Where do you think your "deficiencies" are? I think given the ample time you have, you should first focus on filling those at a comfortable pace, than using the final few weeks for a more conventional comprehensive review.

I can recommend strategies for specific subjects if you know you are weak in particular ones. If you feel your weaknesses are more general, perhaps it would be best to combine books like the Kaplan series you have with a question bank, as you suggested.

I would not purchase Step Up or Step I Made Ridiculously Simple. I don't know what this Robbins audio is -- if you mean Goljan audio...

I went with USMLERx and not Kaplan's Q-bank for several reasons. The first is because the USMLERx folks stress the importance of their question bank being a better predictor of actual Step 1 performance than Kaplan. Plus, if I am heavily relying on First Aid then it seems logical to use the question bank that refers to First Aid in answer explanations. I also know a few people who used it last year and felt that it was good. Most of the more well-known question banks seem good, and hope that USMLERx will help me achieve my goals.

I feel that my weaknesses are fairly general, thus my plan to work on my foundation in everything. My hope is to spend a couple of months using my above-mentioned strategy, and then the final 3-4 weeks leading up to the test reviewing my annotated First Aid 2008 book in more conventional fashion. I will also do some full-length exams at that point.

BTW, I meant Goljan audio, not Robbins.

 

[lord_jeebus]

The reason I went with USMLERx and not Kaplan's Q-bank is because the USMLERx folks stress the importance of their question bank being a better predictor of actual Step 1 performance than Kaplan.

I wonder if they have any evidence to support that.

First Aid is not a perfect guide and I hesitated to use a question bank that I thought was better designed to teach you First Aid than to teach you Step One. I think you get better preparation if you seek out review materials from different sources, all of which have a different flawed idea of what Step I is really like.

I feel that my weaknesses are fairly general, thus my plan to work on my foundation in everything. My hope is to spend a couple of months using my above-mentioned strategy, and then the final 3-4 weeks leading up to the test reviewing my annotated First Aid 2008 book in more conventional fashion.

Sounds good. I would recommend using the USMLEWorld question bank during those final weeks as well.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I agree with lord_jeebus --- just wanted to add that it would be more realistic/representative to do questions randomly, rather than testing yourself on material that you just studied.

 

[lankysudanese]

I agree with lordjeebus' arguments regarding using USMLERx. It is great for solidifying the material in First Aid, but then again knowing First Aid inside outside doesn't guarantee a high score for most people. To me, relying only on USMLERx and First Aid sounds like putting too much trust in the hands of Bhushan et al. I would recommend that you diversify your questions by also using Kaplan and USMLEWorld. The combination of using Kaplan Qbank during studying and then doing USMLEWorld during the final weeks is a proven recipe for success within the SDN community.

Since time is not an issue, I would also recommend making use of other resources such as Robbins Review of Pathology (question book), Kaplan Qbook, etc...

I have not heard any positive comments regarding 'Step Up to Step 1' or 'Step 1 made ridiculously simple'. The consensus seems to be that First Aid is more superior to both of these books when it comes to rough outline (even though a detailed review series such as Kaplan should be your main resource).

You can check out the following thread for more info: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=306618

I would also pay close attention to the advice of UCLAstudent, for he/she is both wise and well-regarded in the SDN circles.

 

[pocketknife52]

I consi

 

[Clemson Doc]

The consensus seems to be that I should do questions randomly rather than specific to the topics I covered that day. My only concern with that is that I will be doing questions on topics I have not reviewed at all. I know I would have a very low percentage of correct answers if I have not reviewed that material since taking the classes. So would it make more sense to spend a couple of months reading, learning, and annotating First Aid, and THEN start rereading First Aid and doing randomly-generated practice questions? That would mean that I would be exclusively studying from Kaplan books and annotating First Aid for January and February, and reviewing First Aid and doing practice questions in March and April. Then I would sit for Step 1 in early May. Sound good?

 

[UCLAstudent]

The consensus seems to be that I should do questions randomly rather than specific to the topics I covered that day. My only concern with that is that I will be doing questions on topics I have not reviewed at all. I know I would have a very low percentage of correct answers if I have not reviewed that material since taking the classes. So would it make more sense to spend a couple of months reading, learning, and annotating First Aid, and THEN start rereading First Aid and doing randomly-generated practice questions? That would mean that I would be exclusively studying from Kaplan books and annotating First Aid for January and February, and reviewing First Aid and doing practice questions in March and April. Then I would sit for Step 1 in early May. Sound good?

That sounds better than doing subject-specific questions. I still think you would benefit from doing questions earlier, even if you haven't reviewed every topic. Keep in mind that the questions aren't solely meant to assess your progress. They're meant to be a learning tool. Who cares what percentage you get in the beginning. The goal is to learn! I learned just as much --- if not more --- from doing questions as I did from reading review books. The key is to spend a lot of time reviewing the answers. (BTW, I agree with the others who said that you should do USMLEWorld or Kaplan instead of (or in addition to) USMLERx.)