Step 1 score: 248, written April 2014
Uworld finished 1x + wrong answers: average over the last 400Qs = 84% (which is weird because based off all the calculations I've seen online, I should have scored higher)
FA: 1.5x
Time spent preparing: 2 months
Med School: Saba Univ School of Med (Caribbean)
First and foremost, I'd like to thank every forum poster out there. Whether its your questions, encouraging comments, personal experiences, or even clowning around, its this wonderful conversation that has created for such a great community. If I could honestly organize an event, I would want it for every contributor on these forum boards. You guys and girls are humane, driven, and care not only for yourselves but the entire field of medicine when you share. Thank you to everyone.
Experience: I remember flagging about 1/4 of the Qs on one block but on most others there were none or I had been able to unflag them all. not a terribly long day given the mental stamina should be developed by the time you write it. But i knew I was in trouble as soon as I walked out cause I didn't feel terrified but rather indifferent. I knew I had scored lower than I was capable of, but now that I have the score, I'll take it and move on. Looking back in retrospect, if there's one thing I wish I did, it would have to been to write an NBME in the last 10 days and focused on my 3 areas of weakness. To be honest, I probably dont even need the NBME since I could have predicted my weakest areas, based off my historical results.
Here's what I did:
1) Read FA 1.5x. First read, converted every list, group of facts, and anything else possible into a pneumonic so I could condense the entire book. This honestly was the best decision before anything else. It allowed me to save a TON of time. Second time, I read/group discussed select chapters that I was weak in.
2) Did uworld, random, timed, 3-4 blocks per day. Most time spent on studying the explanation, educational objective and MC wrong answer. If I had a section which was significantly weaker than the others, I would complete an entire block of Qs in that section.
3) NBMEs: when I wrote an NBME at my school I scored 237, after 2.5 months off I started at 200, then 220, then 238 (this was about 3 weeks before my exam). The importance of this is that you should begin studying for the Step IMMEDIATELY after you finish you school work.
4) Relax everyday. When the library closed (9pm), I stopped working. Except for maybe a few days when I worked until 12. This was a REALLY GOOD decision. I could see other students burning out all the time and each passing day would be less efficient since they were anxious, confused, slept poorly, mentally unhealthy. If I ever felt burnt out half way through the day, I would take the day off. I would rather loose half a day today, than an entire week ahead. This was my biggest advantage, if I ever felt overloaded with material and anxious beyond belief I was able to rapidly resolve it by having a study buddy to talk to, coming up with a plan, or putting the work away. And at the end of each day, I would always be doing anything unrelated. Most of the time it was just hanging out with my friends playing video games, poker, or having a beer. i.e.: Do not try and be a smart ass today, or you'll be a ******* tomorrow.
5) Don't get distracted by introducing major things in your life. This means starting new relationships (avoid Tinder and nightclubs like the plague), or taking on a major activity. Anything that can be considered a "new interest" is a bad idea. Reason being, is that your mind is always attracted to novel things, so you're gonna start spending a chunk of your time thinking about that and loose sight of the prize.
6) Listen to yourself. I've never been offered so much useless advice on anything else I've ever tried to accomplish in life. But that's okay, because everyone who shared was trying to help and I appreciate that before anything. I know some other people realize this too and am able to generally categorize the high from the low scorers on this quality. I've seen people from both categories use all the same resources (a whole lot of stuff, or just a few items) and score completely differently for 1 particular reason. Both got advice from others via forums and friends. But the high scorers designed their OWN study strategy. They listened to themselves and took a moment to realize their weaknesses and thought hard about how they improve their score. The reality is this: there is clear path to the high score you would like. It seems to be entirely variable based on your current knowledge, capacity to learn, and work ethic. This is what you have to realize, take a moment based off your performance in every course and med school and predict your strengths and weaknesses. Then write an NBME to not just see where you actually stand, but to SEE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PREDICT YOUR PERFORMANCE. Be honest with yourself, because the step will be honest with you.
7) Google images is God. It will provide you the best tables and figures for understanding concepts.
8) Have a great breakfast. I have an awesome smoothie every morning which is easy to make, digests well and meets all my required nutrients. Essentially a good smoothie has a base (water is best), protein, fruits & veges, and an energy boost (caffiene).
9) Buy one of those 4-in-1 pens (red, blue, green, black). You're gonna realize how useful it is when you can categorize your notes by colour (green = mneumonics, red = clinical pres, blue + black = general info) and drawing schematics was super easy and a great way to summarize info.
10) I tried DIT and thought it was extraordinarily useless because it delivers all the content passively and the questions did not seem very useful for me. FA is a dense book which scares a lot of people and pushes them in directions not best for learning its material. Its ok. Understand that going through the book is a SLOW process the first time. I was reading like 10-15 pages a day on average. And would only have time to complete a block of Qs. Honestly, the best way to approach FA is with a pen in hand and an effort to understand first, then condense into a mneumonic. You'll find the 2nd read super fast if you do so cause every time you revisit FA to fill it out after uworld, or you do a uworld Q, the mneumonic comes to mind and EVERYTHING related to that topic is refreshed in your memory. Also about 1/3 of FA's mneumonics I scrapped and came up with even better ones. I suggest you design every mneumonic yourself. Its painfully slow, but not a day will go by wasted, which is extraordinarily efficient!
Here's what I suggest:
1) FA is a great text for every topic on the Step except Pathophys and Behav Sci. For pathophys, you can learn most of this from uWorld. However using Goljian to supplement your WEAK areas would be a great idea. (goljian is dense and reading it from front to back is passive learning and you'll forget most which is a HUGE waste of time; so to make it worth your while, focus on your weaknesses, because those "Ah Hah! Now I get it!" moments are the only scenarios of learning what you read).
2) USE Kaplan's 101 ethical scenarios (or whatever its called). I used this book in school and it helped me a lot and my friend suggested that I use it for the Step, but unfortunately I was tight on time. I should have re-prioritized my schedule and made this a top priority. This book + uworld will help. FA's examples are terrible at preparing you for these scenarios.
3) Use the Kaplan Qbank for molecular biology Qs. The Step had quite a few molecular bio Qs and I swear most my reasoning came from my undergrad specialization in the field. I honestly dont recall uWorld or FA preparing me well for this section.
4) Have a study partner whose aiming for the same score as you. Becareful surrounding yourself with lazy people, it will rub off onto you.
5) Complete uWorld in 2 parts. Not everyone has the time do it 2x or may not even be beneficial if you remember most answers. So what I suggest is you split the Qbank in half. First 1/2 of Qs, complete subject wise and read FA after each subject of Qs completed. Second half, complete random. This method will allow you exposure to the most recurring topics which should be the basis of your knowledge. And it will then allow you to expand with details.
6) Slice the binding off FA, then put the book into a binder. You can do this at Kinkos or related stores. The reason for this is so you can insert images or notes you find off google images. For me, visualizing the situation was my biggest advantage cause I could reason most Qs.
7) Exercise each day to ENJOY GOOD HEALTH. Don't try and become jacked if you currently aren't. That would be pursuing a new interest. All I'm saying is take 30mins in the morning to increase cerebral blood flow, maintain the tone of your muscles, and keep your immune system robust so your body doesn't become an excuse. I would honestly suggest taking a couple days to explore your options (checking out workout videos, trying an at home regime, nearby gym membership) cause this WILL impact your quality of life.
I wish you all the best with your road ahead.
Sincerely,
Jason
