Step I Official 2015 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

Started by KushWeedNuggetsStankyLeg
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KushWeedNuggetsStankyLeg

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M2 here. Starting today, I am just going to be reviewing for Step 1 which I am taking next May, and nothing else. Here is my plan:

Oct 23-Dec 31: Memorize FA2014, Watch all of Pathoma
Jan 1-Jan 31: FA2015, Pathoma (pass 2), Kaplan QBank
Feb 1-Feb 28: FA2015 (pass 2), Pathoma (pass 3), USMLERX
March 1- March 31: FA2015 (pass 3), Pathoma (pass 4): UWorld
April 1- Mid May: FA2015 (pass 4), Pathoma (selective topics), UWorld (pass 2), all practice tests

Goal: High number
 
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OnlineMedEd has a lot of videos on a wide array of topics, but I'm not sure how board-relevant a lot of it is. It seems like it would be a good resource during rotations, but there might be a few videos that could be useful for boards if there's a topic you are struggling with. Check it out, they're all FREE!
 
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mcloaf said:
I'm interested to hear what people say about this as well. I'm kind of on the fence since these kinds of drugs seem relatively niche and uncommon compared to the big ones we're all expected to know. My hope would be that if these drugs come up in a question they're either distractors or you'd be able to choose the right one by eliminating other, more common drugs as possible answers. We're just finishing MSK and these are the ones I have open as tabs in my browser before I decide what to do with them: belimumab, tofacitinib, abatacept, tocilizumab.

@Phloston @kirbymiester
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I have a list of drugs at the end of each FA chapter that was covered in school. If it was in katzung and in lectures (abatacept, for example) it definitely gets put on my list. I unbound my FA and put it in a 3-ring binder and I add new pieces of paper with "school only drugs". Essentially it's there if I decide I have time to try and review those drugs, but at the same time it is completely isolated from the actual pages of FA so that I know it's stuff that I can ignore if I don't have extra time.

Lafakads said:
Do they plan on adding more videos for boards and beyond? Seems like only a few subjects are covered
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They've been adding stuff throughout the year. In October there were only 3 organ systems, neuro was one, and I think pulm and renal were the other two. All the other videos up right now have been added since October.

All Videos
Basic Pharmacology Videos
Biostats/Epi Videos
Cardiology Videos
Neurology Videos
Pulmonary Videos
Renal Videos
 
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seminoma said:
I have a list of drugs at the end of each FA chapter that was covered in school. If it was in katzung and in lectures (abatacept, for example) it definitely gets put on my list. I unbound my FA and put it in a 3-ring binder and I add new pieces of paper with "school only drugs". Essentially it's there if I decide I have time to try and review those drugs, but at the same time it is completely isolated from the actual pages of FA so that I know it's stuff that I can ignore if I don't have extra time.



They've been adding stuff throughout the year. In October there were only 3 organ systems, neuro was one, and I think pulm and renal were the other two. All the other videos up right now have been added since October.

All Videos
Basic Pharmacology Videos
Biostats/Epi Videos
Cardiology Videos
Neurology Videos
Pulmonary Videos
Renal Videos
Click to expand...

I'm assuming boards and beyond is trying to be the physio equivalent of Pathoma? Interested to hear more about how HY it is.
 
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Dr Dazzle said:
I'm assuming boards and beyond is trying to be the physio equivalent of Pathoma? Interested to hear more about how HY it is.
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From the 1 video I've watched of theirs (on vasculitis), it doesn't seem like something that would be my primary study source. They didn't really explain much or even have all the points included in FA. Not sure about their other videos though
 
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dextor2003 said:
From the 1 video I've watched of theirs (on vasculitis), it doesn't seem like something that would be my primary study source. They didn't really explain much or even have all the points included in FA. Not sure about their other videos though
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Pathoma isn't a primary source either. At least, it shouldn't be for path. Way short on details, but great for HY points and basic concepts. BB covers path and physio and I think the physio is of similar quality as pathoma is for path (great conceptual explanations and emphasis on higher yield things). Definitely not sufficient as a primary source though.
 
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seminoma said:
Pathoma isn't a primary source either. At least, it shouldn't be for path. Way short on details, but great for HY points and basic concepts. BB covers path and physio and I think the physio is of similar quality as pathoma is for path (great conceptual explanations and emphasis on higher yield things). Definitely not sufficient as a primary source though.
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Ah well I guess I'll have to give their other videos a try
 
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seminoma said:
Pathoma isn't a primary source either. At least, it shouldn't be for path. Way short on details, but great for HY points and basic concepts. BB covers path and physio and I think the physio is of similar quality as pathoma is for path (great conceptual explanations and emphasis on higher yield things). Definitely not sufficient as a primary source though.
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Is pathoma really WAY short on details for Step 1? I'm curious to know...
 
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CodeRedDew said:
Is pathoma really WAY short on details for Step 1? I'm curious to know...
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Hard to say since I kind of use RR and Pathoma simultaneously so I lose track of what info I learned where, but I feel like a lot of kaplan qbank questions (and red robbins questions, obviously) require info that isn't in Pathoma. And I'm not talking about the super obscure kaplan qbank questions. I think the sentiment of "Pathoma is all you need for step 1 path" arises from the fact that Pathoma during dedicated time will cover all the big picture stuff plus serve as a memory jogger for details that you learned throughout the school year. This is what I've heard from current MS3s, MS4s, and a the few interns I know who used Pathoma instead of (or in addition to) Goljan.

Phloston said:
I have a student who had two drugs show up on the exam I had never heard of before. And pharm is probably my best subject.

For one of them, they told you the drug and you had to guess the MOA. And the MOA was knowing something very very specific. You could get it right only by inferring the MOA by knowing the name of a medium-yield drug that shares the same suffix. As an example (and this isn't what showed up), imagine getting erlotinib in a vignette, and they want to know the MOA, but the answers are all different types of kinase inhibitors and you have to pick which type. But if you know imatinib is an EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor used for CML, you can infer erlotinib probably has the same MOA. Catch my drift? The second question was identifying the MOA straight up of some obscure drug. It was some serotonin receptor modulator.
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First question is a fair one imo. Second question is pretty lame. I don't think it hurts to keep a list of drugs covered in school or random drugs (like tofacitinib) as long as it's separate from things that are for sure high-yield.

faisal 2000 said:
which one is better
https://www.ftplectures.com/about/services
or
https://www.boardsbeyond.com/modules
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I only have experience with boards and beyond and, while I like it, I don't think it's worth the $140 it costs for a year. In the past you could email them and ask for a free trial and they'd send you a link for 1 yr free (the only reason I have access), but I don't know if they're still doing it.
 
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CodeRedDew said:
Is pathoma really WAY short on details for Step 1? I'm curious to know...
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kinda agree with seminoma here. i've noticed that both pathoma and FA have a few details that aren't mentioned in the other. heck sometimes they even mention things that aren't in RR. but as was mentioned, i'd agree that pathoma is probably for building a strong foundation and jogging up the little details every now and then

but when I mentioned not using BB as a "primary resource" earlier, i meant I probably wouldn't use it like I would UFAP. even though pathoma doesn't have everything you probably need to know for path, I personally still consider it a "primary" resource
 
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Would you guys says the primary source debate has to do with class exams vs step 1? What I mean is that for your exams, there might be more you need to know? A lot of forums refer to resources as too extensive for step 1. Like CMMRS is good for your class, but step 1 doesn't go into that much detail. Thanks.
 
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ALUCSD18 said:
Would you guys says the primary source debate has to do with class exams vs step 1? What I mean is that for your exams, there might be more you need to know? A lot of forums refer to resources as too extensive for step 1. Like CMMRS is good for your class, but step 1 doesn't go into that much detail. Thanks.
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exactly. you could go through kaplan qbank, FA, RR, and pathoma and STILL not have covered everything you need to know for your classes
 
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ALUCSD18 said:
Dextor, what resources have you found most helpful in your classes and step 1 prep?
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different things for different classes. i'm guessing you're a 1st year based off your name? if that's the case, then I always went over the class lectures/lab podcasts/etc first, then if I needed more, I used these:

histo: ross histo text/atlas 6th + BRS histo questions
phys: costanzo / kaplan videos + questions from BRS phys / guyton/hall phys review / pretest phys / phys cases and problems
anatomy: rohen's atlas / kaplan vids
development: kaplan vids / lippincotts anatomy/embryo q&a + BRS embryo questions
neuro: haines atlas
biochem: kaplan vids + questions from lippincotts biochem q&a / BRS biochem
micro/immuno: microcards / how the immune system works + questions from lippincotts microbio/immuno q&a
path: pathoma / goljan RR/audio / webpath / robbins review path
pharm: none

on top of all these, I always read the relevant FA sections. but probably moreso than any of these, i used google
 
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Happy to finally be able to contribute to the thread! I'm a US MD candidate and will be taking the exam on May 26th in St Louis. I've attached a few files that will cover my study schedule starting in January; these were made by an upperclassman and while I won't follow it EXACTLY it gives me a good week-by-week outline. Looking forward to contributing to the thread! WE GOT THIS
 

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hey friends..im new to this thread..i have step1 exam in january end 2015..still have quite a long list of weak topics to cover..i have completed Uworld few weeks back(65% correct)..behavioural science/general patho/Genetics(esp. gene analysis techniques)/molecular biology r a headache to me..any help on how to review such topics is highly appreciated..esp. gene analysis techniques/behaviour/ethics
 
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Do the two "simulated exam"s and the "diagnostic exam" that come with the Kaplan Qbank subscription contain unique questions? Or are they just a random bunch of questions out of the qbank questions?
 
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blueshockey said:
Happy to finally be able to contribute to the thread! I'm a US MD candidate and will be taking the exam on May 26th in St Louis. I've attached a few files that will cover my study schedule starting in January; these were made by an upperclassman and while I won't follow it EXACTLY it gives me a good week-by-week outline. Looking forward to contributing to the thread! WE GOT THIS
Click to expand...
This is pretty awesome. Especially since my my schools schedule is very similar.
 
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Now that I've got 2 weeks break I think I'm gunna go through MSK and CP. Prolly gunna do 50-100 q's per day and read FA, watch pathoma. My qBank is Kaplan. Hopefully I can get through GI and Renal during spring break, and since everything else is 2nd year material it will be fresh anyways. We also get 6 weeks for dedicated study. I'm hoping this will set me up for success.
 
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I started my review a week or so ago and it's taking me longer than I want to get through a system. I'm trying to be as thorough as possible so that's probably what's holding me up. Mainly using FA + the other big sources with Rx sprinkled in. I don't know about you guys but I'm finding it difficult to just wake up and study. It's like I have no more discipline since finals are over with..
 
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NekoBeats said:
I started my review a week or so ago and it's taking me longer than I want to get through a system. I'm trying to be as thorough as possible so that's probably what's holding me up. Mainly using FA + the other big sources with Rx sprinkled in. I don't know about you guys but I'm finding it difficult to just wake up and study. It's like I have no more discipline since finals are over with..
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Oh bro, I've been chilling since finals because I am too wound up still. Here in a couple days I'll prolly start slowly and ramp up to a pace that I get stuff done but is not wearing me out.

I think it's important to keep yourself fresh for studying in the long term because if ya get burnt out before the year is even over then your board studying will be hindered. I dk, I'm gunna set goals and if I make it through all the material then great, if not, then I will still have plenty of summer time to review it in depth.
 
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pathologyDO said:
Oh bro, I've been chilling since finals because I am too wound up still. Here in a couple days I'll prolly start slowly and ramp up to a pace that I get stuff done but is not wearing me out.

I think it's important to keep yourself fresh for studying in the long term because if ya get burnt out before the year is even over then your board studying will be hindered. I dk, I'm gunna set goals and if I make it through all the material then great, if not, then I will still have plenty of summer time to review it in depth.
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Yeah, I feel ya. I had a goal of getting through x amount of systems over break but I'd rather really go through each one slowly and be able to commit everything to understanding/memory w/o burning out vs. rushing through things for the sake of getting through it and then not really knowing the material/burning out later. At this point I'm using Rx after each subsection to test my understanding of the material. Will update everyone with my progress after I get through all of cardiophys. Good luck to you!

dextor2003 said:
how long is your guys' breaks?
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A little over 4 weeks for me
 
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MudPhud20XX said:
Welcome! I just singed up for May 11th. D-150???
Have been doing mainly USMLE Rx questions along with my class. So far so good. Slowly developing that gut feeling to nail questions. Let's keep up the hard work.
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Good stuff.
I've been using Kaplan since the beginning and feel like it helps A LOT. Plan on starting UWorld in March and USMLE.
Last final was yesterday. Going to take a few days off and then start up some micro and pharm, possibly cell/molecular stuff too.
 
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TheBunkMD said:
Good stuff.
I've been using Kaplan since the beginning and feel like it helps A LOT. Plan on starting UWorld in March and USMLE.
Last final was yesterday. Going to take a few days off and then start up some micro and pharm, possibly cell/molecular stuff too.
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Are you going to continue using kaplan for micro and pharm, or are you planning on something else?
 
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ALUCSD18 said:
Are you going to continue using kaplan for micro and pharm, or are you planning on something else?
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CMMRS for micro and Kaplan for pharm. Supplement both with Firecracker or brocephs~'s anki deck
I started CMMRS during the block but never finished it. Kaplan dude for pharm is clutch
 
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TheBunkMD said:
CMMRS for micro and Kaplan for pharm. Supplement both with Firecracker or brocephs~'s anki deck
I started CMMRS during the block but never finished it. Kaplan dude for pharm is clutch
Click to expand...
I appreciate you letting me know, I'll try the kaplan man in the future. Good luck with your studies. Don't come back with anything less than 272. Thanks again.
 
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TheBunkMD said:
CMMRS for micro and Kaplan for pharm. Supplement both with Firecracker or brocephs~'s anki deck
I started CMMRS during the block but never finished it. Kaplan dude for pharm is clutch
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how many pages of CMMRS do you get through everyday? i never used it but seeing as how it's 300+ pgs, im not sure i'll have enough time to memorize it all and get through kaplan pharm in 2 weeks =\
 
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Dr Dazzle said:
How old are the Kaplan videos you are using?
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2011 or 2010 I think. College buddy let me use his current subscription that ends in a few days and all the videos are exactly the same. Minor minor differences.
dextor2003 said:
how many pages of CMMRS do you get through everyday? i never used it but seeing as how it's 300+ pgs, im not sure i'll have enough time to memorize it all and get through kaplan pharm in 2 weeks =\
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Yea it's kinda long but it's a very easy read. I would blow through about 50 pages/day then reinforce with some cards of some type. I initially tried to read it all in a weekend but got annoyed and stopped.
 
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Thinking about watching DIT videos for the systems we did first semester.. I don't plan on doing DIT during dedicated time and I haven't watched any videos yet this year. Not sure if it's worth it though. What do you guys think?


NekoBeats said:
I started my review a week or so ago and it's taking me longer than I want to get through a system. I'm trying to be as thorough as possible so that's probably what's holding me up. Mainly using FA + the other big sources with Rx sprinkled in. I don't know about you guys but I'm finding it difficult to just wake up and study. It's like I have no more discipline since finals are over with..
Click to expand...

I get up and do a block of questions in either Kaplan or Rx. I hadn't finished all the questions for the systems we did last semester so I wanted to finish them up (I just finished the last batch of them actually). Not sure what I'll do tomorrow though considering it takes a lot more motivation for me to read a book or watch lectures than it does to do qbank questions.

dextor2003 said:
how many pages of CMMRS do you get through everyday? i never used it but seeing as how it's 300+ pgs, im not sure i'll have enough time to memorize it all and get through kaplan pharm in 2 weeks =\
Click to expand...

Are you going to use CMMRS as a micro review over break? I looked at some of it during micro last year and didn't really like it.
 
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Overall I think books like CMMRS are not worth the time for Step 1 prep, but I do think that Goljan's RR Biochem is pretty darn good so far. Maybe that's because my biochem course was a joke.
 
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Mr. Mojo Risin said:
Overall I think books like CMMRS are not worth the time for Step 1 prep, but I do think that Goljan's RR Biochem is pretty darn good so far. Maybe that's because my biochem course was a joke.
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seminoma said:
Thinking about watching DIT videos for the systems we did first semester.. I don't plan on doing DIT during dedicated time and I haven't watched any videos yet this year. Not sure if it's worth it though. What do you guys think?

I get up and do a block of questions in either Kaplan or Rx. I hadn't finished all the questions for the systems we did last semester so I wanted to finish them up (I just finished the last batch of them actually). Not sure what I'll do tomorrow though considering it takes a lot more motivation for me to read a book or watch lectures than it does to do qbank questions.

Are you going to use CMMRS as a micro review over break? I looked at some of it during micro last year and didn't really like it.
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yea I think I've decided that I'm just gonna stick to FA micro and microcards if I need them. I just won't have enough time for pharm if I try to get through the book. but I think i'll start using the book for any micro we have next semester

and never used the DIT vids myself, but have only heard good things about them
 
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