Postponing third year for extra step 1 study time?

[GonefromTX]

Hey guys, so my school only has a little over a month of dedicated step 1 study time. Everyone I have talked to has advised me not to wait until last minute to take step 1, as I should have at least a little time to relax before starting rotations to avoid burning out.

However, I'm aiming for at least 250 for step (wanting to do ortho). And now that I think about it, isn't a good step score way more important than maybe getting an honor for your pediatrics rotation? Should I use an extra 10 days to prepare for step 1 and just "take it easy" during my peds rotation and walk away with a pass? And maybe even postpone rotations for another 10 days.

Thanks in advance.

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[soop]

Have you taken a diagnostic NBME? Without it, you won't really know where you're at and how far you have to go.

 

[tennislover1989]

More time studying for step 1 doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a better score. I had 6 weeks and I think 5 would have been sufficient. Take an NBME closer to the time of your dedicated period and see where you're at.

That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with delaying step a bit if necessary. Depending on how your school is set up you may be able to do that without messing up your clerkship schedule. At my school, you can use your elective time to extend your study time if necessary. You can also push rotations off to finish M4 year instead if necessary. But again, you need to get a better sense of where you are before you can decide how much time you need.

 

[operaman]

You don't need 6 weeks to study for step 1. You need two years to study for step 1.

There will come a point during dedicated prep time that you are forgetting old material at about the same rate you're reviewing new material. This is hitting your peak and means it's time to take the damn test. Where your peak ends up,is determined by many things - how hard you work and how well you learn during the prior two years.

Delay if you're on track to fail. Otherwise just get it done.

 

[Redpancreas]

Hey guys, so my school only has a little over a month of dedicated step 1 study time. Everyone I have talked to has advised me not to wait until last minute to take step 1, as I should have at least a little time to relax before starting rotations to avoid burning out.

However, I'm aiming for at least 250 for step (wanting to do ortho). And now that I think about it, isn't a good step score way more important than maybe getting an honor for your pediatrics rotation? Should I use an extra 10 days to prepare for step 1 and just "take it easy" during my peds rotation and walk away with a pass? And maybe even postpone rotations for another 10 days.

Thanks in advance.

So at my school we are given the option of postponing two months and I personally did and it helped. That being said, your peds idea doesn't sound like a good time. Between orientation and 9-4 days, most of your study time will be elsewhere. Also, in case you find out your school has an official delay program be cautious of it if you are deadest on Ortho. To be competitive you need away rotations early.


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[Redpancreas]

Hey guys, so my school only has a little over a month of dedicated step 1 study time. Everyone I have talked to has advised me not to wait until last minute to take step 1, as I should have at least a little time to relax before starting rotations to avoid burning out.

However, I'm aiming for at least 250 for step (wanting to do ortho). And now that I think about it, isn't a good step score way more important than maybe getting an honor for your pediatrics rotation? Should I use an extra 10 days to prepare for step 1 and just "take it easy" during my peds rotation and walk away with a pass? And maybe even postpone rotations for another 10 days.

Thanks in advance.

Also if you are currently an M2, this is a terrible thing to be thinking about right now. Want a 250? Figure out how to get UWorld done before dedicated.


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[GonefromTX]

Also if you are currently an M2, this is a terrible thing to be thinking about right now. Want a 250? Figure out how to get UWorld done before dedicated.


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Do you think I'll be okay with finishing reading first aid and finishing usmlerx before dedicated study time? And I'll use dedicated time to finish going through uworld twice. Does this sound like a good plan to you?

 

[GonefromTX]

Otherwise if I didn't save uworld for dedicated time idk what else I would be doing during that month and a half lol

 

[Redpancreas]

Otherwise if I didn't save uworld for dedicated time idk what else I would be doing during that month and a half lol

If you did nothing but UWorld all day you'd need 30 days. I planned to hit 80 questions per day and have 2 weeks, one to review FA and one to hit weaknesses. Lmao. Didn't work out and I delayed.


You have 5 months before dedicated, split UWorld up and get it all done. Then when you hit dedicated do it quicker at a much leisurely pace while concurrently watching RX/DIT to help you memorize first aid. Who cares if you don't finish, just repeat the harder questions. I technically did UWorld only 1.6 times.

There will be plenty who say you only need 6 weeks or what not and can start UWorld then. I don't know who's right but that plan didn't work for me. You decide what's best for you.

If you're thinking of starting UWorld, mid-January is actually the deadline to make that decision and still be able to complete UWorld before dedicated while going at a moderate pace so you're still in a comfortable position if you were to start now.


But yeah drop any delusions of being able to get 10 extra days by taking 10 days off of Peds. First of all you'll still have to be there in clinic attire seeing patients and learning things. Then when you come home you'll be exhausted and will have all of 3-4 hours to study before going to bed. If you need more time (I did) see if your school offers an administrative leave which allows you to postpone your first rotation to have 2 more months to study, start your second rotation on time, have your first rotation when everyone is on their fourth year. The loss is one month's vacation time (given for interviews) but you still graduate on time like everyone else. It'll be tight but was worth it for me. That being said, make that decision 2 weeks before Step if you're not hitting your target. Making that decision now giving your unnecessary comfort and is setting yourself up for failure.

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[mcloaf]

Also if you are currently an M2, this is a terrible thing to be thinking about right now. Want a 250? Figure out how to get UWorld done before dedicated.


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I'm really starting to wonder if you get a kickback from Uworld for posting this every time anyone in this forum mentions step 1.

 

[Redpancreas]

I'm really starting to wonder if you get a kickback from Uworld for posting this every time anyone in this forum mentions step 1.

Probably not considering the monopoly they already have on the Qbank industry and the fact that everyone buys it regardless of whether they jump right in or save it for dedicated. This advice would definitely have helped so I feel useful when giving it. I can see how I'm getting a bit obsessive with it though which is getting annoying so I'll tone it down a bit


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[MSTP18]

Maybe if you can schedule elective time up front, otherwise it doesn't seem worth it.

 

[W19]

Also if you are currently an M2, this is a terrible thing to be thinking about right now. Want a 250? Figure out how to get UWorld done before dedicated.


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Great advice! I only used Uworld during my dedicated time, and it was a huge mistake in retrospect...

 

[gracie369]

Might want to check your school's policy first. We had to take the test before starting rotations and no additional study time was granted.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I'm gonna give a different perspective. I think uworld should be saved for dedicated since once you use a practice question it loses a lot of value. I recommend doing rx or something prior to dedicated

 

[ERDOC555]

Probably not considering the monopoly they already have on the Qbank industry. This advice would definitely have helped so I feel useful when giving it. I can see how I'm getting a bit obsessive which is getting annoying so I'll tone it down a bit


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I think you may have posted the answer elsewhere, but what was your reasoning for having Uworld done before dedicated, vs having U-World available solely for dedicated.

During second year I plan on reviewing FA and Pathoma to the point where I already have everything in those two resources down pat. Was also planning on using RX with classes... and maybe Kaplan, but that is a lot, and I probably won't do it all.

My only question then becomes what to do besides Uworld (a second time) during the dedicated 6-8 weeks? I just worry that although my foundation would be incredibly solid, I wouldn't be getting the experience of a month+ of complex, thought provoking, mind stimulating questions leading up to the exam.

 

[TaroBubbleTea]

I'm gonna give a different perspective. I think uworld should be saved for dedicated since once you use a practice question it loses a lot of value. I recommend doing rx or something prior to dedicated

This is what I'm planning, but then again, I also see the value of being able to do UWorld at a moderate pace so you can really analyze the explanations.

I think you may have posted the answer elsewhere, but what was your reasoning for having Uworld done before dedicated, vs having U-World available solely for dedicated.

During second year I plan on reviewing FA and Pathoma to the point where I already have everything in those two resources down pat. Was also planning on using RX with classes... and maybe Kaplan, but that is a lot, and I probably won't do it all.

My only question then becomes what to do besides Uworld (a second time) during the dedicated 6-8 weeks? I just worry that although my foundation would be incredibly solid, I wouldn't be getting the experience of a month+ of complex, thought provoking, mind stimulating questions leading up to the exam.

Would like to know this as well.

 

[Redpancreas]

I think you may have posted the answer elsewhere, but what was your reasoning for having Uworld done before dedicated, vs having U-World available solely for dedicated.

During second year I plan on reviewing FA and Pathoma to the point where I already have everything in those two resources down pat. Was also planning on using RX with classes... and maybe Kaplan, but that is a lot, and I probably won't do it all.

My only question then becomes what to do besides Uworld (a second time) during the dedicated 6-8 weeks? I just worry that although my foundation would be incredibly solid, I wouldn't be getting the experience of a month+ of complex, thought provoking, mind stimulating questions leading up to the exam.

If you gave me 6 weeks of dedicated time and I hadn't done UWorld, I would spend 6 weeks doing UWorld in panic mode without retaining much and would not get any FA done or Pathoma review. There's no way I can drop 80 questions per day; some days I'll do 80, maybe one day I'll do a 100 just to see if I can but then there will be days I'll only get to 40. Maybe it was burnout, maybe it was lack of discipline, i really don't know. I just feel like I needed more time with the bank than 6 weeks.

As for what to do, that's a good problem to have in my opinion. Regardless though, if you're worried about questions that simulate the real thing and not peaking at the right time there are 6 NBME exams and two UWorld Self Assessments which will have novel questions to stimulate your brain if yer worried about not seeing anything new. Also you will notice you forget a lot on UWorld which is why it's good to do it a second time. Thirdly, yeah you're right that you'll comfortably be able to do UWorld a second time during dedicated. That's why you spend the rest of the time grinding FA with RX or DIT. You could literally split your day. 9 am to 3 pm doing 40-60 UWorld questions, then 3-9 PM doing DIT to memorize first aid (make flashcards/ANKI, scrap notes, etc). Then 9-10 work out, 10-12 eat my post work out meal while and two episodes of a show, repeat. You'd have to move your bed time up a week or two before your exam but that sounds like fun to me.

Compare that to 6 weeks of spending 9-7 doing UWorld and then maybe reviewing first aid for 3 hrs , either skip fun or a work out..:idk like it just seems icky to me. It'd literally take that long on a first pass.




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[ERDOC555]

If you gave me 6 weeks of dedicated time and I hadn't done UWorld, I would spend 6 weeks doing UWorld in panic mode without retaining much and would not get any FA done or Pathoma review. There's no way I can drop 80 questions per day; some days I'll do 80, maybe one day I'll do a 100 just to see if I can but then there will be days I'll only get to 40. Maybe it was burnout, maybe it was lack of discipline, i really don't know. I just feel like I needed more time with the bank than 6 weeks.

As for what to do, that's a good problem to have in my opinion. Regardless though, if you're worried about questions that simulate the real thing and not peaking at the right time there are 6 NBME exams and two UWorld Self Assessments which will have novel questions to stimulate your brain if yer worried about not seeing anything new. Also you will notice you forget a lot on UWorld which is why it's good to do it a second time. Thirdly, yeah you're right that you'll comfortably be able to do UWorld a second time during dedicated. That's why you spend the rest of the time grinding FA with RX or DIT. You could literally split your day. 9 am to 3 pm doing 40-60 UWorld questions, then 3-9 PM doing DIT to memorize first aid (make flashcards/ANKI, scrap notes, etc). Then 9-10 work out, 10-12 eat my post work out meal while and two episodes of a show, repeat. You'd have to move your bed time up a week or two before your exam but that sounds like fun to me.

Compare that to 6 weeks of spending 9-7 doing UWorld and then maybe reviewing first aid for 3 hrs , either skip fun or a work out..:idk like it just seems icky to me. It'd literally take that long on a first pass.




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I really appreciate the detailed response!

I guess I'm severely underestimating how long it takes to do a 40 question block for the first time. I'd assume at least 1 hour to take and 2 to review? Did you find that to be the case or was it significantly more?

I wonder if doing 1200Q during the year and 1200Q (40q x 30 days) spread out over the 6 weeks would be a good in-between or even 1600/800 breakdown.

 

[Redpancreas]

I really appreciate the detailed response!

I guess I'm severely underestimating how long it takes to do a 40 question block for the first time. I'd assume at least 1 hour to take and 2 to review? Did you find that to be the case or was it significantly more?

I wonder if doing 1200Q during the year and 1200Q (40q x 30 days) spread out over the 6 weeks would be a good in-between or even 1600/800 breakdown.

Two hours to review would be a dream for me. It takes me a minute to do a question, 10 mins to review. Now I've gotten faster on the step 2 Qbank


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[mcloaf]

I really appreciate the detailed response!

I guess I'm severely underestimating how long it takes to do a 40 question block for the first time. I'd assume at least 1 hour to take and 2 to review? Did you find that to be the case or was it significantly more?

I wonder if doing 1200Q during the year and 1200Q (40q x 30 days) spread out over the 6 weeks would be a good in-between or even 1600/800 breakdown.

As a counterpoint, I did Rx and Kaplan prior to dedicated and finished Uworld in about 4 weeks during dedicated time. Didn't have to miss workouts, still had time to get through first aid and pathoma. Scored well and wouldn't have changed anything about how I prepped for step 1. That being said, that's only possible because I was able to get through a couple of sets of uworld every day in 4-5 hours, if it took much longer it would have been more difficult.

 

[soop]

I did UWorld along with the second half of my MS-2 classes on tutor mode. I used it at a learning tool only. I used Kaplan Qbank in timed mode. I found a lot of Kaplan questions to be quirky, especially the physiology and questions with data interpretation. These quirky questions helped improve my ability to think on the fly with time constraints. YMMV. I got mid 260's on my Step 1.