Preparation

[Darkskies]

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Hi,

I've posted on this forum several times in the last 2 months in order to try to gauge how I should be studying for the Step 1 exam. My exam is in mid-late June and I'm now very stressed over it because I feel like I am progressing very SLOWLY. My target score is a 230. I am now considering just using FA, Pathoma, and UWorld as my main sources. I've gone through about only 300 Usmle Rx questions(but only for the GI and Hem/Onc sections) and no Uworld questions at this point.

I was using Firecracker on comprehensive mode but have realized that it is too late to use that as a resource on comprehensive mode at this point. I have the GI, Hem-onc, and half of the Pulmonary blocks completed on FC. I am now using FC on comprehensive mode in order to learn all of the microbio(reset FC) along with First Aid. Is using FA plus FC just for the microbio section to hone everything in my mind a good idea?


Would it be a good idea to drop Rx and just start doing Uworld questions? Is it possible to still complete Uworld 2x if I start soon? Also, since I really only just know GI, Hem/Onc, some Pulmonary, and Antimicrobials, it seems pointless to me to do Uworld questions on subjects I haven't gone over yet. However, if I wait to go through the subjects on FA/Pathoma, I will be losing time that I could use to go over Uworld quesitons, no?

I've looked at other people's study guides and many of them say to do one FA section per day, do 2 blocks of Uworld questions, and then a Pathoma chapter. I don't understand how someone can get through a FA organ system section in 4 hours since for me it takes many more hours to read and memorize one chapter of FA(sometimes it takes a couple of days). Am I getting too bogged up in the details? What am I doing wrong? Also for certain FA sections like the Neurology one, how do people memorize all of those pages in 4 hours? I suppose I can envision someone memorizing an FA organ systems section if hard pressed in 4 hours but what about the Biochem or Micro sections??

The same thing affects me when studying Pathoma, where it can take me like 7-8 hours to memorize one Pathoma section. What am I doing wrong, and how can I reach my target score of 230 in June? After memorizing one section of Pathoma+ First Aid and doing Uworld questions, how often do people reread the same Pathoma/FA chapters to make sure that the information stays fresh/so that they don't forget it?

I would really appreciate any advice as this situation is stressing me out and making me frustrated. Thanks in advance!!

 

[parryriposte]

When you say it takes you 7-8 hours to memorize sections, are you just reading them repeatedly? If so, try reading it once or twice then doing a lot of questions over that block. That helps to cement the information better sometimes.

 

[Darkskies]

Thanks for the replies! Can anyone else describe to me their regimen or answer my other questions? I'm particularly concerned about how I should go about doing 2-4 blocks of UWorld a week when I've only gone through a few subjects/sections well enough to be ready to answer those questions. How does everyone else do it? I think it would be discouraging to do Uworld questions on random or on subject mode where I haven't reviewed most of that material yet.

 

[dyspareunia]

Thanks for the replies! Can anyone else describe to me their regimen or answer my other questions? I'm particularly concerned about how I should go about doing 2-4 blocks of UWorld a week when I've only gone through a few subjects/sections well enough to be ready to answer those questions. How does everyone else do it? I think it would be discouraging to do Uworld questions on random or on subject mode where I haven't reviewed most of that material yet.

I do Rx as an MS1 and a lot of the questions I get are things I haven't learned yet. What do I do? Learn it on my own.. just like most of the stuff we are being "taught" in lecture right now.

If you only want to do qbank questions regarding things you have been directly taught in class, you should just stop doing the qbank an save the questions for dedicated prep time.

 

[Darkskies]

Well what I meant was is it a good idea to learn the material from qbanks before first having reviewed it in First Aid+ Pathoma? I only have 3 months left before my exam date so I'm in a completely different situation from you. Can anyone give me a quick recap of what their study schedule was for the boards when they were 3 months out before having to take them? I only want to get a solid 230 so if anyone can give me some good advice, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[Donald Juan]

I'm sort of wondering why you feel like you need to drop Rx if your test is in mid june; mine is at the same time and, while I'm more than halfway done with Rx, I'm considering doing Kaplan qbank as well. If it takes you twice as long to get through a section in FA, then I would guess you are being more thorough than others. But, if you could even do half a section of FA/day and a block of Rx, then you would be done with FA and most of Rx in about 40 days, which would give you another 50-60 days to go through UWorld. Maybe you could do Pathoma at this time?

It's not terrible to go through questions before reading about it in FA, you should have at least seen the material once before in your classes. Remember that doing questions at this point is a learning experience, not just a gauge for how well you know your stuff. If you get to a question you don't know, then so be it. You review and learn what it is.

I haven't taken the exam, so I know I'm mostly talking out of my ass at this point, but I seem to always hear people both here and at my school saying, "do questions, questions, and more questions." Basically, my feeling is if you are considering throwing out Rx to do UWorld, well that's okay and if you need to, then that's the best choice. But, if you are throwing out Rx to spend more time watching/reading pathoma and reading FA, I would be inclined to tell you to do more questions and focus on memorizing sections in FA while you identify weaknesses doing questions.