Preparing for boards starting at M1

[Dr. Scribe]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start preparing for boards as soon as classes begin and was wondering how you think I should go about it.

My plan (as of right now) is to watch B&B alongside my coursework and do USMLE-Rx practice questions from the very beginning until I take Step 1 in ~ 2 years.

At some point, probably during the summer between M1-M2, I will begin using Firecracker and go through pathoma. My school is systems based and we don't start pathology until 2nd year anyway.

Around Christmas of 2nd year, I will start going through UWorld and will hopefully be finished with most of my resources by mid-March, which is when my dedicated period will start.

I know I'd be jumping the gun by actually starting any of this now (as an MS0), but I just want to make a good plan to follow when school starts in a couple months.

Does this sound like a solid plan to you?

Thank you

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[Lnsean]

I think it's already kinda too late for you. Most of my friends started Step 1 prep during pre-med and some gunners will even tell you to do pathoma during undergrad.

 

[wanderingorion]

I think it's already kinda too late for you. Most of my friends started Step 1 prep during pre-med and some gunners will even tell you to do pathoma during undergrad.

I started notating First Aid in 7th grade.

 

[wanderingorion]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start preparing for boards as soon as classes begin and was wondering how you think I should go about it.

My plan (as of right now) is to watch B&B alongside my coursework and do USMLE-Rx practice questions from the very beginning until I take Step 1 in ~ 2 years.

At some point, probably during the summer between M1-M2, I will begin using Firecracker and go through pathoma. My school is systems based and we don't start pathology until 2nd year anyway.

Around Christmas of 2nd year, I will start going through UWorld and will hopefully be finished with most of my resources by mid-March, which is when my dedicated period will start.

I know I'd be jumping the gun by actually starting any of this now (as an MS0), but I just want to make a good plan to follow when school starts in a couple months.

Does this sound like a solid plan to you?

Thank you

I've read that USMLE-Rx questions are not useful as you don't have the clinical understanding to answer them. Supplementary STEP prep alongside your coursework to point out what is important to know is a good idea. Zanki deck is helpful to spread out the info

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I've read that USMLE-Rx questions are not useful as you don't have the clinical understanding to answer them. Supplementary STEP prep alongside your coursework to point out what is important to know is a good idea. Zanki deck is helpful to spread out the info

What resource would you recommend for this?

Thanks for the input

 

[Chibucks15]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start preparing for boards as soon as classes begin and was wondering how you think I should go about it.

My plan (as of right now) is to watch B&B alongside my coursework and do USMLE-Rx practice questions from the very beginning until I take Step 1 in ~ 2 years.

At some point, probably during the summer between M1-M2, I will begin using Firecracker and go through pathoma. My school is systems based and we don't start pathology until 2nd year anyway.

Around Christmas of 2nd year, I will start going through UWorld and will hopefully be finished with most of my resources by mid-March, which is when my dedicated period will start.

I know I'd be jumping the gun by actually starting any of this now (as an MS0), but I just want to make a good plan to follow when school starts in a couple months.

Does this sound like a solid plan to you?

Thank you

Starting anytime before second semester is a waste...you have no baseline knowledge to study, you're just looking at words. It accomplishes nothing. Start second semester if you really feel like it, just use it to review what you've already gone over to keep it fresh.

 

[wanderingorion]

What resource would you recommend for this?

Thanks for the input

I personally use Firecracker and Zanki. FC can get a little tedious when class gets heavy, but it works well.

 

[bonemann]

B and B right away is a great idea.
Do Zanki instead of FC, and don't do USMLERx until you have organ systems

 

[whatisthisstuff]

I think anything other thank a spaced repetition tool for some general long term retention would be a massive waste of effort. Very little 1st year stuff will be on Step. I tried to study over M1-M2 summer and it was basically a waste of time. Maybe you could prestudy with Sketchy and Pathoma but then all you're really doing is making 2nd year a little easier on yourself. I'd focus on good study habits, shadowing to see all types of different specialties (there is less time for random things 3rd year than you realize), and enjoying life. First year isn't too bad.

 

[werd]

my recommendation is to study hard for your med school classes and have confidence that they are also preparing you for your boards. as step I draws near, study hard for the test in particular. I worry that preparing for boards as soon as classes begin may not actually help your step scores, but could hurt your preclinical performance.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

I think anything other thank a spaced repetition tool for some general long term retention would be a massive waste of effort. Very little 1st year stuff will be on Step. I tried to study over M1-M2 summer and it was basically a waste of time. Maybe you could prestudy with Sketchy and Pathoma but then all you're really doing is making 2nd year a little easier on yourself. I'd focus on good study habits, shadowing to see all types of different specialties (there is less time for random things 3rd year than you realize), and enjoying life. First year isn't too bad.

Does doing Zanki sound like it would be worthwhile to do as an M1?

 

[Newyawk]

@Terence McKenna has a famous guide he is using to score a 307. I reckon if you follow it you will prob score the same.

 

[Newyawk]

Forreal tho - what youre gonna want to do imo is supplement your class studies (work hard) with resources that focus on boards material. These books are typically more concise and much easier to learn from than slides or textbooks. Use the first aid references in the back and choose one didactic review book and one boards level question source. Your curriculum is the same as the one that i had and starting uworld and rx 2nd year alongside classes (doing all questions from each system) worked well for me. Prior to that i really just worked my butt off and did as many qs from books like pretest or whatever is best for that module. You can use uworld from the get go but it will be challenging. Finish off each module/class by reviewing first aid (key is review here, not learn).

 

[shisong]

I started to UFAP ever since i hit puberty

 

[Redpancreas]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start preparing for boards as soon as classes begin and was wondering how you think I should go about it.

My plan (as of right now) is to watch B&B alongside my coursework and do USMLE-Rx practice questions from the very beginning until I take Step 1 in ~ 2 years.

At some point, probably during the summer between M1-M2, I will begin using Firecracker and go through pathoma. My school is systems based and we don't start pathology until 2nd year anyway.

Around Christmas of 2nd year, I will start going through UWorld and will hopefully be finished with most of my resources by mid-March, which is when my dedicated period will start.

I know I'd be jumping the gun by actually starting any of this now (as an MS0), but I just want to make a good plan to follow when school starts in a couple months.

Does this sound like a solid plan to you?

Thank you

I think my guide's worth a look. Recently upgraded it with new features including 2018 resources and it now gives direction for M1s too.

 

[mehc012]

Starting anytime before second semester is a waste...you have no baseline knowledge to study, you're just looking at words. It accomplishes nothing. Start second semester if you really feel like it, just use it to review what you've already gone over to keep it fresh.

This is BS...plenty of people come in with sufficient baseline knowledge. Med school doesn't really get too advanced, content-wise. There's just a lot of it...most of which is covered by various undergrad courses, depending on what you took and what depth you studied to at that time. So if you come in having taken nothing but prereqs, it might be a bit tough. But if you've taken even just a basic physio or anatomy course before, it'll be more than 'just words'.

 

[Redpancreas]

OP, keep in mind, advice comes from people with people of different backgrounds. Some users have done advanced, non-undergraduate course work prior to medical school and may have different experiences and views from the majority. For me, I had a 3.8+ as an AP biology student, double biology science major and took every course related to human biology in undergrad, and scored at the 95th percentile on the Biology section of the MCAT. It wasn't that I did not understand the words, but I did not know how to digest them and apply them in a way that would get me the answer right on an exam. If you do programs where you're forced to learn material and take the same exams as medical students, you may perceive things differently than other medical students.

 

[Dr. Scribe]

OP, keep in mind, advice comes from people with people of different backgrounds. Some users have done advanced, non-undergraduate course work prior to medical school and may have different experiences and views from the majority. For me, I had a 3.8+ as an AP biology student, double biology science major and took every course related to human biology in undergrad, but a lot of the stuff was still just words.

I appreciate the caveat. I completed an SMP at the institution I will be attending and feel that I am prepared to start studying for the boards once school starts.

 

[RockMcat520]

Also incoming MS1, I will be doing Zanki (+Micro deck) and B&B alongside classes. (Please take me seriously haha). Yes I have been searching a lot so please take it easy on me lol

What do you guys think of these resources for Step 1 along classes?

Anatomy: HY series anatomy
Physio: BRS Physiology
Behavioral Sciences: HY Behavioral
Pathology: Goljan rapid review pathology and Pathoma
Micro: Sketchy Micro
Pharm: Sketchy Pharm? FA? couldnt find a consensus for this
Qbanks: USMLE Rx? OR Kaplan with classes?

 

[mehc012]

OP, keep in mind, advice comes from people with people of different backgrounds. Some users have done advanced, non-undergraduate course work prior to medical school and may have different experiences and views from the majority. For me, I had a 3.8+ as an AP biology student, double biology science major and took every course related to human biology in undergrad, but a lot of the stuff was still just words.

Whereas I was never a premed in college, but somehow stumbled into undergrad courses during my gpa-repair postbacc that were med-focused, so I swear I covered 70% of med school material in the 2yrs before med school (plus actively teaching myself while scribing was extremely useful). Just depends on your specific circumstances; maybe it'll all be white noise, maybe you'll already know most of it.

I appreciate the caveat. I completed an SMP at the institution I will be attending and feel that I am prepared to start studying for the boards once school starts.

Nvm, between the scribing your username implies and the SMP, the first 2 years of med school are straight-up going to feel like a waste of time. Board prep if you want; honestly I'd recommend getting as much shadowing as possible, it's surprisingly useful (and really easy now that you're a student).

 

[Redpancreas]

I appreciate the caveat. I completed an SMP at the institution I will be attending and feel that I am prepared to start studying for the boards once school starts.

Nice! Go for it bro. Sometimes wish I did that.

 

[Redpancreas]

Also incoming MS1, I will be doing Zanki (+Micro deck) and B&B alongside classes. (Please take me seriously haha). Yes I have been searching a lot so please take it easy on me lol

What do you guys think of these resources for Step 1 along classes?

Anatomy: HY series anatomy
Physio: BRS Physiology
Behavioral Sciences: HY Behavioral
Pathology: Goljan rapid review pathology and Pathoma
Micro: Sketchy Micro
Pharm: Sketchy Pharm? FA? couldnt find a consensus for this
Qbanks: USMLE Rx? OR Kaplan with classes?

BacktoBasics8's Guide to USMLE Step 1

I think the approach here is wrong (which is OK!). It's not like every class has one top resource that fit sneatly with your curriculum. I would commit to the curriculum and then use quality board resources that promote active learning and the big picture over things especially like HY Anatomy and the Kaplan QBank. I think Goljian is OK. If you insist on a textbook for Physiology, Costanzo >> BRS. It's prose and promotes understanding.

 

[mehc012]

Also incoming MS1, I will be doing Zanki (+Micro deck) and B&B alongside classes. (Please take me seriously haha). Yes I have been searching a lot so please take it easy on me lol

What do you guys think of these resources for Step 1 along classes?

Anatomy: HY series anatomy
Physio: BRS Physiology
Behavioral Sciences: HY Behavioral
Pathology: Goljan rapid review pathology and Pathoma
Micro: Sketchy Micro
Pharm: Sketchy Pharm? FA? couldnt find a consensus for this
Qbanks: USMLE Rx? OR Kaplan with classes?

Too much. If you're already using actual textbooks for class material, you don't need a review textbook for each subject. Do Sketchy Micro, do a Qbank (I recommend Kaplan, but then I've always been a sucker for 'learn more than you need'), and do Pathoma for each organ system as you pass it. I personally would recommend Firecracker as you learn things if you want to really be gung ho.

Personally, I found Sketchy Pharm garbage compared to their Micro, but some people like having something.

 

[RockMcat520]

BacktoBasics8's Guide to USMLE Step 1

I think the approach here is wrong (which is OK!). It's not like every class has one top resource that fit neatly with your curriculum. I would commit to the curriculum and then use quality board resources that promote active learning and the big picture over things especially like HY Anatomy and the Kaplan QBank. I think Goljian is OK. If you insist on a textbook for Physiology, Costanzo >> BRS. It's prose and promotes understanding.

Thank you so much for this. I will read your guide and will let you know if i have any questions. Are these quality board resources that promote active learning highlighted in your guide?? Thanks

Too much. If you're already using actual textbooks for class material, you don't need a review textbook for each subject. Do Sketchy Micro, do a Qbank (I recommend Kaplan, but then I've always been a sucker for 'learn more than you need'), and do Pathoma for each organ system as you pass it. I personally would recommend Firecracker as you learn things if you want to really be gung ho.

Personally, I found Sketchy Pharm garbage compared to their Micro, but some people like having something.

I just want to supplement my daily studying with a Qbank, so I would probably use Kaplan. Would be good enough? My school has basic sciences for the 1st year, and organ systems for 2 year. Is there a reason you prefer Firecracker over Zanki deck? Thanks.

 

[Redpancreas]

Thank you so much for this. I will read your guide and will let you know if i have any questions. Are these quality board resources that promote active learning highlighted in your guide?? Thanks

I just want to supplement my daily studying with a Qbank, so I would probably use Kaplan. Would be good enough? My school has basic sciences for the 1st year, and organ systems for 2 year. Is there a reason you prefer Firecracker over Zanki deck? Thanks.

Read my guide! I would not recommend a QBank now given your curriculum set-up. Kaplan is not a good Qbank. I think it's better to invest in one effective activity than spread yourself thin with less effective learning strategies. I don't prefer Firecracker. It's not a core resource, but Zanki now is.

 

[Elessar]

Does doing Zanki sound like it would be worthwhile to do as an M1?

Absolutely - but only if you keep up on ALL of your reviews throughout MS1&2. Worked for me!

 

[RockMcat520]

Read my guide! I would not recommend a QBank now given your curriculum set-up. Kaplan is not a good Qbank. I think it's better to invest in one effective activity than spread yourself thin with less effective learning strategies. I don't prefer Firecracker. It's not a core resource, but Zanki now is.

Thank you!! I will read it and let you know

Absolutely - but only if you keep up on ALL of your reviews throughout MS1&2. Worked for me!

Would you mind sharing how you used Zanki throughout the MS1&2? And what were your settings? Thanks

 

[Redpancreas]

Thank you!! I will read it and let you know


Would you mind sharing how you used Zanki throughout the MS1&2? And what were your settings? Thanks

I outline the concept in my guide. Please read it . As for the specific settings to accomplish what I've outlined, I don't know because I'm not an ANKI buff.

 

[Poit]

I would do pathoma (or it's equivalent) and sketchy during 1st year. FA might be a bit tedious without a firm foundation beforehand. As far as practice questions go, it won't hurt to get an early start. Do pace yourself, though. Easy to burn out if you put too many expectations on yourself.

 

[mehc012]

Thank you so much for this. I will read your guide and will let you know if i have any questions. Are these quality board resources that promote active learning highlighted in your guide?? Thanks

I just want to supplement my daily studying with a Qbank, so I would probably use Kaplan. Would be good enough? My school has basic sciences for the 1st year, and organ systems for 2 year. Is there a reason you prefer Firecracker over Zanki deck? Thanks.

Because I usually hate using other people's Anki decks. I hate most of the FC questions, too, but since I can't change them, I don't get bogged down when I finally get overwhelmed by my frustration at the cards and start manually editing every card as I review it.

Also, Zanki is just flashcards. Firecracker is topic review (albeit brief, shallow review) plus flashcards. Aka it's closer to how I make my own flashcards, because I always include contextual information in my 'Extras' tab.

If I read through FA, I'd make cards as I go along. But the way I do FC, I only mark cards after reading their blurb about the topic...so it makes me read all of the material, tests my retention, and marks my progress through the subjects with trackable percentages. I manually re-do any cards that I miss, and I re-read the topic when I miss a card, so for me it's more repetition. I'm using it as my broad first pass while I'm on clinicals (taking Step after my IM core) since I'm not self-motivated enough to read the whole FA book right now.

 

[intubesteak]

The best thing you can do is kill it in your classes so that when it comes time for step studying, you just need a refresher. For me that meant doing a lot of reading, Qbank questions, and firecracker (any step1 based flashcards for that matter). Your goal at the end of every block should be to feel like you really mastered the material, not just memorized for the test. This goes for basic sciences as well!!

 

[operaman]

Wow there has really been an explosion of resources for step in recent years. We had UFAP though the P had only come out during my ms1 year. FC was still called GunnerTraining and had a fraction of the cards it does now.

My basic take is that there’s no surefire script for success and a lot of it will depend on personal preference. I personally never used FA and liked FC more. Nothing wrong with FA, it just wasn’t my jam.

I used a number of subject specific boards review books along with classes mostly to help ensure I was paying attention to the highest yield stuff and really learning it. Sometimes the boards books had a more succinct way of explaining things; sometimes they didn’t. They also typically have some simple review questions that I found helpful for class exams at the time.

In the end it will largely come down to personal preference. While I typically eschew pre study, it may not be a bad idea to peruse these various sources and get a sense of what they’re about while you have some time. Then you can settle on the good ones for you after you get a feel for your curriculum.

Remember that the most critical aspect of this is actually learning the material. If boards sources help you with that, great. Just remember that there’s plenty that shows up on boards that doesn’t really find its way into review books or qbanks. They also find novel ways to dress things up and ask questions in a way that penalizes rote memorization. Make sure that as you go along, you’re learning the material in such a way that there’s no way to ask a question about it that you can’t answer.

If I were to do it over again, I would personally find some sort of spaced repetition program and use it alongside classes simply to ensure retention of the material. This is easy at first but gets progressively difficult as you bank more cards. I think everyone hits a critical mass in second year where the volume of review cards due becomes quite burdensome alongside new course work. Even so, I think it’s worth it to try. The more you retain the less you have to relearn during your dedicated period.

I’d pepper in other sources as needed to make sure I fully understood the material. I’d probably also look at something like sketchy that didn’t exist when I went through- some way to memorize things that don’t easily tie in to other stuff (ie. Micro, some pharm, etc).

I will say that a common error I see is when people try to use too many sources and end up only partially getting through each one. Find your faves and really drill them into your brain.

The other big error is blowing off class things that don’t seem like they’re boards material. There are many points to be had in the behavioral and social science section, so don’t blow these classes off when you get them because they will feel irrelevant at the time. Things like Lean and Six Sigma and patient safety culture and QI science Are finding their way onto boards. Sometimes it’s easy to intuit your way through these, but most people find the behavioral questions on step to be much trickier than their corresponding class exam questions. I think FA has added a section for this stuff now, but these are massive topics and it’s all fair game so beware any time you think some lecture is baloney because you think it’s not on the boards - you may be surprised what ends up there!

 

[willow84]

Incoming M1 and I am not familiar with most of the things being discussed in here. My plan has been to get acclimated and then start layering resources on. I'm a nontrad with no science background. I'll survive without a long list of books and study aids, right? (Right??)

 

[691622]

I appreciate the caveat. I completed an SMP at the institution I will be attending and feel that I am prepared to start studying for the boards once school starts.

calling the masters a SMP is very generous lol

 

[takeurmeds02]

I'd just spend the first year getting acclimated and beasting your classes, you can supplement with relevant sections of First Aid. Anything more than that is a waste of time because you lack context so it's not going to make much sense. Post-step 1, I can tell you that life is so much easier when you understand concepts rather than specific details - you learn the details closer to your test.

It's like trying to put together a huge puzzle - you're putting together individual pieces whereas your curriculum will give you whole regions that make it easier to piece together the whole picture.

 

[ninjaman22]

Just study hard for your classes.

 

[Elessar]

If I were to do it over again, I would personally find some sort of spaced repetition program (Anki) and use it alongside classes simply to ensure retention of the material. This is easy at first but gets progressively difficult as you bank more cards. I think everyone hits a critical mass in second year where the volume of review cards due becomes quite burdensome alongside new course work. Even so, I think it’s worth it to try. The more you retain the less you have to relearn during your dedicated period.

This was my approach. It was definitely burdensome to keep up with reviews during the peak of second year, but I’m glad I did because it made for a pretty relaxed dedicated period.

 

[Aerus]

Study to REALLY master your classes during your first year. Zanki and Boards and Beyond should really be the only thing you need along your classes. Do not use any Qbanks right now until at least you get some Systems Pathophysiology/Pathology.

 

[flapjack3d]

Many of my classmates are planning to catch up with Zanki and/or go through sketchy micro

 

[691622]

its too early to start studying for step 1. trust your curriculum.

a good idea would be to annotate FA during M1 so you can sync your lectre notes with FA so by the time you start actually studying for step 1 during M2 everything can be organized. thats what imma do

 

[Elessar]

its too early to start studying for step 1. trust your curriculum.

a good idea would be to annotate FA during M1 so you can sync your lectre notes with FA so by the time you start actually studying for step 1 during M2 everything can be organized. thats what imma do

Lol what would you know about the subject? Incoming ms1 with great advice for everyone about step 1 smh...

 

[Redpancreas]

Start Boards and Beyond and a spaced repitition software (FC or Zanki) from Day 1. If you choose FC, please do not wait until summer of M1-M2. It is an absolute beast that can not be completed in only second year. Use your SRS every single day, including weekends and breaks. Do Pathoma chapters 1-3 before organ systems and then do the corresponding chapters throughout your organ systems. Do Sketchy Micro during your microbiology course and do Sketchy Pharm during organ systems on the related drugs. I tried using RX and Kaplan before organ systems and only doing “Anatomy” or “Biochemistry” sections, but I kept getting questions on material that I hadn’t seen yet. I started doing the questions again during organ systems, and it works much better. So, definitely wait till your organ systems start before doing any Q-banks.

Most importantly, do not listen to anyone that tells you it’s too early to start studying or to trust your curriculum.

I second your first paragraph with the exception of the QBanks before you complete an integrated unit (normal-abnormal). Regarding the take home message, I think trusting your curriculum is a relative term and there is a time that's too early to start studying (before medical school) or starting UWorld Anatomy during your first week of class. I just really believe that there's so much angst around this exam. I'm not saying you're doing this, but it gets built up to be some "Chris-Gardner-Pursuit-of-Happyness" gig where medical school is about out-performing everyone in your class to get that one position while being a single father sleeping in subway station bathrooms... when it's really about going at a comfortable pace, maintaining a nice lifestyle, and keeping your sanity to score 250+ on Step 1. To put this in perspective, I believe one year Baylor's average Step 1 was 240+ which is a decent score. No one is blindly trusting their curriculum to teach them anything, but especially in first year most LCME schools seem to do a decent job providing a solid coverage of the material. I suspect/feel a lot of animosity to the curriculum comes from second year students stressed about Step 1 when they fail to think back and realize that their curriculum set a foundation and made some of these resources easy to learn from in the first place. If anything, the students who go on their way and neglect classes to DIY their own curriculum with FA/UW seem to be the weaker students. I'm not saying not to use UFAP+Sketchy+Beyond the Boards+Zanki. I argue that these are the core resources to digested fully throughout M1/2/dedicated, but there's a specific time and a place to start each one as I've tried to outline based on my unique experience in my guide (which is my signature).

 

[Redpancreas]

its too early to start studying for step 1. trust your curriculum.

a good idea would be to annotate FA during M1 so you can sync your lectre notes with FA so by the time you start actually studying for step 1 during M2 everything can be organized. thats what imma do

What you're saying makes sense and I could see how you're excited about it, but realize that annotation is a pretty passive activity and especially during M1 you will over-annotate and worse, waste time. I haven't seen anyone successfully benefit by doing this. If you want to have some early First Aid exposure, get your hands on a First Aid PDF and have your computer next to you and whenever you feel unmotivated by unfamiliar words in the course pack, search them in the FA book and read their little blurb and it'll motivate you to keep studying. Or better yet, use Zanki card database as your searchable reference and anytime you encounter a card you learn, add it to your repertoire of cards you cycle to in a long-term spaced repetition fashion.

 

[691622]

Lol what would you know about the subject? Incoming ms1 with great advice for everyone about step 1 smh...

because i get first hand advice from real people i know in medical school and not trolls on an anon forum on the internet

 

[Redpancreas]

Study to REALLY master your classes during your first year. Zanki and Boards and Beyond should really be the only thing you need along your classes. Do not use any Qbanks right now until at least you get some Systems Pathophysiology/Pathology.

This.

 

[Redpancreas]

because i get first hand advice from real people i know in medical school and not trolls on an anon forum on the internet

Elessar scored significantly better than the average for the competitive subspecialty he's probably gunning for. I wouldn't call him a troll. Careful giving "telephone advice". Every time someone gives advice someone else gives them, the advice loses the context of its original donor. SDN adages like "trust your curriculum and kill your classes" or "just do UFAP", etc. mean very different things to different people based of their ability, talent, etc. Instead of relying on those, try to find something that specifically states what exactly you need to do and then let people debate if they agree or disagree with it (LIKE MY GUIDE: see signature)

 

[Redpancreas]

Wow there has really been an explosion of resources for step in recent years.

I've learnt to like your posts before reading them.

 

[Goro]

Hello everyone,

I would like to start preparing for boards as soon as classes begin and was wondering how you think I should go about it.

My plan (as of right now) is to watch B&B alongside my coursework and do USMLE-Rx practice questions from the very beginning until I take Step 1 in ~ 2 years.

At some point, probably during the summer between M1-M2, I will begin using Firecracker and go through pathoma. My school is systems based and we don't start pathology until 2nd year anyway.

Around Christmas of 2nd year, I will start going through UWorld and will hopefully be finished with most of my resources by mid-March, which is when my dedicated period will start.

I know I'd be jumping the gun by actually starting any of this now (as an MS0), but I just want to make a good plan to follow when school starts in a couple months.

Does this sound like a solid plan to you?

Thank you

Don't bother until Xmas of your 2nd year.

 

[RockMcat520]

because i get first hand advice from real people i know in medical school and not trolls on an anon forum on the internet

Referencing to FA should be fine in my opinion. But starting to annotate FA from the first day is a no no because you will end up annotating unnecessary info. Anyways, what do I know? I am an incoming MS1 too

 

[jcve34]

Get Zanki or Firecracker and Boards and Beyond.

You have no idea how medical school is until you are actually in medical school. It would be in your best interest to learn how to survive the fire hose before you start planning out how to board prep on top of it. Best of luck.