Preparing for Step 1 EARLY/concordantly?

[FreeWeezy]

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Hi All,

I am finishing up my first year and started "preparing" for Step 1 during my organ systems courses. Before everyone thinks I'm a crazy gunner, let me qualify: I find that the organ chapters from First Aid, while not enough, are a great resource for distilling what the key "must know" points are from pysh, path, pathopys, pharm 100 page slide decks from lectures. Since I have been doing very well on school exams since switching more to a board perspective than a lecture perspective, I am already quite intent on sticking to my study habits. And since school exams are pass/fail, I'd much rather be prepared for Step 1, which isn't.

But, what is I am really wondering is whether any third or fourth years could give perspective on what else I can do NOW to really achieve a 240+ or so when the test comes around third year:

Can anyone who has taken the exam offer any general strategies on how to avoid cramming and things that worked well for them the first two years of med school or things they wish they had done earlier? Maybe do some USMLE QBank questions, while "saving" some and the Kaplan QBank for closer to exam time? Would it be better to spend some time this summer to review everything from first year or to start to study the organs we haven't covered?

Thanks so much!

 

[winkleweizen]

Hi All,

I am finishing up my first year and started "preparing" for Step 1 during my organ systems courses. Before everyone thinks I'm a crazy gunner, let me qualify: I find that the organ chapters from First Aid, while not enough, are a great resource for distilling what the key "must know" points are from pysh, path, pathopys, pharm 100 page slide decks from lectures. Since I have been doing very well on school exams since switching more to a board perspective than a lecture perspective, I am already quite intent on sticking to my study habits. And since school exams are pass/fail, I'd much rather be prepared for Step 1, which isn't.

But, what is I am really wondering is whether any third or fourth years could give perspective on what else I can do NOW to really achieve a 240+ or so when the test comes around third year:

Can anyone who has taken the exam offer any general strategies on how to avoid cramming and things that worked well for them the first two years of med school or things they wish they had done earlier? Maybe do some USMLE QBank questions, while "saving" some and the Kaplan QBank for closer to exam time? Would it be better to spend some time this summer to review everything from first year or to start to study the organs we haven't covered?

Thanks so much!

kaplan and rx during the year..world during your study period.

 

[UAAWolf]

Hi All,

I am finishing up my first year and started "preparing" for Step 1 during my organ systems courses. Before everyone thinks I'm a crazy gunner, let me qualify: I find that the organ chapters from First Aid, while not enough, are a great resource for distilling what the key "must know" points are from pysh, path, pathopys, pharm 100 page slide decks from lectures. Since I have been doing very well on school exams since switching more to a board perspective than a lecture perspective, I am already quite intent on sticking to my study habits. And since school exams are pass/fail, I'd much rather be prepared for Step 1, which isn't.

But, what is I am really wondering is whether any third or fourth years could give perspective on what else I can do NOW to really achieve a 240+ or so when the test comes around third year:

Can anyone who has taken the exam offer any general strategies on how to avoid cramming and things that worked well for them the first two years of med school or things they wish they had done earlier? Maybe do some USMLE QBank questions, while "saving" some and the Kaplan QBank for closer to exam time? Would it be better to spend some time this summer to review everything from first year or to start to study the organs we haven't covered?

Thanks so much!

You're better off solidifying first year...unless you feel like you won't forget anything despite not looking at it for an entire year.

Also I disagree about studying for lecture w/ a boards perspective. At my school, exams are all low yield facts, and if you try to do anything other than memorize their lectures word for your you'll be screwed. Also we don't have any clinical questions whatsoever...so I'm quite envious of how your school is set up

 

[fahimaz7]

Learn as much as you can while you're in class. I can't tell you how much more comfortable I am, with a strong foundation, than a lot of my classmates who decided to blow off class and study high yield books.

Their CBSA score ~185
My CBSA score ~235

Difference? I paid full attention all year, used RR goljan, robbins, CMMR, etc as resources to supplement my studies, but only after I had dedicated weeks to learning the material for class.

People tend to think the minutiae that is covered in class isn't going to be on the test, and it isn't until they get into the question banks and first aid that they realize a lot of it is actually being tested. Do whatever you can to make the prep period a time of review, and not a time to learn 2000 new things.

 

[raynor123456]

Learn as much as you can while you're in class. I can't tell you how much more comfortable I am, with a strong foundation, than a lot of my classmates who decided to blow off class and study high yield books.

Their CBSA score ~185
My CBSA score ~235

Difference? I paid full attention all year, used RR goljan, robbins, CMMR, etc as resources to supplement my studies, but only after I had dedicated weeks to learning the material for class.

People tend to think the minutiae that is covered in class isn't going to be on the test, and it isn't until they get into the question banks and first aid that they realize a lot of it is actually being tested. Do whatever you can to make the prep period a time of review, and not a time to learn 2000 new things.

This. Go over FA as you go through courses. If it's in FA, know it cold throughout the year! If you've got the discipline and the drive, I'd also suggest picking up qbank early in the year and doing the questions as you go through your courses. Learn them cold if you have the opportunity.

I didn't get to do jack all year, and when test time came around I REAAAAALLY wish I could have done MS2 over and had a solid foundation going into step 1. I did fine (~230), but I could have done excellent and with excellence comes choices.

 

[FreeWeezy]

Learn as much as you can while you're in class. I can't tell you how much more comfortable I am, with a strong foundation, than a lot of my classmates who decided to blow off class and study high yield books.

Their CBSA score ~185
My CBSA score ~235

Difference? I paid full attention all year, used RR goljan, robbins, CMMR, etc as resources to supplement my studies, but only after I had dedicated weeks to learning the material for class.

People tend to think the minutiae that is covered in class isn't going to be on the test, and it isn't until they get into the question banks and first aid that they realize a lot of it is actually being tested. Do whatever you can to make the prep period a time of review, and not a time to learn 2000 new things.

Hmmm, does a CBSAA scores of 185 predict a usmle score of 185? I ask because a score of 188 is passing and the vast majority of students pass.

 

[fahimaz7]

Hmmm, does a CBSAA scores of 185 predict a usmle score of 185? I ask because a score of 188 is passing and the vast majority of students pass.

Most people improve about 30 points over their CBSA score. My point there is that if you try to slack and blow of the details, it'll come back to bite you with a poor foundation to build on.

Before I started to prep I was already predicted to be ~10 points above our class average, which is quite significant if you think about it.

 

[FreeWeezy]

^ Ah okay, thank you! Does anyone else who has taken test have advice on how they spread out studying during the course of a few years instead of cramming or who did do the inevitable cram/review a few months before the exam and realized specific approaches that would have been helpful from early on?

 

[fahimaz7]

^ Ah okay, thank you! Does anyone else who has taken test have advice on how they spread out studying during the course of a few years instead of cramming or who did do the inevitable cram/review a few months before the exam and realized specific approaches that would have been helpful from early on?

Question banks and keeping up with class. Seriously, that's the secret. There's no holy grail method of learning 4 feet of medical information, nor is there a way to not "cram" during those last few months.

USMLERX or Kaplan during 2nd year
Goljan audio for path reviews during that time
Refresh yourself with physiology along the way
Beat the rest of your class in grades.