Step 1 Studying Over Winter Break

[BillrothI]

Hey Everybody,

I just scheduled an early-May test date for Step 1 and am beginning to realize how much I need to cover over the next few months. Due to recent changes in the curriculum at my school, there are entire chapters of FA that haven't been covered. Some subjects, such as pharmacology, really haven't been covered in sufficient detail.

I have been doing Firecracker since the summer between M1 and M2 (although I skipped a few days around exams). Reviewed 3-4 chapters in Pathoma since the school year began. Started doing USMLERx Qbank in the beginning of November (~5-10 questions per day). Annotated FA along with lectures.

The dedicated Step 1 study period for my school is only ~5 weeks, so I would like to start doing at least 5-6 hours/day of Step 1 studying over Winter Break. My gameplan (as of now) is as follows:

- FA - cursory review of everything that we have covered in class thus far
- USMLERx - 40 questions/day
- Pathoma - finish 10 chapters before the end of break
- SketchyMedical - watch all of the viruses, bacteria, and pharm videos

Questions follow:

1) Is it too early to start doing UWORLD questions? I understand that people typically wait until the dedicated study period to start, but I'm wondering if it might be beneficial to start now in order to do 2-3 passes through all the questions before May.

2) Regarding Pathoma - does the Brosencephalon deck cover all the material from Pathoma? Or would it be a worthwhile endeavor to make my own Anki cards?

3) Regarding SketchyMedical - how do you all go about remembering the images? Sketchy was incredibly helpful during the microbiology block. However, I'm wondering if the images will start to fade if I re-watch all the videos now and don't take Step until May. Should I consider making flashcards/taking notes on the videos? Or should I just save them all until closer to the exam date?

4) Most of my classmates and I are pretty weak on pharmacology. Any thoughts on Kaplan Pharm?

5) My school did not offer ANY biostats instruction. Should FA suffice or are there other recommended resources?

Thank you all very much for any advice!

-Bill

TL;DR -- STEP 1 IN MAY. NEED TO START STUDYING NOW. ANY ADVICE?

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[Azete]

I'm in the same position as you, and here's what I've come up with:

1) The consensus seems to be to wait until dedicated study to start UW, there are other question banks that people like and if you need questions to aid in your studying I would use those.

2) Outside of UW, Bro's deck is the single best resource I've found for board studying and as far as I've found it covers all of Pathoma and more -- no need to make extra cards. That said, I would still follow along Pathoma's notes while you watch the videos.

3) If you've already watched all the SketchyMedical videos then doing so again right now would likely be a pretty low yield use of your time. I'd rewatch all of them as you get closer to dedicated study, and use their annotated PDF with all the images to refresh your memory every few days or so.

4) No experience with Kaplan Pharm. I've been using Picmonic for this but admittedly it doesn't feel great, I'll likely be searching for other options or just relying on Bro's deck.

5) FA Biostats is sufficient, but make sure you know your equations because these are the most free questions on the entire test.

Again, I haven't taken Step 1 yet, but these are the conclusions I've drawn from all my research.

 

[BillrothI]

I'm in the same position as you, and here's what I've come up with:

1) The consensus seems to be to wait until dedicated study to start UW, there are other question banks that people like and if you need questions to aid in your studying I would use those.

2) Outside of UW, Bro's deck is the single best resource I've found for board studying and as far as I've found it covers all of Pathoma and more -- no need to make extra cards. That said, I would still follow along Pathoma's notes while you watch the videos.

3) If you've already watched all the SketchyMedical videos then doing so again right now would likely be a pretty low yield use of your time. I'd rewatch all of them as you get closer to dedicated study, and use their annotated PDF with all the images to refresh your memory every few days or so.

4) No experience with Kaplan Pharm. I've been using Picmonic for this but admittedly it doesn't feel great, I'll likely be searching for other options or just relying on Bro's deck.

5) FA Biostats is sufficient, but make sure you know your equations because these are the most free questions on the entire test.

Again, I haven't taken Step 1 yet, but these are the conclusions I've drawn from all my research.

Thanks, Azete! That's very helpful. Glad to hear that Bro's will save me some time on making Pathoma Anki cards. I also agree that saving Sketchy until dedicated might be wise, as I can probably just watch 2-3 videos every morning and finish the entire series by the end of the five weeks.

Are you planning on using BRS physio at all?

Thanks again.

-Bill

 

[Barrel Proof]

Winter... BREAK. That's my 2 cents

 

[Lya]

Hey Everybody,

I just scheduled an early-May test date for Step 1 and am beginning to realize how much I need to cover over the next few months. Due to recent changes in the curriculum at my school, there are entire chapters of FA that haven't been covered. Some subjects, such as pharmacology, really haven't been covered in sufficient detail.

I have been doing Firecracker since the summer between M1 and M2 (although I skipped a few days around exams). Reviewed 3-4 chapters in Pathoma since the school year began. Started doing USMLERx Qbank in the beginning of November (~5-10 questions per day). Annotated FA along with lectures.

The dedicated Step 1 study period for my school is only ~5 weeks, so I would like to start doing at least 5-6 hours/day of Step 1 studying over Winter Break. My gameplan (as of now) is as follows:

- FA - cursory review of everything that we have covered in class thus far
- USMLERx - 40 questions/day
- Pathoma - finish 10 chapters before the end of break
- SketchyMedical - watch all of the viruses, bacteria, and pharm videos

Questions follow:

1) Is it too early to start doing UWORLD questions? I understand that people typically wait until the dedicated study period to start, but I'm wondering if it might be beneficial to start now in order to do 2-3 passes through all the questions before May.

2) Regarding Pathoma - does the Brosencephalon deck cover all the material from Pathoma? Or would it be a worthwhile endeavor to make my own Anki cards?

3) Regarding SketchyMedical - how do you all go about remembering the images? Sketchy was incredibly helpful during the microbiology block. However, I'm wondering if the images will start to fade if I re-watch all the videos now and don't take Step until May. Should I consider making flashcards/taking notes on the videos? Or should I just save them all until closer to the exam date?

4) Most of my classmates and I are pretty weak on pharmacology. Any thoughts on Kaplan Pharm?

5) My school did not offer ANY biostats instruction. Should FA suffice or are there other recommended resources?

Thank you all very much for any advice!

-Bill

TL;DR -- STEP 1 IN MAY. NEED TO START STUDYING NOW. ANY ADVICE?

Step 1 forum would probably answer your questions better. This is just my opinion:

1) If the pace of your study is slow, 5 weeks might not be enough to do all UWorld, multiple passes of FA, review your notes, etc. If you suspect that you might not be able to finish the UWorld within that dedicated, then it might be wise to start it, say, 2-4 weeks prior to the dedicated. It's better to start a little early and make sure you finish the UWorld than waiting till your dedicated and realizing you might not have enough time to go through it thoroughly.

I think one thorough pass of UWorld is enough, although I do know some classmates who did multiple passes and did just fine. If I were you, I would focus first on finishing Rx qbank. If you have spare time, add Kaplan qbank. Then UWorld.

2) Bros does NOT cover every single detail mentioned in Pathoma, although it does cover the most. I would still suggest watching it and/or reading the book, rather than entirely relying on bros.

3) If you are a visual learner, finishing sketchy as early as you can is one of the best advice I can give you. Watch those videos once early, so that every time you read/hear about some pharm or micro afterwards, you just look up the images to refresh your memories in seconds/minutes. You don't have to re-watch all videos unless you feel you need to. Looking up final images and reminding yourself their stories repeatedly are usually enough. After many repetitions (similar to how people would study for anatomy), retrieving those images instantly in your head becomes second nature.

It sounds like you've already finished sketchy micro. Then I would do sketchy pharm videos for the drugs your courses already covered. Then do the rest of pharm videos along with your future courses. Re-watch as needed. Repeatedly quiz yourself on final images. Watching sketchy videos for the first time during the dedicated is not recommended, in my opinion.

4) Haven't used Kaplan pharm, but most of my pharm knowledge came from sketchy (eg asthma, gout, diabetes, cardio, anticholinergic, anesthesia etc.), picmonic (eg CYP450 inducers and inhibitors, cancer and neuro drugs since these were unavailable in sketchy when I took the step 1), and FA (eg I already knew enough about renal drugs, so watching sketchy pharm or picmonic was unnecessary). Pharm was my weakest subject during the first two years, so I heavily relied on sketchy and picmonic for the most part, and pharm (and micro) was my best subject in step 1.

5) FA is enough. I watched DIT just to help me remember and understand things better, but the contents in FA were enough.

Thanks, Azete! That's very helpful. Glad to hear that Bro's will save me some time on making Pathoma Anki cards. I also agree that saving Sketchy until dedicated might be wise, as I can probably just watch 2-3 videos every morning and finish the entire series by the end of the five weeks.

Are you planning on using BRS physio at all?

Thanks again.

-Bill

I know that you've finished some sketchy micro already, but since you're weak on pharm, I would not recommend "saving sketchy" until the dedicated. At least go through pharm videos once now (they will take longer than you expect, since each video is 20-30 min long). It is so easy to recall wrong symbols in sketchy pharm videos since they are super long and images tend to include a lot of stuff in them. Review the final images whenever you read about certain drugs. Re-watch as needed. I would recommend looking into picmonic even if you end up not using it. I felt that I remembered some pharm images in picmonic better than sketchy.

I did not use BRS physio even though my physio knowledge was relatively weak going into the dedicated. I used FA (+ DIT) and UWorld, and I think it was enough. Instead of reading BRS physio, I felt that doing more practice questions was more helpful for me.

 

[neoevolution]

How should I incorporate Bros vs. Firecracker vs. UWorld vs. other Qbanks? I have 6 weeks dedicated time, so I could leave UWorld until than but some say to reset and redo UWorld during dedicated. I already own FC and have been using it on and off, but am wondering if Bros or Kaplan/USMLERx would be a better use of my time?

 

[BillrothI]

Step 1 forum would probably answer your questions better. This is just my opinion:

1) If the pace of your study is slow, 5 weeks might not be enough to do all UWorld, multiple passes of FA, review your notes, etc. If you suspect that you might not be able to finish the UWorld within that dedicated, then it might be wise to start it, say, 2-4 weeks prior to the dedicated. It's better to start a little early and make sure you finish the UWorld than waiting till your dedicated and realizing you might not have enough time to go through it thoroughly.

I think one thorough pass of UWorld is enough, although I do know some classmates who did multiple passes and did just fine. If I were you, I would focus first on finishing Rx qbank. If you have spare time, add Kaplan qbank. Then UWorld.

2) Bros does NOT cover every single detail mentioned in Pathoma, although it does cover the most. I would still suggest watching it and/or reading the book, rather than entirely relying on bros.

3) If you are a visual learner, finishing sketchy as early as you can is one of the best advice I can give you. Watch those videos once early, so that every time you read/hear about some pharm or micro afterwards, you just look up the images to refresh your memories in seconds/minutes. You don't have to re-watch all videos unless you feel you need to. Looking up final images and reminding yourself their stories repeatedly are usually enough. After many repetitions (similar to how people would study for anatomy), retrieving those images instantly in your head becomes second nature.

It sounds like you've already finished sketchy micro. Then I would do sketchy pharm videos for the drugs your courses already covered. Then do the rest of pharm videos along with your future courses. Re-watch as needed. Repeatedly quiz yourself on final images. Watching sketchy videos for the first time during the dedicated is not recommended, in my opinion.

4) Haven't used Kaplan pharm, but most of my pharm knowledge came from sketchy (eg asthma, gout, diabetes, cardio, anticholinergic, anesthesia etc.), picmonic (eg CYP450 inducers and inhibitors, cancer and neuro drugs since these were unavailable in sketchy when I took the step 1), and FA (eg I already knew enough about renal drugs, so watching sketchy pharm or picmonic was unnecessary). Pharm was my weakest subject during the first two years, so I heavily relied on sketchy and picmonic for the most part, and pharm (and micro) was my best subject in step 1.

5) FA is enough. I watched DIT just to help me remember and understand things better, but the contents in FA were enough.



I know that you've finished some sketchy micro already, but since you're weak on pharm, I would not recommend "saving sketchy" until the dedicated. At least go through pharm videos once now (they will take longer than you expect, since each video is 20-30 min long). It is so easy to recall wrong symbols in sketchy pharm videos since they are super long and images tend to include a lot of stuff in them. Review the final images whenever you read about certain drugs. Re-watch as needed. I would recommend looking into picmonic even if you end up not using it. I felt that I remembered some pharm images in picmonic better than sketchy.

I did not use BRS physio even though my physio knowledge was relatively weak going into the dedicated. I used FA (+ DIT) and UWorld, and I think it was enough. Instead of reading BRS physio, I felt that doing more practice questions was more helpful for me.

Thanks, Lya!

Regarding point #3: I did finish most of SketchyMicro bacteria and some of the viruses. However, you are correct in pointing out that the SketchyPharm videos are quite a bit longer and more comprehensive; I only made it through a handful of these. As per your suggestion, I'll try watching 1-2 SketchyPharm videos per day and hopefully get through a good chunk of it before the end of winter break.

Two quick questions:

1) How did you feel about DIT? A friend of mine used it and scored ~255, but I'm not sure if it's worth the investment.

2) How does Bros and/or Firecracker fit into everything? Are those programs a good use of time or would time be better spent on Qbanks?

Thanks again!

-Bill

 

[Manual Disimpaction]

You're taking this test too seriously you should chill during winter break. N=1 but I had three pharm questions on my test and they were the most clear cut straight forward ones on the test. You should kick it into overdrive the month before dedicated and go through all of pathoma chapter by chapter (after you finish your coursework for the day). Then when you get to dedicated read the little costanzo physiology book. When you're done with that jump into questions and do them randomly (practice like you play) shooting for 100 per day or less if you can't hang. Then at night work through FA. Rinse. Lather. Repeat for 4-5 weeks.

*This works best if you have been going through FA and Pathoma along with class. By the time you get to dedicated study period these two guys should be familiar old friends.

You'll do fine and then 2 months later you'll look back and think wow I freaked out for 6 months about a stupid test.

 

[Lya]

Two quick questions:

1) How did you feel about DIT? A friend of mine used it and scored ~255, but I'm not sure if it's worth the investment.

2) How does Bros and/or Firecracker fit into everything? Are those programs a good use of time or would time be better spent on Qbanks?

Thanks again!

-Bill

1) DIT is not for everyone. After watching 5-10 videos, you would realize quickly if it is for you. I used it just because (1) reading was not my primary learning style and I hated going through FA without watching videos first and (2) I remember stuff well through videos. There are definitely some details in FA that I remember only because DIT had quizzes on them or had good mnemonics for them.

You may perhaps look for older versions of DIT to see if their teaching style fits you.

2) I haven't used Firecracker. But I did do Rx, organ systems and revised pharm sections of bros (pharm decks are not as good as organ systems) prior to the dedicated. You should be able to do both flashcards and qbanks if you start early and pace yourself as you go.


(Again, there are people who did well after studying seriously for only several months. There are people who did well after studying for 6 months. There are people who did well after studying for the whole second year. People have different definitions of "studying." Take all the advice with a grain of salt, and it's ultimately up to you on what strategies/schedules you feel you should stick to.)

How should I incorporate Bros vs. Firecracker vs. UWorld vs. other Qbanks? I have 6 weeks dedicated time, so I could leave UWorld until than but some say to reset and redo UWorld during dedicated. I already own FC and have been using it on and off, but am wondering if Bros or Kaplan/USMLERx would be a better use of my time?

In general, I would aim for finishing Rx/Kaplan first prior to the dedicated. Use Bros/Firecracker alongside to review the materials if flashcards work for you. Try both flashcards and see which one you prefer. I haven't used Firecracker, so can't much comment on it.

As mentioned above, there are people who did well after not even finishing a half of UWorld. There are people who did well after doing multiple passes of UWorld only. There are people who did well after doing all three qbanks. Although I cannot say whether Bros or Firecracker is better, I can probably tell you that usually you can't go wrong with doing more practice questions, but of course there are outliers.