I've started studying for the step 1. My test date is in early July so I have almost 4 months but I am having trouble getting through first aid and when I do question banks I get about 45-50% correct on material I've already gone over. I feel so discouraged. I feel like I am not absorbing anything from first aid and don't know how to use the question banks correctly. I've been doing average on my tests in medical school except for anatomy (barely passed) but I can't seem to remember anything from what I've learned in the past two years. I've signed up for DIT and will be starting in June. I just want some advice on how I can start making progress and feel like I am actually improving.
Stressed about step 1, feel like I've learned nothing in two years
- Thread starter lilek22
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how do you have 4 months
you got time so u can add pathoma to yr plan .. pathoma X2 + DIT + first aid (pass many times as possible) + question bank (if u can do also RX with UW u will really improved)
take it as a challenge .. u started with 50 % in Qbank try to improve it higher ( more hard steps u have to climb more the success is valuable )
and remeber that the Q banks is a learning tool not an exam!
take it as a challenge .. u started with 50 % in Qbank try to improve it higher ( more hard steps u have to climb more the success is valuable )
and remeber that the Q banks is a learning tool not an exam!
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Two things come to mind.
1. Does your mind need a tiny break? Like a week off?
2. Are you studying efficiently? Break things into pieces if you're having trouble with the big picture of medicine. Your foundations might be weak - figure out which to work on.
3. Don't panic and Good luck.
1. Does your mind need a tiny break? Like a week off?
2. Are you studying efficiently? Break things into pieces if you're having trouble with the big picture of medicine. Your foundations might be weak - figure out which to work on.
3. Don't panic and Good luck.
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If you're reading FA and you don't at least recognize 75% of the info (not necessarily stuff that you already knew, but something that you remember learninga bout before), I would be somewhat concerned.
DIT will help, as well Pathoma.
DIT will help, as well Pathoma.
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I'm only a 2nd year myself, but with a test date of early July I'd recommend getting started on DIT sooner than June. There's a lot there and the videos can be extremely dense sometimes. They recommend starting Part 2 45 days before your exam so that you aren't watching hours and hours of videos every single day (they say that with the 15-day plan, you would need to watch 5.5 hrs of video each day to get through all of them). Need to make sure you leave enough time for questions/First Aid/breaks, etc.
Wow, my step 1 is in early in June and I haven't really started studying. Most people tell me 6 weeks is all you need. Why are you starting 4 months early? Granted some of my classmates started in January, but I don't see how you can remember some of the details if you start so early; perhaps a re-review might be in order?
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6 weeks if you're just trying to pass, sure. All you need.
Not if you want to do well by SDN standards.
I will be starting pathoma this week and seeing if it helps.
I do recognize most of what I read in first aid, it's just absorbing and memorizing the facts. It's one thing to recognize that I once upon a time learned about the parkinson's but another to remember the exact pathology, treatment, etc...
Thanks! I'll be starting early May now since it looks like I need to be working on my foundations.
I've always taken a really long time studying for standards tests and done pretty well 99th percentile on MCAT, after studying for 1 year, so I figure I better stick to what I know works for me.
damn, 1 year? I studied for 2.5 weeks, but I managed to score in the 90th percentile on the MCAT. But impressive focus on your part though.
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I think that's highly dependent on how good of a testtaker you are. I know someone who matched into top ophtho program with a score acquired after 4 weeks of studying. 6 or 7 weeks is the max most of the people I know aimed for.
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6 weeks of dedicated is fine. Obviously people that did well generally did more studying during classes themselves. The ophtho guy you mentioned is likely an outlier or studied more prior to the dedicated period.
lilek - If you're recognizing things from first aid, then you're fine. The info will slowly come back after multiple reviews. I think 1 year for the MCAT is insane, and you will eventually have to decrease the amount of time you study for standardized exams, but Step 1 is not the time to experiment.
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Man do people still fall for this garbage? Yeah guys, I studied for that test for like 2 days and crushed it.
No, I guarantee Mr. Optho had been preparing for a lot longer than that. 4 weeks of dedicated perhaps, but if you're telling me you believe he never cracked open a step 1 book before that then let me introduce you to my Nigerian Prince brother.
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I don't know why it's so hard to believe that people could have varying talents. I can guarantee to you that I only looked at Step 1 materials for 7 weeks (i.e. never even cracked open First Aid till my dedicated study time), apparently there are many people out there who aim for 6 weeks, so the idea that there's someone out there who only needed 4 weeks, especially if they studied 6 days a week instead of 5 or studied 12 hours a day instead of 8, is not so hard for me to comprehend
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It's preposterous because someone who is shooting for optho knows their step 1 is critical and is going to prepare for it to some degree before their dedicated period. Not just la-dee-da into it. It is amusing that people still believe it when other medical students talk about how little they studied, though.
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You guys are studying?
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Some schools don't either teach to STEP 1 or give you a lot of time to study.
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I started in January (5 months before test date), 260+, 6 weeks dedicated. But yeah, keep being a condescending dick about "big words", mr. e-thug. I'm sure you're a real special brilliant little flower.
You're telling me you and your entire class didn't look at first aid once before your 4 weeks? Yeah right. As though a group of people as neurotic as medical students just suddenly stopped caring about standardized test performance all of a sudden, top 10 school or not. Kiss my ass.
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Your reading comprehension is pretty low as well. Take some notes when you reread my post and you won't get confused when you get to the end.
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Some of us really did have other things to do. Also you have to start somewhere, it's up to you how far back you want to walk back the pre-studying. I mean people could be pre-studying since the beginnning of MS2 or MS1, at some point you need to figure out what's worth it.
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Nice stream of consciousness bullcrap. Are you mad that you don't have naive people to believe how little effort you need to put into being super awesome (top 10, naturally)?
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😆😆😆😆😆
You guys are so right about this it's not even funny. "I took 4 weeks to study for step 1" = I have been reviewing for at least a few months before I started the dedicated period.
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But it sounds SO MUCH BETTER for the ego when you say you only needed "4 weeks to study" for Step 1.
I actually do believe there are people who study in 5 weeks and do well (240+). I have been reading First Aid as we have gone through each respective block so I guess that is prep.
In any case, most residents I have spoken to [these residents are friends at a top hospital who have no reason to lie to me] have said all you really need is 6 weeks of hell (8-16 hrs per day, depending on your stamina/daily threshold). There are a few others who started early, but they are in the minority. I honestly think it depends on how fast you learn/memorize, and whether you can study for 12 hrs (with good focus) almost every day for 6 weeks. One must do must works for him/her.
A family friend (an FMG from a Russian med school) just read First Aid for a 2 months and didn't use any q-banks. He scored a 241.
In any case, most residents I have spoken to [these residents are friends at a top hospital who have no reason to lie to me] have said all you really need is 6 weeks of hell (8-16 hrs per day, depending on your stamina/daily threshold). There are a few others who started early, but they are in the minority. I honestly think it depends on how fast you learn/memorize, and whether you can study for 12 hrs (with good focus) almost every day for 6 weeks. One must do must works for him/her.
A family friend (an FMG from a Russian med school) just read First Aid for a 2 months and didn't use any q-banks. He scored a 241.
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It obviously depends on what your prior preparation (for your courses) is. Your anecdotes are the exceptions, and poor advice for the average student.
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Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
I literally studied 2-3 days for step 1 and i scored 250+. was simple
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But it's the ones who take months to study who howl the most to keep their egos intact. Do you think because you couldn't do it it can't be done, or done better? Handicapped by helicopter parents no doubt.
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Keep telling yourself that, gunner.
You will always feel like you've learned nothing as long as you are in med school, but that is never true. I also started out w/ pretty low scores on Kaplan and Uworld prep tests, but that is why you keep doing them. Your score will continue to improve if you continue to put the work in. Repetition will hammer the stuff you need to know into your brain so when the test day comes, you will be ready. As you said, you still have couple months to prepare, and that is plenty of time.
As far as practical advice goes, don't feel like you have to use First Aid. I did not use it for anything other than embryology. I briefly tried DIT, and just did not find it helpful. I learned much better w/ Qbanks. You should know how you learn best at this point, and just go with that, not what other people tells you to do. And I actually limited my studying to <6hrs/day x 5days a week because I felt that is how I could stay fresh and not get burned out. I did just fine on Step 1 with that regimen.
As far as practical advice goes, don't feel like you have to use First Aid. I did not use it for anything other than embryology. I briefly tried DIT, and just did not find it helpful. I learned much better w/ Qbanks. You should know how you learn best at this point, and just go with that, not what other people tells you to do. And I actually limited my studying to <6hrs/day x 5days a week because I felt that is how I could stay fresh and not get burned out. I did just fine on Step 1 with that regimen.
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I realize people may think this is laughable but there are actually med schools where you jump right into Step 1 studying from doing core clerkship rotations. Obviously you are not going to take time during your medicine rotation to prestudy for Step 1 when you have a shelf to study for. In those places, <2 months is the norm.😆😆😆😆😆
