Study Tips

[cksnipe]

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Hey everyone,

I'm going to medical school next August, and I'm really bored. I'm not really taking too many classes and spending too much time doing nothing. I want to try to start preparing myself for 1st year medical school and boards. What can I do to start studying for boards? I have a ton of review material from a friend who took it earlier in the year such as all the kaplan lectures, notes, first aid, goljan audio, the pass program, etc. Any advice would be awesome, thanks!

 

[DoctorFunk]

Your time will be wasted trying to study for the boards before your classes even start. They're called "review" books because that's all they do: help you review material that you've already learned in greater depth. Wait until you start classes and then use the board review materials in conjunction with your class notes and any texts you find useful. That way when it comes time to review in the spring of your second year you'll already be familiar with the important concepts and the materials you will use.

If you want to help yourself now (and trust me, I understand the urge) go ahead and take a peak into an anatomy atlas or text now and then. You won't remember the anatomical names come next fall, but you might get an idea for the basic layout of the body.

 

[surprisedgirl]

i definiteoy agree w the above!

 

[Div_MD2B]

Hi guys--
i am also in a similar situation as the OP...so would u guys recommend not spending money on buying the review books (offered by kaplan or other test prep companies) at this time? should i just wait til after starting med skool to get those so i can get recent edition when i actually have to study for the boards?? thanks for ur advice!!🙂

 

[DoctorFunk]

Hi guys--
i am also in a similar situation as the OP...so would u guys recommend not spending money on buying the review books (offered by kaplan or other test prep companies) at this time?

Definitely wait. First reason being that you might be able to find a sweet deal on these kinds of books from students in classes ahead of you that have finished their Step 1, and without getting a break in price these books are EXPENSIVE. The second reason to wait is that there are lots of options out there for review material for each class and you might find that you prefer picking out a particular book for each subject.

I have checked out Kaplan's set of books and thought that they looked a little too in-depth for what I need--maybe they work great for international students looking to take Step 1 whose coursework were not catered specifically to the boards. However for most US med students I think they go a little too in-depth in explaining material than we need as most of the concepts are explained well during our coursework. Instead I've been using books from the BRS and High Yield series, depending on the subject. I find that these do a good job of highlighting important concepts without getting too wordy.

 

[surprisedgirl]

one thing i DO recommend is grab a first aid before your first class and START annotatin it DURING your class....do NOT try ot figure it out before med school starts, it'll seem too choppy and confusing. BUT by annotating it you will not only get exposure to a critical book for step 1, but you will also make sense of it for when you actually get around to studying for it 🙂 i WISH i had done that my first year, but am definitely keeping up with it now during second year!

 

[njbmd]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to medical school next August, and I'm really bored. I'm not really taking too many classes and spending too much time doing nothing. I want to try to start preparing myself for 1st year medical school and boards. What can I do to start studying for boards? I have a ton of review material from a friend who took it earlier in the year such as all the kaplan lectures, notes, first aid, goljan audio, the pass program, etc. Any advice would be awesome, thanks!

You should work very hard and have a pile of money (enough to cover at least 4 months of expenses). You should find a place to live that is convienent to school, where your car is safe (if you even want the hassle of trying to park on campus) and where you know that you will be comfortable.

As for listening to tape, reading or studying or anything else related to the medical curriculum, you would be wasting your time. If you do not need to do any of the above, take a long vacation, read trashy novels, watch TV and generally let your brain veg out. When medical school classes start, you will want this time back again.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

i don't think there's anything wrong with getting a headstart on FIRST YEAR material, especially anatomy. it'll probably make your life easier when you do start m1

 

[surprisedgirl]

I kind of agree that you don't want to start studying BEFORE med school....this time is precious, sure you may be busy when anatomy starts, but bust your butta bit more and it'll be fine.....i dobut there's much you're going to learn by studying anatomy befor eunless you INTENSELY study all summer long (which i don't recommend doing). Like I said, grab a FA, and have it ready for when school does start! Thats all, relax, enjoy, because yes, you wont get this time back!