studying for USMLE

[HussainGQ]

How do Carrib. students prepare for the USMLE Step 1 and 2? A friend of mine who graduated from SABA said that he took a semester off so that he can take the KAPLAN course. Do most, or all Carrib. students do this as well (take a semester off??) What about step 2??

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[McGillGrad]

They teach for the USMLE and you usually get 4-8 weeks to study for the exam.

If you need more time then you did not pay attention in the basic science years.

 

[MSc44]

They teach for the USMLE and you usually get 4-8 weeks to study for the exam.

If you need more time then you did not pay attention in the basic science years.

"If you need more time then you did not pay attention in the basic science years.[/QUOTE]"


is this truely the case with this exam

 

[McGillGrad]

"If you need more time then you did not pay attention in the basic science years."


is this truely the case with this exam

Step 1 takes everything you learned in the first two years and applies them to patients. You are a detective using your knowledge of the basic science years to answer questions about patients. Other questions might ask for simple facts.

Here is a link to some sample questions.

 

[pleasematchme06]

They teach for the USMLE and you usually get 4-8 weeks to study for the exam.

If you need more time then you did not pay attention in the basic science years.

I exactly agree with this. Step 1 is all about what you learned in the first two years...your success depends on how well you learned the material (i.e. did you just memorize or do you actually understand the concepts?).
You should be "studying for step 1" the whole first two years. A simple review (not necessarily kaplan) and some practice questions should be all you need.

But everyone is different in how much structure they need, if you can't study on your own then maybe you need a course.

Step 2 depends on your experiences in rotations, which can be very iffy with these hospitals that IMG has to deal with. Some are good and some are bad. Sometimes its all about learning on your own, reading reading reading.
USMLE World has the best prep questions from what I know. You'll have to figure out how much time off you need, but if you study well during the rotations you should only need about a month-6 weeks.

Hope this helps!

 

[FlindersGrad]

I can't say what they teach in the Carib. I came to the US to do residency from Australia. Australian schools teach you to be a doctor, and not to pass an exam. However, I took both step 1 and 2 within the last 8 months. Both exams are very reasonable, and I did extremely well. All you need for step 1 is First Aid for USMLE Step 1 and Kaplan Q-bank. By the time you take step1 you should have already read the major texts for each component. Therefore, First Aid ties everything together. Also, even step 1 is becoming more clinically based, and you get very few straight forward questions. Most questions are vignette style. For step 2, I found the Blue Prints Series very good. Again, First Aid for Step 2 will tie it all together. USMLE World Q-bank is the best to use for step 2. Step 2 is very clinical so I hope you get top notch clinical rotations.

Just my experience!

 

[penguins]

Don't feel intimidated by those who only studied for step 1 for a few weeks. I wouldn't do that if you went to the Caribbean, anywhere.
At SMU we had the pharmacology team from Rush Med school in Chicago come and teach us the course. Never studied for the pharm section of step 1 much at all. Didn't need to because the teaching had been so great. US med students get that kind of teaching every day.
To be realistic, carib school teaching is mostly sub-par. You get the tools and the guidance and do learn a lot but you have to make up the difference with your own perseverance.
Since doing well on step 1 is so essential for IMGs, take it seriously and spend a real amount of time studying for it. I studied for 3 months hard core. Take the evaluation exams and see where you stand. Most people (not all) exagerate anyway when they tell you how long they studied for.
Step 2 is a great deal easier after doing your clinicals in the states. You are essentially studying every day in clinicals for step 2 just like in theory we should have all done for step 1. If I were starting in the carib tomorrow, I would take First Aid for step 1 with me and study that along side each class's coursework. Go above and beyond what you are expected to know for their tests.