What to do during m1 to ensure 250+

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So is the consensus that people who score 260+ are genetically smarter than other people cause a lot of you were saying that people could study for 1000 years and not get 270 is it more luck or just genetic intelligence
 
Merely said:
So is the consensus that people who score 260+ are genetically smarter than other people cause a lot of you were saying that people could study for 1000 years and not get 270 is it more luck or just genetic intelligence
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Idk that it's about genetics per se. There are just some people who can put their nose to the grindstone all day every day. Those are the kinds of people who get good scores. IQ doesn't hurt, though!
 
Merely said:
So is the consensus that people who score 260+ are genetically smarter than other people cause a lot of you were saying that people could study for 1000 years and not get 270 is it more luck or just genetic intelligence
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Well obviously natural intelligence and time commitment both contribute significantly
 
You get what you get. Study the way that makes you remember these things the best and not simply blindly following advice from random people on a message board. There is no guarantee of getting >250 in anything. Definitely use FA and uworld at the least. Worrying about STEP 1 during your M1 year is useless and a huge waste of time.
 
I got a >250...during my M1 year, I listened to lectures at home (2x...), read the textbook chapter, and read the syllabus if I felt like it. Also picked up the piano, volunteered a bunch, and did everything to stay in the real world because after 4 years of college, I was quite done with lectures. I ranked in the 2nd quartile after M2 year so I could have done better on my exams. I actually attribute my good board score to reading big robbins and doing a spaced out crunch "month" during the last few months of M2 (my real crunch month was a joke and an exercise in procrastination). I performed far better as an M3 than I did as an M1/M2
 
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Rumalum said:
I got a >260...during my M1 year, I listened to lectures at home (2x...), read the textbook chapter, and read the syllabus if I felt like it. Also picked up the piano, volunteered a bunch, and did everything to stay in the real world because after 4 years of college, I was quite done with lectures. I ranked in the 2nd quartile after M2 year so I could have done better on my exams. I actually attribute my good board score to reading big robbins and doing a spaced out crunch "month" during the last few months of M2 (my real crunch month was a joke and an exercise in procrastination). I performed far better as an M3 than I did as an M1/M2
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Can you explain what your "spaced out crunch month " consisted of and how long you did it prior to dedicated? Did you really read big Robbins in a month??
 
tvelocity514 said:
Can you explain what your "spaced out crunch month " consisted of and how long you did it prior to dedicated? Did you really read big Robbins in a month??
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No I read big robbins during my coursework as a substitute for pathoma. I think it's the best textbook I've ever read, gives you a really good foundation in every organ system, and I believe it gets a lot of unnecessary flack. Once you get to M2 year, you understand the jargon and the basics, and you can read one chapter at a time in reasonable blocks of time. So for GI for example, I read the liver, intestine, and pancreas chapters say 2-3hours each over 3 days. That's nothing at all for a 3 week course, and you can review the stuff you highlighted.

I started my board studying during my M2 spring break. I watched the pathoma videos for the first time (and actively took notes), read through the lange pharm cards, and read through the lippincott genetics/biochem cards. Each day, i did uworld which I only started during spring break, read a bit of first aid (I actually hate that book and i only read it once), read micro made ridiculously simple, and read costanzo's BRS physiology book. This is pretty much what you do during crunch month, but I spaced it out so that I would actually learn and retain stuff. During my actual crunch month, it was more like, well I have 4 days to study path maybe I can play video games for 3 and review for 1.
 
Rumalum said:
No I read big robbins during my coursework as a substitute for pathoma. I think it's the best textbook I've ever read, gives you a really good foundation in every organ system, and I believe it gets a lot of unnecessary flack. Once you get to M2 year, you understand the jargon and the basics, and you can read one chapter at a time in reasonable blocks of time. So for GI for example, I read the liver, intestine, and pancreas chapters say 2-3hours each over 3 days. That's nothing at all for a 3 week course, and you can review the stuff you highlighted.

I started my board studying during my M2 spring break. I watched the pathoma videos for the first time (and actively took notes), read through the lange pharm cards, and read through the lippincott genetics/biochem cards. Each day, i did uworld which I only started during spring break, read a bit of first aid (I actually hate that book and i only read it once), read micro made ridiculously simple, and read costanzo's BRS physiology book. This is pretty much what you do during crunch month, but I spaced it out so that I would actually learn and retain stuff. During my actual crunch month, it was more like, well I have 4 days to study path maybe I can play video games for 3 and review for 1.
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Awesome thanks. I tried to message you but it wouldn't let me but I have one more Q haha. Did you still study class ppts when u read big Robbins? I was honestly thinking of just switching to reading Robbins for the chapters we cover during that week, and using first aid , pathoma and qbank to supplement (I have usmlerx for pre dedicated). Maybe do that and then just do a run through the week of the exam of the powerpoints? Do you think this is a good idea?
Thanks for the help!
 
Psai said:
Because being a doctor is more than passing step 1 and you don't want to look like an idiot when another doctor talks to you about anatomy
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There's not a lot of times you're going to be talking about obscure innervations or arterial supplies or whatever when you're an attending.
 
Mad Jack said:
There's not a lot of times you're going to be talking about obscure innervations or arterial supplies or whatever when you're an attending.
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Where is my post is there anything about obscure innervations or arterial supplies? It will matter if you want to become a neurologist, interventionalist, surgeon, etc. or someone who consults those people
 
Psai said:
Where is my post is there anything about obscure innervations or arterial supplies? It will matter if you want to become a neurologist, interventionalist, surgeon, etc. or someone who consults those people
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You noted that someone might want to master anatomy rather than have a level of understanding of it that is merely sufficient for the boards. I can't remember a single time I heard the word "innervation" in six years of inpatient rounds on the floors or in the ICU, nor did I ever hear discussion of the anconeus, or consultants waxing with the attendings about the superficial vasculature of the face. I feel like anatomy is one of those things that most people don't use, so they lose, and only those who are in a field that deals extensively with, say, vasculature, will actually remember all the myriad arteries of the body. To the rest of us, it'll just be a, "oh yeah, I vaguely remember that little thing from years and years ago," not something we can recite verbatim as if reading directly from a copy of Gray's.
 
Have you done neurology? Or any kind of surgery? Having at least a passing familiarity is necessary. Knowing every single thing in detail is impossible. And if I remember correctly, you were a nurse. I'm not sure how nursing rounds are relevant to medical rounds.
 
tvelocity514 said:
Awesome thanks. I tried to message you but it wouldn't let me but I have one more Q haha. Did you still study class ppts when u read big Robbins? I was honestly thinking of just switching to reading Robbins for the chapters we cover during that week, and using first aid , pathoma and qbank to supplement (I have usmlerx for pre dedicated). Maybe do that and then just do a run through the week of the exam of the powerpoints? Do you think this is a good idea?
Thanks for the help!
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I substituted robbins for the syllabus and powerpoint for our pathology lectures and instead just listened to the recording. I did however look over the powerpoints the day before the test (i looked over all ppts the day before tests)
 
Psai said:
Uworld was hands down the best. It did seem to start getting repetitive after i finished about half of the questions. But most people cannot score 274. I studied just as hard and long as you and scored lower even though i am a good test taker. Everyone knows how important step is and everyone works hard but the average is 230. The reality is that if you're scoring that high, you are extremely intelligent and hard working even if you don't think so.
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sliceofbread136 said:
Many people could study day and night for a millennia and not break 260.
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Exactly.

Every year people come on here asking for step 1 study plans and advice. Without fail at least a half dozen 250+ scorers (including a few 270+) post about how they're not really that "smart" or even "good at taking tests" and that all it takes is focusing on the right materials and studying hard for anyone to get a 250+.

What they fail to realize is that there are thousands of med students who studied just as hard if not harder than them using the same materials who fail to even break a 230. In addition, beyond a certain point (usually around 250) scoring high is more about luck than knowledge or preparation.

All i'll say is this, If you work hard during the 1st 2 years and follow a comprehensive, organized, and intensive step 1 study plan using tried and true methods (First Aid, UWorld, Goljan) you should have no trouble passing the exam and scoring in the 220s or above. Beyond that nothing is guaranteed and it mostly comes down to being able to remember obscure details and facts, having great test taking skills, and just plain getting lucky with the questions you get on test day.
 
To answer the OPs question:

Nothing.

That's like a pre-med like asking what they can do to guarantee a 38+ MCAT.
 
alpinism said:
Exactly.

Every year people come on here asking for step 1 study plans and advice. Without fail at least a half dozen 250+ scorers (including a few 270+) post about how they're not really that "smart" or even "good at taking tests" and that all it takes is focusing on the right materials and studying hard for anyone to get a 250+.

What they fail to realize is that there are thousands of med students who studied just as hard if not harder than them using the same materials who fail to even break a 230. In addition, beyond a certain point (usually around 250) scoring high is more about luck than knowledge or preparation.

All i'll say is this, If you work hard during the 1st 2 years and follow a comprehensive, organized, and intensive step 1 study plan using tried and true methods (First Aid, UWorld, Goljan) you should have no trouble passing the exam and scoring in the 220s or above. Beyond that nothing is guaranteed and it mostly comes down to being able to remember obscure details and facts, having great test taking skills, and just plain getting lucky with the questions you get on test day.
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Humble brag is honestly worse than straight up bragging. If you are going to gloat atleast be up front about it
 
Study hard, get good grades, memorize BRS and other question books.
 
Merely said:
Damn thats a high score is my point
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A high score does not mean someone is infallible. What worked for them may not work for you, or even be good advice in general. You can score high despite your study methods.

As @seminoma mentioned, I scored high on step as well, but I would hope you take my advice on its own merit based on how well it matches with your experience and what sort of studying works best for you, not take it as gospel just because of a high score.
 
alpinism said:
Exactly.

Every year people come on here asking for step 1 study plans and advice. Without fail at least a half dozen 250+ scorers (including a few 270+) post about how they're not really that "smart" or even "good at taking tests" and that all it takes is focusing on the right materials and studying hard for anyone to get a 250+.

What they fail to realize is that there are thousands of med students who studied just as hard if not harder than them using the same materials who fail to even break a 230. In addition, beyond a certain point (usually around 250) scoring high is more about luck than knowledge or preparation.

All i'll say is this, If you work hard during the 1st 2 years and follow a comprehensive, organized, and intensive step 1 study plan using tried and true methods (First Aid, UWorld, Goljan) you should have no trouble passing the exam and scoring in the 220s or above. Beyond that nothing is guaranteed and it mostly comes down to being able to remember obscure details and facts, having great test taking skills, and just plain getting lucky with the questions you get on test day.
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Well I'm pretty damn smart if I do say so myself, but I still think the average-intelligence peasants can score ~250 if they play their cards right.
 
seminoma said:
Well I'm pretty damn smart if I do say so myself, but I still think the average-intelligence peasants can score ~250 if they play their cards right.
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Have you even taken the test yet?

You do know that 83% of medical students score below a 250 and that's after putting in 2 years of hard work then several weeks of nothing else besides the test
 
Do as many board style questions as you can, I think I did around 10k. Start your prep slow around 6 months out and progressively work yourself up. Treat the process you're like preparing for a marathon. Make sure to take some time for yourself every so often, the burnout is real.
 
Psai said:
Have you even taken the test yet?

You do know that 83% of medical students score below a 250 and that's after putting in 2 years of hard work then several weeks of nothing else besides the test
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Yes, I'm an M3.
 
So maybe you guys know this: What is the difference between Step 1, and the boards that attending physicians take to renew their license every 10 years or so?
 
alpinism said:
To answer the OPs question:

Nothing.

That's like a pre-med like asking what they can do to guarantee a 38+ MCAT.
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So a 250 is the 99th percentile? lol Because thats what a 38+ is on the MCAT.
 
SouthernSurgeon said:
Board certification exams are specialty specific tests, administered/overseen by the specialty specific board (eg American Board of Surgery).

Content is totally different than the Step exams.
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Ah I see.
 
Psai said:
Did you score above 250
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What difference does it make?

SouthernSurgeon said:
But it's a different pool of test takers; since only ~half of those taking the MCAT make it into med school. So a 99th percentile MCAT might actually be more comparable to a 80th percentile USMLE since you sliced off the bottom part of the curve in between the two tests.
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Yeah, I got a 33 on my MCAT, which was ~50th percentile for matriculants nationwide iirc. 33 was a great score all test takers considered, but it wasn't anything special compared to people who actually got accepted.
 
seminoma said:
What difference does it make?



Yeah, I got a 33 on my MCAT, which was ~50th percentile for matriculants nationwide iirc. 33 was a great score all test takers considered, but it wasn't anything special compared to people who actually got accepted.
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So no. You're saying the average person can do it except that the average is 230. Also, you couldn't which nullifies your point
 
Psai said:
So no. You're saying the average person can do it except that the average is 230. Also, you couldn't which nullifies your point
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forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-2015-step-1-experiences-and-scores-thread.1104788/page-61#post-16667822
 
Do well in med school and you'll do well on Boards.

And Boards would be as easy as "what does the brachial plexus do?" It will be more like "a 34 year old man fell off his motorcycle and fractured his left humerus". Two weeks after being treated, he begins to [lose function X]. Where is the lesion located?"

Edit: didn't see seminoma's outstanding example above. That's what you have to ready for.


Merely said:
Any tips on how to approach M1 year (histo, anatomy, cell bio, embryo, biochem, physio) to do well on step 1 down the line? Do i seriously have to remember the brachiul plexus and the nerves that come off it during step 1? Thanks.
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Merely said:
Any tips on how to approach M1 year (histo, anatomy, cell bio, embryo, biochem, physio) to do well on step 1 down the line? Do i seriously have to remember the brachiul plexus and the nerves that come off it during step 1? Thanks.
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Nothing . Your curriculum seems to be set up similarly to mine and if that's the case, organ systems/pathophys/ micro and pharm which comprise the huge majority of step will come next year. Also, I wouldn't advise looking at step 1 seriously first year. Glancing at it for motivation to know your school is not teaching you alchemy is one thing, but there's really nothing to be gained using step 1 in first year with that curriculum set up in my opinion. Others will have differing opinions. Many have told me and I now agree that step one is too basic for the classes and if you focus on the class material you'll get the step material down too automatically. Granted there will be that one piece you didn't learn but that's it. If you wanna do something ambitious, get your hands on all the possible nbme/step style questions and do them.

Also, if you're shooting for 250+ you're probably looking for something competitive that'd like to see AOA status so you might wanna honor your classes too.
 
Rumalum said:
I got a >260...during my M1 year, I listened to lectures at home (2x...), read the textbook chapter, and read the syllabus if I felt like it. Also picked up the piano, volunteered a bunch, and did everything to stay in the real world because after 4 years of college, I was quite done with lectures. I ranked in the 2nd quartile after M2 year so I could have done better on my exams. I actually attribute my good board score to reading big robbins and doing a spaced out crunch "month" during the last few months of M2 (my real crunch month was a joke and an exercise in procrastination). I performed far better as an M3 than I did as an M1/M2
Click to expand...


As counter intuitive as it sounds, doing other things helps. I remember back in M1 where I tried to do nothing but study. You will seriously get depressed and will end up with back problems. Rather than spending 15 hours a day studying, spend 8 and set a timer with intervals alerting you constantly to motivate yourself.
 
Breathe. Learn MS-1 material. Study for Step 1 in 2nd year.
 
On my way to search function for more detailed answers, but does the advice "do well in class for M1, don't start board prep 'til M2" still apply for 1.5yr pre-clinical? I think our dedicated time is in January.
 
nOchemallday said:
On my way to search function for more detailed answers, but does the advice "do well in class for M1, don't start board prep 'til M2" still apply for 1.5yr pre-clinical? I think our dedicated time is in January.
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Only if people that have completed a 1.5yr pre-clinical say it. Most of us go to 2-year schools so our advice generally wouldn't be applicable to people at 1.5yr schools.
 
nOchemallday said:
On my way to search function for more detailed answers, but does the advice "do well in class for M1, don't start board prep 'til M2" still apply for 1.5yr pre-clinical? I think our dedicated time is in January.
Click to expand...

Is your curriculum organ system based? If so read FA and watch pathoma with whatever organ you are doing in class. You can also throw in some usmlerx questions. Save uworld for dedicated
 
I scored >250. Only advice I can give for MS1 is to do well in and try to honor classes. Nothing else really matters that early in the game, prep-wise. Just focus on classes.

As far as whether people scoring 250+ are just genetically smart: I don't think they necessarily are. Ultimately Step 1 is mostly a content exam with some reasoning requirement based on your foundation of knowledge. I think it is possible for the average medical student to score however high they want if they put in enough time. I also think some of the smartest medical students have blown the exam or done just average because they didn't put in the prep time.

That said, I think the overwhelming majority of people scoring that far above average are above the mean medical student IQ. I don't think this data has been collected, but I would be shocked if it were untrue.
 
Merely said:
Has anyone on this board ever gotten higher than 274? I dont even think so..
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I don't hang here enough to remember people's score. My upper classmate/high school friend got 278
 
Grades are the best predictor of Step 1 performance. My school has tons of data on this, and I've found it to be true on an anecdotal level as well. The people acing all the preclinical courses are the ones who scored in the 250+ range. Don't ask yourself "do i really need to know this?" For step 1, the answer is always yes. Memory is largely about repetition. Hit as much as you can as early as you can. Obviously, still take care of yourself, including your mental health. Also, remember that not everyone is going to be capable of 250+ scores. If there was a simple algorithm for scoring that high, everyone would be doing it and the score would therefore be worthless. Just work as hard as you can and learn as much as you can.

I think one of the best things to do is start a q bank early, but that's just my opinion.
 
Rogue Penguin said:
Grades are the best predictor of Step 1 performance. My school has tons of data on this, and I've found it to be true on an anecdotal level as well. The people acing all the preclinical courses are the ones who scored in the 250+ range. Don't ask yourself "do i really need to know this?" For step 1, the answer is always yes. Memory is largely about repetition. Hit as much as you can as early as you can. Obviously, still take care of yourself, including your mental health. Also, remember that not everyone is going to be capable of 250+ scores. If there was a simple algorithm for scoring that high, everyone would be doing it and the score would therefore be worthless. Just work as hard as you can and learn as much as you can.

I think one of the best things to do is start a q bank early, but that's just my opinion.
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I've seen 3 studies that showed no statistically significant relationship between preclinical grades and step 1 score. Obviously it's logical to think grades correlate, but the data just isn't there.

Maybe the correlation is there at your school, but the variation in curricula, grading, etc makes it difficult to apply nationally.
 
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