When is a good time to take Step 1?

[Jemeni]

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So finals end on the 16th of May for us... Third year starts during the second week of June. When would be a good time to take the exam? It just feels strange registering this far in advance with no preparation or idea of where I stand yet. I obviously don't want to take it so soon, but on the flip hand I don't want to wait to long and start forgetting stuff. A majority of my classmates fall into the latter camp actually, and all have told me to pursue a late-May date if possible.

Any input? When would be too soon? And how easy/feasible is it to move the date?

I'd really appreciate it.

 

[redpanda]

Well, this is hard to give a good suggestion here, because I don't know how much time you'd have to dedicate to studying prior to May 16. What would help you is to take an NMBE to gauge where you are in April or early May. With what your classmates are doing, it looks like most of the real prep is happening while your classes are still running.

My school had an eight week dedicated period for studying + exam taking. I would say the median time from beginning of study period to exam in the class was 7 weeks of full time work. I was scheduled for a date at 6-7 weeks when I registered for a date 4 months ahead of time, but realized on my practice NMBE at the beginning of the study period and the one 4 weeks in that I was in a very good position, so I moved my date up after perusing the local test center schedules (>10 days prior to the scheduled time) for ?$50, which was totally worth it for the extra vacation time.

 

[JJMrK]

I took 7 weeks, and feel like I maxed out at about week 6. Personally I'd want the max of 4 weeks in your situation, but it'll depend on how much time you had to study for finals and whether those finals were nbme tests or not.

 

[Jemeni]

It seems like most manage quite well at my institution. Studying for finals is only a few days. Again, most who took it in June also said they wish they had gotten out of the way earlier. Still, I'd hate to not give myself enough time.

 

[Jemeni]

Sorry for the double post, but don't dates typically show 6 months before? If so, why aren't the June dates up yet?