Which first year classes are tested more heavily on step

[sbuxaddict]

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Hi everyone,

I had a rough transition to school the first semester and am slowly finding my stride. Unfortunately, some classes were almost finished by the time I started feeling more comfortable with the workload. I passed them all but I definitely do not have a good grasp on some of the material, especially since I was cramming a lot.

Which classes from first year come up more often on step 1? I know people have said everything comes back to you when you start studying for step but I'm pretty sure I didn't learn a lot of things that well my first time around.

Biochem, physio, histology, immunology, genetics, anatomy, etc.

Thanks a lot!

 

[joker2400]

Hi everyone,

I had a rough transition to school the first semester and am slowly finding my stride. Unfortunately, some classes were almost finished by the time I started feeling more comfortable with the workload. I passed them all but I definitely do not have a good grasp on some of the material, especially since I was cramming a lot.

Which classes from first year are tested a lot on step 1? I know people have said everything comes back to you when you start studying for step but I'm pretty sure I didn't learn a lot of things that well my first time around.

Biochem, physio, histology, immunology, genetics, anatomy, etc.

Thanks a lot!

Yup

 

[sbuxaddict]

Yup

Even histology? How would that be tested though?

 

[joker2400]

Even histology? How would that be tested though?

They give you a picture and ask you a question about it.

 

[sbuxaddict]

They give you a picture and ask you a question about it.

So basically everything from first year?

 

[notbobtrustme]

class is rarely comprehensive and often superficial on a lot of details.

everything from the first 2 years in class is fair game, plus whatever else is in FA/Uworld/Pathoma.

 

[Psai]

What did you expect to be tested on? Underwater basket weaving?

 

[sbuxaddict]

What did you expect to be tested on? Underwater basket weaving?

I guess I worded my thread title wrongly. I'm asking which subjects tend to be tested on more from first year, like more biochem versus anatomy maybe? I honestly just don't know and was just looking for a little input. But if everything is covered evenly on the exam, that's also something I didn't know. Same goes for underwater basket weaving,

 

[pathologyDO]

Everything is tested on. The thing you should want to know is what material within each subject is HY... And for that you should use FA, Pathoma, and maybe throw in BRS Physio. Everything high yield will be in those books (particularly FA)

 

[sbuxaddict]

Everything is tested on. The thing you should want to know is what material within each subject is HY... And for that you should use FA, Pathoma, and maybe throw in BRS Physio. Everything high yield will be in those books (particularly FA)

Good to know thanks!

 

[Psai]

They don't separate it into topics like that. It's all integrated. For example, they'll give you a pic of an auer rod and say 45 year old female comes in with fever and cough, gums are bleeding. Temp is 38c, pulse is 99, blood pressure is 106/66, respiratory rate is 20. Cmp shows a bunch of numbers, cbc shows a bunch of numbers including an elevated white count. You get a peripheral smear and they give you a picture of a bunch of blood cells. In the middle is a myeloblast with several auer rods in it. What is the best treatment? A) radiation and autologous bone marrow transplant b) chop therapy c) high dose prednisone d) all trans retinoic acid e) rituximab

Answer is d. So you have to know histology as you gotta know the picture and hematology to interpret it, a little about anatomy to understand the bone marrow transplant, genetics to understand the 15; 17 translocation and how the pmr/rar alpha fusion protein contributes to pathogenesis, biochem to understand how atra binds to the retinoic acid receptor to allow the abnormal cells to mature and treat the disease.

Something like that anyway, operaman is better than me at making up questions

 

[Jabbed]

Hi everyone,

I had a rough transition to school the first semester and am slowly finding my stride. Unfortunately, some classes were almost finished by the time I started feeling more comfortable with the workload. I passed them all but I definitely do not have a good grasp on some of the material, especially since I was cramming a lot.

Which classes from first year come up more often on step 1? I know people have said everything comes back to you when you start studying for step but I'm pretty sure I didn't learn a lot of things that well my first time around.

Biochem, physio, histology, immunology, genetics, anatomy, etc.

Thanks a lot!

You may have noticed this already, but oftentimes your syllabus will reach back and dust off some old biochemistry principle for the sake of whatever organ system you're studying. The most important material from M1 will be integrated into M2 year and expanded upon, so don't be particularly worried that you'll never see the material again before your step exam.

I would strongly recommend reading Big Costanzo and reviewing with BRS throughout the year as physio is probably the most important class to be well versed in before heading into M2 (both for Step and foundational purposes). Genetics is pretty straightforward and you can get by if you have a handle on the FA material. Immunology will come back in immunopathology, but it can be a very confusing topic if you're weak in basic immuno so you should anticipate doubling down your efforts during that block.

I feel like most people just wing it with histology. You'll get lots of slides in pathology, and honestly most of the time my ability to 'read a slide' is dependent on pattern recognition more so than a legitimate thought process. Anatomy is a wildcard, and I really don't know if you can/should go back and re-learn it.

My advice with biochem is to get the Lipincott Illustrated Review book and study the **** out of whatever biochem topics pop up during M2 year.

 

[KnuxNole]

Honestly, everything I learned from path in terms of the pictures did NOT come from Histo, I didn't use any concepts from Histo in path class, since I was more focused on the diseases and facts...I just memorized pictures and the patterns *shrug*. For ex: the vignette with the Auer rod, I learned about that first in pathology and memorized that pic and went "Oh, that thing!"

Anatomy, embryo and histo are less frequent compared to Biochem and physio from the main 1st year classes.

 

[cbrons]

They don't separate it into topics like that. It's all integrated. For example, they'll give you a pic of an auer rod and say 45 year old female comes in with fever and cough, gums are bleeding. Temp is 38c, pulse is 99, blood pressure is 106/66, respiratory rate is 20. Cmp shows a bunch of numbers, cbc shows a bunch of numbers including an elevated white count. You get a peripheral smear and they give you a picture of a bunch of blood cells. In the middle is a myeloblast with several auer rods in it. What is the best treatment? A) radiation and autologous bone marrow transplant b) chop therapy c) high dose prednisone d) all trans retinoic acid e) rituximab

The sad thing is I skipped over everything in your post just to make sure my answer to your hypothetical question was right.

 

[operaman]

They don't separate it into topics like that. It's all integrated. For example, they'll give you a pic of an auer rod and say 45 year old female comes in with fever and cough, gums are bleeding. Temp is 38c, pulse is 99, blood pressure is 106/66, respiratory rate is 20. Cmp shows a bunch of numbers, cbc shows a bunch of numbers including an elevated white count. You get a peripheral smear and they give you a picture of a bunch of blood cells. In the middle is a myeloblast with several auer rods in it. What is the best treatment? A) radiation and autologous bone marrow transplant b) chop therapy c) high dose prednisone d) all trans retinoic acid e) rituximab

Answer is d. So you have to know histology as you gotta know the picture and hematology to interpret it, a little about anatomy to understand the bone marrow transplant, genetics to understand the 15; 17 translocation and how the pmr/rar alpha fusion protein contributes to pathogenesis, biochem to understand how atra binds to the retinoic acid receptor to allow the abnormal cells to mature and treat the disease.

Something like that anyway, operaman is better than me at making up questions

Nicely done! Since you can't dx the M3 (APL) subtype of AML from just a smear, I think the real Step 1 question would ask you what your next step would be and would include all your distractors but substitute FISH for the retinoic acid one. It's clinically relevant and does a nice job of seeing if you understand both the disease process and the molecular/cell bio behind confirming your diagnosis. They could also make it one of those 2-part ones where you can't change your answer on the first part once you see the second, and for the second one show you the FISH result and ask for the best treatment based on it. Your question is definitely fair game though since only A and D are treatments for AML and A is generally a second-line therapy after failed chemo.

I find writing questions to be immensely helpful in preparing for exams. There's so much info to learn, but figuring out how you would test it starts to show you that there are really only a handful of ways to ask about something. They can dress the M3 / APL question up a hundred different ways, but in the end it's still the same question.

 

[Make Or Break]

They don't separate it into topics like that. It's all integrated. For example, they'll give you a pic of an auer rod and say 45 year old female comes in with fever and cough, gums are bleeding. Temp is 38c, pulse is 99, blood pressure is 106/66, respiratory rate is 20. Cmp shows a bunch of numbers, cbc shows a bunch of numbers including an elevated white count. You get a peripheral smear and they give you a picture of a bunch of blood cells. In the middle is a myeloblast with several auer rods in it. What is the best treatment? A) radiation and autologous bone marrow transplant b) chop therapy c) high dose prednisone d) all trans retinoic acid e) rituximab

Answer is d. So you have to know histology as you gotta know the picture and hematology to interpret it, a little about anatomy to understand the bone marrow transplant, genetics to understand the 15; 17 translocation and how the pmr/rar alpha fusion protein contributes to pathogenesis, biochem to understand how atra binds to the retinoic acid receptor to allow the abnormal cells to mature and treat the disease.

Something like that anyway, operaman is better than me at making up questions

As someone entering medical school this August, the above question looks very intimidating.....

 

[famoussquamous]

As someone entering medical school this August, the above question looks very intimidating.....

At least at my school the questions were a bit more straightforward until the second semester, where basically every question on the test was at that question's level, if not harder.

 

[cbrons]

As someone entering medical school this August, the above question looks very intimidating.....

You have no idea. The sad thing is CHOP therapy is really a thing.

 

[notbobtrustme]

As someone entering medical school this August, the above question looks very intimidating.....

by the time you study for boards, that question will be a slam dunk.

 

[Jabbed]

As someone entering medical school this August, the above question looks very intimidating.....

Dw, it's way simpler than you'd think. By the third line you'll be like "omfg it's APML just get to the ****ing point already".

 

[MedSchoolSurvivor]

I wouldn't blow off any area of study for the step 1, it's too variable to predict what exactly will show up and what won't. Making sure you learn the concepts of the topics you said you didn't have a good grasp over is paramount. That is the structure on which the details you learn will take hold. Without learning the concepts it is very hard to remember the details.

 

[Eokpar02]

Biochem and Anatomy are the two first year subjects tested most heavily on Step 1.

 

[padfoot777]

Just get some board prep materials and actually look to see what's important . You're responsible for how well you prepare for step 1 not your professors. Class exams measure how well you studied the material they taught you, which may or may not be board relevant. Every school has a few instructors that are phenomenal and a few that are less than ideal. This advice will serve you well finishing up first year but you'll really understand what I'm saying come 2nd year. Good luck

 

[tiedyeddog]

So basically everything from first year?

Anatomy is probably the lowest yield, after that everything is fair game.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Biochem and Anatomy are the two first year subjects tested most heavily on Step 1.

I don't think you're correct in this... There was hardly any anatomy on my exam.

 

[Eokpar02]

I don't think you're correct in this... There was hardly any anatomy on my exam.

Okay, I run into a bunch of anatomy on UWORLD.