I feel like I am weak in most subjects in general. I got a low pass in every class I took. My NBME result showed that I missed about 30 pathology questions, about 20 pharm questions and about 10-12 micro questions from what I remember (I missed a total of more than 80 questions).
I can get through a block of UWorld in 4-5 hours. I stopped using UWorld because I felt I needed to review things first before continuing on. So my strategy for now is to use brocencepahlons anki deck for the next 10-15 days. I used first aid throughout school but don't remember much from it and anki is the best way for me to retain the facts, which I feel like I had forgotten when I took the NBME. Once I get through brocencephalon in the next two weeks at about ~700-1000 cards/day plus doing sketchy pharm/micro. I was planning on doing 80-120 Uworld questions/day (might not be able to do all of the bank due to time) and then take an NBME to see where I am out. Open to any thoughts or suggestions. Greatly appreciate you trying to help me.
If you can get through Uworld and are truly reviewing each and every answer you should at least be able to pass Step 1. It's especially encouraging that it takes you 4-5 hours to get through a block in Uworld (that is a good amount of time to spend on each block). I would not stop doing Uworld questions. The threshold for passing Step 1 is not high, and as long as you've been able to pass your classes throughout medical school I think you'll be able to pass the exam. What I've heard some people do is they make an excel sheet (or anki deck) of Uworld points as they go through the questions. You would make one flashcard for each question with only information in the flashcard to answer the question correctly. Before you do the next block, you can review your flashcards from the previous block to help solidify the knowledge. For example, take the following question...
Which of the following findings is
most directly a result of uncle herniation?
a) facial numbness
b) mydriasis
c) tongue weakness
d) impaired shoulder shrugging
In your flashcard you would write "what is associated with uncle herniation" on one side and "mydriasis" on the other. You would then review the anatomy so that you can get a conceptual idea of why this happens. You'll look at the location of cranial nerve 3 and the relation to a potential mass lesion and understand why a compression of the parasympathetic nerve can lead to a blown pupil. You'll then review this flashcard over and over for a period of time until you nail the concept into your head. Forget about the other details in the rest of the Uworld explanation. Studying for Step 1 is a combination of memorization and deep conceptual understanding. I think if you do this for every single Uworld question you will certainly at least pass.
