A. Timeline. B. Material. C. NBMEs. D. Exam. E. Tips.
A. Timeline: 12 months: Kaplan and Goljan first read. Done during work. Inconsistent studying. 3 months: USMLE World two passes. 3-month online subscription. First pass in 70 days. By subject. Timed. Second in 20 days. Random. Timed. Kaplan second read, excluding pathology (Done with UWorld first pass). Full time studying. 3 weeks: First Aid* Organ Systems. Two passes. (Started during UW 2 nd pass) My notes*.
Tips: . The first read part is a very variable part. Extend or reduce to suit your schedule. . Spend time in the first read. Understand every concept. Look up textbooks and the internet. It will make a difference in the second part in shaa Allah. Plus, you won’t have time to do that during the second read. . I found it better to do UWorld two times BACK TO BACK. You want to know everything that’s in there well. Doing the Q bank twice one time right after the other will help you retain the information better. . I advise you to take notes from UW. . Solve full blocks. Always timed.
. You can choose to do the first pass offline. But I urge you to take the second pass online. . Waking up early, at dawn, worked very well for me. * First Aid: The greatest advantage of FA is that it makes it possible to review the whole curriculum in a few days. Another great advantage is the many mnemonics that WILL make your life easier. Some people start doing FA early on in their preparation and add notes from Kaplan and UW to it. Pros: It becomes your ultimate source. Cons: FA would be a very difficult read done early in your preparation since it offers hardly any explanation. . The way I did it: I reviewed FA after two passes of Kaplan and two of UW. Pros: A very easy read. Cons: I had to use my notes too. * My notes: I made a notebook for each subject during the first pass of UW, with all the new stuff in UW plus some stuff from Kaplan (lecture notes) that I felt I had to go through again. ……………………………………………………………………… B. Material: . Kaplan Lecture Notes and videos for all subjects except pathology and histology. . Goljan for pathology. . BRS for cell biology and histology. . BRS for embryology (Only the “first eight weeks”). . Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunlogy- besides Kaplan. (For selected readings: Immunology, General Bacteriology, General Virology, Mycology, Parasitology) . USMLE World Qbank. Online. . Kaplan Qbank. (Only pathophysiology and genetics). Offline. . First Aid: final review.
Tips: . Keep pathology for last. Many concepts in all the other subjects serve pathology. . I chose to start with physiology. It’s an easy read, with less to memorize. Should give you a boost. . Kaplan videos I found very useful: Pharm by Dr. Lionel Raymon. Biostatistics by Dr. Steven Daugherty. Embryology and Anatomy by Dr. Seiden. . I suggest you solve Kaplan Qbank’s pathophysiology and genetics sections. The pathophysiology section will review concepts that are more difficult than what is covered by UWorld. And the whole UWorld Qbank does not contain a single genetics calculation, so you might want to make yourself familiar with this kind of questions just in case. ................................................................................................................................... C. NBMEs: . I took two forms online: Form 7. Three weeks before my test. Score 245. Form 15. One week before test. Score 257. And I solved forms 11 and 12 offline. Form 11 is easier than the others. . The NBMEs will give you a chance to work on your weaknesses. The weaknesses I’m referring to are not study defects. They are mainly QUESTION SOLVING DEFECTS. Please refer to the “Exam section”. Therefore I suggest you do at least two NBMEs (online or offline with a trusted answer key). . I suggest you use the NBMEs to do a mock exam. Seven blocks. Four online and three offline from another form. Plan your breaks JUST LIKE THE REAL EXAM.
. Don’t solve an NBME form without having a trusted answer key, from someone who took the form online and made an answer key attached to the offline form they used to make it. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time looking for the answers, and you won’t really be able to use it as an assessment. p.s. I made answer keys to 7 and 15. You can find them in the USMLE Step 1 preparation group on facebook. D. Exam: . Your performance on the exam is NOT ONLY determined by how well you’ve studied during your preparation. All examinees only take this test when they’re ready. The following tips will make more sense after you’ve solved NBMEs. . Some questions on the test are simple and straightforward. (Ah wallahi). They’re not out there to get you. Just choose the obvious answer and move on. . LOSE THE NOTION of the “What the Hell Questions”. Many questions on the exam will not be answered by direct recollection of information, but by simple reasoning based on information that you have. How you deal with these questions makes all the difference. When you come across a question that is not a straightforward one, DO NOT regard it as a “what the hell question”. Put your thinking cap on, and reason your way to the correct answer. . When caught between two answer choices, ALWAYS choose the one that is “simple logic”. Trying to outsmart the question will usually lead you to an incorrect answer. Bel 3arabi: BALASH FAZLAKA.
. Don’t choose something you don’t know, like a syndrome you’ve never heard of, over a choice/choices that you know but are not sure about UNLESS you have some degree of certainty that those choices you know can’t be right. But if it comes down to two choices, one of them you’ve never heard about, and you have no clue which of them is right, pick the one you know. . The difficult ethics questions: Always think; if I were to encounter this patient in real life, what would I do. We usually get caught up thinking about the rules in the books. When it’s a difficult situation, make the choice you would make in real life. This usually works. . You might want to read the last line of a question stem longer than 2 or 3 lines first. This will help you shut out the distractors. And sometimes, the question lies wholly in the last line, with 3 or 4 lines of junk to drive you crazy. . Reading the question stem, highlight the key words. Some prefer to actually highlight them in yellow. I prefer to do it in my mind. e.g. Question stem reads: “A 2-year-old boy is brought to your office by his mother for a well-child examination.” I read: “ boy, 2, well.” . Only mark the questions where further thinking might change something. Sometimes you will choose an answer you’re not 100% sure of, but it seems most likely. Marking this kind of question wastes time, since you are not likely to change your answer when you come back to it. . Do the tutorial on the ecfmg.org website before the test. It is exactly the same. This will save you 15 minutes’ break time. You can find the tutorial under the “Practice Material” tab. On the exam, just adjust the sound and hit “end block”. When you do that, a window will warn you that you have not answered 3 questions in this block. End it anyway. Tutorial questions count for nothing. ………………………………………………………………………
. Make hotel and transportation arrangements early. . If you’re traveling for the test, I suggest you make plans so as to arrive the afternoon of the day before. The road will leave you tired and that will help you go to sleep. Getting there in the morning will leave you a whole day and you won’t study that much anyway that day plus you’ll be tired as I mentioned. . Travel light. Don’t overpack; neither books nor else. . Examinees don’t all start at 9:00. I arrived at the center at 8:30. Some had already started, and they kept calling one after the other. I started at 9:30. Take that into consideration when you book your return. I almost missed my bus. . The locker in the center will not take bags, so have your valuables ready to place in the locker. You will leave your bag(s) beside the locker. E. Tips: .AIM FOR THE SKY. The worst thing you could do to yourself is believing you’re not good enough. You build the ceiling against which your potential halts. Study to get a 280. Start the exam to get a 280. And end the exam to get a 280. A 280 mindset will make you retain what you’re studying better, because you need it to get your 280; will make you think clearer; will make you notice things you couldn’t have with a 240 mindset. A 280 mindset will not give up at any difficult question, because you can’t make mistakes when you want to hit 280. A 280 mindset will find the trick. A 280 mindset will remember the facts. A 280 mindset does not block. A 280 mindset does not know “what the hell questions”. A 280 mindset is what you need to ace this test. p.s. THIS IS 100 PERCENT TRUE.
. Keep your eyes on the match. Make sure you have planned for the next exams, for observerships/electives. That includes time management. Start working on your CV. You can find very valuable resources to guide you on the EAMTAR facebook group. . Try to find a study partner. He/she will help you with studying, planning and motivation. . There is no right way to prepare for the USMLE tests, and a wrong way. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. However, make sure you have a plan. Write it down on paper; this always helps me get perspective. Also do so when comparing alternative plans, write both on paper with the pros and cons of each. . Remember. Preparation and perseverance will lead you to success in shaa Allah.
