Page 1 of 4: Tips: HOW TO TAKE THE USMLE STEP1: FOR DUMMIES

fragile_x · Credits: 14492 My Scrapbook My Reading List 12 Books

HOW TO TAKE THE USMLE STEP1:FOR DUMMIES

Hii everyone,just took my USMLE step1 & although I would actually be qualified to give advice more when I receive a good score,many of u(at least many who I know) have an exam coming up shortly.so I”ll just share my exam exp. with u all.

THE PREPARATION TIME:

I prepared for bout 6 months more or less,but it can surely be done in a lot less.anywhere between 4.5 to 8 months is the time taken by most candidates.a lot of it depends upon how fast u do ur first reading & how many MCQs do u wish to do afterwards.

THE RESOURCES/BOOKS:

Im personally a kap. fan & now I know for good reason.however attractive the “high yeilds” & other books might seem,the answer are all in the kap. material……even behav. Science for which many ppl do BRS.the Anatomy of kap. is more than sufficient.one might wish to do patho from Goljan or BRS.
The resources I used were…..
Kap. for all subjects
Goljan 500 pages for patho
Kap. videos for micro/immumo,Anatomy /physio/behavioural science/Biochemistry
First aid

THE MYTHS:

1. USMLE is an “easier” exam.
no sir its not.consider the following….try sitting for 8 hours in an exam being on ur toes all this time,thinking how to use ur precious 45 min. break time all the time.in the end,the tiredness gets to u & by the last two blocks u tend u think like “tick watever looks best on the first look” & “exam jaldi khatam ho yaar”,watever the answer to the questions.

Apart from the exam,USMLE & an american resi. in itself is a stressful thing.one has to think bout the financial expenditure,the no. of steps one has to do good in,the long procedure of it all & the valid insecurity of not getting a resi. even after passing ur steps.i mean,anything could go wrong anyday,if not in ur step1,maybe during ur step2ck or ur CS or ur interviews or ur step3.
The odds r too high for comfort.

2.I m an average student,should I consider taking the USMLE exam?
Of course.go ahead by all means….invest 6 months of ur time with all ur sincerity & u”ll know after step1 whether ur made for it….as I hope to know in a month”s time.

3.cant I prepare for USMLE & indian PG at the same time?
It”ll be a tough thing,real tough.i wld say don’t try it.explore all ur options,take a decision & stick to it.

4.many other “myths” & “doubts” have been discussed by other knowledgeable members of this forum,most notably ashB,kindly have a look.

HOW TO PREPARE:

Start on a high note.plan from the start how much time would u need to do ur first reading……when will u do ur Qbook,Qbank etc…..by wat time u wish to take ur step1 exam considering tht u need to apply by sep.-oct. for next year”s match.

Start with a subject tht u were comfortable with during ur graduation days.or if u want my word,start with physio….its conceptual,doesn’t require a lot of mugging of facts & builds up a sound base.

Thereafter u can do watever sunjects u feel good about….there r no fixed rules.

Try to do the first reading fairly quickly…..u wont remember much even if u take a lot of time in understanding the things.

Stick to a fixed no. of sources & books.u”ll understand all the concepts u need in these few defined books.the USMLE isnt interested whether u know ALL the intricacies of the subjects.by & large,important concepts r tested.ur unlikely to know or remember the minute details tht u may encounter in rare questions.

Keep the chin up…..keep urself motivated.one bad day doesn’t mean the next day has to be the same way too.one good day in ur prep can set the ball rolling for many days.its all about self-belief isnt it?

Keep ur fingers crossed……on the day of the exam I”d rather be a lucky guy than a know-it-all guy.

On the last days of the exam prep….keep ur cool,stay focussed,don’t try to mug up too much.thinking “on ur feet” would help you more than remembering the facts.get a good night”s sleep the night before……it”ll come handy when u”ve done 4 blocks & still 3more to go & ur wishing u didn’t take bio when u were in high school.

MY PREPARATION:

Did my first reading in 3 months(we”ll discuss tht later)………tht was without the qbook.then did my second reading in 1 month & change WITH the q book.then did mcqs exlusively for 15 days & then did my final reading of theory in the last 15 days.
My scores……
Q book…..75%(2 months before ur exam)
Q bank……75%......i did only half the blocks…random mixed ques.(one month before the exam)
Kap. simulated 350 ques…..73%(5 days before the exam)
USMLE FRED practice exam……2 days before the exam…..40/50,46/50,37/50.

THE EXAM DAY EXPERIENCE:

Know the way to ur centre.if u have someone else to drive u there,thts the best thing.the prometric centre ppl r usually very professional ppl,they know their stuff & u rarely have any problem.u would be told all that u should & should not do before the exam starts.the exam is LONGER & TOUGHER than wat u might have experienced in ur practice exams.actually its like this…some blocks are REAL TOUGH,most blocks r a mixture of tough & average questions,1 or 2 blocks might seem to be easier.
But,on an average….u”ll be a bit short of time compared to while u were doing ur practice exams.so keep the pace from the very first question & try to finish ur blocks 7-10 minutes before ur block time ends so tht u can have a second look at the ques. u were doubtful about.resist from changing the answer though on most occasions,espcially if ur making a guess a second time too,as they say “first guess is the best guess”

Take ur breaks wisely…thr r no rules..its upto u,how ur feeling at tht time.i took a 3-5 min. break after each block,though I mostly kept sitting at my place,just to take a breather & gather my thoughts.then u can take a LONGER,15 min break after block 4 & another moderate 10 min break once more.

Make sure tht u have the orange card & passport with ur when ur going……I know its trivial…but if u make this mistake,ur a dead man.

MY MISTAKES:

1.Took too long to do the first reading.it can be done in 1.5 to 2 months…..but I took way longer.in the end u recall the same amount however long u take.

2.failed to meet my weekly or subject-wise targets,consequently took longer,all wasted time really.

3.failed to make the final reading of first aid in the last 2 days of the exam & goljan 500 in the earlier 2-3 days.in the end,I ended up reading only half of FA & less than half of galjan.
4.didnt do as many mcqs as I would want to…..wanted to do most of the q bank.

5.wasted too much time on net & tv in the last month.

WHAT I DID RIGHT:

1.Didnt delay my exam much….just by 5-7 days.however long u take,ur amount of prep is going to be more or less the same…..& u”ll feel as if u don’t know a thing when the exam approaches.

2.kept myself motivated.

3. stopped doing internet & tv in the last week.

THE CONCLUSION:

Be clear in ur mind wat ur short & long-term objectives in terms of ur career & life as whole.Put in ur best,sincere effort & hope for the best.

ACKNOWLEGDEMENT:

Shriya(for being a buddy)
AshB(for being the most helpful person one cld hope for)
Vineet(for not being a “mod”)

Ur comments,questions & suggestions are most welcome.

KEEP IT REAL

A

georgie · Credits: 8465 My Scrapbook

thanks buddy! good to know ur out of it! so lets hope for the best results! I think u ve done pretty well.....so wats ur next plan ? taking a break till results or going on with step 2? yes its true that things should ve done in short time.....even I wasted too much time yaar! just trying to be perfect .......but it never happened.....i agree that longer prep doesn't do any better!

so good luck

fragile_x · Credits: 14492 My Scrapbook My Reading List 12 Books

thnk u.....i"ll know in a months time wat the result is.whenz ur test btw?

georgie · Credits: 8465 My Scrapbook

mine is on may 19.......actually postponed it by 10 DAYS.Are you planning for 2007 match?

fragile_x · Credits: 14492 My Scrapbook My Reading List 12 Books

yes,so far i am.it all depends upon if i"d be able to take my step2ck in a short period of time......& wat my scores wld be like.

regards

A

manpreet108 · Credits: 30662 My Scrapbook

hi arihant,
all the best for yr results --u corrected me at right time for the same mistakes i ve been doing .
hey -do keep an acknowledgement for me--for i had warned u of the value of time in yr thoughts for the day,thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and u had given good thought on it.

anyways ,jokes apart--thanks for sharing yr experience...we dont have to do all the mistakes ourself to learn from those!!

fragile_x · Credits: 14492 My Scrapbook My Reading List 12 Books

my pleasure.

the wat one of the things.....tht ppl dont make the same mistakes tht i did.

hope it helps everyone.

regards

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manpreet108 · Credits: 30662 My Scrapbook

fragile_x · Credits: 14492 My Scrapbook My Reading List 12 Books

lol.....actually i am ari.

jus changed my ID cuz wasnt comfortable wid using my real name online.

good luck to all mle aspirants.

peace!

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AshB · Credits: 41453 My Scrapbook My Reading List 6 Books

A really nice account Ari!! I guess Pentagon would be more than interested in ur thread's title..

You have done a great job by describing things in actual practical perspective. N with ur unique style of homor, its really an interesting read. I'm sure all of us future test takers will benefit from this.

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