USMLE Step 1 Student Guide

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Bugs 5 29%
Drugs 4 24%
Biochem 3 18%
Questions 1 6%
Other 4 24%
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MD5-MD7 Preparations
MD5
Other MD5 Board Prep Comments
Very very superficially started to read. Didn't learn that much in MD5. I would suggest that you
review 1-2 topics that you are not quite comfortable with. watch one chapter of kaplan biochem
every weekend while annotating in first aid I think that consolidating your knowledge from MS1 is
most important during this time. If you study too much you'll get discouraged since you haven't
covered some pretty big topics (Neuro/Musculo/Repro). Should start going over Bugs & Biochem
at this point Studying in MD5 is not necessary. Repeat, it's not necessary. Enjoy the free time.
Should you really, really want to start board prep, start making mental cases of first aid. That way
you could review the mental cases for about 9 months before boards. Take this time to have fun
and don't worry about studying for Step 1 yet I wish I had done more bugs and biochem over the
summer I should have reviewed cardio and pulm, but honestly, you only get one summer of med
school, so I do not regret resting....assuming I passed boards Planned to get through Micro Made
Ridiculously Simple, but in reality only got through like the first two chapters. It would have been
good to read in MD1. J ABSOM doesn't teach you basic science, but it is waiting for you on Step
1. I wish I had used this time to become more familiar with my first aid and to get a general feel of
what kind of information is important for boards. nothing- i relaxed
MD6
zainallison@gmail.com
USMLE Step 1 Preparation - Google Drive https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13wEXNdY_w066MVG8PzsP1SRYw...
1 of 18 6/22/2013 7:44 PM
Bugs 5 28%
Drugs 2 11%
Biochem 4 22%
Questions 2 11%
Other 5 28%
Bugs 24 32%
Drugs 11 14%
Biochem 20 26%
Questions 13 17%
Other 8 11%
Didn't study board stuff in MD6--concentrated only on neuro. Don't worry too much about board
prep in MD6, I would focus your efforts on trying to understand neuroanatomy watch one chapter
of kaplan biochem every weekend while annotating in first aid Focus on MD6 material is probably
the best board help. These topics are VERY high yield for USMLE and understanding them well will
help you a LOT in your future studying. If you have so much time that you feel compelled to study
general board material.. then clearly you haven't studied as much neuroanatomy as you could!
Learn MD6 well and you won't have to review for boards Learn MD6 material! Very important for
boards. MD6 is tough enough. I really wanted to board prep, but found it too difficult to schedule in
with keeping up with MD6 material. Mastering MD6 is good enough board prep. Neuro and musculo
come up A LOT on the exam so be sure you have it down cold. If you made mental cases during
MD5, study those, but don't overkill it. Focus on neuro, musculoskeletal and psych. Learning it
well now will make MD8 easier. Focus on MD6, but learn that stuff hard. Especially seizure drugs,
psych drugs. Focus on MD6, it's a handful alone. It is all board prep, did not have time for
anythign else, but if you learn it well especially neuro, it helps a lot come board review. Focused
solely on MD6. Hard to study during MD6 unless you are an android. But, glue yourself to first aid
and secrets for neuro and musculoskeletal to make sure you learn this the way it will be tested on
boards. Do that, and you should be fine on the MCQ and MEQ. I wish I had done practice
questions specific to MD6 (musculoskeletal, neuro, psych) while in MD6. nothing- md6 is long
enough
MD7
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Learned micro, immuno, and biochem in MD7 watched DIT videos while annotating in FA. flaq a
few bugs on firework everyday and do the scheduled quiz questions. PharmCards are good. Good
to tackle your weak areas (Bugs/Biochem) due to the lower course work load. Also suggest
completing Kaplan Qbank during this time or starting it. Focus strongly on your Reproductive unit as
well, since it is also a very high yield topic for the boards. Luckily you can still devote time to MD7
AND boards since you have so much time off compared to MD6. This is a good time to start
reviewing the biochemistry concepts because the inborn errors of metabolism has its own case in
MD7. Also, immunology can be easily explored with the DiGeorge case, and I would recommend
reading no further than the First Aid for the Basic Sciences General Principles (Immunology,
biochem you may need lippincotts). Start reviewing all organ systems during this time I spent
MD7 reviewing all of the basic science sections of First Aid (micro, path, pharm basic concepts,
biochem...). J ABSOM really lacks any sort of solid basic science curriculum (except maybe Path), so
if you are a non-science major like me you are really screwed. Start studying this stuff now. It comes
up on boards...A LOT! Also, I made mental cases of every section of first aid to be reviewed during
MD8. During MD7, try to review basic principles of difficult subjects rather than memorizing
details. Also, if you learn the reproductive system now, you will be able to devote more time in MD8
to other organ systems that might require more time to review. MD7 is dumb Study bugs and
drugs well during md7 and you will knock out a good part if your studying from md8. Start doing
questions broadly, just to get a feel for the type of questions and concepts they test. If you have time,
study other smaller subjects like biochem and biostats. Don't neglect MD7 though, because it is
relevant on boards. So much free time use it to study for boards. Focus on those three.
Focused mostly on MD7; did the DIT part 1 questions as consistently as possible. Got behind at the
end. Started after MD7 midterm with just reading ridiculously simple to get a big picture of micro
and biochem. That helped me organize the random bugs and reactions that I learned during the 1st
two years. My LIs got real short in MD7. I was jamming nearly full time on board questions and
board prep. Make your study schedule during winter break and at the beginning of MD7 start
reading books (Micro made ridiculously simple) and annotating them into First Aid and include doing
some questions. While easier said than done, try to balance MD7 and board studying... do not
completely blow off MD7... there is valuable material to learn that will be tested on Step 1. If you
learn MD7 well in MD7, you won't have to spend as much time on it during board studying. It was
really helpful to read these through early on. That way it comes bback fast. nothing- md 7 is long
enough. some questions.
Questions Banks
When did you start seriously looking at questions?
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MD5 2 6%
MD6 2 6%
MD7 11 35%
MD8 16 52%
USMLE World 30 60%
Kaplan QBank 14 28%
USMLERx 3 6%
First Aid Q&A 2 4%
Other 1 2%
0 0 0%
<1 3 10%
1 8 26%
1-2 12 39%
2 7 23%
>2 1 3%
0 4 13%
<1 14 45%
1 7 23%
1-2 3 10%
2 2 6%
>2 1 3%
Which question banks did you find to be the most useful?
How many times did you go through USMLE World?
How many times did you go through Kaplan Q Bank?
How many questions per day would you complete in MD5?
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0 28 90%
<46 2 6%
46-92 0 0%
>92 1 3%
0 26 84%
<46 3 10%
46-92 2 6%
>92 0 0%
0 7 23%
<46 14 45%
46-92 7 23%
>92 3 10%
0 0 0%
<46 0 0%
46-92 14 45%
>92 17 55%
Question Bank Tips and Tricks
1. Don't start World questions until MD8 at the earliest! 2. Don't share questions with other
people--don't spoil it for them! 3. Kaplan is not super necessary, but World is. select all options
and do repeat questions too. annotate in FA thoroughly. I suggest doing Kaplan during MD7 as a
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learning experience. However, I wouldn't annotate this into First Aid since it contains too much info.
Then save your time to do Uworld 2x in MD8 at a more leisurely pace than your classmates-- which
allows you to go for more understanding (and allows for annotation). Uworld first pass might only be
2 blocks per day w/annotation but then the 2nd pass will take half as much time since you won't
need to annotate (which is the major time loss). Read all of the answers Do World 2x if
possible. Do Kaplan once. Annotate first aid as you go through the questions (be sure you include
the information about the correct and incorrect answers in your annotations). This adds a lot of time
to doing questions, but is so worth it, because when you go back and review in first aid, I often
remembered the question from World. Oh, and use a different color to signify that it is a world
question (in fact, I had a different color for Goljan, DIT, World, and Kaplan) The Qbank that
teaches you the most is World. I felt as though Kaplan was wasting my time. Learn each question
really well. Experiment with different strategies, like looking at the answer choices first or reading
the last sentence of the prompt first, to figure out what works best for you. Now is the time to try out
different things without fear of consequences. I also found it useful to get up and walk around every
hour to keep myself from falling asleep. I focused mostly on UWorld. I think using the "All
Questions" rather than "Unused Questions" worked better for me because I would refresh myself on
questions I kept missing. The style of questions in USMLE World were remarkably similar to Step
1. Think 2 step when approaching questions. I'd start with Kaplan during MD7 and then start on
world in MD8. World was most representative of boards so don't get too discouraged with Kaplan.
I loved world. Really taught me a lot. People think that going through it a second time would throw
them off because they already knew the question, but I disagree I think if you learn the concept it
really helps. Start with Kaplan or USMLE Rx and start early. Quit Kaplan and switch to World once
md8 starts. I only gave myself 30 days with U World, and it was enough to get through it all once.
If I hadn't also been doing DIT, I would have been able to get through all my wrong questions, too.
Don't do whatever Zain did. Read all of the explanation for every question! The explanations are
how you learn and help to solidify your understanding. If you only read explanations for the
questions you got wrong, you are wasting questions. It may be painful and you may think you "know
it all" but you never now when an explanation will teach you something knew or make you realize
you didn't actually know what you thought you knew. I found it more important to make sure I
knew the material over the questions. I got questions wrong simply because I hadn't put the m as
material to memory yet. None are actually like the real thing. my real test was kinda random.
maybe utilize kaplan too.
Courses
Did you purchase/win a review course?
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Yes 10 33%
No 20 67%
Kaplan 6 35%
Doctors in Training 5 29%
Pathoma 5 29%
Other 1 6%
Kaplan 10 24%
Doctors in Training 2 5%
Pathoma 11 26%
Goljan 19 45%
Other 0 0%
If yes, which one?
Did you utilize a copy of a review course? (i.e. downloaded videos/lectures)
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2013 25 81%
2012 5 16%
2011 1 3%
Duca's 1984 vintage edition 0 0%
Step 1 Course Tips and Tricks
kaplan: watch biochem and pharm DIT: micro only pathoma: watch multiple times, better than goljan
in my opinion goljan: not really DIT goes quite slow. It seemed complete, but I ended up not using
it (besides the Primer Series during winter break) and felt like I wasted the $700+course. Watch
the Kaplan and Pathoma videos If you don't want to watch all the Kaplan videos make sure to watch
biochem, pharm, behavioral/psych, micro. Listen to Goljan audio during gym, driving, taking a shit.
Goljan, Goljan, Goljan!! I spent 5 whole days of MD8 listening to his lectures and annotating First
Aid as if I was taking his lecture series. It was awesome. If I had time to do that twice, I would have.
DIT is awesome. Don't waste money on anything Kaplan. Buying the lectures/courses just doesn't
seem worth it. You have to watch them on their schedule rather than your own, and if you don't
complete the videos in time then you have to pay $200 a week to keep the subscription going. Much
easier to just get a pirated copy. YOU MUST WATCH PATHOMA. I probably wouldn't have used
so many review courses in retrospect. Didn't have the chance to get through all of Goljan's lectures,
and some of Pathoma's videos were better than others. I would definitely recommend Kaplan videos
for pharm. Listen to Goljan in your car. You will more than likely retain some random bits of info
that will prove useful.
First Aid
Which edition did you use?
Did you correct the errata?
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Yes 13 42%
No 12 39%
Kinda 6 19%
Book form 17 55%
Cut the binding, punched holes, used a binder 11 35%
Electronic 3 10%
Yes 31 100%
No 0 0%
How did you use your copy?
Did you annotate First Aid?
First Aid Tips and Tricks
People will tell you to memorize FA, which is true. But there are several things not in FA, in
particular pictures (pathology, imaging, etc.) to keep in mind the pharm chapter is high yield
Annotate only Uworld material into First Aid. Annotating Kaplan will be ridiculous and make you
overburdened with facts that are not very high yield. FA sucked for the boards First Aid for the
Basic Sciences is a good text version of first aid that you can easily use to annotate extra
information because it is written in the same order / format as first aid. Memorize FA, but know
that there is MUCH more material you need to know for boards. Knowing content is important, but
doing Q's are more important Use different colors for different resources so if you have a question
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Yes 18 58%
No 13 42%
Yes 7 24%
No 22 76%
about your note you know where to look. I read through First Aid once when reviewing organ
systems/disciplines and then used it the rest of the time only to jot down important notes. You'll find
that you keep revisiting certain concepts or details while doing questions and will start to remember
them. Build a strong base by using FA through MD2-7. Oh yeah, J ABSOM told you to not use first
aid the whole time. That sucks, because now you will wish you had. Good mnemonics I went
through it about 6 times. 4 times in MD8. It was gold. i annotated it like it was my Bible. But I never
looked through it while I was reviewing test questions unless I was seriously stumped. You need
adequate study time. Don't worry too much about annotating things from the 1st and 2nd years
into your copy of First Aid. I did that for a few of the units but most of what I annotated was pretty low
yield. Also, don't worry about annotating anything from the Kaplan Qbank into First Aid. The most
useful annotations in my First Aid came from UWorld and Pathoma videos. I annotated while
correcting my U World questions. Didn't make sense to do it any other way, except for with a few
Pathoma lectures. Screw you, Zain, I used to 2011. And by the way, I should have used 2013,
better color diagrams, and they update the mnemonics. know the buzz words.
Other Step 1 Resources
USMLE Step 1 Secrets
Robbins Pathology (Big or Baby)
Step Up to USMLE Step 1 (Doctors in Training)
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Yes 1 3%
No 28 97%
Yes 6 21%
No 23 79%
Yes 22 73%
No 8 27%
Yes 2 7%
No 27 93%
Kaplan MedEssentials
Micro Ridiculously Simple
Biochem Ridiculously Simple
Immuno Ridiculously Simple
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Yes 3 10%
No 26 90%
Yes 14 48%
No 15 52%
Yes 1 3%
No 28 97%
Yes 9 31%
No 20 69%
Goljan Rapid Review Pathology
Goljan Rapid Review Biochemistry
BRS
Pharm Cards
12 of 18 6/22/2013 7:44 PM
Yes 10 36%
No 18 64%
Yes 11 38%
No 18 62%
Yes 4 14%
No 25 86%
Yes 2 7%
No 27 93%
Micro Cards
Path Cards
Anatomy Cards
Flash Facts (First Aid Flashcards)
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Yes 2 7%
No 26 93%
Yes 14 48%
No 15 52%
Yes 7 24%
No 22 76%
Made my own flashcards
Learning Issues
Other resources, comments, or suggestions
I would recommend that you start to review pharm and micro cards early! I suggest making your
own Pharm flashcards from First Aid early (MD7) so that you can edit them as you annotate FA and
use them slowly during MD8. Every night you can review ONE section as you cover First Aid
reading... and it will come together very well by the end as you keep going over them! Firecracker.
Everyday. Take as many NBMEs as possible. If you only have time for one, take the most recent
form (for us it was 15). That one felt a lot like the actual exam. There are a lot of resources, don't get
bogged down. Pick a few and master those! Furthermore 99% of the info on the test refers to tid bits
in first aid, so memorize that sucker and you should be golden. I used Picmonic, which just
launched in J anuary 2013. It's a great resource but it's a little expensive. The good news is that they
are always offering discounts.. I got 50% off. If anyone wants more information about this, ask me
(Raj). But I would suggest this to everyone.. it's an easy way to remember the gritty details in first
aid. The BRS book that I used was BRS physiology, which I highly recommend. I didn't use any of
the other books from the series. Hahahahahaha learning issues Goljan RR Biochem comes with
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300+biochem questions, totally worth it. Lippincotts biochem was good to review if you are weak
in that subject. Golijan rapid review is gold. Go through that first even before first aid. How the
Immune System Works is a great book for people like myself who knew nothing about immuno prior
to MD8. Don't worry about taking notes/retaining everything in the book... it just sets up a good
foundation to understand the immuno presented in First Aid. Listen to goljan whenever you are
not doing questions or doing other review things. Don't spread yourself too thin when it comes to
resources, just find the few that work for you. I made a bunch of pharm flashcards with mental
case over MD5, but didn't use them. I occasionally referenced LIs (usually) my own to review certain
topics, if I remembered the LI to be particularly clear/helpful. I love kaplan med essentials. Also
used brs pathology and brs physiology. Goljan audio lectures, Kaplan biochem book
Study Habits
What was the best study idea you had?
1. For the 1st half of board studying, study parallel to a friend that doesn't freak you out and doesn't
talk too much. That way you can keep each other on task and take food breaks when needed but not
distract each other. 2. For the 2nd half of board studying, study by yourself most of the time. Find a
quiet area and try not to study in too many different places. 3. Take practice NBMEs 4. Take 1 day
off or 2 half days off a week, it is super important to do this. start early 1) Making my own Pharm
Flashcards based on ONLY First Aid meds plus those in Uworld that weren't in First Aid. 2) Finishing
Kaplan Qbank during MD7 3) Going over UWorld twice. The 2nd time really worked well, even
though I felt like most of them were super easy--- but those 10% you get wrong the 2nd time YOU
WILL NOW KNOW! Plus... you may not have had the same understanding the 1st time you went
through the Qbank and got it right/wrong... so reading the explanations will yield higher
understanding. starting micro in md7 Went back to Cali (my homeland) to study Microbio
Made Ridic Simple +Kaplan Microbio Questions during MD7. Study the information in first aid in
the morning, then do practice questions in the afternoon Goljan before sleeping Starting UWorld
early in MD7 Skype study dates with study partner going over sections of first aid. They knew
things that I didn't and vice versa. For me, reviewing through conversation really helped solidify
those topics that just weren't sticking. Didn't really have any good ideas :\ Questions? I dont
know really. Read a FA section and then use flashcards to make sure it is memorized. Seriously,
memorize FA and you're good. Study in hour long blocks with short breaks to resemble the test.
Make sure you have the stamina to last sitting in front of a computer for several hours. I studied
Pathology sections of First Aid First and went through Golijan rapid review at the same time, it really
taught me a lot of pathophys and brought the concepts together. Towards the end I spent a full day
on each of the topics that were most difficult for me to grasp like pharmacology, cardiac heart
sounds, pharm. But the best study idea I had was spending three weeks solo, then going to
starbucks daily with other peers for morale. Studying micro and immuno during MD7 saved my
butt. Made my own flashcards (Anki is a good program for your laptop that syncs with your phone
too) and reviewed them every day Give myself 30 days. Force myself to stay at Barnes and
Noble for the whole day. Start a system by reading Secrets. That is a great book. We should give
15 of 18 6/22/2013 7:44 PM
Before 4/28 0 0%
4/28-5/4 0 0%
5/5-5/11 1 3%
5/12-5/18 1 3%
5/19-5/25 8 26%
5/26-6/1 18 58%
6/2-6/8 3 10%
6/9-6/15 0 0%
Yes 22 73%
No 8 27%
PBL a serious haircut and basically just do Secrets as a group. Parallel studying with a friend
helped to keep me focused, not distracted, and helped me to study longer hours than I would have
had I studied alone. Look lightly through stuff day before. I had about twenty questions on stuff I
looked at day before and was happy I didn't take the day off completely. Finish a question bank
(world or kaplan) before the end of md7. It frees up your time in md8 like crazy. not studying at
school
What do you wish you had done differently?
I wish I took it a bit earlier Nothing started earlier Not focus so much on my % correct in
Qbanks. Stupid way to stress. Don't compare scores w/Qbank. started earlier Did not rely so
heavily on FA Start earlier. Didn't move my test Wish I did Kaplan Qbank Started World
Earlier I have no idea. I wish I had learned bugs better. And antibiotics Start doing questions
earlier We'll see If I passed, then nothing. I wish I made my study schedule earlier and stuck
to it. I also wish I had gone over more biochem in MD7. Started questions earlier Read micro
made ridic simple in MD1? none Pay less attention to PBL and more to Secrets, FA and Path
through my first two years. Started preparing for Step 1 earlier Studied pharm a little bit each
day Started world earlier moved my test up a week
When did you take your test?
Did you feel ready for the exam?
Tips and Tricks for studying/surviving this hell
Take breaks, see friends and family, eat well, don't pull all-nighters, don't freak out and don't freak
16 of 18 6/22/2013 7:44 PM
others out rant when you need too. everyone is feeling the same. Eating lunch with a friend.
Being able to talk to someone who is going through the same thing can be rewarding. Also it helps
motivate you to keep studying since you are aware of their progress as well. Study at school. take
practice exams take study breaks have a study buddy Study the stuff you are bad at first and
more Start doing Qbanks early. Study really hard. This is a brutal and awful experience. The
beginning is the worst because you really know very little and will get a ton of questions wrong and it
will seem like you will never learn enough to be able to pass. Fear not, this is a temporary feeling.
About half way or 3/4 through MD8, it'll click and you'll start answering more questions right and it'll
just feel a bit easier. It was so bad at first, I'd wake up dreading each day. Make a schedule and stick
to it, that helps on the days when you just feel like it's too much. J ust remember, it's all going to be
okay. If we can survive, you certainly can. Pace yourself. Don't study for more than 10 hours a
day. You can still have fun while studying. Take time out of each day to do something for yourself.
EXERCISE! Schedule a two-day break in the middle of the study period. I spent many of my "off"
days studying instead of resting and felt the most burnt out around the end of week 5. A scheduled
no-excuses break, no matter how behind I felt, was enough to get me through the rest of the study
period. You will never be ready. J ust trust yourself. Do a lot of questions, and memorize first aid.
Avoid burnout and take breaks Take one day a week to study a half day and relax for the other
half. Find something relaxing that you enjoy to keep your sanity. Exercise. Take a day off a week
or two half days. See friends or go on a date. Lots of stress relievers. Study with others or in the
presence of others every once in a while. I am not a group study person but it helped me to stay
focused and keep my spirits up when I felt bogged down by anything or jaded. Always make time for
yourself to recharge whether it be exercise family friends or whatever hobby you have. Your mental
health is the most important thing to be mindful of during this time so invest in it! Limit yourself to
30 days; take time off when you need it; realize that you're never going to know everything (but try
anyway). Develop a routine and stick to it. Ignore Zain's survey emails. Be excited to learn! At
the end of it all you are going to be surprised at how much knowledge you have acquired over the
course of your studying for Step 1! And know that what you are learning for Step 1 will help you to a
better 3rd year student and help you take care of your future patients. Stay motivated. Don't burn
out. don't stress out- everyone is suffering
ENTER YOUR NAME FOR THE RAFFLE
What is your name?
kori Peter Dara Be Evan kellie H.Do J ennifer Nishioka Adam Cole
Raymond Machi Mamma Ash Raj Austin Nakatsuka Aileen #2 Zain Nicole Dayton
Aileen Kris Brooke Ashley S littocroissant Anna Al Duca Marissa Lara Nicol
J ustin Sean Matsuwaka mark c
What should Duca name his daughter?
??? J amie??? Petey Doris or Daisy Be Penelope fontanelle Luy (I have a cousin
17 of 18 6/22/2013 7:44 PM

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