Here's my Step experience. I've been lurking here nearly every day while I waited out the painful 3 weeks for results. I want to thank everybody who has shared their experience and helped make the time go by faster.
I went to AUC in Sint Maarten: 18 months straight of basic sciences followed by 6 weeks of study after completion of 5th semester.
As far as the exam goes, my advice to succeed on test day is to realize that from day 1 of med school, everything you learn contributes to your Step 1 score. There was nothing taught that was superfluous, in any class. As we know, most of the exam is pathology and pathophys, but I feel very strongly that classes like biostats and ICM (intro to clin. med) which seem irrelevant at the time were extremely valuable.
Knowing the clinical presentations help you immediately identify the foundation the question is built on, and the rest of your course work helps you answer that particular question. I approached each list of answer choices as if they were differential diagnoses; most of the time you can say, 'no that one applies here, that one applies there', and so on. Very rarely are there nonsense choices.
More than anything though, you have to put the time in.
Beginning in Path 1, I started the Kaplan Qbank. I would do questions only related to what was being taught in class. In Path 2 I started USMLE World Qbank. I finished all of Kaplan Qbank, plus the 1200 Kaplan integrated vignettes before I left the island. I supplemented classes when I needed clarification with Kaplan videos and Najeeb videos and Pathoma. I listened to Goljan when I exercised.
I highly recommend buying the qbanks and not downloading them to allow easier tracking of your progress.
Even before our on-island comprehensive exam, I completed the all 1200 integrated vignettes, ~70% of Kaplan Qbank, and the DIT videos - in addition to class work. When I left the island in December I took time off for the holidays.
Beginning in January, I completed USMLE World and USMLE Rx Qbanks, reading the correct and incorrect answer choices for each and every question, all in un-timed tutor mode. You get ≥ 5x the presentations and patho/phys/MCB/etc by reading about all the choices. I continued to listen to Goljan when exercising, but never did read any of his book.
Questions, 1x through FA thoroughly, 1x Kaplan lecture notes quickly, and NBME practice exams is what comprised my 6 weeks of study.
Doing questions is invaluable. Do as many as you can. I completed over 10,000 questions including Robbins Review, Utah Path, Tulane pharm, UMich anatomy, UW, Kap, USMLERx, and NBME exams. And that doesn't include class exams!
I completed the following practice NBME online exams (extended, $60 each) and UWorld assessments:
1/10/14: NBME 6 - 245
1/24/14: NBME 11 - 242
1/30/14: UWSA1 - 263
2/7/14: NBME 12 - 257
2/10/14: UWSA2 - 263
2/11/14: NBME 15 - 250
2/13/14: NBME 7 - 250
Real Deal 2/18/14: 260
With regard to the NBME scores, the thing I noticed is this: I was ready once I left the island. My scores didn't really improve that much over the 6 weeks I studied. Most of what I had learned was done during classes. When I think about a concept or a pathway, for the most part, review books don't pop into my head - class lectures/notes do.
That being said, First Aid is a necessary tool for review (but not for learning!!).
Again, thanks to all who have shared their experiences!
I went to AUC in Sint Maarten: 18 months straight of basic sciences followed by 6 weeks of study after completion of 5th semester.
As far as the exam goes, my advice to succeed on test day is to realize that from day 1 of med school, everything you learn contributes to your Step 1 score. There was nothing taught that was superfluous, in any class. As we know, most of the exam is pathology and pathophys, but I feel very strongly that classes like biostats and ICM (intro to clin. med) which seem irrelevant at the time were extremely valuable.
Knowing the clinical presentations help you immediately identify the foundation the question is built on, and the rest of your course work helps you answer that particular question. I approached each list of answer choices as if they were differential diagnoses; most of the time you can say, 'no that one applies here, that one applies there', and so on. Very rarely are there nonsense choices.
More than anything though, you have to put the time in.
Beginning in Path 1, I started the Kaplan Qbank. I would do questions only related to what was being taught in class. In Path 2 I started USMLE World Qbank. I finished all of Kaplan Qbank, plus the 1200 Kaplan integrated vignettes before I left the island. I supplemented classes when I needed clarification with Kaplan videos and Najeeb videos and Pathoma. I listened to Goljan when I exercised.
I highly recommend buying the qbanks and not downloading them to allow easier tracking of your progress.
Even before our on-island comprehensive exam, I completed the all 1200 integrated vignettes, ~70% of Kaplan Qbank, and the DIT videos - in addition to class work. When I left the island in December I took time off for the holidays.
Beginning in January, I completed USMLE World and USMLE Rx Qbanks, reading the correct and incorrect answer choices for each and every question, all in un-timed tutor mode. You get ≥ 5x the presentations and patho/phys/MCB/etc by reading about all the choices. I continued to listen to Goljan when exercising, but never did read any of his book.
Questions, 1x through FA thoroughly, 1x Kaplan lecture notes quickly, and NBME practice exams is what comprised my 6 weeks of study.
Doing questions is invaluable. Do as many as you can. I completed over 10,000 questions including Robbins Review, Utah Path, Tulane pharm, UMich anatomy, UW, Kap, USMLERx, and NBME exams. And that doesn't include class exams!
I completed the following practice NBME online exams (extended, $60 each) and UWorld assessments:
1/10/14: NBME 6 - 245
1/24/14: NBME 11 - 242
1/30/14: UWSA1 - 263
2/7/14: NBME 12 - 257
2/10/14: UWSA2 - 263
2/11/14: NBME 15 - 250
2/13/14: NBME 7 - 250
Real Deal 2/18/14: 260
With regard to the NBME scores, the thing I noticed is this: I was ready once I left the island. My scores didn't really improve that much over the 6 weeks I studied. Most of what I had learned was done during classes. When I think about a concept or a pathway, for the most part, review books don't pop into my head - class lectures/notes do.
That being said, First Aid is a necessary tool for review (but not for learning!!).
Again, thanks to all who have shared their experiences!
