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Exam in 2 months; Study Schedule !!

23K views 149 replies 19 participants last post by  sukar 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I needed some help and advice from everyone regarding my study plan for the next 2 months. My eligibility period ends on June 30th and I want to be prepared for my exam by the May 30th! (that's my goal).

I got held up past week because I got hit with the flu and I have been very sick. I wasn't able to study as much as I used to and it slowed things down. Well here is my plan moving on forward -

**Doing Kaplan Qbank as much as I can while following this plan**

1) Starting with the three P's:
I finished off Pharm and Physiology in the month of March.

2) April 5th to April 15th: Pathology
-sources: Pathoma Videos + KLN (my own notes on Kaplan Book)
-I don't plan on using the Pathoma book because it will be a "new source" and for now I just plan on watching the videos. That way I will also save time and may be I can watch the videos for a 2nd time at a faster speed.

3) April 16th to April 25th: Work on Weak Areas
I will be using Kaplan Lecture Notes for all of these.

-Neuro: also using HY Neuro - this will prolly take me 3 days.
-Micro: Viruses (1 day)
-Beh. Sci: Biostats (0.5 day)
-Genetics, Immunology (1 day)
-Phys: Renal, Cardiac calculations (2 days)
-Path: Msk/Skin disorders, GIT Disorders (1 day)
-Pharm: Antibacterials/virals, Adrenergic pharm (2 days)
-Biochem: A few key enzymes, GSD's (0.5 day)

This will take me about 10 days to cover all these smaller topics. These are my weak areas so I will focus on these and review them from KLN.

4)April 26th: Give an NBME !!

5) April 27th: Start DIT !!

So this is my basic plan for the month of April. I am aiming to work on Pathology and other weak areas and use Pathoma and KLN & HY Neuro. I will give an NBME at the end of this month, around April 26th or 27th. I am giving myself 1 or 2 days worth of leeway in case I don't stick to the plan strictly!

After the NBME, that will give me a good indication of where I stand and no matter what after that, I will start DIT. Hopefully, DIT will bring up my averages in Qbank and NBME and I can assess myself again with another NBME in mid-May.

Please give me advice on the following:
1) Do I need to follow the pathoma book? Or is it ok if I don't use their book but still watch the videos at least 2 times?
2) Which NBME should I give at the end of April(before DIT) and in mid-May (after DIT) ?
3) Are there any other weak areas that are high yield that I should add to my list to cover during the 10 days ?

Thank you. Your advice and suggestions will be very helpful! :)
 
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#3 ·
Please give me advice on the following:
1) Do I need to follow the pathoma book? Or is it ok if I don't use their book but still watch the videos at least 2 times?
2) Which NBME should I give at the end of April(before DIT) and in mid-May (after DIT) ?
3) Are there any other weak areas that are high yield that I should add to my list to cover during the 10 days ?

Thank you. Your advice and suggestions will be very helpful! :)
Q1: Sorry... I don't know about pathoma. Ask Dr. Nick. Hehehe!! He's a big Pathoma fan. Happy-2

Q2: If it's your first nbme, you can try Dr. Nick's suggestion in another thread: form 5. It's also what I'm going to use as my first online nbme "to test the waters" and as my baseline before I go jump to the "hard-core" ones. However, if you're going to take an nbme at the end of April, since it's close to the exam, you might want to start with form 11 (pre-DIT) then, 12 (post-DIT). I read it from a recent post by Nouman. I just can't remember which thread. To those who remember, did I get the forms right? Or was it form 12, then, form 11?? :eek: Or you can also do as XpaezX said... :)

Q3: Other high-yield areas? Hmmm... For me, the mode of inheritance (XR, AR, etc) of the common diseases for genetics, receptors (which ones are Jak-Stats, cAMPs, etc.) for molecular bio, water-soluble vitamins and the enzymes they co-factor for biochem, cystic fibrosis for patho, Gs/Gi/Gq rec for pharma. You probably know this already, but anyway, there's also List of Forgettables in the Recommended Threads... :)
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the suggestions dwiqed!

I got all the pathoma information from dr.nick and that's why i decided to do it :)) As for the NBME's I'm still not sure which ones to do but thats to be decided later on. Thanks for the suggestions on other high yield areas! I will include the ones I feel weak on :) I want to take finish this and take the NBME after and see where I'm standing and hopefully DIT will improve my score by 10-20 points.

Other than that, is there anything missing in my study schedule? This study schedule is just till middle of may ... if i follow it up, I will still have a month and a half till my eligibility period ends so hopefully my NBME's go well .. then i'll be less stressed! :eek:
 
#6 ·
You should start from your weakest areas, stuff that u dont like.
I am on the same time frame, starting Genetics today.
I hate genetics.
Than Ill do biochem - I guess I hate it too!!
And after that Neuro - fun, but I never gave a full power to it.

On top of it, I am going to read goljan RR every day and listen to his lectures while doing housework or at work. At the end of April I'll take NBME 5 and then give a full run to all subject using my FA and notes from qbanks that I made to it (2 thick moleskine notebooks)

Then after this marathon Ill take last nbme and give hardcore kickass revie for 3-5 days and go take the FUSMLE

This is my revised TAUS method.
I am not advertising it, just showing my approach to kick the hard and weak areas the most
 
#8 ·
Sounds good. I think I want to get Pathology out of the way - that way I've gone over the 3 P's thoroughly! Once that is done - I will work on my weak areas .. I'm not set on starting DIT till I finish reviewing my weak areas. I will also try listening to goljan .. at least a lecture per day .. but I want to do some questions per day as well... So if it gets too overwhelming then I will definitely choose questions over goljan. I've listened to a the first 5 chapters of goljan so far.
 
#9 ·
I've gone over UW before. I made very detailed notes when I was going through it the first time. I will use those notes after my DIT run ..UW Notes + FA + Qbank .. that's most likely going to be my plan after DIT (in the last 20 days before my exam).
 
#11 ·
sounds like a great plan
i have to give the exam around the same time probably first week of june
still i am left with 3 subjects...pharma,anatomy and biochem
also i am doing kaplan Q bank
Hope2pass you made me realse how close i am to the exam
i liked the part where you would focuss on your weakness
i too need to work out a plan
ALL THE BEST...
keep us updated
 
#14 ·
Hey,

Hows your preparation going? Hope its coming along good.
How is your progress on Qbank? I am going pretty slow with the Qbank right now since I am focusing on reading more. Share your plan if you've made one!
Let's keep each other motivated :)

Good luck!
 
#13 ·
my friend all u need to know is concepts.

dont use uw as testing tool

use it as learning tool

they concentrate on the high yeild stuf that we need to know for the exam.
if u do kaplan Q bank, they ask u the wierdest thing on earth, wich might make u feel good tht u knew it, but they are not gonna test u on those!

so 1 wants to study to just get tons of knowledge, every 1 wants to clear out the exam with a high score!

please kindly check other exam pass outs how they prepared!
 
#24 ·
i am going so slow
dont know why
these videos drain me of all my energy
Hope2pass i will soon come up with a plan
just want to finish those 3 subjects
docsikorski read the taus method
thanks for suggessting today only i was wondering
what to do about FA
it requires paramount effort to annote FA
when i read KLN its fine BUT when i see the same thing in FA
so much is missing (eg the pharma side effects)
i am feeling demotivated today
feel like crying:(:(
 
#27 ·
Hey I feel the same about annotating FA :notsure: My FA has SOME notes in it but its not unbinded and full of extra notes or anything like that! When most people start off FA in the last 2 weeks to a month of their prep then how do they annotate FA ? ... Anyways, I haven't made too many annotations from KLN .. just a few points here and there. Rest of the FA has a lot of highlighting and underlining from multiple reads.
 
#25 ·
Please give me advice on the following:
1) Do I need to follow the pathoma book? Or is it ok if I don't use their book but still watch the videos at least 2 times?
1- Unlike Kaplan where you can watch the video by itself or read the KLN without the videos, Pathoma videos are extremely integrated. You should do them together not separate. Watch the videos with the book open because at times he references the book, and it gives you a clear outline.
 
#30 ·
hey tootsie...thank you so much feels good that i am not the only one struggling with my FA
i have decided not to annote pharma on my FA
for micro i think FA is enough
behavioral FA is enough
for path i have done goljan will be revising it
physio i havnt looked at FA i find KLN good
for biochem i havnt read it so cant say what will i do
i want to give one NBME at the end of this month
and then work on my weakness
and then around 15th may give another NBME
whats your plan how are you doing things?
 
#33 ·
First day today ...

Got through 4 chapters in the KLN .. Just watched a little bit of the video so going to continue watching the videos tonight :) I sleep around 4-5 so I have about 4 hours to go !! :rolleyes:

Anyone know if we have to download the viewer every time to watch the videos ?
 
#34 ·
First day today ...

Got through 4 chapters in the KLN .. Just watched a little bit of the video so going to continue watching the videos tonight :) I sleep around 4-5 so I have about 4 hours to go !! :rolleyes:

Anyone know if we have to download the viewer every time to watch the videos ?
I had vlc player playing these KLN videos
 
#37 ·
Update

Here's an update:

- Finished the first 10 chapters of Path in KLN
- Have watched about 3 hours of pathoma so far at 1.4x .. I have 22 hours to go .. planning on watching 3 hours today :rolleyes:
- Doing Qbank questions .. scoring around 50% in physio and pharm.

Just did a block of 46 questions in PHYSIO ... did HORRIBLE! :toosad: I got 39% and it dropped my cumulative overall as well. The first 20 questions took me 33 minutes :( Then the rest 26 questions I had to rush through as I had literally a minute per question ... Main weakness was renal and cariac physio ... so reviewing the questions now and then going to watch the pathoma videos.

That's all. Hope everyone's prep is coming along good and according to their plan!
 
#38 ·
Here's an update:

- Finished the first 10 chapters of Path in KLN
- Have watched about 3 hours of pathoma so far at 1.4x .. I have 22 hours to go .. planning on watching 3 hours today :rolleyes:
- Doing Qbank questions .. scoring around 50% in physio and pharm.

Just did a block of 46 questions in PHYSIO ... did HORRIBLE! :toosad: I got 39% and it dropped my cumulative overall as well. The first 20 questions took me 33 minutes :( Then the rest 26 questions I had to rush through as I had literally a minute per question ... Main weakness was renal and cariac physio ... so reviewing the questions now and then going to watch the pathoma videos.

That's all. Hope everyone's prep is coming along good and according to their plan!
nice.

you should not be spending more than 1 minute per question
 
#43 ·
@Hope2Pass: I've started kaplan qbank today (diagnostic test). Doing them random, timed.

@Sukar: I'll do an nbme soon too. I'm not very prepared as much as I like, but I'll do one by April 18. Probably nbme 5 (I'm going with Dr. Nick's advice). I might also do DIT + qbank some time on May. I'm still thinking which qbank I'll use with DIT [i.e. uworld (2nd pass), kaplan qbank, or usmleconsult...]

@DocSikorski: How's your usmleRx + TAUS going? I'm about to start (modified) TAUS too... Taus looks great, by the way. The integration of topics makes studying TONS more interesting. :)
 
#44 ·
I'll just vent a bit... about pesky little subjects. :rolleyes:

I just finished bolstering my weak major subjects using kaplan videos and uworld (2nd pass on those subjects only).

I did kaplan diagnostic test to see which ones are my NEW weak areas. (The kaplan website can be slow at times that I fell asleep during the test! :)) Good thing the kaplan website actually stopped loading so my time didn't run out.)

Turns out my new poor areas are those pesky little subjects again (i.e. genetics and biostat)! :p Personally, I feel they are very hard to retain. Unlike in patho or micro where once I memorized them I can retain them for a good 2 months, these minor subjects tend to have very short half-lives. (Add immuno to the list of forgettable subjs for me, btw.)

Like DocSikorski said, start with the subjects we hate. I'm starting (modified TAUS) with genetics, biostat, and physio calculations. But I hate calculations/inheritance diagrams so much, I don't feel like studying them... :))
 
#47 ·
I'll just vent a bit... about pesky little subjects. :rolleyes:

I just finished bolstering my weak major subjects using kaplan videos and uworld (2nd pass on those subjects only).

I did kaplan diagnostic test to see which ones are my NEW weak areas. (The kaplan website can be slow at times that I fell asleep during the test! :)) Good thing the kaplan website actually stopped loading so my time didn't run out.)

Turns out my new poor areas are those pesky little subjects again (i.e. genetics and biostat)! :p Personally, I feel they are very hard to retain. Unlike in patho or micro where once I memorized them I can retain them for a good 2 months, these minor subjects tend to have very short half-lives. (Add immuno to the list of forgettable subjs for me, btw.)

Like DocSikorski said, start with the subjects we hate. I'm starting (modified TAUS) with genetics, biostat, and physio calculations. But I hate calculations/inheritance diagrams so much, I don't feel like studying them... :))
I thought you said that it was best to do Kaplan qbank 1st and UW 2nd. Is this right?
 
#49 ·
Hey guys,

Another update:

-Pathoma: 18 hours of video left (watching it at 1.4x)
-KLN: haven't read since last time (10 finished, 19 chp left)
-Qbank: Reviewing and trying to do some questions

I am focusing more on watching pathoma videos and finishing my reading for KLN but it takes a while! I can't seem to fit in time to do the questions but I guess I am going to try and finish Pathology by Sunday. Then according to my plan I will start working on my weaknesses and spend about 10-15 days on those. NBME date still set for end of April as long as I finish everything on time!
 
#50 ·
Hey guys,

Another update:

-Pathoma: 18 hours of video left (watching it at 1.4x)
-KLN: haven't read since last time (10 finished, 19 chp left)
-Qbank: Reviewing and trying to do some questions

I am focusing more on watching pathoma videos and finishing my reading for KLN but it takes a while! I can't seem to fit in time to do the questions but I guess I am going to try and finish Pathology by Sunday. Then according to my plan I will start working on my weaknesses and spend about 10-15 days on those. NBME date still set for end of April as long as I finish everything on time!
Hey Hope, why are you doing KLN? I thought that many ppl always took that book off their lists and just dealt with RR or (recently) the pathoma book.

Anyways, thanks for updating us on everything. It really helps to know what the crowd is doing.

Are you jotting any notes down from pathoma? I plan to do pathoma but also listen to Goljan...Like back to back. Did Goljan once. Now I'm just filling in the little subjects and major ones like biochem, micro and pharm.

Keep us updated! :p
 
#54 ·
Hey guys,

I have a question for you....I know most of guys in this thread are PATHOMA hardcore fans.this is going to be my 2nd attempt,i have read Goljan pathology RR before and i had trouble reviewing that book towards the end of my prep and close to exam date.it was too vast and even with 3 reads i had difficulty remembering it,you know what i mean.
i want to know how are the other options for Patho,i hear a lot abt Pathoma and some guys even did BRS patho and scored 240+ and says its was a bless that they have read BRS patho.
guys please advice me what to pick for patho...as it is going to be a book which i am going to stick to.thank you....
 
#57 ·
Yeah, I think that once I'm done with kaplan videos I too will do Taus.

Taus himself said it took him aprox. 10 weeks, but I think Taus is a genius, so it'll take me much longer.

But yeah DocSikorsi, how is Taus coming along for you? Can you detail so far what you have done and how cumbersome is it?

Thank you.
 
#63 ·
Update:

-12 hours of Pathoma video's left.
-13 chapters of KLN left.

Haven't been able to do any Qbank questions lately but I'll start doing them once I finish Path. Got 3 full days of the weekend ahead to finish everything! :eek:
Doing Biochem which I do not like.
subjectwise scores of the usmleconsult show me ass :notsure:
 

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