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Old Graduate Mom Scored 252!

16K views 43 replies 22 participants last post by  usmle1199 
#1 ·
I am finally in the position to write about my experience and feeling so happy that can write as an old graduate and a mom.
In short:

1. Study materials:

- HY gross anatomy
- HY neuroanatomy
- BRS behavioral + Kaplan lectures
- Kaplan biochemistry + Kaplan lectures
- BRS physiology + Kaplan lectures
- Goljan RR 3rd ed + Goljan audio
- Embryology - only FA
- Pharmacology - FA plus Kaplan lectures
- Microbiology - CMMRS
- Immunology - Levinson

Actually, I was following the Taus method and I think it's great.

2. Tests:

UW cumulative 78% first pass
NBME 15- 254 , 1.5 month before the exam
NBME 13- 254 , 1 week before
I think that my scores didn't improve because I had a minor medical procedure and also came to the USA two weeks before the exam, and had to take care of my child, so didn't have enough time for studying at the end.
The most important thing for me is starting doing questions as soon as possible. I was doing UW 2007 offline mode, subject wise and Kaplan 2010, random, just to revise. I was doing questions almost every evening, one block at least.

3. Exam

Pathology, pathology, pathology! But a lot of neurology slides, a lot of behavioral and microbiology too. Almost everything except for embryology. I wish I could have known that at the beginning :)
My advice, regarding the day of the exam is- first go through all the questions, and then return to questions that you don't know and don't understand. Don't wast your time thinking about some equations, statistical problems etc. Time flies on the exam. Mark only what you really don't know.

And good luck to you all!
 
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#6 ·
congrats mam:) thats great score
1.so you only use UWorld online ? despite offline things u mention
2.how many times did you go through kaplan materials ?
3.lastly how long did you prepare?
Yes, only UW online, for 4 months. Read every explanation, even when you answer correct. And this takes a lot of time, as many people before me said.
I went over all of the materials once, and continue revising only from FA, as the Taus method recommends.
I was preparing for 9 months.
 
#9 ·
Congratulations ma'am
can u plz tell mehow was the real xam compared to uworld?
and are the slides in uworld n FA enough??
I think my exam was most similar to UW, more than any other qbank or predictor.
And about slides, well, the most important thing is to understand concepts. Slides in UW and FA are good, but I was also using google images, for all images- pathology slides, pictures of the deseases, X-rays, CT and NMR. For pathology, I found this very useful http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.html
 
#8 ·
hearty congrats ..many posted about their success, mostly fresh imgs, very few old img but loongg waited for such a post in this forum from sumone not only old img , wife (u ,even a mom) who so bravely crossed d barriers after managing her life nd family nd so successful !!! Only wives know how tough it is !! It encourages so much candidtates like us . Thank you so much !!!
 
#12 ·
There was pretty much of anatomy, and although I find HY gross anatomy great and sufficient, there were some things I encountered for the first time. I suppose this is where your logic and previous knowledge play major role. All areas of anatomy were equally present.
For biostatistics, for which I think I will never understand completely, I was watching Kaplan videos and repeating and revising questions. There was a lot of statistics and doctor-patients relations, but it was not so hard. Common sense is important here too.
 
#19 ·
Ma'am can u plz tel me about bacterial genetics..is it enuf if I study FA..Haven't done it even once..will do FA +CMMRS..

PLz advice Thank you
You should understand bacterial and viral genetics well. Microbiology was very high yield on my exam, and there was several questions from bacterial and viral genetics.
I find FA enough, if you understand it well. But you should go through it several times, and know almost every word :) But, yes, FA plus CMMRS are great combination.
 
#21 ·
it's really inspiring..congrats..I failed my step 1 once coz of my foolishness of random n bizarre prep with lack of confidence...now gathering my confidence again to start over ..I also have UW offline 2007 n FA 2010 n kaplan 2010 lecture notes n videos.GOljan 3rd edition...with these resources how should I start or should I add or delete some items/books in my prep..? Thanx
 
#32 ·
Hello KovachMarina! I have found the Tauss Method and going through it right now. It seems like they mostly use other material than Kaplan. Do you think I can substitute them to Kaplan lectures notes or should I use Kaplan and other material at the same time?;) Thank you for your time.
 
#33 ·
If you started to use KLN, continue, don't waist your time. And don't go through both resources! Although Taus method is based on other materials, the most important points are to do subject wise and start with questions as soon as possible. And I would recommend Goljan, instead of Kaplan pathology. Best of luck!
 
#34 · (Edited)
I was thinking of making my schedule like this (Based on AskDoc) and Integrate the Mastery Phase with the Taus Method. What do you think?

Usmle Step 1 Study Plan by AskDoc:

Learning Phase (4 months) GOAL
Physiology-------------------1.5 week
Anatomy---------------------2 weeks
Biochemistry-----------------1.5 week
Pathology--------------------5 weeks
Pharmacology----------------3 weeks
Micro/Immuno----------------2 weeks
Behavioral Science-----------1 week

Mastery Phase (4.5 months)
First Revision (12 weeks) GOAL
Pathology-------------------5 Weeks
Pharmacology---------------2 weeks
Micro / Immuno------------- 2 weeks
Anatomy--------------------8 days
Physiology------------------5 days
Biochemistry----------------5 days
Behavioral Science----------3 days

Second Revision (4 weeks) GOAL
Pathology------------------10 days
Pharmacology---------------6 days
Micro / Immuno-------------5 days
Anatomy-------------------2 days
Physiology-----------------2 days
Biochemistry---------------2 days
Behavioral Science---------1 day

Third Revision (2 weeks) GOAL
Pathology------------------10 days
Pharmacology---------------6 days
Micro / Immuno-------------5 days
Anatomy-------------------2 days
Physiology-----------------2 days
Biochemistry---------------2 days
Behavioral Science---------1 day

Test Preparation (1 month)
 
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#37 ·
Congrats

Very inspiring....when was your year of graduation? Also any advice about how many hours/day to study for busy moms?
I am finally in the position to write about my experience and feeling so happy that can write as an old graduate and a mom.
In short:

1. Study materials:

- HY gross anatomy
- HY neuroanatomy
- BRS behavioral + Kaplan lectures
- Kaplan biochemistry + Kaplan lectures
- BRS physiology + Kaplan lectures
- Goljan RR 3rd ed + Goljan audio
- Embryology - only FA
- Pharmacology - FA plus Kaplan lectures
- Microbiology - CMMRS
- Immunology - Levinson

Actually, I was following the Taus method and I think it's great.

2. Tests:

UW cumulative 78% first pass
NBME 15- 254 , 1.5 month before the exam
NBME 13- 254 , 1 week before
I think that my scores didn't improve because I had a minor medical procedure and also came to the USA two weeks before the exam, and had to take care of my child, so didn't have enough time for studying at the end.
The most important thing for me is starting doing questions as soon as possible. I was doing UW 2007 offline mode, subject wise and Kaplan 2010, random, just to revise. I was doing questions almost every evening, one block at least.

3. Exam

Pathology, pathology, pathology! But a lot of neurology slides, a lot of behavioral and microbiology too. Almost everything except for embryology. I wish I could have known that at the beginning :)
My advice, regarding the day of the exam is- first go through all the questions, and then return to questions that you don't know and don't understand. Don't wast your time thinking about some equations, statistical problems etc. Time flies on the exam. Mark only what you really don't know.

And good luck to you all!
 
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