[heights]

So...I have approximately 8 more weeks until my dedicated boards studying (I start mid-March and get 6-7 weeks to study). I've been doing a bit of studying here and there, but now I really need to be more focused. I thought I'd post my schedule to keep myself on track and also in case anyone finds it helpful.

Primary Resources:
1. FA 2011 (& FA 2009; I had the 2009 version before and just bought the 2011 recently. However, Kaplan hasn't updated the qbank references as yet, so I am annotating the 2009 version. Plus, I decided to save the 2011 version to annotate with UW during my dedicated study time).
2. GunnerTraining (GT)
3. Kaplan Qbank
4. Internet sources (Google, wikipedia, this forum)

Strategy:
1. Read section of FA (usually a page or less)
2. Read corresponding flashcards on gunnertraining, then do the flashcard questions. I do this over the course of the week until I am done with the chapter. I also take about an hour each day to do the GT flashcards.
3. At the end of each chapter, I do Qbank questions corresponding to that chapter.

Weekly Study Schedule (based on FA 2011)
Week 1. Microbiology 136- 175 (40 pages)
Week 2. Microbiology 176 -198 (23 pages)
Pharmacology 232- 247 (16 pages)
Endocrine 288- 297 (10 pages)
Week 3. Endocrine 298-305 (8 pages)
Neurology 396- 436 (41 pages)
Week 4. Psychiatry 438- 456 (19 pages)
Behavioral Science 50-63 (14 pages)
Week 5. Biochemistry 66-115 (50 pages)
Week 6. Immunology 200-217 (18 pages)
Pathology 220-230 (11 pages)
Respiratory 502- 516 (15 pages)
Week 7. Cardiovascular 254-286 (33 pages)
Embryology 118-134 (17 pages)
Week 8. Musculoskeletal 370- 393 (24 pages)
Reproductive 478- 499 (22 pages)
Week 9. Renal 458-475 (18 pages)
Gastrointestinal 308-339 (32 pages)
Week 10. Hematology & Oncology 342- 368 (27 pages)

Current study status
I am now in Week 4, so I will be reading Psych and Behavior this week. I completed Micro, Pharm, and Neuro (Neuro's going well, Micro not so hot, and Pharm in the middle). I fell behind last week and didn't do Endocrine, but I am planning to catch up next week.

That's it for now, I will update more! Wish me luck and please feel free to ask me questions if you think i can be of any help

 

[heights]

Forgot to include this, but any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated! I think this is a reasonable plan, but I know many folks on this forum have much more experience than I do so I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[heights]

Date: May 18th!

It's officially on, I scheduled my Prometric appointment last night. With regard to my study plan, I am now in week 8 and have been trying to keep up but I am ridiculously behind! However, I have a few built in days to catch up at the end of week 10, so I can hopefully catch up and finish my first read of FA before March 18th.
So...my official prep time will start March 18th, and that will give me a full 8 weeks with nothing to do but study. I still don't have a day to day schedule written out as yet, but based on reading FA I am figuring out my weak areas. Here is the updated tentative schedule:

Books:
FA (primary source)
BRS Path (as needed)
Goljan RR (as needed)
Kaplan LN (as needed, planning to do Micro/immunology and Pharm for sure)
HY Neuroanatomy (as needed)

Qbanks
Kaplan (currently 44% complete 55% correct)
Gunner training (currently 20% of questions banked, mastered 10%)
UWorld

Plan
First 2 weeks- FA, supplement as needed, complete Kaplan Qbank and bank all GT questions.
Second 2 weeks - 2nd read of FA, Kaplan wrong/marked questions, GT
Last 4 weeks- UWorld (1 month subscription), GT and FA as needed

Anyone with a date close to mine? What's your plan?

 

[Mondoshawan]

Mine's the 24th of May :scared:

I still have school through the middle of May, so my devoted study time is somewhat curtailed, but I think that we're at about the same place...

At this point, I am mostly doing questions:

• Kaplan Qbank (50% done, 55% average, although I've been getting rather better recently :happy: )
• USMLE World, starting this week!
• I've been doing some USMLE Consult questions and BRS questions here and there, plus the excellent questions and discussions on this forum
• Study group with classmates - we go through questions from FA Q&A and other board prep books, and quiz each other at lunch. (~6-8 hrs/wk)
• Random reading of RR Path, HY neuroanatomy, Seetal's amazing flashcard sets, and all the tables and lists I have stuck to the walls around the kitchen table, desk, toilet, hallway, etc...

I'm an American student, so I think that I've covered every subject in FA through primary reading in Robbins, Costanza, Cecil's, etc. over the past two years, but the qbanks are constantly exposing my weak points. I hope to be in a more confident and masterful position by the end of March, at which point I will write an NBME form, assess my performance analysis in UWorld and Kaplan, and plan my last six weeks from there.

 

[heights]

How are you planning to use UW? I was wondering when to get it and decided to get it and use it random & time, but thought I should finish Qbank first. What do you think? You're not done with Qbank as yet either, so are you going to use them simultaneously?

 

[Mondoshawan]

I am going to keep doing Kaplan in tutor mode, especially in the in-between times and when I'm tired

I plan to do UWorld timed and random, as you say. I think that 25-question blocks are what I have the stamina for, right now - maybe 2-3 per day.

 

[heights]

Today starts the first day of my official prep These past few weeks have been super busy, trying to finish classes and all. I have decided to add Goljan RR to my list of study materials, I was pleasantly surprised this week to find that I could cover 3-4 chapters in a day (if I did nothing else). Also, for anyone who bought the 3rd edition of Goljan RR, there are over 400 questions online that comes with the book. They are gold to test your understanding of each chapter, I It looks quite intimidating but it wasn't too bad. Over the next two weeks I will finish reading it, as well as bank the rest of my gunner training flashcards (I'm 25% done). I am 50% done with Kaplan Qbank, and will try to do as much as possible over the next two weeks. A bit excited to start, but so nervous.

 

[harlesmd]

Keep up the good work. I am also preparing for step 1 exam, and planning to take it end of April or early May. Wish us luck !!!:sorry:

 

[struggle]

good luck to all of you

 

[heights]

Keep up the good work. I am also preparing for step 1 exam, and planning to take it end of April or early May. Wish us luck !!!:sorry:

Good luck! My date is May 18th so i think we're on a similar schedule.

 

[harlesmd]

Good luck! My date is May 18th so i think we're on a similar schedule.

Yeah I will take it early May. Hei, can you post your FA second read schedule ? Do you think 2 weeks are enough ?

 

[heights]

Yeah I will take it early May. Hei, can you post your FA second read schedule ? Do you think 2 weeks are enough ?

Yeah, I definitely think 2 weeks should be enough for a second read of FA for me. There are 438 pages in FA, so to get through it in 12 days I need to read roughly 37 pages per day. During that second read, I'll just be doing that, Kaplan Qbank and GT so I think its manageable. I haven't made a schedule for that as yet, but will post it as soon as I do.
These upcoming 2 weeks are going to be a much tighter schedule since I'm trying to get through a first read of Goljan RR as well as bank GT questions.

 

[harlesmd]

Yeah, I definitely think 2 weeks should be enough for a second read of FA for me. There are 438 pages in FA, so to get through it in 12 days I need to read roughly 37 pages per day. During that second read, I'll just be doing that, Kaplan Qbank and GT so I think its manageable. I haven't made a schedule for that as yet, but will post it as soon as I do.
These upcoming 2 weeks are going to be a much tighter schedule since I'm trying to get through a first read of Goljan RR as well as bank GT questions.

I am working on UW 2-3 block per day and listen to Goljan audio (2 lectures/day). My target is to finish UW untl April 10 and use the remaining time to review FA. I did NBME 6 yesterday and only manage to score 570/238. I aim for +250, so I wish I can improve my score after finishing UW and review FA. I also want to review my lecture notes one more time but I don't think I have time for that. Do you have any suggestion ?

 

[drGio]

combine with QA

for me sounds like a perfect schedule, but if you combine with QA at the end of each topic to reinforce will be super, thanks

 

[shaista]

need some help for step 1

hi guys, i am new user of this forum and need some help to schedule. I just read your post and surprised to know that you guys are giving first importance to FA book rather than Kaplan series book. so do you think FA is more better than kaplan series?
one more question what is this UW? is it any website or MCQS?
do you think 12 weeks are enough for complete course of step1?
which mcqs are better to buy?
thanks in advance