happy5
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 24
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Hi all,
I did not pass the Step 1 on my first try. There, I spit it out. I am not happy about it, and really thought I was going to pass. And all I wanted to do was pass, not break 230, but hey.
Can anyone help me setup a sucessful, 3 month study schedule? My upper classmates, especially those that have succesfully repeated the Step 1, have given me schedules, but I thought I would ask around here too.
Since it is ludicrous to ask for help without helping out myself, here is my game plan thus far. My main problem is in the apportion of the study days.
Here is the order of subjects I will try:
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Pharmacology
- Biochem
- Immuno
- Micro
- Anato/Embryo/Histo/Neuro
- Behavioral
By the way, my weakest areas in the Step 1 were pathology (yes, I know, the big dog in the test), physiology, pharm and biochem. In terms of systems, cardio and renal were the lowest. Strong subjects/systems included histo/cell biology, micro/immuno, hemato/lymph system, gastro and CNS.
Personally, I thought that if I had score more anatomy questions correctly I could have passed the test, and I have to admit I barely studied anatomy my first time around. I will not make that mistake this time!
By the way, I started studying on August 7 and still, after some time off, felt a bit depressed. Maybe it was because I was rusty after 1 month of not studying, but my reading pace was real slow, and frankly it still is. As of today, I am still in cardio, reading from the BRS, but hopefully I will finish all of pathology by this week.
Also, a friend suggested doing 4-5 hours of questions daily, and I'm doing that, but I find that I don't have that much time to read. Should I do 2-3 hours of questions first and then increase the time as I go along?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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| happy5
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 24
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My the way, my 2nd try is on November 1st, so I need to work backwards from that date.
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| tolito
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 119
Posts: 2,164
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hi happy. i like your name.
sorry about your failure. you have determined that your areas of weakness are in the major subjects; that is a good step.
i think that you need to spend time to understand teh concepts of those subjects and not just spend time doing questions. take the next couple of months to really study these subjects properly. no short cut. there is no short cut to it. for path, get robbins review and answer the questions after every section. you should aim to score not less than 70% correct per chapter. if you get less, then go over the chapter again. ( i am not suggesting reading big robbins but whatever text you use, answer the questions in robbins). always read the explanation to the answers of even those you got right. by the time you get path, physiol, biochem, and pharma well done, i cannot see how you will fail again.
FA is good for revision. you should know every line of fact in that book. if you have an area that you dont know or understand, then you need to open up a standard text pronto. no gray areas shoudl exist for you in FA.
if you can study 10hrs a day then 2-3 hrs of answering q and reading the explanations should do. in your last couple of months, you may increase the time for answering q as you feel comfortable with. never compromise studying with answering questions. if you are a recent grad, kaplan LN may suffice if all you are aiming for is a pass. if you are not a recent grad or you need more than a pass, you will need to study more books.
BEST OF LUCK.
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It has been a looooong hard journey but I am inches away from my destination...
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| vanshita
Forum Guru
Topics: 22
Posts: 820
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GOOD LUCK for your exam
don't loose hope
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| study_ing
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 180
Posts: 2,511
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happy 5, tolito's pretty much said it all!
what i wud like to add is
1. though ud be happy to pass, dont study for it as if ur aim is just to pass. dont leave out anyhting and try to nderstand each and every question
2. try to analyse where ur weakness lies? memorisation? concepts? both? questions? exam stress? and we'll ttry to help u out accordingly.
3. reading thru ppl's similar experience helps. try to individualize ur study design accordingly
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If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.
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| study_ing
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 180
Posts: 2,511
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good luck and dont hesitate to ask for help..
every one eneds it!
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If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.
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| happy5
Forum Junior
Topics: 10
Posts: 24
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Thanks everyone for the help. I am still trying to hammer a schedule I feel comfortable with, and it is best I get this done by this week.
Yes, I am still in med school so most of the stuff is relatively fresh. And I guess my problems are not enough reading (while focusing on questions, which everyone says they do plenty of) and stress management. Not on the day of the test, but the everyday studying, like sticking to a schedule.
Tolito, I started out doing the Robbins Qbook - some of which I did during coursework - but after a few chapters, decided to drop it for Qbank. After doing some inane Qbank questions - stuff that is not even in the BRS, the "only 15% of students answered this question correctly" type of questions - I will follow your suggestion to the letter.
So at least for this week, it will be reading BRS in the morning, Robbins Qbook at 1PM and reading BRS again if answers are way too low. So this week it will be:
Monday: Vascular, cardio, Robbin Qs
Tuestday: Anemia, Hemato/Lymphoid, Hemorrhagic. Robbin Qs
Wednesday: Respiratory, Gastro, Liver, Robbin Qs
Thursday: Kidney, Male/Female Reproductive, Robbin Qs
Friday: Endocrine, Skin + Muscle + CNS, Robbin Qs
Saturday: Off
I read vascular and cardio today, but will do it again tomorrow, as this subject is heavily tested. On Sunday I start with Physiology. Even though I have until November 1st, I still feel like I don't have enough time. That's the thing that is driving me nuts.
In terms of daily schedule - my biggest obstacle - how about this one?
8AM-12PM: Study BRS
1PM-5PM: Robbins Q, re-reading of BRS
6PM-7PM: Exercise
8PM-9PM: BRS lecture (or whatever source, like Pathophys for Boards and Wards or FA)
9PM-10PM: TV
10PM-11PM: Goljan audio lecture
I plan on taking Saturdays off, or Sundays, only one day a week, depending on what comes up... I am married and my marriage is something I would not like to screw up. Screwing up the test is enough.
My biggest fear is failing again. Not the test itself, but failing my family again, because it is a sacrifice for everyone.
Also, Study_ing, you mentioned something that my dean also mentioned in a conference to all that did not pass the test. He told the story of students who, literally, fill their house with post-it notes with a 3-digit number - the score they want to achieve on the test. In almost all of the cases, he mentions, students got that score or exceed it. When I get through with path, phys and pharm, I will start thinking about a number, but not yet.
Tomorrow, or when I have some time, I will post a schedule here so I can receive some feedback, if anyone is up to it. As it is, I want to take at least 2 NBME diagnostic tests (something I did not do on the 1st test), and of course I'm not going to take them until I study everything. I penciled in September 20 for the 1st diagnostic, then working on my weaknesses for a week or so before taking another one. So that still leaves me almost a month to read everything again, or cram FA at least.
Thanks again for the comments... should this thread be moved into the Exam journal forum, or should I just communicate with you through this thread?
Gracias (from Puerto Rico)
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| study_ing
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 180
Posts: 2,511
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happy5 i hope u have kaplan and their dvds.
i personally found brs very 'memory' oriented..whilst kpn is thought oriented..
one suggestin..listen to goljan first and ur sped at ur books will improve too
not the original but i guess second hand or something will do..if ure in india or pakistan u'll get them easily.
try getting a study partner if thats possible.will help the stress and te boredom.
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If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.
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| doc_mishel
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 6
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you're not alone happy5. i also didn't make it by 1 point. think of it as a second for us to study harder and get an awesome score! i started my review last week and i plan to take the exam 1st week of october. i'm constantly reading FA. it is now my constant companion... i have a quota of at least 100 questions a day and then the rest of the time, just reading and revising the things that i am not too sure of. in the exam my hematology was bad so now i am concentrating on that. (btw, i'm not doing subject-wise like you but systems-wise)... good luck! let me know if you need anything... also, i take a walk every afternoon by the beach (we live near a beach) and it clears my head. so i put on my mp3 and listen to goljan. if i have to do house chores, i listen too! i do take a break once in a while and watch a movie on dvd... it's important to detox!
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| dr23
Forum Junior
Topics: 11
Posts: 56
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Hi doc_mishel ! I ''ll take step 1 again in october/nov as well.I failed by 2 points .WHAT QUESTION SOURCES DO YOU PLAN TO USE ?
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