How to study for the USMLE Step 1

The most important part of undertaking a task - is planning it. Prior to preparing for my Step 1, I did extensive research to find the best study plan. I also made modifications to my original plan as I proceeded along my Step 1 preparation, and finally completed the Step 1. I feel that I should share my experience with my fellow Malaysians on how to prepare and ace the USMLE.

If you research online in forums where many Foreign Medical Graduates discuss and share their experience, there is one thing in common between all those who scored well. They all used a combination of Kaplan materials, USMLE World question bank, First Aid and Goljan. I used the same strategy as well, and scored 99 for my USMLE Step 1.

Here is the best strategy for the USMLE step 1.

Materials you need :

1. Kaplan Lecture Notes (any edition within the past 5 years)
2. Kaplan Video DVDs (any edition within the past 6 years)
3. Goljan Audio
4. First Aid (any edition within the past 2 years)

Best study timeline
Phase 1 - Books + Videos (2-4 months)
This phase is the most important phase. In the exam, it is not so much about what you managed to memorize, but rather how much you understand. The questions tests your understanding of the concepts in basic science, not how much you can regurgitate like many exams in our Malaysian medical schools. This is why we would need someone to explain it to us in a way that we can understand, which is why using the Kaplan lecture videos and the accompanying lecture notes is the best. It is as if you were attending a course for USMLE at your own pace. The lecture notes are designed to be complemented with the video lectures, and using them together will greatly enhance your learning experience. Here is the outline of the steps you should take to approach this first phase.

• Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology - study well using Kaplan video lectures and lecture notes
• these topics are important for Step 1. It is very important that you grasp the concepts well - and make it unshakable. They may twist the questions to various forms, but your understanding of the concept will carry you through.
• the video lectures are really important here because they really help you understand the concepts well
• Anatomy, Microbiology and Immunology, Behavioural Science - quickly go through it using Kaplan video lectures and lecture notes
• these topics are less important for Step 1, but also necessary for you to score well 
• The Behavioural Science Video Lectures is very important. Dr. Daughtery will also teach you statistics very well inside the behavioral science videos.
•  Pathology - study using Kaplan, but listen to Goljan audio as well
• Listen to Goljan audio in your car or on your iPhone, whenever you are travelling, eating, resting. You listen to it over and over again, and this should be your music for the duration of your step 1 preparation

In phase 1, you should note down all the important points highlighted in the Kaplan videos. Another reason that the Kaplan videos are golden, is because they give a lot of exam tips, exam patterns, and how to understand the question to answer it well.

Phase 2 - Consolidation (2-3 weeks)

Once you completed phase 1, now you need to read the First Aid and the corresponding Kaplan chapters at the same time. As you go through First Aid, you should note down the page number for which the Kaplan lecture notes. The reason is because - you will now be transitioning, from Kaplan lecture notes as your main material to First Aid as your main material. Now, every time you look up the answer to a question (when you are doing the question banks) or want to revise a topic, the first thing you should use is the First Aid. If you feel that you want to read more about that topic, like pharmacology of medications for Parkinsons, then you will open up the corresponding Kaplan lecture note section. Writing the corresponding page number in your First Aid will speed up this process.

You can see from my First Aid, how did I write the number of the corresponding page number of Kaplan lecture notes.

Optional tips: You can also see that my book is very colourful. I find that is the way I can learn the fastest. I color-coded various information based on its category. Eg: Risk Factors, Aetiology, Symptoms, Blood investigation findings, Pathology Findings, Treatment, and Complications. This way, I can interpret the paragraph much easier. If I want to compare complications various diseases, I can look at all the purple underlines of paragraphs of various diseases.

Tip : Ability to link between diseases is very important for the USMLE. A sample of one of the difficult MCQ question is : "The disease the patient above has, is treated with a medication which shares a similar complication to which other medication?" That is why you first need to know the diagnosis of the patient, know with which medication is that disease treated with, and then know what are the complications of that particular medication, and which other medications share the same complication.

Phase 3 - Question banks (1-2 months)

This phase is equally as important as phase 1. It is through the question banks which you are able to get a hang of the questions, and integrate all the concepts you have learned. The question bank which is a must for you to use is USMLE World. It is more challenging than the actual USMLE exam, which is why by doing this question bank, you will be much more confident in facing the actual exam.

Optional phase - Kaplan Qbank or USMLE Rx (1 month)
If you have extra time, you can also do one additional Qbank. There is not much difference in choosing between Kaplan Qbank or USMLE Rx. If money is not an issue for you, pick Kaplan Qbank, which is more expensive and slightly better than USMLE Rx.

Phase 4 - Final weeks before exam

This phase overlaps with phase 3. While you are about 70% done with your USMLE World, you should start doing NBMEs. These are "mock exams", and they cost about USD 45 for each set of exam. These exams give you a good predicted score for your actual USMLE exam. If you find that your score in the NBME is low, you should postpone your USMLE exam.

The final week before your USMLE exam is when you should start calming down. You have worked hard for the past few months, and at this last phase, its only about just going through First Aid over and over again. You should also start training your stamina for the exam by trying to do at least 4 blocks of UWorld or 1 set of UWorld Self Assessment at one go.

On the day before your exam, stop studying. Just relax and calm your mind. You have prepared well, and now its all about optimizing the state of your mind to be able to think during the exam day. I watched Glee and went jalan-jalan at Sunway Pyramid on the day before my exam.

If you follow this study strategy and worked hard, you will be able to handle the exam and score well, and you will be one step closer to your dreams.

 

The day I felt like I won the Oscar.

- Jamie -
Tags : USMLE Step 1, Study strategy, tips, first aid, USMLE, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, how to study USMLE, Step 1