Sunday, 7 July 2013

FAQ#7 : Question from a final year student thinking of the USMLE



I'm in my final year and am only a month away from my finals. I only learnt about the USMLE and it's various perks a couple of months back and am interested in pursuing it. However, housemanship starts a mere 2-3 months after graduation and from what I've read, that would be insufficient time to fully prepare myself for Step 1. Also, preparing during housemanship seems impossible what with the grueling working hours. What would your opinion and advice be in terms of preparing for the USMLE for someone who's in this situation?

There are many who have been in your situation, where they only decide to take the USMLE in their final year.

There are two options right now. And deciding on which option is dependent on how much you are willing to sacrifice to get into the U.S.

If getting into the U.S. is only your backup plan, then I would advice that you try to study for the USMLE as much as you can prior to housemanship, and then aim to treat the USMLE as a part time study as you go through housemanship. With it being the shift system, it is still possible to commit 1-2 hours everyday to prepare for the USMLE.

If getting into the U.S. is your primary plan, and you want to get in as soon as you can and are willing to sacrifice housemanship income, then you should consider postponing housemanship. Complete all the USMLE steps prior to starting housemanship. This should take you about 6-10 months, depending on the speed of which you can study for the USMLE.

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