For example, the Review of Pathology course in my prep course http://prep.askdoc-usmle.com uses bulleted lists tables and illustrations since the purpose is primarily to help people master the subject. Although for most of the course participants this was not a problem, some people have a hard time using bulleted lists primarily because they have not learned a significant number of concepts. The solution was to supplement reading a more detailed texts like Basic Pathology or Pathologic Basis of Disease which helped them to raise their score significantly. If the lack of knowledge is not too severe, supplementing with Goljan’s lectures or RR Pathology may suffice. However, the need of supplementing learning activities during the mastery phase can significantly prolong the process.
It is also important in the Mastery phase to emphasize recall and that is accomplished by using a combination of Q banks and flashcards.
The mastery phase can usually be accomplished within 3 to 4.5 months so long as the learning phase was done adequately. Otherwise, the review length can be prolonged.
The last phase is the Test Preparation phase where you try to train yourself specifically for the requirements of the USMLE. This includes learning to answer USMLE type questions, developing stamina to sit for 8 to 9 hour exams, simulating the actual examination day to insure you are in top form, including the amount of rest time you give yourself after finishing your prep to the day you sit for the exam to ensure you are fresh and alert rather than tired and burnt out. This usually can be accomplished in 1 to 1.5 months and includes primarily KR and TP activities.
The actual prep course will only cover the Mastery and Test Preparation Phase and will not cover the Learning phase. Therefore it is important that you have finished the Learning phase before enrolling in the course as not doing so will mean that you won’t finish in 6 months
Although some materials will be provided you on the online course, other materials you will need to procure for yourself. I will publish a complete list for those enrolled in the course. Below, you will find a partial list.
- Robbin’s Review of Pathology Q Book – 2nd Edition
- Levinsion and Jawetz, Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- Trevor and Katzung, Review of Pharmacology
- BRS Physiology – Linda S. Costanza
- BRS Behavioral Science – Barbara Fadem
- For Biochem, Anatomy, etc. – Kaplan Lecture notes will suffice.
Also good to have a subject oriented Q book like Kaplan Q book. If you need to supplement with textbooks, usually because there is some inadequacy with the learning phase recommend the following;
- Pathology – Rapid Review Pathology, Basic Pathology or Pathologic Basis of Disease (choose 1)
- Pharmacology – Lippincott’s Illustrated Review of Pharmacology
- Medical Microbiology – The review book will suffice and no need for a separate text
- Physiology – BRS physiology is good enough except if you have problems with Acid Base physiology. Then use Guyton, Ganong or NMS physiology for Acid Base only
- Biochemistry – Kaplan is adequate but dense. IF you need to learn concept, use Illustrated Review of Biochemistry.
You should also be ready to subscribe to at least one online Q bank, either Kaplan or UW especially during the Test Preparation phase. A “downloaded” version is not considered adequate. You should also be able to subscribe to at least 2 NBME assessment test also online and not a “downloaded” version.
There are certain requirements you need to follow or else it will be grounds to drop you from the course.
- You should follow all instructions.
- You should follow the recommended course materials
- You should follow the recommended course schedule. (The schedule is not very strict, it allows a lot of leeway for you to go faster or slower. However, there is a limit to how much you can stretch the schedule since the course is six months)
- You should inform me if you have any problems with the course or with the instructions. I cannot monitor your progress since I am not physically present beside you.
- You should commit to a minimum score of 85 and get my permission before taking the actual examination. (There are evaluations you can do to test whether you are ready for the examination. Taking it when you are not ready is a waste of money and time.)
- You should regularly attend the weekly chat session
- Any other condition which may be imposed depending on how the course progresses.
Due to the lessons I have learned conducting the first prep course and in consultation with participants of the first prep course, I will now be imposing some fees. As some of you may be aware, the current economic crisis in the US was started by subprime mortgages in the housing market. People were allowed to buy houses without any downpayment. At the first sign of difficulty, these people just walked away from their mortgages because they have no equity. There wasn’t even any effort to work through the problem and find solutions.
During the first prep course, no fees were collected. This proved to be a mistake as on the first sign of trouble, some of the participants just chose to walk away. As I stated, just enrolling in the course will not raise your score or help you pass. You need to study and follow a schedule. Some participants just walked away when they could not keep up with the schedule. Others walked away when they were being prodded to start Chapter 1!!! Therefore to insure that this thing does not repeat, a non-refundable enrollment fee of US$ 100 was eventually collected for all those enrolled in the second batch of the program. This is to make sure that the enrollee is really committed to finishing the course and raising their USMLE scores.
However, it seems $ 100 prove not to be enough to compel people to even start the course. After a month there are still 2 out of 7 who haven’t even finish chapter 1. There were those who from the start opined that $ 100 is too low and therefore for the third batch, the enrollment fee is now $300. I really hope this will be enough to force people to study. If you do not study, then you would have wasted the $ 300 but if you do study hard, it may yet be one of the wisest investment you will ever make.
A second change to be implemented is the creation of an online boot camp. Actually some of my students have suggested creating a live boot camp that can force students who lack self-discipline to study. That’s the reason why some students prefer to attend live courses. I may yet do that in the future. However, at present, we have to do things online, so students under boot camp are required to log in everyday, Monday to Saturday and maintain a progress log. They are required to follow strictly a schedule created by me in order to finish the prep. Failure to log in for 2 consecutive days will earn a long distance call from me to get them back online and studying. They are required to give me their cellphone number (home phone will not do).
I am a firm believer that people should study at their own pace, since that is most effective. But not starting even 1 chapter in a month I believe is excessive. So any student who have not started the course by the start of Week 3 or have not finished at least the first 12 chapters by the end of week 4 will automatically be put on boot camp. This is considered last resort and failure to comply at this point will result in being dropped from the course.
Another problem I encountered are people taking extraordinarily long time to finish the course. This course is six months long. And if you apply yourself properly, there should be no problem finishing the course in 6 months or less. Taking more than six months means you are either not studying regularly or you have completely botched your learning phase and are not ready to get into the mastery and test preparation phase. Therefore, I will be imposing a penalty of US $100 per month starting on the 7th month or a fraction thereof. This is to insure that people will not take their sweet time and really concentrate on finishing the course on time.
For this third batch, I am accepting a maximum of 10 new enrollees to the course. If you are not accepted, your enrollment fee will be refunded. However, once the course starts, the enrollment fee will be non-refundable
The reason for limiting the number of enrollees is that shadowing and mentoring individual students is very time consuming. More so when you have to spend time encouraging, pushing and even threatening them so they will begin to study. So in order to make sure everybody can be attended to, the number of students is limited.
Applicants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested in applying, please send an email to applications@askdoc-usmle.com. Include the following information
Your Name or nickname
Your preferred callsign (for use in logging in to the prep course and forum)
Year of Graduation: (old grads and new grads require different prep)
Country of Medical School:
Country of Origin:
Country currently residing (ie. where you will be reviewing – your time zone)
Sex (only so I don’t make a mistake of addressing you wrongly)
Age: (only if you want to, however, I may have to make adjustment to how to couch you depending on whether you are older or younger, so if you don’t want to state actual age, give me an idea )
Cell Phone No: ( To be used only if you are transferred to boot camp. You can opt to submit this when you are transferred to boot camp. But at that time failure to comply will mean being dropped from the course.)
You should also click the link below to submit your enrollment fee ($300) through PayPal. Be sure to put the above information before submitting your enrollment fee on PayPal, so I know you have submitted your enrollment fee. (Put either your name or your callsign). You will only be considered to have applied once you have submitted both your application and your enrollment fee.
If your enrollment is not accepted, the fee will be refunded through PayPal.
Please submit your application and enrollment fee on or before March 20, 2009. As acceptance to the program is first come, first serve, there is no guarantee that slots will remain open up to that date.
Once you are accepted you will receive an email from me that you have been accepted and you will be given instruction to follow. I will process the application weekly So you should be able to receive an email within 7 to 10 days from the time you submit the application. If you have not received an email from me, please search your spam folder. Last time, 2 applicants weren’t able to find their email because their emailboxes put them in the spam folders. If it’s not there, email me to follow up.
Please be sure you are ready to start on April 1.
Hello everybody,
I would like to announce that as of March 14, 2009. there are already 8 registered applicants for the April Class. Only 2 more openings are available. If you are interested in applying please do so at the soonest possible time. Even though last day for application is still March 20, there is no guarantee that a position will be available since this is first come, first served.
Thank You.
Askdoc
PS. If you have not sent your enrollment fees, you are not considered enrolled.
To askdoc,
I realy intrested to join your April class step 1 course , please let me know if you have one more opening available.
Thank you
Hi sunshine,
As of now there are still 2 positions open. Although somebody already applied for one of the positions, she has not paid her enrollment fees yet so is not considered to have finish enrollment. Please read the terms and conditions for enrolling. You must be ready to study and put in the necessary effort in order to succeed.
Askdoc
Hello,
I am interested in joining your study group. But the only problem is that I want to take Step 1 in July. So, I have only 4 months instead. Would it be reasonable to join your group or is it better to study alone?
Many thanks.
Hi flipper,
There are 2 things that will determine whether 4 months is enough. First, how good you are and what score you are aiming for. To illustrate, for the 2nd batch which started last February, only one can finish in 4 months and have a reasonable chance of scoring high 90′s or even 99. However, if he will use all 6 months, his chance for a 99 is very high. He even have a chance of surpassing my Step 1 score which is 99 / 256. 2 other will need at least 5 months to reasonably score above 90. Although both have chance of getting 99, too. The others need a full 6 months to score well. So again, depends on your ability and the score you are aiming.
As to joining the group, how fast you go is up to you. You’ll need 3 revisions to have a reasonable chance of getting high 90′s or 99. At top speed that could be done in 3 months. Again depends on your ability and time commitment. You can also start studying after enrolling and not wait for April, that’ll give you 4.5 months.
I always tell my students to schedule their exam when they want but to be ready to postpone when their NBME is not favorable. Settling for a 90 when a 99 is just 3 weeks away is a waste, don’t you think?
Askdoc
Hi,
Thank you for your response. About 2-3 years ago I planned to sit for USMLE but due to family problems did not fully commit to it. At that time I read about half of the material. Micro, Anatomy and partially physio, behavioural science. I studied for a about 2 month. Then we moved from country to country. All my books were left at different country, so I did not continue to prepare.
Now I decided that I have to finish it. All my books now with me.
Last year I did Kaplan diagnostic test. My score was 45%. But honestly I do not remember a lot from what I read 2 years ago. My aim is high 90′s.
I will be working part-time starting from middle May, or may be earlier. Part-time job for only 2 days per week.
So, what would be your advice on it? Could you take me into your study group?
Many thanks.
Hi flipper,
Your story is all too familiar. Details may be different but problems are the same. Half my students have the same or even worse stories. As you may be aware, I’ve divided the review process to 3 phases. Learning phase, Mastery phase and Test prep phase. In your case you did not finish your learning phase and anything you have not mastered, tends to be lost and forgotten much faster.
My main problem is that if you haven’t completed your learning phase, then you may need the whole 6 months to catch up. Diagnostic test score of 45% is very, very low. Anyone who has finished a decent learning phase should be able to do around 60%. Mastery phase is to ramp that up to 70-80% (that’s good for 90′s or even 99′s). Therefore, I doubt you can finish in 6 months, even if you go full time. In my own prep, I spent 4 months in learning phase and 3.5 months in Mastery and Test prep phase. And that’s full time. (8 hrs. a day) My student in the second batch who I said can do it in 4 months is a 3rd year medical student. Basic science is very fresh in his mind and he doesn’t need any learning phase.
It is your choice whether you want to go on your own or you want to join the course. Some people like haitham (630 on NBME, USMLE results pending) and saba (93/233) were able to do well on their own after following my advise(see past comments). However, if you do decide to join the course, it will already be a given that you may have to spend a few months on learning phase before going on to the mastery phase. Which means your program will be different from the rest of the batch who will be on mastery phase from day 1.
People who join the course are those who tend to need more intense guidance. Otherwise, most of the principles of studying employed in the course can be found in my blog and other write-ups. Although you have to do your own implementation though. If you want to read more about the experiences of the current batch of students. Go to my prep forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com. Register so you can access the site used by my students. Read their prep journal to get a better idea of how my students feel about the course. Their posts are not edited by me, so they are free to write anything they want, both positive and negative.
Askdoc
hi!
do you still have an opening for the April course? i am interested to join.
please let me know.
jo
Yes.
hi!
thanks much for replying! i have been trying to find how to get registered. how do i do that? can you teach me or walk me through? where do i go to register for your this next batch’s review?
jo
On page 2 of this post. The instruction are there on how to apply. You submit your applications at applications@askdoc-usmle.com via email. The information you need to submit is listed on page 2 of this post. Then at the bottom of page 2 of this post is a link to submit your enrollment fees via PayPal. That’s it. Once you are enrolled, you’ll be given additional instructions via email and you need to register at the prep site at http://prep.askdoc-usmle.com and at the forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com where you will be given permission to access the course materials.
Please read this post so you understand the terms and conditions and what you can expect from the course as well as what is expected of you.
Askdoc
Hello everyone,
I would like to announce that the April Class is full and that I am no longer accepting applicants for this class. For the 4 others who have applied but have not remitted their payment, you will need to apply to the next class as all 10 positions are now taken. The next class will tentatively be in June (When most of the February class plan to take the exam) with enrollments in May. Watch for the announcements (In case there is a big delay in the February class taking the exam, then the next class may be moved to July.)
For those who have been accepted and have registered at the prep site and forum, please log on for instructions. The forum is where you get your instructions while the prep site is where the courses are located. If you just paid or enrolled, wait for your email. We start on April 1, 2009. It’s not April Fool’s day as far as your prep is concerned.
It’s serious business.
Askdoc
Hi askDoc,
I am really interested in applying for the april 1,2009 batch. I don’t know if it is too late. I also would like to email you privately about my background. How can I email you privately? Please let me know if it’s still possible to enroll.
Thank you, Driven.
I have just read your last post, and it’s full. I will wait for the June batch. How can I email you privately?
Thanks
Hi 4driven,
Actually you can join the waiting list in case students get transferred to later classes. This usually happens when they are old grads and have inadequate learning phase or they suddenly have problems attending the current course due to personal reasons. Two students from February class have requested to be transferred to June class, so this is not new. there are a few applicants who have signed up for the waiting list though. I will tell you where you are on the waiting list if you sign up.
Now to contact me privately, register in my forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com. Use the pm system to contact me. I am listed as askdoc.
Askdoc
How do I go about getting on the waiting list for the April session?
Hi Sir,
Will you pleaselet me enroll inyo your april 2009 course.I promise to be dedicated and devoted to my studies.Do reply.
Hi sijo,
I am sorry, but the April class is currently full. I have a total of 4 people in the waiting list for this class. If they cannot be accommodated which seems to be case, then they will apply for the June batch. Registration for that batch will start sometime in May. I have to limit the class size, since I have to maintain the quality of the course itself.
Askdoc
i am going to start step1 study this week.I live in Hamilton,Ontario,canada. please tell me when and how can i join your course.please send me an email regarding that.thanks,
can u plz tell me the detail about the course , how i enroll thx in adv.
Hi Syed,
The next course begins hopefully in June. Applications will start in May, please wait for the announcement. If you need to contact me in private, register at my forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com. PM me via the personal messaging system.
Askdoc
Hi saj,
The details about the course are already in this post. If you want to see comments and prep journals of my students, register at my forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com. You will have limited access to forums reserved for Students of the course. Look through their prep journals to get some ideas of how the course looks like to them.
Askdoc
Hi,
I would like to join the course, please try and fit me in too.
Hi Smitha,
The next batch starts June and applications will start by next week. However, I will probably be accepting only 5 students this time around. This is because most of the April batch are behind schedule. The February batch though will probably take the exam on time in July. Plus two students from the February batch have been transferred to the June batch, which leaves a maximum of 8 positions available if I eventually choose to fill up the batch. That will depend on how the April batch progress in the next few weeks. If enough catches up, then I may accept 8 students.I would like to remind people that 21 people tried to apply for the April batch of which only 10 were accepted. So please enroll early if you want a position. It is still first come, first served.
Askdoc
Dear Askdoc:
I was trying seral times to enrol your course but the link is dead. Could you please help me with this? I really really want it… I’m going to take STEP1 this Sep.
Thank you very much!
Hi Nutcracker,
April class is already closed. you need to apply to the June class. Please go to that page and enroll.
Askoc
do you have an space for the november course?
Hi Robert,
Still 3 positions left open. Although 2 more people have indicated that they will be enrolling for the class, I consider positions open until a person has enrolled and paid. So 3 positions still remain open. The others have enrolled and paid already.
Askdoc
hi
do you have an open slot for me to join now?
thanks
hi ak123,
The November class is currently full. Although I could probably crowd you in, however, it is also the 20th already and you have missed 2 lectures plus one chat session. I would suggest you take the January class because that is the better option for you. However, if for some reason you really need to be in the November class. Then I’ll try to fit you in, but you need to be in by Monday, November 23 the latest. Some November class students missed the 2nd lecture due to confusion with schedule, so a repeat lecture will be given to them this coming Wednesday, November 25, so you can catch up.
Askdoc
I would like to enroll in the march class… How many students do you take at once. As I will not be able to make payment until march 1st. I really want to enroll in the course… My step 1 experience has been horrible. I have taken it multiple times and graduated in 2008. I felt prepared for the exam but my problem is I am not understanding what the test writter is asking or what the question is asking. I spent the past year studing the material with not luck. At this point I don’t know what to do… I have attended review courses with no luck.. I have tried to find a private tutor to see if it’s maybe my test taking skills but I have had not luck with that. So I am out of money and out of time.. At this time I felt like giving up until I came across your website and read Marlene story. It give me some encouragement. But still inside I feel like I am in this alone.. and I don’t know what direction or who to turn to for help.. This is mentally and spirutally draining for me… Any feedback will help me…
Can you give me some feedback on what your study materials consist of or lecture material info.. I am willing to try anything at this point…
HI kish,
What you primarily learn in my course is How to Study the USMLE Step 1. There are a lot of good study materials out there. People study the same study materials and get scores ranging from failing to high 99′s. So the key to scoring high is not the study materials you used although using the right study materials are important. The key to scoring high or passing is learning how to study the materials and retain them. Everyone has weak points in their study habits and test taking ability. The key to improving that is identifying and mitigating or eliminating those weak points. This weak points could be poor memory, poor test-taking skills, poor analytical skills, etc. Some people believe, that there is one magic bullet that can solve all their problems and viola, they can do well in the USMLE. They could not be more wrong. Usually if you fail or score very low, it means you have a lot of weak points, not just one. You need to identify them one by one and address them. If each weak point pulls you down by just 2 to 3 percent. then 10 weak points can pull you down by 20 to 30 percent. Big enough to fail.
Askdoc.
Thanks for your feedback.. I will enroll in the course. I think I kind of know what the weak areas are but hopefully my weak areas will become more prevelant with this course. I wish I found out about this course prior to now. I am looking forward to doing what it takes to get through this exam.
Thanks
Hi Kish,
You are welcome.
Askdoc
Hi Askdoc,
I have been trying to set up my paypal account to register for you course. But I am having a difficult time trying to get the payment thru.. I don’t think it should be this difficult. Anyway I am trying to find out if you are showing payment on your end or if I am registered for the March course. It took me thru the financial info but I never returned back to your site or received anything showing confirmation of the payment or course.. I am trying to get this done my march 1st.
Second, do I need any special equipment other than my computer to view the live lectures.. I might have a difficult time viewing the march 3rd lecture so I wanted to know if I could view it on a different date or at a earlier time on march 3rd. That is the only lecture that I will have a difficult time with.. I know all the lectures are important and I don’t want to miss but I have a prior committment that I am trying to get out of.
Hi Kish,
Thanks for telling me. I did receive your application, but no confirmation from PayPal of payment. In fact I have received 6 other application all without confirmation of payment from PayPal. I may need to check if the PayPal payment system has a problem, since by this time I expect half the applicants to have enrolled already. Anyway there is another way of paying via PayPal. You send money to my account using my PayPal email which is payment@askdoc-usmle.com. Just write down your pertinent info with the payment (Name, etc.) so I can identify you. Actually, that is how the earlier batches paid for their enrollment before I learned how to use the PayPal “Pay Now” button.
The live lectures are handled using a virtual classroom software. So there is a Powerpoint presentation and audio. Although video is available, I have not turned it on due to possible bandwidth problems of users. Not all have high-speed internet. I usually recommend headphones. You have the option to use microphones, but it should be used with headphones so no echo will happen when your microphone picks up sounds coming from the speakers. Usually only my mic is turned on, while the others use the chat system to communicate with me. That way questions will be written down and I can answer questions as they are listed in the chat and do not miss somebody’s question during the chat session.
The lectures are done on schedule by batches. The 1st Lecture is “How to Master the USMLE Step 1″. And you are right, it is a very important lecture. Although most of the instructions on how to study the different subjects is in the subsequent 5 lectures, the first lecture explains why you have to study the way I have outlined. When I started the course, my biggest problem is getting students to follow the study methodology as outlined. Usually what happens is they follow some of it and happily ignored the rest, which will not do. Those who followed instruction more closely tend to do better than those who have not. So the lectures were set up to explain why you need to study a certain way so that more people will follow. For example, why you need to do at least 3 revisions and why each revision is different and done in a different way. Why you use different study materials in different phases of your review and what weak points and problems are being covered in each of this revision which requires you to study a different way. Why you need to finish your review within 6-8 months or you risk doing poorly in the exam. The actual methodology is discussed in detail in the other 5 lectures, but the reasons why they must be done that way is tackled in the first lecture. If you are good at following instructions without knowing the rationale why then taking the first lecture with the May class may not be a problem with you. But if you are the type who need to know why you need to do things a certain way before you will do things a certain way, then my suggestion is to attend the lectures in the order they were scheduled.
Askdoc
Hi Askdoc,
Thanks for your immediate response.. Before I viewed your reply.. I was able to use paypal this morning in which my payment was received and I was directed back to your website which stated that the application ws accepted. So I assume you have received everything so I can start on March 1st. (money and application)
2nd, I will just have to make sure I am there on Wednesday pm. I am in the mtn time zone so I believe my time will be 8-9:30 if your time zone is 7-8:30. Anyway I know May is available but I want to stay motivated and I feel like if I waited until may I will just loose focus.. This has been a long hard journey and I know I need help. I know it would difficult and challanging but I just did not think it would this bad for me..
Askdoc,
I have not receive any email instructions or directions for the March 1st course to date. So is there a special website I can obtain the information prior to the start of Monday’s course.
Kish
Hi Kish,
sent you a pm.
Hi askdoc,
Apologies for the multiple posts. I sent you a PM and hoping to get a response so I can plan accordingly. Many thanks.