Askdoc-USMLE Prep Courses
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By meliza, on April 10th, 2012%
As previously announced, a new patient note and redesigned Communication and Interpersonal Skills subcomponent will be introduced into the USMLE Step 2 CS examinations beginning June 17, 2012. Updated practice and orientation materials reflecting these changes have been posted to the USMLE website.
Examinees who plan to take the Step 2 CS examination . . . → Read More: Updated Practice and Orientation Materials for Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) Exam have been Posted
By askdoc, on March 2nd, 2012%
What is the best time to start studying for the USMLE Step 1 if you want to score a 99? Believe it or not I’ve been asked that question so often and most of the time people don’t like my answer. The best time to start studying for the USMLE Step 1 . . . → Read More: Aiming for a 99 – The Best Time to Start Studying for the USMLE Step 1
By meliza, on February 20th, 2012%
As announced in the ECFMG website, we would also like to remind the exam applicants that the USMLE program has introduced new rules on repeating USMLE examinations.
Time between Examination Attempts The USMLE program sets rules on how quickly examinees can repeat the same Step or Step Component. As previously published, these rules . . . → Read More: REMINDER: New Rules on Repeating USMLE Examinations
By askdoc, on February 3rd, 2012%
A lot of times, people presume that with my double 99, prepping for me was a breeze. That I did not go through the same problems every Old IMG went through in my own prep. Nothing was further from the truth.
When I was starting my prep, one of my biggest problem was . . . → Read More: Problems of the Old IMG: Have Not Studied for an Exam for a Long Time
By askdoc, on April 10th, 2010%
I read Kaplan notes once, FA twice and doing Qbanks now. Is that enough for Step 1? A frequent question asked in forums and in my blog but misses the point entirely. It is never a question of how much effort you put into preparing for the USMLE that determines the final result of your prep, but how well you have retained and are able to recall the information you have studied. Although a certain amount of effort is required in order to achieve this, how much time and effort you put in to achieve equivalent result depends on the skill and intelligence you put into your prep. It is not so much studying harder as studying smarter.
In the forums, you see a lot of people studying the same things in the same way and results range for high 99′s to failing. So something else must be at work to explain the variety of results achieve using what is essentially the same study plan. And that something is the level of mastery achieved by different people using the same plan. It has to do with the different methods people use to study the material. As some people have asked time and again. When you say you have revised the material 2 times, do you mean you have read the materials twice, or you have tried to memorize the material twice. And therein lies the difference in results.
For the purpose of the USMLE, what you cannot recall in a minute or so, you do not know. It is not enough for you to have read Kaplan, or FA or whatever, but you should be able to recall what you have read. If you cannot answer a question, it is because:
1. you do not know the concept because you have not read it
2. you read the concept but you did not understand it
3. you read the concept and understood it but cannot recall it in the exam
4. you read the concept, understood it and can recall it in the exam given enough time, but of course since this is the USMLE, you never have enough time
Continue reading Why You Need to Master the USMLE Step 1
By askdoc, on March 13th, 2009%
I wrote part of this post in answer to questions from my readers and students. After 2 emails and one answer to comments, I have decided to elaborate and write in more detail as a post that I will share with everyone.
Be at Your Best on the Day of the USMLE Exam.
So what do you do on the day of the USMLE examination? The day you sit for the USMLE is the culmination of months of preparation. It may seem unfair that no matter how well your performance were in those countless q banks and test simulation, the only performance that really counts is the one you do on exam day. Therefore, it makes sense to maximize your chances of performing well for that date.
Your preparation should begin way before the date of your USMLE examination, when you schedule the examination. It is a known fact that during review, people do reach a plateau and the best time to sit for the USMLE exam is just before or just after you reach your peak. Earlier or later than that can result in lower scores. During review, immediately after learning and memorizing your lessons, you start forgetting right away. Normally, the amount of medical concepts you are memorizing and retaining is growing faster than you are forgetting them. However, there comes a time when you reach your peak and eventually plateaus. Afterwards you will go into decline and forget more than you are learning. Most people go into plateau in about 6 to 8 months, therefore the ideal review time for the USMLE is around that long. That is why my USMLE Step 1 prep course is around 6 months long. Continue reading What to Do on the Day of the USMLE Exam
By askdoc, on October 12th, 2008%
Everyone knows the usefulness of keeping a large amount of high yield information in your head just before the actual examination. This can help a lot in boosting your score up in the last few days before the actual examination. Although I am never an advocate for last minute cramming for an examination like the USMLE, the benefits of having a large number of high yield facts in your immediate memory is something no one can ignore. The reason is that unless the information is in your immediate memory, chances are it will take some time for you to recall that information and in the context of timed examination like the USMLE, that can make or break you.
Most reviewers acknowledge these facts. First Aid for Step 1 has its Rapid Review section. Levinson and Jawetz has its “Brief summaries of Medically Important Organisms. and Trevor and Katzung’s Pharmacology Review has it’s “Key Words for Key Drugs”. All to be reviewed just a few days before going into the examination.
Continue reading High Yield Fast Facts for the USMLE
By askdoc, on September 29th, 2008%
This started out as a reply to a question asked by dr patel on my blog on how to evaluate one’s readiness for the USMLE and avoid making the mistake of taking the examination and failing it. However, it got a little bit too long, so I have decided to rewrite it into an article.
Failure to properly evaluate one’s readiness for the examination and one’s progress during the whole USMLE preparation process may be one of the most crucial reason not only for failing the USMLE but also for failure to achieve a less than stellar score.
Proper self-evaluation involves not only how to do the evaluation, using the right tool to measure the right parameter but also when to do the measuring to insure maximal effectiveness. Most failures in self-evaluation can be divided into these 2 broad categories.
Continue reading Guide to Self-Evaluation in USMLE Prep
By askdoc, on September 8th, 2008%
I would like to announce that Askdoc’s Method of USMLE Review for Step 1 is now available at my prep forum at http://forums.askdoc-usmle.com. As I promised to some of you before, it contains more or less the same instructions available to the participants in my prep course. It includes suggested alternate reviewers . . . → Read More: Askdoc’s Method of USMLE Review for Step 1 now available
By askdoc, on August 1st, 2008%
Back in 2004 when I was just starting my preparation for the USMLE, my greatest fear was in failing this examination. My status as an old graduate made failing a stark reality for me. Every person I asked told me that as an old graduate I have no chance. The most encouraging response I got was, “maybe you’ll pass, but it’s impossible to match with really low scores.” When I went to forums, I hear horror stories of people failing which frightened me even more. Then once in a while, when I read of people celebrating and crowing about their 99′s, I secretly wished that that was me. Even my own family thought it was impossible for me to make it. It got so bad, it took me over a year to get around to seriously preparing for it. 
Now 4 years later, with a double 99 in my belt, I feel bad whenever, I read about people failing the examination. If I can make it, they should be able to make it, too. 2 years ago I wrote an advise to someone who had failed already thrice and was plaintively asking people “What to do”. I’m happy she eventually passed her exam with an 82. Since that time, I am happy to note that a lot of people have passed and raised their scores and even got 99′s using that advise. A couple of them had the opportunity to catch me between Steps and was couched by me through emails to raise their scores with varying results. However, since that time, hundreds of people still failed. Some had read my advise but were doing exactly opposite of what I had written. Others, I found out did not understand how to implement what I had written.
Continue reading Askdoc’s USMLE Step 1 Prep Course open for Applicants
By askdoc, on July 28th, 2008%
Today I’ll not talk about the USMLE but something else. Although I set up my blog on March 23, 2008, My first real post on the USMLE was posted exactly 4 months ago on March 28, 2008. So in a sense we are celebrating my fourth month as blogger and I’ll start by posting the different milestones my blog have reached.
After 4 months (as of July 27, 2008)
Total posts: 30
Number of pageviews: 7,046 – 4,439 in July alone
Number of Visitors: 2,290 – 1,528 in July alone
Number of Countries: 87 from 812 cities
Top 5 countries: United States: 1, 548; Canada: 122; India:117; Philippines:86; Pakistan: 48
Number of downloads of my ebook “How to Create a Study Plan for the USMLE”: 524
Alexa top rank for all websites: 3 month average rank: 2,852.091 (8,600,000 6 weeks ago)
1 week average rank: 751,712
Continue reading Milestone
By askdoc, on May 20th, 2008%
I would like to announce that I’ve compiled my series of posts on “How to Create a Study Plan for the USMLE” into an eBook in PDF format. I’ve also included the last 4 posts and completed the series. It is downloadable from this site. This ebook is released under a Creative Commons . . . → Read More: How to Create a Study Plan for the USMLE – Download Page
By askdoc, on May 14th, 2008%
Note: This article was originally written and posted by me on prep4usmle.com. It talks about how to increase our ability to acquire knowledge. Part 1 is on How we learn and Part 2 is on how to increase our reading speed which is posted here. You can access the original post in prep4usmle here.
We’ve discussed the concept of Mastery Know and Familiar in our Knowledge level and how this will impact our performance in the exam. Continuing our KA discussion, we will discuss 2 topics that is important in increasing our ability to acquire knowledge.
Continue reading How We learn.
By askdoc, on March 31st, 2008%
The USMLE is the type of exam that tests not only your knowledge and mastery of medicine but also your ability to recall those facts. What you cannot recall, usually in the space of a minute or less, you do not know as far as the USMLE is concerned. 
There are actually 4 types of recall: Continue reading How we recall information and its impact in reviewing for USMLE.
By askdoc, on March 26th, 2008%
 I am actually asking myself that question… With all the Blogs by recent USMLE takers sprouting all over the place, do we really need one more? 
However, the main reason I am starting this blog is to help people. With all the information I have in my head on how to prepare and ace this exam, should I just Continue reading Why another USMLE Blog?
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