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
In all 4 cases, you don’t get points as far as the USMLE is concerned.
Other reasons include,
1. you read it, understood it, can recall it in time, but the question is in clinical vignette format and you are poor in clinical vignettes
2. you read it, understood it, can recall it, but the question require more details than what you’ve actually read and understood, ie, it requires a higher level of mastery than you’ve prepped for
3. you read it, you thought you understood it, but actually you didn’t because you never tested your comprehension
In all these cases, you also don’t get points as far as the USMLE is concerned.
So you see, you could’ve studied and read all the right stuff, but you still don’t get points for them and you could still fail. So it’s not enough to study all the right things, you need to study the right way to insure that you covered all 7 situations stated above for everything you’ve read and studied. Studying the right stuff covers only situation number one.
Only by studying the right way, will you be able to achieve a level of mastery needed to do well in this exam. So the question arises what do you mean by mastering the concepts in the USMLE.
Well it means knowing enough details about the concepts tested so you know how to answer questions that require you to know that level of details. People who think Kaplan or Rapid Review are too detailed will probably not do well in the exam, because in my book, both reviewers lack detail to get you to 99′s much less high 99′s.
Next , you need to know those details at such a level that you can recall them in the limited time provided by the exam. And that is not easy. It requires studying a certain way to do that efficiently.
You need to study the materials in a certain way that insure you did your analysis during the review and not during the exam. There are methods of doing this which is emphasized in my course. The reason for doing the analysis during review rather than during the exam is that the exam is timed and the additional time you need to analyze the facts in order to answer the questions, may be what will cause you to fail or do badly in the exam. In contrast to the actual exam, you can do the analysis during the review where you have all the time in the world to do so. So the question, instead of requiring you to recall facts, analyze then answer, now only requires you to recall the analysis you did during the review, thus insuring faster recall, faster time to answer the question concerned and consequently higher scores.
Therefore it is not enough to have just read through the materials a couple of times. You need to master the USMLE in order to do well in the exam. There are study methods to help you do this consistently throughout your review. If you want to know more about How to Master the USMLE Step 1, Watch my 15 minute introductory video, How to Master the USMLE Step 1 – An Introduction
hi..
I have following questions about using ‘USMLEWORLD Qbank’ for USMLE STEP1 .
1) I have taken the 30 day q bank. Should I repeat it during the 2 weeks prior to my USMLE, considering I give NBME two weeks before my USMLE STEP1? OR should i go for an another set of Qbank from uworld during that period?
2) What scores are needed on USMLEWORLD Q bank to ace(99) the USMLE STEP 1?
Thanks in advance,
smita.
Hi smita,
There is no benefit in redoing UW qbank once you finish 1 round. Just study the questions and answers. Use a different qbank, best is Kaplan qbank.
In order to have a chance at 99, you should average in your last 10 blocks, timed, random, mixed, unused, around 72%. If you want a sure 99, that is very small possibility of falling below 99, then it should be about 78%.
Askdoc
Hi askdoc,
Should I do a new q bank in the last 2 weeks before my STEP 1? Or should i just study the material i have read and NOT do any new questions…?
Thanks in advance,
Regards,
Smita.
dear askdoc:
i need help.
and i do mean not the usual “run-of-the-mill” type of asking. it’s a downright plea for help.
i recently failed step 2 CK with a miserable failure of 74%. I am an old IMG, Filipino like yourself. I’ve never failed an exam in my life, I already have a subspecialty! I was perhaps too hasty in my preparation, too complacent. Either that, or I have knowledge inadequacy. When I eventually saw my results, I was devastated to say the least. On the verge of giving up, even.
I was searching the web for any info when I came to your site. You do remarkable work. When you mentioned you specialize in USMLE failures, I felt renewed hope. Perhaps I can do this, I’m thinking. Maybe there is hope after all?
And with that came my resolve: to ace all exams.I feel that the only way to redeem that miserable failure is to ace it the second time around. As well as the other steps in the process. And even with that plan, I may still even face serious obstacles in matching. Thus, my goal of a 99 in the exam is non-negotiable. I am going for it. It sounds insane, but I’m actually really going for it.
I know it’s never going to be simple. I have my work cut out for me, recent financial woes have demanded I cut back on unnecessary resources. Odds are seemingly stacked against this goal. But if I give up now, I’ll forever berate myself. And this is why I’m turning to you for help. Any advice I’ll take to heart as I prep for step 1. I have decided to step away from step 2 for now and master step 1 before I re-attempt step 2.
Thank you.
dear askdoc
I have failed step 1 twice am at a state of shock. on my second attempt when i got out of my exam i thought i did good like i passed but when i open up my score i didn’t pass. i dont know what to do. my heart says study again and take it for the 3rd time but my mind is like how am i going to start studying again. any advice of how should i redirect my studying habits.
what i did for the my 2nd attempt istudied first aid over and over again that i can literally picture the pages with my eyes closed. i read thur kaplan lecture notes onces, i listen to golgan audio like 3times, i work out usmel word like 100 of times, i did kaplan ? and nbme like all of it offline. please i need ur help am real disparate
Hi sara,
You can memorize 100% of FA and fail. That is why it never surprises me why people expect to pass this exam by reading FA. Reading Kaplan notes once is only feasible if you have photographic memory, which I presume you don’t. Goljan lectures can help you score high, but only if you have prepped properly first. Otherwise, you will still fail as you have noticed. Read my blog and know how to prep properly.
Askdoc
hi i have basically till mid october to take my exam ,please i need ur advice as my knowledge is realtively bad,i will appreciate if u help me so i could achieve maximum success
Hi hi,
I wrote a short summary of what you need to do in order to prep properly for Step 1. This was in reply to USMLE100 at NBME Self-assessment Tests and USMLE Review. If you want to read up more details, you can explore the blog as everything is there. As to getting ready by October. If you are really that bad, it would be impossible to do it in such a short time. For the average new graduate, it is possible to pass after 3 to 4 months of total preparation time, but really hard to get a high score. So depends on your current situation.
Askdoc