USMLE Step 1 Study Tips

Albert Chiang, UI-Chicago, Class of 2004

Winter Break 2001

What I did: reviewed BRS Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Physio, and Micro/Immuno while at home in the burbs.

What I thought: not vital, but it was useful in refreshing those subjects.

Spring Break 2002

What I did: reviewed BRS Path while I was playing in Urbana.

What I thought: very useful, as it helped me consolidate all the path we had just finished. Path is consistently important on Step 1, so know it well.

Fourth Quarter 2002 (post–spring break)

What I did: read/skimmed all 2000+ pages of the Kaplan notes. I think I was averaging about 100–200 pages a night, but I wasn’t really reading for memorization.

What I thought: minimally useful, in my view. I felt I could’ve better spent my time using the other books I had (more on this later). HOWEVER, the behavioral sci/psychopath section is done pretty well and is quite helpful when studying for the psychopath final.

Around the Start of Practicum 2002

What I did:

Began reading the other books I had bought for Step 1 review:
- Anatomy: High-Yield Anatomy, Neuro, Histo, and Embryo
- Behav Sci: High-Yield Behav Sci
- Biochem: Lippincott (lots of skimming, focusing on the pathway diagrams)
- Micro/Immuno: Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple, immuno section BRS Micro/Immuno
- Path: BRS Path
- Pharm: pharm cards
- Physio: BRS Physio
As I was going through these books, I was taking notes in my copy of First Aid on the stuff I either didn’t understand too well or what I thought was important. Or stuff that wasn’t covered in First Aid.
Took a simulated Step 1 at Kaplan (part of the Medpass option) during the first week of practicum.

What I thought: I felt this was better prep than the Kaplan notes, as it was geared towards my learning style. Taking additional notes in First Aid as I was studying helped a lot in the end, because it was easier to review one book than go back through everything. The simulated Step 1 gave me an idea on what were my strengths and weaknesses and where to study more and less.

Last 2.5 Weeks (May 18–Jun 2)

What I did: after practicum, locked myself away at home and finished the above reading. Then it was the start of questions…

5/18–5/19: completed the Qbook in 2 days. The questions were ok, but not as good as Qbank.
5/20–5/30: did Qbank…did 200 questions every morning (except for 5/26) so I could finish in 10 days. Did 4 50-question tests then went over the answers after I had finished the daily 200. Also took notes on stuff I missed or didn’t really get. Meanwhile, my afternoons/evenings were spent methodically going over First Aid (twice) and BRS Path (once).
5/31: simulated Step 1 on CD.
6/1–6/2: final review…the areas I didn’t too well on on the simulated exam the previous day, plus skimming through First Aid again.

What I thought: very important part of my studying. I like doing questions. I think it helps a lot. This was my hardcore studying time, and I went out once during the 2+ weeks, spending the rest of the time holed up in my room at home. But by the end, I was pretty burned out and frazzled from the intensity.

Day of Reckoning (6/3)

What I did: took the Step 1. I pretty consistently finish standardized/multiple guess exams early, so I was out by 2 p.m. or so, even though it was supposed to go until 4 or 5. Go at your own pace…I powered through the first 4 sections without a break, then took a short bathroom break. Opted to skip lunch so I could finish early. The last 3 sections were where I felt I got reamed; either the questions got a lot harder or I was just getting tired…I had 2 or 3 cups of coffee that morning, so I was pretty wired going in.

What I thought: for me, the first 4 sections were pretty straightforward, and I had studied most of the material covered. The last 3 were much harder and left me feeling really crappy about the exam. I believe the sections are done randomly though, so the hard ones may come at any time throughout the day. Don’t get too discouraged. If there’s a question that’s stumping you, mark it and come back to it if you have time. There’s no excuse for not seeing all the questions at least once. I walked out feeling like my mind had been violated…not a pleasant experience to say the least. Having done 2 full-length practice exams helped though, because I knew how I usually paced myself.