Preparing for USMLE Step 1 Michael W. Bradbury, PhD Suggestions based on experience training over 2000 medical students
USMLE Step 1 • First stage in the medical licensure process for MD students • Major focus on clinical application of basic science knowledge • Students must pass it to move on to later exams and obtain a license • Also must pass it to move on in medical school programs • Score considered in selection of residents
How to prepare • First: the curriculum prepares you for Step 1! • Second: High-yield is not everything • Many questions from medium- and low-yield areas, they count the same as high-yield
• Third: preparation is not easy and there are no shortcuts • Fourth: only doing board preparation risks failing courses, requiring remediation and delaying Step 1
When to Prepare • Suggestions from an established school with a good track record in board pass rates • By Thanksgiving of year 2, work out a rough study plan for preparation • Stat small, 1 or 2 hours a week, and increase that time gradually • Plan to prepare full-time between end of classes and Step 1 date
Study Resources • Our curriculum and textbooks –most comprehensive source • Review books – helpful, but limited in content, even those on a specific subject • First Aid will NOT get you through the boards, it will “stop the bleeding” for those on the edge • It is First Aid, not Surgery, after all!
• Question banks - USMLE Easy, Step 1 Rx, etc. • Those we provide, many others you can pay for
Which Resources are Best? • That depends on the student • Everyone is different! • You must determine what works for you • Do not rely on only one thing or one method • Do not simply memorize facts! • Do not simply work with principles and concepts to reason things out! • Those concepts tie to specific facts in many cases, make a comprehensible whole
Helpful Hints • Work smarter, not harder, when possible • Tie studying in courses to board preparation • Choose practice questions that fit the system you are studying, etc.
• Keep a balance between regular study and board study • Do not neglect proper rest and nutrition • Remember you already learned a lot of this!
More Hints • Practice, practice, practice! • It appears lots of practice questions are a good thing, may improve your score • Work together or alone, or a mix of both • Again, people vary in what works for them!
• If you don’t understand something, or you cannot figure out the answer to a question, ask someone • Each other or faculty who teaches that area
Any Secret Tips? • Anxiety is a killer – if you prepared well, you will be ready • Your performance in the classes will probably predict your success on USMLE – as long as you keep it up • Rest on your laurels later – much later!
• Learn some normal values – taking time to check the tables every time eats into your time to finish the exam!
Final Words • Most students pass, but some fail each year • That is for the nation, not a school! • All students from a class can pass, as each is scored individually • Your score depends on your performance alone, not how your class does • Failure on Step 1 means you take it again, but the failure will be on your record and seen by residency directors, so PASS!
