I woke up every day at 6AM, as this was the time I would be waking up on the actual test day. I took 5-10 minute breaks once per hour during each of these sessions. Each day, studying was divided into three 4-hour blocks of morning, afternoon, and evening. The first step in creating the study plan was laying out my daily schedule. Students sometimes prefer this method since all the preparation leading up to dedicated lightens the pressure and time-crunch felt during dedicated. Now, some students may use different strategies during their first two years to continuously review the material during a “pre-dedicated” period. Everything was laid out and I just had to follow it to achieve a killer Step 1 score. I personally preferred this because it removed thinking from the equation. My days and weeks were highly structured, and this may not work for everyone. If you struggle with finishing tests on time, then make sure you do plenty of timed practice blocks to improve your pacing, and so on. This is what worked for me, and it’s fine for you to use as a base template, but it is important that you personalize this for your own strengths and weaknesses.įor example, if your cardiology is weak, make sure to spend more time on cards. I made my schedule in Excel (downloadable above). However, if you find yourself needing help with pharmacology or anatomy, consider watching specific Sketchy Pharm videos focused on your weaknesses or reviewing the Shelf Anatomy Notes.Ĭreating a plan of attack for yourself is KEY. Note that the above resources are the standard and the highest-yield resources out there.ĭo not jeopardize a quality review of First Aid, Pathoma, Sketchy Micro, and UWorld for these resources. If you have time in your schedule, are preparing well ahead of your dedicated, or need to hone in on a weak topic, here are some other resources that may be helpful. NBME practice exams will come into use as well but are not primary study resources. You will quickly get overwhelmed as you won’t be able to get through all of them. You do NOT want to have too many resources during your dedicated study period. If you are also a visual learner like me, I highly recommend it. I also used Goljan’s Audio Lectures for pathology and Sketchy Micro, which I personally found tremendously helpful for microbiology. This consists of UWorld, First Aid, and Pathoma. You will never feel fully prepared, and pushing your test back for this reason will likely do more harm than good.įirst, decide on your resources. Lastly, do not push your test back because you don’t feel completely prepared. Secondly, you want to have a break before starting the grueling journey that is third year. With time, your knowledge and test score will start plateauing and, at a certain point, start dropping as you burn out. When scheduling your test, it’s important to keep three things in consideration.įirst, more time is not always better. I used the remaining 10 days to go on a cruise. I had a 6 week dedicated period and I took my test 4 and a half weeks in. Scheduling Your ExamĪ quick word on scheduling your test. Assuming you have a sound study plan, the deciding factor on whether or not you’ll walk away successful is having the discipline to stick with it. This article is focused on the dedicated study period, which generally varies between 4 and 8 weeks.
Despite this, it is still important for you to study hard for Step 1 because a good foundation will set you up for success on Step 2 and during clerkships. However, recent changes have switched Step 1 to pass/fail, meaning there will now be more weight on the second board exam, USMLE Step 2CK. This post will share an ideal USMLE Step 1 dedicated study schedule that will allow you to pass with ease.įor future physicians, the USMLE Step 1 Board Exam has historically been argued as the most important exam you will ever take. With the right plan and approach, you will be prepared to crush it. This 8-hour marathon is high stakes, but fear not. The USMLE Step 1 consists of 7 blocks, each lasting 60 minutes and consisting of up to 40 questions each. Premed & Medical Student Annual Scholarship.2020 Medical School Application Updates.
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