2007 USMLE Step I Experiences

[missmod]

I think I'll start the thread, since I just finished Step I today! Boy does it feel good to have it over with. In case you guys are wondering, my med school is on a different schedule, so we do basic sciences in 1.5 years, do one year of clerkships, and then take the boards.

So I started a 6 week study schedule (started after new years). The first five weeks, I studied for about 9-10 hours with a lot of breaks and took weekends off to either have fun or catch up/review. The last week I saved just for review and as many questions as I could fit into my 10 hour day. I have to say, this last week was the worst. Not in the no-sleep-cram-for-a-test kind of way, but in the huge-weight-on-your-shoulders kind of way.

Now for a breakdown of the subjects...

Biochem: There was not a lot of biochem on my exam. A few key enzyme deficiency ones (Lesch Nyhan, Maple Syrup Disease) but all of the questions were very obvious and did not require you to put much thought into it. Don't blow off porphyria and lead poisoning-- for some reason I got so many questions on that!

Molecular Bio: This was a big one! I think the NBME is moving away from the biochem towards questions on molecular bio. Many questions about DNA regulation, transcription, translation, bacterial plasmids, etc. Sometimes these questions look very scary -- they are always so long and use long names for molecules or restriction enzymes that you have never heard of. You need to get used to the question style and realize that what they are asking is very simple. The NBME forms have questions very similar to the molecular bio ones I saw on the exam.

Pharm: Another one I thought would be difficult but not. Big drugs you should know a lot about (like antihypertensives, drugs for hyperlipidemias, cardic drugs, etc.) However, I wouldn't worry too much about the side effects for every tiny drug -- especially the chemo and immunosupressant drugs that kept on tripping me up so much.

Micro/Immuno: I had not a single question on parasites! That huge chart of worms and helminths in First Aid had me worried for a while, but it was not a big part of my exam. If anything, just know the key phrases because if they do test you on it, it would be a really obvious scenario. Mostly bacterial processes and what you would use to treat them... or what was their mechanism of disease (i.e. endotoxn, exotoxin, etc.) Know immunology and cytokines well, as well as the functions of all the cells. Different immune deficiencies were all asked on my exam (there is one page in First Aid that sums them up very well).

Anatomy/Neuroanatomy: Always combined with a pathology question or an imagine. I had a few branchial plexus/lumbar plexus questions. Many questions would give you a clinical scenario, then ask you to identiy the artery/nerve/organ on a CT scan/MRI/angiogram/brain cross section. Again, I think Qbank does not help you much at all because there aren't that many images. All i can say is look through some atlases quickly as you are studying anatomy -- not Netters bc that won't help much, but books that will give you real radiographic images.

Physio: This was almost always combined with Pathology--they would ask the physiology behind some path process. I had so many questions where the question asked "what would be the levels of x, y, and z enzymes/hormones?", answer choices being "increased, decreased, etc"

Pathology: Not as detailed orientated as Kaplan. Very little histology related pathology -- most of the questions though, required you to make a diagnosis and then know something about the pathophys of the disease or the treatment of the disease. There were also a lot of images -- MANY more than Qbank's representation.

All in all, I think the test more manageable than Kaplan's Qbank. Don't let Qbank discourage you -- ! Doing the questions help you to learn, so if you were getting them all right then the questions are too easy and not really helping you much. I do remember many questions that I knew only because I got the question wrong on Kaplan's Qbank. Also, the NBME tests are VERY good and very representative of the real thing. They also help you get used to the wording of the Q's, which can be a LITTLE different from what Qbank is like. I did forms 2, 3, and 4 and I thought 2 and 3 were the best. A few images on those practice exams were repeated on my actual exam.

Goljan's book and lectures were great. He pointed out lots of things that wound up being on the exam and presents them in a way that really sticks. Also, his images are a great resource.

I've been lurking for a while and haven't really posted since applying to med school, but I have to say you guys have really helped me out during my boards studying. Good luck to everyone else getting ready to take this monster.

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[merovingian]

During the last week or so before you take Step 1, is it better to just read FA over and over and over and over? Or is it better to do questions and more questions and more questions and more questions? Or a mixture of both?

What does everyone think?

 

[Dragon2007]

Hello friends !

So my exam is finally over. I thank you all for your support.

The questions ranged from very easy to some tricky 1es. there were around 1 to 2 questions per block that were not from KAPLAN. Otherwise I felt during the exam on more than 1 occasions that the examiners were actually using the kaplan notes to make questions.

As for much debated issue of whether Kaplan patho is enough or not, well I didnt go through Dr Glojan. I read only Kaplan books cover to cover and word to word twice. And as I told, there was hardly more than 1 or 2 question per block that was from outside kaplan books.

Another thong I'ld like to tell is that somewhere i read in the forum the forum that 1 or 2 blocks are more difficult then the rest.And it is generally the 3rd or 4th block. Well I didnt find it to be true. May be my 1st block was a bit tougher, but generally i'ld say that easy and not so easy questions were interspersed all over the exam. there was nothing like difficult block, but yes !! by last block was really a box of chocolates.

about 20 % questions were straight 1 liners . Out of this about 70 % were really straightforward. but the rest 30 % were tricky.On the first instant the answer looked to be pretty straightforward. . But reading the question more carefully gave another answer. So be careful about these 1es . Genrally I'ld say that ALWAYS BE CAREFUL IF THE 1ST OPTION IS THE MOST OBVIOUS ANSWER. It might be a trap made for you. In these 1 liners generally 1st option was the most obvious answer , which is not correct. U need to read the questions really very carefully.

Around 60 % of the questions were of 5 to 6 lines. most of them had a slide/CT/MRI/graph. There were of varying difficulty.Took up a lot of time .... especially physio 1es. All questions were new questions on old concepts.

The rest 20 % were really long. Almost took up whole of screen.But at the end they were mostly generally very straightforward and very easy. I dont remember any that was tricky. ( Except for 1 where there examiner was trying u to confuse von gierke's with maple syrup. but on second thought, it was pretty straighforward case of von gierke's ). PLEASE READ THESE LENGTHY QUESTIONS VERY CAREFULLY SO THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEM AGAIN.I HAD TO ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS....

About 1 to 2 questions in every block were not in Kaplan.So I found them difficult.

Doing USMLEWORLD helped a lot. In fact A LOT !!! There were questions where u knew what trap was being laid for u, and there were occasions I couldn't help smiling at the examiner's naughtiness !!! All that bcz of uw. It prepared u well. I also had kaplan offline set of questions. I didn't find it representative of the questions that are actually asked in the exam. The questions were very much like uw, if not a bit easier.( I mean the difficult questions in exam were very much like uw questions )

The real Killers were ethics questions. They were all new and I have no idea if i did them right.The choices were very tricky and almost alike. If U can beat it, U can beat anything.

I again say that all the questiosn were new, out of 350 questions There was only 1 questions that I had done in the forum before, the 1 antibody had posted about change in membrane potential from +6 to +3mv.So I am trying to post the subject wise concepts on which questiosn were asked.

ANATOMY :

radial nerve, median nerve, carple tunnel syndrome, daigram on brachial plexus asking to identify median nerve, comon peroneal nerve, 1 xray showinf fracture of head of 1st metatarsal and asking which muscle attaches,shoulder abduction ( 2 questrinos ) , brain stem asking occulomotor, cut section asking substancia nigra, MRi asking lesion in kluver bucy syndrome, MRI arrow at Right pulmonary vein and asking to identify, occulomotor nerve palsy, MRI of B/L orbit asking to show L Lat rectus, action lost in injury to head of fibula.cord hemisection, coricospinal tract injury on spinal cord, primal diplacement of upper SoF by fracture asking for muscle that causes it. slide asking for leydig cells,

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY :

Lots and Lots of questions on aldosterone, Angiotensin 1 and 2, Ca++ hemostasis, inhibin deficiency's effect on FSH, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, antibody's +6 to +3 mV question,lots and lots of graph questions, mitral regurgitiation graph of heart sounds, YES !! 1 very strange question :

cyanosis of lower distal extremities,no cyanosis in proximal extremities, NO MURMURS, Loud S2. 21 yrs of age. options : PDA, COPD, ASD, 2 more choices which were clearly not the answer.

patient showing postural hypotension and hypokalemia, ( there were 4 5 questions on postural hypertension. I messed up 3 of them. Please do read it. )another question showing postural hypotension with hyperkalemia, I dont exactly remember the questions, but PLEASE READ THEORY OF POSTURAL HYPOTENSION AND ITS RELATION WITH POTASSIUM LEVELS.

2L urea loading IV fluid shifts, 2L isotonic fluid loading fluid shifts, abdominal aorta aneurysm gross specimen asking for mcc. Lots and lots of questions based on gross specimen mostly asking mcc or daignosis. some i remember were ulcerative colitis, yes !! 1 was of ovary with what looked like several small cyst like lesions and daignosis was asked.

http://usmleforum.com/files/forum/2007/1/174649.php

 

[fakin' the funk]

To summarize and offer advice:
Learning concepts well in 1st and 2nd years are the best way to prepare. We can all memorize bacterial virulence factors but only good teaching/learning can get you a question that requires your knowledge of equilibrium potentials. Goljan is money. FA will cover almost everything but you need to revisit conceptual stuff that you learn in class.

Do all of QBank even though sometimes it's ridiculous.
I did all of QBank and was getting high 70's at the end.

Do as many of the NBME forms as you can or feel you need to. I did 3, in this order:
Form 3: 234
Form 4: 252
Form 2: 250
Form 3 was hardest and closest to the real thing, Forms 2 and 4 were a little easier than the real thing and pretty close to each other.

I'd say the 95% CI for my score is 235-245. We'll see though. Good luck everybody.

Just got my score: 258/99, un-freaking-believable, way above anything I'd expected!

Now that I have some factual support for my studying suggestions, lemme boil it down to a couple sentences: read the HY books, read Goljan, read Lange Micro/Immuno, find a concise pharm source, and add all the salient points into First Aid. Don't overdo it: FA has most of the stuff you need, so just add notes that will help your brain remember all the tidbits.

Then, read FA over and over. I read it probably 6 times in going through and adding notes, and another 6 times in the last 2 weeks of studying. Just hammer it, quiz yourself, do some QBank, rinse, repeat.

And note that while the NBMEs are pretty good predictors of your score, they don't seem to be predictors of how you'll actually feel about how you did. I "felt" like a ~240 after I took it...

Good luck to all!

 

[fakin' the funk]

One more suggestion - get the Goljan 36p and 100p HY notes and dig up some of those "Remembered questions" documents. These alone might get you 10-20% of the questions.

 

[lord_jeebus]

One more suggestion - get the Goljan 36p and 100p HY notes and dig up some of those "Remembered questions" documents. These alone might get you 10-20% of the questions.

I thought that the "remembered questions" that are floating around were a complete waste of time. Not only were they not representative of questions I saw, they seem to be written by people who remember the distractors but not the salient details.

I'm neutral on the Goljan notes. I wouldn't recommend going out of one's way to obtain them.

EDIT: just saw your score. congrats. I'm surprised the remembered questions worked out for you.

 

[Teejay]

One more suggestion - get the Goljan 36p and 100p HY notes and dig up some of those "Remembered questions" documents. These alone might get you 10-20% of the questions.

How do we get hold of all these goljan stuff cuz i have only rapid review which i think may not be enough.
Congrats on your performance. You really killed it. I wish we could switch positions.

 

[DrThom]

Hey,

It's been a hell of a day. It's honestly some kind of blur. So lemme give you the gist.

I took the test at the same center as 2 of my friends and they way you hear us talk, its like we took 3 different tests. Mine seemed to be really heavy in renal and respiratory (The two subjects I'm kind of iffy in). I also had about 20 embryology questions, lots of brachial plexus, lots of drugs (especially the questions where you Drug X does an action and Drug Y is added to Drug X and a new effect happens...what is drug X). But my friend had a test that was heavy in renal and endocrine and my other friend had a test heavy in cardio and heme-onc (which I would have loved to have!). Overall though, it wasn't that bad. When I had read Wings4Marie description of the test, I got a little freaked out but I think I got a different kind of test cause my questions were a lot more straightforward. I would say 50%-ish of the questions are "I've listened to Goljan, done QBank, reviewed my notes" reflex answers. 35% is "This is tough, I should know this/Require deeper thought" and 15% are WTF questions.

Example of easy question - "You do a gram stain on a bacterial sample and you see a pink rod and blue cocci...what does the pink rod have that the blue cocci doesn't"

Example of hard question - "what muscles are required to make your hand into a cup shape in order to scoop water out of a stream"

My take on resources-
Goljan Audio/Rapid Review/Notes = AMAZING!!! Honestly, this was an awesome resource that is very integrating and stuff he said was popping up all over my test.

First Aid = Almost Worthless. A lot of my test was NOT in first aid, which was the resource I chose to review in the days before my test. I feel my time would have been better spent reviewing Goljan's HY notes, which I read about 1/2 of and got more answers from there. Where First Aid did help me out, which is weird, is in mnemonics (Essential Amino Acids, P450 inducers, G-protein coupled receptors) Other than that, not my favorite.

I'll write a more detailed response later when I'm not so tired.

Overall, I knew a bunch of stuff, there was a bunch of stuff I didn't know, and there was stuff I did know but made stupid mistakes and got wrong anyway (I thought staph. epidermitis was actually strep. epidermitis...DOH!). We'll see in about 3 weeks what this "up in the air" performance brings me.

 

[godschosenone]

Hey,

It's been a hell of a day. It's honestly some kind of blur. So lemme give you the gist.

I took the test at the same center as 2 of my friends and they way you hear us talk, its like we took 3 different tests. Mine seemed to be really heavy in renal and respiratory (The two subjects I'm kind of iffy in). I also had about 20 embryology questions, lots of brachial plexus, lots of drugs (especially the questions where you Drug X does an action and Drug Y is added to Drug X and a new effect happens...what is drug X). But my friend had a test that was heavy in renal and endocrine and my other friend had a test heavy in cardio and heme-onc (which I would have loved to have!). Overall though, it wasn't that bad. When I had read Wings4Marie description of the test, I got a little freaked out but I think I got a different kind of test cause my questions were a lot more straightforward. I would say 50%-ish of the questions are "I've listened to Goljan, done QBank, reviewed my notes" reflex answers. 35% is "This is tough, I should know this/Require deeper thought" and 15% are WTF questions.

Example of easy question - "You do a gram stain on a bacterial sample and you see a pink rod and blue cocci...what does the pink rod have that the blue cocci doesn't"

Example of hard question - "what muscles are required to make your hand into a cup shape in order to scoop water out of a stream"

My take on resources-
Goljan Audio/Rapid Review/Notes = AMAZING!!! Honestly, this was an awesome resource that is very integrating and stuff he said was popping up all over my test.

First Aid = Almost Worthless. A lot of my test was NOT in first aid, which was the resource I chose to review in the days before my test. I feel my time would have been better spent reviewing Goljan's HY notes, which I read about 1/2 of and got more answers from there. Where First Aid did help me out, which is weird, is in mnemonics (Essential Amino Acids, P450 inducers, G-protein coupled receptors) Other than that, not my favorite.

I'll write a more detailed response later when I'm not so tired.

Overall, I knew a bunch of stuff, there was a bunch of stuff I didn't know, and there was stuff I did know but made stupid mistakes and got wrong anyway (I thought staph. epidermitis was actually strep. epidermitis...DOH!). We'll see in about 3 weeks what this "up in the air" performance brings me.

going on 3rd week for me now. none of the friends who took it the week before me have results yet either. congrats tho on being done.

 

[Medikit]

Overall, I knew a bunch of stuff, there was a bunch of stuff I didn't know, and there was stuff I did know but made stupid mistakes and got wrong anyway (I thought staph. epidermitis was actually strep. epidermitis...DOH!). We'll see in about 3 weeks what this "up in the air" performance brings me.

Would you say it's more like a tornado of integration or more like a whirlpool of integration?

 

[Dragon2007]

A relaxing experience of a friend
03/31/07 01:14


I can't believe I'm done..... and I can't believe how much people lie and I just CANT BELIEVE how much easy this stupid exam really is.....!!!!!!!!

YES YES YES, Its soooooooooooo soooooooooo sooooooooo fair.
Exactly like UW. But hey...UW IS fair. We are doctors and we should DEFINITELY know that much stuff.

OMG!!! cant believe I'm done. And unlike a lot of ppl had a lot of energy before..during and after the exam , could have easily done 2 more blocks.
This exam is NOT draining, NOT scary and DEF. NOT difficult.
BUT u have to know the whole kaplan for it. Really....ALL the exam(about 85%) was from kaplan....and rest 10% was general knowledge which ALL doctors should know...general everyday stuff. and 5% were insane, bakwas qs. .... which werent too bad either,,,,,I checkd a couple of them and I got them right the got the basic ones wrong

AND UW helps a hell lot. If you do kaplan and then do UW time pressured...U'r all set. I wasnt drained at all may b cz I sat for a 7 hr exam before once, so it sort of gave the idea.

And one thing more that I have noticed... Exam experiences are relative to your prep. You think the exam is easy if you have done a good prep.
There were a lot of qs which I might have got wrong only b.c I told u ppl I couldnt study in this month properly so didnt revise kaplan....Everything basically revolved around kaplan...But little more on mechanism and hard core memorisation stuff is a lot too ( unlike what a lot of ppl say)

I was extensively tested on:
Micro, Pharm, patho....and all 3 I hadnt revised.
Even after getting so many qs wrong , I'm happy that the exam is easy and not something to waste ur life over. I knw I could have done a lot lot better if I had the heart to revise but I just didnt and I'm sooooooooo happy I didnt.....!!!!!


I just feel sooooooo gooood.
I repeat again n again....
This exam is NOT hard. There wasnt one single qn which I hadnt seen before or was something out of the ordinary except for a V/Q scan on which I made a wild guess but heyy....such qs which ppl come back and write r the hardest ones...which dont form the bulk of the exam.
Bulk is EASY, big time!!!! believe me....
But plz....Only for those who do kaplan thoroughly...
I wish I could tell u ppl how perfect kaplan is...If you've done kaplan good enough u wont need to do FA...But FA is just a good last minute resivion sort of book.


I thank all of you for supporting me. I really can;t thank you enough....ALL of you....

___________________
Success didn't spoil me, I've always been insufferable.

http://www.usmleforum.com/files/forum/2007/1/175152.php

 

[domer621]

A relaxing experience of a friend
03/31/07 01:14

Hopefully he did well...

 

[HunterGatherer]

How do we get hold of all these goljan stuff cuz i have only rapid review which i think may not be enough.
Congrats on your performance. You really killed it. I wish we could switch positions.

easiest way would be just to get eMule file sharing program and do search for "goljan"

 

[willowdesi]

hi miss mod, which goljan book are you referring to? Rapid Review or the book that comes w/ the audios?

 

[Ypo.]

First Aid = Almost Worthless.

LOL. It cracks me up how two people can have the completely opposite experience. I've been reading step 1 advice for about an hour now and I think I should have quit a good forty minutes ago.



Thanks for posting your experience, DrThom.

 

[Medikit]

Took it today, here are my thoughts:

First off, if the computer crashes while you're taking the test then it will start up right where you left off so don't freak out about that. It probably says that somewhere but my eyes were huge when my computer crashed and everyone at the test center was working hard but ignoring my completely freaked out face. Definitely wouldn't go back there (Rancho Cordova, CA) as all of their monitors were CRTs and had insanely bad flicker- every now and then my eyes would follow a repeating line that ran up the screen. I had horrible eye strain afterwards and still have it now.

Overall there weren't a lot of surprises- a few anatomy questions on every exam. I had zero questions on the brachial plexus but they did ask me about the veins that drain into the cubital fossa. You also had to know about the recurrent median nerve for one question. Personally I really wouldn't bother
because there's so much out there in terms of anatomy and not enough time for everything else.

Most the questions on the exam didn't come out of nowhere, I think overall there were 4 times where my mouth dropped and I threw my hands up in the air.

Resource review:

USMLEworld - Holy crap. Awesome, there were some questions I wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't used this. Not only that but it really showed me where I was deficient. I paid for 4 weeks and finished about 51% of it, mostly during my last two weeks. I didn't use Qbank at all and I'm glad.

Goljan Rapid Review Pathology - Excellent book, this is what I started with and it really gave me a good base to build on. I'm really glad this forum recommended it, it was my favorite book.

BRS Physiology - I used this book for quick refresh prior to starting the Goljan chapters and also used it during the school year. It's a great resource and you don't really need to read everything in it, just the stuff that didn't stick during school.

First Aid - Not too shabby, it pretty much covers everything else you need to know. Especially pharm, this is the perfect pharm resource. Of the few blanks it has USMLEworld will fill them in.

High Yield Behavioral - This one was fun to read, I skipped a few of the chapters at the end. I think a good way to study is by reading this and then following it up with Behav/Psych sections in FA

High Yield Histology - I thought this resource was kind of neat. Thom recommended it to me and if I had more time I would have probably done more then skim through it. Overall I would skip it though.

High Yield Neuroanatomy - Never really started it and I don't regret it, First Aid combined with the review slides I had from school worked great. USMLEworld will fill in the blanks pretty nicely as well.

High Yield Molecular Biology - I bought the second edition and then never used it, I didn't really see the point. USMLEworld covered it nicely, a few of the questions were nearly word for word, picture for picture.

Rapid Review Biochemistry - It has a few good graphics, I used it as one of my references but even then it was just okay. Overall I didn't do much more than USMLEworld + Goljan + First Aid. I don't recommend it.

Rapid Review Microbiology - Not necessary, didn't read it. First Aid + USMLEworld was more than enough.

Clinically Orientated Anatomy - I referred to this for neuro a few times, it's a great reference.

Review of Pathology - I finished 7 odd chapters, I think it would have been better for me to just use USMLEworld as it tends to be more orientated towards the USMLE than this book is.

Qbook - Didn't have time to utilize it, I skimmed through the Pathophys chapters and looked for questions that looked difficult. Needs more pictures and better explanations. I recommend it if you have time.

I have no idea how well I did but I'm sure I didn't get anything near some of the insane scores I've been seeing you guys get.

 

[surprisedgirl]

Took it today, here are my thoughts:

First off, if the computer crashes while you're taking the test then it will start up right where you left off so don't freak out about that. It probably says that somewhere but my eyes were huge when my computer crashed and everyone at the test center was working hard but ignoring my completely freaked out face. Definitely wouldn't go back there (Rancho Cordova, CA) as all of their monitors were CRTs and had insanely bad flicker- every now and then my eyes would follow a repeating line that ran up the screen. I had horrible eye strain afterwards and still have it now.

Overall there weren't a lot of surprises- a few anatomy questions on every exam. I had zero questions on the brachial plexus but they did ask me about the veins that drain into the cubital fossa. You also had to know about the recurrent median nerve for one question. Personally I really wouldn't bother
because there's so much out there in terms of anatomy and not enough time for everything else.

Most the questions on the exam didn't come out of nowhere, I think overall there were 4 times where my mouth dropped and I threw my hands up in the air.

Resource review:

USMLEworld - Holy crap. Awesome, there were some questions I wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't used this. Not only that but it really showed me where I was deficient. I paid for 4 months and finished about 51% of it, mostly during my last two weeks. I didn't use Qbank at all and I'm glad.

Goljan Rapid Review Pathology - Excellent book, this is what I started with and it really gave me a good base to build on. I'm really glad this forum recommended it, it was my favorite book.

BRS Physiology - I used this book for quick refresh prior to starting the Goljan chapters and also used it during the school year. It's a great resource and you don't really need to read everything in it, just the stuff that didn't stick during school.

First Aid - Not too shabby, it pretty much covers everything else you need to know. Especially pharm, this is the perfect pharm resource. Of the few blanks it has USMLEworld will fill them in.

High Yield Behavioral - This one was fun to read, I skipped a few of the chapters at the end. I think a good way to study is by reading this and then following it up with Behav/Psych sections in FA

High Yield Histology - I thought this resource was kind of neat. Thom recommended it to me and if I had more time I would have probably done more then skim through it. Overall I would skip it though.

High Yield Neuroanatomy - Never really started it and I don't regret it, First Aid combined with the review slides I had from school worked great. USMLEworld will fill in the blanks pretty nicely as well.

High Yield Molecular Biology - I bought the second edition and then never used it, I didn't really see the point. USMLEworld covered it nicely, a few of the questions were nearly word for word, picture for picture.

Rapid Review Biochemistry - It has a few good graphics, I used it as one of my references but even then it was just okay. Overall I didn't do much more than USMLEworld + Goljan + First Aid. I don't recommend it.

Rapid Review Microbiology - Not necessary, didn't read it. First Aid + USMLEworld was more than enough.

Clinically Orientated Anatomy - I referred to this for neuro a few times, it's a great reference.

Review of Pathology - I finished a 7 odd chapters, I think it would have been better for me to just use USMLEworld as it tends to be more orientated towards the USMLE than this book is.

Qbook - Didn't have time to utilize it, I skimmed through the Pathophys chapters and looked for questions that looked difficult. Needs more pictures and better explanations. I recommend it if you have time.

I have no idea how well I did but I'm sure I didn't get anything near some of the insane scores I've been seeing you guys get.

THANKS SO MUCH MEDIKIT....SO IT SEEMS THAT YOURE SAYING UWORLD FILLED IN NEARLY ALL BLANKS? HOW WAS IT FOR BEHAVIORAL? THANKS!

 

[Medikit]

THANKS SO MUCH MEDIKIT....SO IT SEEMS THAT YOURE SAYING UWORLD FILLED IN NEARLY ALL BLANKS? HOW WAS IT FOR BEHAVIORAL? THANKS!

Really good, helped me nail it down, especially with all of the cohort/cross sectional study/ etc. type questions.

 

[surprisedgirl]

anything you think uworld was deficient in?

 

[nockamura]

So I took it one week ago today and I thought I'd better post my experience before I forget (repress) the memory.

I didn't use as many books as other people. Mainly Goljan, FA and BRS physiology. For Biochem I reread Lippincott's (yes, the whole thing), for immuno I read pertinent portions of Parham and for micro I read Ridiculously Simple. Other than these subjects, I reviewed by systems starting with BRS physiology and moving to Goljan and then tying it all together with FA. I did Qbank until I was getting about 10% above average on random blocks of 30-50. I completed ~70%. I don't recommend the Clinical Vignettes since the boards do not have this type of question. I think my schedule worked fairly well. I felt that behavioral science was covered very well in HY Behavioral although I just used common sense for many of these questions on the test. For my test, I felt that behavioral and cell biology was over-represented, but your mileage may vary. I studied for about 5 weeks.

I started my test at 8:30 even though I was scheduled for 9:30 because they take you back in order of when you get there so you can start earlier if you show up earlier (good to know if you have a test time later than you'd like). The screen flicker is really pretty bad so it's good you get to take breaks every hour or so. I recommend taking a small break after every block because you might not feel like taking a break after an hour, but you might after an hour and a half.

As for the content itself, it's ummmm... different. Doable for the most part, but stuff that makes you think. My test was 40% "easy" stuff where you either know it or you don't, but you won't be able to think it through e.g. B vitamins. I'm not saying that I got all these right, but they are easy in that if you know it then it's not gonna take much brain power. 40% questions that I was able to think through using whatever info they gave me and basic knowledge and about 10-20% I had no clue and barely knew what they were talking about. Also, know your pharm cold (mechanisms, metabolism, toxicity, indications, contra-indications). If I had to do it again I'd study pharm more. Hopefully I don't have to do it again though. Best piece of advice: Don't Panic.

I did 3 of the NBME practice exams and went up about 30 points over the CBSE so that's good I guess. I'll let you guys know how well my last NBME score correlated with my real score when I get it back. Good luck everyone.

 

[Teejay]

So I took it one week ago today and I thought I'd better post my experience before I forget (repress) the memory.

I didn't use as many books as other people. Mainly Goljan, FA and BRS physiology. For Biochem I reread Lippincott's (yes, the whole thing), for immuno I read pertinent portions of Parham and for micro I read Ridiculously Simple. Other than these subjects, I reviewed by systems starting with BRS physiology and moving to Goljan and then tying it all together with FA. I did Qbank until I was getting about 10% above average on random blocks of 30-50. I completed ~70%. I don't recommend the Clinical Vignettes since the boards do not have this type of question. I think my schedule worked fairly well. I felt that behavioral science was covered very well in HY Behavioral although I just used common sense for many of these questions on the test. For my test, I felt that behavioral and cell biology was over-represented, but your mileage may vary. I studied for about 5 weeks.

I started my test at 8:30 even though I was scheduled for 9:30 because they take you back in order of when you get there so you can start earlier if you show up earlier (good to know if you have a test time later than you'd like). The screen flicker is really pretty bad so it's good you get to take breaks every hour or so. I recommend taking a small break after every block because you might not feel like taking a break after an hour, but you might after an hour and a half.

As for the content itself, it's ummmm... different. Doable for the most part, but stuff that makes you think. My test was 40% "easy" stuff where you either know it or you don't, but you won't be able to think it through e.g. B vitamins. I'm not saying that I got all these right, but they are easy in that if you know it then it's not gonna take much brain power. 40% questions that I was able to think through using whatever info they gave me and basic knowledge and about 10-20% I had no clue and barely knew what they were talking about. Also, know your pharm cold (mechanisms, metabolism, toxicity, indications, contra-indications). If I had to do it again I'd study pharm more. Hopefully I don't have to do it again though. Best piece of advice: Don't Panic.

I did 3 of the NBME practice exams and went up about 30 points over the CBSE so that's good I guess. I'll let you guys know how well my last NBME score correlated with my real score when I get it back. Good luck everyone.

Wait!!! I'm now confused . Whats the difference between CBSE and NBME?

 

[KNightInBlue]

Wait!!! I'm now confused . Whats the difference between CBSE and NBME?

CBSE - free test given by your school

NBME - tests you pay $45 to take online

 

[ginger60]

So, I am one of those people who has never posted but has appreciated all of the information and advice in these forums and figured I could contribute something now that I have finished step 1. Here is my step 1 experience:

Pre-Dedicated study time:
- Focused on learning each subject during my first year and a half, which really is key to being able to remember as much as possible later on. Read BRS path and Costanzo phys along the way.
- Bought Qbank in October and did about 50 questions in each organ system after the corresponding test in school, which was useful for finding out what my school didn't teach me but I still needed to know.
- Listened to Goljan while walking to and from school.

Dedicated study time: 4.5 weeks, didn't have a set schedule but had goals for what I wanted to do. I pretty much studied all the time except to eat, work out, play a game or two of Sudoku or check e-mail when I needed a break, and watch my favorite weekly TV shows (House and The Office). I want to get into a competitive residency so my goal was 250+, and although I'm not sure if that much studying (up to 12 hours a day) is really necessary it is possible to do it without going crazy.
- Path: BRS path, then Goljan lectures/rapid review and his high yields the day before the exam. If I could do it over again, I would have read Goljan during my second year in school, and then listened to him and read him again and read BRS path to fill in any holes. Goljan really is amazing for helping you organize and retain things and much better than BRS path (which, however, is worth looking at). Even though there weren't too many path questions on the exam, I think that Goljan helped me organize my thoughts (much better than FA alone) and answer many questions even if they weren't strictly path.
- Phys: BRS phys for each subject while I was also studying the path. I originally planned to read Costanzo phys but ran out of time and just consulted Costanzo when I wanted clarification of BRS phys (which was sufficient).
- Embryo: high yield embryo. Great book but honestly didn't help me on the test too much (I had very few embryo questions and they were way too out there to study for them)
- Behavioral sciences: high yield behavioral sciences and high yield biostats. The Qbank ethics questions were also great and a few similar ones were on my exam. Although FA is probably more than adequate for behavioral sciences, spending a few hours reading through both high yield books a few days before the test was quick and useful.
- Biochem: Kaplan's book. I also read through high yield cell and molecular bio right before the test, and I wouldn't say it was essential (my test did not have many tricky molecular questions) but was a good idea to review and link biochem and cell/molecular bio to other subjects.
- Microbiology and Immunology: FA plus Levinson, Levinson, Levinson (microbiology and immunology, from Lange). You don't need any more for micro than the bug summaries at the end, and even though some of the other chapters were kind of odd (sterilization techniques?) I have heard from several people about questions on their boards that were covered in those chapters. I had read Micro made ridiculously simple beforehand, but I felt that FA and Levinson were much more boards-appropriate.
- Pharm: FA plus Lange pharm cards. I also looked at Lippincott pharm but it was unnecessary and I wouldn't recommend it.
- Anatomy: FA, neuroanatomy made ridiculously simple. High yield neuroanatomy was not high yield and had a lot of unnecessary info for the boards and I much preferred neuroanatomy MRS to refamiliarize myself with neuroanatomy, although I know a lot of people who hate MRS. I also read through clinical anatomy MRS because it had been a year since my anatomy classes, but I wouldn't recommend it. I looked at high yield anatomy, especially for its imaging, but after taking the test I don't think it was necessary given that all of my anatomy questions were brachial plexus type things, images covered in the back of FA, or impossible to study for.
- Questions: some Kaplan Qbook and mini Qbook questions, 60% of Qbank (I was getting high 70s and 80s near the end), questions in BRS path and phys and Goljan. I liked Qbank because it forced me to remember and integrate other subject areas while I was focusing on studying a single organ system. However, I stopped doing Qbank near the end and don't think it is necessary to finish it. In general I thought Kaplan's Qbooks and Qbank were not reflective of the questions on the exam and often tested irrelevant picky details, but were useful nevertheless.
- Tests (I only remember the predicted USMLE scores and not the actual scores): old NBME (on paper) 3 months before the exam—220, NBME form 3 3-4 weeks before the exam—mid 250s, NBME form 4 in the week before the exam—265, released questions 3 days before the exam—264.

After the test:
- Regrets: I put way too much information into FA and was unable to review it at the end. I don't know if the act of writing all of that helped me remember it but I don't think it was necessary to put every detail into FA. I also bought way too many books, but realized after reading the SDN forums which books I really needed and limited myself to those. Books I bought and didn't use but wanted to: Robbins review of path, High Yield Histology. Books I bought and didn't use and don't think were necessary: USMLE step 1 secrets, Clinical Vignettes, Step-Up to the Bedside. I also regret reading FA only once—I don't think that reading through it over and over again is the best way to study but reading through it a few times would be smart. Also, I had bookmarked a few "trouble" pages in FA (GI hormones, developmental milestones) to look at during my exam breaks, but I didn't look at them and I ended up missing 4 out of the 5 questions I got on those subjects. So, if there is something you know you are weak in and can quickly review, don't hesitate to look at it during the exam breaks.
- Advice: have confidence in yourself. I think the hardest part of the test is that you are thrown a ton of questions that seem like nothing you have seen before, but in reality it is usually material you know but in a different format. I believe that I read in the Kaplan Q book that you should stick with your first answer unless you remember something that definitively points to another answer, which I totally agree with. If you have been studying hard and your life has consisted only of looking at boards material for the past 4 weeks, then there is a pretty good chance that your gut reactions during the test will be correct and you have to trust that. There were several questions that I was unsure of and changed my answer from my gut feeling to another answer, and afterwards realized that my gut feeling was correct. But it is also good to mark and recheck questions you don't feel sure of because you may catch an incorrectly calculated answer or remember something important (such as long QT syndrome being linked with deafness).
- Score: 265/99. I was dumbfounded when I got my score back given how crappy I felt after the exam and how many questions I knew I had answered incorrectly, but it all goes back to having confidence in yourself and in what you have studied. One caveat about my score—I tend to do extremely well on multiple choice tests, which I definitely think helped me get my score but which is unfortunately not something you can really study for.

Sorry this post is so long, I just hope it can help someone else with their step 1 prep.

 

[UCLAstudent]

ginger60, thanks for the advice. Question: what did you think of the Lange pharm cards? I was planning on using them.

 

[ginger60]

Honestly, I think FA is enough for pharm but I had problems remembering and differentiating the drugs so the Lange cards worked well for me--not too much info, no structures (I believe Lippincott has structures), basically repeated FA in a different format and a few extra facts. One problem though is that I noticed several mistakes, so be careful.

 

[django32]

Hi,
Like you I am an IMG but from the Caribean. I just start with my preparation ( about 1 month ago ). It seems like, It take me too long to do a subject. For exemple. I spend about 1 month to do the Kaplan Anatomy lecture notes. I this rythm, it will take me about 9 months to be well prepared. Do you think it is normal?

Django32

 

[django32]

Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!! I have learn a lot from your experience. I just start my preparation and I feel full of hope after reading your experience. Ones again. Thanks a lot !!

 

[vietstud101]

Wow, I feel like lazy bum compared to most of the people who already took Step 1. We had our finals in late March, and we had basically three weeks to study for Step 1.

I don't know how other schools were, but our pathology and pharm finals were cumulative, so that helped a lot. I studied essentially only First Aid, with some BRS path every now and then when I was completely confused, and took a 50 question Qbank test every day. Studied from roughly 9 in the morning til midnight everyday with breaks thrown in there.

After the exam, I don't feel like I failed it, but at the same time, I don't know how well I did. I was essentially trying to survive the test, so my score will probably reflect that.

Good luck to everyone.

 

[pristine21]

During the last week or so before you take Step 1, is it better to just read FA over and over and over and over? Or is it better to do questions and more questions and more questions and more questions? Or a mixture of both?

What does everyone think?

I wanna know the same thing as merovinigan...

Also I haven't started studying yet, but have purchased Q bank, and am noticing USMLE world is getting popular, although I hate to throw out the $500 I paid for Q bank I would be willing to do it if enough people think it's the right thing to do... also what about USMLERx... Robbins Q book?

 

[KNightInBlue]

I wanna know the same thing as merovinigan...

Also I haven't started studying yet, but have purchased Q bank, and am noticing USMLE world is getting popular, although I hate to throw out the $500 I paid for Q bank I would be willing to do it if enough people think it's the right thing to do... also what about USMLERx... Robbins Q book?

USMLERX is a complete waste of time. Its another clever moneymaker by the FA folks. I wouldn't bother with it.

Robbins Q Book is amazing, dont skip it.

USMLEWORLD is only $60 for a month, so do qbank and then do UW for a month (assuming of course you have the time to do 2 qbanks)

 

[lrobin15]

Hey everyone! I am starting med school in the fall and we are going to be systems based. I was hoping to get the Goljan lectures for the path of each system but I can't seem to find them. Does anyone know where I can find them?

If needed you can PM me. Thanks.

 

[fakin' the funk]

Hey everyone! I am starting med school in the fall and we are going to be systems based. I was hoping to get the Goljan lectures for the path of each system but I can't seem to find them. Does anyone know where I can find them?

If needed you can PM me. Thanks.

So does anyone have any experiences to share, or did the name of this thread get changed to "Pre-meds want to learn how to share pirated Step I materials" ???

 

[lrobin15]

So does anyone have any experiences to share, or did the name of this thread get changed to "Pre-meds want to learn how to share pirated Step I materials" ???

You can only get it pirated? I would just like to know where I can buy it.

 

[KNightInBlue]

You can only get it pirated? I would just like to know where I can buy it.

when in doubt, look to google

 

[KNightInBlue]

You can only get it pirated? I would just like to know where I can buy it.

when in doubt, look to google

 

[lord_jeebus]

You can only get it pirated? I would just like to know where I can buy it.

There is no legal version of Goljan Audio available.

 

[OTheHorror]

Step 1 for Dummies​

Let me preface this by suggesting that this guide is useful for only a select subset of individuals. If you are aiming for a score of higher than 220, this guide is probably not for you. If you are on the bottom half of your class, the following suggestions might be useful for you. I feel like these suggestions are most useful for those that haven't done well at all in medical school and are dreading taking Step 1, seeing it as a possible end to your medical career. If you feel like I did, then this might give you some encouragement/guidance. I failed the first class of my second year and had to remediate this course and take Step 1 only 2 weeks after. I have no idea what my ranking is, but I know it's somewhere between 80 and 105. I ended up with a 209 on Step 1, which is actually the average at my school.

1) Quit making excuses as to why you did poorly your first 2 years. This will only distract you from these pivotal 2 months or so that you are trying to really focus on learning what you need to know for Step 1. We all have good excuses. Unfortunately, no one cares about your excuses. Accept your reality and move on.

2) You are behind. Get ready for a long haul, because you are going to have to learn all those things that you overlooked during your first 2 years because you figured you could "buffer" that section of the test with something you were stronger in, or didn't care about getting a C in that class. Unfortunately, you only have a small amount of time to do this.

3) Get rid of distracters. For me, I had to rid myself of certain extracurricular activities that take up a lot of my time. Suck it up and GET RID of distracters. It's only a few months. Do whatever you have to do to remove these temptations.

4) And most importantly, books to use. You will have 4 resources. FA, Goljan, BRS Physiology, Kaplan Q-Bank. Nothing more…

a. FA – know FA well; it's really not that long. Some whole sections are 10-15 pages (renal/respiratory); it's NOT that difficult to really know FA well. Use FA as your guide and outline and supplement it with the following materials. Know all the drugs in FA, their mechanism, and what they are used for. Don't even worry about the lists of side effects, unless it comes up continually in you other resources and you think it's important to know. I didn't know FA by heart, but I knew a lot of it. If you don't know everything, don't worry about it.

b. Goljan's audio – Goljan saved my life. Over the course of the 3 months I had to study for Step 1, I must have listened to Goljan about 3-4 times. I eventually put it on Winamp and sped up the audio to about 133-150% or so, which means I could listen to a complete lecture in about 40 minutes. I knew Goljan so well that I often knew which jokes and stories were coming next in his lectures. You can listen to these however you wish, but I did it more or less randomly and especially at night before I went to bed with earphones, I let it play on my laptop until I fell asleep, usually getting through a lecture or so. Goljan is KEY because he is explaining the things you neglected in your first two years!

c. BRS Physiology – this book should be read so that you can understand what FA stresses; annotate FA with the main concepts that you learn from BRS physiology; BRS Physiology is an easy read.

d. Kaplan Q-Bank – Make sure you get through at least 80% of Kaplan Q-Bank. I usually did these questions after studying for that particular subject because if I did it randomly, I would get discouraged with 50%s. If you are getting 60% on random questions, you are doing good.

5) I really didn't not have a set schedule, because I found it hard to stay on it, getting caught up on certain subjects would always throw me off. However, be wary that you are not spending too much time on certain areas and neglecting others. Just use good judgment in this area.

6) Take Step 1! I felt like I only knew, for certain, maybe 40% of the test. When you take it, you will feel bad, but try not to get too down on yourself.

P.S. I almost forgot, but forget anatomy! Just know what's in FA. Waste of time...

 

[drguy22]

USMLERX is a complete waste of time. Its another clever moneymaker by the FA folks. I wouldn't bother with it.

Robbins Q Book is amazing, dont skip it.

USMLEWORLD is only $60 for a month, so do qbank and then do UW for a month (assuming of course you have the time to do 2 qbanks)

actually...i have now have three qbanks. (USMLErx, USMLE world, and Kaplan) I think that all three are excellent. I have found the FA qbank quite useful. As a matter of fact, a majority of questions on the FA qbank show up on USMLE world, in a similar fashion, so they are ALL hitting the same points.

but in the end..u gotta do wat works 4 u

 

[KNightInBlue]

actually...i have now have three qbanks. (USMLErx, USMLE world, and Kaplan) I think that all three are excellent. I have found the FA qbank quite useful. As a matter of fact, a majority of questions on the FA qbank show up on USMLE world, in a similar fashion, so they are ALL hitting the same points.

but in the end..u gotta do wat works 4 u

drguy!!!!!!
welcome to the step 1 forum ..........was actually wondering when you'd get here

hows life? hows the prep coming?

 

[SkylineMD]

actually...i have now have three qbanks. (USMLErx, USMLE world, and Kaplan) I think that all three are excellent. I have found the FA qbank quite useful. As a matter of fact, a majority of questions on the FA qbank show up on USMLE world, in a similar fashion, so they are ALL hitting the same points.

but in the end..u gotta do wat works 4 u

Just to chime in with my own opinion - I don't think all three are the same. When you look at Kaplan's Qbank breakdown of questions, they hardly have anything regarding cell biology and molecular biology. Even their selection of pharm and physio questions are quite lacking. UW seems to have a better breakdown of what the current exam is like as it has been evident that they are shifting from pure biochemistry to more molecular styled questions. Qbank's questions also aren't nearly as challenging as UW since they require more thought. I can get through Qbank with 10-15min to spare while i just manage to get under time with UW. Many people here agree that they dont have much time left on the actual exam so the 10-15min extra gives you a false sense of confidence thinking you'll have time to go back to do questions.
but of course, in the end... u gotta do wat works 4 u (or doesn't)

 

[KNightInBlue]

Just to chime in with my own opinion - I don't think all three are the same. When you look at Kaplan's Qbank breakdown of questions, they hardly have anything regarding cell biology and molecular biology. Even their selection of pharm and physio questions are quite lacking. UW seems to have a better breakdown of what the current exam is like as it has been evident that they are shifting from pure biochemistry to more molecular styled questions. Qbank's questions also aren't nearly as challenging as UW since they require more thought. I can get through Qbank with 10-15min to spare while i just manage to get under time with UW. Many people here agree that they dont have much time left on the actual exam so the 10-15min extra gives you a false sense of confidence thinking you'll have time to go back to do questions.
but of course, in the end... u gotta do wat works 4 u (or doesn't)

yeah but I think qbank (and to a lesser extent, usmlerx) help build ur knowledge base, so that by the time you get to the real qbank, UW - ur confidence wont take that big an asswhooping

basically, do usmlerx (the least useful one) first, then qbank, leave UW for the last month.......or at least thats how I am doing it



now this thread will go back to its original purpose - exam experiences.......please continue

 

[Dragon2007]

first of all , i want to thank u everyone in this forum for your support and advice.
well to tell the truth i don't think i have done well, there are lots of things i don't know and some of them i think i knew but screw up anyway.
so i don't want to repeat how i messed up.
just a few points to say.
1. do usmle world. i did kaplan , usmle rx and uw , the first two did not even have the grasp of what the real thing was like.
2. know why? why? why?.esp for those who are still in first or second year , do not satisfied with what was said in FA, the test is heavy on mechanism. if a particular drug have a particular side effect, make sure who know why. the question trend has changed. actually i took FA with me to prometric centre ,and after first break, i flip through it to look up the things i don't know in first block, and guess what' those were not in first aid either. (incidentally i do not recommend to do the same as i did. it can really mess up ur next session. knowing how much u have done wrong)
3. keep cool, the question are asking u pretty basic material , but they were worded in a way that , u don't know what they are asking about.
4. 10-15 % is easy and straight forward, 35% u know after some thinking, 30% u guess one out of 2 answers after some thinking. 15-20% is just pure guess work.
5. , U have to really know ur stuff to pass this exam, this is not an easy one , and there is no short cut.
6. i saw one thread asking if FA, uw and goljan adquate for step i, since i have face the beast , my two piece is barely, just barely.
good luck every one and good bye. (or i hope)

 

[drguy22]

drguy!!!!!!
welcome to the step 1 forum ..........was actually wondering when you'd get here

hows life? hows the prep coming?

haha..wats up? thanx for the welcome. Life sux rite now Step one in 4 weeks! May 17. Im taking Kaplan Intense Prep + all the qbanks as u already heard.

Man i cant wait till this crap is over!

how bout you? how are things?

 

[bones4u]

Here's my contribution to SDN - after using all the great advice!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=392962

Its long and detailed - plenty of info! Just got my score back today, 254/99! Couldn't be happier!

Best of luck to everyone

 

[nockamura]

So I got my score back today and it was VERY similar to the NBME exams. It was closest to NBME 3 (within 3 points).

 

[Dragon2007]

* Just Came Back
#181160
tona - 04/25/07 10:14

Hi guys ! My Exam finally over!!!!!!
Was cool all through until 2 days back, when started to have those tensed feelings. But then it went away this morning ..... and by the time I reached the Centre, I was feeling pretty good actually

Preparation
-----------------
3 months, while working. Took last 1 month complete Study Leave. So. basically the real prep was during the last 4 weeks or so when I studied 12-14hrs/day.

Status
---------
IMG

Resourses - Kaplan 2004 edition
- Goljan Audio Twice, Theory Once
-Kaplan Audios downloaded from here. I used to keep on listening to, especially the Biochem Lionel Guy's Lecture on my phone while on the move, in showers, even while sleeping!!!
-------------- FA 2006 -initially went through a few times;but later on didnt have the enthusiasm for it
USMLEWORLD 30 Days .....went through the Qs went utmost sincerity & dedication. Initially, tall the first 800 Qs couldnt finish more than 50 Qs a days. Revised for 6-7 hours after finishing a block & took notes for every Q. Trust me guys it helps.
Didnt do Kaplan Q bank , did only 10-15% from Qbook initially. Could't go thru more due to lack of time
This Forum -amazing ! probably one of the most important assets I had .

--UW-1630 Qs. : 68 % cumulative (75 th percentile)...All unused, mixed.timed mode. Started at 60%, but was scoring ~ 75% - 85% during the last 1 week. Expired 2 days b4 the exam.
---USMLE CD -1 week before 37,46,42
---NBME 1 -87%(DOWNLOADED)
---NBNE 3 (Section 1) 42/50... didnt get time to do more.

Exam Day
---------------
Centre was excellent. No prob wth facilities.
Took my first break after 2nd Block, and thereafter, after every block for 5 min. Gosh! I have never did pee so many times, so frequently, in my entire Life!!!!! ha ha ha ...

2nd block was crazy for me .... I MISSED 3 Qs.... Guys TIME is an issue here... never b4 did I have this prob. It was also the hardest.
Others all similar, mixed bag of sueprises (5-8 Qs ) & easier ones. Plenty of 1 liners too. But many 10-15 loners too!!!!!!...
Many graphs, ~5 pics/block & total ~ 2-3 CT/MRIs for me... Easy ones. Dont Worry. Stock Qs on Neuro-anat, mainly nerve injury.

TOPICS
----------
Angio-Aldos concepts ( atleast 15 q), few genetics( total ~10 may be), very few Immunology Direct Qs.

75% patho/pathophysiology/physiology

20% Biochem----receptors, G-protein, Sec Msn, Insulin, glucagon pathways, Hormone regulation of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.

I got some very similar concepts 4rm UW.... Let me tell u again, like so many others told, uw IS THE Q bank. Dont know abt Kaplan , but I bet It cant be better than UW.

I really cant remember much at this time, & jus started having a very bad headache too... thx God I didt ve it during Exam.

Bottomline
---------------
Even though I dont really know how I did, but I guess there are few important things I can advice u Guys at this point of time-1))) Never underestimate the vaue of TIME. always keep an eye on the watch. (2)Practice completing UW Block of 50 Q s in 50 min max....
Its not how long u ve been studying that is important, its How well u u/s concepts.... Trust me if u just keep on procrastinating it, ur prep will never be over; bcuz by the time u learn something new , u would ve forgotten ur old stuff. KAPLAN ALONE is sufficient.
(3) Goljan is God
(4) Never leave this Forum--- I was laughing actually when I got some Qs exactly same which I saw in here!!!!!
(5) Believe in urself.

 

[Raja Babu]

It was very much what I had expected-requires more thinking than simple recall. I would say that 20% is simple recall from what you memorized. The rest is thinking. Many biochem and molecular biology questions (Maple syrup urine, glycogen storage dz, VITAMINS, RT-PCR, restriction endonuclease blots, many (5) pedigrees, one Hardy-Weinberg calculation, mutiple enzyme questions, many receptor/2nd messenger questions, etc). I also had a lot of CARDIO questions and many RENAL questions (CHF, murmurs, drugs, nephrotic/nephritic syndrome, drugs). Not too many anatomy (fratcures, nerves, sensory/pain fibers, etc.). Multiple histo pictures-but the stem of the question was more helpful for answering. Four or five CT scans-very easy ones. Very basic pharm questions-major side affects & mechanism of action. Learn the cardio, autonomics, anti-neoplastics, and anti-microbials. Many, many murmur questions (know every single one), but no EKG pictures. Many diabetics, TB, high blood pressure, pregnant, pneumonia (obviously since these the biggies) patient cases. A few neuro questions (learn the spinal tracts and where they cross over, etc.). One picture about cranial nerves and had to identify one of them. A lot of general physiology questions about renal, cardio, GI, pulm, endo. A couple questions about RA, OA, pseudogout (the needle picture-parrell=blue), gout, & general derm (urticaria, bullous p. & pemp. vulg.). Many embryo questions integrated with genetic diseases (Turners, Down, Edwards, DiGeorge, etc.). Integrated biochem. diseases with vitamins (branch chain dehydrogenase def. with what vitamin, etc.)
Overall, I think I did okay. Took too many educated guesses, but I think at least national ave. (whatever it is).

 

[wire]

just got my results back.

my goal was 230+, ended up with a 237/99.

i'm pretty happy with the results. my school only gave us 3 weeks to study for step 1. that should be plenty, so don't freak out if you haven't started studying yet.

good luck all.

 

[hucm2009]

.

 

[echostation]

Hey guys thanks for all the fantastic information and advice so far, I had one question regarding Qbank stuff:

I have the 41 blocks of pirated Kaplan Qbank questions. Are these meant to be very similar to the current questions Kaplan has in their Qbank?

Reason I ask is because I'm just considering buying USMLE world and then sticking with these bootleg Kaplan 41 blocks of questions and other Kaplan subject questions I have. Would this be solid enough in terms of review questions or do any of you feel I should go ahead and purchase Kaplan Qbank as well cuz I just didn't know how useful these Pirated Kaplan Qs are.

thanks

 

[fakin' the funk]

Hey guys thanks for all the fantastic information and advice so far, I had one question regarding Qbank stuff:

I have the 41 blocks of pirated Kaplan Qbank questions. Are these meant to be very similar to the current questions Kaplan has in their Qbank?

You do realize that this is a "2007 Step I experiences" sticky...right?