APMLE PART 1 - 2020

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AZPOD CLASS OF 2022 PASSED 100% on APMLE PART 1 !!!!
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PASSED!!! I'll post a specific study guide that I used to review with good benchmarks to monitor your progress.
 
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My strategy:

BoardVitals, APMLE practice tests

Lower limb - DMU’s lower limb manual/notes

Microbiology - SketchyMicro, Pepper SketchyMicro Anki deck

Pharmacology - SketchyPharm, Pepper SketchyPharm Anki deck

General anatomy - the 100 concepts document, First Aid

Pathology - First Aid

Physiology - First Aid

Biochemistry - First Aid, DMU’s biochem PowerPoint

I started studying after classes ended in May. I wish I started studying earlier because I felt so pressed for time. I knocked out micro and pharm in 2-3 weeks and did Anki cards everyday. No matter how many cards I had to review the following day, I always made sure to get through my reviews PLUS new cards. Did cards every day up until the day before the test.

Then I started going through all of the systems in First Aid. Tried to work through a system in 2-3 days. A system’s chapter included general anatomy, path, phys, and pharm, so it was a good way for me to get through multiple topics quickly. I only did one pass, and reviewed notes that I made when necessary.

I read DMU’s lower limb manual twice and went through my notes another 3-4 times, and an additional skim the day before the exam.

Went through the general anatomy 100 concept document twice during the last 3 weeks.

BRIEFLY looked over biochem by skimming through first aid and the PowerPoint.

I did 25-50 BV questions a day. Was able to do 2 passes, with the last week consisting of 204 question “tests” so I’d get used to how long the test actually is. I did a practice APMLE test every week during the last 4 weeks.

My strategy isn’t as organized as some of my classmates’ and some of those mentioned here, but it allowed me to get through a lot of material very fast. And even though it is a lot of information, you’ll be surprised by how fast it all comes back to you (it REALLY helps learning things the first time around). I think picking out as little resources as possible but using/knowing those few resources really well REALLY helped.

Congratulations, everyone!
 
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congrats to everyone!
what worked for me:
Micro: Start on sketchy as soon as possible. I'd say it took me about 3 weeks to get through them.
Immuno: USMLE section and DIT videos
pharm: DIT videos + Board vitals + class notes
Biochem: First Aid + quizlet
Gross: 100 Concepts PDF + class powerpoints + Board vitals
LE: Kent's text for better visualization + class powerpoints
physio: first aid + BRS for musculoskeletal and GI
pathology= First aid is KEY

i know everyone is different but I studied for 8-10 hrs/ day and made weekly schedule rather than monthly . It seemed more realistic for me and less overwhelming. I tried taking most of my Sundays off. Taking breaks is key! eat well, sleep well and exercise.

I did about 50 Board vitals a day and made notes of the questions I missed. Doing little bit of practice questions everyday was super helpful.

Good Luck to any future test taker! take every advice you see on SDN with a grain of salt and see what works for you the best!
 
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xoxo111 said:
I am a second-year who's gonna take boards next year but this scares me to see that people thought it was extremely difficult! I am already in the bottom 30% of my class and according to my school, the bottom 40% always have a good chance of not passing (major eye roll) so this is like a horror movie for me lol
Click to expand...
I specifically wanted to reply to your post but didn't want to give tips before I knew if I passed or not.

Most people probably were not confident that they passed coming out of that testing room. Most people were anxious to see those results and were nervous today waiting for the results. So, do not take our initial reflection of the test in such a way to make you anxious about it or to make this test look very hard. Most people pass, so that should at least provide confidence for you.

People have different strategies for studying. Some start early and some start later. I think most people at my school start in June. I started like June 5th. If I would go back, I would definitely try to start earlier, at the end of May, to help with anxiety, somewhat, and to have more confidence.

1. MICRO -

WHAT I DID: SKETCHY MICRO

I would definitely do Sketchy Micro. Watch those videos and do Separated Anki Deck. I didn't do Sketchy during the year. I wish I did. Because it would have saved me a lot of time studying for Boards. If you have Micro and Pharm during second year, then you don't even have to rewatch all those videos again when studying in June. Because when you are going through Anki cards, all those stories will come back. You could rewatch some videos that you completely forgot what they were all about.

If you are hesitant to use or pay for Sketchy, let me tell you. I was opposed to using Sketchy during courses. I thought: I don't want to pay extra money for some weird cartoons, that I will do fine without it. I did well in Pharm and Micro courses without Sketchy. I would have done even better and it would be easier with Sketchy. When I heard about Sketchy, I looked at the website and at the cards and I didn't like it. I didn't understand how it could help me. I was not used to Anki or this type of studying. But when I started looking at various study resources in June, and getting tips from our previous class, I saw that pretty much everyone used Sketchy. Plus, I couldn't remember anything from Micro (even though I did well in the course) because it was all memorization material without concepts. So I just decided to try it. I decided to purchase only Sketchy Micro and see how it goes.

It took longer to watch all Micro videos than I expected. But I watched every single video and did Anki cards. I did cards every day and I was confident that I will get every question right. I wouldn't be able to do it without Sketchy for Micro section. This is gold. They deserve every penny I paid them. I think I got all Micro questions correctly on this exam.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
The only thing I would do differently is either purchase Sketchy for Micro and Pharm courses, or watch those videos during spring break or somewhere in May, so I could start real studying in June. Otherwise, do not waste time on other resources for Micro.

2. PHARM -
WHAT I DID: school's PPT slides

Since I did well in Pharm course studying from our school's PPT slides, I was more comfortable studying only from school's slides. It was faster for me. I did go through some Separted Anki cards for Pharm, but it was not very helpful since I did not watch videos. I supplemented my Pharm studying a little from First Aid book just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I wish I had watched Sketchy Pharm. But seeing how long it took me to watch Micro, and since Pharm has a lot more videos that are much longer, I knew I had no time to watch Pharm. Just do Sketchy Pharm. As with Micro, I would purchase it for the course or watch it during spring break or somewhere in May, so you could start studying from Anki and not waste time watching it in June.

3. LE ANATOMY -
WHAT I DID: school's materials

I listened to the advice from our previous class and studied only from school's materials. Our school does great job teaching LE anatomy. We have our own condensed high yield manual and PPT slides. Plus our previous class left us lots of great study materials. I only went through manual once and PPT slides once. I spent only 3 days during last week before exam for LE. I did well in the course and I was confident in the material. The good thing about our school's curriculum is that LE anatomy is taken during 2nd semester of 2nd year. So information is relatively fresh. If you have taken LE anatomy earlier and did not do so well, you should study for it more.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
Maybe I would add one more additional day of studying for this section going through BV questions just to build up confidence. I did well on the exam in this section and I did not feel like I would improve by studying longer.


LE Anatomy, Pharm and Micro are 3 subjects that anyone should really focus on because these should be relatively easy points. These 3 subject compromise around 100 points. There is no reason not to do well in these 3 sections. Doing Sketchy, pretty much guarantees you 50 points. Since we are DPMs and we get taught well in LEA section, there is no reason not to do well in this section. Just make sure you use materials you are comfortable with. There is really no reason to waste time with FA, BRS or APMLE materials for LEA section in my opinion.

4. IMMUNOLOGY - school's PPT slides
It is part of Micro section, but there are not a lot of questions on Immuno. I just studied from school's slides for this section. Follow APMLE guide, cover all the sections and you will be fine. I spent about 4-6 hours total on Immuno.

5. PHYSIOLOGY
WHAT I DID:
BRS Physiology only. Read chapters and went through about half of the practice questions. Did most BV questions once.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
Just have 1-2 additional days for this section to go through BV questions and BRS practice questions. Otherwise, I think it is the best resource. Mostly people recommend BRS Physiology, even FA book rates it as the best resource for physiology.

6. GROSS ANATOMY
WHAT I DID:
I just went through school's PPT slides once. I had BRS Gross Anatomy book, but I didn't have time to read it. I used the book only for some areas of cranial nerves and CNS pathways and such.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I spent only 3 solid days on Gross Anatomy. I wish I had at least one more day to go through BV questions and maybe BRS questions just to see what I know and dont know.

7. BIOCHEMISTRY
WHAT I DID: - First Aid
I only spent about 4 hours total on this section. At the very beginning, I did Biochem BV questions and got the idea of what kind of questions there are. I left Biochem for the very last day before exam. I used Biochem section of First Aid book only. It was more than enough. Surprisingly, I think I did much better in this section then I expected.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I would study for at least 1 day and maybe spend another day going through practice questions. I wouldn't study for it for more than 2 days.

8. PATHOLOGY
WHAT I DID: - Pathoma
I found that for this subject people at my school studied differently and there was no agreement on a single resource. Since I already had Pathoma book, I decided to use only Pathoma since DO/MD students really recommend it. I skipped over sections that I thought were irrelevant for me. I tried using Pathoma Anki cards, but I didn't like how they were made and they were too detailed. I went through several hundreds though. I spent 3 days going through Pathoma.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I would do more BV questions and go over some sections in the book again. I would maybe use FA for some areas in this section that Pathoma doesn't cover. I feel like I might have done the worst in this section on the exam, because there were questions that Pathoma didn't cover. But if you did well in LEA, Pharm and Micro then Pathoma is enough for this section.

9. PRACTICE TESTS
I went through 5 out of 8 available practice tests that I have found. They were 60 questions each. I did them during last week and it helped to build up my confidence since I did well on them. Before I used BV only. BV questions are harder and more detailed than the real test. For BV, I went once through Micro, Pharm, Phys, Biochem and about half of pathology questions. I wish I had time to go through more sections and do it 2 times as most people did. It helps to at least see what you already know, what you still need to go over and also you get more information from reading their explanations. Definitely use all practice tests at least once. There 6 PDF once from 2005, 2008 and 2 electronic ones on Prometric website.

10. CONCLUSION
This test needs to be approached with good strategy. You do not need to study for months. I think 1.5 months should be more than enough especially if you have already watched all Sketchy videos and figured out what resources you will use.
Do not waste time by going from one study resource to another. Pick one and stick to it. Don't let anxiety take over you while studying. Trust yourself, trust study materials and trust the tips others give you. They will work. It will seem during your study that you are behind, that there is so much to cover and so on. Don't let these thoughts take over. Do not think that you will have to study everything in one day. Sleep well, exercise, eat well, keep doing other things as well to stay happy and healthy.

Again, make sure you do Sketchy for Micro and Pharm. These are like giveaway points. If you do Sketchy, make sure you do Anki deck that goes with it. It will reinforce all the questions. Just watching videos won't do the trick. Once you watched videos, doing Anki cards is easy, fun and builds up your confidence. Know LEA well. You should anyways. Again, these 3 subjects will give you around 100 points already.
 
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What podstar said.

If you didn't pass, take some time to recover.

When you sign up for the retake, go in with a vengeance.
It is a ****ty, asinine test.

Learn how to beat it and move on with your life.
 
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I started studying after spring break and took a slower-paced approach so that I didn't have to cram as much towards the end.

March through April: Watched all sketchy micro videos and roughly 1/4 of sketchy pharm, got through all of the "easy" questions of board vitals (helped me to determine some high yield topics and evaluate areas I needed to focus on), and studied my LLA anki cards to keep it fresh in my head.

May: finished most of Sketchy pharm videos, completed all of the medium and hard BV questions, read BRS Phys, read and made anki cards over BRS anatomy, read biochemistry section of First Aid, read pathology study guide provided by school.

June: Studied anki cards everyday (Pepper deck for sketchy micro and pharm, LLA, BRS anatomy), went through BV easy and medium questions again, took all available practice exams.

In a nutshell: I got through the majority of material and made any flashcards by June so that I was doing practice questions, practice exams, and anki cards, and study guides only during June. I also studied LLA throughout my board prep so that I didn't have to relearn as much.

During a typical day, I spread my studying out into 3-4 sessions of about 2-3 hours. I would take about an hour break between each session to exercise, eat, and spend quality time with my wife. I also had many school and family obligations to tend to (funeral, b-days, etc), so I started earlier so that I had cushion and wasn't forced to cram. Use a schedule that works for you, but be flexible and put in the time. Good luck!
 
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de Ribas said:
I specifically wanted to reply to your post but didn't want to give tips before I knew if I passed or not.

Most people probably were not confident that they passed coming out of that testing room. Most people were anxious to see those results and were nervous today waiting for the results. So, do not take our initial reflection of the test in such a way to make you anxious about it or to make this test look very hard. Most people pass, so that should at least provide confidence for you.

People have different strategies for studying. Some start early and some start later. I think most people at my school start in June. I started like June 5th. If I would go back, I would definitely try to start earlier, at the end of May, to help with anxiety, somewhat, and to have more confidence.

1. MICRO -

WHAT I DID: SKETCHY MICRO

I would definitely do Sketchy Micro. Watch those videos and do Separated Anki Deck. I didn't do Sketchy during the year. I wish I did. Because it would have saved me a lot of time studying for Boards. If you have Micro and Pharm during second year, then you don't even have to rewatch all those videos again when studying in June. Because when you are going through Anki cards, all those stories will come back. You could rewatch some videos that you completely forgot what they were all about.

If you are hesitant to use or pay for Sketchy, let me tell you. I was opposed to using Sketchy during courses. I thought: I don't want to pay extra money for some weird cartoons, that I will do fine without it. I did well in Pharm and Micro courses without Sketchy. I would have done even better and it would be easier with Sketchy. When I heard about Sketchy, I looked at the website and at the cards and I didn't like it. I didn't understand how it could help me. I was not used to Anki or this type of studying. But when I started looking at various study resources in June, and getting tips from our previous class, I saw that pretty much everyone used Sketchy. Plus, I couldn't remember anything from Micro (even though I did well in the course) because it was all memorization material without concepts. So I just decided to try it. I decided to purchase only Sketchy Micro and see how it goes.

It took longer to watch all Micro videos than I expected. But I watched every single video and did Anki cards. I did cards every day and I was confident that I will get every question right. I wouldn't be able to do it without Sketchy for Micro section. This is gold. They deserve every penny I paid them. I think I got all Micro questions correctly on this exam.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
The only thing I would do differently is either purchase Sketchy for Micro and Pharm courses, or watch those videos during spring break or somewhere in May, so I could start real studying in June. Otherwise, do not waste time on other resources for Micro.

2. PHARM -
WHAT I DID: school's PPT slides

Since I did well in Pharm course studying from our school's PPT slides, I was more comfortable studying only from school's slides. It was faster for me. I did go through some Separted Anki cards for Pharm, but it was not very helpful since I did not watch videos. I supplemented my Pharm studying a little from First Aid book just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I wish I had watched Sketchy Pharm. But seeing how long it took me to watch Micro, and since Pharm has a lot more videos that are much longer, I knew I had no time to watch Pharm. Just do Sketchy Pharm. As with Micro, I would purchase it for the course or watch it during spring break or somewhere in May, so you could start studying from Anki and not waste time watching it in June.

3. LE ANATOMY -
WHAT I DID: school's materials

I listened to the advice from our previous class and studied only from school's materials. Our school does great job teaching LE anatomy. We have our own condensed high yield manual and PPT slides. Plus our previous class left us lots of great study materials. I only went through manual once and PPT slides once. I spent only 3 days during last week before exam for LE. I did well in the course and I was confident in the material. The good thing about our school's curriculum is that LE anatomy is taken during 2nd semester of 2nd year. So information is relatively fresh. If you have taken LE anatomy earlier and did not do so well, you should study for it more.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
Maybe I would add one more additional day of studying for this section going through BV questions just to build up confidence. I did well on the exam in this section and I did not feel like I would improve by studying longer.


LE Anatomy, Pharm and Micro are 3 subjects that anyone should really focus on because these should be relatively easy points. These 3 subject compromise around 100 points. There is no reason not to do well in these 3 sections. Doing Sketchy, pretty much guarantees you 50 points. Since we are DPMs and we get taught well in LEA section, there is no reason not to do well in this section. Just make sure you use materials you are comfortable with. There is really no reason to waste time with FA, BRS or APMLE materials for LEA section in my opinion.

4. IMMUNOLOGY - school's PPT slides
It is part of Micro section, but there are not a lot of questions on Immuno. I just studied from school's slides for this section. Follow APMLE guide, cover all the sections and you will be fine. I spent about 4-6 hours total on Immuno.

5. PHYSIOLOGY
WHAT I DID:
BRS Physiology only. Read chapters and went through about half of the practice questions. Did most BV questions once.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
Just have 1-2 additional days for this section to go through BV questions and BRS practice questions. Otherwise, I think it is the best resource. Mostly people recommend BRS Physiology, even FA book rates it as the best resource for physiology.

6. GROSS ANATOMY
WHAT I DID:
I just went through school's PPT slides once. I had BRS Gross Anatomy book, but I didn't have time to read it. I used the book only for some areas of cranial nerves and CNS pathways and such.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I spent only 3 solid days on Gross Anatomy. I wish I had at least one more day to go through BV questions and maybe BRS questions just to see what I know and dont know.

7. BIOCHEMISTRY
WHAT I DID: - First Aid
I only spent about 4 hours total on this section. At the very beginning, I did Biochem BV questions and got the idea of what kind of questions there are. I left Biochem for the very last day before exam. I used Biochem section of First Aid book only. It was more than enough. Surprisingly, I think I did much better in this section then I expected.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I would study for at least 1 day and maybe spend another day going through practice questions. I wouldn't study for it for more than 2 days.

8. PATHOLOGY
WHAT I DID: - Pathoma
I found that for this subject people at my school studied differently and there was no agreement on a single resource. Since I already had Pathoma book, I decided to use only Pathoma since DO/MD students really recommend it. I skipped over sections that I thought were irrelevant for me. I tried using Pathoma Anki cards, but I didn't like how they were made and they were too detailed. I went through several hundreds though. I spent 3 days going through Pathoma.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
I would do more BV questions and go over some sections in the book again. I would maybe use FA for some areas in this section that Pathoma doesn't cover. I feel like I might have done the worst in this section on the exam, because there were questions that Pathoma didn't cover. But if you did well in LEA, Pharm and Micro then Pathoma is enough for this section.

9. PRACTICE TESTS
I went through 5 out of 8 available practice tests that I have found. They were 60 questions each. I did them during last week and it helped to build up my confidence since I did well on them. Before I used BV only. BV questions are harder and more detailed than the real test. For BV, I went once through Micro, Pharm, Phys, Biochem and about half of pathology questions. I wish I had time to go through more sections and do it 2 times as most people did. It helps to at least see what you already know, what you still need to go over and also you get more information from reading their explanations. Definitely use all practice tests at least once. There 6 PDF once from 2005, 2008 and 2 electronic ones on Prometric website.

10. CONCLUSION
This test needs to be approached with good strategy. You do not need to study for months. I think 1.5 months should be more than enough especially if you have already watched all Sketchy videos and figured out what resources you will use.
Do not waste time by going from one study resource to another. Pick one and stick to it. Don't let anxiety take over you while studying. Trust yourself, trust study materials and trust the tips others give you. They will work. It will seem during your study that you are behind, that there is so much to cover and so on. Don't let these thoughts take over. Do not think that you will have to study everything in one day. Sleep well, exercise, eat well, keep doing other things as well to stay happy and healthy.

Again, make sure you do Sketchy for Micro and Pharm. These are like giveaway points. If you do Sketchy, make sure you do Anki deck that goes with it. It will reinforce all the questions. Just watching videos won't do the trick. Once you watched videos, doing Anki cards is easy, fun and builds up your confidence. Know LEA well. You should anyways. Again, these 3 subjects will give you around 100 points already.
Click to expand...

I really appreciate your detailed answer! Thank you very much! I have sketchy micro and now I have to get sketchy pharm.
 
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Once we get Scholl's I'll post it. I think Monday we will be told.
 
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Passed. TUSPM.

LEA: TUSPM Notes
Path: Barely hit, RR in USMLE.
Physio: BRS Physio
Micro: Sketchy - most important imo. Started 2 mo out.
Biochem + Immuno: USMLE
GA: GA 100 Concepts
Pharm: Lange Flashcards and BRS Flashcards

I didn't study too many hours a day but started beginning of April and passed. I can't say I felt super confident, but no one does leaving that exam.
BoardVitals Sprinkled in throughout the course of studying and Official practice exams saved for the last 2 weeks.
 
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@DexterMorganSK I am a student there & have my thoughts. No curriculum change. An optional board prep program was added this year during spring semester. You can PM me for my thoughts if you'd like, but I'd prefer not to spell it out here.
 
DexterMorganSK said:
Any reason for that low%? Did the curriculum change?

Also, anyone knows the % for Barry & the Cali schools?
Click to expand...
People often think low Board pass rates are somehow associated with poor curriculum. I think low rates are due to poor Board prep. Poor choice of study materials, poor strategies and such. I think it can be a cycle when a certain school has low rates, then what kind of advice they will give to the next class in terms of Board prep?

When I started studying for Boards, I remembered nothing from Micro or Immuno, Path, Physio. LEA was still kinda fresh and Pharm maybe 30%. Forgot my Gross Anatomy and Biochem completely. You can say most people start studying from scratch. Some things do come back, but it can be said that most start on about the same level when approaching Boards.

If you have good LEA materials, Sketchy for Pharm and Micro, you are pretty much guaranteed 100 points on the exam.

I wonder what kind of Board prep advice upperclassmen give at Kent or what kind of resources most students use at Kent. I think this is a place to look. Looks like most people use their school's LEA materials to study for Boards. Since it is the largest section on exam, the variation in school's materials might be an issue as well. Because there is not a lot of variation in materials students use for others sections, other subjects should not be a huge issue. It appears most people use BRS for Phys, FA for Biochem, Sketchy for Micro and Pharm, 100 notes on GA or BRS, FA for path. It's gotta be LEA school notes or people not doing Skethcy. People at Kent need to look what kind of Board advice their upperclassmen give other students.

I don't think variations in curriculum plays a large role since when I looked at curricula of pod schools, they all varied dramatically.
 
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de Ribas said:
People often think low Board pass rates are somehow associated with poor curriculum. I think low rates are due to poor Board prep. Poor choice of study materials, poor strategies and such. I think it can be a cycle when a certain school has low rates, then what kind of advice they will give to the next class in terms of Board prep?

When I started studying for Boards, I remembered nothing from Micro or Immuno, Path, Physio. LEA was still kinda fresh and Pharm maybe 30%. Forgot my Gross Anatomy and Biochem completely. You can say most people start studying from scratch. Some things do come back, but it can be said that most start on about the same level when approaching Boards.

If you have good LEA materials, Sketchy for Pharm and Micro, you are pretty much guaranteed 100 points on the exam.

I wonder what kind of Board prep advice upperclassmen give at Kent or what kind of resources most students use at Kent. I think this is a place to look. Looks like most people use their school's LEA materials to study for Boards. Since it is the largest section on exam, the variation in school's materials might be an issue as well. Because there is not a lot of variation in materials students use for others sections, other subjects should not be a huge issue. It appears most people use BRS for Phys, FA for Biochem, Sketchy for Micro and Pharm, 100 notes on GA or BRS, FA for path. It's gotta be LEA school notes or people not doing Skethcy. People at Kent need to look what kind of Board advice their upperclassmen give other students.

I don't think variations in curriculum plays a large role since when I looked at curricula of pod schools, they all varied dramatically.
Click to expand...

I won't go into too much detail but I don't think it's related to curriculum. The bolded portion is a big part of it. A large % of people used sketchy & I felt like the LEA notes were fine. Time dedicated to studying, motivation, & attitude may have played a role.
 
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MidnightSun32 said:
I won't go into too much detail but I don't think it's related to curriculum. The bolded portion is a big part of it. A large % of people used sketchy & I felt like the LEA notes were fine. Time dedicated to studying, motivation, & attitude may have played a role.
Click to expand...

That's too bad. But at least, those of you that passed now can help the others that didn't!
 
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DexterMorganSK said:
That's too bad. But at least, those of you that passed now can help the others that didn't!
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Hoping that everyone passes on the next attempt. There are plenty of people in the class that are willing to help come up with a schedule/strategy so they can get through it.
 
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Neuroma24 said:
No word on the pass rate yet?
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is extremely surprising to me since last year it was already out by now I believe. Either we did really bad or they are just swamped with getting clerkships setup/figured out for the current students P4's affected by COVID-19.

As soon as I have the info, I will post it.
 
Sorry about the delay guys, I wanted to post my study schedule/guide to everyone before I forget again.

So overall, my strategy is nothing new compared to everyone else. But it is slightly specific to Scholl students.

Board Vitals:

This was a very important gauge into how prepared you are roughly. Every time I cleared all of the questions, I would archive it all and start fresh again. The reason why is the questions you answer gives you a % of correct you have total (after you finish your test). Obviously, you have the ability to repeat the questions you got wrong later, but I simply just reviewed the questions, saw the correct answers, and left them wrong. This lead me to a % to each section that was reflective of my "1st attempt". So for example, I scored 72% in Pathology. In my personal opinion, if you are scoring around 70ish or slightly under for each section except LEA (should be around high 70's / 80ish), you should be in good standing IN MY OPINION. Obviously Board Vitals alone is not enough so PLEASE REMEMBER THAT.

APMLE practice tests

There are only so many of these. I would utilize these as you did for the MCAT. One as a pre-test initially when you begin, one mid-way through your studies, and a few more close to the end. There are previous exams floating out there and the APMLE have a few each year for free I believe. Check them out.

LEA

Every institution should likely use their own notes from their course, since I'm from Scholl, I used my notes. Your institution may vary, but unless otherwise stated, use your class notes.

Microbiology

SketchyMicro was enough for me. If you feel lacking, use your class notes from this course.

Pharmacology

I used Scholls class notes for this, they were really good and concise but not super comprehensive. I've heard many good things about SketchyPharm and I likely would have used it going back. Videos are long yes, but it does help solidify certain KEY points that testtakers ask that class notes may overlook. Use SketchyPharm if you'd like, not required but recommended.

General anatomy

The 100 concepts document and First Aid are what I used. They hit super high yield points in their 12.5% of questions, some including LEA of the general anatomy course too so don't fret too much about this.

Pathology

This one is extremely difficult to clue you in on how to properly prepare as much of the knowledge here is learn now and never really use later. First Aid and BRS Pathology textbooks are good, but I cannot attest to one specifically. I used both a little + Rapid Review USMLE and winged it (Lots of googling!) I used a few youtube videos as well, if ANYTHING seems off or confusing, WATCH A YOUTUBE VIDEO, there are SO many good ones explaining pathology for USMLE.

Physiology

First Aid and BRS Physiology as well as class notes here.

Biochemistry

Scholl's Biochem slides / notes. Our professor makes a condensed ppt of the whole coarse with only high yield content for us. Review your Biochem notes 1-2 weeks before the exam. Exam questions encompass either high yield enzymatic reactions or being able to put a specific disease to a specific defect in something. That's about it.

Timeline:

Ideally, start in February lightly and pick it up as time progresses. Get in the habit to do 5-10 board vital questions a day to gauge how well you know stuff. If you don't really understand, LOOK IT UP, don't just be like huh yeah ok and move on. THIS is how you really prepare for the exam. I began full-blown studying in April. Break up the concepts into sections and systems, I feel like this will allow a better flow of learning rather than randomly jumping between all sorts of systems or subjects.


Overall:

There are MANY ways to pass this exam so please do not stress out over which is the "best" because it's not about what's the best, but more of, what fits your needs and style of learning. Visual learning or want it lectured to your face more? - Youtube videos. More of a practice question and look up answers kind of guy? Practice tests and question banks. Etc., etc., etc.

Just put the work in, study hard, and do not be afraid to share your resources with each other. One good act with one group may open up an opportunity to some really good notes from another.

If anyone has specific Scholl questions, do not hesitate to PM me.
 
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Neuroma24 said:
No word on the pass rate yet?
Click to expand...


No official word yet although this is what I know thus far:

They do not want to give this information out yet as it is only "a # and has no value without the official average". So they are waiting on the average to be released. To date, I do not know when it usually releases or if it has been released yet.

However, word on the street is that we have quite a # of students who did not pass. Estimates are in the 80's for pass rate. That's all I know.
 
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Has anyone released DMU, Scholl's, pass rate? If so could you share? Thanks
 
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I was wondering if anyone used pixorize for biochem review? I barely passed biochem in my first year so was wondering if pixorize would be good, or is it too detailed?
 
xoxo111 said:
I was wondering if anyone used pixorize for biochem review? I barely passed biochem in my first year so was wondering if pixorize would be good, or is it too detailed?
Click to expand...

Never heard of Pixorize. But tbh... I thought the biochem section in First Aid was more than enough.
 
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xoxo111 said:
I was wondering if anyone used pixorize for biochem review? I barely passed biochem in my first year so was wondering if pixorize would be good, or is it too detailed?
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Biochem is one of your least concerns on this exam, usually. It's 10% of the total exam question bank. They will attack the subject through primary structured questions (What is the rate limiting step of XXXXXXXXXXX) or secondary structured questions (This disease (XXXXXXXX) is a disruption of what regulatory enzyme or insert metabolite). Mastery of biochem beyond this is usually not necessary to do well on the biochem portion of the exam. It's nice to know, but definitely do not sweat it. Your institutions biochem should be sufficient. First aid does biochem too, which was helpful for me.
 
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OblivionGD said:
Biochem is one of your least concerns on this exam, usually. It's 10% of the total exam question bank. They will attack the subject through primary structured questions (What is the rate limiting step of XXXXXXXXXXX) or secondary structured questions (This disease (XXXXXXXX) is a disruption of what regulatory enzyme or insert metabolite). Mastery of biochem beyond this is usually not necessary to do well on the biochem portion of the exam. It's nice to know, but definitely do not sweat it. Your institutions biochem should be sufficient. First aid does biochem too, which was helpful for me.
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Thanks, I suppose I’m going to prioritize first aid. My school went knee deep into biochem so those lectures are probably not gonna be a good source as they are very very detailed.
 
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xoxo111 said:
Thanks, I suppose I’m going to prioritize first aid. My school went knee deep into biochem so those lectures are probably not gonna be a good source as they are very very detailed.
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First aid is more than enough for biochem section.
 
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Graduated 2017 here. Mainly used LEA, First Aid, SketchyMirco and school pharm notes and studied for 1 month. Passed. After realizing these exams are a joke, passed part 2, CSPE and 3 without studying a kick. You will pass. Have confidence.
 
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wakaflocka88 said:
Graduated 2017 here. Mainly used LEA, First Aid, SketchyMirco and school pharm notes and studied for 1 month. Passed. After realizing these exams are a joke, passed part 2, CSPE and 3 without studying a kick. You will pass. Have confidence.
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Idk about part 1 being easy anymore, if anything, I think it's getting harder? Saying it based on people's interactions after boards this year.
 
xoxo111 said:
Idk about part 1 being easy anymore, if anything, I think it's getting harder? Saying it based on people's interactions after boards this year.
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Basic sciences do not change. Anatomy is anatomy, it doesn't change. Biochemical reactions that are high yield remain high yield. Pharmacology medication and it's MOA's may change a bit, but for the most part it's quite static, at least for general classes. Microbiology is in the same boat as pharm for the most part, not much changes in a short period of time. The easy points of the exam are LEA and microbiology and biochem and pharm respectively in easiest to hardest free points. Only main toss-ups are general anatomy / physiology.
 
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Hi everyone!
Stupid question, but people throw around using "curricular guide" are you guys talking about the breakdown of APMLE part 1 content guide, like percentage of each subjects? Thanks!

Also, could someone please guide me to this 100 page content people are talking about for GA? Thanks!
 
PTPuser said:
Hi everyone!
Stupid question, but people throw around using "curricular guide" are you guys talking about the breakdown of APMLE part 1 content guide, like percentage of each subjects? Thanks!

Also, could someone please guide me to this 100 page content people are talking about for GA? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I posted the curricular guide here in another thread; for the anatomy slides ask your seniors or classmates. I'm sure someone has it, otherwise send me a PM.
 
I was wondering if anyone remembers what the national pass rate was for the 2020 exam? I read somewhere that with your scores, you also see the national pass rate. Just curious.
 
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