USMLE Step 1 Prep Survey

[rugbybuggy]

Greetings everyone. I am a recent IMG who will be taking U.S. licensing exams over the next 18 months. After browsing the many threads on here for the last few weeks, I wanted to survey current US MD/DO students and other IMGs who have recently taken or will be taking Step 1 this year. You do not have to answer all the questions, but as much feedback as you have to give will be very appreciated. All told it should take no more than 10-15 minutes. Thank you all.


1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1?

3) What was your initial assessment score?
Whats is/was your score goal/final score?

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you?
If yes, which one (Kaplan, Becker, DIT, other)?
Did you use this course?

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one?
Was it live/in-person or online?

5) Did you feel that the course was helpful to your preparation?
If yes, why?
If no, why?

6) Did you use a Qbank? Which one (UWorld, Kaplan, DIT, USMLE Rx, other)

7) Did you purchase the NMBE assessment materials?
If yes, how did your Qbank compare to the official NMBE questions?

8) Did you use your basic science textbooks during your Step 1 studying?
If yes, which ones were really helpful?

9) Did you use any Step 1 review books? Which ones (First Aid, Goljan RR, BRS, UCV, other)?
If you used First Aid, did you also use their Qbook? If so, was it helpful?

10) For how long did you study?
Where in your medical school class do you rank (top 1/3, top 1/5)?

11) Did you use any other lecture or content review materials? If so, which ones?

12) Is there any one Step 1 study resource could not have done without?

13) Is there anything you wish you had used to prep that you did not?

14) Is there any resource you did purchase you wish you had not?

15) Was there any resource/study aid/test guide for USMLE prep that does not exist but you wish it did (e.g. more Qs, test strategies or tips, useful references)?

16) What 1 piece of advice would you give to a student gearing up for Step 1?

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[MyAtypicalJourneyToMD]

1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG
IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1?
September 30, 2016

3) What was your initial assessment score? 181 on NBME 15 (July 27, 2016)
Whats is/was your score goal/final score? 219

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you? Yes
If yes, which one (Kaplan, Becker, DIT, other)? Kaplan - In-person lectures on the island
Did you use this course?
Attendance was mandatory so... mostly, yes. I went to the first few days for each subject and if the instructor was bomb then I stayed and if they weren't I didn't need that review, I would leave or study in the back.

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one?
Was it live/in-person or online?

5) Did you feel that the course was helpful to your preparation? Minimally
If yes, why?
The instructors were great for Pathoma (Dr. Barone) and for Physiology (Dr. Kudrath). For those two subjects, I took great notes which I referenced throughout my Step prep.
If no, why?
The Kaplan Micro/Immuno instructor couldn't beat the Micro/Immuno instructors we had on the island, so those reviews were useless, as everyone in my class had become Micro Masters already. I'm not sure why I didn't find the other subjects (Anatomy, Biostats/Epi, Psych, and whatever else we had) to be helpful... Only thing I can think of is that the only time passive learning, such as sitting in a classroom, has ever worked for me is when the teachers were exceptional! If the instructor didn't have my attention that first day, then I knew I would be spacing out the rest of the week and my time would be better spent at home doing questions (because active learning is what's up).

6) Did you use a Qbank? Which one (UWorld, Kaplan, DIT, USMLE Rx, other) UWorld & Kaplan

7) Did you purchase the NMBE assessment materials? Yes, I purchased NBMEs 15-18
If yes, how did your Qbank compare to the official NMBE questions?
My UWorld Qbank score was around 56% after my first pass. My Kaplan score was around 62% but I didn't finish it... I only used it for some subjects after I had started my second pass at UWorld and realized I remembered every question and answer... So I then switched to Kaplan Qbank to test myself properly. According to some charts I found online, my UWorld percent predicts a score of 211.
The same chart predicts 234 based on my Kaplan percent, though I'm sure my % would have gone down if I had gotten to the harder subjects like Pathophysiology.

8) Did you use your basic science textbooks during your Step 1 studying? No
If yes, which ones were really helpful?

9) Did you use any Step 1 review books? Which ones (First Aid, Goljan RR, BRS, UCV, other)?
First Aid 2015
Neurology chapter of Kaplan Anatomy Lecture Notes
If you used First Aid, did you also use their Qbook? If so, was it helpful? I did not use it.

10) For how long did you study? March 17th - September 28th (~6 months)
Where in your medical school class do you rank (top 1/3, top 1/5)?
I don't know that this data is available, but I'm probably around top 1/4.

11) Did you use any other lecture or content review materials? If so, which ones?
Pathoma (3 times through for some chapters!)
Kaplan Pathology Live Lectures w/ Dr. Barone
Kaplan Pharmacology Live Lectures w/ Dr. Harris (twice!)
Kaplan Neuroscience Live Lectures
SketchyMicro (not during my dedicated 6 months but I did it 3rd year and found it really helpful)
Quizlet

12) Is there any one Step 1 study resource could not have done without? UWorld & Pathoma

13) Is there anything you wish you had used to prep that you did not? Nope

14) Is there any resource you did purchase you wish you had not? No

15) Was there any resource/study aid/test guide for USMLE prep that does not exist but you wish it did (e.g. more Qs, test strategies or tips, useful references)? No

16) What 1 piece of advice would you give to a student gearing up for Step 1? UFAP all day and SLEEP AS MUCH AS YOU NEED EVERY NIGHT! (Seriously, be selfish with your sleep. I never got less than 8 hours per night during my 6 month grind).
Don't be afraid to admit when you are struggling and then text that friend that always tells you how smart you are

 

[rugbybuggy]

1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG
IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1?
September 30, 2016...

Thank you. Keep the great responses coming all!

 

[blueforest]

1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG
U.S.-IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1?
March 2017

3) What was your initial assessment score?
Whats is/was your score goal/final score?
Baseline NBME: 202 or 205 something like that
Goal: 220+
Score: 233

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you?
If yes, which one (Kaplan, Becker, DIT, other)?
Did you use this course?
Yes, Kaplan live lectures at the end of basic sciences which was like 3 years ago for me, it didn't help in my opinion

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one?
Was it live/in-person or online?

5) Did you feel that the course was helpful to your preparation?
If yes, why?
If no, why?
As stated above, I did not think it was helpful because the lectures were ALL DAY from like 9am to 5-6pm and the pace was fast, it was impossible to retain all that info anyways... I would have been better off studying at home for all those hours, at least I would have mastered first aid back then

6) Did you use a Qbank? Which one (UWorld, Kaplan, DIT, USMLE Rx, other)
Almost finished Kaplan Qbank but it wasn't great, the exam was totally different than kaplan qbank
UWORLD IS THE BEST!

7) Did you purchase the NMBE assessment materials?
If yes, how did your Qbank compare to the official NMBE questions?
Yes all of them, NBMEs are pretty accurate
NBME questions were more straightforward but specific in my opinion, Uworld had long and difficult vignettes sometimes and lots of trick questions (USMLE step 1 is not a "trick question" type of exam, I THINK lol)

8) Did you use your basic science textbooks during your Step 1 studying?
If yes, which ones were really helpful?
I had an ambitious plan to go through Rapid Review Pathology- ditched it and switched to pathoma (must have done pathoma at least 3+ times, that helped tremendously)

9) Did you use any Step 1 review books? Which ones (First Aid, Goljan RR, BRS, UCV, other)?
If you used First Aid, did you also use their Qbook? If so, was it helpful?
FIRST AID, Kaplan biochem for reference, Kaplan pharm for reference (those 2 kaplan subjects are the best in my opinion and the videos are excellent, do them if those are your weaker subjects and you have time), BRS Physiology is also great I used it, anything I didn't understand I watched youtube videos

10) For how long did you study?
Where in your medical school class do you rank (top 1/3, top 1/5)?
6+ months on and off, didn't push myself hard until the last 3 months and that's all I needed to do really
no idea about rank (IMG), I'd say below average during basic sciences but almost top towards the end

11) Did you use any other lecture or content review materials? If so, which ones?

12) Is there any one Step 1 study resource could not have done without?
FA, Uworld, Pathoma

13) Is there anything you wish you had used to prep that you did not?

14) Is there any resource you did purchase you wish you had not?

15) Was there any resource/study aid/test guide for USMLE prep that does not exist but you wish it did (e.g. more Qs, test strategies or tips, useful references)?

16) What 1 piece of advice would you give to a student gearing up for Step 1?
Don't give yourself a ridiculous period of time to study for these steps even if you are an IMG, you were a medical student at one point therefore you should have the knowledge there already.. sit down for 3 months and know FA Uworld Pathoma (UFAP) well and you can score 220+ without a problem. 240+ you just need to be a great test taker and stay focused without making "stupid" mistakes. It sounds easy, and it is...there is no "secret" everyone does UFAP but the studying gets tiring, boring, repetitive... you watch your friends have fun without you outside of medschool and that might make some people go crazy. Deactivate your social media accounts if that distracts you and just tell yourself it will be over soon and think of that goal score. The feeling of opening your score report and seeing a score that exceeded your expectations is an AMAZING one and I wish everyone that!

 

[rugbybuggy]

1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG
U.S.-IMG

...

Thank you! We have 2 so far, let's keep it going. U.S. Students, what do you all use? Thanks again!

 

[ngc 2170]

Greetings everyone. I am a recent IMG who will be taking U.S. licensing exams over the next 18 months. After browsing the many threads on here for the last few weeks, I wanted to survey current US MD/DO students and other IMGs who have recently taken or will be taking Step 1 this year. You do not have to answer all the questions, but as much feedback as you have to give will be very appreciated. All told it should take no more than 10-15 minutes. Thank you all.


1) Which medical student category are you in? U.S. MD, U.S. DO, IMG

US MD

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1?

End of M2 year, in April.

3) What was your initial assessment score?

244 (580)

Whats is/was your score goal/final score?

My goal was to exceed 240. Since my initial NBME was over 240, I then aimed for 250. My second NBME score was over 250. I was happy with that, so I didn't set any further goals. My actual Step 1 score was 259.

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you?

No

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one?
Was it live/in-person or online?

No. The only time I've ever done a standardized exam prep course, I felt it a massive waste of time and it did not fit my study/personality style.

6) Did you use a Qbank? Which one (UWorld, Kaplan, DIT, USMLE Rx, other)

UWorld and USMLE Rx

7) Did you purchase the NMBE assessment materials?
If yes, how did your Qbank compare to the official NMBE questions?

Yes, two NBMEs. I would however suggest students take as many as possible within personal cost ($$$) limitations

8) Did you use your basic science textbooks during your Step 1 studying?
If yes, which ones were really helpful?

No

9) Did you use any Step 1 review books? Which ones (First Aid, Goljan RR, BRS, UCV, other)?
If you used First Aid, did you also use their Qbook? If so, was it helpful?

First Aid mainly. Did not use the Qbook; it is full of errors. Used Step 1 cases book for further review/being able to identify diseases based on question stem. Pathoma was also a main part of my study plan. Goljan Rapid Review very minimally.

10) For how long did you study?

A little bit throughout M2 year. About 2 months dedicated study period

Where in your medical school class do you rank (top 1/3, top 1/5)?

I don't know because we don't rank. I would guess top 10% based on exam averages but who knows

11) Did you use any other lecture or content review materials? If so, which ones?

Pathoma as stated above, and SketchyMicro

12) Is there any one Step 1 study resource could not have done without?

First Aid and UWorld are essential

13) Is there anything you wish you had used to prep that you did not?

In retrospect, not really. But I do think I could have had a better understanding of drugs had I used SketchyPharm, maybe.

14) Is there any resource you did purchase you wish you had not?

lol yes so many. I bought a bunch of review books in M1 year that I intended to use for boards study, but I never opened them. There isn't enough time to read loads of books. Stick to a few review resources and that's it.

15) Was there any resource/study aid/test guide for USMLE prep that does not exist but you wish it did (e.g. more Qs, test strategies or tips, useful references)?

You can never go wrong with more practice questions

16) What 1 piece of advice would you give to a student gearing up for Step 1?

Learn concepts well in your medical school classes instead of trying to learn them properly during your boards study period

 

[rugbybuggy]

Thank you @ngc 2170 . Keep the great responses coming all. Click the poll choices up top, please share your thoughts in the thread.

 

[rugbybuggy]

More thoughts/feedback is much appreciated!

 

[rugbybuggy]

Bumping for more information. Any recent Step 1 takers or those with insight reply. Thank you.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

1) Which medical student category are you in? IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1? next 6 months

3) What was your initial assessment score? 196
Whats is/was your score goal/final score? 260

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you? kaplan
If yes, which one (Kaplan, Becker, DIT, other)?
Did you use this course? yes

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one? Pass Program
Was it live/in-person or online? in person

5) Did you feel that the course was helpful to your preparation?
If yes, why? physio concepts
If no, why?

6) Did you use a Qbank? Which one (UWorld, Kaplan, DIT, USMLE Rx, other) uworld

7) Did you purchase the NMBE assessment materials? not yet
If yes, how did your Qbank compare to the official NMBE questions?

8) Did you use your basic science textbooks during your Step 1 studying? no
If yes, which ones were really helpful?

9) Did you use any Step 1 review books? Which ones (First Aid, Goljan RR, BRS, UCV, other)?
If you used First Aid, did you also use their Qbook? If so, was it helpful? first aid, pathoma, sketchy workbooks pharm

10) For how long did you study? average
Where in your medical school class do you rank (top 1/3, top 1/5)?

11) Did you use any other lecture or content review materials? If so, which ones? sketchy micro

12) Is there any one Step 1 study resource could not have done without? first aid

13) Is there anything you wish you had used to prep that you did not? goljan rapid review

14) Is there any resource you did purchase you wish you had not? pathoma videos

15) Was there any resource/study aid/test guide for USMLE prep that does not exist but you wish it did (e.g. more Qs, test strategies or tips, useful references)? pneumonics

16) What 1 piece of advice would you give to a student gearing up for Step 1? mediocrity with a dose of self doubt keeps one from excellence

 

[rugbybuggy]

1) Which medical student category are you in? IMG

2) When did you take/will you take Step 1? next 6 months

3) What was your initial assessment score? 196
Whats is/was your score goal/final score? 260

4) Did your school provide a prep class for you? kaplan
If yes, which one (Kaplan, Becker, DIT, other)?
Did you use this course? yes

If no, did you seek out your own prep course?
Which one? Pass Program
Was it live/in-person or online? in person

5) Did you feel that the course was helpful to your preparation?
If yes, why? physio concepts
If no, why?

....

Thank you!

 

[DynamicMD]

bump