hello, please advise. Also, KAPLAN or FALCON?? Kaplan retreat or Live prep?

I go here you can read up on folks who've taken their Step 1 and made exceptional scores. They give lots of great advice and outlines on their study method.

USMLE Step 1 Forum

This is a link to a St. George grad who made 99% and gave a step by step breakdown of his study method.

USMLE Step 1 the rumors were true

So far the best advice I have received was to study accordingly and then take an NBME self accessment form. If I make 500 or above I am ready. If I score below then I need to reevaluate my study methods and shore up my weaknesses.

NBME® : Services for Medical Students and Graduates : Self-Assessment Services

Also USMLEWorld is a great question bank to use about 3-4 months before the test. If you make around 70% on their questions you're golden. I've been told that the questions are harder than the step but are exceptionally good at preparing you think about the question structure and what exactly are they asking.
USMLE STEP 1 Qbank & Self-Assessment Exams @ USMLEWORLD

Hope this helps. I am knee deep studying for my Step 1 right now and banging this stuff into my head. Good luck and study hard!

Thank you for an such a good and informative response.