how long have u guys prepared for stepI?

[nunnaja]

how long have u guys prepared for stepI?
5 months is too short ? :cry:

[Captainwada]

5 months is too long!!...cut it to 3 months max...ull get burnt by 4 mo. for sure...just be consistent in ur studies

[jameslynton]

how long have u guys prepared for stepI?
5 months is too short ? Of the better testers - they start before they go to medical school. They prepare to learn it right the first time. Most testers start reviews and doing questions about 7-8 months in advance of the test say in the US about November and December for a late June or July testing. The last two months are where they turn up the volume and work questions once school is out. These are the people that get 90+ 230+ scores. Many buy First Aid before they walk in the door.

[MDiva]

how long have u guys prepared for stepI?
5 months is too short ? :cry:

For an above average student, 5 months is definitely overkill. If you are an average student, 5 months is enough. If you are trying to re-learn your first 2 years of med school, 5 months is not enough.

[MDiva]

Many buy First Aid before they walk in the door.


I don't think this is a good idea until second year, since FA is very HIGH YIELD for review purposes and many med school exams test minutiae, particularly in first year, that would never find its way into FA. Also, what good is reviewing what has not even been learned yet? Recall that FA has many errors. How would that be helpful to someone that lacks the fund of knowledge to even be able to spot them?

[marcus "the gun" pupil]

The only problem with taking too long to study for the step is that, firstly u get burnt out. secondly, u start forgeting details ( i guess that is what first aid is for). Condense it to 3 months hardcore, and keep the material you studied earlier, fresh by doing questions. Never give it a chance to leave your brain! Also a strategy that is working for me now ,and i am glad for it, is start with your weakest subject ( when u r hype like rocky!) and end with your weakest subject on first aid. This will ensure that u leave no details behind and that u do your stronger subjects when u are burnt out, rather than the other way round. Sorry i am rambling, i am kinda OCD about details.

[wcb22]

i think everyone has a peak threshold... only you can determine what that is. for me it was 5 months. i think after you hit this threashold, your score will start going down.

and the longer you've been out of basic sciences, usually the lower your score, but there are exceptions.

[wcb22]

i will add also that when you focus on those weaknesses (which you should definately do), your strengths might go down a bit.

on my NBME, my score bands were all over the place, a few really high scores, a few low ones. so i focused on the weak points, and brought them up. but my strengths also went down, so that on my real exam report, everything was pretty even, i was amazed. what i'm saying is, your brain can only hold so much. when you start paying attention to another subject, other one's might suffer. it's a huge balancing act.

[jameslynton]

I don't think this is a good idea until second year, since FA is very HIGH YIELD for review purposes and many med school exams test minutiae, particularly in first year, that would never find its way into FA. Also, what good is reviewing what has not even been learned yet? Recall that FA has many errors. How would that be helpful to someone that lacks the fund of knowledge to even be able to spot them?
Hey - I look at FA as an outline or a check list. Most people also write in it as they do classes - starting from day one. When I find an item in a book - I note the book and page by the item. I also add stuff - I feel it adds to my knowledge base. If I find a question that tests this - I write down the page of the q-bank book or the question in the margin. So I know how it could be asked. So I sort of disagree with you on this one. A concept or mechanism with out several questions is pretty worthless to me. Just my .02 and opinion - take it with a grain of salt.

[harbeer]

DEAR FRIENDS IAPPRECIATE IF YOU WILL LETM E KNOW WHEN ONE HAS TO GIVE STEP 1, I MEAN HOW MUCH TIME AN AVERAGE STUDENT NEEDS AND HOW MUCH SCORE SOMEONE GETS IN KAPLAN Q BANK OR NBME QUESTIONS AND After that one is confident to go and hit a ball. thanks for your help to every body you all are great thanks for serving humanity.

[MDiva]

A concept or mechanism with out several questions is pretty worthless to me. Just my .02 and opinion - take it with a grain of salt.

Hey JL, I'll see your 2 cents and raise you a dime:

A concept or mechanism without a solid foundation of knowledge from which to draw upon in order to see the bigger picture, integrate other concepts and truly understand it, is pretty worthless to me.

There's my opinion, I appreciate yours, and keep the salt, I'm a tad bit on the bloated side tonight, darn moons!:mrgreen:

[MDiva]

DEAR FRIENDS IAPPRECIATE IF YOU WILL LETM E KNOW WHEN ONE HAS TO GIVE STEP 1, I MEAN HOW MUCH TIME AN AVERAGE STUDENT NEEDS AND HOW MUCH SCORE SOMEONE GETS IN KAPLAN Q BANK OR NBME QUESTIONS AND After that one is confident to go and hit a ball. thanks for your help to every body you all are great thanks for serving humanity.


Hi Harbeer,

The answers to your questions are all over this forum. Take a moment to peruse the threads, you'll find they are very rich in information.