Lucy May
11-19-2008, 06:45 PM
Quick facts for those not interested in reading the dribble.
Step 1 score: 206/85
Step 2 score: 237/98 Exam date Monday Oct 27th Score report, Wednesday, Nov 19th.
UW average: 53%
Usmlerx Step 2 CK qbank: 71%
NBME 2 one week before exam: 227
Prep time: Started Mid June, but had to deal with full-time school as well.
This is for all of you remedial med students just like me who don’t believe that you can improve on your step 1 or even get a decent score!
A little encouragement…
I wasn’t horribly disappointed in my Step 1 score. I was thrilled and thankful to have passed and get over a 200 on the first try when I know plenty of people who haven’t passed Step 1. And even though I don’t want a competitive residency, I knew that I’d be more reassured if I showed that I could improve on my Step 2. Plus, being an IMG already knocks you back a few notches, and our USMLE scores are really the only leverage we have. My Step 2 goal was a 99, the three digit score didn’t matter much to me even though I dreamed of an elusive 250. And though I didn’t make a 99, I really never truly believed I was capable of a 98. Some people just have this genetically set test-taking intelligence level where they basically do nothing compared to the work I put in and just “happen to get a 260!”
I am NOT one of those people. Some students would have wanted to slit their wrists over a 237, I bawled tears of joy.
So here’s what I learned from Step 1 and what I did differently for Step 2. I’m a huge believer that there is NEVER one magical study plan. You have to know what works for you. This is simply what worked for me.
1. Not doing enough questions: I was so terrified of Step 1 that I thought doing questions was silly if I didn’t feel comfortable with the material. But that’s the secret to these exams. We can all memorize material needed for a short time on a simple exam in school just from making notecards or memorizing charts, but the only way to make a large amount of material stick longer is learn it in the form of questions. Be happy in the beginning when you get them wrong, because you’re on your way to learning not just the right answers, but WHY they’re the right answers.
What I did different
This time around, from day one I did at least 50 questions when I started out. I gradually increased the amount I did. By the time I took the exam, I’d probably done over 6,000 unique questions. If I included repeating questions over and over, not just the ones I got wrong it’s probably closer to 10,000 or so questions that I did. Plus I realized that even when I wasn’t in the mood to study, I knew I was still putting in quality time by at least doing questions.
2. Not changing my study prep even if it wasn’t giving me results: I was too scared to abandon a study plan even when it was wasting time. I thought for some reason that it would be too late to change gears, or I’d somehow be rewarded for studying that much harder. For example, instead of spending a whole day reviewing cardio from books and making notes, I should have been doing questions (You learn and retain more in half the time). It really does not make sense to put in hours of reading or listening to lectures when it’s simply passive learning.
What I did different
I mapped out exactly what I was going to do months in advance and I found myself adapting constantly and changing my weekly goals because sometimes I set unrealistic goals, sometimes I realized what I was doing was wasting my time and sometimes a study method I chose was just plain boring me so I’d scratch it out and modify the plan. I didn’t beat myself up for not “sticking” to a goal. If you don’t at least enjoy a teeny bit of your studying time or feel deep down “this is going nowhere”, it’s going to just burn you out.
3. Too many resources: it can be overwhelming the study aids out there and I spread myself too thin for Step 1 between FA, Kaplan, BRS, Step-Up, Pathology Flashcards, Underground Vignettes, etc. My suggestion is to pick 3-4 resources and commit to them. They become like your best friends and you start to develop a photographic memory for where information is.
What I did different
I spent money on four resources. I chose self-study Kaplan books and 2001-2002 videos as a foundation. Then I chose UW as my chief study tool (NOT assessment too). Next-- even though a lot of people said First Aid CK wasn’t that great-- because it was my ONLY review book, it turned out to be awesome because I was using it so much that I could close my eyes and picture what it said in certain sections. I knew exactly where to go to look up an answer because I became that familiar with it. Find your best friend. It doesn’t have to be FA, but find something and commit to it. As my last study tool, I used the brand new First Aid usmlerx ck Step 2 qbank to assess myself the last three weeks before my exam.
Step 1 score: 206/85
Step 2 score: 237/98 Exam date Monday Oct 27th Score report, Wednesday, Nov 19th.
UW average: 53%
Usmlerx Step 2 CK qbank: 71%
NBME 2 one week before exam: 227
Prep time: Started Mid June, but had to deal with full-time school as well.
This is for all of you remedial med students just like me who don’t believe that you can improve on your step 1 or even get a decent score!
A little encouragement…
I wasn’t horribly disappointed in my Step 1 score. I was thrilled and thankful to have passed and get over a 200 on the first try when I know plenty of people who haven’t passed Step 1. And even though I don’t want a competitive residency, I knew that I’d be more reassured if I showed that I could improve on my Step 2. Plus, being an IMG already knocks you back a few notches, and our USMLE scores are really the only leverage we have. My Step 2 goal was a 99, the three digit score didn’t matter much to me even though I dreamed of an elusive 250. And though I didn’t make a 99, I really never truly believed I was capable of a 98. Some people just have this genetically set test-taking intelligence level where they basically do nothing compared to the work I put in and just “happen to get a 260!”
I am NOT one of those people. Some students would have wanted to slit their wrists over a 237, I bawled tears of joy.
So here’s what I learned from Step 1 and what I did differently for Step 2. I’m a huge believer that there is NEVER one magical study plan. You have to know what works for you. This is simply what worked for me.
1. Not doing enough questions: I was so terrified of Step 1 that I thought doing questions was silly if I didn’t feel comfortable with the material. But that’s the secret to these exams. We can all memorize material needed for a short time on a simple exam in school just from making notecards or memorizing charts, but the only way to make a large amount of material stick longer is learn it in the form of questions. Be happy in the beginning when you get them wrong, because you’re on your way to learning not just the right answers, but WHY they’re the right answers.
What I did different
This time around, from day one I did at least 50 questions when I started out. I gradually increased the amount I did. By the time I took the exam, I’d probably done over 6,000 unique questions. If I included repeating questions over and over, not just the ones I got wrong it’s probably closer to 10,000 or so questions that I did. Plus I realized that even when I wasn’t in the mood to study, I knew I was still putting in quality time by at least doing questions.
2. Not changing my study prep even if it wasn’t giving me results: I was too scared to abandon a study plan even when it was wasting time. I thought for some reason that it would be too late to change gears, or I’d somehow be rewarded for studying that much harder. For example, instead of spending a whole day reviewing cardio from books and making notes, I should have been doing questions (You learn and retain more in half the time). It really does not make sense to put in hours of reading or listening to lectures when it’s simply passive learning.
What I did different
I mapped out exactly what I was going to do months in advance and I found myself adapting constantly and changing my weekly goals because sometimes I set unrealistic goals, sometimes I realized what I was doing was wasting my time and sometimes a study method I chose was just plain boring me so I’d scratch it out and modify the plan. I didn’t beat myself up for not “sticking” to a goal. If you don’t at least enjoy a teeny bit of your studying time or feel deep down “this is going nowhere”, it’s going to just burn you out.
3. Too many resources: it can be overwhelming the study aids out there and I spread myself too thin for Step 1 between FA, Kaplan, BRS, Step-Up, Pathology Flashcards, Underground Vignettes, etc. My suggestion is to pick 3-4 resources and commit to them. They become like your best friends and you start to develop a photographic memory for where information is.
What I did different
I spent money on four resources. I chose self-study Kaplan books and 2001-2002 videos as a foundation. Then I chose UW as my chief study tool (NOT assessment too). Next-- even though a lot of people said First Aid CK wasn’t that great-- because it was my ONLY review book, it turned out to be awesome because I was using it so much that I could close my eyes and picture what it said in certain sections. I knew exactly where to go to look up an answer because I became that familiar with it. Find your best friend. It doesn’t have to be FA, but find something and commit to it. As my last study tool, I used the brand new First Aid usmlerx ck Step 2 qbank to assess myself the last three weeks before my exam.