6 Keys to Scoring Well onthe USMLE Step 1 ExamTips and Tricks to Get You into Medical School

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As a second-year medical student, you're getting closer to fulfilling your dreams of

becoming a physician. The USMLE Step 1 exam is the first in a three-step examination for

medical licensure in the United States. The USMLE tests a physician's ability to apply the

knowledge and concepts thus far gained toward treating patients safe and effectively.

Introduction

Before you start prepping, try reflecting on where you are and where you want to be. A

practice test may help by showing you where you stand and by motivating you to improve

your results.

If you've been preparing for the USMLE since your first and second year, congratulations.

You're already on the path to get to your end destination. On the other hand, if you're

looking at the study materials for the first time, don't fret. MedSchoolCoach is here to help.

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Begin your efforts in January of your

second-year and then study continuously

for two to three months before you take

the test.

1. Get an Early Start

Set a target score for yourself. If you

score higher than your target on the

practice test, you'll know that you're at

the right level and just have to maintain

studying robustly. If you score lower

than your target, you'll know exactly

how much effort you need to put in.

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1

First Aid is not a textbook, and it doesn't teach you much in the form of concepts. Instead, the

600-page book teaches you how much you don't know. For example, perhaps you will look up a

drug in First Aid and see a side effect you had never known to be associated with it.

First Aid is an accumulation of the highest yield facts believed to be tested by the USMLE

because it is written by students who have seen recent questions. The learning and

understanding of each individual topic in First Aid must be done outside of the book itself.

External sources include Wikipedia, your lecture slides, a textbook, and getting an answer from

a question bank. This is where true learning is done, as it is the type of information you retain

long after you read it.

When you're done learning from these avenues, you can look up First Aid for the same topics

and read them there again. A good tactic is to write notes in the margin so that when you read

it again several months later, your notes will help you recall the topics. This eliminates the need

for memorization.

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Get First Aid for the USMLE2

Do not underestimate any details given in First Aid. Even the minutest detail can come up in

the form of a question on the test. And even after reading the book multiple times, you may find

words that you missed before. It is imperative to read the small italicized font (that you thought

wasn't important), the captions on the images, and the labels of diagrams. There are no higher

yield or lower yield facts. Every single fact is high yield.

Some chapters may not be directly associated with lectures, but ignore them at your own peril.

Behavioral Science, for example, is extremely important, but doesn't quite fit into a systems-

based approach. This is highly recommended as a starting point, not just because it's the first

chapter of the book, but because it doesn't require you to recall physiology from last year. You

can dive right in. The same is true of the Pathology and Pharmacology sections. Those sections

pull topics from many different organ systems and they contain many factoids that could be

easily translated into flashcards.

It's almost impossible to learn all the information in this book if you start reading it one or two

months before you take the test. You may think you're gaining some valuable information by

reading parts of the book that coincide with what is being taught in your lecture, and skimming

through the rest. Even then, remember that the content is too vast for you to be able to process

it in just four to five weeks of free study time. You may be able to understand some concepts,

but how much do you think you'll actually be able to retain? The key is repetition. Since the book

is huge, you need to start acting on that now.

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It could take someone who is studying, and is comfortable with most of

the material, up to 10 minutes or more to absorb a single page within the

book. So be sure commit enough time to digest the entire book.

NOTE

Choose a question bank such as USMLERx, USMLE World, or Kaplan that gives detailed

explanations about why an answer is correct and the others are incorrect. You can subscribe to

the bank for the period you are devoting to self-study (e.g., the 2-3 months before you take the

test). Purchasing practice tests is another key strategy.

Don't be stressed about a low score on the question bank tests. At the same time, don't let a good

score prevent you from studying hard. Your practice scores may not always represent your true

performance. A research study from Albert Einstein demonstrated that the number of questions

finished directly correlated with students' Step 1 performance – so don't neglect questions.

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Access Question Banks3

Pathoma is a fantastic resource for learning

conceptual understanding of various topics, and can

be used during the school year. A word of caution

though is that there are many obscure diseases that

he calls “high-yield.” According to former USMLE test

takers, a good fraction of these obscure diseases may

never appear on a question. It is still important to

approach memorizing Pathoma the same way you

would approach First Aid. It is a much shorter read and

it is useful to turn the whole book into flashcards as

you read (make a flashcard for every fact). This is not

as practical for First Aid since the book is just too large.

For First Aid, you'll have to pick which sections are just

brute force memorization and make flashcards for

those. A recommendation for Pathoma is to finish

watching it once (while making flashcards) and then

watching it one more time or reading the book yourself

one more time. This will give you two solid passes

through Pathoma before study period.

In addition to, First Aid, Pathoma and Question Banks use any resource

that helps provide repetition. Passive ways of learning include reading

answers to questions, reading pages from First Aid or Pathoma. With the

vast amount of information present on the test, you need incredible

amounts of repetition. Not only do you need repetition, but also multiple

channels of learning and digesting information to help you retain

information. Consider using flash cards, too.

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Study Pathoma4

On test day, bring snacks and food. Since it's a long test, you'll need energy to keep going. Take

all your given breaks, as these will reenergize you while you hunt for the right answers.

Don’t forget: Schedule your test for the beginning of June.

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We suggest following a schedule similar to the one below:

Follow a Daily Regime in Preparation for Your Test5

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Access the Best Tutors

MedSchoolCoach tutors have been in your shoes before. They have all prepared to take the

most important set of exams in their life. In addition to prior experience on the exam, our tutors

have scored in the top 5% of USMLE Step 1 exam takers. They know the material, and how best

to prep for the exam. Our tutors won't let a low score keep you out of the running for the

residency of your dreams. Our tutors are also vetted for superb teaching ability.

MedSchoolCoach tutors focus specifically on your needs. Our tutors do not use a generic

rubric. Instead, they tailor their tutoring specifically to your needs so you can be sure you are

getting the best possible coaching.

You can record all sessions with your MedSchoolCoach tutor, giving you a vast bank of

information you can review at any time to drive your score even higher.

Record Your Sessions

Get One-on-One Attention

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Gain the MedSchoolCoach USMLE Prep Advantage6

9

of our customers found

MedSchoolCoach “very helpful” or

“extremely helpful” in the application

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Proven Results

93% 96%

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NOTES

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