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Step 2 of the Step 1 Talk

• February 20, 2013
• Rachel Schwartz
• Clifford Sheckter

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INTRO

• Very high pass rate (0-3 fail/year)
• Average 2013 mean 233, 2014 mean 236 (national
  mean 224)
• If you invest the time, you will have a
  competitive score
• One of our favorite periods of schooling
  (knowledge, exercise, clinical thinking, putting
  2 years together)

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2 attitudes

• Student 1 I want to be average 210-240
• Student 2 I want to crush the exam (250)
• Work for it
• Blessed
• Student X I just want to pass

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BASIC ADVICE

• DONT Start studying before ICS begins
• DO take a vacation during spring break

• DO plan to take a vacation after you take step 1

• KEEP exercising
• KEEP staying sane

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THE CORNERSTONEREsources

• FIRST AID your bible
• You should be familiar with it by now
• BRS PHYSIOLOGY
• RAPID REVIEW PATHOLOGY

• Q BANKS
• USMLE WORLD
• KAPLAN/ USMLE RX

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ADDITIONALREsources

• HIGH YIELD NEUROANATOMY
• HIGH YIELD BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
• HIGH YIELD EMBRYOLOGY
• RAPID REVIEW BIOCHEMISTRY (Goljan)
• BRS PHARMACOLOGY FLASH CARDS
• BRS MICROBIOLOGY CARDS
• FIRST AID CASES

GOLJAN AUDIO DISEASE SONGS
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Rachel RECOMMENDS

• FIRST AID
• BRS PHYSIOLOGY BY COSTANZO
• RAPID REVIEW PATHOLOGY BY GOLJAN
• Q BANKS X2
• TAKE CAUTION IN LIBERALLY ADDING ADDITIONAL
  RESOURCES
• MORE IS NOT BETTER
• REMEMBER YOUR GOAL IS TO MASTER THE ESTABLISHED
  MATERIAL IN 1ST AID-- NOT TO MEMORIZE EVERY FACT
  IN EVERY REVIEW BOOK

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Cliff Recommends
Less is better!

• First Aid 2013
• Q-Banks (Kaplan, USMLE World)
• Costanzo Physiology Review
• Goljan Path Review Book and Audio
• NBME practice tests
• Pharm Cards (Lange)
• Micro Cards (Lippincot-Williams)
• Uptodate

Our classmates feel weakest in micro, biochem,
and pharm (before studying)
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General Study Tips

• Stick to a study schedule (dont negotiate on
  questions, some flexibility on topics)
• Our class felt that on average, First Aid covered
  80 of the test. Dont hesitate to look up
  diseases (especially radiology) in Uptodate
• Make the most of ICS. You have afternoons off for
  a reason. Come prepared everyday and hold
  yourself responsible for information.

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Question Banks (order of use)

• USMLE World
• Over 70 of our class preferred this Qbank
  (realistic, quality of questions)
• Kaplan
• Felt to be harder than real test
• USMLE Rx (First Aid)
• Lesser used Qbank
• Substitute for Kaplan

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Question Banks

• Majority of our classmates (75) used more than
  one Qbank.
• Do at least 50 Kaplan questions/day during ICS
  (plot out how many you need) with the goal of
  finishing Kaplan before the cume
• Do questions by system during ICS and then switch
  to random for post-cume studies using USMLE World
• Dont compromise USMLE World for Kaplan

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NBME Practice Tests

• At the very least take the free one (at center or
  at home)
• https//apps.nbme.org/CBTPSRegistrationWeb/jsp/usm
  le_CBTPS_registration.jsp
• Largely felt to be easier than real thing
• Will give you a real 3 digit score
• Paid exams/CBSSA (50, recommend test 67)
• https//nsas.nbme.org/nsasweb/servlet/mesa_main

Take for purpose of evaluating yourself and
predicting score. Not really meant for studying
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RACHELS SCHEDULE ICS
Kaplan Qbank 46 q each day 1 block detailed
review Gradually Increase the blocks /
day Aim to finish all Q bank AND re-review
all wrong answers by 1 month before the test

• Week 1
• Neuro, Psych
• Week 2
• Renal, Repro
• Week 3
• Immunology, Hematology
• Week 4
• Biochem/ Nutrition/ Genetics, General Pathology
• Week 5
• Respiratory, Cardio
• Week 6
• Pharmacology, Microbiology
• Week 7
• Embryology, MSK/Dermatology, Gross Anatomy
• Week 8
• Endocrine, GI, Behavioral Science
• Week 9
• Review all 1st AID
• Review ICS

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RACHELS SCHEDULE post- ICS

• Cumulative Exam May 20
• Daily schedule
• UWORLD
• Review 1-2 sections of 1st AID
• Micro and Pharm Flash cards
• Practice Tests
• Nbme test 3
• Nbme test 7
• Nbme test 6
• Practice On-site CBSSA June
• USMLE June 15

USMLE WORLD ON RANDOM Gradually Increase the
blocks / day Aim to finish all Q bank AND
go over all wrong answers by 1 ½ days before the
test
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TEST DAY ADVICE

• Get in routine of waking up earlier
• Day before test Relax? Light browsing?
• Hotel?
• Get to test center 0.5-1 hour early
• Pack snacks/drink, store in locker (2x pbj, 3x
  Clif bars, 2x Starbucks double shot, big
  Gatorade)
• While you are testing, relax as much as possible
• You may feel like after (step 2?)Its okay
• 7 blocks, you determine breaks, no more than 50
  min of breaks (1/2/1/2/1)
• Bottom line have confidence in all the hard work
  you put into preparing for the exam.

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• Hotel?
• Get to test center 0.5-1 hour early
• Pack snacks/drink, store in locker (2x pbj, 3x
  Clif bars, 2x Starbucks double shot, big water,
  big Gatorade)
• 7 blocks, you determine breaks, no more than 50
  min of breaks (1/2/1/2/1)

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Looking Forward

• This will (unfortunately) not be the last
  standardized test that you take
• LEARN the material well the FIRST TIME AROUND

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You will see this again
And Again
And Again
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QA
Rachel Schwartz schwartr_at_usc.edu Clifford
Sheckter sheckter_at_usc.edu