Faateh Ahmad Rauf Step 1 experience

 Step 1 experience (April 2021)

Faateh Ahmad Rauf (Final year MBBS Batch of 2021)

Introduction: I began my USMLE Step 1 journey in 3rd year under the guidance of my seniors and started off by covering Biochemistry from Kaplan 2014. Throughout the year I used USMLE oriented resources in addition to the prescribed coursebooks for the third year subjects in the form of pathoma, sketchy micro, sketchy pharm and the 2010 Kaplan pharmacology lectures. Most importantly, I supplemented my learning using Anki during the mandatory lectures, specifically I used the Anking deck. At the start of 4th year I watched and annotated all of pathoma within a month and then started watching Boards and Beyond system wise while doing questions from the same system from USMLE Rx. Once again I was doing Anki during lectures but I picked up real speed when the pandemic hit, with no lectures to distract me I quickly finished USMLE Rx and moved on to Uworld, of which I had completed 30 percent before I put it on hold to study for the 4th year Prof from September-November 2020. Following which I resumed UW and completed my first pass in February 2021. I then went through my marked and incorrects, followed by AMBOSS 3, 4, and 5 hammer difficulty questions. I took my exam on the 22nd of April 2021. I would recommend dividing your preparation into 2 distinct phases: Content review: Consolidate the information in FA using Pathoma/BNB/USMLE-Rx/ANKI/Sketchy/any resource you see fit. If you are short on time, UW can be started in this phase in lieu of another question bank. Use it as a learning tool, not an assessment tool. Dedicated: This is the time when you have to fully immerse yourself in your studies and forget about the outside world. Master Uworld, Aim to complete one block a day and annotate information from UW into FA or a UW Journal. Take a self assessment every other week to gauge your progress. Go over FA and supplement weaker areas with videos from Randy Neil and Dirty Medicine on Youtube. Exam day: Wake up at 5 am the day before your exam, use it to relax and tire yourself out physically so you fall asleep early and are well rested for your exam. You’ve done what you could, now optimize your exam day performance by getting a good night’s sleep. Wear something comfortable, take earplugs and snacks with you such as protein bars, nuggets, energy drinks, and coffee. Take short breaks frequently and avoid eating a heavy meal as that will make you crash. Snack between blocks instead, The exam is doable after all the hours you have put in, trust your instincts, you’ll be fine. Resources used in order of importance: Uworld: Understand every line, annotate new information in FA or a separate UW journal tagged by chapters. Use it to hone your test taking abilities as the exam is a combination of your knowledge and your test taking ability. First Aid: Should be your primary resource and reference point for all other resources. Remember and understand every line as it is a testable fact. Most importantly, understand how the exam will test a particular fact. Pathoma: Perfect for brushing up on pathology as an old grad or as a comprehensive review of the subject as a student. Anki: The learning curve is steep and the discipline needed to do cards every day is a hard ask, however it is thoroughly worth the effort in my opinion. I would recommend scouring the Medschoolanki subreddit to orient yourself to anki and find the most relevant decks. For those who become comfortable with anki, use it to make your own cards from UW. Amboss: Use it as an ancillary question bank after uworld to cover your weaker subjects if need be. Boards and Beyond videos: Have usurped Kaplan videos at the time of writing and are 130 hours well spent in my opinion. Annotate what is missing into FA. USMLE-Rx: Good Q bank for beginners attempting to consolidate information and memorize the material found in FA during the content review phase. Sketchy Micro and Pharm: Make light work of two very rote heavy subjects. Highly recommended and worth the time investments of 14 and 34 hours respectively. Other resources: Anatomy: Shelf notes Ethics and Communication skills: Randy Neil videos, Khan cases, 100 cases by Conrad Fischer, AMBOSS, UW, Rx. Do as many questions as possible for these. Physiology: BRS Dirty Medicine Videos on Youtube Randy Neil videos on Youtube Key Takeaways: 1) Pray. 2) Seek guidance from recent test takers, nothing can beat experience, they will save you time by recommending the shortest and most up to date path to success. The Step 1 reddit is an excellent place for just such a thing. Frequent it often. 3) Grind. This journey requires discipline and perseverance. 4) Start UW and FA early. Truly understand the information. Guide your juniors early about the USMLE pathway, you might alter someone’s path for the better. Best of luck.