Common Errors on the USMLE Step 1 Exam: How Should You Best Prepare for Your Exam?
In
this piece, we will discuss some of the most typical blunders that
students make while they are studying for their STEP 1 examination.
Even
though it is common knowledge which materials are considered to be of
the highest quality for preparing for this mammoth of a test, there is
very little instruction available on how to make the most of these
resources. In addition, there are not a lot of blogs about common
pitfalls to avoid while studying for the Step 1. During the time that I
spent studying for the USMLE Step 1, as well as the time that I spent
assisting juniors and contemporaries in their studies, I noticed a few
recurring patterns.
This will be the final year. Since Step 1
will be a test with a score, individuals who will be taking it this year
absolutely need to put in the necessary preparation. First, I will
discuss errors that are more general and related to the topic at hand,
and then I will go on to resource-specific errors. In conclusion, I'm
going to talk about a few mistakes that students do during their
preparation that aren't directly connected to the information that they
study. The application of these hints and guidelines might make the
difference between a mediocre score and an exceptional one.
General STEP 1 Mistakes
utilizing resources without first having done one's research and preparation
There
are a lot of blogs on the internet that describe what resources high
scorers used to get their scores. The majority of these, on the other
hand, do not describe how one should make the most of these resources.
For instance, while though First Aid is an amazing resource that you
absolutely must use, it is not a full study of the ideas that you need
to be familiar with in order to perform well on the exam. Similarly,
I've noticed that IMGs have either an overwhelming love or extreme
dislike for flashcards, and in most cases, the latter derives from a
lack of awareness about how to make use of this one-of-a-kind resource.
My
suggestion is that during the time that you have set aside for
planning, you use some of that time to learning about the
characteristics of the available resources and how to make the most
effective use of them.
slavishly adhering to the recommendations of other people
This
also applies to the article that you linked to. At the end of the day,
the USMLE is a trip that is unique to each person doing it. Advice and
direction are essential, but ultimately it is up to you to determine
what will work best for you. You need to set aside some time to figure
out what the most effective way for you to study is and what kinds of
resources are most helpful to you, even if they are a little out of the
ordinary.
Failure to conduct a weakness analysis or alter one's behavior in accordance with self-evaluations
The
ideal method to achieve a high score is to have a high baseline in all
of the areas being tested, as opposed to being very strong in one or two
subjects while being deficient in the others. As one progresses farther
into the devoted period, they will need to adjust their strategy of
preparation to focus on their areas of weakness. UWorld provides you
with an excellent representation of both your strong points and your
problematic areas. For instance, I needed to improve my skills in
psychiatry and biochemistry, so over the course of the past two weeks, I
devoted a large amount of my time to studying these topics. Because the
proportion of questions from each topic on an exam varies from student
to student, it is essential to have comprehensive study skills.
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In lieu of preparation based on concepts, memorization is preferred.
You
shouldn't only focus on trying to recall the material you're reading;
rather, you should try to understand the concepts that are being
presented. If you are having trouble grasping a concept, you can try
looking it up on Google, watching some videos on YouTube, or taking a
few minutes to read anything from a book. Make an effort to comprehend
the connections between the different topics. This provides a unique
difficulty, particularly for individuals hailing from countries such as
India, where the emphasis in our medical school examinations is placed
on lengthy, essay-based questions that need memorization. A lot of
people have trouble getting the hang of this new strategy at first.
Spending insufficient time addressing issues pertaining to the media
Questions
based on images, music, and videos will make up a sizeable amount of
the actual test. Without prior experience, these can be fairly
challenging when compared to questions based just on the text. There are
a lot of applicants who don't put in the effort to specifically prepare
for these kinds of questions, and as a result, their test scores
suffer.
Errors that are specific to the resource STEP 1
One of the First Aid (FA) Steps
Taking
Financial Analysis (FA) as seriously as a textbook could be
contentious, but in my opinion, this is the worst way to approach FA.
The fact that FA condenses the information you need to know for the exam
into a concise form is one of its strengths. On the other hand, it is
not the most reliable source for information. For this reason, you
should utilize other resources to comprehend the concepts, and you
should use FA to review and solidify the high-yield themes.
UWorld
Performing
repeated runs through UWorld within the allotted time; UWorld is the
resource that serves as the gold standard for Step 1. The purpose of
practicing UWorld, however, should not be to simply memorize all of the
knowledge contained in the question bank but rather to learn how to
approach questions in the most effective way possible. Your percentages
will be skewed upwards if you perform a second approach so soon after
the first one, and you won't get any new information from the
experience.
My advice is that rather than going through the
entire question bank, you should focus on reviewing specific concepts
that you are unsure of by taking notes in an organized manner. If you
still have time, you should do a second question bank. In my
perspective, AMBOSS is the question bank that is immediately following
the best one. You will gain a deeper understanding of the concepts this
way, and it will also prepare you for the various ways the same question
can be asked.
Exploring UWorld Quickly – The explanations
offered by UWorld are the platform's greatest asset. They are incredibly
well written and have incredible amounts of research put into them. You
are required to read the entire explanation and get a full grasp of it,
regardless of whether you get the question right or wrong and
regardless of the percentage you get correct. This is how one advances
in their career.
Reading too much into the UWorld percentages – I
have seen candidates become overconfident and take fewer NBMEs and
practice tests than they should have because they assumed they were well
prepared based on their high UWorld percentage. This led to them
missing out on valuable learning opportunities. The percentages you
receive in UWorld are not indicative of your actual performance.
Videos
These
are wonderful for putting the groundwork in place. However, during the
time allotted to you, there is no requirement to go over the entirety of
the homework. Candidates expend an excessive amount of time watching
the complete repertoire more than once, with no improvement in their
scores as a result.
My advise - solve more questions; you learn
from your failures. Watching that particular video is recommended if you
truly feel as though you have forgotten what the discussion was about.
There is no need at all to watch anything all over again; doing so would
be an extremely inefficient use of your time.
Flashcards
In most cases, these errors are the result of a lack of comprehension regarding how the system functions.
By
blitzing through reviews or getting through them too quickly, you may
feel as though you have "completed" your reviews for the day, but in
reality, you haven't put the active recall concept into practice. When
you race through the flashcards, rather than thinking about the question
that they are asking, you are using visual recall of the pattern of the
flashcard to answer, which means that you are regurgitating the answer
rather than relearning the material.
Take your time and give each
flashcard the attention it deserves by following my advice and doing
so. If you want to ensure that the pattern of the card varies each time
you examine it, you can purchase add-ons from the web store that Anki
maintains. Using these add-ons can assist you in truly learning the
card.
Failure to keep up with reviews: Anki is a method that has
been scientifically demonstrated to function, but it only does so when
the algorithm is followed. I've heard a lot of people complain that it
didn't work for them, but I think it's because they didn't keep up with
their daily reviews; they opened the app here and there, but when they
saw all of the stacked-up cards, they gave up and couldn't continue.
My
suggestion is that you do not feel obligated to use Anki. If you do
decide to utilize one of the popular decks, however, it is imperative
that you educate yourself in advance regarding the operation of the
algorithm and the most effective approach to use it. The AnKing YouTube
channel is an excellent resource in this regard.
Self-assessments (NBMEs/ UWSAs)
Not
analyzing mistakes – NBMEs and UWSAs are the benchmarks of excellence.
Although it could be excessive to study all 160+ questions for each
exam, examining your own mistakes is a great way to improve your
performance. You can broadly categorize errors as (a) silly mistakes,
which can be brought on by exhaustion, overthinking, or impatience; (b) a
failure to recognize what the question was asking; (c) errors brought
on by a lack of knowledge; and (d) errors brought on by sufficient
knowledge but a failure to link together various facts. The technique in
which each category of error is addressed differs, but merely
recognizing the existence of these errors can make a significant
difference. A significant number of candidates simply move on to the
subsequent NBME, where they proceed to make the same errors.
Inadequate
testing at an early enough stage or on a regular enough basis - I've
seen a lot of candidates put off taking their first NBME. This is
completely understandable given the scope of the examination and the
intensity of the student's concern.
Approximately two weeks into
your devoted period, you should get an NBME, as per my advise. Because
of this, you may feel more confident because you've made progress. You
may also find that it serves as a wake-up call and compels you to
consider making adjustments to the way you approach things. In either
case, doing an honest evaluation of oneself is essential, and
discovering errors or areas for improvement early on can have a
significant impact on the final results.
Not purchasing NBMEs -
I've seen a number of individuals using NBMEs that are available
'offline,' and they're simply discovering how many errors they've made.
Self-evaluation is an essential part of exam preparation; it can tell
you whether or not you are making progress in the right direction,
whether or not you are ready for the exam, and even what your
deficiencies are. I believe that this is a significant error;
self-evaluation is essential.
Other Errors Made During the Preparation for Step 1
An excessively extended term of commitment
Some
students devote several months, or even years, of their lives, to
preparing for the STEP 1 examination. In order to avoid exhaustion, you
should strike a balance between the amount of time necessary to earn
your desired score (if you take the exam for a score) and the amount of
time necessary to pass (for STEP1 pass/fail).
Lack of preparation for the actual day of the STEP 1 exam
Before
taking the Step 1 exam, I had never been required to complete a test
that lasted longer than three hours. The first step takes a whopping
eight hours. In addition to this, potential applicants may be required
to travel very early in the morning, sometimes to a different location
within the same city or even to a foreign nation. Candidates run the
risk of seeing their scores decline if they do not adequately prepare
for this arduous process.
My recommendations:
Take pauses just like you would during the actual exam while you are practicing for the NBME.
To better prepare you for the real thing, you should take two NBMEs (or two UWSAs).
Adjust
your wake-sleep schedule such that you can perform at your highest
level from 8 am to 4 pm. For instance, it used to be my custom to take a
siesta immediately following lunchtime. On the day of the exam,
however, I was aware that this would not be possible. Therefore, I would
make it a point to stay up until at least four in the afternoon.
On the day of the exam, give yourself plenty of time to make preparations for meals, beverages, and travel.
Ensure
you receive a decent night's sleep. This is something that is much
simpler to say than it is to do, so be sure that you do your research.
If you are considering taking a sleep supplement, it is imperative that
you test it out in advance. Under no circumstances should you give it a
shot the night before an important test, as this could have catastrophic
results.
There is a video on the Dirty Medicine YouTube channel
that provides excellent tips for what to eat on the day of your exam and
how to ensure that you have a restful night's sleep.
I wish everyone the best of luck.
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