Hello! I recently took the step 1 test and passed and I thought I'd share what I did to study and prepare just in case it helps anyone out. Plus advice i'd give looking back on things i didn't do. Hopefully this helps and sorry it's so long. Feel free to send me asks on anything at all!
1: during m1/m2 year -> utilize the Anking deck/study sheets + first aid + things and videos like amboss/scholarrx/sketchy/boards and beyond + pathoma as you go through the blocks. Don't focus on step studying but utilize these resources to bolster your block exams. I used anking & sketchy & first aid primarily but kinda too late and i wish i utilized it earlier. Also, if your school doesn't have step 1 style test questions overall (like mine did for a bit) i'd do scholarrx questions to practice right before a test (it helped me with the tests and also got me to see patterns ahead of time). I wouldn't start using UWorld right away, at least not intensely. If you want a first pass you could start in November/December but honestly for me that was too much so I didn't.
2: Last block/pre-dedicated -> Make a study plan. You can use things like cram fighter or you can do it by hand or in excel/google sheets. If you need mine as an example feel free to ask, though my general plan was review first aid/content review/practice exams and questions/free 120/rest/exam in that order and i did the stuff i forgot first and ended with the info i did in my last block which was msk/derm/heme/onc/ct. It should be noted that you must tell yourself now that this plan won't be adhered to 1000% and you will get behind and you will just say fuck it to some stuff as you go. And be honest with yourself that you may give up studying earlier than you think or sleep in a lot of days. Just be kind to yourself now. This is just a guide to help you, not a strict rule book. For example, i meant to do cardio block review in 2 days and my mental health tanked so it took me like 5 days and i still had a ton of questions i couldn't do.
3: Dedicated ->
Prioritize getting through First Aid srsly and supplement it as you do content review. I read First aid one pass and then i supplemented information from Boards and Beyond videos and some information from pathoma. Mostly, i kept my notes within the pathoma textbook (as i bought a subscription and received the textbook).
As you do content review do Uworld questions and once you get through review really prioritize practice questions and finishing Uworld. You won't realistically finish all questions or blocks but at least try to do as much as you can. I ended Dedicated about 64% through. With Uworld your average will be low and at times will barely improve, honestly as long as you are improving on the net and your average is 40% or higher i think you're doing just fine imo (as that was my experience). UWorld is meant to be harder. When you do UWorld at first do tutor mode and always write down questions you guessed on/got wrong/don't understand in a notebook for review later. I wish i had made anki on them as i went along but i was too burnt out for that realistically for many reasons.
Looking back on it i watched every sketchy but i wish i at least did the anking for the sketchy (as i did no anking during dedicated) to help me remember.
Do practice exams. I did 1 uworld one and 4 NBME tests plus the free 120. the UWorld one in my opinion was not worth it and it lowered my confidence majorly as it was so fucking hard and full of trick questions. The NBME ones were much more useful. The free 120 was the most useful as many of the questions you get may reappear on step, and so it's the best one to do the week of your test so it's fresh in your mind. Make sure as always you review the questions you got wrong because it's so so helpful.
Day before the exam what do i do? -> maybe light review (ie stuff you got wrong a lot, some anki, first aid notes) but otherwise do nothing. srsly just rest, eat, and go to bed!
Remind yourself that you just need to pass. 60% is passing. No one will know your score. It's pass fail!
4: What resources do you recommend? Don't? Etc? ->
Resources I used: Boards and Beyond (videos), Pathoma (videos and textbook), First Aid, Sketchy Micro & Pharm, UWorld, NBME Practice tests (the CBSE), NBME free 120.
Usefulness of the resources: I really found everything I used to be useful but there's some stipulations. I found that neither UWorld nor First Aid prepared me for the biostats questions well other than memorizing equations. Biostats/public health is often a lot more problem solving oriented not just "can you do an odds ratio" for ex, so the NBME practice exams were more useful for that concept. I also did not find every boards and beyond video useful so there were many i skipped, esp pharm videos as i used sketchy! Along with first aid i bought the other first aid book, the clinical reasoning one. TBH it is a useful book (i used it a bit during my blocks) but during dedicated i was so tired and didnt have time to use it so do with that what you will. Sketchy was so so useful esp for micro but like I said i wish i supplemented with Anki. Also, Boards and Beyond cardio was so helpful but a lot of info i skipped through as i found it too detailed for step overall, but it is good to use looking back on it for clerkships i imagine (as there's info specific to clinical practice).
Anki specifically: I stopped all anki during dedicated because I just was too overwhelmed and couldn't keep up with it. Looking back I would've used Anki a lot earlier than i did during the blocks and kept up with it in small amts cumulatively, and then during dedicated done the sketchy ANKI primarily/old reviews/+anki for stuff i got wrong on questions a lot to make it easier. But, i still did well without it during dedicated.
5: test day tips ->
if you have stomach problems like me don't drink caffeine and prioritize sleep the night before (if you can tolerate caffeine then this is fine).
Pack lots of snacks that you know you will be able to eat while exhausted and stressed. I find it hard to eat something heavy on days like that, so i packed things like grapes/oranges/granola/pretzels/pbj/beef jerky. Stuff that would fill me and fuel me but not make me feel sick. Pack lots of water and potentially Gatorade or something.
Go to the bathroom before you enter the exam room.
Before the test day plan how you will take your breaks (this helped me because it was really overwhelming otherwise) and then you'll be able to read yourself on the test day to modify your break time.
Go through all the questions and then review marked ones and then review all of them together. Just know you will mark almost every question and it doesn't mean you got them wrong and failed.
6: other misc tips ->
just avoid the reddit. There are plenty of good advice plus links to resources (ie anking deck/etc.) on reddit and you should use it for that. But often i found the reddit to be a place that made me feel like i was gonna fail just like it was during MCAT/applying to school. I'd be like "is this score good" and they'd be like omg delay your test youre not gonna do well you should be scoring xyz. I just couldn't read that stuff, even if there was good and honest advice in between.
It's okay to push back your test/retake it if you have to (and can! It depends on your situation).
Consult an academic coach/advisor at your school during dedicated!
Work in groups: ie meet up with people at a library and use each other for accountability or if you need group review sessions please do that. All in all, just don't let yourself be isolated. Even do work with friends in other programs, just having ppl there will help you.
Prioritize sleep, food, water. Seems redundant to say but genuinely do this.
Change scenery a lot. Go to a cafe, go to school, go to a library or WeWork, go to your family's house, etc. It really will help you.
Regardless of your schedule and how well you follow it try to stop working at the same time every day. Set a time you will stop work forever and play video games or read a book or just collapse onto the couch. If you study 24 hours a day you will burn out faster.
Accommodations? How do i get those for the test -> this should be a post on it's own so i will just say if you want me to make a post on this I can. I had private room accommodations just to share! But there are many types of accommodations. Just know you really have to do this like a year/many months in advance!
That's really all i can think of. Just ask me if you have any q's! Goodluck ya'll.
im studying hard and early for cardiology since it’s my weakest subject but the more i learn about the heart, the more i enjoy and appreciate it asdfglhkgl;
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