USMLE Step 1 Study Tips

Jon Pollock, UIC–Peoria, Class of 2005

Study hard now! Believe it or not, the classes you are taking now are very relevant to boards studying. Pathology is huge on the boards. Know the pathology sections of the organ segments backward and forward. If you plan on using Robbins, do it now. When you are out of school, there will be no time. Pathology should be a review during this time, not actual studying. Everything you need to know for path is covered in class and in Robbins. You will need this time to study the things that weren’t covered well in the curriculum (very few things like ethics/some behavior) and things that are really foggy from M1.
Get a plan. There are two kinds of people who take boards—those who did well and those who didn’t have a plan. It is very important to know your strengths and weaknesses and study accordingly. This will help you not get bogged down in things you know because you may miss something you don’t know. Once you have made a plan, stick to it. Again, you don’t want to spend time on easy stuff. Sometimes it is comforting to study what you know for a change. It’s more comforting, however, to get a good score.
Know yourself. Studying for the boards is just like studying for any other test. You will just have to study longer and harder. Don’t get fooled into thinking that there is a right way to study for the boards. The right way is whatever way will help you get the best score possible. If you normally study in a group—do it. If you normally find a place by yourself with no noise—find it. If you study great at home—go, if not—don’t. Be honest with yourself. If you know that if you go home, you will spend all hours with your friends, stay here, Peoria is infamous for having absolutely nothing to do!
Set your goals high. You hold your future in your own hands. Don’t let anyone else dictate for you how high you can go. Step 1 scores are important for residency selection (but certainly not the only criteria) so don’t miss your dream position because you were distracted or lazy while studying for Step 1.
Book suggestions
1. Anatomy/Embro—High-Yield Anatomy and High-Yield Embryology
2. Behavioral—High-Yield Behavioral or BRS Behavioral—essentially the same book
3. Biochemistry—Lippincott’s
4. Pathology—Robbins, little Robbins questions (for study in the semester), BRS Pathology is a great summary for review
5. Pharmacology—little Katzung, Lippincott’s
6. Physiology—BRS Physiology
Finally, take my advice for what is worth. I’ve only done it once, and I certainly haven’t gone through the residency search process yet. After the boards, have fun. Travel, rest, sleep. M3 is coming.