Passed Step 1

hiya! it's been a minute since i updated my blog. I promise myself this year, I'll be more consistent.

This test was truly a beast. Studying with a child was NOT easy. It required a lot of hard work, dedicated schedule and focused studying when M was at school. Disclaimer: this is your journey!!! Don’t let anyone make you feel inferior or you are competing with someone. NO! That mindset is garbage. I am saying this with the utmost sincerity, we are on our OWN journey. Cater your schedule to your needs. Not anyone else’s needs.

The materials I used to study for Step 1:

-Med School Bootcamp: content learning, Bites, and the questions were really good. Finished 70% of the qbank. I love their lecture style and the way they present the material. Always been a fan of bootcamp. Helped me pass COMP or NBME at 64%

-Uworld!! I really liked their Qbanks. The questions were long and it helped built stamina.

They were tricky but it was good to learn. Learn the educational objective first and then read the whole paragraph. I made a note in my notebook and re read that note repeatedly. Flashcards help too. Understand the concepts. Do as many questions as you can.

-Amboss- not a fan of it but I used it and I didn’t like it as much

-Melhmann PDF- Loved these little PDFs. The guy has torn up the NBME in so many ways and he presents the material in a good manner

-HY Guru: Used it for the concepts I was struggling in

-First Aid: Tore this book apart into pieces. Reread first aid so many times and talked concepts out

-Offline NBME: I did 24, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31. Scoring between mid 50s to 66%. Then I understood the NBME. I read every questions and their explanations. Made little notes and re-read the notes.

-Pharm: I truly hated pharm. Flashcards and questions for those

The concepts is the same but its how they present it can make it challenging. So try to familiarize yourself as much as you can.

Lastly, take your time to study and schedule time off. Mental health is very important.