10 tips to excel with USMLE

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

Molly Osborne, MD PhD Associate Dean of Students OHSU

10 tips to excel with USMLE

It is a 350 question 1-day 8 hour long exam 7 hour-long blocks of 50 questions 1 hour break First Aid for USMLE has a great explanation of the exam.

10 tips to excel with USMLE

1. Study Content Areas Behavioral Sciences Biochemistry Cardiovascular, Renal, Respiratory Gastrointestinal Genetics GIE Blood CSF NSB Pathology Pharmacology Physiology Reproductive & Endocrine

10 tips to excel with USMLE

2. Have a written plan - by December of your Second Year

Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint

10 tips to excel with USMLE

3. May/June is for review, not preparation Know the core content covered A FEW review books, e.g. FIRST AID, Board Review Series (BRS), Goljan series, etc Online series - Kaplan Q bank, USMLE world, etc.

10 tips to excel with USMLE

4. Choose a mentor/ group Faculty Advisor MS 2 student(s) MS 3, 4 student (s) Dr. Orchard (accommodations?) Residency advisor Dr. O -> Anxiety -> Balance

10 tips to excel with USMLE

5. Know your own risk -> Get your overall percentage score
Example GIE = 12 credits, 80%, 0.8 x 12 = 9.6 CSF = 8 credits, 80%, 0.8 x 8 = 6.4 9.6 + 6.4 = 16 /20 = 80% overall
-> If < 75% see Dr. O

10 tips to excel with USMLE

6. Take mock boards shelf examination -> Spring of your Second Year.

10 tips to excel with USMLE

7. Take care of yourself

Schedule that includes Exercise Nutrition Sleeping

10 tips to excel with USMLE

8. Accommodations? -> apply now to NBME

-> make an appt with both Dr. Orchard & Dr. Osborne

10 tips to excel with USMLE

9. Go to the Computer Based Testing site Know directions Too hot/ too cold? Timing of breaks Ear plugs & noise

10 tips to excel with USMLE

Student Affairs Web Site for USMLE Info and Tips

Student tips: 1. Do CBT questions, e.g. USMLE world, Kaplan Q bank, etc. 2. Dont study from syllabi 3. Take a simulated test day (1 hr blocks, etc) 4. 65% on Kaplan Q bank 1 wk early 5. Use the method for answering multiple choice questions (Q, S, P) Read the Question stem FIRST Then read/skim the paragraph and summarize the Scene Identify Normals (nl labs, PE, etc.) Formulate a Prediction Then do ABCs 6. Sage Advice for boards from MS3s

10 tips to excel with USMLE You can do it!

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

Format of examination
15 min tutorial (skip if familiar) 7 hours 60-min question blocks 45 min break time (including lunch) All questions are one-best-answer

-> Dr. Os advice spend the fee to have a run

through prior to the examination

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

Timing Nov/Dec: register for USMLE Step 1 Jan: schedule test date (PDX) Mar 4 or 5th: required Mock Board exam May 22 June 20th: STUDY TIME

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

Preparation The truth is that you started studying for Step I the first
day of medical school, since this exam is basically a cumulative exam of the first two years. In terms of focused studying for the boards, however, most students find that 4-5 weeks with 10-12 hours of dedicated studying/day is sufficient.
http://jeffline.jefferson.edu/Students/USMLE/questions.html

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

Preparation FIRST AID & Question Bank

Dec/Jan
Feb/May

Skim First Aid over winter holidays ? question bank [Kaplan, USMLE world, USMLE Rx] annotate First Aid with notes from class consider review of BRS physiology, Goljans rapid review pathology

High yield information: Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Pharmacology, Genetics, Immunology

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

DoW

Date

Day

Subject

# days

1st aid

#pgs

Qbank ?s

#hrs

BRS phys

#pgs

BRS Path

#pgs

Rapid Review Path

Pharm Cards

Path Cards

M T W Th F Sa Su M T

5/19 1 5/20 5/21 5/22 5/23 5/24 5/25 7 5/26 5/27 8 9 10 2 GI, nutrition Liver, Pancreas 2 289-318 29 190 4 201-32 32 237-283 123-133 46 10

327-365, 121134 365-394

120-132

86-110 111-129

3
4 5 6

CV/Vascular
CV/Vascular Renal Renal/start next day? Cell bio, path basics, review Resp Endocrine heme/onc Reproductive embryo/musculosk/skin neuro/psych (start behavior) behavioral science pharm/day off? biochem Immunology Microbio

1.5
0.5 2

241-272

31

235

68-105

37

133-169

36

152-195

25-45

0-30

419-436

17

100

151-200

49

283-307

24

60-85, 394-429

15-24

130-150

1 1 1 1 1 1 1.5 0.5 1 1 0.5 1.5

207-218 455-461 273-288 319-340 437-454 121-133,343-360 361-418 61-74 219-237 75-121 189-207 133-190 go over answers on cd after 471-488

11 6 15 21 17 32 57 125 110 100 150 45/200 270 3 2 2 3 5 5

0-32 119-150 234-262

32 31 28

1-72, 213-237 339-363 169-213, 95-113

71 24 24 62 32 32 22 16

0-60, 85-109 285-327 486-522 195-285, 134152 429-486 522-565 565-597 109-121

brs cell bio 133-143 134-168 109-119, 216234 60-85 171-197 31-59 151-170 90-108 46-78 79-89 0-14 198-220 221-248 brs behav sci

W
Th F

5/28
5/29 5/30 11 12 13 263-272 muscle contraction 33-68 35 9 307-339 363-395 395-417 417-423, 113123 lippencotts pharm

Sa
Su M T W Th F Sa

5/31
6/1 14 6/2 15 6/3 6/4 6/5 18 6/6 16 17

18 46 18 57

review pharm? 81 111 260 2 2 5 Micro made simple

85-109 73-95 22 169-215

19
6/7 20 21 22 23 24 Sun 6/8 M 6/9

CBT practice
questions/review Practice exam review review/relax THE TEST

1
1 1 1 1

17

T
W

6/10
6/11

FORMAT, TIMING, PREPARATION, RESOURCES

Resources First Aid for the USMLE Step 1

on the bus Rapid review classic findings, high yield images, high yield systems

Online question bank

Kaplan Q bank USMLE world USMLE Rx