step 1 experiences :by dr mav
hi folks,got my score a couple of days ago and i will try to pen down my experience with this exam which to say the least wanst pleasant, as expected.i am on an F1 and so doing a Masters in Biology. so i had to juggle b/w school and usmle preparation.i started preparing about an year ago. i wasnt aware of kaplan material at that time. so i started reading the text books.i did not study continuously all through the year. i took a couple of months break on and off and also had to do course work. but i think the last two months of prep were the most crucial when i started giving it all the time and attention i could.biochem-lippincottphysio-BRSpharma-CatzungMicro-JavetzPath-goljangenetics and Mol bio-kaplanAnat-KaplanBiostats-KaplanBehavioural Sceince-Barbara FademSince i had started reading text books first i continued with them for my 2nd revision also. and some of them i did manage to revise thrice. but a month before the exam i panicked and tried to finish my final revision from kaplan.in my opinion it is better to read text books once and if possible twice and stick to kaplan the last two months. i dont know how good it is to read kaplan only because i did not do it that way.i did not read histo and that is one of the areas where i did very bad in the exam and also in biostats,kaplan material was painfully insufficent for biostats. there were quite a few Qs from histo and if possible it is better to go through a high yeild book or a website for it. and i really have no idea where else one could refer for biostats.i think kaplan bacteriogy is excellent.for MCQs i very ambitiously started with BSS whcih fizzled out after i barely finished one book.i took the online Qbank in the final 20 days before the exam. i got an average of 71% on the Q bank.i did not read first aid.i srogly recommend q bank unless one is the 99%stuff.it does the reflect the standard and pattern of the exam and helps manage time.about the exam itself,it is really very trying to sit for an exam for so long. i took a few minutes break after every section. an hour for each section was barely sufficent. do mark something even if u are not srue of hte answer as you will most likely not have enough time to come back. as i said earlier biostats and histo QS were bouncers, biocemistry were tough. rest were ok i guess. by the time i came to the last section i felt like clicking just baout anywhere on the screen and just get out of that place.but i did feel contented and satisfied with my performance imeediately after the exam. i felt like i would get at least an 85%. beyond that i was not willing to bet on anything. i prepared almost all alone throughout, since there is just one other doctor in the uni where i am studying. it might have done me some good if i had read kaplan a bit earlier than i did, perhaps. and if possible try to have a study partner even if u are in touch only trhough mail or on phone. keeps u motivated. although these days everyone seems to be getting in the range of 95 i am glad i could make it into the 90s. that is probably as best i could do.
anyways folks this is as much as i can rattle off from the top of my head and if there is anything in specific i would be glad to answerbest of luck to all of you.dr mav
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