USMLE Step 1 – USMLE Experiences

How To Take And Study An NBME For USMLE Step 1 Properly

If you are studying for the Steps, I am sure you get chills when you plan on taking an NBME. Many students get nervous when they realize they have to take the NBMEs.

Today I will explain when you should take an NBME and how you should study your NBME to get the most out of it.

First all, if you just came out of the medical school do not take any NBMEs yet. I highly recommend everyone to at least go over First Aid and USMLE World once and then take the NBME. Now you might ask why?

The reason why I recommend to take NBME after completing one pass of FA and UW is so that you feel a peace of mind. Not only that, but you will also feel much more confident taking it.

Next, when you decide to take your NBME, always take it early in the morning or as soon as you wake up. Of course after breakfast! This way your head will be clear, and you will be focused.

Do not cheat while taking NBME. You have to treat it like a real exam even though NBME only has four blocks. Make sure you have a pencil or pen, two blank white papers, and an eraser. These are the only materials I recommend you to have before you begin. Do not have any water while taking the exam. Now, you might say why not?

The reason is on your real exam you are only allowed to have two dry erase boards and markers. They do not permit you to take any water while taking the exam. That’s why you should stimulate the same system at home.

After each block, take 5 to 10 minutes break for washing face and snacks. Once you complete the exam and get your fabulous score, just relax. Even if you get a very low score its ok!

Next day, you should go over entire NBME. You can easily find all the questions and answers in Google. Go over each and every single question and mark the tested concepts in First Aid. Now be careful not all the answers you will find online are 100% accurate. So you will need to double check the answers from a trusted source like Usmle World, Kaplan, BRS or Robbins.

Next, you should study all the concepts that you marked on First Aid thoroughly. Because on your next NBME, they will test you on the same concept in a different way.

For example, if you had an NBME question on Friedreich’s Ataxia and it’s association with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy chances are they will ask you a different question on Friedreich’s Ataxia with a different association on your exam or another NBME. And this is why I highly recommend everyone to study the entire concept.

Overall, before you take your real exam, you should take at least three NBMEs. And if you add the number of questions there should be total 600 questions. Make sure you go over all of them correctly and mark them on First Aid.

If your NBME scores are very low and you are struggling with studying for Step feel free to contact me. I offer tutoring session over Skype at an affordable price and helped many students to score very high on the exam. Click here to contact me, or you can also visit my dedicated USMLE tutoring website www.UsmleStepTutor.com

How Many Qbank Should You Do For USMLE Step 1?

As you already heard Step 1 is getting harder and harder every year. Even though the number questions are decreasing per block, the concepts are still the same. This makes it more difficult.

Fewer questions per block mean each question worth more point. And this is why you have prepared very well to score high on Step 1.

In my previous blogs, I talked about sticking to just USMLE World and First Aid. Don’t get me wrong I scored very high by sticking to this source. So it basically depends on the person. If you have a strong foundation, then UW and First Aid should be sufficient. Otherwise, you must do 2 Qbanks.

However, over the years Step 1 is getting harder and harder. And people who are just using USMLE World are scoring average. And, this is why I recommend doing two Qbanks to get a higher score and solid foundation.

Here is the structure you should follow:

First 2 Months: USMLE World and First Aid; following by an NBME
Third Month: Kaplan Qbank and First Aid; following by an NBME
Fourth Month: USMLE World and First Aid; following by an NBME
Fifth Month: Repeat USMLE World and First Aid; following by an NBME

Now, take the average of your NBME scores, and that should be a rough estimate of your real exam score.

Again, the moral of this post is that USMLE World will make you an average student, but if you combine it with Kaplan QBank, you will score very high. And trust me on this!

If you find it difficult to study for Step 1 and doing Qbanks, feel free to contact me for help. I offer tutoring session over Skype, and my students score more than 235+ on Step 1.

Good Luck!

Timeline to be a Medical Doctor in the US

Being a doctor in the United States is very tough, tougher than anywhere in the world in my opinion. It’s vey important to know what you are getting yourself into before you sign up for a career that will take close to a decade before you make the big bucks.

Of course making money shouldn’t be your primary reason to go into medicine because you will most likely fail. You should like medicine for medicine and money is the bonus that comes with the profession.

The following is an ideal timeline for everyone to be a doctor:

Undergrad

You can graduate college with any major but you should take the pre-medicine classes. These are the pre-requisite for getting into medical school in the US and in the Caribbean. The classes are:

– 8 credits of biology with labs

– 8 credits of general chemistry with labs

– 8 credits of physics with labs

– 8 credits of organic chemistry with labs

– 4 or more credits of biochemistry
Take the MCAT

Whether you go to US or off-shore school, taking the MCAT is a must. All your pre-medicine classes will prepare you for the MCAT. However, you will have to study independently for the MCAT as it is harder than the USMLE exams according to some.
Apply to Medical School

Applying to medical school is a tedious process and you have to run around taking care of papers for various requirements.
Medical School – Basic Sciences

Whether you go to a US school or off-shore school, the basic science foundation is required in order to set the foundation of medicine. You need to go over various topics in medical school: physiology, pathology, microbiology, anatomy, histology, ethics, biochemistry, etc.
USMLE Step 1

After basic sciences you need to sit down for the USMLE Step 1. It’s a computerized test where you have to answer over 300 questions in one sitting.
Medical School – Clinical Clerkship

The last two years of medical school deals with clerkship in the hospital. You will be given hands-on-learning experiences with doctors and other hospital staff. These years are very important as this will give you an exposure of the healthcare environment. You are not expected to know everything or learn everything but this exposure will help you gain experience.
USMLE Step 2 CK and USMLE Step 2 CS

These two tests are taken within the clinical years. USMLE Step 2 CK is just like the Step 1 as in sitting in front of a computer and answering questions. The USMLE Step 2 CS is a practical exam where you will perform doctor interview tasks in front of an actor.
Apply for Residency

Residency is a tedious process where you have to go through a list of programs which you are interested in. These programs can be limited to you if your application is poor as in if you got low USMLE scores. So you need to gain the highest score possible in your USMLE board exams.
Residency

Residency is at least three years and you need to contribute 60-80 hours a week with at least 3 weeks of vacation time per year, which depends on the program. You will take the USMLE Step 3 during this time and your residency program will pay for that. After residency, you will be able to sit for the state board exam such the internal medicine board exam or the family medicine board exam and get your license. If you are in other residency programs such as pathology, psychiatry, OB/GYN, surgery, or pediatrics, etc. you may have to serve residencies longer than 3 years.
Fellowship
If you plan to specialize such as in cardiology or nephrology, then you would train for another 3 years in fellowship after residency.

As you can see, training to be a doctor in the United States is a long process touch process. You have to be mentally ready to handle the exhaustion and commit.