Required sources to ace USMLE step 1
Hours:
- Max: 6 or 8 hrs
- Average: 4 hrs
- Minimum: 1 hr
Videos:
Kaplan Series:
2014 is the recommended version, but for Pharma use 2010 version and for pathology use Pathoma videos.
- Kaplan High Yield
- DIT
Fundamentals of Pathology by Hussain A. Sattar
USMLE Step 1 Lecture Notes
Books:
Watch the videos and make your notes then refer to First Aid to read the topic carefully and add these notes.
- Microbiology:
First Aid. - Physiology:
Kaplan Book and then read each chapter from First Aid to know the most high yield points in Kaplan book. - Pharmacology:
First Aid, but do general pharma from Kaplan book. - Biochemistry:
Kaplan Book - Pathology:
Pathoma Videos and Book, and read FA after each chapter. NB: add diseases (that present only in pathoma)
to FA, and on revision from FA refer to pthoma to revise these
diseases. - Neuro Science:
Kaplan Book. high yield is good but is loaded with too much useless information. - Immunity:
First Aid. Kaplan book if u want to understand something deeply. - Genetics:
First Aid + (diagnostic technics in genetics) which are the Last 3 chapters in Kaplan. - Anatomy:
First Aid + Anatomy Shelf notes book - Embryology:
FA - Behavioral Sciences:
1-Psych:
First Aid
2-Epidemiology, statistics and Ethics:
Kaplan Book
Q Banks:
1-USMLE RX: after finishing each subject
2-Kaplan Q bank: after finishing
3-U World: after finishing
4-100 case of Conrad Fisher for Ethics
How to use Q banks?
- Read the question then choose, after that estimate your answer
whether it is correct or wrong. - Read the explanation of correct answers carefully.
- While explanation of wrong answers: during USMLE Rx it is not important to read. Kaplan Q bank and U World read these explanation to collect more information.
- At the end of explanations there is something called educational objective, read it carefully and add this information to FA.
- Mark each point in FA that u was asked about in Q banks, for example: you have a question about tumor markers of colorecatal carcinoma, refer to FA and mark this information.
Duration:
- 10 to 12 Months
Self Assessment:
- Online NBMEs
- Finish your study and USMLE Rx, then Kaplan Q Bank, then NBME. After that do U World and finally NBME.
after doing 1st NBME, you will get a report that shows your weak points, do U World and master your weak points. after finishing U World do the second NBME. - if u get a good score in the 2nd NBME do ur real test.
- But if you got a low score reschedule ur exam date and master U World for the second time, finally do the 3rd NBME.
By:Ahmed M.Shams
June 29,2017
Cairo, Egypt
