Survey Results for students who took the USMLE Step 1 for the first time in June 2013.
205 Total Responses
Ratings listed in conjunction with the materials/courses used are based on a scale of:
1 = Poor; 2 = Fair; 3 = Good and 4 = Excellent. Respondents who indicated “Not applicable”
were not included in the calculation of the average score for any item.
Which USMLE Step One materials/courses did you use?
93.2% Online Qbank
96.1% Comprehensive Basic Science Exam
7.3% Doctors in Training (Live)
42.4% Doctors in Training (Online)
73.2% Goljan
95.6% USMLE World
72.7% USMLE Rx
20.5% Kaplan Online
1.5% Falcon Online
1.5% Pass Live
1.5% PASS Tapes
91.7% First Aid
32.7% BRS
33.7% Rapid Review
24.4% Picmonic
How much Qbank did you do?
3.6% None
16.4% 0-25%
17.4% 25-50%
20% 50-75%
42.6% 75-100%
How much USMLE World did you do?
.5% None
2% 0-25%
3.6% 25-50%
8.7% 50-75%
85.2% 75-100%
How much USMLE Rx did you do?
21.5% None
10.5% 0-25%
21.5% 25-50%
21% 50-75%
25.5% 75-100%
2.33
2.04
1.93
1.78
1.55
1.08
2.00
2.15
3.25
3.00
3.00
1.14
2.10
1.83
1.68
Did you use Qbank for your MS 2 courses?
47.3% Yes
52.7% No
Did you use Qbank mainly after finals?
22.3% Yes
77.7% No
When did you start serious review/study for Step One?
2.1% 1st Semester
57.2% January
30.9% Spring Break
9.8% After finals
Did you take the practice exam at Prometrics?
4.9% Yes
95.1% No
If you took the practice exam at Prometrics, did you find it useful?
4.9% Yes
95.1% No
How many practice tests total did you take?
Average
3.37
How many days before your Step?
Range 3-30 days
Testing Center Information
Austin, TX
Beaumont
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
Clear Lake
College
Station
Coit Road,
Plano
Corpus
Christi
Dallas, TX
Diana Lane
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
Harwin
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Imperial
Valley
NW
Freeway
Tyler, TX
Waco, TX
Noise from car store across the street.
Initially all the proctors were very efficient and helpful; however, the last
proctor was an older gentleman who struggled to see, read and use the
computer. He took 5 minutes to check me in.
My computer shut off in the middle of my exam.
Test site had several computer glitches/unresolved computer crashes on my test
date. Check in and check outs at breaks took a long time. Line moved very
slowly for initial check in.
I got kicked off during the last 10 minutes of the last block. This did not affect
my score because it was refreshed relatively quickly.
No comments recorded.
Some conversations in foyer were audible in test center.
No comments recorded.
No comments recorded.
Comments on Qbank
 frustrating format/details
 Very specific, not high yield but good for repetition
 too specific, not representative of real exam
 kaplan qbank
 do all
 Q's were too picky
 good starting point, very detailed
 good to initially learn
 good for early learning
 Kaplan <Rx <World
 Q's were too picky
 Good starting point. Very detailed.
 good for early learning
 Kaplan < Rx < World
 Uworld & Rx were very helpful. Kaplan not so
much.
 Don’t have simple Q's @ given stage of educations.
 world was best
 good for seeing what you initially remember after
reading a section
 lots of Qs but much too detailed
 least favorite of the 3 Qbanks I used (World, Rx)
 quite detailed
Comments on Comprehensive Basic Science exams
 at the time they seemed dumbed down when compared to qbanks
 buy the extra feedback
 Don't actually learn much from these, but it's a good exercise to show you where you are with
your preparation.
 don't actually learn much from these, but it's good exercise to show you where you are in your
preparation
 good for practicing stamina, but not representative of STEP
 good score estimator, questions too easy
 Good to know where you stand but not for explanations.
 great but not indicative of real test
 great for judging progress
 great, but not indicative of real test
 I am not sure how much of a correlation this as with step as I don't have my score yet.
 I'm not sure how much of a correlation this was with STEP as I don't have my score yet.
 It would be excellent if we were able to review the questions and correct answers.
 more feedback on the CBSE would have been helpful
 newer exams are more similar to step
 not representative
 paper exam was a waste of time. Also practice exams thru Uworld should have more
emphasis.
 pretty good exams, sometimes certain subjects were easier (pharm, cardio) than on the actual
test
 question style not indicative
 question style not indicative
 would be better if we had answers to go along with questions lack of answers, limits ability to
learn
Comments on Doctors in Training LIVE
 great to teach stuff I glazed over in first aid, forced me to go over everything
Comments on Doctors in Training Online
 covered all of first aid quickly and explained it well
 helps you get through FA
 kept me on top of things
 lifesaver! Best resource decision I made.
 loved it!
 resource helpful, but 30 day limitation was difficult to schedule
around w/Qbanks
 very good, very well organized
Comments on Goljan
 amazing!
 Great resource, use all year!
 greatness!
 not an audio learner
 OK for when you're in your car
but not a must
 Pulls everyting together
 too dense & detailed
 Very easy listening. Use when in
the car, etc.
Comments on USMLE World
 a must have resource
 best Qbank
 Best Q's & explanations
 best resource, most like step
 best resource, wish I had done it x2
 best, most like the real test
 closest to step, sometimes too complicated
 do all
 just like step
 main resource with first aid
 more difficult and not as helpful as I
thought it would be
 must do
 only Qbank worth using
 Qbank + practice was harder than step
 very good, a little harder than actual exam
Comments on USMLE Rx
 better for finals
 do most or all
 good
 Good for finals, easier than world
 good for first pass. FA review but not for end-stage review
 good for helping solidify first aid materials
 Good for studying w/FA (1st time thru)
 good to pound in facts
 great for first aid content review/pharm final
 great for pharm
 great to learn first aid
 Helps you get through FA
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I felt it really focused on high yield concepts but did not have.
lots of good Q's; good for early studying
many Q's have errors and have not been updated in years, please inform students of this before they
purchase the Qbank
Questions are sometimes vague. Server crashed a lot.
riddled w/incorrect answers
so many problems w/freezing!
Used to study for finals.
Comments on BRS
 biochem BRS increased my
knowledge base
 BRS physiology
 good for reviewing your hard
topics
 Just for further help in a
particular help.
 Phys was really helpful
 too detail oriented
 used for physiology
Comments on Rapid Review
 goljan
 good for ref & especially finals
 Just for further help or particular
help.
 path & biochem are excellent
 pathology
 rapid review path!!!
 RR path had many great notes +
explanations
 too much info to be useful for
cramming
 used for biochem
 very detailed
Comments on FirstAid
 #1 resource
 3-4 run throughs
 a must have resource
 although there is quite a bit of material missing
from it
 ex
 great review, what I mainly studied
 must have
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Sometimes too general, needs more anatomy
but overall good.
the bible
way too many mistakes
Your foundation for Step 1.
Comments on Kaplan Online
 Good concise lectures on a variety of subjects.
Picmonic
 a different way to study
 best resource after World
 especially for hematology and neuro tumors
 excellent for specific weaknesses, but less useful for holistic
review
 genius!
 good if you can do 2-3 a day-leisurely, but really helpful if not
on a time crunch
 highly recommend it
 Really good pathology high yield. Recommend using
throughout the year
 really good resource
 This is a gem for pathology/step!!!
 very helpful
My one best piece of advice for Step 1 preparation is:
 Be confident. It starts out hard and will remain hard; just push through.
 be consistent! Do the same amount every day, don't procrastinate allow yourself breaks.
 Be consistent. Use first aid along with class syllabi and study for classes. Start early.
 Be organized in your study schedule.
 Come up with a study schedule & stick to it. Use a variety of resources. Try to correlate first aid &
Qbank questions with what you're learning about in class.
 Correlate first aid w/ studying ASAP!!
 Do a ton of practice questions
 Do a ton of questions + start early.
 Do all of world!! Annotate first aid because it is not complete.
 Do all Uworld but understand that the questions are harder than that, strengthen your
weaknesses early.
 Do as many practice exams & questions as possible.
 do as many practice questions as possible
 Do as many practice questions as possible!
 Do as many questions possible! Take every question seriously anal reviews ALL answers
And explanations.
 Do lots of questions (uworld especially)
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do lots of questions from world
do plenty of questions
Do questions. Learn the explanations.
do USMLE world
Do USMLE world & their practice tests. The format is identical and the questions are very similar.
Don’t burn out, you can move your exam up if you feel like that's happening.
Don't be like me. Study early.
Don't burn out.
Don't freak out if a Uworld exam went bad. It was harder than step for me. Start way earlier
with a little a day - just a little.
Don't ignore anatomy just because it's not highly represented in first aid. Focus on the fact that
Step 1 is very doable and survivable!
Don't start before January; but do start jan. and take it seriously starting them all the way
through June.
Don't use too many resources. Stay on a schedule.
Don't worry about the pace other students are studying at. Just worry about yourself and do
what you know works best for you.
dr's in training
Either push back your test or don't wait until after finals to begin serious studying.
FA is key, finish world for sure, Rx + Kaplan if you can.
Find your own study strategy. Instead of racing to finish all of the question banks and read
first aid 42 times. I did questions in chunks of 10-20 and then went back to IA to read up
on the specific topics I missed.
find your own way, stick to it and don't be swayed by the opinions of others. It's your brain,
so do what it needs to learn best not what your classmate's brains need.
Finish Kaplan questions by April. Rx during finals, world after finals. Annotate your 1st aid
w/questions, explanations w/ the correct answer and the explanations of the incorrect answers.
First aid + Uworld
first aid + Uworld + Pathoma
First Aid + World + other stuff
First Aid, Uworld, Picmonics
get through practice questions (Uworld) early
Go through first aid at least once prior to the CBSE. Do doctors in training. Use USMLE Rx
for finals, do as much as possible. Do all of the path and pharm questions at a minimum. After
finals use world, finish it and go through all the questions you might have missed.
have a plan
I used question banks to practice exam-taking and to identify holes in my knowledge. If you use
questions to study for classes it's less overwhelming.
I would have tried to finish RX or have done World twice. I also would have started Picmonic
sooner (but was not available @ time for me.)
if you use DIT, start lectures earlier than 1 month before your exam date and account for finals
study time
If you want to take a practice test with prometric get your permit early (mine came too late)
Integrate first aid studying into school year.
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Integrate your facts into question-based knowledge
It's a reasoning test.
It's one year for the rest of the year. Work extremely hard all year and learn how to use
step resources to study for school during 1st semester.
Just keep swimming
know all of first aid and do all of Uworld
learn on your own, read as many times as possible, don't write in first aid until finals
lots of questions
Make a plan. Start early. Give yourself scheduled breaks/days off in your plan. Do a little
every day.
Make a schedule
Make a schedule and stick to it. It's okay to take days off.
Make a schedule, stick with it
Memorize (don't read) 1st Aide; start in fall
more questions/use timed questions constantly. I never had an issue with time until the real thing.
Once you feel confident reading FA, supplement w/RR Pathology and Pathoma
Pace yourself
Pace yourself throughout the spring semester and look over material as many times as possible.
It's all about repetition!
Pay attention to lecture material during the year. Too hard to cram everything in from first aid and
many things first aid doesn't cover. Do lots of practice Q's.
picmonic is fantastic, I wish I would have used it even in first year. Start early!
practice questions!
QBANK!! DO 2 QBANKS!
Questions and lots of them
questions help you learn actively! So don't just run through them as fast as you can, really take
the time to understand what major point they're trying to stress.
Questions helped me understand and solidify the information. Do as many questions as possible.
questions study during yr w/FA
Read 1st Aid early
read early, lots of questions, read, read, read. Study with a buddy; do lots of practice tests
Read FA a lot.
Read first aid 3 times and do all of USMLE world + study questions you got wrong. The better
you do in classes second year the better you will do on STEP.
Read first aid at least three times!
Reference + use first aid very frequently. Do several NBME practice tests + learn from them.
The real test felt a lot like these tests. World Q bank is very helpful.
Relax and don't freak out but study hard.
Repetition, stay calm, practice questions.
start early
Start early & don't neglect anatomy
Start early (Jan) and be steady (2+ hrs/day before test in March)
start early and do a little each day & it's not so overwhelming
start early and do lots of questions
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Start early and get through World.
start early and pace
start early and really start "hard core" studying + practice tests after finals. Don't use too
many resources. Do as many practice questions as possible.
start early reading first aid, finish all of USMLE world
start early!
start early! Do Q's and memorize ones that you miss (those topics).
Start early, and people to keep you accountable
start early, make a schedule and stick to it
start early, make integrations early, don't freak out, work hard, and don't neglect your current
classes, that's on the test too!
start early, read FA & do questions, lots of questions
Start early, set your goals, form a plan, do questions
start early, study step before class, otherwise you will put step studying off
Start early, use Q banks, first aid.
start early, work lots of questions
start early-go through Qbank as much as possible
start early-picmonics during the semester to help with classes and prepare for Step
start early-use pathoma + first aid - user your info from FCM to aid integration
Start in January and do lots of practice questions. Problems with testing center: The prometric
center on Coit Rd. in Dallas had a technical malfunction, so my test was cancelled on the day
I was supposed to take it, after I waited there for approximately three hours. I then had to reschedule,
which I could only do the next morning and subsequently had to take the test in college station,
three days later. Thus I had to drive to college station and get a hotel room before my test.
start looking at first aid early
Start memorizing early.
start Qbank early
Start reading first aid early in the spring semester and incorporate it into studying for your classes.
start reviewing early so that you are not overwhelmed closer to the test date
Start reviewing early-incorporate FA into studying for 1st year and 2nd year courses
start Rx early (first semester) to use for all classes
Start studying 1st semester 2nd yr.
Start studying early and begin using first aid during first semester.
Start studying early. Do not wait until a few weeks before the exam. Be serious about it.
Start studying early. Try to review consistently throughout the spring.
Start USMLE world early and repeat if can
Stay calm and don't worry about other people
Stay calm, start studying early, but gradually.
Stay organized and make a schedule and stick to it.
Study
study a little bit every day before spring break, study really hard for finals (especially pharm)
and use that momentum to enter your 14-16 hr days leading up to the exam. Do as many Qs
as possible.
Study early & add info to first aid
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Study early and often. Start practice questions early on.
study hard for the actual course work while you are taking it, ad do as many questions as possible
study Qbanks with your classes
Study, but take time for yourself!
take it easy, don’t burn out; but don't slack off too much
The first few months were my most important (Jan-Mar). Start getting the details down early so that
you won't be learning new information around finals. Start focused studying early. And be
consistent in your study methods.
to start early + don't be overwhelmed by resources - find which ones work for you.
Try to figure out which resources will be useful + stick to your plan.
try to relax and take step early - more time ends up being more time to forget what you've learned
Try your best to give yourself 23 weeks off between step & 3rd year
Use first aid throughout the school year.
Use first aid to study during the course so you can be familiar with what is considered important
outside the UT course.
Use path rapid review
Use pathoma in conjuctin with courses
Use Qbanks as a learning tool rather than a testing tool.
Use Qbanks as a primary review source - better at context and understanding than any other
single source
Use the Goljan audio!
use USMLE Rx during the year to get familiar w/First Aid. As USMLE World as your get serious.
Drop Kaplan. Take several practice tests.
Use what works for you.
Use world Qbank & first aid
USMLE World - was a great resource. Start early and try to go over it twice.
USMLE World ?s are very difficult but make you feel very prepared on test day.
Uworld
Uworld is the best Qbank to study from - it is most similar to the real test
U-world. Resist the urge to read FA the week before test.
When going through the Q banks, annotate in your first aid!
Work hard in calsses in the fall. The more you learn along the way the less you have to
relearn for later.
You can't study too much.
You only need USMLE world & the first aid book.