AOA EXCELLING SERIES – USMLE STEP 1 TEST DAY
Below is a quick bit of advice for USMLE step 1 test day created by AOA Excelling Series. We have
based this advice on our experiences from last year. Hopefully, it will be a good source of information for
you:
Before…
You’re doing the hardest part right now! At this point, many of you are feeling
completely burnt out from marathon study days and are sick of pharm and micro
flashcards. Keep studying. You may hit a wall and need to take a day off or go on a
run; do that and then get back to it. It’s go time.
If you are a moderately nervous person, you may want to go check out the testing
center before the big day. Make sure you know how to get there and can avoid any
traffic delays the morning of. Some centers have practice sessions if you want to get a
true sense of how test day runs. Just know yourself and do what you need to do to be
as calm as possible that morning.
If you normally drink caffeine, you should also have some the morning of your exam.
Test day is not the day to go through caffeine withdrawal or headaches
Having a backup plan is a great idea. Pick a person who is not testing the day of your
exam to be “on call” in case of car trouble or other unforeseen events.
Bring earplugs. They have headphones that serve as noise reducers, but many people
don’t think they work as well as earplugs. If your testing center doesn’t allow them, just
stick them in your locker.
Oh, by the way, you get a locker. It’s about the size of the locker you could get at a
roller skating rink or theme park. You can store your keys, food, phone, etc.
Dress in layers… always good advice on a test day.
Bring your testing ID as well as another form of ID like a driver’s license
Before test day, go the USMLE website (______________) and work through the
tutorial. They give you 15 minutes on test day to complete this, but if you’ve already
been through it you get an extra 15 minutes of break time!
During…
You may want to get there early. Some sights might let you start early if you’re anxious
to do so.
Know that you can take a break between sections if you need to. Some people took a
few minutes between each section or every other section, while others preferred to work
straight through until lunch. The last three sections may seem pretty long, so save
some break time for in case you need it.
Bring a lunch…it’s the best part of the day.
You will never feel ready for the test. That's ok--EVERYONE feels like that. Just tell
yourself that you've prepared to the best of your abilities and don't let yourself freak out
about what you think you don't know.
You WILL come to questions that you don't know - it is okay. Pick an answer and move
on. Timing is everything, and you need to get through each block. Even if you feel like
you don’t know any of the answers, you are not failing.
DO NOT post-pone the test unless something really bad has happened and you are
extremely unprepared. Again, you will never feel ready but you also know this is an
important exam.
After…
If you’re taking your test in Columbus, there’s a Dairy Queen 0.2 miles away from the
testing center. Get a Blizzard.
You have worked really hard and should be proud of yourself once you’re done. Go on
vacation, enjoy yourself, and have some fun before Med 3!
Despite the rumors, your score on this test does not dictate your future. Sure, it plays a
role--but so do rotations, involvement in school, volunteer activities, and general "people
skills."
This is survivable. Every 3rd and 4th year, intern, resident, fellow, and attending had to
suffer through the same thing and we all survived. You will (hopefully) never meet
someone who looks back on step 1 with fond memories, so just finish strong and then
enjoy being done.
You’re almost there…good luck!
AOA Excelling Series Contributors
Beth Halley
Katelyn Krivchenia
Mary Fleming
Kristen Grubb
Lauren Haveman
Jessica Holder
Shawn Stevens