Study Guide 1
Sunday
Monday
May 5
Final Exam
Take the
night off!!
Embryo
May 12
Immunology
Gen Path
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Genetics
Molecular Bio
Anatomy
General
Pathology
(BRS Ch. 1-9)
NEURO
NEURO
NEURO
PULM
PULM
RENAL
May 19
CARDIO
CARDIO
RENAL
GI
May 26
REPRO
Behavioral
Science
Biostatistics
ENDOCRINE
June 2
HEME-ONC
REVIEW
Anatomy
Embryo
CARDIO
GI
MICROBIO
MICROBIO
MICROBIO
MICROBIO
PRACTICE
EXAM
AT KAPLAN
MUSCULOSKELETAL
CATCH-UP DAY
- pharmokinetics
- dermatology
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
EXAM
June 9
REVIEW
Saturday
Systems – Histology, Physiology, Pathology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology
Neuroanatomy & Movement disorder drugs with Neuro
BOOKS
SUBJECT
General
Biochemistry
Genetics
Cell Bio / Molecular Bio
Anatomy
Embryology
Immunology
General Pathology
Histology
Physiology
Pathology
Pathophysiology
Pharmacology
Microbiology
Behavioral Science
Biostatistics
BOOKS
FIRST AID for the Boards
Underground Clinical Vignettes (except Microbio)
Kaplan Q-Bank
Kaplan Q-Book
High Yield Biochemistry, First Aid
First Aid, High Yield Cell & Molecular Bio
First Aid, High Yield Cell & Molecular Bio
First Aid, High Yield Anatomy
High Yield Embryology, First Aid
High Yield Immunology, First Aid
BRS Pathology Ch. 1-9, First Aid
First Aid, On-line module (Mel’s)
BRS Physiology, First Aid
BRS Pathology, First Aid
First Aid, Pathophysiology for the Boards & Wards*
First Aid, Lippincott’s Pharmacology*, Pharm Recall*
Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple, First Aid
High Yield Behavioral Science, First Aid
High Yield Biostatistics, First Aid
Study Guide 2
Sunday
Monday
May 5
Final Exam
To Atlanta
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
X MEN II
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Weekend in
Savannah
MICROBIO
MICROBIO
PSYCH
HEME-ONC
CARDIO
CARDIO/PULM
PULM
PULM
Weekend in
Savannah
GI
NEURO
NEURO
ENDO/RERPO
ENDO/REPRO
BIRTHDAY
WEEKEND
RHEUM/ANAT
PRACTICE
TESTS
PRACTICE
TESTS
PRACTICE
TESTS
May 12
Weekend in
Savannah
MICROBIO
WEEKEND
OFF
May 19
WEEKEND OFF
CARDIO
May 26
Weekend in
Savannah
GI
June 2
BIRTHDAY
WEEKEND
RENAL
RENAL/RHEUM
June 9
PRACTICE
TESTS
PRACTICE
TESTS
PRACTICE
TESTS
PRACTICE
TESTS
EXAM
AFTERNOON
OFF
BOOKS
These hints are guaranteed to give you at least a 240 on the boards.*
My hours were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I studied at the Emory Health Science Library. If you excluded time spent on e-mail, doing
crossword puzzles, naps and eating lunch/snacks, I studied 5-6 hours a day (and that is generous).
I shipped down to Atlanta all of my notes and slides/handouts from the first two years. This was an enormous waste of time and
money. I never touched them.
I used First Aid for Step I as my guide. If it was in there, I studied it. If it was not, I did not waste my time looking for more items
to memorize.
If a disease was mentioned in First Aid, I supplemented its brief description with info from BRS Pathology.
If a bug was mentioned in First Aid, I supplemented its brief description with info from Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple.
If a drug was mentioned in First Aid, and I was curious about mechanisms/side effects, I used Lippincott Pharmacology.
I used a systems approach: Cardiology = embryology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology of the heart.
I used Kaplan Q Bank. I liked it. On practice test days, I did up to 200 questions a day. Read the answers, they are helpful. Don’t get
caught up in the percent you get wrong.
Know these things well:
1. The heart, especially physiology and pharmacology
2. Microbiology and antimicrobials. Yeah, even the obscure ones.
3. The brachial plexus and the presentations of damage to it. I did not study the lower extremities and
did not suffer from it.
Have a beer/wine/cordial from time to time. It won’t kill you or your score. Remember this is just an exam.
Please don’t bring any notes to the test place. You will only drive yourself crazy.
* Guarantee will not be honored
Study Guide 3
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
May 5
Day Off
Final Exam
Still being a real
X MEN II
person
Gen Path
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Lightly read
Micro
Lightly read
Micro
Lightly read
Micro
Day Off
May 12
So it begins…
Gen Path
Wednesday
Day Off
Still being a real
person
Embryo
Anatomy
Anatomy
Cardio
Cardio
Renal
Renal/GI
GI
Endo
Endo/Repro
Behav Sci
Behav Sci
Neuro
Neuro
Neuro
May 19
Pulm
Pulm
May 26
Heme
Heme/Derm
June 2
Chill, Brah
Biostats
Biostats
Micro
Micro
Micro
Kaplan Exam
Go out…
First Aid
First Aid
First Aid
First Aid
First Aid
Go to Boston
Drink
Drink
Sleep
June 9
Attempt
Biochem, most
of day off
REVIEW
First Aid
“Catch up” on
whateva
June 16
Rapid review
in First Aid
Rest of day
off for…
Matrix II
BOOM!!!!!
Step 1
Relax after
the exam…
Drink
General stuff:
Went home to CT for exam…studied at Yale Library.
Studied an average of ~ 6 hours/day
Studied by organ system, which inc - Physio, Path, Pharm -- Pharm only out of First Aid
Got LOTS of sleep (usually) - this was KEY
Did 50 Qbank questions at end of each "system" - ended up being 2-3 times per week
Basically did not study Histo,Cell Bio,Immuno except for what was in First Aid
Did not study Biochem except for First Aid and diseases in BRS Path.
Used Underground Clinical Vignettes for clarification - usually about 1-2 x per week
Books - 1st Aid,Clin Micro,BRS Path&Physio,High Yield Anat&Embr&Neuro&Biostats&Behav Sci
Study guide 4
Sunday
Monday
May 5
Final Exam
Tuesday
Day off,
prepare books
Finished one
chapter
May 12
Neuroanatomy Neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy
Neuropath
Neuropath
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Neuroanatomy
Micro
Micro/Anatomy Micro/Anatomy
Immunology
May 19
Behav Sci
Behav Sci
Behav Sci/
Statistics
Gen Path
Gen Path
Gen Path
Embryo/ Pulm
Pulm
PULM
GI
PULM
GI
GI/Renal
Renal/Repro
Repro
Repro
Endocr
Endocr
Rheum/Skel
Blood
Blood
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
EXAM
(Deferred)
May 26
Embryo/
Cardio
Cardio
Renal
Renal
Embryo/
Cardio
June 2
June 9
Endocr/Rheum
Rheum
June 16
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
Books
-First Aid (2003 edition)
-microbio made ridiculously simple
-BRS pathology
-BRS physiology
-Pathophysiology for the Boards and Wards
-HY Biochemistry
-Lippincott Biochemistry
-HY immunology
-HY histology
-HY anatomy
-HY embryology
-HY neuroanatomy
-HY molecular biology and genetics
-HY behavioral science
-Pharmacology for the Boards and Wards
-Qbook
Computer aids:
-Qbank (3 months)
-NBME free 150 practice Q's
Study Guide 5
Schedule
I didn’t make one. Throughout medical school I was never able to artificially restrict my study time, and I saw no reason to
change my habits at the last minute. This can have advantages and disadvantages. If you’re the type of person who requires
structure and needs to plan ahead right up until the exam, go for it. On the other hand, if you don’t like to be boxed in by
timetables and prefers the freedom to improvise on a daily basis, scheduling might not be for you. Also, you won’t feel guilty
when the circulatory system takes you six days to cover instead of the four that you had budgeted. Fair warning: this requires a
high level of motivation, as you’ll start every day wondering “What do I start with?” What I did do prior to beginning my study
period was to take a Q bank mini-diagnostic exam. Kaplan is useful for identifying your weak spots; unsurprisingly, mine were
anatomy and physiology (I hated the anatomy lab right up until we hit the brain). Early on during my study days I spend the
majority of my morning covering these two subjects, mixing it up with path and gradually introducing others. I’d recommend
starting anatomy and pathology early on, as the sheer volume of material to be covered can be daunting.
More specifically, I used a vaguely system-based approach to my study, trying to stay high-yield and going off on tangents
frequently. For example, I’d begin with the liver. I’d spend a little time reviewing the histology (cells of Ito, space of Disse) and
the anatomy (hepatoduodenal ligament contains the portal triad). Then I’d review some pathology, focusing on genetic
diseases that can cause hepatitis (Wilson’s, hemochromatosis); the mention of drug-induced hepatitis would make me spend
some time reviewing anti-TB medications, which would cause me to shift to TB for a bit, and then I’d review other
Mycobacterial infections . . . Like I said, not for everybody. It worked well for me.
Materials
First Aid is crucial; one good piece of advice the fourth-years gave us is to take all your notes within its relevant section
when you’re studying. This makes sure you don’t have to reference back and forth as you flip through it for the fifteenth time.
The other two books I would strongly recommend getting are BRS Path (all of you should be familiar with this one) and Clinical
Microbiology made Ridiculously Simple. Clinical micro teaches you almost every bug you’ll need to know, and also covers almost
all the antibiotics and their side effects. BRS Path should be falling apart by the time you’re done; pathology is huge on the
boards and you need to know pretty much all of it. I’ll cover other study aids by category below. One more thing: First Aid is
good and high-yield, but do not depend on it as your sole source of info for any subject. It’s too general and the boards no
longer focuses on “buzzwords” as much. You need to have a more detailed knowledge on most subjects.
I used Kaplan’s QBank to quiz myself; this was the only thing I did consistently (around 50-100 questions/night). The
questions are accurate but a bit harder and more detail-oriented than what you’ll see on the boards. Try to quiz yourself with a
mixed bag; I focused early on biochemistry and ended up using all my biochem questions. Something else which I signed up
for and found very useful were Kaplan’s Integrated Vignettes---the questions were much more multidisciplinary and actually
taught me a lot. I didn’t use QBook or any of the other written materials. In addition to First Aid, I started keeping a scratch
pad of odds and ends, so when I got a question wrong on Kaplan I ended up copying down the explanations they give for
every choice.
Other books:
Anatomy: High-yield Anatomy is good. Focus on trauma-related injuries, and they love to ask questions related to the brachial
plexus (I must have gotten seven). Know the innervation of the upper limbs cold. The Underground Clinical Vignette (UCV)
series is an excellent aid for this subject. Don’t use Gray’s as anything outside of a BRIEF reference. Other good areas to spend
some time on are the vasculature of the stomach and hernias.
Neuroanatomy: I used BRS Neuroanatomy; unless you’re really interested in the field, don’t do this. It’s way too detailed. Highyield is the way to go. Be able to identify and differentiate hematomas on CT scan, and know the syndromes associated with
common cerebrovascular infarcts (i.e. Wallenburg’s=PICA). Also, be aware that diseases of other organ systems can present
neurologically (polycystic kidney disease).
Biochemistry: No real good primary sources. I ended using a combination of First Aid and the UCV series. Lippincott’s can be
used to shore up weak areas. Know the missing enzymes and toxic metabolites of ‘big name’ genetic diseases (Tay-Sachs, ICD)
as well as their characteristic pathology.
Behavioral Science/Biostatistics: The high yield books are all you need. Spend more than a day on both these subjects and you’re
spinning your wheels.
Histology: Any decent atlas will do; I used Wheaters. When you’re asked to identify a slide, the pathology will be 1. extremely
noticeable and 2. pathognomonic for the disease in question (i.e., Hodgkin’s cells).
Microbiology: Clinical micro, as above. As far as I can tell, this is the 2nd most heavily tested area on the boards. Once you’ve
read the book from cover to cover (twice) the UCV series might come in handy as reinforcement. It’s very important to know
which strains of bacteria are more likely to affect certain age groups (causes of meningitis in neonates vs. adults, causes of
pneumonia in the elderly vs. everyone else). Try to know a great deal about iatrogenic bugs (Pseudomonas, C. diff) and their
treatment.
Pathology: BRS Path is golden. Study, well, everything. Stay away from buzzwords (‘café-au-lait spots’ for NF) as they won’t
use those exact words in the vignette; instead, they’ll describe the physical findings and leave it to you to figure out. Really rare
diseases will be on the exam (but not in the majority); I got a question on ataxia-telangectasia. Start early.
Physiology: BRS Physio is excellent, and I wish I’d discovered this earlier. They’re fond of CHF-related vignettes and Starling
curves. A solid grasp of endocrine is also good, as they love questions relating to Cushing’s disease (understand the
dexamethasone suppression test) and the many abnormalities of sex hormones. Be able to perform thumbnail calculations
relating to renal function (GFR, etc. You don’t need a calculator). First Aid is surprisingly high-yield for this.
Pharmacology: Aside from clinical micro, there aren’t a lot of good sources. You might want to consider making a set of pharm
cards, or buying one. This is a pure memorization field, so your mileage may vary. First Aid has a good section. Adverse drug
effects are key (especially drugs that can mimic disease processes or cause liver/kidney dysfunction). Also, drug-drug
interactions (which drugs speed up/slow down the p450 system?)
Odds and ends
Change up your study spots frequently to avoid cabin fever. Don’t stop exercising; it’s a great way to blow off steam and
keep your energy levels up. You don’t have to study in a group for the whole period, but getting together occasionally and
quizzing each other with vignettes is a good way to keep knowledge fresh. Avoid people who freak you out, but don’t become
a hermit. Stay in touch with friends, go out for a beer once in a while. Try not to push the exam date back outside of
emergencies. The extra time you gain isn’t worth the anxiety it causes, and you’re more likely to do it again.
Remember: all of you will pass, most will do very well. It’s like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy says. . . DON’T PANIC.
Study Guide 6
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
--Joe’s Schedule
4
11
NEURO
5
12
NEURO
Thurs
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
10
Pharm Kinetics
Cell Bio
6
7
8
9
BIOCHEM
BIOCHEM
BIOCHEM
BIOCHEM
13
GENERAL
PATH
14
15
16
CARDIO
CARDIO
PULMONARY
18
19
20
21
22
23
RENAL
RENAL
GI
GI
REPRO
ENDOCRINE
25
anatomy/embryo
26
limb anatomy
27
Musculoskeletal
28
cell
bio/immunology
29
Micro
30
Micro
3
Behav Sci/
Biostats
4
Review
(anatomy/embryo
qbank)
11
TEST DAY!
5
6
Review
Review
(behavioral/biochem/ (micro/qbank)
qbank/pharm)
1 Catch-up 2
2
(micro/cell
Derm
bio/immuno/PHARM) Heme-onc
8
Review
(path/ qbank)
9
Review
(pharm/physio/
qbank)
10
Review
(q bank/ end
early and do
nothing)
** Everday – QBANK QUESTIONS and some Pharmacology; UCV cases in small group every few days
17
PULMONARY
RENAL
24 catch-up day
(PHARM stuff/
some
physiology)
31
Micro
7
Review
(path/ qbank)