The MOST important way to ensure success on step 1 of the boards is studying hard throughout
year 2. This will make boards studying a lot easier as you will be reviewing stuff you already
have learned instead of learning it for the first time. Also don’t worry about what other people
are doing during the month. Everyone has their own personal studying preferences and
strategy so stick work with what works best for you and don’t fret about where other people
stand throughout the month.
Boards: Don’t worry about them until at least after spring break (although read first few
paragraphs on what you might want to do throughout the year)
You should study the relevant section in First Aid as you go through each organ system block
during second year. Although it takes a little extra time, there are some mnemonics that are
helpful to learn as you memorize the material. This will come in handy for the boards, plus the
material will be familiar a second time around. The only downside to starting in the fall is that a
new edition of First Aid typically comes out near December. Using the old version for boards
studying is a definite option and would permit you to study something you have been using all
year and may have some notes in. Putting many notes into First Aid as you are going through
the 2nd yr blocks is not recommended as you will generally not have time and you are going to
want this space for when you are doing review questions and you come across details that are
not covered. Only put notes in if there are definite gaps in material or if you want to clarify the
text. Do this during the whole year - when it comes time to buckle down and study for the
boards, you'll have already gone through first aid once. SCHEDULE YOUR BOARDS TESTING
PERIOD (a 3 month window) IN NOVEMBER and get your testing permit!!!! - Testing sites can fill
up quickly so signing up for a day and location as soon as you feel comfortable, especially if you
plan to take it around here is highly recommended. You can change the date you take the test
as well as your site both very easily and free of charge. Enjoy both winter and spring breaks and
don’t worry about boards - it will be one of your last true vacations together and you will have
plenty of time to study in May. However once you get back from spring break, you should set
aside a chunk of time to decide which books you will use for boards as well as draft a study
schedule. As a heads up there are a few subjects that are included on the boards that are not
stressed during years one and two. They include the immunodeficiencies, glycogen storage as
well as the lysosomal storage diseases, the porphyrias, and any applicable clinical biochem.
Some recommend taking a quick glance over these in First Aid at some point during the year so
they are not new concepts when you sit down to study for the boards.
LISTEN TO GOLJAN LECTURES. May also supplement with Goljan slides. Copies are circulating of
both, some lecs sped up to about 30 min per lecture. Many ppl listen to these while running/at
the gym/going to the store during boards. There are usually only a few per subject.
Qbank- USMLE world is the BEST QUESTION BANK and there is an almost universal agreement
on this topic. Some start the qbank early spring or do it throughout year 2. It is definitely not
necessary but some will swear by it. Again this is a personal option and will depend on how you
would like to study as well as how much you are willing to spend as the cost for the qbank for
the year is quite high. During boards studying, focus on completing this Qbank before moving
onto another one such as Kaplan. Some will say the World questions were harder than the ones
on the actual test and deceiving in that aspect, focusing studies on too much detail. However
most appreciate the complexity of the questions as it necessitated really knowing and
understanding the material. They also made the questions on the actual boards seem easy
comparatively. The USMLE world bank is both cheaper than kaplan's QBank and the questions
are a lot more akin to what you'll get on the real test. Do as many questions as you can in the
month before you take Step I - questions are the key to success. Yet dont feel like you
absolutely need to get through an entire Q bank. Many people get through 50-75% of the
qbank and still get scores high enough for the most competitive subspecialties.
Books: This is a tough one and is very personal. It takes a while to decide on what to use. Listed
below are some general consensus review books that seemed to have worked for many
students as well as a brief description of their pros/cons. By now you should know how you like
to study. Try to choose books based on that. There are many options out there and some are
listed below. The back of first aid has ratings of the books based on what students around the
nation have preferred and their comments are generally trustworthy. Many of these are listed
below. If you want help with planning your boards schedule/choosing books feel free to contact
any of the AOA members who have provided their info for mentorship purposes.
Kaplan - pros: very comprehensive, detailed books. Will cover all the material you could
possibly need to know for the boards. Cons: long and difficult to get through for people who
don’t like to read dense material and who don’t get a lot out of reading something for the first
time. Pages are dense and not colorful. They tend to have discounted sales of the books in the
early spring before you have put any thought into boards. Refrain from buying them unless you
are absolutely sure you will use them. Again, you definitely don’t need them, they are not the
bible as they were for the MCAT, with other books out there that are equal to the kaplan books
in terms of detail (see individual subject recommendations below). Unless you are a fast reader
with good retention, you will have a hard time getting through and retaining the material
covered in these books in the 5 wks allotted for studying (~70pgs per day, not including any
neuro review).
Kaplan WebPrep: Designed for the visual and auditory learner, WebPrep offers online lectures
to coincide with the books. These books are less detailed than the set of 4 Kaplan text books
previously mentioned. The WebPrep books are meant to be used WITH the online lectures, not
alone. Lectures emphasize important concepts necessary for success on Step 1.
First Aid (FA) Organ Systems and General Principles: First Aid's release to compete with Kaplan.
They are colorful, have pictures, well spaced sections, not too much detail, yet they were
recently released and had a fair amount of mistakes (though you will find mistakes in ANY book
you use to study for the boards). It is easier to get through all the material with time to spare
for review compared to Kaplan. However, some of the material was redundant with what was
already in first aid.
You may choose that a comprehensive review book isn’t for you and you would prefer to
review each subject with a separate source specific for that subject matter. You may also like to
supplement the comprehensive books with subject specific texts. Some of the other highly
recommended books many people use are listed below:
Pathology - Most people who dont use the comprehensive books listed above use Rapid Review
Pathology (Goljan) and some use BRS Pathology. choose ONE.
Embryology - High yield Embryology is great for this (you can even supplement some of the
comprehensive books with it as it does a fantastic job)
BRS Physiology - USE THIS BOOK!!!! - no matter what resource you use. It is the best physio
review out there. Is very short and comprehensive, hitting all salient topics
Behavioral Sciences - no need to review anything but first aid. Questions helped the most for
what was important. Some chose to review BRS behavioral sciences especially for some
questions and found it helpful.
Microbiology - Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple!!!! Many people used this book and loved it
not only during BBD but for the boards as well. The pictures really help remember small details.
It contains a good amount of detail not in First Aid that seemed to be important. Micro cards
are also another option if you like to study from flash cards.
Biochem - Most of what you need to know is in First Aid. The majority of students have disliked
Lippincott's Biochem and chose to avoid it, although some people still use it and have liked it.
Questions helped the most for review of what was important to know.
Anatomy - Would only specifically review the upper/lower extremity (most is covered in the
MSK section of First Aid) as well as the general anatomy as you go through each organ system.
Don’t spend too much time on this. Again, practice questions directed studying and review.
Neuroanatomy- Localization of lesions is the most important concept for Step 1. Also know
neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, etc.)
Pharm - First aid with pharm flash cards is a popular option
Practice tests: you will take one of the NBME tests after Repro which will give you an idea of the
questions you might face on the boards and where you might need to focus some of your
studying. The NBME tests break down how you performed by subject matter as well as give you
a projected score. I wouldn’t fret if your score is low on this practice test as many actual Step 1
scores increase significantly from these preliminary score reports. Taking a few practice tests if
nothing other than to train yourself for the length of the actual test is highly beneficial.
Whether or not you administer these yourself by selecting hour long timed sections from your
qBank or purchase them separately is up to you. There are multiple options for this. You can
take another NBME test (they are similar in format to the one you will take after repro) and are
found on the NBME website at a cost of around $40. The report will give you an estimated
score and a breakdown of how you performed on each subject matter as it did before. A
drawback is that you cannot review your answers and see which questions you got wrong/look
at explanations. USMLE World offers some practice tests at around $40 as well and this allows
for question review. The downside is that they are very similar questions in terms of style,
detail, and subject to those found in the Q bank. A final option is an on-site practice test. This is
an NBME test that has 3x sections (the real one has 7). It gives you a raw percentage correct at
the end and that is it. It can serve to gauge the caliber of questions on the real test and what
the experience would be like on testing day. Some sites can be noisy so it may be beneficial to
at least visit the testing site before you take your test to see how you want to approach your
day. Additionally you should plan out your testing day with how you want to spend your break
time as well as bring the appropriate snack food and drinks. It is a definite marathon of a test
and training for the length of the day is almost as important as studying the material.
Boards Schedule: It is important to sit down for a good chunk of time and fully decide on a
detailed schedule. A general goal would be to do this before your endocrine block starts. Many
people changed their schedule as they studied as they found out what worked/didn’t work so
don’t worry if you feel you need to stray from what you started with. Study schedules usually
allow for general review of subject matter along with practice questions with time for review of
First Aid (+notes written throughout studying) at the end. As you progress through the 5 weeks,
practice questions should be done in spurts of 48 and timed (to mimic what the actual test will
be like). Additionally people schedule in days off and flex days for catch up. One model for a
typical study day for could be 8-5 study material, 5-7 break (gym), 7-11 questions (trying get
through 40-50 a night = answering each question AND going through the explanation, writing
notes in first aid - THE MOST IMPORTANT PART). There are 37 Goljan lectures and most choose
to listen to them as they are driving or exercising.
DO NOT POSTPONE YOUR BOARDS (unless there is a serious need to do so) - almost everyone
who decides to do this out of nerves regrets it. You will always feel like you could use more time
for review, but you should stick to your guns with whatever date you set. As for what date to
choose - this is very personal and depends on your study habits/goal for the test. In general
most students take it sometime during the week before 3rd year starts, giving yourself ~5 wks of
study time. People who took it earlier than this generally felt like they could have used a few
more days of review.