The Med School Method
I can honestly say that I actually ENJOYED studying this week!! I have a completely new appreciation for the step 1 approach and I have given myself over to the system to guide me. Sounds weird to say that, but something just clicked in my brain this week and how I am looking at this whole exam has completely changed. I BELIEVE if I keep up with this consistently, I am going to reach my potential, and this is not even just about the scores I am talking about.    The surprising thing is that I not only enjoyed doing questions, but I actually got more productive work done than I have in the previous weeks, and at this point retention is 90% (based on retaking the incorrect questions; hopefully this will be 100% by end of my study period, ready for the exam). You know, this is how learning should be! When I started on Monday going through the cardio questions, I was thinking this is gonna be so slow, I have all these pages of first aid waiting on me. But then I actually started getting the questions right by the time I was half way through, and not only that but those pages of first AID became less of a chore, and I had actually gone through every single page for cardio without even realizing I had finished the chapter, unbelievable!! So you know, my whole attitude to studying has even changed!    So what I took note of regarding the difference between my previous approach and this refined approach is that now my focus is more on the questions (refining my technique, identifying the stem, doing those free associations, and its beginning to come naturally).    Previously I was focusing on getting through both first AID and the qbank and I was beginning to feel hard pressed for time. But this week, I noticed that majority of the world qbank questions take a topic and twist and turn it in all different angles to really test whether you have really MASTERED the concept/topic. The way they ask the questions too is such that they force you to tie in things together (ie free associate) so that if you spend time understanding something, you may not get the first 15 questions correct  (demoralizing) when you start, BUT say by question 20 and on, you start getting them correct!    The beauty about the STEP 1 approach is that it forces you to discover your knowledge cracks/holes now, before the exam, when it matters, so you can fill up those holes before test day. This has even changed how I am seeing my qbank and how I am using it now....    Pardon me for going on and on, but I just had to let that out!, I am trusting this to take me through to the finish line.    Thank you again, I'm looking forward to making this happen!!    Regards --2nd Year Yale Medical Student 2010Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Step 1 Method must work because I got a 251! --Carlos from Washington D.C.I constantly looked at the Step1 Method throughout my board studying as it was very motivating: I scored a 250! This was very important as I had a 3.0 GPA through my first two years. Now I am considering matching in a top-tier program --Vishal from Atlanta