I’m working on a more effective way to send updates to the decks – I hope to have a better system in place by the time you get the decks!

😁

It is possible, but it is highly competitive. You can see outcomes here: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Charting-Outcomes-IMGs-2016.pdf

Anki is a program that uses spaced repetition to help you to never forget what you’ve learned in the most efficient way possible. Because of this, showing you cards at specific intervals, timed to force you to review cards at the times you are most likely to forget the information. By reviewing that information, you not only recall that information, but extend the period of time over which you will remember it. Because of this remarkable fact, if you do your cards regularly, with a reasonable number of new cards that you learn every day, as well as finishing all of the old reviews that are due on a particular day, you can recall an enormous body of information, with comparatively small effort.

As such, the key is to start as early as possible to get the most out of it. You have access indefinitely, so there is no reason to delay.

As an example, because I’ve done this for the last 8+ years of my life, by only reviewing roughly an hour every day, I can recall the information in more than 20,000 flashcards, since only roughly 100 old reviews are due on any particular day. But how can you use this remarkable technique for yourself? You have to start slowly. You can certainly make your own cards, which eventually you may want to try. However, in the beginning, to give yourself the best chance of success, I would recommend that you use the Yousmle.com cards by starting with your weakest subjects. The decks are already divided into specific blocks, like cardiology, respiratory, biochemistry, and genetics. Do roughly 50 new cards total from all decks, and make sure that you review all old cards that come up for review in any given day. You can supplement this by making cards of your own, or you can just use the cards that I’ve prepared for you!

To find out more, go to http://www.yousmle.com/step1anki

For other resources I recommend, go here: https://www.yousmle.com/resources/

Hi, thanks for writing in!

For NBME’s, when was the last time you took one? If it was longer than 2 weeks ago I would do one ASAP. Do NBME 16. Also, I am not sure how you reviewed the other ones but make sure to go over it and actually understand why you missed each of the questions (content vs. misinterpretation). If you can’t figure it out, meet with someone else who can explain where you went wrong.

I would focus on UWorld first to ensure you use the best qbank fully, and then do Kaplan once you finish. Don’t try to rush through them for the sake of getting through them, but really try to hone in on improvement.

Are you using Anki? It is not too late to start! Do NOT try to add a ton in the beginning to back-track and catch up, because you will burn out on those and not make any progress (I did this). Just add related cards every day as you go so it is manageable.

Here is a rough schedule that you could follow –

Day 1: Take NBME 16, review. Figure out what you need to work on the most!
Day 2 to 14: Focus on one weak subject per day, and rotate through each day (in order of weakest to least weak, then repeat). First half of the day, do UWorld mini-blocks of 10-25 questions on that subject. Make sure to focus on test taking skills as listed in my article. When you review, understand the concepts needed in order to get the answer right. If you notice it is something you keep missing, it’s even more important to make sure you nail it down now. Make Anki cards to ensure you don’t forget the key information. Second half of the day, you have the option to do mini-blocks of UWorld mixed questions. If you are doing mixed Anki cards regularly, you can keep doing that weak topic by itself (especially if it is super weak or you feel you didn’t make enough progress/are on a roll from the morning).
Day 15: Take NBME 17, review. Figure out if your weak areas are still not improving – time to reassess your strategy if so! There is no shame in getting tutoring or help.
Day 16 to 29: Weak subjects in morning, mixed in afternoon.
~Day 30: Take UWorld Self Assessment 1, review. (The nice thing is that they have answer explanations.)
Day 31 to 49+: Do full, timed blocks. Can either do weak in AM and mixed in PM, or all mixed.
Sometime between Day 50 to 58, pick a day and do NBME 18 + UWorld Self Assessment 2 back-to-back in order to simulate the real test. Pay attention to when your brain starts fatiguing, and between which blocks you would want to take mini-breaks at your desk versus leaving the room to take some sips of caffeine/stretch. Review it the next day. (Note: The later NBME’s have longer question stems so it gives you a better idea of timing per question per block. When I took Step 1, UW SA 2 was known to have an easier grading scale, so the two tests next to each other balanced out).
Last week(s): Do full, timed, mixed blocks. If you are only doing Kaplan at this point and are worried about format being different, you can also go over some of your flagged UWorld questions briefly every day.
Day 64: Just review Anki cards or some high-yield points, do something relaxing and/or fun. Get a massage, eat some chocolate cake, get some rest! Pack your stuff so it’s ready to go in the morning. Know that you did everything you could.
Day 65: Test Day – Good luck!!

Let me know if this makes sense, or if you have any other questions at any point until your test 🙂

-Melody