test preparation

Studying for the USMLE Step 1: Schedule Your Training for the Big Event

Athletes, especially ones who have never run a marathon, will create a training schedule to prepare them for the big event. This schedule does not mean that they run the full marathon every week training, but rather they train in shorter intervals that will gradually increase in difficulty up until the actual event. Creating a study schedule for Step 1 is similar and also as vitally important to success.

smart watch displaying workout on a person's arm

For students at UAMS, I like to think that there are three distinct study periods: the Pre-Capstone Block (from now until the capstone course), the Capstone Block (during the capstone course) and the Dedicated block. The last of these is what students formally think of as the time when nothing else is going on except for focused study for Step 1, but the time periods leading up to this can also be important.

The universal advice I give is this: It is important to create a schedule early and have plenty of time to “perfect” it before actually starting dedicated study period. You can use these other time periods to try out what following a schedule would be like and at the same time cover your most difficult material from the first two years. The important thing is, by the time the dedicated study period rolls around, your schedule should be polished and ready to go. You have been training for the big event up until this point, and you are confident about what you will be doing in these last weeks.

There are a few methods to create a schedule. Using a Word or Excel document is a valid strategy that many use. There are many old schedules passed down from more senior students, and it is definitely a cheaper way to go. I prefer using schedule-creating programs CramFighter or Osmosis if your budget allows. CramFighter is particularly useful and easy since it allows you to simply plug in all of your material that you want to cover, then it evenly distributes it throughout the allotted study period. If you miss a day, or some material on a day, instead of having to reinvent the wheel, all you have to do is “recalculate”.

(Disclaimer: I do not work in sales for CramFighter, I just have the most experience with it.)

Try to think of material that you want to cover in “passes”. Your first pass is when you cover it in class and your second pass will be when you cover it during your dedicated study period. These Pre-Capstone and Capstone Blocks can help you get a third pass in for material that is pretty rusty or you feel you didn’t learn well the first time through.

Additionally, you can try to get as much of a first pass on UWorld as you can before your dedicated block. Think of it as training for a marathon. You may run a few miles a few times a week at first, but by the end you are running about twenty miles a week. Doing practice questions is similar: Try blocks of twenty, random and untimed at first to get used to them. By the time dedicated studying rolls around, you’ll be cranking out timed blocks of forty random questions like it’s nothing!

Just remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. It’s important to plan ahead and create a schedule for the main event. So what are you waiting for? Get to work on that first draft of your schedule!

Ryan Oliver COM4 Student, Contributing Author

Don’t Sprint the USMLE Step 1

What exactly am I training myself for?

It’s January of your M2 year. The first semester flew by almost as fast as Christmas break did, and you’re approaching the halfway point in your medical school career. In the back of your mind you may have been thinking about it as the test-that-shall-not-be-named (cue dramatic music here), but it’s now time to start openly thinking about the USMLE Step 1. It’s a marathon and not a sprint; it’s time to begin training.

The intention of this post is to help you begin planning and preparing to tackle this milestone in your education by understanding what your objectives are. Studying for Step 1 truly is a marathon and not a sprint. Success is more easily achieved by making a training schedule in advance, identifying weaknesses and preparing at a pace that allows you to be in a healthy place for the main event.

Preparing for Step 1 is largely about two things: Content review and answering board-style questions.

1. Content Review: Understand that not all content taught in modules is relevant to the exam, and not all content relevant to the exam is taught in class modules. Therefore, it is important to use resources that cover this content both completely and concisely as possible. Your first step should be identifying which review materials work best for you (not your friends; you!).

Below are some helpful resources; my list is suggestive and not comprehensive. The idea is to pick ones that help you keep content in long-term memory. It should also cover testable content as much as possible without getting into the weeds, so to speak.

A. Knowledge Banks: These are places where large volumes of medical content specifically related to USMLE Step exams are stored, and very helpful organizing and referring to facts and medical knowledge Examples: First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, MedBullets, AMBOSS

B. Video Series: These are resources where the concepts of content are explained, and additionally help keep you feeling more sane than trying to read textbooks. Examples: Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, Osmosis

C. Picture-Style Resources: These are popular resources that help provide long-term memory hooks for facts that are unintuitive and seem esoteric. Examples: SketchyMedical (Pathology, Microbiology and Pharmacology), Picmonic

2. Answering Board-Style Questions: Learning how to tackle these questions takes a lot of repetition and practice. It is helpful to think of this as a skill separate from actually knowing the content itself.

Module NBMEs and the Basic Science NBME taken in January do not directly predict if you will pass Step 1, but they do inform you of your skills in answering board-style questions. This information is very important. Sometimes all of the content review in the world is not going to help unless you know how to tackle these often multi-step, multi-layered vignettes.

My first piece of advice is that if you feel that you have a history of consistently not being able to perform what you consider well on past exams with board-style questions, you are not alone. The most important thing to do is to ask for help early, and be persistent about finding someone to help you learn to answer these questions. Practicing questions and figuring out why you are answering them incorrectly is the goal here.

So, the next question is, how do we train such a specific skill? The answer is: Question banks.

Step 1 is just a series of blocks of questions full of random content to be worked out on a time schedule. The more often you do this, the better you will be at it. Generally, I advise doing small blocks, untimed and random early on in the spring of M2 year on a regular basis. This should be something not too strenuous to cause problems with learning class content. The intensity can be ramped up slowly as you approach your dedicated study period, where you then should be treating every block like it is a block on the exam.

I hope this helped you to understand exactly what skills you are training when studying for Step 1. Please keep an eye out for future blogs that will be discussion creating schedules and test-taking hygiene, both of which are important when preparing for Step 1. Remember it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

Ryan Oliver COM4 Student, Contributing Author

Test-taking 101

When it comes to testing well there is no substitute for planning and preparation. There are, however, some practical strategies, sort of like a test-taking 101 course, you can use to help your performance better reflect your understanding of the material.

Test-taking strategies address your attitude and how you read and answer test questions. and can be used across disciplines. Using good strategies improves your testing skills, often resulting in higher scores and increased confidence. Common strategies include

Carefully reading the directions
Knowing the types and number of questions
Answering the easy questions first
Managing your time carefully

Test-taking also includes how to approach more complex and difficult questions. These questions often present a detailed scenario, and then ask you to supply a specific piece of information or part of a process. Strategies to improve your performance on these types of questions include:

Working the Question
Reading all the Answers
Eliminating Options
Applying the Most/Best Rule
Changing Your Answers

Working the Question

The first step is to zero in on what the question is asking. In complex questions it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the questioner wants. Some of the details in the question can be distracting, so you need to work the question carefully in order to know how to answer it. Try to come up with a likely answer in your head. If your answer differs from the response options, you probably didn’t analyze the question correctly.

Reading all the Responses

One of the biggest mistakes people make when taking a test is to select the first “correct” answer and move on to the next question. Most questions will have more than one response that sounds correct, so it is important to carefully read them all and then choose the best answer.

Eliminating Options

It’s easier to get to the correct answer if you eliminate the obviously wrong answers. Sometimes the options will contain distractors. These might be answers that have subtle errors in them, or have absolutes like always and never. Distractors tend to sound good, but aren’t quite right.

Applying the “Most/Best Rule”

Once you have narrowed your options, it’s time to choose the best answer. One strategy is to apply the Most/Best Rule. Generally, the answer that applies to most of the people, most of the time is the best answer. Unless the question is asking for an outlier, it is unlikely that best answer will be a 1/200 occurrence.

Changing Your Answers

How often have you gone back on a test and changed your answer from a correct response to one that is incorrect? This often happens because you become unsure and second-guess yourself. It is so frustrating, especially when you had the correct answer all along. How can you fix this? Don’t change you answer unless you can explain exactly why your first response was wrong and your second choice is correct. If you don’t have a really good reason to change an answer, don’t do it.

Planning and preparation are still key to testing well, but using good testing strategies can increase your confidence and help you bump up your scores. You can find more resources to help you improve your test-taking skills and a tutorial on our Learning Support page.

Tips for Testing Well

When it comes to testing well there is no substitute for planning and preparation. There are, however, some practical approaches, or test-taking strategies, you can use to ensure that your performance accurately reflects your preparation.

Test-taking strategies improve how you take a test. They include your attitude and how you read and answer test questions, and can be used across disciplines. Using good test-taking strategies improves your testing skills, often resulting in higher scores and increased confidence. Common strategies include

Carefully reading the directions
Knowing the types and number of questions
Answering the easy questions first
Managing your time carefully

Testing well will also require that you know how to approach more complex and difficult questions. These questions often present a detailed scenario, and then ask you to supply a specific piece of information or part of a process. Use the following steps to improve your performance on these types of questions.

Work the Question

Read all the Answers

Eliminate Options

It’s easier to get to the correct answer if you eliminate the obviously wrong answers. Sometimes the options will contain distractors. These might be answers that have subtle errors in them, or have absolutes like always and never. Distractors tend to sound good, but aren’t quite right.

Apply the “Most/Best Rule”

Once you have narrowed your options, it’s time to choose the best answer. One strategy is to apply the Most/Best rule. Generally, the answer that applies to most of the people, most of the time is the best answer. Unless the question is asking for an outlier, it is unlikely that best answer will be a 1/200 occurrence.

Easing Test Anxiety

Have you ever been taking a test when suddenly everything goes blurry, you can feel your heart begin to race, and you start having trouble understanding the test question? I have. For me, it was test anxiety.

What Causes Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety can come from many sources. It can come from not preparing well, having had difficult testing experiences in the past, or having your mind on outside circumstances (like not feeling well or worrying about something at home or work.)

Preparing Well

Instead of waiting to prepare for an exam until the night before, start reviewing materials and testing yourself as early in advance as you can. Preparing early can give you more time to learn the information. It also can take away some of the fear of the unknown that can come when thinking about an upcoming test.

Testing Well

What if you prepared well, but you still feel anxious when you’re taking the test? If this happens, recognize how you’re feeling, accept that it’s normal to feel nervous, and then take steps to re-focus on what you know. Take a deep breath, and choose the best answer option for each question. Focus on what you do know, and make your best educated guess on questions you’re a little unsure about. You can always revisit questions at the end if you want to.

Being Well

Take care of yourself before the test. Know where you need to be for the test, and when you need to be there. Since you’ve already been studying for the test, you won’t need to review at the last minute, and you can take that time right before the test to practice a relaxation exercise, read something that makes you laugh, or eat a snack.

Anxiety before a test is normal, coming from our desire to do our best. Planning ahead so you are well prepared, employing good test-taking strategies during the test, and taking care of yourself so you are rested and feel well when the time comes will help ease your anxiety and help you feel more confident going into the test.

If you’d like more information about addressing test anxiety and preparing for tests, check out our On-Demand Resources or use the Academic Coaching request form to contact a Learning Specialist. If you want to talk about anxiety in general, contact the UAMS Student Wellness Center at 501-686-8408; they’re available to all UAMS students.

Planning for Finals

It’s hard to believe, but finals are just a few short weeks away, which means you are probably buried in papers, projects, presentations, and unit tests. Don’t let this sneak up on you! Planning for your finals doesn’t have to be difficult. With just a few steps you can go into finals focused, prepared, and ready for the challenge. Make a plan now so you are primed when the time arrives.

Focused on Finals

Being focused means that you know what you plan to accomplish. One good way to approach this is to make two sets of goals: what you need to accomplish, and what you want to accomplish.

Need to Accomplish. Think of these goals as your minimums. Look at your class performance over the semester. What scores do you need to make to achieve satisfactory performance in each of your classes? Distinguish the classes that will require more effort from those where you already have high scores.

Want to Accomplish. These goals are what will please you. In answering this, make sure you keep these goals realistic. Don’t set impossible goals for all your finals. Set these goals class by class to help keep them achievable.

Balance the two sets of goals and determine a goal for each class. This will help you focus your time management and study strategies to achieve your goals.

Prepared for Finals

Preparing involves more than just going over notes. It’s strategic. It starts right away with time management. Clear your calendar as much as possible and set a study schedule. Then find out whether your tests are comprehensive. If they are comprehensive, then you will want to begin reviewing past material right away. What do you know and what do you need to study? You can’t prepare for a comprehensive final by reading a semester’s worth of notes two days before the final.

Find a way to create notes that allow you to test yourself, especially in content where you are weaker. The more you practice retrieving information, the better your test performance will be, whether you are trying to remember information or applying your knowledge. Self-testing will reassure you that you know what you think you know.

Ready for Finals

Being ready means you have set goals for, and learned as much as you can about, each test. You’ve stuck to a study schedule, and carried out a study plan. It doesn’t mean you won’t be anxious. Ready means that you have done what you need to do, to the best of your ability, for the goals you set.

Take control and plan for your finals now. Don’t wait until the last minute. Getting started now will help reduce your anxiety and make you better prepared when the time arrives.

Addressing Test Anxiety

You attended the lectures, took the notes, and read all the chapters. You made notecards, flashcards, Quizzlets, outlines, charts, and graphs. You stayed up late and got up early. You studied alone and with your study group. You are ready for your test. You ate a good breakfast. You know the information. You are ready. So, why is it that your heart is racing, your breathing is shallow, and you suddenly can’t remember your own name? You might be experiencing test anxiety.

What Causes Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety can come from many sources. Lack of preparation or lack of trust in your preparation, past negative experiences, pressure to perform well, competitiveness, or lack of physical well-being (like not getting enough sleep) can all contribute to test anxiety.

Let’s talk about preparation for a minute. Have you ever stayed up all night before a test cramming information? You might be able to remember some information, but exhaustion makes it even harder to understand the test questions and apply the details you’re trying to remember. Cramming information the night before a test usually made me feel like I was carrying water in my hands – it all leaked out before I could use it.

How Can You Prevent Test Anxiety?

One solution is to be better prepared. To do this, start studying as soon as new information is covered in the class. Make the time to review your notes/textbook daily. Set aside enough time the week before the exam to go over the most important topics again.

But what if you prepared well, and you still feel anxious? When this happens, try calming yourself with positive self-talk and relaxation exercises. Tell yourself: “I know that I’ve studied. I’m just going to answer each question one at a time”, and then do just that. Answer each question to the best of your ability, and come back to problematic questions at the end if you have time. Try to relax by taking a deep breath in and then exhaling slowly.

With advance preparation, positive self-talk, and relaxation exercises, I am confident that you will be able to handle any exam.

If you’d like more information about addressing test anxiety and preparing for tests, check out our On-Demand Resources or use the Academic Coaching Request to contact a Learning Specialist. If you want to talk about anxiety in general, contact the UAMS Student Wellness Program at 501-686-8408; they’re available to all UAMS students.

Reducing Test Anxiety

“Students, open your blue books”… That’s a phrase that still strikes fear into me. It’s what one of my professors would say at the beginning of each exam. I can still feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck, my heart beginning to race, and my vision narrowing as if staring into the light of an oncoming train. I was experiencing test anxiety.

What Causes Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety can come from many sources. Lack of preparation, past negative experiences, pressure to perform well, competitiveness, or lack of physical well-being (like not getting enough sleep) can all contribute to test anxiety.

How Can You Prevent Test Anxiety?

With advance preparation, positive self-talk, and relaxation exercises, I am confident that you will be able to handle any exam.

If you’d like more information about addressing test anxiety and preparing for tests, check out our Learning Support page or use the Academic Coaching Request form to contact a Learning Specialist. If you want to talk about anxiety in general, contact the UAMS Student Wellness Program at 501-686-8408; they’re available to all UAMS students.

Test Preparation

With midterm season almost here, it’s time to focus on finding the best strategies for test preparation. Did you know that the most common cause of test anxiety and stress is not knowing the information because of poor preparation? The better prepared you are for a test, the better you are likely to do. Here are some ways you can improve your performance on tests.

Practice the Five Ps : Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

Prior planning begins with a realistic study schedule that you start as early as possible. All of your classes will build upon one another, so having a study schedule that not only helps you remember information, but allows you connect older material with new material across your courses, increases your success. It will also help you find opportunities for beneficial activities, like going to the gym or spending important time with family. These things improve your mental outlook, helping you deal with stress as you study.

Reviewing and Self-Testing

Re-reading the test material is not the most effective study strategy for test preparation. The best preparation comes through reviewing and self-testing from your notes. We discussed this during the study skills workshop, but I want to remind you of the strategies we discussed that work well for self-testing.

Outlining: most effective for information that is presented in a linear format. It works well for organizing information into main ideas and supporting explanations, details and facts.
Flashcards: one of the most effective ways to memorize information within the shortest period of time.
Charts: a good way to move from lower to higher levels of learning. Charts are visual, and help you view information from different perspectives, transforming information into knowledge.
Concept (Mind) Maps and Flowcharts: especially effective for visually connecting information. Flowcharts are great for creating notes about a process. Concept maps connect details to main ideas and demonstrate how main ideas connect to larger concepts and ideas.
Make Your Own Test: Create test questions that you expect to be on the test. Test yourself to see if how well you understand the course information. Exchange test questions with others in the class to get a different perspective.
Study Groups: meet with other people. Study groups can really help with test preparation. You will know how well you understand material when you try to explain it to someone else.

Exam Investigation

The more you know about a test, the better prepared you are. Gather as much information about the exam as you can. Ask questions. Is it a chapter summary, a comprehensive exam, or a board certification exam. Find out about:
Scope: chapter summary or comprehensive

Format: Multiple choice, short answer, case study, demonstration, etc.
Administration: date, time, location, time allotted, etc.
Rules: specific rules of the testing location.

Good test preparation makes good test performance much more likely. Use these strategies to prepare so you can reduce the anxiety and stress that comes from not knowing the information. If you want more information on successful test preparation go to the Learning Support page or use the Academic Coaching Request to set up an appointment to talk to a Learning Specialist. Have a successful midterm season.

Reflect: How are you doing?

At this point, most students are about halfway to mid-term exams, making it a good time to look at how the semester is going. How is your academic performance? Have you set yourself up for success? What about your study skills and test scores? If you aren’t where you hoped to be, it’s probably a good idea to reflect on how well what you are doing is working for you.

Realistic Goals

Goals provide structure to your academic life. They help you focus on what’s important and ignore other distractions. Are you on track to meet your semester goals? If you are, then you probably don’t need to change anything. If not, then you will probably want to consider some changes.

Are your goals achievable? If not, you’ll need to revise them. If, on reflection, your goals are realistic, ask yourself if you you have planned adequately to achieve them. You may need to change some of your habits, like how you manage your time, or try sharpening your study skills. Often, our goals require us to change how we work to achieve them.

Maybe you haven’t consciously set goals for yourself. If that’s the case, I strongly encourage you to make the time to do so. Goal setting should be part of your academic preparation. Without specific and realistic goals, you will find yourself making random decisions you may regret. You can find more information about goals setting on our post, Setting Academic Goals.

Organization and Time Management

I know I’ve said this repeatedly, but the fact is that success at UAMS is dependent on organization and time management. It’s hard to keep up with multiple courses, projects, exams, and family, friends and, often, a job. Are you actively managing your time? Do you know where you are in every assignment? You may need to change the way you manage your time. Learn more by reading Time Management and Organize and Manage Your Time on this blog. You can also find resources to help you under the Time Management tab on our Learning Support page.

Study Skills

Successful students have good study skills. Even if you’ve never had to study much before, you will need strong study habits to meet the rigorous academic requirements at UAMS. Reflect on what you have been doing. Do you feel you are well prepared for your exams? Maybe it’s time to improve how you study and build your skills. You can read more in our posts Sharpen Your Study Skills and Step Up Your Study Skills. You can find more resources under the Study Skills tab on the Learning Support page.

Test-Taking

Test-taking skills begin before the test. In fact, the time to begin preparing for a test is the first day of class. Good test-takers use strategies before, during, and after a test. Reflect on your test performance. If it’s not what you hoped, consider the following.

Before the Test: One of the leading causes of low test scores and anxiety is poor preparation. Students often wait until the last minute to study, and then cram all night trying to catch up. They arrive at the test exhausted and overwhelmed. If they try to replace rest with caffeine they might begin to feel sick, which will make it even harder to perform well. Take a look at how you prepare, including your studying, note-taking, and time management. Making necessary changes will help you improve your academic performance.

During the Test: Even the best prepared students can make errors during the test. They may lose track of time, spend too long on one question, or second guess themselves and change answers that were correct. You may need to look at how you are taking your test, and correct some of your habits.

After the Test: What you do after the test is very important to your success. Good test-takers examine their test results to find the source of their errors. Were you missing the information? Maybe you left questions blank. Analyzing your errors can help you take steps to avoid making them on your next test.

There are more helpful resources under the Testing tab on the Learning Support page.

Make the time to reflect. How is your academic performance? Now is the time to change the things that aren’t working for you. Use our resources to help you improve your time management, study skills, and test taking skills. If you want more personalized help, complete and submit the Academic Coaching Request to make an appointment with a Learning Specialist to find the strategies that will work best for you.