Week No.1 (Promotor Gene Activated!

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Get your materials. But leave the online subscription for now.
Register with ECFMG if you have not done so.
Do not plan for anything within the next 30 weeks. Your time should be totally devoted for Step 1 prep.
During this week, talk to your family and friends and tell them that you are about to embark on the most important step
in your career life. Make arrangement on the study location such as your home or a nearby library. The location must be
a quiet place and Internet connection and a computer is needed.
Also talk yourself and perhaps in front of a mirror; Tell yourself that you are going to ace this exam and convince yourself
you are able to do it and nothing will stop you.
Your aim should be 99 and nothing but 99. You have to believe that any score below 99 is a complete failure.

Week No. 2 and 3 (Anatomy)
Grab your Kaplan Anatomy Book and start reading. Quick reading first then watch DVD and write notes as you watch and
then a third reading to fixate the information. Do the questions at the end of chapters.
The reason why I gave two weeks for Kaplan Anatomy is that in the beginning your will be pacing slow and you need
sometime before you can pick up on your maximum potential and speed.
When you finish the Kaplan Book. Go and open First Aid. In the undercover against the first page there's a table that
show's you where Anatomy is mentioned.
Read all the Anatomy notes in FA and add to them notes from what you have read in Kaplan. (if there's no space put
your small sticky and yellow paper notes). Try to write notes in different colors and make your hand writing small to
optimize space.
It's important to understand at this point is that whatever you read in Kaplan Notes you'll not go back to it. FA is your
final resource and it's the FA page that should be imprinted in your visual memory before the exam. So take care of your
FA book and write your notes neatly.
Once you are finished with FA-Anatomy. Grab your Kaplan Qbook. Do the two chapters dedicated to Anatomy. This will
help consolidate the matter even more.

Week No. 3, 4, and 5 (Physiology)
Exactly like what we have done with Anatomy but instead of the Kaplan Notes we this time read BRS Physiology.
Similarly follow that by incorporating your BRS notes into FA and then do the physiology chapters from Kaplan Qbook.
In my opinion BRS physiology is way better than Kaplan Physiology book. It presents the facts in a very readable way and
it's highly exam focused.

Week No. 6, 7, and 8 (Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics)
Follow the same Anatomy scheme. Kaplan notes + DVDs, FA, Kaplan Qbook (biochem questions only).

Week 9 (Kaplan Qbank)
Start your Kaplan Qbank three months subscription. Do 5 blocks of (Anatomy+Physiology+Biochemistry). Each block is a
combination of the three and not one block anatomy one block physio ...etc. If you notice new information in the Kaplan
Qbank that you did not read before then add them in small notes to your FA book.

Week No. 10 and 12 (Microbiology & Immunology)
Follow the same Anatomy scheme. The only omission here is the DVDs, you don't need to watch Kaplan microbiology
lectures. The book is more than enough and no need for the lectures.

Week No. 13, 14, and 15 (Pathology)
Follow the same scheme but instead of Kaplan's Pathology book we use Goljan Rapid Review book. Listening to Goljan
audio lectures is an option but not mandatory. Remember, incorporate your notes into FA and do Kaplan Qbook's (5
pathophysiology chapters).

Week 16 (Kaplan Qbank)
Just like what we have done in week 9 but this time your blocks are (Microbiology and Pathophysiology only) Do 10
blocks in these two weeks. Whenever, you see something that you have forgotten, go back to your FA and retain the
info more in your brain.

Week No. 17, and 18 (Pharmacology)
Follow the same Anatomy scheme.

Week No. 19 (Behavioral Sciences)
Again, the same thing. But also in addition to the Kaplan Behavioral sciences book read Conrad Fischer Book. It will not
take more than one day to read. Don't memorize anything, just read it as a nice story. Ethics questions are the biggest
reason why IMGs fall behind their fellow AMGs.

Week No. 20, 21, 22 (Kaplan Qbank)
Do 30 blocks (Random all topics and unanswered questions). Two blocks each day. Reviewing FA whenever you think it's
needed. Your target is to finish Kaplan 2500 questions before the end of your three months subscriptions that you
started in week 9. Do not worry if you are left with a couple of hundreds of questions that you did not answer, leave
them and do not extend your subscription.
Your Kaplan Qbank score is not important do not let it bother you.
Do not do Kaplan simulation test. We don't have time for it.

Week No. 23, 24, 25, 26 (USMLEWorld)
Start your two months UW subscription. Do two 46 questions block each day. Again going back to FA whenever you feel
it's needed. You score should be above 67%. Do random blocks always.

Week No. 37 and 28 (USMLEWorld)
Do the wrongly answered UW questions. Look back to FA always.

Week No. 29 (NBME)
Do NBME Form 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7. Look back into FA always. If your NBME score prediction is not telling you 99 then you
have to stop and think seriously to extend your reading for another one or two months. The reason why I chose to do
more than one NBME form is that the questions are very exam styled and it will get you ready. Each NBME is a four
blocks exam. Do them in one sitting without interruptions. This is kins of warming up for the big day.

Week No. 30 (Final Week)
Push all the books and materials aside and grab your FA. Kiss it if you want. Keep looking at FA throughout this week. Do
not go back to any other book (important). Do not go back to UW or Kaplan Qbank.

Last Day
Do not read, Do not read, Do not read.
Spend time with family and friends, Pray if this soothing for you, Go for a walk or a swim, Watch a movie, ....etc.
Get your scheduling permit and photo ID ready for tomorrow. Make sure you know your way to the exam.

1) Do you really want to do this ? Now? Why?
If you answer I want to be a doctor oops !! wrong answer..you already are one! Half the battle was over before you
got selected for medical school right? So there are some unique qualities about you that destined you to be a doctor.
The actual question is do you want to be a doctor in the USA why? Is it worth the trouble for you and your family? At
what cost will you be achieving your dream if you started now?
Are you better off focusing on what you are doing right now for a living /studying and will focus 100% on USMLE later
when you are more settled maybe when your spouse gets a job! Lots of sacrifices involved especially if you are in a
family (so all those under your parents wings dont even think of giving an excuse!) Were you a good student, average,
or a bad egg doesnt matter the question is, are you willing to put in your best for this exam (for a bad egg it is a good
time to get your basics down another God given chance!. We are talking about lives at stake here people... For oldies
like me (1996 grad) it is a time to rejuvenate yourself with new information that emerged while you had your babies,
as your medical books got laden with dust, built your family, had an alternate career etc etc.)
Bottom line if you decided YES you should feel like a superman or woman now. The task ahead is hard, rough road
where you are going to feel ups and down, sometimes tears,sometimes anger , sometimes helplessness , sometimes
feeling like giving up , sometimes so close to being there but still not confident.during those times come back to this
question WHY?
2) Pack up your excuses even good ones!
Oh! I am prime example.single mom, full time job.no family in USA to help even if I had a pulmonary embolism or
major surgery ( which for new readers, I did have during my prep for step1) I had a pity party for myself and gave all
these excuses whenever I would start and stop studying! The fact is when I stopped giving excuses thats when I made
slow and steady progress. Do know where that ends, right? Remember the tortoise story?
3) Are you ready for the game?
If you take it as a burden.believe me, it is burden.. if you dont take it as a burden ..it is still a burdenbut the
good thing is it is lighter!
Put on a positive attitude an armor of faith in God and yourself take a deep breath and big broad smile and tell
yourself never once in this prep I am going to let a single negative thought like I cant do it! Will I fail? Am I just stupid?
What happened to my neurons? Why cant I remember? (if cant remember challenge yourself it is me or the
cytokines? Is it me or the qiss, qiq of G protein signaling) repeat it in the bus to work, in shower.whatever it takes-
who knows your brain better than you ?
Dont compare when you see other peoples preparation or read their journals take the positives and imbibe in your
strategy you will see yourself evolve during this prepemotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually all 4
components are so important. This forum is great.use it to help others, help yourself, push yourself, find partners,
encourage them , teach them , discuss, argue but learn and imbibe as you go- all 4 areas I mean. Have fun studying at
your best
4) Whats on your buffet plate?
You can tell that one of my goals this year was to lose weight! When there is an array of food in a buffet, you pick what
you like on your plate. Same here..hundreds of books and sources..but pick the ones that suit your style. Dont
pick more that they fall off the plate..just what you will enjoy reading and what you would nourish your brain with. For
me Kaplan and FA and UWorld was good enough! Dessert was discussing with my study partner which has its unique
advantages sometimes we laughed, puffed and phewed or giggled when we we just remembering only our ABCDs
with mnemonics but all this will flash like a light bulb in your exam! If you are good in a subject teach it to the other
and benefit from the others excellence in whatever subject they were good at. It is a two way street.cherish and
nourish it!

5) Cut out the fringes !
When you study no yapping on phone, no television, no favorite show, no movies, no gymhold on.NO!! NO!! NO!!
If you talk for hours learn to keep it crispy and short! If you get a call from that sexy voiced lady who loves to talk just
let is go to your voice mail. Be savvy.You have a goal here, buddy.protect your time. If watching a favorite show
increases your endorphins ( I dont want to go to other ways you can do this )..enjoy the show, get pepped up and
switch off the goddamn TV and get to your books. DISCIPLINE key to your success. Exercise regularly
everyday.increases circulation to your brain and keeps you energized.bored with studying go out for a walk but
discipline yourself to hit your books as soon as you get back. 24/7 Your goal in mind. Travel with Goljanhe comes to
the gymn too if you ask him to! Sometimes when I have a headache, or my eyes hurt..but mentally I still am fresh to
grasp info..I just lie down listening to him. Wealth of information in 1 hour .personally he motivated me to be as
good as him! ( I know some of you are thinking - hey that's too much to dream of ! You are only limited by your thinking!
Amazing talent to teach without a book in hand .the nitty gritty.stuff.."mechanisms guys mechanism" thats what
I am getting at65 yrs and he can do it, why cant we? Imagine what efforts would have gone into the making of that
man, GOLJAN ..I would kneel before his knowledge and passion to teach, any day!

6) Find your McD spot?
Yeah thats where I found my place of zen..Mc Donald parking lot.to have an uninterrupted 4 hours study after
dropping my son at school, drove there for cup of coffee and breakfast - 8.30 to 12.30 solid block of time. Yeah if I get
bored.moved to the parking lot near my gym if ever there was a low phase in that time or not in mood went in for
a swim and then shut myself in the car again! Sounds crazy but it boosted my productivity each day. So find your spot!

7) Golden rule of 4
Divide your day into 4 hours zones. You could make it 3 if it suits you. If you are working full time make 2 hrs.Whichever
suits you !Review your productivity at the end of that time period. If not so good....take a break.......rev up your engine
for the next slot! No slacking.........
Mix and match your quota for the day.For me a 1st 4 hr would be First Aid (my brain's prime time!)..2nd 4 hr ..UW
world Q and review and a third 4 hr of Kaplan with my study partner (this was my down time if had to study on my
own, the productivity would be very low and my mind would have wandered ..neither are possible if you have a live
person on the other end on skype .if nothing at least they would wake you up when you doze off! My reading would
get slow and shwes hm hm hm.would become sparse and sparse till we waived each other gnite!

8) Set your test day on stone
Very important dont postpone! I made this mistake not once but twice till I forced myself to take it! As someone
said on the forum you are never really ready for this exam. It is the point where you feel this is as good as it gets and
when you are "at your best".
Never realized when I read in others forum but this prep is an upslope and then a few days gap or hole in your studies
you can feel it disintegrating. So the aim is to keep it upslope..when you are at your summit JUST DO IT ! (I know I am
yelling! sorry )
Now dont take NBME two weeks before like I did, and realizing you are not ready you have to postpone. Rather pre
plan this what if I dont do NBME well ahead of time and then set your date in stone. Give time for failure,
recuperation everything and then set your date after your first read.

9)Time table & Balance a/c
I am a queen of time tablesI have 100s of versions on my computer ..once every year since 2001 (thats how long I
wanted to do this thing..but I had my PhD, and other good excuses you know!).none worked perfectly.No. 1
they were very very stringent and to the date and time..dont ever make such time tables unless you are those
perfectly programmed people! Be kind to yourself.expect unexpected things..and give yourself leeway..when
you cant do it put it in your balance a/c for the week.so you dont beat yourself up and go dwindling down if you
dont hit your target (not me, of course !)
Before I even started I printed the contents pages of Kaplan and but them subject wise on a bulletin board. It gave me
great pleasure to tick them off with a colorful pen as I completed so even my 9 year old could see what I have completed
or not
(one day I had this question from him can you clone me ? I was shocked - where he got this idea, said No. How
come you dont know - Youve already ticked Gene mapping and cloning was the answer!
I would put the date on it during my first read, so I had a rough idea of when I did what and would arrange my reads
accordingly if I had to revise.
Another advantage is that you can mix and match..across subjects like fungus from micro and anti fungals from pharm.
Use your family members to gauge your progress or tell your study partner.so they can push you .My master was my
hero..I stuck up my quota for the week near the fridge and every time he went for a snack or sipping his drink , he
would ask .so how many pages have you finished in Kaplanor that Gol..whatever! Sometimes I would regret
having told him, but thats a another story.
I made him understand the importance of this exam to me the WHY ..so one day when all down in my prep .told
him I feel I should quit he reminded me of my why so what happens to your dream of helping people?. Filled my
eyes with tears..but on another occasion I heard him also pray.when mom becomes a doctor and helps all
peopleJesus please please remind her to share her money in the bank a/c with me!!! His dream is to have a
Lamborghini, actually 4 and a big house with a helipad with a chopper parked in the backyard..and a race track
around his house! I should have chosen another profession for this alone!

10) THE MOST IMPORTANT
Its time to play AT YOUR BEST not first day, 2nd day but everyday! Believe in yourself! If you have come thus far
.You can do it, my friend!
I should probably be studying for CK than writing this but even if one point from here makes a difference to somebody
now or several years later, it adds to the same purpose in my life. One such powerful line for me from a blessed person
in my journal was It is only about 350 Questions. Whenever I was down I would remember this because Step1 is not
my life ..it is just a phase in life!!! Rightly named, 1st step to your greater purpose in life!
I would love to hear from you if you are reading this last line! Two way street remember.