My journey to a 269.
I found reading other people’s experiences incredibly helpful during my prep. This is a comprehensive breakdown of my prep for my IMG friends or anyone unfamiliar with the popular resources and strategies to ace this exam. Hopefully, this is of some use to you. Take what works for you and leave the rest.
UWorld Qbanks Step 1 Updated 04/2020 (Random Wise) 2. OSMOSIS Prime Updated 6/2020 (Videos & High Yield Notes) 3. Boards and Beyond Step 1 Updated 2020. FIRST AID Express Videos & PDF Step 1 2020 (Updated 04/2020) 5. UWorld’s Step 3 self-assessments closely replicate the experience of the actual Step 3 exam to help you prepare and boost your confidence for the test day. Know when you are ready to take the exam with our self-assessments. Similar to NBME®, each exam consists of 4 blocks of 40 multiple-choice questions that span multiple subjects and are. Before prognosticating on the basis of your UWorld performance, you have to answer an important question: 1. Have you ever seen or used UWorld before? This means online, offline, prior lectures, and prior passes. If this is your first time ever ex.
Background: I am a non-US IMG, currently in 3rd Minor MBBS in a government medical college.
Question Banks
I prioritized doing as many questions as I could. Step 1 is 50% application and 50% retention. Doing questions helps you with both. Studies have found a direct correlation between the number of unique questions a candidate has done and their step 1 score.
I recommend saving Uworld for dedicated since it is the closest to the real deal. You can do USMLE Rx or Kaplan Qbank during your “Learning Phase” system-wise, after or during every system. Following this you can burn through Amboss questions. I did it system-wise as a review after a break from studying, but Random Timed will give you better spaced repetition. Amboss questions are notoriously difficult so don’t be discouraged by low scores on Random Timed.
UWorld is obviously a mainstay. I did 3-4 blocks per day Random, Timed during dedicated, and I think this is very important. Not only will this prepare you for how the exam will be structured, it will also test your recall more and give you spaced repetition. I made Anki cards from my UWorld incorrects, or searched and unsuspended cards from my collection.
Video Lectures
1. Boards and Beyond
Dr. Ryan has a way of explaining things that just makes them stick. He breaks complex topics down into simple overarching and interconnected concepts. The Cardiology section is solid gold. Another highlight was The Rule of 4s from Neurology. You get the exact tools you need to tackle questions from his videos. His videos followed by the Lightyear Anki deck is a magic recipe.
2. Sketchy
These are not your regular video lectures. They employ the Memory Palace technique to make volatile things easier to remember. They build a spatial story with symbols for drugs and diseases. The Ancient Greeks weren’t wrong, this technique definitely works. I don’t know how I would remember Micro or Pharm any other way. You can follow up with either the Pepper or lolnotacop Anki deck. (I used the Pepper deck.)
Sketchy Path is not as popular but I think it’s incredibly useful for certain topics:
- Tumours
- Genetic disorders (MEN syndrome, Sturge Weber, Osteogenesis imperfecta, etc)
- UC vs Crohn’s
- Pneumoconioses
- Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis
- Gout and Pseudogout
Instead of doing a Sketchy path deck I added the sketches to my Lightyear cards using the Batch Editing add on. Add on code: 291119185
3. Pathoma
I only did chapters 1 to 3. Many people swear by it, and Dr. Sattar is an exceptional teacher. It has a lot of overlap with Boards and Beyond though and I didn’t have the time for it. If you have an option between doing another video resource and more questions, go with questions.
4. Others
There are some topics which are not in Sketchy Micro or Pharm, but are extremely volatile. For these I used Memory Palace videos from other sources.
- Physeo
- Lysosomal Storage Diseases
- Genetic Disorders
- Pixorize
- Hyperlipidemias
- Picmonic
- Developmental Milestones
Again, I added these sketches to my Lightyear cards using the Batch Edit add on.
Anki decks
For those unfamiliar with Anki, start here:
1. Lightyear Deck
A great companion for Boards and Beyond. This was my main deck, which I extensively edited. I added B&B slides, sketchy images and my own diagrams. The base deck I used was an update with B&B slides. I would still recommend this deck over the AnKing deck, especially if your main resource is Boards and Beyond. With AnKing, you end up memorizing the sentences through the cloze cards. Lightyear tests information in a better way.
- Pros of Lightyear
- Higher card quality (Shorter sentences, more basic cards)
- Lists (Forces you to remember blocks of information and connect them)
- Smaller deck (around 22k cards compared to 32k cards in AnKing)
- Closely follows Boards and Beyond
- Tests information in multiple ways
- Cons of Lightyear
- Too many duplicate cards
- Less background info
- Less comprehensive
- No regular updates
2. AnKing Deck
The most comprehensive and up-to-date deck out there. I didn’t use this as my main deck but I supplemented Lightyear with it. Whatever new information I came across in Qbanks, I would search in my card browser, unsuspend and transfer them to my main deck.
3. Pepper Sketchy Decks
I prefer these decks to the lolnotacop deck included in AnKing. Pros include the basic card type, fewer cards, and the blocks of interconnected information in one card.
If you’re using this deck, I recommend the Edit Field During Review (Cloze) add on. Add on code: 385888438. Without this, editing Pepper style cards is too time consuming. This allows you to edit cards as you’re doing them, it’s a game changer.
4. 100 concepts of Anatomy Deck
The anatomy that will show up on your exam is very unpredictable. This deck, and the original PDF it’s based on, cover the High Yield concepts you can prepare for. Although the card quality is not too great, but it does the job. This along with the anatomy questions in UWorld should cover 80% of what will show up on the test.
Newer version:
The one I used:
5. NBME Images Deck
It’s no secret that images, concepts and sometimes entire questions from NBMEs show up on the real deal. I saw a few images from this deck on the test. You can score some easy points by doing this deck just before your test. But don’t do it before you’ve given your NBMEs to avoid artificially inflating your scores.
6. UMich Heart Sounds Deck
I suspended a few cards which I thought were too complicated for preclinical level.
Books
I didn’t read any book cover to cover, I used them only as references.
Other Resources
Communication Skills
This PDF developed by the MD Anderson Institute to communicate sensitively with cancer patients and their relatives was a worthwhile read. You don’t have to remember the exact mnemonics or their expansions, it just puts you in the right frame of mind to answer communication questions.
YouTube videos
There are some topics in the USMLE content outline that are not covered in the standard resources. I watched Randy Neil videos for the Kaplan Meier curve, Population Pyramids and Metcalfe’s Law.
I would start by watching a Boards and Beyond video, immediately followed by the Lightyear cards for that video. While doing this, I would edit the cards extensively. If the topic was volatile, I would also watch the relevant Sketchy Path video before doing the Lightyear cards, and batch edit them with the sketch. I had done a good chunk of Sketchy Micro and Pharm before this in my 2nd year (videos followed by Pepper cards.)
Questions
When I was done with a particular system, I would add it to my USMLE Rx question blocks. I did random questions from systems I was done with. This slowed me down, and in hindsight I could have just done them system-wise. I clung to random blocks, because it was the most effective approach. Sometimes the most effective approach is not the most practical one. As a result, I couldn’t finish the questions before my subscription expired.
For new information I came across in questions, I would search my collection and unsuspend cards. If a card didn’t exist for that topic I would assume it to be low yield and move on.
For questions I missed because of incorrect approach, I would edit my existing cards or make new ones.
My productivity took a major hit during the Lockdown. My sleep schedule was inhuman, it must have cycled through the clock 4 times. I was sleeping at 2 pm one day and 7 pm the next. If there was a Tour de France for circadian rhythms, mine would have won it. My mental health wasn’t great, and I spent most of my time playing video games.
Anyway, I started dedicated, 8 weeks out, with 14,000 cards in my Anki backlog, 221 as my baseline NBME score (which I gave over 3 days, separated by many days because my attention was so fragmented.)
I started by finishing my first pass of systems I had left over (Reproductive, Endocrine, MSK and all the small topics.) This took around 2 weeks. After this, I started my weekly practice exams.
Stats
In the next 2 weeks, I did a review of all the systems. I would do all the Anki cards from a particular system and all the relevant Amboss questions in Tutor mode. This would take around 1-2 days for each system. On a time crunch, Tutor mode is actually faster than Timed because reviews are faster. I got through around 1600 questions during this time. Again, I couldn’t complete this Qbank either because I prioritized moving on to UWorld due to the time crunch.
How I tackled my Anki Backlog:
- Disabled the Hoochie add ons. (They randomize reviews, great for recall but not when you have a backlog.)
- Moved my cards to system-wise subdecks. (I had moved all my cards to the main deck when I had started.)
- Changed the maximum interval to half of the time I had left before my exam. (I wanted to see the cards once more before the test.)
- Did the cards system-wise along with Amboss questions.
- Ignored the scheduling altogether. (Most of my cards were already mature, I just needed a refresher.)
- Changed the Again interval to 2 hours when I was a few days out from my exam. (I wanted to see all the cards at least once before the test.)
I couldn’t get through all of it, but I did a decent amount of it at least once through this method.
The next 4 weeks were just Uworld, Uworld and Uworld. I started by doing 3 Random blocks in Tutor mode with minimal Anki during the day. This soon became very passive, because the topics were getting repetitive and I wasn’t making many mistakes. By the 2nd week after starting Uworld, I had completely stopped doing Anki.
I had to re-evaluate my strategy after my score tanked by 17 points in NBME 21. I identified poor time management and trouble recalling details as the major culprits. So I restarted doing Anki system-wise and started doing 4 Random, Timed blocks of Uworld everyday. I also made/unsuspended Anki cards from my incorrects. I got through around 3000 questions in 22 days. Huge shout out to this dude/dudette who inspired me to follow this killer dedicated schedule.
Mental Health
During this time, I pretty much studied all day, except for when I worked out for 30 minutes in the evening. Doing this kept my anxiety at bay. I took breaks as and when I needed to, but closer to my exam, I hardly took any. In addition, I used a journal to track my progress and vent whenever I was stressed.
Just before the exam
I finished Uworld with 3 days left for my exam. I gave NBME 24 the next day and tried to get through all of my Anki cards system-wise once more, prioritizing topics I was weak in and topics that were very volatile. On the day before my exam, I:
- Did the Anki cards from Genetics, Cell Bio, Anatomy, Biostats, Behavioral, Psych, General Pharm, NBME Images and my UWorld incorrects deck.
- Skimmed through chapters 1-3 of the Pathoma book.
- Read the communication case scenarios from First Aid 2021.
- Went through Renal formulae.
I worked out as usual and got around 6 hours of sleep.
Test Taking Strategies
Check out this legendary video:
Approaching Questions:
- Visualize the patient. For example, every time I read a question on DIC, I would visualize a pale, bed-ridden patient with petechiae.
- Visualize what’s going on in the body, with one thing leading to the next. Especially for topics like Cardiology. Visualize the the pulmonary arterioles narrowing, making the right heart work harder and eventually fail in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
- Try to explain to yourself exactly why you’re picking an option and eliminating the others. Keep the monologue going inside your head.
- Highlight the important findings and lab values. However, this is a hit or miss, try it in practice exams and see whether it helps you to avoid misreading. I tried both ways, and went with highlighting during my exam. While doing Qbanks, see if the terms you highlighted are the same ones emphasized in the explanation.
- On the exam, many questions will feel entirely new, and you will be tempted to think you don’t know the answer. Many of them can be answered by applying a general concept to a specific situation. Go with the answer that makes the most logical sense.
If you do this for every question you come across, you will get better at pattern recognition very fast. Moreover, it will help you develop a strong intuition which will aid you in answering weird questions you’ve never seen before.
I started my prep in July of my 2nd year, took a break for around 3.5 months close to my university final exams.
2020 was a train-wreck and mostly consisted of me trying and failing to study.
I restarted my prep in January 2021.
Overall, my effective study period was around 9 months.
If you’re an IMG and are rushing to take Step 1 before it becomes pass/fail, here is a possible plan for you:
Total duration: 4 months
- Learning Phase (2 months):
- Watch Boards and Beyond videos, followed by the Soze Anki deck
- Watch Sketchy Micro and Pharm videos, followed by the Pepper deck.
- Do Amboss questions system-wise after every system.
- Application phase (2 months)
- Continue Anki everyday
- Do UWorld questions, Random, Timed
- Weekly NBMEs.
- If you have time, do the old NBMEs offline.
What I’d do differently
I would have:
- Been more consistent with anki (would have saved me from stress and cramming)
- Taken my exam earlier and focussed on other important things (would have allowed me to chill guilt-free)
- Done all the NBMEs, even the old ones and made Anki cards from my incorrects.
- Compromised on doing my first Qbank in random mode, and done it system-wise.
- Attended more postings.
In this blog post, we are going to share a free PDF download of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF subject-wise using direct links. In order to ensure that user-safety is not compromised and you enjoy faster downloads, we have used trusted 3rd-party repository links that are not hosted on our website.
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Now before that we move on to sharing the free PDF download of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF with you, here are a few important details regarding this book which you might be interested.
Contents
Overview
Here’s the complete overview of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF:
Since 2001, nearly all medical students in the United States have trusted UWorld to prepare for their licensing exams. Being at the forefront of medical education gives us an obligation to provide students with only the best practice questions and explanations. Our goal is not only to prepare you for the USMLE, but to help you become a better clinician.
Features of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF [Subject Wise]
Uworld Step 1 Offline Pdf
Here’s a quick overview of the important features of this book:
- 2,800+ challenging Step 1 questions
- Real-life clinical scenarios test high-yield basic science concepts
- Content created by practicing physicians with extensive experience
- Continuous updates to maintain high standards of excellence
- Conceptual focus on important preclinical and clinical topics
- Detailed explanations for incorrect options with vivid illustrations to help master the content
This Summary is a work of students who were in your shoes once; they shared it to help you & everybody on this journey.
Taking Uworld notes is the most soul consuming thing in step 1 journey, so we hope these notes are the best aid for your journey that will soon come to an end.
– I used the original all uworld notes during my prep, but they were missing some info & images so I added them (annotations, tables, images..etc).
– The Notes are arranged according to each system and topics
Hope you achieve your goal in the exam.
You might also be interested in:
Table of Contents
Below is the complete table of contents which you will be able to access inside UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF:
- Biochemistry
- Biostatistics
- Dermatology
- Endocrine
- ENT
- Ophthalmology
- Female Reproductive System
- General Pharmacology
- Genetics
- GIT
- Hematology
- Immunology
- Male Reproductive System
- Microbiology
- Neurology
- Pulmonary
UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF Free Download
Alright, here you will be able to access the free PDF download of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF using direct links mentioned at the end of this article. This is a genuine PDF (ebook) copy of this book hosted to 3rd-party online repositories so that you can enjoy a blazing-fast and safe downloading experience.
Here’s the cover image preview of UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF:
Google Drive
Uworld Qbank Step 1
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FILE SIZE: 1.7 GB
Uworld Step 1 Offline Pdf
Please use the direct link mentioned below to download UWorld For USMLE Step 1 2021 PDF for free:
Uworld Step 1 Offline
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Uworld Step 1 Offline Download
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