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USMLE STEP 1 in 5 months?

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a restful weekend.

If you followed my Update post, I mentioned that I had a friend who took her USMLE step 1 and got her Pass in December last year, a short 5 months after graduating. Today, I’m sharing a short interview with her on her process. We’ll be talking about the preparation process, useful resources and the exam itself. So onto the interview.

Q: Hey girl, So congratulations on passing step 1 of the USMLE. How did you find it?

Q: We personally talked about this before but for the audience, when did you first start seriously considering taking the exam?  What drew your attention towards the US as a possibility for residency?

Q: 5 months is impressive, and certainly makes it seem less daunting. What did your study schedule look like?

Q: What study resources did you use? Was any more useful or less so?

Q: Did you take any courses or use tutoring services?  

Q: That’s a good way to look at it. Which subjects did you find the most difficult? How did you tackle them?

Q: And which subjects did you find the easiest or most enjoyable?

Q: Did you have any strategies to help you retain information better?  

Q: Spaced repetition for the win! Love that. As the time came closer, I’m sure you were a bit more nervous. What did that final month of preparation look like?  

Q: Did you take any assessment tests?

Q: How did you structure your last week before the exam?  

Q: So how did the examination process go for you?

Q: How did you feel immediately after finishing the test?  

Q: Looking back, what would you do differently if you had to take it again?

Q: How did you spend the time waiting for your results? I imagine that was a stressful waiting period.

Q: After confirming your pass, how did you celebrate?

Q: Now that you’ve successfully passed, do you think PTE gives you all the tools you need to pass it?

Q: Do you think this is an exam that is passable while in med school and if so, when would you recommend PTE students take it?

Q: Wow, well that’s an interesting take. I would’ve personally said 4th year as the earliest. Okay, I have one interesting question: as we all know, the societal and political climate in the US is now shaping up to be quite different compared to when you started your preparation process. It has made a lot of formerly-aspiring US residents change their minds on the decision. Has that affected your decision in any way?

Q: Fantastic. So what’s next for you?

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any extra tips for out US residency aspirants?

Q: Thank you! Congratulations again and I wish you all the best in your preparation process.

There you have it! Step 1 done in 5 short months. It seems daunting; a whole different education system and testing style. But it’s absolutely doable. You are prepared for it at PTE. I personally have not come across many concepts in my own studying that are completely foreign to me. So don’t be fazed by the bulk of material. Start chipping at it as soon as you can. I’ve gotten the study schedule that she used, which you can access here.

And this brings me to an idea. In the past few months, I’ve spoken with a few of fellow students who are also interested in the US route. One thing I’ve come to learn, accountability can be very helpful in this journey- being able to see each other students’ progress, co-ordinate study schedules and keep each other on track. I was thinking, how about we connect? If you would like to join a group solely for this purpose, kindly send an empty email to aulaconversations[at]gmail[dot]com with the title ‘USMLE’, or a DM on Instagram (@aulaconversations) with the word ‘USMLE’. I will set up a group and be in touch with details.

That’s it for now. Next I’ll be talking to 6th years about my written state exam experience, so stay tuned.

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