YOUR STRATEGY FOR HOW TO STUDY FOR USMLE STEP 1
SHOULD INCLUDE MORE THAN JUST CONTENT REVIEW... TO PREPARE FOR THIS CHALLENGING, 8-HOUR EXAM,
YOU MUST KNOW THE EXAM FORMAT AND WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE TEST DAY… SO IN THIS VIDEO I’LL BREAK DOWN
DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF USMLE STEP 1, LIKE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND EXAM CONTENT,
GIVE YOU SOME STRATEGIES THAT WILL HELP YOU ACE YOUR EXAM...
HI! I’M NATALIE STOBERMAN AND I’M AN ADMISSIONS ASSOCIATE HERE AT BEMO. BEFORE WE GET STARTED,
SUBSCRIBE ON WHATEVER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL YOU’RE WATCHING THIS ON SO YOU DON’T MISS
ANY OF OUR UPCOMING VIDEOS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO HELP YOU MATCH YOUR TOP-CHOICE RESIDENCY,
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F -Y-I... CHECK OUT THE TIME STAMPS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO TO NAVIGATE
TO SPECIFIC SECTIONS OF THIS VIDEO THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN. HERE’S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO COVER:
WHAT IS THE USMLE STEP 1 USMLE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD AND SCHEDULING YOUR TEST DATE USMLE STEP 1 FORMAT
EXAMINATION TIMELINE AND, HOW TO STUDY FOR USMLE STEP 1
AND WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS…
SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN! WE ALSO HAVE SOME STELLAR ADVICE ON HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY PREPARE
YOUR USMLE STEP 1 STUDY SCHEDULE, I’LL TALK ABOUT THAT MORE TOWARDS THE END OF THE VIDEO SO MAKE
SURE YOU KEEP WATCHING… LET’S GET STARTED! WHAT IS THE USMLE STEP 1
THE UNITED STATES MEDICAL LICENSING EXAMINATION, USMLE STEP 1 IS A COMPUTER-BASED EXAM AVAILABLE
AT PROMETRIC TEST CENTERS AROUND THE WORLD... IT EVALUATES WHETHER YOU UNDERSTAND AND CAN
APPLY KEY CONCEPTS OF THE BASIC SCIENCES THAT ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE SAFE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE...
WITH SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON PRINCIPLES AND STRUCTURES UNDERLYING HEALTH,
DISEASE, AND TYPES OF THERAPY… WHILE THE USMLE STEP 1 EXAM EVALUATES
YOUR THEORETICAL PREPAREDNESS FOR SUPERVISED MEDICAL PRACTICE, IT ALSO PROVIDES YOU WITH
AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET READY FOR THE OSCE OS-KEE COMPONENTS OF USMLE EXAMINATIONS...
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT YOU MUST PASS STEP 1 TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT USMLE STEPS...
USMLE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS TYPICALLY, STUDENTS IN AMERICAN MEDICAL
SCHOOLS TAKE STEP 1 AFTER THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF MEDICAL SCHOOL... STEP 2 CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE,
OR C-K, IS USUALLY TAKEN AFTER THE 3RD YEAR OF MED SCHOOL... ALTHOUGH IF YOU ARE
AN INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATE YOU MAY TAKE USMLE STEP 1 AND STEP 2 CK IN ANY SEQUENCE....
TO BE ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE USMLE EXAMS, YOU MUST MEET ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
AT THE TIME OF YOUR APPLICATION AND ON THE DAY OF YOUR EXAMINATION:
>>>YOU ARE A MEDICAL STUDENT OFFICIALLY ENROLLED IN, OR A GRADUATE OF,
AN AMERICAN OR CANADIAN MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAM LEADING TO THE MD DEGREE THAT IS ACCREDITED BY
THE LIAISON COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL EDUCATION... >>> YOU ARE A MEDICAL STUDENT OFFICIALLY ENROLLED
IN, OR A GRADUATE OF, AN AMERICAN MEDICAL SCHOOL LEADING TO THE D-O DEGREE THAT IS ACCREDITED
BY THE AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION... >>> OR, YOU ARE A MEDICAL STUDENT OFFICIALLY
ENROLLED IN, OR A GRADUATE OF, A MEDICAL SCHOOL THAT IS OUTSIDE THE U.S. AND CANADA,
LISTED IN THE WORLD DIRECTORY OF MEDICAL SCHOOLS AS MEETING E-C-F-M-G ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS...
ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THAT YOU CANNOT TAKE THE SAME USMLE STEP OR STEP COMPONENT MORE
THAN 6 TIMES... INCLUDING INCOMPLETE ATTEMPTS. ALL ATTEMPTS ARE COUNTED TOWARDS THE LIMIT,
REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE EXAMINATIONS WERE TAKEN... NOW, IF YOU PASS A STEP OR STEP COMPONENT, YOU’RE
NOT ALLOWED TO RETAKE IT, EXCEPT TO COMPLY WITH A TIME LIMIT IMPOSED BY A U.S. PHYSICIAN LICENSING
AUTHORITY TO COMPLETE ALL STEPS... IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN LICENSED AS A PHYSICIAN BY A U.S.
MEDICAL LICENSING AUTHORITY BASED ON OTHER EXAMINATIONS, SUCH AS THE FEDERATION LICENSING
EXAMINATION (FLEX)... THE NBME CERTIFYING EXAMINATIONS... OR THE NATIONAL BOARD OF
OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL EXAMINERS COMLEX-USA, YOU MIGHT NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE USMLE AT ALL...
IF YOU WISH TO RE-TAKE A FAILED USLME EXAM STEP, YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT ATTEMPT THE SAME STEP OR
STEP COMPONENT MORE THAN THREE TIMES WITHIN 12 MONTHS... YOUR FOURTH AND SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS
MUST BE AT LEAST 12 MONTHS AFTER YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT, AND AT LEAST SIX MONTHS AFTER YOUR
MOST RECENT ATTEMPT AT THAT EXAMINATION... THIS ALSO INCLUDES INCOMPLETE ATTEMPTS...
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD AND SCHEDULING YOUR TEST DATE WHEN YOU APPLY FOR THE EXAM, YOU WILL HAVE TO
SELECT A THREE-MONTH ELIGIBILITY PERIOD WHERE YOU WILL PLAN TO TAKE THE USMLE STEP 1...ONCE YOUR
REGISTRATION IS COMPLETE, A SCHEDULING PERMIT WITH YOUR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD WILL BE ISSUED.
YOU’LL THEN RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING YOUR PERMIT... AFTER OBTAINING THE
SCHEDULING PERMIT, YOU CAN ACCESS THE PROMETRIC WEBSITE TO SCHEDULE A TEST DATE THAT SUITS YOUR
AVAILABILITY, THOUGH SCHEDULING IS TYPICALLY NOT AVAILABLE FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS IN ADVANCE…
KEEP IN MIND THAT NOT ALL PROMETRIC CENTERS ARE OPEN ON WEEKENDS, AND USMLE EXAMS ARE NOT
NECESSARILY OFFERED EVERY DAY THE CENTERS ARE OPEN... MAY THROUGH JULY IS ONE OF THE BUSIEST
PERIODS FOR THESE TESTING CENTERS, SO PLAN AHEAD BY APPLYING AND SECURING YOUR TEST DATES EARLY...
ON ANOTHER NOTE… IF YOU EVER NEED TO RESCHEDULE YOUR EXAM, YOU CAN DO SO AS LONG AS YOU’RE WITHIN
YOUR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY A FEE IF YOU RESCHEDULE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF YOUR
EXAM… ALSO, IF FOR SOME REASON, YOU CANNOT TEST WITHIN YOUR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD, YOU MUST CONTACT
THE ORGANIZATION THAT REGISTERED YOU FOR YOUR EXAM TO ASK FOR A ONE-TIME CONTIGUOUS ELIGIBILITY
PERIOD EXTENSION… IT WILL COST YOU TO EXTEND YOUR ELIGIBILITY PERIOD FOR THE USMLE STEP 1 EXAM,
BUT IF YOU DON’T TAKE THAT STEP AND EXTEND YOUR ELIGIBILITY THEN YOU HAVE TO REAPPLY WITH A NEW
APPLICATION AND RE-PAYING THE SAME INITIAL FEES…. USMLE STEP 1 FORMAT
USMLE STEP 1 IS A ONE-DAY EXAMINATION… YOU’LL HAVE EIGHT HOURS TO COMPLETE SEVEN SECTIONS OF MULTIPLE
CHOICE QUESTIONS DIVIDED INTO 60 MINUTE BLOCKS... BUT LET’S DO SOME MATH… EACH SECTION WILL HAVE 40
OR LESS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER… ADDING UP TO NO MORE THAN 280 TOTAL EXAM QUESTIONS… SO YOU’LL HAVE
APPROXIMATELY 1 AND A HALF MINUTES TO ANSWER EACH QUESTION WITHIN THOSE 60 MINUTE BLOCKS…
DURING EACH BLOCK, YOU CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS IN ANY ORDER, GO BACK AND REVIEW QUESTIONS
IN THE BLOCK AND CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS UNTIL YOU COMPLETE YOUR SECTION… USMLE STEP 1 INCLUDES
ONLY SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS, LIKE THE TRADITIONAL MULTIPLE-CHOICE FORMAT… THERE
WILL ONLY BE ONE CORRECT ANSWER, EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY BE FACED WITH PARTIALLY CORRECT OPTIONS...
IF YOU’RE NOT SURE ABOUT THE CORRECT RESPONSE, YOU SHOULD STILL MAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS...
YOU WON’T BE PENALIZED FOR GUESSING, BUT ANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS WILL DEFINITELY BE MARKED AS
INCORRECT… HOT TIP... YOU SHOULD TRY TO SAVE A FEW MINUTES AT THE END OF EXAM FOR
ANY SKIPPED QUESTIONS JUST SO YOU CAN GIVE YOURSELF A SHOT TO GET A CORRECT ANSWER…
EXAMINATION TIMELINE AFTER YOU PRESS START ON YOUR USMLE STEP 1 EXAM,
YOU CANNOT CANCEL OR RESCHEDULE IT. IF YOU HAPPEN TO EXPERIENCE A COMPUTER ISSUE DURING THE TEST,
YOU MUST NOTIFY THE TEST CENTER STAFF IMMEDIATELY. DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH THOUGH, THE TESTING SOFTWARE
IS DESIGNED TO RESTART THE TEST AT THE POINT WHERE IT WAS INTERRUPTED WITHOUT LOSS OF TIME...
THE TEST SESSION OFFICIALLY ENDS WHEN YOU HAVE STARTED AND EXITED ALL BLOCKS OR THE TOTAL TEST
TIME EXPIRES AND YOU’LL RECEIVE A NOTICE DURING CHECKOUT THAT YOU HAVE APPEARED FOR THE TEST...
SO IN THE CASE THAT YOUR TEST IS SCHEDULED FOR MULTIPLE DAYS, BE SURE TO BRING A COPY
OF YOUR SCHEDULING PERMIT WITH YOU EACH DAY OR YOU MAY NOT BE PERMITTED TO TEST…
AT THE START OF THE TESTING SESSION, YOU’LL HAVE 45 MINUTES FOR AUTHORIZED BREAKS AND COMPUTER
TRANSITIONS BETWEEN BLOCKS... AUTHORIZED BREAKS INCLUDE ANY TIME YOU SPEND BETWEEN TEST BLOCKS,
WHETHER YOU REMAIN AT YOUR SEAT OR LEAVE THE TESTING ROOM... IF YOU COMPLETE THE TUTORIAL OR
OTHER TESTING BLOCKS EARLY THEN THE REMAINING TIME WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR TOTAL BREAK TIME…
BUT ONCE YOU BEGIN A TESTING BLOCK YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE ROOM EXCEPT
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY… HOW TO STUDY FOR USMLE STEP 1
LET'S GO OVER SOME USMLE STEP 1 STUDY STRATEGIES THAT WILL HELP YOU ACE THIS EXAM!
- >>>TAKE PRACTICE TESTS: THE AAMC OFFERS A SERIES OF USMLE PRACTICE TESTS… THERE YOU’LL FIND A
COLLECTION OF OLD TESTS THAT WILL STILL GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE SCORE… BUT MANY STUDENTS USE UWORLD
AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF PRACTICE TESTS... EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY NOT BE AS CHALLENGING... TAKING
PRACTICE TESTS WILL HELP YOU IDENTIFY WHERE YOU’LL NEED IMPROVEMENT. SO AS YOU’RE TAKING
PRACTICE TESTS AND SEE YOURSELF STRUGGLE WITH CERTAIN TOPICS, MAKE SURE TO EMPHASIZE THOSE
DISCIPLINES AND CONTENT IN YOUR STUDY PLAN. - >>>CREATE A STUDY PLAN: TRY TO CREATE A
SCHEDULE FOR EVERYTHING YOU WILL COVER THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, AND MAKE IT AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE.
THIS WILL HELP YOU SEE HOW MUCH CONTENT YOU CAN STUDY IN A DAY.
MAKE SURE THAT MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR SCHEDULE WHENEVER NECESSARY… AND THAT YOU SET ACHIEVABLE
GOALS BY INDICATING THE PAGES YOU’LL REVIEW AND THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS YOU’LL PRACTICE WITH...
- >>>ACTIVE STUDY STRATEGIES: USE ACTIVE, RATHER THAN PASSIVE, STUDY STRATEGIES TO COMPREHEND AND
RETAIN INFORMATION. WRITE DOWN ANY INFORMATION, QUESTION, OR CONTENT YOU STRUGGLE WITH TO INCREASE
YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT. TRY EXPLAINING CONCEPTS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY. WHEN YOU PRACTICE
WITH TEST QUESTIONS, DON’T READ THE RESPONSES RIGHT AWAY... TRY TO COME UP WITH YOUR OWN ANSWERS
AND THEN CHOOSE THE ONE RESPONSE CLOSEST TO YOURS. - >>>DON’T IGNORE ANY SUBJECT: YOU MIGHT THINK
THAT SOME SUBJECTS ARE LESS IMPORTANT TO REVIEW, BUT IF YOU AVOID REVIEWING SOME
EASY POINTS IN SOMETHING LIKE BIOSTATISTICS, YOU MAY JEOPARDIZE YOUR USMLE STEP 1 PERFORMANCE.
DO NOT DISMISS ANY SUBJECT MATTER AND LET THE GAP IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE GROW. REVIEWING SIMPLER TOPICS,
SUCH AS BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, CERTAIN BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS, BIOSTATISTICS, TO NAME A FEW,
COULD MEAN GETTING THE SCORE YOU WANT. BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THE EASY POINTS…
- >>>SYNC YOUR SCHEDULE WITH THE EXAM SCHEDULE: TRY WAKING UP EVERY DAY AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL
NEED TO WAKE UP ON THE DAY OF THE EXAM... GET INTO A HABIT OF WAKING UP EARLY, SO YOUR BODY
WILL FIND IT EASIER TO FALL ASLEEP AT NIGHT… AND GIVE YOUR BODY A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF SLEEP EVERY
NIGHT… REST MAKES YOU A MORE EFFICIENT LEARNER... - >>>REVIEW KEYWORDS, PHRASES, AND CONCEPTS:
AS YOU GET CLOSER TO YOUR EXAM DATE, IT’S ACTUALLY NOT THE BEST IDEA TO START CRAMMING NEW MATERIAL
OR SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON CONTENT YOU KNOW QUITE WELL... WHEN YOU HAVE ONLY A WEEK OR TWO
LEFT BEFORE THE EXAM, TRY TO FOCUS ON RETAINING ESSENTIAL INFORMATION. RECALL THE MATERIAL BY
YOURSELF, RATHER THAN SIMPLY READING OVER IT AGAIN. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF STUDY,
YOU ALREADY KNOW THE CONTENT, YOU JUST NEED TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO ACCESS IT WHEN YOU NEED IT.
THIS IS WHEN PRACTICE TESTS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE... - >>>VISIT THE PROMETRIC CENTER: IF YOU GET THE
CHANCE, VISIT THE PROMETRIC TEST CENTER WHERE YOU WILL BE TAKING THE EXAM. IT WILL BE INDICATED ON
YOUR EXAM ENTRY TICKET... THIS WAY, YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO GET THERE AND HOW MUCH TIME YOU
SHOULD PLAN FOR YOUR COMMUTE. FIND THE PARKING LOT AND SEE WHAT THE COMPUTER SET-UP IS LIKE.
PROMETRIC CENTERS ACTUALLY ALLOW STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A PRACTICE USMLE EXAM FOR
A SMALL FEE. IT IS NOT A FULL-LENGTH EXAM, BUT A 3-HOUR PRACTICE TRIAL AND YOU CAN USE
YOUR OWN COMPUTER AND EQUIPMENT... - >>>TAKE A DAY OFF: THE DAY BEFORE
YOUR TEST SHOULD BE A DAY OF RELAXATION. DO NOT STUDY AND HAVE SOME FUN. FOR EXAMPLE,
GO FOR A WALK, LISTEN TO SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC, GO SEE A MOVIE, OR VISIT SOME FRIENDS.
WAKE UP EARLY AND GO TO BED ON TIME. YOU NEED TO BE RESTED AND READY TO GO ON TEST DAY….
THOSE ARE OUR TIPS TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL STUDY PREP FOR THE USMLE STEP 1... CHECK OUT OUR BLOG TO READ
MORE ABOUT USLME STEP 1 FORMAT AND PREPARATION... I HAVE INCLUDED THE LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION OF
THIS VIDEO FOR EASY ACCESS... IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO HELP YOU MATCH YOUR TOP-CHOICE RESIDENCY,
VISIT BEMORESIDENCYAPPLICATION.COM. HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOYED THIS VIDEO SO PLEASE SUBSCRIBE,
LIKE AND LEAVE A COMMENT. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT USMLE STEP 1 THAT I DIDN’T COVER,
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...
DON’T FORGET THAT WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS… SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN. THANKS FOR WATCHING AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME.