USMLE

I failed my test/exam/boards… now what? [practical advice for next steps]

Amanda Xi

Today’s inane image of the day:

Foliage from last year when I was in a wedding and decided to go on a solo hike. I do not recommend doing this after it has rained, the trail is slippery, you have zero phone service, and no one else was in the parking lot.

If you’ve stumbled across this entry, it is likely that either you or someone that you care deeply about has failed some sort of examination. It may be a low-stakes or a high-stakes one. It may be in the setting of a course, or it may be in the setting of a medical board examination. Either way, there is something so disarming about failing an exam. It really cuts deep. I am going to make the generalization that most people who are seeking advice after failing an exam are those who typically haven’t encountered this challenge before.

Either way, you are here and seeking advice on how to move forward.

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Preparing for the USMLE Step 1 [includes a study plan + tips for success]

Amanda Xi

Today’s [flashback] inane image of the day:

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Step 1 Necessities: Starbucks, First Aid, Laptop, Highlighter

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Taking notes on questions I got wrong in UWorld with different colored pens to enhance memorization.

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Back in my day [haha], I used one of the study rooms on a daily basis and would re-write things I needed to memorize on the whiteboard wall.
[Updated 11/29/20]

This past week I’ve had the pleasure of participating in a number of local AMWA at OUWB activities including a networking event and dinner with an Emergency Medicine doctor. Through these events, I’ve run into M2s that are in the midst of freaking out over the USMLE Step 1 exam. Since most of the entries on wrote with tips on studying for the exam were posted on Kaplan’s MedSchoolInsight [now no longer live], I decided to post an updated version that includes a study plan and tips for success.

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