Studying for the USMLE examination is one of the toughest, most tiring events of your medical career. Not only are these tests extremely exhausting to study for, but they are also extremely challenging, encompassing massive amounts of information all directed into 300-400 multiple choice questions. While everyone has their own test-preparation strategies, you can use the following 10 tips and tricks in order to help you achieve the best results possible: #1 - Use your notes for your studies and use textbooks to fill in any gaps, as the majority of the questions encountered on your board exams can be found in your class notes. #2 - Pathology is the biggest discipline in medicine, be sure to devote plenty of time to mastering all aspects of it. #3 - Do your practice questions slowly and with extreme caution, as these are often the determining factor in your USMLE success. #4 - Don't let incredibly tough USMLE questions rattle your confidence, as you will get some questions designed to be close to impossible unless you are in the top 1% of all students in the country. #5 - Don't worry about your question bank percentages, as you should welcome a lower score in order to find your flaws and improve on them. Getting a great score in a qbank can create a false sense of security and actually destroy your score. #6 - Start early and study often, as doing a couple hours daily for a few months can help you absorb more than study for 10-15 hours for a couple weeks. #7 - Use charts to help you memorize facts in classes such as microbiology, genetics, pathology, etc. Charts that are nicely organized and color coordinated by systems can help make a very difficult task that much easier. #8 - Use pictures, images, and visual aides for courses like physiology, histology, anatomy, pathology, and many more. If you can turn something into a visual image or aide, you can decrease the amount of memorization you have to do, and instead create concepts for yourself, as a single concept can replace a thousand words. #9 - Use your course time as your prep time, as this is your best time to master as much of the Step 1 and Step 2 material as you possibly can. The basic science portion of all medical curricula provides you with built-in study time, so be sure to use it wisely. #10 - Rest often and get plenty of sleep, as sleeping helps to consolidate new information into your long-term memory. If you are still hesitating, click here to compare between USMLE vs PLAB vs MCCEE vs AMC If you need more information about USMLE, Check our free USMLE Forum Source
great tips thanks for sharing.i definitely implement those strategies as i planning to give USMLE exam in June 2013.
