A Full Day in the Life of a Medical Student Preparing for Board Exams: What It Really Looks Like

Introduction: The Calm Before the Score

It’s 6:00 AM. Your alarm doesn’t ring because you’ve been awake since 5:45, riddled with anxiety about the renal questions you missed yesterday and whether your review of biostatistics is even sticking. You haven’t had a real conversation with a non-medical human in weeks, and the sight of a First Aid book comforts you more than it should.

This isn’t burnout. This is board exam season.

From Step 1 to Step 3, from INBDE to PLAB, from MCCQE to AMC CAT—every medical student faces the same beast in different forms. This article captures what a typical day looks like in the life of a med student preparing for licensing exams. It's gritty, focused, and sometimes chaotic. But it's also oddly beautiful—proof of just how far you're willing to go for the privilege of practicing medicine.

6:30 AM – The Wake-Up Ritual (or What’s Left of It)

Most med students preparing for board exams adopt an oddly ritualistic morning routine, one part necessity, one part sanity-preservation.

You might:

• Scroll through Anki flashcards before even brushing your teeth
• Meditate or do light stretching to calm test-induced cortisol
• Gulp black coffee while reciting high-yield facts aloud
• Avoid your phone altogether because notifications = distraction

This early time is sacred. Quiet. A mental buffer zone before diving headfirst into micro, pharm, and path.

7:30 AM – The First Study Session Begins

The early hours are gold. Brain power is highest, distractions are lowest. This is when most students tackle their hardest material or question blocks.

Typical tasks include:

• UWorld question blocks (40 questions, timed)
• Reviewing explanations (which takes twice as long as the test)
• Annotating First Aid or Pathoma
• Writing notes or concept maps for weak topics

Focus level: Olympic-athlete level intensity
Fuel: Coffee, oatmeal, maybe tears

10:30 AM – Mini-Break and Snack (Hopefully)

By this time, your prefrontal cortex is sizzling, and your lumbar spine is threatening to give up.

Breaks might include:

• A 10-minute walk to un-hunch your spine
• Scrolling Twitter for USMLE memes (#medstudentlife)
• A snack that suspiciously resembles toddler food (banana, peanut butter, string cheese)

This isn’t laziness. It’s a neuroscience-backed reset. Small breaks improve retention, stamina, and mood.

11:00 AM – Second Study Block

Now it’s time for a different modality. If your morning was questions, the mid-morning might be:

• Watching Boards and Beyond or Osmosis videos
• Reviewing Anki decks by tag (e.g., cardiology or high-yield bugs)
• Attending a live or recorded Kaplan or Becker lecture
• Going through clinical cases to sharpen Step 2/Step 3 reasoning

The goal? Mix up learning styles to prevent cognitive fatigue.

1:00 PM – Lunch: A Necessary Intermission

Some students meal-prep religiously. Others survive on microwaveable mystery bowls or protein shakes. Either way, lunch isn’t just food—it’s fuel.

During this time, you might:

• Catch up on a podcast (The Curbsiders, USMLE-Rx, etc.)
• Watch Grey’s Anatomy reruns while analyzing what they got wrong
• Eat in complete silence, eyes closed, because you just need a moment

2:00 PM – Afternoon Study Slump (and How to Survive It)

This is when your brain says “No more,” and your willpower gets tested.

To fight it, many students switch gears:

• Flashcards (brainless but productive)
• Sketchy videos for visual memory
• Concept reinforcement (e.g., drawing pathways or writing mnemonics)
• Peer study or discussion groups, especially for clinical reasoning

Pro Tip: Afternoon is great for reviewing what you’ve already learned, not taking in brand new concepts.

4:00 PM – Optional Practice Exam or OSCE Prep

If you’re prepping for OSCEs, PLAB 2, or MCCQE Part II, now’s the time to:

• Record yourself answering mock cases
• Practice with a friend on Zoom
• Rehearse empathy-based communication (“I understand this is difficult…”)
• Memorize the structure of data gathering and physical exam checklists

If you're in a multiple-choice-heavy exam track, you may do a half-length practice exam or more timed blocks to build stamina.

6:00 PM – Dinner and Decompression (Maybe)

Dinner time varies, depending on guilt, anxiety, and scheduling. For many, this is also when the existential questions hit:

• “Am I behind?”
• “What if I fail?”
• “Do I even want to do this specialty anymore?”

Some students go for walks, some vent to partners or pets, and some re-watch Pathoma like it's Netflix. Anything to reset before the final push.

8:00 PM – Final Review and Light Studying

This session is gentler by necessity. It’s less about challenge and more about reinforcement.

Common evening tasks:

• Light Anki review or Zanki decks
• Revisiting weak flashcards or notes from earlier
• Passive watching of review videos (e.g., Dirty Medicine, Med School Insiders)
• Reading notes aloud, especially helpful for auditory learners
• Listening to biochemistry songs (yes, they exist—and they work)

10:00 PM – Wind Down and Sleep Hygiene

Sleep is the unsung hero of board prep. It’s when consolidation happens, when memory traces are strengthened, and when burnout is held at bay.

Night routine may include:

• Blue-light filter glasses
• Journaling to release test anxiety
• Guided meditation (Headspace, Insight Timer)
• A strict “no-studying-in-bed” rule

Despite everything, the brain is often racing. The trick is not to fight it but to train it into calmness through consistency.

The Weekend Exception

Weekends during board prep aren't for partying—they're for catch-up, simulated exams, or even complete rest days (if your courage allows it).

Some students do NBME practice exams, others revise flagged UWorld questions. Some brave ones go outside and talk to real people.

The Hidden Curriculum: What the Schedule Doesn’t Show

This daily routine may look productive—but beneath it lies:

• Self-doubt
• Burnout
• Comparison with others
• Financial worries
• Visa uncertainty (for IMGs)
• Fatigue from isolation

But also…

• Discipline
• Quiet confidence
• Progress
• Mental strength
• Purpose

No one posts the full truth on Instagram—but this is it.

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Just Studying—You’re Becoming

Board prep isn’t a chapter of medical school—it’s a transformation. Every single day you push through that schedule, you're not just learning medicine. You're building the resilience, grit, and emotional maturity that will define your future as a doctor.

You’re not behind. You’re not alone. You’re exactly where you're supposed to be.