Lakhs of students around the world pursue medical courses with the dream of becoming qualified doctors. But screening the best doctors out of all is imperative to maintain good health and medical standards.
The importance of doctors has been recognized by world-level organizations, including WHO, during the recent COVID pandemic, where they not only saved lives but also curbed infection.
To filter out proficient and competent doctors, the medical courses are supplemented with certain exams to provide licenses to medical graduates.
One such exam is the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination), conducted by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to allot licenses to doctors to work in the US.
This 3-stage exam needs a comprehensive strategy, especially for USMLE Step 1 preparation.
The relentless pursuit of medical students for a thriving career as a doctor in the US has its way through this exam.
This multistep exam assesses different aptitudes of the students at successive steps. Let’s take a glance at the exam process.
It is a 3-stage exam with each stage named USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3. Here is a tabular representation of the 3 steps of the exam with their basic details.
| Steps of Exam | Duration of Exam | Aptitude Accessed | Number of Questions |
| Step 1 | 1st Day (8 Hours) | Basic foundational medical knowledge of the student | 280 Qs (7 Sections with a maximum of 40 Questions in any section) |
| Step 2 | 1st Day (9 Hours) | Knowledge in clinical medicine | 361 Qs (in 8 Sections) |
| Step 3 | 2nd Day (8 Hours on Day 1 and 9 hours on day 2) | Clinical knowledge of patient management | Day 1 – 232 MCQ in 6 blocksDay 2 – 180 MCQs in 6 blocks. |
There are plenty of desperate medical students taking this exam. But the right direction is all that they want.
Now let’s hop into the crucial tips to provide the right direction to students preparing for USMLE during medical school.
The USMLE exam is one of the most competitive exams in the field of medical science. Clearing it acts as a breakthrough in the career of the medical student.
The exam policy provides 4 attempts per stage to students for clearing the exam, making it a compelling need for the candidates to come up with a feasible strategy.
Now let’s take a look at the most fundamental points to consider while preparing for USMLE during medical school.
Stay organized at the nascent stage of preparation to keep it smooth and consistent. Tailor the strategy as per your strengths and weaknesses. The gargantuan syllabus can turn out to be a maze if not approached smartly. Hence, ensuring simultaneous and organized preparation is always recommended.
Have a good foundation on the basics, which will work as a substrate for USMLE syllabus coverage, especially USMLE Step 1 preparation.
Make broad, intermediate, and micro plans for the monthly weekly, and daily tasks. The aspirant can also go with the checkboxes planners to synchronize with the schedule.
Every exam is a two-way process—the input of the knowledge and output by application of that knowledge by practice or revision. So, make sure you manage adequate time for revisions. A planned and consistent study will certainly bring gradual improvements in your preparation.
Supplement the above-mentioned resources with test papers to get a simulation of the real exam. Check your score, identify the weak sections, work on them, and optimize the strategy and time management.
Candidates can take guidance from any reputed coaching institute, seniors, or any facility member in the college. The mentor or teacher can be instrumental in eradicating the hassles in this preparation.
Get in touch with the seniors and the college faculty members. Discuss the question, find out the shortcomings, and reconfigure the strategy. Discuss the tough topics with your fellows, and churn the ideas and information to come to a knowledgeful conclusion. This will enhance your acumen and will help in impactful syllabus coverage.
The knowledge gained from the medical course will supplement the USMLE preparation. Aligning both will help manage time and effort. Also, learn about Finding Accredited Online High School Courses by reading this article.
Further, being consistent in the preparation is the utmost requirement, as sudden bursts of preparation won’t work at all. Remember, the combination of perspiration and persistence is unbeatable.
The knowledge developed during the course and the exam develops a holistic understanding of a medical graduate that further helps in handling cases and treating patients.
Not to forget the words of Carl Jung (Swiss Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist) – “Medicine cures diseases, and doctors can cure patients.”
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