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It is March, and many will sit down for weeks or months on end to study for what is known as the “exams of doom”, also known as the USMLE® and COMLEX-USA®. Now keep in mind I did not name this phrase but many do feel that there is something dreadful about these exams. In fact, I had one medical student tell me that the USMLE® was the equivalent of a mental colonoscopy…without sedation.
So why is it so painful? Well, for weeks after second year of medical school is over, students must relegate themselves to their desks and study facts learned 2 years prior. For IMG’s, this could be 5+ years. You don’t get a chance to see the new sunlight of the developing spring and summer, and you miss out on playing volleyball on the beach while drinking orange flavored sodas. These weeks will consist of reading through review materials…and then panicking. Then doing Dr. Fischer’s Flashcards…then panicking again. Followed by doing thousands of questions in Kaplan’s Qbank…followed by a little less panic and before you know it you are in the last week before the test. And what did we ALL do in the last week? That’s right…Panic! So why do we panic on the last week? Because no one has told us what to do. Well, there are a few things that have been proven to help in the last week prior to your exam that will aid in getting the highest scores.
T – 5 days. By this point you should have completed all the questions in your question banks and also completed a second run through of the incorrect and marked questions. When you are setting up your study schedule make sure that by this point you are completely finished by this date. On this day you should do a STATs review and memorize all the formulas. This way on test day you can do a memory dump on the scratch paper and not worry about forgetting the formulas. Then do 25 questions about stats alone.
T – 4 days. The biggest mistake people make in the last week prior to the exam is trying new test materials. Do NOT start a new book. It does not matter if your friend is reading Super Duper Destroy Step 1. You have already planned ahead and done all the high yield materials and don’t need to do any others. On this day you should do a quick review of the Pharmacology flashcards (again). For those taking Step 2, I suggest redoing the Diagnostic flashcards set.
T – 3 days. 72 hours away and on this day your panic levels will be high. Remember this whole week you should be sleeping and waking up just like test day to get your body and mind ready for the early morning coming up. On this day we suggest that you run through the FRED questions again that are published on the USMLE® website. Don’t worry about the score, just do the questions to get your mind back in question mode.
T – 2 days. The exam is in 2 days and what are we gonna do??? Today is the day you put the books down and say thank you for the paper cuts. You should go to the market, and pick up whatever snacks, chocolates, and energy foods you need for the exam. Remember, we don’t suggest heavy meals during the lunch break, but rather small items through the test. You should also do a practice drive to the exam center and back to your home to map out your drive.
T – 1 day. Wake up, take a deep breath, talk to your parents, friends and people who will keep you calm. Today the goal is to remain happy and refreshed. Watch a movie, have a good dinner, and try to do something that will make you laugh. Set a few alarms for the next morning and even have someone call you. You have prepared, you have rocked the last week like a pro and you are ready for battle!
Good luck!
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All of the opinions expressed here are the author’s and his alone, and do not represent necessarily those of Kaplan or its employees.
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