The USMLE can take many months. Step 1 can take close to a year and Step 2 CK up from 6-8 months. I recommend you all to take Step 1 after your basic sciences are over rather than waiting for graduation. Step 2 CS can take a few weeks to prepare. They have raised the passing standards for all the steps I heard.
I recommend the following books and resources:
Step 1
First Aid for Step 1
Kaplan Lecture Notes
Kaplan Videos (or Live lectures)
Kaplan Qbook
Kaplan Qbank
USMLE World
Goljian Hi Yield Notes (there r the 33 page and the 100 page versions)
Goljian Patho Notes
Goljian Audio Lectures
Kaplan Practice Test
NBME
Step 2CK
Crush the Boards for Step 2 CK
Boards and Wards for Step 2&3 (as referance)
Kaplan Lecture Notes
Kaplan Videos or Live Lectures
Kaplan QBbook
Kaplan Qbank
USMLE World
Kaplan Practice Test
NBME questions
Lemme give some general advice on using the above resources. First all I believe the above is enough. Also I would like to divide the sources into 3 types. Comprehensive theory is one. These are the Kaplan Notes for example. They are excellent but too much to review quickly. Underline and write the keywords on the side. In the Kaplan Qbook there is details on how to do this. Then there is the concise likw First Aid. These are good for quick reviews but not enough on their own. Then of course the Questions. These are important.
There is no need to get 10 books on anatomy. I also recommend what I call the sandwich technique. First read the books and watch the videos. Then do the Qbooks. Read again. Do the Qbank. Read again. Do USMLE world. Read quickly again. Neither the questions nor the books are superior. You need both. Do the quesitons timed and in 1 hour blocks. Sometimes do it in 2-3 hour blocks to get your stamina up. I would do the questions and then go over the answers. I like to spend more time on the wrong ones. Perhaps take notes but keep them short. The shorter your notes, the better.
Also do not spend 6 months trying to memorize the anatomy book. Move along and try and start the questions within 3 months of studying. I have noticed people starting the questions too late. Also take the NBME practice tests. I would take the first one after finishing Qbank. Get a baseline. Then take the others in intervals. Save one for 1 month and another one for 2 weeks before you real test. I believe the score they give you is accurate. You should not expect much higher than the NBME score. If you don't like the NBME score then study some more.
Also make a schedule of what you are going to study the 2-3 weeks before. Some people like to do questions. Others prefer books. I think, atleast for step 1, the books are important. But ideally do a quick review to cover the most ground. Also schedule the subjects so you are studying the crammable just before the exam. Microbiology and Pharmacology are more crammable then Physiology. Thus you can get more points doing Microbiology just before than Pharmacology.
For Step 1 they say 70% of the exam are the 3 Ps (physiolgy, pharmacology, pathology) and M (microbiology.) I believe Goljian Pathology notes integrate a lot of subjects. Also you have to look at points per time spent. Behavioral science does not take much time. However I believe Anatomy and Biochemistry take up a lot of time per point.
In Step 2 it is hard to say what is the most improtant. However Internal Medicine probably has the most questions. But I feel they all are similar in terms of time spent studying per point. Also the crammability maybe similar. There is more difference per subject in Step 1 in a lot of ways.
Another improtant point is the timing. Let's say it is July and you are almost ready to take the Step 2CK exam. You already took the Step 1 and the Step 2 CS. You are scoring about 89 on the NBME. You can wait 6 months and then go for a 99 let's say. Or maybe you can get your score in by October and turn it in early and apply. (In both scenarious I recommend you apply on day 1. You can turn in your score later.) I recommend you take the exam earlier. Why? Because every day you delay you are losing interview invites. However with a 99 you may be ranked higher at those places. Still take it earlier as you probably will get more interviews. And you can study less and get more. Of course the exception to this rule is if you are scoring borderline passing on the NBME. It makes no sense to flunk it. Also if you want something like Ortho or Rads and are willing to sit out a year, then go for the 99.
My point is the score is not the only factor. Timing may or may not be a factor. However you can turn in your score maybe the latest by Novmeber and still get interviews with it. It may be less though. However if you turn in your score by February (like I did one match) the chances or matching are slim even if you have interviews. (I got 5 interviews in psychiatry based on my Step 1 score of 85. I did not match. Next year I got 48 invites although my Step 2 score was 78. I took Step 2 on January 17. My point is you should at the latest turn in your score by January. Ideally before December.
Another point is it is not necessary to get double 99s. On the forums you tend to see both extremes. Those who got 99s and those who flunked many times. A lot of us are in the middle. However whatever you do, do not flunk it and try to hit 80 or atleast 200. I did get 48 invites based on my 85/78 first attempts.
Also take one month off or more to do USCE. I believe this can effectively in a way add to your score. I think it is better to get 88 with solid US LoRs from an externship then get a 89 with nothing on your CV. The point is there is no excuse not to have time to do USCE. Take your exam a month earlier and make the time. Also your interviews will be a lot easier with USCE. You can not really talk much about your 99 at your interview.
Step 2 CS
Resources:
USMLE World
First Aid for the CS
Kaplan CS Book (optional)
Just practice the above cases with someone else. I recommend finding someone who is taking the test around the same time as you. If you can't meet all the time, do it over the phone. I also took the live class. It was excellent but not necessary unless you don't have time. I feel with the live class, I saved 2-3 weeks of time since it was focused and organized. Remember the CS is pass or fail and I would rather have you spend the money on applying to 40 extra programs then go to the live class. However if you have failed the CS before or have some other problems, go for the live class. Another point is that during my live class they told me most people can improve by practicing the Patient Note. This is often overlooked. Also the Patient Note can be practiced by yourself. So make a seperate effort to practice this eventhough it seems mundane and easy.
Study Techniques
This is covered in detail in Qbook. However you should realize that studying is a function of both long and short term memory. Memory is a function of the brain. Our brain is physiological and not mechanical. Thus sleep, excercise, diet, etc. all affect our learning. One should study hard but you are limited by these parameters. For example you may think you can study 8 hours more a day without sleeping. However you will learn less as you neuronal function will go down. I have seen many doctors ignore this. Lemme give some pointers:
1) Get enough sleep. You should not feel sleep deprived. Shaving an hour off of your sleep is not good in the long term. Also consider using a nap as a great study break. Why not sleep 6-7 hours and take a 1 hour nap rather than sleeping 7-8 hours. That 1 hour can double as a break and you will be studying the same ammount of time.
2) Excerise. The 2nd best study break after sleep is to excercise. Atleast 30 minutes a day.
3) Avoid social isolation. While you take your walk why not call someone up. This is hitting 2 birds with one stone. Once or twice a week meet a friend in person. Also leave the house once a day. Maybe go to the library and study. However if the library is distracting then find some other place.
4) Take breaks. Take a 10-15 minute break every 60-90 minutes. Then 30-60 minutes to eat or excercise every 4-5 hours. Also consider taking a 1/2 day a week off or maybe a whole day once or twice a month. You will notice you will be studying better after a day off. Breaks are essential to rest your mind. This will increase memory retention.
5) Use workoutput as a measurement. Work output could be questions done or pages read. Above I have used minutes and hours as a benchmark. Instead it may be better to use your work output as a measurement. Take a break after reading 15 pages or finishing a chapter instead of staring at one page for an hour. What you do is see what your max is in terms of work per hour. Measure your max after a prolonged break or first thing in the morning. Take 70-80% of that is an acceptable goal. It is not possible to be at 100% every hour. Also measure work output per day as well. See what your max is and then stive for 80%. That way you are not measuring yourself with time. With this in mind, what you can do is after you hit 80% of your max in a day, stop studying for the day. Take the rest as free time. This will motivate efficiency.
6) Read and then do Quick Reviews. When you read for the first time, write the key words on the side. Keep it brief. Then maybe 1 hour after reading the text, go over the key words. Then 4 or so hours after that go over the key words again. This way you are consolidating the information in your memory. Of course reading the key words is not as good as re reading everything but it may be a 70-80% as effective. And it will take 5% of the time compared to rereading everything. This is a good time investment.
7) Eat healthy. Perhaps eat 5-6 smaller meals a day vs. 3 big meals. Have breakfast. Don't over caffeinate. However a good steady coffee, tea and chocolate supply may help you study. I recommend chocolate on top of the usual tea or coffee as it has additional properties. Within reason it can enhance the mood (like excercise) and imrpove energy and concentration. There maybe evidence of gingko balboa (memory enhancer) and ginseng helping as well. Take multi-vitamins. Before taking any of these ask a doctor (or yourself) and look it up. These can have side effects. Avoid drinking or other illicit substances while you study.
8) Reward yourself. If you reach a milestone or if you finish your work output quota for the day, reward yourself. Maybe even have a beer after studying (don't go on a binge) or watch a movie (usually 2 hours break is excessive. watch half the movie and then finish the rest after some studying.)
9) Don't deprive yourself entirely of sex. Sex is healthy and is good use of break time. However just have enough to enhance memory retention. If you are single, improvise. Don't waste the whole day trying to find a wife/husband/etc just because some blogger told you have to get laid to pass the USMLE. I am not gonna elaborate anymore on this.
10) Drink water and keep yourself hydrated. Especially keep this in mind if you drink coffee or tea.
11) If you are religious or spiritual you should not ignore this.
12) Have a mentor. Pehaps someone who passed with a high score. Call him/her once a week for advice and support.
To sum things up, the above tips are NOT telling you to take it easy. Taking breaks and etc. is purely to serve neurological function and increase work output and decrease stress. Beyond serving this purpose, and you are taking it away from study time. Be balanced and reasonable. I am not telling you to take a 5 hour break or to sleep 14 hours a day. You might have higher work output for a little time without any breaks or sleep. However in the long term your output per time will decrease. Studying sucks and is a pain in the ass often times. So, with all things considered, keep your morale and spirits up. You still should study 12 or more hours a day (or its equivalent in terms of work output.) If you have a job I recommend taking the month or 2 before the exam off.
And please take the NBME. Do it timed. The main point of the NBME is its score. The score is what will tell you when you should take your exam. Don't book your exam date without atleast one good NBME score.
There is more advice in the First Aid and also the Kaplan Qbook.
