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USMLE STEP 1 EXAM TIPS

USMLE STEP 1 EXAM TIPS
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If an aspirant wants to go to medical school, he/she has to take a lot of tests. To get into the medical school, the MCAT is essential and between the 2nd and 3rd years of medical school, every medical aspirant has to take USMLE Step 1 by understanding the strategies of USMLE Step 1 exam tips to ace the USMLE Step 1  exam.

What is the USMLE Step 1 Exam?

USMLE is the United States Medical Licensure Exam which consists of Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3, where only Step 1 is taken after the 2nd year of medical school. This one-day exam takes eight hours to complete. 

The USMLE Step 1 exam tips should be known as the USMLE Step 1 exam is categorized into seven 60-minute blocks where the number of questions per block varies but will not exceed 40. The total questions on the overall examination form are 280. A candidate can expect a change in the count of questions so prepare rigorously when preparing for this exam with USMLE Step 1 exam tips.

The USMLE Step 1 exam is designed in such a way to test a candidate’s scientific knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge to medical situations. It is taken after the 2nd year of medical school because all the necessary coursework taken in the 2nd year is considered to pass the exam besides knowing the USMLE Step 1 exam tips.

Who takes the USMLE Step 1 Exam?

To be eligible to take the USMLE Step 1 exam the candidate has to know the USMLE Step 1 exam tips and also should fulfil the below mentioned criteria that include: 

1. A medical aspirant should have officially enrolled in, or should be a graduate of, a U.S. or Canadian medical school program leading to the MD degree accredited by the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education).

2. A medical student should have officially enrolled in, or should be a graduate of, a U.S. medical school leading to the DO degree accredited by the AOA (American Osteopathic Association). 

What material is covered for the USMLE step 1 Exam?

According to the USMLE Step 1 exam these are the content which is covers related to the following traditionally-defined disciplines:

1. Anatomy
2. Behavioural sciences
3. Biochemistry
4. Microbiology
5. Pathology
6. Pharmacology
7. Physiology
8. Biostatistics and epidemiology

Apart from these, the candidates should prepare the USMLE Step 1 exam with USMLE Step 1 exam tips from some of the interdisciplinary subjects such as:

1. Nutrition
2. Ageing
3. Genetics

How to learn for the USMLE Step 1 Exam?

A medical aspirant has to understand the USMLE Step 1 exam tips as it may seem like a daunting task to cover the entire syllabus. They can get to understand the process of study as mentioned below:

1. Active learning – An aspirant has to focus on the study material through active application like enhancing the understanding and retention of the information by repetition to recollect the concepts and USMLE Step 1 exam tips as this can be one of the better ways to prepare for the USMLE exam 1.

2. Choose what to study – Choosing what to study has a number of approaches which include:

Consult with a medical school faculty who can help in analysis by telling the USMLE Step 1 exam tips and directing through what is essential knowledge required in the field and what is less important.

Download standard study materials from the USMLE website because each year new topics are added and some older ones get eliminated. This can give the candidate a clarity while considering USMLE Step 1 exam tips.

Talk to students and colleagues who had taken exam in the previous years as they can direct the candidates to the high-yield content areas in USMLE Step 1 exam tips to master the skills  

3. Choose how to study – Mastering the study material to learn for the USMLE Step 1 exam is a three-stage process that include:

Learning the basic terms and definitions in USMLE Step 1 exam tips provides the core vocabulary to understand the content clearly that is being tested. 

Understanding the core concepts using cross-linkages within subjects and across subjects can get along over the course of the USMLE Step 1 exam.

Applying the concepts while checking for USMLE Step 1 exam tips helps the medical aspirant to achieve the best score in the USMLE Step 1 because it depends on not only knowing the concepts, but also understanding how they are applied in a given medical situation.1

What are the preparation tips for the USMLE Step 1 exam?

A candidate should know the method of study and study schedule to allow a medical aspirant to master each of the stages in turn. If a medical aspirant considers how to study with USMLE Step 1 exam tips the following suggestions may be helpful:

1. Be organized – A candidate has to set up an organized study schedule but do not ignore one subject altogether or spend too much time on one area. Schedule regular breaks while following USMLE Step 1 exam tips and stick to it.

2. Check the weaker areas – Take mock tests, a diagnostic exam and use information from the coursework or use questions in each book to analyse the weaker areas and plan to cover those at least a week or two before the USMLE Step 1 exam.

3. Don’t ignore strong areas – This can be one of the difficult USMLE Step 1 exam tips because a candidate has to spend some time revising the strong areas by not neglecting it besides considering the weaker areas.

4. Emphasize integration – Review subjects together by organ system as these best USMLE Step 1 exam tips emphasize the integration of basic sciences. A candidate can expand this perspective by discussing with a group of other students who may look at the same material differently.

5. Review materials – Understand the basics, and lab tests which would differentiate the underlying initial therapies and mechanisms for each.  Using this strategy in the USMLE Step 1 exam tips allows the candidate to “preview” questions and anticipate the correct answer.

6. Concentrate on sessions – Sitting for a longer time while preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam with USMLE Step 1 exam tips as it will provide only minimal extra return. So, include break time as it allows the short-term memory to be consolidated into long-term memory.

7. Limit the number of information sources – It won’t be a good idea if a candidate uses several books to check for USMLE Step 1 exam tips. Instead clarify the important points to study by sticking onto a primary study material and others as back-up to apply them in presented situations because too much study sources create overload and overload stifles comprehension. 

We hope the USMLE Step 1 exam tips provided by Mendel Academy are helpful for the medical aspirants to provide global internship opportunities for medical aspirants and clinicians who are looking forward to broaden their horizons and expertise in healthcare on an international level.  

If any candidate has any queries regarding the USMLE Step 1 exam tips, he/she can contact us today and talk with our experts to get started for the consultancy services and medical electives abroad.

Read also How to do USMLE preparation for Indian students.