HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE MEDICAL BOARDS

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Contents

Disclaimer...................................................................viDedication...................................................................viiAcknowledgments..............................................................xPreface......................................................................xiIntroduction.................................................................xiii1. USMLE and COMLEX..........................................................12. What is First Aid for the USMLE Step 1?...................................53. USMLEWorld and Kaplan Question Banks......................................74. How to use First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 effectively.....................115. The integration...........................................................206. Studying Practice Questions...............................................337. Studying for the Boards...................................................378. Preparing for the test....................................................439. Time Schedule for COMLEX and USMLE........................................4510. Student concerns.........................................................5411. Advice for osteopathic students..........................................6012. Summary chapter for Board review.........................................67Surviving medical school.....................................................72Resources....................................................................83Authors......................................................................89

Chapter One

Before we begin discussing the USMLE Step 1and COMLEX Level 1 examinations, let us focus on the main themes we want you to understand before reading this book. At no point during medical school should you ignore your coursework and core requirements for the sake of studying for the Boards!

1. Know that studying for your coursework is studying for the Boards. The associate dean for academic affairs and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Paul M. Krueger, DO, always says, "Data clearly showed that how you perform in your schoolwork is the number one indicator of how you perform on your Board exams."

2. You cannot graduate if you fail your coursework, so it is vital that you spend most of your time ensuring that you pass every class and all exams.

The USMLE and COMLEX Exams

USMLE stands for the United States Medical Licensing Exam, which every allopathic medical student in the United States must take in order to be licensed to practice medicine. International students who wish to practice medicine must take this exam too. The passing score for USMLE is 189/75. While no one actually knows what the highest score for USMLE is, students have scored above 260/99 on the actual exam. Check the link for more details: http://www.usmle.org/Scores_Transcripts/minimum_passing.html

COMLEX is the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Exam, required for DOs. Please be aware that COMLEX is not equivalent to the USMLE. These exams are different. DO students are allowed to sit for the USMLE exam if they wish to. The passing score for COMLEX-USA is 400/75. The highest score you can attain is 999/99. Check the link for more details: http://www.nbome.org/score-interpretation.asp

There are three parts to COMLEX and USMLE: Levels 1, 2, and 3 for the COMLEX and Steps 1, 2 and 3 for the USMLE. Every osteopathic medical student must pass all three levels of the COMLEX exam, and every allopathic medical student must pass all three levels of the USMLE exam.

So which of these exams is the most important and why? Many medical students will tell you how extremely important your Step 1 scores are. They are right, in a sense. There is a reason why every medical student focuses so much emphasis on USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1. Not only is it important for your residency application! These are licensing exams required for you to 1) graduate from medical school, 2) be able to practice medicine in the United States.

In the United States, medical school is a four-year program that includes first two years of basic and clinical sciences and two years of clinical rotations. The basic sciences taught in the first year include clinical biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, histology, embryology, preventive medicine, biostatistics, epidemiology, microbiology, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM, which only applies to DOs), et cetera.

The second year of medical school focuses on clinical medicine, pathology, pharmacology, immunology, geriatrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, and OMM (for DO students). After completing the second year, you must take your boards. This is very important. This is Step 1.

The third and fourth years of medical school involves students rotating in the hospital. This is the time when students get the opportunity to meet and interact with patients; they learn to take histories and perform proper physical exams.After the third year or at the beginning of fourth year, you must take COMLEX Level 2 and/or USMLE Step 2.

Then it is time to apply for residency. Remember when you had to prepare for your MCAT, get good scores, and apply to medical schools? At this point, you are back at the same portal, which leads to a different route. Applications for residency can be very stressful for students, for various reasons. This is the time of your life where you have to make major decisions on what career path you want to embark on in medicine. You have completed all the clinical rotations,but sometimes you are still unsure which area of medicine in which you want to practice. This is normal: many students face this dilemma. You will eventually figure out what your passion is!

However, it's important to obtain a good residency position. What are the requirements to get in? Residency directors focus on several factors when you apply to their residency programs. Most medical students assume our Step 1 scores are the most important factor that will get us a residency. This idea is not the complete truth. Your Step 1 score is only one part of the application process. Other requirements, such as clinical rotation grades, your personal statement, letters of recommendation, Step 2 scores, research and publications, and the interview process all factor into the equation. Therefore, do not rely solely on your Step 1 scores as the key to get you into residency.

Getting to know the right people is another important piece of the puzzle. If you rotate at a hospital as a fourth-year medical student and work very hard, becoming a solid team member, you can make a strong impression on the attending physician, which might encourage the staff to consider you for a spot in their program. Therefore, the impression you make on your attending physician may allow you to be recognized as a great asset to their program. So is it all your scores? No! Is all about who you know? No! It is a combination of everything. Your entire application counts. Do not ever give up your dreams for whatever specialty you are interested in because of your scores!

However, Step 1 scores...