How to create a USMLE study plan

Around 6:30 this morning, while coming up with my revised game plan for Step 1 prep, I remember thinking  how fun it would be to be a step1 coach. I think it would be so cool to sit down with a student and help him/her create their personalized step1 study plan. Perhaps one day I could do this.

How I created my plan:

This morning I had a deep self evaluation (while pacing the medical school halls). I asked myself:

• What tests did you do best on?
• How did you learn during those blocks? Lectures, First Aid, Books, Youtube, Goljan?
• What was your mind frame while preparing for those exams?
• Did you use flashcards? Did you use books? Did you draw concept maps and/or pictures? 
• Who did you study with?
• How did you feel when you were learning your material?
• How much time did you take to study?
• Was there anything in your personal life that was contributing to these behaviors/practices?
• How do you retain information?
• Flashcards, pictures, mind-mapping, drawing things out, talking things out, and/or teaching others?

After asking myself these deep questions (because learning is hard work and sometimes it's easier to take the simpler route and the route commonly traveled), and after answering these questions honestly, I began evaluating what others did to prepare for step. From A&M's 2015 class, I learned what they read, what helped, what they wish that had done more and came the conclusion that:

1. I need to read through First Aid many times.

2. I need to learn the material. 

Let me emphasize this, actually LEARN it (not just memorize facts associated with it)!

3. I need to do as many flashcards, memory tricks, and questions as I can!

Having gone through the question exercise, determined the exact goals of what I want to accomplish and by what specific dates (which I've done), and creating an accountability checklist-tracker, it's time to go to work. 

My specific Step 1 study plan (Jan 28th-March 31st):

Just for those that are curious... My specific plan is 3.5 hrs. of step prep a day. 

1st hour: 20 pages of First Aid while marking things that I want to find and answer the whys.

2nd hour: Answer the areas I've marked by looking up Physiology questions in Costanzo book, big Robbin pathology, and/or Marks and Lippincott's biochem and pharm.

3rd hour: Firecracker flashcards on those subjects or 10 Kaplan study questions.

4th 1/2 hour: Picmonic card reviews while creating flashcards/memory checklists, to review in the future.

Goals: 500 questions by March 31, two reads of FA, all of Picmonic reviewed. I sure hope this helps my Step 1 score!!