Studying for the USMLE STEP 1 exam is arguably the toughest part of medical school - which in itself is a rigorous academic undertaking. On top of that, being an international medical student, you have to balance the demands of your home program on top of studying for this monstrous 8 hour exam. The only way this can be accomplished is if you adhere to a routine that maximizes productivity without leading to a burnout. Since I've started studying for STEP 1, this is how my day usually plays out:
8:00 am : Wake up, shower, have an oatmeal breakfast which I prepped the night before and stored away in the fridge.
8:45 - 12 pm : Attend the morning lectures.
12:00 - 1:30 pm : We have a lunch break during which I eat and then proceed to do my Anki reviews. These range from anywhere between 300-500 cards which I can comfortably manage in the hour.
1:30 - 3:00 pm : Labs and tutorials.
3:00 - 4:00 pm : Head back to where I live and wind down from the day. I might munch on a light snack and get geared up to work out,
4:00 - 5:30 pm : Gym and workout
5:30 - 6:30 pm : Theres an outdoors cafeteria on the way to where I live and the cafeteria (all walking distance). Regardless of the season, most days at this time the weather is very pleasant. I read and call back home.
6:30 - 7:30 pm : Freshen up from the gym, shower.
7:30 - 8:30 pm : Review the Anki and notes from the previous days' Board videos and do the corresponding questions.
8:30 - 9:00 pm : Dinner
9:00 - 10:00 pm : Watch new boards videos and follow along with my First Aid
10:00 - 11:00 pm : Do an question block on whatever bank I'm using (Currently Amboss).
11:30 pm : Call it a day.
***
If the schedule seems tightly packed or stringent, it must be noted that most of the locations mentioned are all within a 5-10 minute walking distance of each other such as my residence, the campus and gym. Also, the lectures and labs tend to conclude 10-15 minutes ahead of schedule on average. I feel like most activities are spaced out enough so as not to feel burdensome and I allow myself sufficient time to enter my work flow state and maximize my productivity. Since my med school is on an "annual" examination system, all of our modules are tested at the end of the year. This frees up time throughout the year to study for the STEP. I will put boards preparation on the back-burner (possibly only do the Anki reviews) in the month approaching my annual exams and then resume once they're over.
On the weekends, since I don't have lectures, that time is utilized to work on my research. As it stands, I've been sticking to this schedule for around 5 months now and have managed to cover 70% of STEP content along with keeping up with practice questions. By sticking to this routine, or any routine for that matter, difficult tasks become habits and you psychologically and physiologically adapt to the challenge.
0 Comments