{"id":3945,"date":"2019-01-10T15:08:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T15:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=3945"},"modified":"2024-09-27T16:57:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T16:57:38","slug":"5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1","title":{"rendered":"5 Strategies to Acing the USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Strategy_1_Plan_Ahead\" >Strategy 1: Plan Ahead<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Strategy_2_Start_to_Study\" >Strategy 2: Start to Study<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Strategy_3_Ramp_Up\" >Strategy 3: Ramp Up<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Strategy_4_Crunch_Time\" >Strategy 4: Crunch Time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Strategy_5_Final_Day\" >Strategy 5: Final Day<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Bonus_Tips_from_Osmosis\" >Bonus Tips from Osmosis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\/#Alright_as_a_quick_recap%E2%80%A6\" >Alright, as a quick recap\u2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you probably know,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/usmle.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f<\/a>&nbsp;Step 1 and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbome.org\/exams-assessments\/comlex-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">COMLEX-USA\u00ae\ufe0f<\/a>&nbsp;Level 1 assesses whether you can apply scientific basics to the practice of medicine. Osmosis is here to help you prepare for and ace the Step 1 and Level 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strategy_1_Plan_Ahead\"><\/span>Strategy 1: Plan Ahead<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>6 months to 24 months before test day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, you know Step 1 or Level 1 will be in your future as a medical student. Let\u2019s consider your mindset in that first year of medical school, planning very early on before you\u2019re near taking this test. The tip is simple: be a good medical student. Enjoy your classes, enjoy your life, and try not to stress too much. No need to rush into USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f or COMLEX\u00ae\ufe0f-mode immediately after that white coat ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may hear from mentors or professors about taking apart the&nbsp;<em>First Aid<\/em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Pathoma<\/em>&nbsp;books and filling the margins with annotations and study notes. Generally, it\u2019s easier (and more practical) to keep everything electronic so you\u2019re able to quickly search for keywords in your notes. Start this process early on in medical school. It may seem trivial at first, but later on when you\u2019re looking for a particular topic, it can save you a lot of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Osmosis has a built-in feature that helps you automatically search your notes by tagging your personal notes to your coursework. Another thing to integrate early on is spaced repetition, as it helps with long term retention. Osmosis does all that planning so you don\u2019t have to\u2014read about it&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/help.osmosis.org\/learning-science-how-to-learn-efficiently-and-effectively\/use-spaced-repetition-for-long-term-retention?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=osmosis&amp;utm_content=5-strategies-to-ace-usmle-comlex\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=osmosis&amp;utm_content=5-strategies-to-ace-usmle-comlex\">Try it with our two week free trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strategy_2_Start_to_Study\"><\/span>Strategy 2: Start to Study<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>3 months to 5 months before test day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this point, you\u2019re starting to figure out which question banks you should use. Osmosis Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rishi Desai, recommends resources like UWorld and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nbme.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBME\u00ae\ufe0f<\/a>, which together have about 4,000 questions. Also, take a look at the Osmosis question bank of over 3,300 USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f Step 1 questions with over 330 OMM questions, or Qmax, Combank, and Kaplan which have another 2,000 questions each. What\u2019s unique about Osmosis\u2019s question bank is that it tests your confidence level before you answer the question; this helps you focus on the topics you\u2019re not confident about, as well as the questions you get wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, you can seek out resources, some of which you might already be familiar with, including: Costanzo, Pathoma, DIT, High-yield and Lange. You can also watch Osmosis videos for free to review topics you\u2019re struggling with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Watch Osmosis&#8217;s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rishi Desai, talk about these 5 strategies for how to ace the USMLE\u00ae Step 1 or COMLEX-USA\u00ae\ufe0f Level 1.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Clinician&#039;s Corner: 5 steps to acing the USMLE step 1\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eWAeUR2kfFk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strategy_3_Ramp_Up\"><\/span>Strategy 3: Ramp Up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>1 month to 2 months before test day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about your goals for the test first. The average Step 1 score in 2018 was 233; if you\u2019re looking for a competitive score, you should set a goal for around 265. If you\u2019re looking for something less competitive, like pediatrics or family medicine, aiming for 235 is a good benchmark. Consider your goals in regards to that scoring scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Setting a deadline for the exact day you\u2019re planning to take the Step 1 or Level 1 is the best strategy. It\u2019s easy to say, \u201cI\u2019ll take it when I\u2019m ready,\u201d but you need to narrow in and focus on that date. It\u2019s tough, but you really need to put a lot of hours into studying for this exam: 10\u201312 hours per day. This requires being disciplined with your social life, and you need to make sure you\u2019re also maintaining healthy habits like eating well and exercising. Everything in your life should be geared towards preparing for that test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leading up to the test, consider what resources you want to use, and create a daily schedule to keep track of everything. Osmosis will generate a schedule for you based on the resources you want to use, what your test date is, how long you want to study, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spend a good amount of time going over questions and reviewing your answers to get a good sense of what you\u2019re doing right or wrong. By doing this, you\u2019re building endurance to answer all the questions on test day. Prepare by covering the answers to the questions to test your own knowledge first; verbalize why you think that answer is correct, and if you\u2019re incorrect, look into the reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strategy_4_Crunch_Time\"><\/span>Strategy 4: Crunch Time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>One week before test day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this point, you\u2019re still doing a lot of the same tactics we\u2019ve already mentioned to prepare for your exam. However, this week it\u2019s important to shift your focus onto memorization and study less on the concepts, preparing for topics such as biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, and genetics. There is a lot of information to keep straight and little details to remember that require more memorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Be sure to finish taking your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbme.org\/students\/sas\/sas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBME\u00ae\ufe0f exams<\/a>, which can help predict where your real score is going to end up on test day. This is a good assessment to evaluate your readiness for the real thing. While we stress earlier how important it is to stick to a test day, it\u2019s also important to pass your Step 1 or Level 1 exam. So, if your practice score is significantly lower than your goal score, you may want to consider pushing back your test day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Strategy_5_Final_Day\"><\/span>Strategy 5: Final Day<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>24 hours before test day<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On test day, you aren&#8217;t going to have anything with you: no flashcards, no textbooks, and no notes. Apply the same rule to the day before testing and use this time to relax. Try to get yourself into a good frame of mind for the test day. You can work through logistics of where you\u2019re going and how to get there, preparing snacks, bringing light layers in case the testing room is cold, and getting a good night\u2019s sleep. Try not to drink too much coffee the day of the test. You\u2019ll likely already have lots of adrenaline flowing, so you don&#8217;t want to be shaking from a caffeine overload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pump yourself up, though, and build your confidence! Scientifically proven ways to do this include:1) power posing with your arms in the air and exclaiming YES! or 2) forcing yourself to laugh to put yourself in a good mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bonus_Tips_from_Osmosis\"><\/span>Bonus Tips from Osmosis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Studying is hard. Capitalize on the tips we\u2019ve provided here, but as a bonus we suggest: 1. Removing distractions, whether that be social media or TV. 2. Power through 25 minutes of studying with two minute breaks in between. 3. Wash your hands and avoid anyone that\u2019s sick leading up to your test. 4. Do what makes you happy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alright_as_a_quick_recap%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>Alright, as a quick recap\u2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are 5 strategies leading up to your USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f Step 1 or COMLEX-USA\u00ae\ufe0f Level 1 test day. Throughout your months of studying, it is important to utilize all of the resources available to you, complete a large variety of test questions to best prepare, and take care of yourself throughout this very stressful time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good luck! Osmosis believes in you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you probably know,&nbsp;USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f&nbsp;Step 1 and&nbsp;COMLEX-USA\u00ae\ufe0f&nbsp;Level 1 assesses whether you can apply scientific basics to the practice of medicine. Osmosis is here to help you prepare for and ace the Step 1 and Level 1. Strategy 1: Plan Ahead 6 months to 24 months before test day So, you know Step 1 or Level 1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":3946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,20,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine","category-exam-prep","category-step-1"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Strategies to Acing the USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 1 - Osmosis Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/5-strategies-to-acing-the-usmle-step-1-and-comlex-usa-level-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Strategies to Acing the USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX-USA Level 1 - Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As you probably know,&nbsp;USMLE\u00ae\ufe0f&nbsp;Step 1 and&nbsp;COMLEX-USA\u00ae\ufe0f&nbsp;Level 1 assesses whether you can apply scientific basics to the practice of medicine. 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Our team continually strives to improve our products and stay on top of the latest developments in health education. We invite you to revisit this blog regularly for updates throughout 2024. 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