While failing USMLE Step 1 isn’t an uncommon experience, it can feel devastating to do so. You’ve spent much time, money and effort learning as much knowledge as possible as it’s now down the drain. Surely it can feel like the end of the road. And it’s no surprise that many students who fail Step 1 feel overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. But here’s the truth: failing Step 1 doesn’t mean you are a failure or your medical career is over; it only means you can tighten loose ends and try again. In fact, according to studies, US MDs who retook Step 1 had about a 66% pass rate. This shows that you can get a passing score with a dedicated plan and absolute focus. Read for more instructions regarding how to process and what next steps to take on passing the test on your next attempt.
1. Contact your school
The first thing to do after seeing your result is to contact your school. It might be embarrassing to call your academic advisor, but it’s important, as they’ll work in your best interest. Do not avoid or delay this step. While each school has different policies, many schools will contact you to offer support and assist you with the next steps. In tough times like this, it’s important to have someone in your corner, and your academic advisor should be that person. Also, it’s of a surety that your school has dealt with situations like this in the past and have helped other medical students scale through. Not only would your school help you with resources to guarantee success in your next attempt, but they’d also get the ball rolling in working out logistics for your next attempt. And it’s never a fun experience going through it yourself — you must have your school as a beacon of support as they help you through this.
2. Do some self-analysis
Analyze your results to see where you went wrong. Ponder about some of the things you left unfinished and think about the reasons for your failing score. Ask yourself questions like:
- Did I give the test 110% effort? Or did I study in a rush without time to breathe, rest, and retain information?
- Did I confront my weaknesses head-on?
- Was I using only the most common resources and nothing extra?
- Did I make effective and honest use of assessment tools? Was I adapting to the results?
- Was I willing to ask for help when I was lost? Did I ask the right person?
- Was I leveraging the power of USMLE flashcards?
- Were my timeline and study plan appropriate?
- Did I choose my test date wisely?
Once you understand the mistakes you made in the previous examination, you’ll know how to tackle them and prevent them from recurring.
3. Ask for help
Indeed, no man is a compendium of knowledge. Seek out people who have passed step 1 and ask them for advice. Your school comes in handy in this case; considering that they are intimately aware of students’ performance, they can link you up with upperclassmen who may have tips for you. You can also reach out to upperclassmen who retook the exam in previous years.
While there is no size fits all advice for passing an exam, there are general trends among students. As you ask your colleagues for tips, identify the general trends and compare them to your previous approach while preparing for Step 1. Stick with the general trends that seemed to have worked for many and cut off some tips that many students didn’t do.
Also, if you are overwhelmed by the number of pages and past questions you need, you can hire a professional tutor who can help you plan out your schedule, so you know what to study each day. If your mental health is a barrier, you can contact a health professional who can help with tools and tips to help you deal with negative emotions.
4. Give yourself enough time to prepare
This is another chance to get it right, and upon learning that you failed, you might benefit from an initial study-free week to enable you to plan and clear your mind for the new task ahead. Following that, you need ample time to study, but pace yourself, so you don’t overload yourself with so much medical stuff that you don’t remember any.
The time you give yourself to prepare will depend on how far you are from passing: if you are really far from getting the minimum pass score, you might need a month or more to prepare. Missed it by a hair’s breadth? You can continue at your previous pace while reworking your study schedule. Another important factor is how long it’s been since your last attempt. Medicine is a constantly evolving career, and questions and resources change along with it. You might need to update your resources, buy the newest revisions of your textbooks or sign up for updated questions on Canada QBank. You might feel some resistance when you start reading, but once it’s in motion, you’d only need to gather momentum each day.
5. Focus On high-yield topics
One common mistake candidates make is focusing on low-yield topics when preparing for Step 1. This is because they are more familiar with low-yield topics, and trying to answer high-yield topics might feel Comprar cialis generico barato en españa overwhelming or anxiety-inducing. But the truth is, they will never ask you about low-yield topics in Step 1. Instead of paying more attention to low-yield topics in detail, you can have a cursory knowledge of them and move on paradormirmejor.org to something that has been occurring over the years, like cardiac tamponade, emphysema, and sickle cell anemia. Study materials, such as Canada QBank, can help you identify areas of weakness and offer you a variety of course reviews to help you master several areas in USMLE step 1.
6. Ensure that your study schedule is bulletproof.
If you cannot hire a professional tutor due to financial constraints or other restraints, drawing up a reading plan and sticking to it can also help in the long run while preparing to retake step 1. In the old times, creating a study schedule was very daunting as you had to break up the resources you wanted to use to study and map them out in a spreadsheet. However, these days, they are a walk in the park— many apps can now be assigned to create several schedules in minutes.
Conclusion
Writing the USMLE step 1 exam can be challenging, and retaking becomes even more daunting. Utilize all the resources you have at your disposal, and ensure to rework your previous blueprint, as you surely know by now that it doesn’t work. Ask for tips from candidates who have written the exam and passed and engage with many question banks. Work with a Step 1 tutor, or if, due to financial constraints, you can’t, draw up a reading plan and stick to it diligently. Your life and career are worth the investment.