Asalam u Alaikum, it is really an honor for me to share my

experience with you people: the story is really lengthy and I

fnd it difcult to describe everything in detail but I would
give you a summary of my experience, you can anytime ask
me specifc questions and I would be glad to respond to your
querries !st let"s talk about the exam: no doubt it is a
difcult exam but the difculty has been much exaggerated
#he single most imp thing that would determine your score is
your study: the more you do the more you will have odds of
getting a higher score $ut since the course is lengthy you
need to be cautious about the way you use your time
Timeline:
#he idea of taking step ! came to my mind in %rd year &o I
did pharma and micro well in my %rd year %rd year is the
best time in my mind to start usmle oriented study It wont
take much time, 'ust utili(e your preps and summer vacation
well and you will pass your prof exam )ou also would have
the advantage of doing !*+ of your course
I wanted to take the test by the end of my +th year so I
started my proper study in april ,-!% and I gave my !st
read to $ehav science, $iochemistry, neuro, physiology,
anatomy and pathology but when went home for my
vacation, I lost my momentum and couldnt study for next %
months until my +th year preps came $reak like this really
demotivates you but still you have to believe in Allah
because .e has always got a plan for youI utili(ed my +th yr
preps in my own way concentrating on my step exam rather
than prof examI used that time specifcally for making my
weak areas stronger and integrating everything I study in
pathology with other sub'ects like pharm, physio , micro etc
At the end of my +th year exam I had to do uworld and frst
Aid plus my fnal revision After I fnished with my prof exam
I started the admision process and started studying uworld
and it took me , months to fnish it I also revised the
sub'ects from the kaplan along with u worldI took my test on
/th april ,-!+
My study materials
0athology: 1ol'an $ook, 1ol'an audio and 0athoma lectures :
1ol'an slides
0harma: video lec 2 3aplan
$iochem, genetics and molecular: video lec 23aplan
0hysiology:video lec 2 3aplan4 you better skip the chapters
taught by 5onrad, do the rest6
$ehav &ciences: 3aplan: !-- cases by 5onrad
7icro and immunology: 3aplan
Anatomy: 3aplan
8mbryo: .igh yield
.istology: skip the lectures 'ust read the book4 concentrate
on the cell biology and types of 'unction plus 1I# and
muscle histology rest not imp6
9euroantomy: mainly .)4 cross sectional of various regions
of brain are imp and you need to do it from .)6 rest you can
also do from 3aplan
First Aid: Dont focus on memorization but
concentrate on difernces among concepts and linking
difent subjects. Write your imp notes on First Aid
from aplan and u !orld it !ould "elp you in sa#ing
your time in your $nal re#ision.
% &anks:
3aplan : bank 4 'ust for practice 'ust makes your concepts
clear, dont try to memori(e things 6 dont do the pathology
from kap q bank it is totally waste of time
;smle rx4 this helped in studying my pathology well in my
+th year preps6 but this one is not imp until you have a lot of
time I would suggest confne only to uworld and kaplan q
bank
;world o<inethis one needs to be swallowed but I did it
one time because I had already practiced a lot of mcqs4 most
impmore exam oriented even I have some biostat questions
exactly from uworld on my exam6 u world might be a bit
defecient in molecular and genetics you can do that from
kaplan q bank6
'&M(s:
I took all o<ine 9$78= at the end of my +th year preps
before revision and doing uworld !=%*,--
9$78 !! at the same time !>-*,--
After ?oing uworld
9$78 !, !>@*,--
9$78 !% !>A*,--
9$78 !A I had problem in the key but got more questions
right than the prev
My mistakes:
overthinkingmost of the exam questions are simple
concepts
going for details when I would know for sure that such
things cant be tested
lack of consistency, the ma'or break I mentioned earlier
My streng"ts:
Integration:
repetition: and
practicing mcqs
Tips
keep your aim "ig"er dont say t"at my prep is not
good for "ig"er it "as got an efect )if you !ll "a#e
"ig"er aim you !ill be naturally conditioned to !ork
"arder.
&elie#e in yourself) t"ink t"at !"at you learn no! !ill
be applied for t"a ultimate good of your patients it
!ill gi#e a spiritual touc" to your "ard!ork.
T"ere is no gold standard met"od for study
e#erybody "as "is o!n go for t"e one t"at !orks best
for you..
*st read is #ery important: dont rus" try to undrstand
e#eryt"ing and don+t fool yourself t"at you !ould get
it in t"e end. your !"ole progress depend upon "o!
!ell you did eac" subject in t"e *st read.
,ractice as muc" mc-s as you can. Most of t"e time
t"ere are typical scenario for t"e case and e#en on
t"e e.am secenario is no difernt from - bank and
you !ould -uickly recognize it if you "a#e practiced a
lot of mc-s.
/earn t"e basic concepts !ell as most of t"e e.am
consist of "ig" yield stuf and simple -uestions
presented in an indirect manner but dont get lost in
lo! yield stuff and details...your score in most cases
doesnt depnd on your kno!ledge but "o! !ell you
kno! t"e simple concepts.
Focus on t"e difernces bet!eem common diseases
t"ats !"at !ould "elp you in ans!ring t"e -uestions.
Apart from micro and some p"arm !"ic" re-uires a
bit memorization dont try to focus any!"ere on t"at
it !ill !aste your time but !ill gi#e you little bene$t.

0epeatition and 1ntegration is t"e key 1 cant stess
t"at enoug". 1 !ould suggest you do pat"o in t"e last
after you are done !it" e#eryt"ing and !"en reading
t"at try to integrate diferent areas it !ould "elp you
a lot. First Aid is good source for linking difernt
areas.
Dont get in t"e trap of "o! many times you need to
do t"ings)concentrate rat"er on t"e concepts ) no
matter "o! muc" time it !oud take from you.2 one of
t"e stupid -uestion !e ask from eac" ot"er "o! many
times you did3 4
5oljan is good for integration and pat"op"ysiology
but it contains too muc" information t"an tested on
real e.am. Make sure you dont get lost in it.
6oncentrate on t"e notes !ritten on t"e side of pages
t"at+s "ig" yeild. 2 Dont read t"e in#estigation)
treatment and a long list of associations !it" e#ery
disease4
1enetics: I had done kaplan, uworld mcqs and kaplan q bnk
and I did well on my exam on it