๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐ญ?
- Doctor Sebas
- May 14, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: May 19, 2020

This post includes:
How to study for Step 1?
Study material
How to memorize everything?
How did I study after being out of school for more than 2 years?
How much time does it take to prepare the exam?
๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐ข:
โขUworld qbank x2 or 3 times
โขFirst Aid x4 or 5 times
โขPathoma videos
โขAnki flashcards
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โขKaplan and Board & Beyond VIDEOS for subjects that you donโt understand โข100 cases Anatmy shelf notes โขSketchy medical (If you memorize with photos/ stories this might work for you. They sketch a story for every microbe, pathology, drug, etc. itโs impressive how they do it. I didnโt do it on my preparation, but a lot of people recommend it.) โขGolijan Audios are very outdated (like 20 years old) but is so funny to listen to this guy, you can find his audios for free online. And listening to him while your are walking/ exercising is very fun, he makes tons of jokes, it's like listening a Stand up comedian, but you are learning USMLE! lol
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐: โขAmboss Qbank โขKaplan Qbank โขUSMLE-Rx Qbank
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐: โขUse USMLE material to study for your classes โขMake sure that you always review the material in First Aid while you are studying that unit in class.
๐๐๐๐:
โขItโs VERY important to understand every concepts, do tons of questions, discuss the topics, take notes.
โขOnce you start doing question after questions you will see that most of the concepts are repeated, so please UNDERSTAND them all!
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐?
โขFirst Aid is so compact, itโs the USMLE bible, literally has it has 95% of your exam. But itโs not just about memorizing it! Itโs also understanding every concept.
โขI would recommend to go over FA about 4-5 times.
โขI assure you that every time that you read it, YOU WILL SEE NEW CONCEPTS, that you never saw before, new things will appear like magic every time your read it! And make Ankis about it!
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐?
โขUworld is not just a qbank, it EXPLAINS almost EVERY USMLE concept.
โขMy recommendation is to start almost from DAY 1, yes, start Uworld ASAP, and do it 2-3 times during your preparation period.
โขDonโt worry about the %, how many right questions you are getting. WORRY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPTS!! โขYour first pass will take you about 6-8 months (Maybe less, maybe more)
โขThen do it again in like 3 months, and one more time during you FULL TIME DEDICATION PERIOD RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EXAM, CRAM UWORLD IN 3-4 WEEKS!!
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐จ๐ฌ?
โขDr. Sattar explains everything exceptionally good!!
โขThere might be like 2-3 errors in his videos. But everything is so well explained, and so HIGH YIELD.
โขHis book is good, yes. But his videos are FABULOUS!!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐?
โขAnki is a platform that you can make your own flashcard.
โขIf you got android it's free, also computer version is free, and for iPhone is $25 dollars, but trust me, itโs worth EVERY PENNY!!
โขYou can put photos into your flashcard, different colors, and even audios.
โขYou can also download otherโs people flashcards, but I highly recommend to make your own cards!!
โขSoon I will show some examples on how I did my Anki cards, I made over 2,000! I will make a word document out of them and give it out. I canโt yet due to copyright reasons, but soon I will have mines available! ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?

๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข ๐ ๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ง ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ง
1. Watch videos
(Kaplan, Bnb, etc, even Youtube has a lot of great explanations!
2. Grab the book and read it from there! (Eg, Kaplan books, High-yield books)
3. Discuss everythig new that you learned with your friends.
4. Make/ join Whatsapp group.
Share questions with them and discuss!
I would call some friends at like 1 am after I finished my studies, while walking back home from the library, just to talk about the topics that we learned during that day.
โขI canโt stress this enough, itโs SO IMPORTANT to discuss concepts and share questions with your friends!!
โขThere are tons of people studying for step 1 that can become your virtual friends!!
โขI actually made a lot of friends during my preparation, with some of them we even met in person and became my best friends.
โขWhat you are doing is not just STEP 1, itโs a journey, the USMLE JOURNEY. You will meet a lot of friends that will accompany you all along your journey! ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐?
โขVery hard to answer. โขIt can go from 6 months to 2 years. A lot of people will lie to you, they will tell you: "I prepared STEP 1 in 2-3 months and got a great score." Donโt believe them, they either prepared for it all along their school years, or they are only mentioning their dedicated period.

๐พ๐๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค
โขWe will face tons of problems, stressful situations, during our preparation. Itโs very important to keep going, if you are facing a stressful time, try to do at least 5 questions a day or something. But donโt stop for a long time, because then itโs very hard to come back.
โขThatโs why I recommend also making your own Ankis. I had a lot of problems/ situations during my USMLE journey. I had to stop a couple of times. But I felt like even if I forgot a topic, I had it on my Anki cards, and it was easy to review and remember it again.
โขYou can read some of the problems that I faced during my USMLE journey and how I overcame them on ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ post
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
โขYou will find TONS of bibliography for STEP 1. Try to stick to what works best for you
โขWhat Iโm describing is ๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ต๐ณ๐ ๐พ๐จ๐ to approach STEP 1 of course
โขThere are many many ways, Iโm just posting my recommendation! ๐โขReally study hard and deep for STEP 1, don't rush trough it, even if they change to PASS/FAIL system, ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โโ
Most of it's concepts will be repeated in STEP 2 CS, CK, and even STEP 3! Learn it once very good, and you will learn it forever! ๐
๐ผ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ๐, specially if you graduated a couple of years ago from medical school.
How did I start my Steps preparation?
โขI started my USMLE preparation after 2 years after finishing medical school. And 5-6 away after I took my basic science subjects at Med School. Eg, Histology, biochem, etc.
โขI felt like I was starting from CERO, literally from CERO. But after reading, studying, discussing topics, watching videos, things will start to sound familiar, and you will start to memorize and improve more and more everything.
โขI recommend to start from the subject that you like the most, you will get more into it from the beginning and stay motivated! Eg, I started from pathology.
(Most people would leave patho for the end, I would just tell you as I mentioned, start from your most favorite subject!)
๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!! ๐
Soon I will post how to study for STEP 2 CK and STEP 2 CS.
Good luck everyone, keep studying hard and pursing your dreams!! ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐,
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ !!
My idea about creating www.doctorsebas.com is to put everything that you need for USMLE together in just one place, so you don't waste precious time going crazy trying to find something, and instead use that time to study, work or do more productive things :)
Love you all,
Sebastian Arruarana, MD Fb: Doctor Sebas Instagram: @doctor.sebas
Thank you so much, Dr. Sebas. Weโll always be grateful to you โค๏ธ
Thank you so much for your efforts
do you have any impressions about the kaplan lecture notes (the 7books colecion) for step 1? Obrigado ๐ง๐ท๐๐ป
I m very frustrated as my yog 2016.then I started preparing but canโt continue.now I wanna start again and ur advice ur path really a lot for me....I donโt know I can reach the goal or not.but ur speech is the oil to reach the goal for me
Thank you so much for this, means a lot for us, hope to see u in more heights with flying colours.