How I Scored 272 Without Taking a SINGLE Note (USMLE)

To learn more about the study techniques I use check out "The Science of Effective Learning" for free: santiagoaq.notion.site/The-Sc...
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Timestamps 🚀
0:00​ Intro
0:17 The Dogma of Medstudent Learning
1:19 The Real Utility of Notes for USMLE
1:59 The Issues of Notes
2:56 The Solution
6:12 The Modified "Dogma"
7:38 My Step 2CK Experiment
8:46 My Final "Dogma"
Who am I?
I'm Santiago Acosta, a Medical Intern from Universidad del Rosario 🇨🇴 on its way to become an Internal Medicine Resident in the US 🇺🇸
I use this channel as a platform to share tips and tricks about studying, productivity, medicine, personal growth, tech, and fitness 📚
I also run a second KZbin channel where I teach Internal Medicine 🩺 to Spanish-speaking students and interview awesome doctors from all around the globe 🌎
/ tutoríasmedicinainterna
If you have USMLE 🇺🇸 related questions please check out my FAQ page here:
docs.google.com/document/u/3/...
If your questions are not addressed on the FAQ page, feel free to leave them in the comment section ⬇️ (honestly the quickest way to get a response).
For business inquiries, please send a message to [e-mail] ✉️
Music by Fiji Blue - Space Makes Me Sad - thmatc.co/?l=B7E018C1
Free stock videos downloaded from www.pexels.com

[@krutikpatel1330]

At the end of the day, every topper says “ do questions man “

[@bangtanforever5358]

That's an indian thing, I can relate😭😂

[@user-jj4zb5jd6r]

loooolll

[@fatimak7825]

exactly! none of what he said was revolutionary. just proven methods for adult learners

[@renee6989]

Completely agree. Took notes going over the books for a month and got the same pitiful score on a practice test. Did 120 q a day for 2 weeks and my score improved by 30 on the next practice test

[@chellearmend3962]

I just dropped in a practice score by doing the first 😭 gonna try what you said cause the books aren't working 🙈

[@renee6989]

@@chellearmend3962 yesssss practicing recognizing the diseases in a question is v different from stand alone studying. Good luck!!!

[@dominicandrewz]

I am curious how you covered 120 in a day. I am struggling through 80. How do you review your questions? I review right and wrongs

[@renee6989]

@@dominicandrewz I just reviewed wrong or the ones I guessed right but rly didn’t understand the concept. When you first start it takes forever Bc you’re relearning or learning concepts. When you get through the entire bank it takes less time to review Bc maybe you mixed one thing up to get the question wrong rather than straight up not knowing the concept. Plus you start missing less so it’s less time to review.

[@dominicandrewz]

@@renee6989 Thanks. I go through this slump every time I start studying for standardized tests. I am so so slow, but I only started studying few days ago.

[@aarajubhatta6815]

This is the video I exactly needed right now. Thank you so much! :)

[@journeyofsaul9487]

As always, the best videos on USMLE 💯

[@shervin814]

Incredible work! Wishing you the utmost best in your journey to become a US IM resident

[@fabehaali5509]

This is amazing advice.It saves both money spent on books and time.Thank u!!

[@magentableue7540]

Thanks to your videos I started focusing my study on doing questions. It has helped me a lot. So again, thank you

[@brahmaputramoskva1215]

I have immense respect for your study techniques.I always love when people come with unorthodox way of studying and manage to best all the others going by rule book.I Never liked taking notes,never liked highlighting,never made flash cards,never read those humongous texts(except Robbins),but I always doubted myself if I was on wrong path. You are saviour,a lot to learn from you

[@eswyatt]

You've coined a brand new pedagogical term: "The familiarity problem". That nails it. Reviewing my notes is like, 'been there, done that.'

[@vivianle3746]

Started doing this without realizing and glad to hear someone else is doing it also, and being successful w it!

[@RiyaBhosale-hx3xi]

absolutely loved it , you literally changed my perspective of studying and notetaking

[@roysuraiya8422]

True and clearly stated thoughts on step exam study strategy ! Love it. Thank you for motivating me

[@kritikadubey2992]

Dude... You're seriously making my prep easier. Thnx :)

[@user-zf2bl6vm1c]

Very informative and helpful video Santiago. You are so generous to share your personal experience with the USMLE and help dozens of medical students perform better on the Step 1. I am very impressed by your method of studying . It is very original and I am not sure why I didn't come up with that idea. Guess it never crossed my mind. You are making studying so much easier and with less headaches. Looking forward to trying this method. I hope it works for me too. Thank you so much for posting this you are awesome.

[@dr.mikiyasolaniofficial1816]

Its such a wonderful video, thank you and keep up the good work!

[@shahin2324]

Your videos are consice and easy to understand! Thanks for making them!

[@TimboSlice08]

One of my new favorite pages. Santiago is a BEAST

[@JuanGarcia-kx8ez]

Your content is definetly game-changer (for the best). Keep it up!

[@sophiaavien5527]

Oh my gosh! This is so great, so helpful. Thanks a lot!

[@OliviaH0920]

This is GOLDEN! Mil gracias, Santiago!🙏🏼⚕️

[@vanshdeepsingh9263]

Subscribed bro. I used this technique (sort of) during my NEET exam (Pre-med exam in India) and it worked wonders. Guess I had to be reminded of it from you. Thanks a lot :)

[@aidanfoley3805]

Great video! Well explained and thought out

[@uzairhamid1725]

Thank You so much. I do really appreciate it a lot for sharing such an amazing content. I will try to apply it

[@DanielKaganov]

This is Epic Santiago! I’m just starting 3rd year and starting off with internal med rotations 😁😁

[@laxmineupane3168]

Workshop l hunkkkpppllppp

[@chemdaddy602]

came across this video going into my dedicated. Realized I’ve been doing what you’re saying this whole time. I’ve used just UWorld on 3rd year rotations with zero cheesy, BNB, etc. I make my own Anki cards for the stuff I get wrong. Before my shelfs I would randomize my marks and incorrect, and keep “marking” any questions that I want. Have pulled honors or high pass on everything this year (missed honors on surgery and IM by 1 point each time, and both times it was because I got only 85% of UW done for those). As soon as I ramped up # of questions I murdered the rest of my shelf exams

[@dizarelle93]

Completely mindblown! Definitely gonna try this out for Step 1 and see how it goes. Thank you!!!

[@Holameana]

Me tooo

[@ValhallaTwice]

How did it go fams?

[@ZahraHasanpourMD]

I’ve been trying this method recently... and it is excellent! This video was a kind of reassuring! Thank you! I doubted that if this is a right way to do this?! And you show me that it is! I really appreciate that!

[@luqi01]

hey zahra, so i can completely skip videos and all and jump straight to UW? Would i still be able to learn properly if i have a weak foundation?

[@ZahraHasanpourMD]

@@luqi01 hey to you... what videos do you mean? Actually I watched pathoma first... and then I did UW.... but i did not take any notes from videos... or I did not study anything else before UW... my foundation is not good either... you can try this method for a week, if you were satisfied then you can go on.... pathoma videos do not take you much time... before each UW session, I recommend to watch them...

[@hibsnad]

@@ZahraHasanpourMD hey how did you end up doing? i was thinking of using this strategy too

[@MyLizbeth20]

Weeeeey jaja no sabia que hacías videos en ingles, veo tus videos desde hace mucho en tutorías Med interna, me da un chorro de gusto! Ojalá tenga mucho éxito tu canal!

[@rhamdosparrow2791]

Good stuff man. You should be proud.

[@miguelgomez5004]

Thanks Dr. Santiago. I am recently studying usmle step 1 and I thought just like you but i wasnt sure if it could work. Thanks for reaffirm me that.

[@DrVivekJha]

Preparing for ck here.Thanks for the video bro.Good content man.

[@kunjgor1261]

Thanks for a well placed explanation

[@Dr.Bpatel]

Uworld is now allowing us to make notes. It has done pretty good job of dividing everything by creating subjects and topics. New section of notes is under the name of My notebook in Uworld. Thank you for this video!

[@francoisjpdutoit]

Man, you are really a Boss!!! I have watched and watched and watched so many videos of so many students/ residents on here covering similar topics all saying the same things, and afterward I always just think to myself:" Bullshit " That cannot work and doesn't work for everyone and anyone. You touch on so many valid points in your content and answer so many questions that all of us want to ask, but nobody can give you a proper answer. I am taking Step in 2 weeks and you are literally my saving grace right now, helping me through this last stretch. Keep it up!!

[@SantiagoAQ]

Best of luck in the test, hope you crush it!

[@reminemi1153]

how did it go?

[@user-zf2bl6vm1c]

@@SantiagoAQ This video you uploaded is Golden, u are so helpful.

[@drpepper7801]

Lol how did it go

[@anjali2530]

Sir let me know how can j contact u because I've many doubt's which are to be clarified !! Hope u understand

[@thaispedra-prosperity1564]

GREAT. I like it very much. I think it makes total sense.

[@zoyamufti833]

I appreciate this content.

[@loliwemoyo5680]

Santiago may God bless you. I'm not a great note maker coz my own writing is illegible but always learnt better from Qbanks.

[@omarsadikmohamoudali5284]

Great advice!!! Thanks.

[@livvyy4life]

completely changing my study plan after watching this video. Thank you so much! My anxiety is tremendously decreased

[@hemanshuchaudhari4899]

Did it work?

[@safaajb3250]

I love the way he saying informations bless you bro

[@LiaChi0213]

Gracias ☺️ I love to make my own notes, charts and all that crap that later I don’t remember and I wasted the all day instead of being doing practice questions 😒🤣🤣 Almost done with my 1st semester of med school, so I will follow your advice for the future semesters and step 1 😅 Me encanto el video! Exitos

[@rahabkhan7970]

Really helpful video, I will still use the dogma but I will now add qbank notes as well

[@danielcastilo1840]

Gracias Dr, se aprecian los consejos. Estoy estudiando para mi examen en Julio y la verdad es q los bancos de preguntas son esenciales y una gran ayuda

[@mattgroo1820]

I didn’t click on this algorithm suggested video for weeks because it screamed “bullshit” to me. Now I regret not watching it sooner! You offer maybe the best advice I’ve come across on KZbin! Thank you so much for your content!

[@sherifmahmoud2164]

This is smart and practical 👌. I like it. 👍 Thanks for the 💡

[@rafaelguilarte1891]

Great info Santiago! I’m aiming highly now for the step 1!!

[@SantiagoAQ]

Best of luck!

[@rafaelguilarte1891]

@@SantiagoAQ Gracias Santiago!

[@sharmarkeahmed7933]

I'm familiar with this technique . I used to read all answer , even the incorrect ones to compare and contrast . Thanks for sharing it.

[@Milka_1901]

breaking the SYSTEM bro. good job. it works for IT certifications too!!!

[@sadmedstudent1183]

Hey, you should make a step by step guide on how you study. Before class, in the class, after the class, before exams, etc

[@alekyadevi7304]

Thank you so much!

[@linaarias1768]

Amo tus videos 😍

[@manikmadaan]

SMASH THE LIKE BUTTON ! AMAZING VIDEO

[@michellerueff9791]

I keep hearing "learn from the questions" but it felt so vague I never got exactly how to do that or what they really meant.. This was a great way to reframe that concept and add an explanation I can get on board with. Thanks for making this video!

[@krisram100]

*SLAPS ON THE DESK* THIS IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED! OMAAAAIGHAAAAD

[@momalqureshi9823]

Me too...I put away my books for one year bcs repeated watching wasn't helping ...but now it's amazing Why this works wonders is because we already have base knowledge from med school

[@user-dz8bo4rb4l]

Thank you This is great

[@ayeshasadiq5664]

Thank you for making this video and sharingh your process with us...appreciate it

[@nz7780]

This makes sense and definitely is awesome seeing your results! Congrats! It would be helpful to get a better understanding of this updated dogma, if you were able to make a video of what this (‘all at once’- simultaneous learning, reviewing, & applying) review looks like in real time. Would be awesome if you took us through like 5 Q demo, how you reviewed the Qs you got right/wrong, reasoning behind which questions you marked, or how often you revisited the marked ones, unless just that one extra time. So is the majority of the extra time really spent reviewing all of the other answer choices per question, in addition to the correct answer, as opposed to taking notes and watching videos? How many questions did you do per day since the Qbanks were your primary resource? Were you doing them on untimed tutor mode vs going through a timed set of 40 and then reviewing them all? Thank you for sharing your method and insight! Super helpful! 🤓✨

[@SantiagoAQ]

Hey thanks NZ! I've thought about a "Study with me" video solving questions (I just think no one would watch it lol). On most days I did 80-120 questions. A handful of days I did mocks with anywhere from 200-280 questions (Reviewing them the next day). Did all on random tutor mode first pass and random exam mode second.

[@s96822]

Excelente. I am a graduate of a Latin American university. (1980's) completed US postgrado residency training a long time ago. Me hace falta Colombia, nice people, beautiful country. Saludos a mis amigos en FOSCAL, Clinica Barraquer, y amigos de parapente.

[@juanestesio]

Crack! Necesitaba ver este video. Yo tampoco tomo apuntes para estudiar, no me parece productivo. Éxitos en tu futura residencia, yo también voy por este camino!

[@Factor2121]

Estás en medical school?

[@juanestesio]

@@Factor2121 Sí

[@user-zf2bl6vm1c]

@Santiago AQ This video is gold

[@christopherchapman3212]

Santiago, amazing video. Greetings from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Can you make a video on how you studied for your in-house exams? Did you relay on question banks too?

[@jonyphilips7010]

Great, u just made my doubt clear

[@GodBecameMan]

Brilliant!

[@smokerx6291]

AHHHHHHH HE UPLOADED!!

[@winifredburkled]

Thanks for the advice. will do this for mine end of June. will come back if it works..

[@rahulsarkar2313]

Have tried the concept - like reverse learning via QBs. Thanks for elaborating.

[@rahmahdalhat8484]

Please what is this banks.......and reverse learning

[@nz7780]

@@rahmahdalhat8484 by reverse learning he means instead of watching videos and reading study books and Then testing his knowledge comprehension afterwards via question sets, he instead *starts with question sets and by doing questions he’s evaluating his knowledge basis. Then based off the questions you get incorrect and youridentified weaker areas, those are the topics you would review more of and maybe refer to first aid and maybe watch a video on. So rather than learn via books/videos -> then do questions , you *Instead do question sets first to identify a more targeted scope of what your knowledge gaps are -> and then you would refer to additional review items like FA or videos OR in this youtubers case, he chose to do questions and then mark those specific questions in order to later on do an additional review of the specific question answers/explanations. Hope this helps!

[@nz7780]

@@rahmahdalhat8484 banks= UWorld and AMBOSS are question resources with 2000+ practice questions each

[@rahmahdalhat8484]

@@nz7780 wow....heroes definitely don't always wear capes .Thanks so much for this.Hopefully you will be successful in all your endeavors 😁

[@SG-gw5xo]

Agree with everything you've said!

[@indethbed2546]

i have been doing that with success without even knowing why. It feels good to reaffirm your believes when everyone around you suggest otherwise. Just gotta follow the win condition and whatever works for u

[@bernnyfelix7565]

I might not agree with some things you have said in the past, but I have to agree with this one. Questions are the way to go.

[@enochbrown8178]

You have discovered the genie in the bottle. With question banks, you get multiple viewpoints because there are several if not many authors and therefore you get the perspective that matters to each of those authors. That's one hell of a lot of perspectives. I can't imagine any important bit of information being left out. Your method is the holy grail. Only a fool would not take your advice to heart and actually apply it.

[@tanaytejus5726]

Thanks a lot❤

[@ekaterinaisaeva7404]

Thank you very much

[@simranrandhawa6502]

Mind blown!!

[@Be1smaht]

This only makes sense towards the end of your studying. Didnt make any sense months ago.... but now I do this instinctively

[@laminjawo5586]

One of the smartest medical student out there.

[@josedanielaltamargarcia9491]

santy, gran fan de tu contenido, me ha ayudado demasiado.

[@AbdulAli-ku9he]

Genius.

[@lichh64]

Ah this reminds me when I used to solve questions and use the marking scheme as a learning/answering guide during my A Levels. I also didnt like taking notes except in certain subjects, I didnt even go back to read those notes, I just made them as a way for me to focus and arrange the information in my head.

[@ThePrincechandh]

This is genius!

[@medicinusacademicus9114]

I'm a first year student preparing for usmle. Can you make a video rating different q banks ? Cause I can't really afford all of them ... also love your approach!!

[@tomare6479]

Yep this is what I did. I made it a thing to avoid writing and doing more copy pasting especially if questions I got wrong or wanted to look at. this is just like that in ways.

[@mercedesfonseca8613]

genial Santiago

[@mf20101389]

🙏🏻thank you.

[@christavernon4198]

Hi! I remember watching one of your videos where you mentioned how much you liked “crush step 1” book, and I was wondering if you’d recommend this method over using that book + questions. Thanks!

[@sidraaishaiqbal8309]

Thanks 😊

[@amahboobali6147]

You are right!!!

[@rahultuhan8757]

Thanks for the video! Would you say the content covered in uworld Qs is enough information for ck?

[@barbaraonifade5278]

Hi , by any chance are you accepting students to tutor at the moment? Thank you

[@tianahill4528]

I hope I can pass USMLE I Don't haves a job,I am 36 years old all my dreams related to USMLE,if I can choose between my life and USMLE I would choose USMLE

[@alexserban6626]

I've always believed USMLE is not all about studying, you need God's grace to pass

[@carislinkon3356]

So sorry about that am still looking forward too take my USMLE exam on June just studying hard and praying to God I know I can make it.

[@rhondaaceret2524]

USMLE exam is so difficult & I don't know the reason why it should be?

[@johnsongilbert6799]

After, 3-4 years of studying we are being challenged be the ultimate exam "USMLE" many students face difficulties in acquiring their license

[@marymathews2741]

I failed my USMLE exam 2 times first was 2020 second was 2021 and I lost money on review questions and also wasted a lot of time studying which never helped me .

[@Northstar2]

How did you decide what questions to mark in those q banks to come back to? what was your thought process? just mark high yield or mark question you werent sure of? This is great advice thank you!

[@ljb3818]

im in first year thank you for this, changing my approach !

[@osgabriel20]

Some mcqs surpass any resource and in the end it’s technique and knowledge how to understand key words in stem and find the proper answer I agree

[@feruzaraeva3886]

Guy is a genius. Usmle monster💔💔💔💔

[@cherrie1763]

Hey Santi! Thanks for a great video and congrats on the amazing score! I'm a first-year now and we are the first class that step1 is switching to P/F now so step 2 CK has become the bar for the game. I really want to ace that test. Do you have any suggestions for a long-term timeline? Like should I start reviewing step 1 stuff this coming summer, and will it be helpful for future step 2? I know my worry is super early and probably unnecessary, but do you mind sharing a more detailed timeline of how you planned your study for step 2? Also what resources you recommend the most? If using Anki deck, which one should I keep up with, or should I make my own? Thanks a lot!

[@SantiagoAQ]

Hey Cherrie! I definitely think that solid Step 1 foundations go a looong way for Step 2CK. It really makes learning everything easier. My recommendation would be to study for Step 1 with a CK lens. I mean: let's say you're studying the mechanisms of resistance in MRSA. Well don't leave the subject at the mecA gene. Learn about how we treat MRSA in the clinic, what are the risk factors that make you think about MRSA in a given case. Try to see medicine as a whole (Not as basic vs clinical)... In that way, once you jump on the CK resources everything will make sense and will feel more like a "review" and fine-tuning than a primary learning experience. In regards to resources, I suggest the CRUSH book drive.google.com/file/d/1Jr1Jmp5Eqr2_wrjwMjecFj3RnrOg4pwQ/view?usp=sharing to understand the Step 1 content and either the AMBOSS library, Medscape or UpToDate to complement with the clinical concepts. Do your own flashcards, premade decks aren´t that useful imo

[@cherrie1763]

@@SantiagoAQ Woah this concept is amazing! Ok I think I should def start planning ahead and think things more holistically. The book looks amazing! I'll keep it along while studying for organ blocks just to get a better sense. I bought AMBOSS too but still haven't gotten enough time to explore it. Always thinking about doing question bank during school days but it's kind of hard. Summer sounds like a good start :D Thank you so much for answering! I'm binge-watching your channel now. Thanks to youtube algorithm I found you

[@MK-ut2ee]

How long did you prepare?? I could not find the answer to this! Great video! Facts

[@yelyzavetaoleksandrivnatom7761]

where can we find question banks for example for Anatomy, i dont seem to find any.. is there a site or platform available?

[@ghaidassweetdream8180]

Subscribing because I know I'm not gonna pass Med school without you

[@erinmorgan7706]

I passed my USMLE exam i couldn't believe it, all thanks to my aunt who introduced me to Mr Marcus

[@oscarwong4201]

How do you know to revise the stuff in the past if you use amboss instead of Anking? I’m using anking so that I’ll just do all the cards and not worry about what to revise, but in return I’ll just memorise without truly understanding, which take lots of time and it’s horrible to finish the cards

[@usmle2232]

Please can u review individual resources u used for strep 1 . Thanks for making these videos

[@dradhil4279]

That's a brilliant idea!👍👍 But I have a doubt- once I learn from a question, how do I incorporate spaced repetition into the process so that I re-do the question later to enhance my memory? Qbanks have the active recall component but they lack spaced repetition part I guess. Pls tell me how to integrate the spaced repetition into the system.

[@amilito4474]

Great video! If you’re just doing questions when do you take the time to memorize information? If you don’t know something do you memorize it and then move on? Or just hope that the spaced repetition covers those gaps in knowledge?

[@SantiagoAQ]

If I haven’t reviewed a subject I first make sure to understand it (usually the qs explanation is enough, but if not I go to secondary resources) after that it’s just a matter of spaced repetition, and the qbanks handle that flawlessly