USMLE Step 1: How to start - Strategies, Resources & Tips (Consolidation Phase)

[@jameswartz9291]

Feeling so defeated:(i studied hard all week, stayed up until 4 am. Woke up at 7 and worked until 4. Created a practice test with. Did it. Checked my answers. Went back and analyzed what i did wrong. All for Step 1:(i think that i was just so tired by the end of it all that i just wanted to be done. I'm hopeful that i can bounce back but right now I just feel like crying 😢 😭💔💔🤕😓😔💔💔😓

[@JeffreyGordon-em5tj]

I feel your frustration.The feeling of failing after putting in hours of work is heartbreaking. I go for step 1 2nd attempt next week. I'm scared as hell. But i will not let this test win. I know i am capable 😌 💯 🙂

[@RuthRay-mj2kj]

Frustration is a very positive sign. It means that the solution to your problem is within range, but what you're currently doing isn't working, and you need to change your approach in order to achieve your goal.

[@RaymondBedford-gh2zb]

People keep talking about Richard all over KZbin, he must be a very awesome help.

[@KenanGrace-wx5hw]

@Yes you're correct but remember heaven helps those who help themselves, try studying if you can't study then get yourself a good help.

[@katherinemanneback8844]

I studied for months and couldn't pass, i guess passing is a blessing.

[@ROADTORESIDENCY]

One of the best IMG Step 1 planning video I have seen. Way to go Dr. Challa. Keep on enlightening us with your experience! 🧡

[@fromahappy5536]

Can you do a video on how to annotate First Aid? Having lots of difficulties! Thanks

[@salomiurfriend]

not one of the best. This is the best channel for IMG step 1 Preperation journey. Thank you Dr.challa

[@gouravsainirollno.-3850]

Please make a detailed video about expenses in the process of USMLE ... how to spend smartly ? From beginning to the end

[@losartan3630]

Wish I used these strategies at the start. I did Kaplan without touching First aid and I soon found out that I just wasted my time. I definitely agree that you should use First Aid from as early as possible!!

[@sohaalam1843]

I am just starting my preparation for step 1 and by far this is the most accurate video that helped me understanding where to actually begin studying from .Thankyou so much .

[@jeffriespittman4774]

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[@comewithemtomars]

Did you follow this video plans and Have you wrote usmle step 1!. If you did so how it go with you.

[@kamranhashmi009]

I swear this was the most amazing video I have seen on Step 1 so far! Hats off Doc! Keep it up!

[@ahmed_alawsey]

Organized, concise and to the point. Thank you. I just wanna know who gave u that single dislike !

[@jessicatorres8439]

Really who? This video is great.

[@aneeshchalla7711]

This video really clarified what resources to use! Thank you

[@halaali2296]

I just want to mention that the new version of rx videos is so so good

[@drshaziabux5820]

Where I can that version videos kindly share Link

[@mustafashah373]

Doc your channel is an absolute gem for IMG's.❤❤

[@arjumandfaruqi]

Very good advice. I've seen so many videos but this one is the best so far. Will be waiting for more such detailed advice.

[@nishel25]

Really cleared up a lot of confusion by streamlining the resources needed for each topic :)

[@shraddhaa5931]

I just started my preparation this video really cleared all my doubts thank you so much doc wish me luck

[@karthigavasudevan7018]

hi Shraddha, i also started new and looking for a study partner. are you willing to join me for the preparation

[@franklinuchedili7188]

Best channel for IMGs!!!

[@kanmedlife2494]

It's the best

[@imohammadi4979]

One of the best and very useful videos for IMGS! Your really make the study plan very easy and understandable! Thanks a ton ! Please keep uploading such helpful videos .

[@juliaandreeva1046]

The most clear and useful strategy in just 8 mins!! Thank you!!!!👍👍👍

[@naveedmullahzada]

Best information i have found during my college

[@DrChalla]

Thank you 😊

[@iwaleedii]

Great and well organized work, thank you dr Challa

[@nagraar6099]

Very honest and clear

[@arpitheer5965]

Thank you! It clarified a lot of doubts.

[@sumeetsingh6632]

thank you so much , you gave a lot of information in this video

[@DrChalla]

Thank you!

[@bhargavchallapalli9846]

Great video, learnt a lot !

[@ajinkyagaikwad3542]

Thanks a lot!!! for your informative video it's the best I have ever come across, it solved my doubts as well :)

[@hamzahafaq146]

You are doing a wonderful job Dr. Challa, its amazing how youve compiled the process into an efficient timeline, keep rocking and keep making videos like these

[@anitamolina905]

Love your video. Excellent recommendations. Why first aid? Others don't recommend it at all perhaps just for reference.

[@MHL64]

Thank you for a good question, but I have not started my preparation yet, I am searching the best strategy then to start my preparation, what is your idea to move on.thanks

[@audilie33sing]

you re the best.Very shrewd.

[@tejap1444]

So informative, this is an awesome video!

[@vineetharimanda7512]

Thanks alot! very helpful for people who are starting out :)

[@rohiit93]

I’m energised to start my study plan! Thank you dr challa!

[@nahidhaboub3316]

THANKS doctor Really u help me IAM just preparing for steps THANKS alot doctor

[@uchalla70]

Nicely streamlined and now it is easy to estimate the time.

[@Pro0osh]

The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is how to study for the USMLE while having to study for my current course because I didn’t graduate yet but I want to take the step1 now before I forget the basic knowledge (thats the advice I got from ppl) If I focus too much on the USMLE then my GPA could be affected (really important if I decided to enroll a residency program in my country and not the US) because I have finished the basic science & now I’m in the clinical part of my curriculum... Really hard to decide and I’m afraid of messing up both (my GPA and USMLE prep)

[@oluohaemmanuella5681]

His videos are so detailed 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻God bless u

[@madeehamajeed6122]

Please Add more useful videos about USMLE

[@waadtayeb418]

This is extremely helpful thanks

[@honourblueforest]

what do you think about using USMLE-Rx and AMBOSS in addition to UW during Consolidation Phase, and then going with the only UW for the revision and precision phases ??

[@Haidarviews]

Thank you so much bro!

[@DrNamrataNikum]

You are just awesome 🙌

[@AS-wo8qm]

This is so good and helpful

[@khadijayasin3893]

I really appreciate your videos. Found them really helpful, thank you. Do I need to read the notes for kaplan (that's what I'm using) or are the videos enough. Also should I do the kaplan qbank first or should I prioritize starting uworld straight away? I'd really appreciate your advice.

[@wiliam4294]

Thanks How can I revise all FA it's so big after all the annotate?

[@srivishnupriya3665]

This video really helped :)

[@hasanalatbee1993]

Thanks brother

[@ashantiroberts8899]

What is the recommended hours of study per day, especially for someone who is working at a hospital?

[@mustafashah373]

Recently Dr. Challa did a Q&A session on Instagram and there he answered the same question, there he mentioned at least 5 hrs per day is a must if you are doing it consistently everyday or other wise if you skip days then you might need to crank up your hours a little accordingly.

[@M.S.1.5]

Thank you for such detail video. I would like to request you to please share your method of solving questions considering how long they are and you can't afford to spend more than 90 seconds per question. I have heard people saying that they approach a question by reading the last sentence first and then reading the rest before looking at the options. Do you approach it in this order or have a different order? Thank you :)

[@DrChalla]

Of course! There are many methods to do uworld and I’ll release videos in the future on how to effectively get through your uworld blocks. But essentially, yes, always read the last 1-2 lines to understand what they are asking from the question and then read the options and then start from the beginning. Practice skimming through the question to focus only on the necessary key words instead of focusing on all the “fluff” in the question. I’ll get into more detail about this in my future videos :)

[@M.S.1.5]

@@DrChalla Great! Thank you doctor!

[@keshavkeshav8]

Hi sir , i am from Bangalore,i just completed mbbs phase 1 , thinking of starting usmle preparation can u pls suggest me the resourse

[@elsaarceo6765]

Amazing video content. It was easy to follow and very informative. I am a us citizen IMG that is planning to take step 1 around fall of 2021. I am wondering if i should start studying using the 2020 gold standard materials or wait for 2021 edition. I am still currently in the philippines but will be returning to the us in october and i wanted to start studying as i wait to leave in october. Again, amazing videos!

[@QTAngel]

hey! im also a US IMG but i dont remember much after finishing med school so now i gotta start from the beginning kinda.. how r u doing?

[@bansaripatel593]

I am preparing for step 1 also…bt I have one question.. Is BnB is good for fresh start if you haven’t studied that topic in med school.. I am doing medicine in Caribbean.. there are some topic..which are not taught in my school.. so should I just go for BnB only or I should use some another resource…? Please guide me

[@dr.devanshiraval5701]

Nice video. Pls let me know about USMLE-Rx videos n qbank reviews

[@muneezazehra]

Great work I am struggling with neuro can you recommend bnb vs dr najeeb vs kaplan which one should be go for !

[@arkapravamukherjee5363]

Kaplan

[@ayubmohammad9468]

Thank you very much for once again. Can I know whether you scored 250+? Because your strategy is amazing

[@hamsikamoparty5811]

Good stuff

[@aurelienngankem7938]

Thank you so much for this great video .Please how do you advise to share the daily 08 hours study during the consolidation phase .

[@stringmagician6293]

Well explained!

[@ceciliapak8721]

Now I am at the end of consolidation phase, too 😓, rest for a week, don’t want to do anything...

[@DrChalla]

Maintaining mental health is a very important concept of this preparation. Don’t hesitate to take breaks because it is very important. As I’ve said in almost every video, this is a marathon, not a sprint. However, Try to minimize your breaks in your dedicated study period because you will get to a point where you forget more information in a day than you can grasp. At that point of your prep, it is very important to maintain a pace :)

[@arshpatel1659]

@@DrChalla 101% true sir

[@dilarakana7586]

Hi. Can u please make video on how to study Pharmacology? Thank u. It would be very useful :)

[@alikhattak1986]

How to annotate Fiirst aid?plz help me out

[@STstars101]

Thnx for the video. According to you what would be better for an USMLE aspirant- to give Step 1 before pass/fail policy starts or after ?

[@riyageorge1017]

Could you suggest a good resource for Anatomy and Physiology?

[@pratikshapatel3360]

Which resources do you recommend for behavioral science?

[@lisetriskel]

Which are the chapters of General Pathology? the firs 4 chapters of pathoma?

[@karidesai5234]

Hello , what resource would you recommend for physiology ?

[@DrChalla]

So the physiology for every system is covered in bnb so I’d prefer that as a primary reference. If you still find yourself to be weak in physiology, I’d prefer either the Physiology Kaplan videos or reading the topics that you are weak in, in BRS physiology

[@karidesai5234]

Dr Challa thank you 😃

[@fatemaalmehery3901]

Thanks

[@next_inicet_medstudent6573]

its better having whattsapp grp

[@wiliam4294]

Hey Dr When you say Kaplan do you mean the whole book?

[@ahmedatef1_]

what do you think about Anki?

[@samarshreshtha1305]

And what Doctors In Training? Can we watch their videos instead of BnB?

[@ramseyalhady6734]

So should I start pathology with the rest of the materials system wise, or should I start ahead with the general pathology from pathoma @Dr Challa

[@dipshikhaaravi4515]

Could you tell us the order of nbmes to be taken ?

[@kushistheboss]

How are we supposed to learn UWorld? Like to start solving questions as soon as system ends?

[@shazyshazy8579]

How i got boards and beyond

[@QTAngel]

In one of ur vids u said. u were going to say the order of NBMES todo, but it was not there.

[@hannansyed1502]

What about amboss?

[@ngoziozoemena]

Can we start with any system or is there an order that we have to follow?

[@nageshwarreddykothur2736]

Waiting for video on ck

[@kanmedlife2494]

Me too

[@naveenkumawat8135]

How to do elective for USMLE ?

[@kanmedlife2494]

Anki/using Secondary Q-bank(apart from Uworld) during Phase -1 of prep? Aren't they important tools during consolidation phase

[@DrChalla]

Anki could be a great tool if you use it correctly. I personally believe that anki should be used in your second phase of prep. If you do use it, it’s preferable for you to make flash cards in your second round because you need to use flash cards to reinforce the topics or points that you’re weak at or the points you keep forgetting. Essentially, in the first round of your prep, you don’t know anything, so it just adds a lot more time to create flash cards. I don’t personally believe in premade decks because I believe that the flash cards should cater to your weaknesses. Regarding other question banks, I’ll release a video soon on how to use the qbanks

[@kanmedlife2494]

@@DrChalla thanx a lot

[@ritahalder194]

100 cases ethics ....how is the presentation of the book....like case related or chapter(concept) wise?

[@DrChalla]

So the book is divided into 3 sections. The first section is just theory on things you should and shouldn’t do. It’s fairly an easy read. The second section describes 100 different types of model cases that they can ask in the exam. Your 3rd section includes the explanations for these questions :)

[@mariakamilarozo5312]

Do your recommend instructor-led/live prep courses that last 4-10 months?

[@shila2964]

Hi there, is FA enough for biostat?

[@hasanalatbee1993]

What about Anki?

[@DrChalla]

Anki could be a great tool if you use it correctly. I personally believe that anki should be used in your second phase of prep. If you do use it, it’s preferable for you to make flash cards in your second round because you need to use flash cards to reinforce the topics or points that you’re weak at or the points you keep forgetting. Essentially, in the first round of your prep, you don’t know anything, so it just adds a lot more time to create flash cards. I don’t personally believe in premade decks because I believe that the flash cards should cater to your weaknesses.

[@okidokidoc]

thaaank youuuu

[@medphilomath4436]

Sir please tell which textbook is best for making concept in phisiology Which one did you used in ur med school for phisiology

[@youssefrefaat1594]

Linda costanzo is the best one for medical school/usmle

[@DrChalla]

So the physiology for every system is covered in bnb so I’d prefer that as a primary reference. If you still find yourself to be weak in physiology, I’d prefer either the Physiology Kaplan videos or reading the topics that you are weak in, in BRS physiology. As for the medical school, I used Indian author books since I did my medical school in india. I used A.K Jain and Sembulingam

[@medphilomath4436]

@@DrChalla very grateful for the reply sir 🙏☺

[@salo7328]

@@DrChalla thank god i used ak jain and sembulingam too in my first year while everyone where using guyton and ganong. they told me i wasted one year and it is gonna be hard for usmle

[@sajithsakthi5979]

@@DrChalla sembulingam❤️

[@prisillajessi5805]

Hii new subscriber here . Could you please tell how to purchase the kaplan videos ... Is there any links that you could share?

[@ayanaayat9514]

A very informative video..Thank you.I have a question.I tried sketchy medical videos but I really don't feel comfortable with it..If I skip watching sketchy Is that okay to score high enough? waiting for your reply.I am using UW,FA and Pathoma along with Boards and beyond

[@MHL64]

Thank you for a good question, but I have not started my preparation yet, I am searching for the best strategy then to start my preparation, what is your idea to move on. thanks

[@mehnazafsheen8666]

sir where can i learn neurology ? because my kaplan set doesnt contain neurology notes in it @Dr Challa

[@DrChalla]

So the neurology videos in Kaplan are under the anatomy section and are labeled as Neuroanatomy. Even without this, boards and beyond along with fa and uworld should be sufficient for you to get a good grasp of Neurology. I really loved Dr. Najeeb’s explanation of neurology. I, personally, tried to do one of his videos everyday while preparing for neuro. It may be long, but I was relatively weak with neuro to start with, so this helped me get a great visual on where everything is situated and how it works

[@mehnazafsheen8666]

@@DrChalla thankyou sir

[@umamahgull5876]

Any substitute for uworld? It's kinda expensive for me

[@DrChalla]

I completely understand, however I believe that Uworld is an absolutely essential resource and your entire prep should revolve around this resource. I know it may be expensive but please don’t neglect the quality of your preparation

[@umamahgull5876]

@@DrChalla ahaa, thanks

[@yasminmeirelles6184]

Great Video! 🙏🏽👏🏾

[@ceciliapak8721]

mistake 1 , went through Kaplan and have not started FA yet ..oh no

[@DrChalla]

Don’t worry, as I said, mistake is a strong word and most people do the same thing. Personally, I’ve done the same thing. Every method has its own strengths and weaknesses. Now when you go through first aid and uworld, if you put in dedicated hours, you could honestly finish each system within a week because you already have a decent grasp of the concepts. If you fail to remember any concepts, just refer back to Kaplan and you’ll be great 😊

[@mrinalinidevig.k.v.2977]

dr.challa... for an IMG who is starting preparation after med school, what about the standard textbooks we used during our college days? do we need to revise them?

[@QTAngel]

i want to know too, did u find out?

[@ManishKumar-ub5sf]

Hello Doc After watching your Vedio i thought to try boards and beyond. And now the deal is Idk how to use it along ?with first aid? can you pls share something regarding this??

[@Drbetter]

For example : if you are studying biochemistry . Just go to boards and beyond . When you subscribe you can see the page numbers I. FirstAId related to that video . Steps : 1.Give one brief reading of that page before starting the video 2.take notes of the points missing in first aid 3. Take the quiz after the video . You can mark that part from the question in your FA with one single color signifying it’s from boards and beyond . I hope this helps Try to watch the videos of the day at 2* speed before sleeping it helps

[@hafsaejaz2134]

Can I complete bnb and fa first for all the topics and den after that go for uworld anotate on fa and revise

[@DrChalla]

Yeah you definitely can! However, in my experience, when people delay uworld in such a manner, it ends up killing more time overall because after completing all of fa and bnb, they tend to forget a lot and have to repeat a lot of fa and bnb prior to doing that respective system in Uworld. Again, everyone studies differently, however, for most people, I've noticed that doing this adds an extra 1-3 months to the prep time.

[@hafsaejaz2134]

@@DrChalla thanks...

[@hafsaejaz2134]

Do i need to study general pathology and hematology from fa as well once done from pathoma

[@DrChalla]

@@hafsaejaz2134 yeah I would say so! Fa is your gold standard however it’s a summarization book. You need to use other resources like pathoma/Bnb to elaborate the concepts

[@khadijanoor1781]

Can I do uworld old block with fa at first go and then buy uworld online in last few months

[@imtiazellahi3304]

How I will contact you brother?? I am here from Pakistan I really need a help from you

[@vindhyaprakash7175]

Kaplan is so expensive. Any ways of acquiring it offline?

[@nouarababi752]

Hi sister give me your whatsupp and i wil send it to you

[@neerajsangwan1731]

@@nouarababi752 please can you send it to me too!!

[@honeyhoney2252]

Nouara babi can u send it to me too, pls sis

[@leepikachauhan414]

@@nouarababi752 plz send it to me sister

[@toktok9999]

sounds like insane amount of studying right there lol

[@mirashahh789]

How much time it generally takes for revision phase?