Dr. Aamir Laghari - USMLE Step 1 - 255 Experience - USMLE Experiences & Best Books for USMLE Preparation
Duration : 11 months. January 1st to December 8th 2016.
➢ Break Time : 1 and half month of house job in these 11 months & 15 days total holidays. so
total 2 months break time.
➢ Plus point in Step 1 :
❖ I am already done with step2 =240. December 2015. Graduated in march 2015. So it does not
means you do CK first. Whatever step you do first, it has been seen that score in 2 nd step are
greater as compared to first exam because you know all the tricks of study by then ➢ Study Timing : from 9a.m to 11pm ,in last month I tried for 8 am start.
✓ N.B morning study is recommended for effective out put by all expert opinion as compared to
all night study because Creator of this world has made night for some reason.
➢ Material Used :
Kaplan videos for all except Microbiology and Psychiatry
Pathoma videos with notes (V.V.V high yield source ) ➢ Q banks : only uw ….if u ask what
next my answer will be 1st uw, 2nd uw ,3rd uw but again quality matters instead of no of
repeats of uw .But if u want add then Rx is best to do compared to Kaplan q bank . ➢ NBMEs
NBME 7 my first ( offline ) 220 January end 2016
NBME 13 ( online ) 237 20th May 2016
NBME 15 ( online ) 247 10th September 2016
Uwsa 1 online 256 September 16
UWSA2 online 249 September 16
NBME 16 Online 230 November 16
Nbme (17 offline )and 18 same day ….245 & 225 on 3rd December 2016 .just 4 days before
Exam so you can imagine the how much believe you need to go in exam after seeing all this
but it works when you actually have believe in Allah and and in your hard work .This believe
helped me in exam ……!
✓ Lesson : though NBME predict very right but your inner self ,your believe in Allah ,your
dedication ,your hard work knows where your actual preparation are after this so long journey
when things goes on other way .
Preparation Phase:
✓ Instead of telling a long tale of my own, I will go one step further in telling to all of u there, how
you should master each subject in best and most effective way.
Pathology: 50% exam bulk comes from this part so master it in most effective way .best way is
first listen the pathoma lecture and annonate all on pathoma …7 days task .then revise all after
completion in 2 days .after that revise all patho part from FA …but why ? because it wl save your
energy ,time ,approach and wll increase the out put .you need uworld to master the patho after
you end all of ur lecture phase months. UWORLD is best ever to master instead of speding time
on Goljan . ✓ Pictures and High Yield lines of Goljan are recommended ✓ Pictures of pathoma in
last week before exam ✓ Make your diagnostic best always but how ?by UWORLD .Always
remember that uworld question are exam qz and real life qz so remember them and change the
qz of uw by changing different option so make 5 out 1 qz of UWORLD.Got so many diagnostic on
Board .
Pharmacology:
I did only from FA plus UWORLD .From Kaplan first 2 unit u must have to revise .its most crammed
part of step1 .but they give question like you never read before so point is read the mechanism
very carefully and keep on revising .best way is to remember just 10 forgettable facts before you
go into bed and then revise on next morning
Immunology:
Most tested domain regarding advance Medicine and new immune therapy mechanism .how to
master it ?
✓ First listen lecture of Kaplan in 3 to 4 days .then next day from FA then from Uworld if u have
offline otherwise online is best all time ✓ Type in ‘search box’ of UWORLD online only …‘’ Signaling mechanism “ and u will get atleast 15
pathways …V .V.V. High Yield and u will remember them always by this approach .
✓ Focus on all immunology disease of 2 pages in FA extremely high yield .
✓ Boards loves high yield instead of so much deep that u even don’t know what u reading .
Biochem:
Most ignored subject I think ,but Dr Turco lectures is best to listen its must to listen him .
Only kaplan book which I read is biochem otherwise my everything was FA plus UW .
Board loves clinical oriented question touched very deep in biochem as explained by Dr
Turco not more deep than him …p
Genetics is most difficult to learn .so best way is first Turco lectures next only Kaplan qz
bank part of genetics then uw one time then uw next time if u see no improvement …see the
style of mistake and dnt make the mistake next time …
Mistake are blessings dnt worry for them …why ? because they have long term memory if
learnt well ,I was thanking to Allah during my real exam that most of my nbme mistakes were
related with Real Exam question .
Anatomy:
First listen Kaplan lecture ,especially Neuroanatomy is must .
Do Shelf Notes of Aantomy I got direct question from it it wl take just you 5 hours , I did
just 2 day before exam
Master UWORLD anatomy every line and word is Golden then reading again n again
Kaplan .
Learn in this sequence …Neurology and nerves lesion > vessles > Muscle function > very
least origin insertion only the pics of uworld and shelf notes are more than enough . Revise all neuro gross pics in last week ,we all humane forget early so its normal dnt worry
for that .even if u dnt remember just believe that you will do it right at right point in exam if it
is learnt in a effective way then regurgitation in exam will be easy .
BIOSTATISTICS: most feared one
Dnt worry for it but why yr ? because it has same difficulty index for 90% UMLE students
.we improve it as move from step 1 to step 2 to step 3 but that’s not excuse too .
So the plan is first listen Steven Daugherty lectures …u will not understand first but no
issue ,it happens first time …
Now always remember stasts can only be learnt by NO of Qz u will do before exam not
book reading .so do first Stat from Rx Qbank ….then from UW step1 then …from uworld
special subsrcription 70 Qz …then you can also do step2 stats part if u have time and want
high score .
NBME biostat are also high yield so collect them while solving NBMES .
Do them again in last week specially all UWORLD biostat qz .
Microbiology:
✓ Do only from one source whatever but FA is highly recommended …why one source bro ,my
senior says study 2 to 3 books ? yes you can study books too but that’s not point to get best…
always remember grasp one subject from one source in best way it wll save ur hard work ,save ur
time and importantly will increase your out put .so FA plus uw is ultimate here no other thing . ✓
Recently there is increased trendof some more qz on viro ,parasites , Resistance mechanism and
fungus ecology
Physiology:
First listen Kaplan lectures …i focused more on respo ,cardio and renal .
Your physiology should be best in endocrinology and cardiology specially they give arrow
and up down and graph qz all like uworld and from uw and FA so just learn the facts already
given in them . If u have time revise all pics of physio in last week like cardio graphs .
Female physiology menstrual periods graphs are also important
Neurophysiology best covered in FA plus UWORLD
Psychiatry & Behavioural:
➢ Instead of reading Kaplan again n again expecting improvements is waste of all things
➢ Do BRS behavior …why ? because its excellent book which will help u to shape ur this weak zone
not in step 1 but in step2 and step3 .
➢ Its Qz type books so solve all qz u will feel after that now u know some thing .
➢ In 2nd revision of BRS u will feel confident
➢ After this revise from FA
➢ Now do UWORLD of this part
➢ Do 100 cases of Conrad fischer
Best Last month Plan:
➢ Revise behavior from BRS in 2 days
➢ Revise Last 4 NBME mistakes v important
➢ Revise uwsa1 and uwsa2 v v v high yield source for Board
➢ Solve whole uworld in 8 days to make yourself as u doing real exam .explanation of only
wrongs Qz
➢ Revise stats from uworld step1 ,Rx ,uworld special review .
Give nbme 17 or 18 atleast 15 days before exam so u should plan accordingly
➢ Do shelf notes anatomy important
➢ Exercise is v v v high yield during this time too …lol.U will feel it when u will do this. Atleast walk
on jogging track to get the feeling of freshness and to cope all depression
➢ Have faith in Allah that He will do best on exam day and then believe in prayers behind you and
believe in your hard work
➢ Check all requirements for exam …just 2 things must …Pasport ID and Permit and
date verification …to avoid anxiety .
Last week plan:
➢ Believe in yourself just ,you will have feeling that you dnt know much compared to Forum
people who know so much but believe me its completely normal .
➢ If u have anxiety before exam than tanks to yourself because its Normal. only abnormal people
have dnt anxiety …Conrad fischer says so not me .
➢ Revise all ur high yield notes
➢ Type in Google ‘’ forgettable list of step1 topics “ and revise them
➢ Type in Google ‘’150 cases of High yield Cases USMLE “ And do them
➢ Revise uw tables and pics quickly
➢ On last day pay thanks to Allah that you are at this stage due to Him…because He loves it and
will give u more on exam day
Exam Day:
➢Be Calm and hopeful .there will be every type of qz from very easy to moderate to some tough
qz …dnt wast ur precious time on very tough qz just give it a try if u can solve it otherwise do it at ➢Take short breaks initially then increase duration progressively
➢Wear poketless shirt to save ur time during exit and entering
➢Be very confident during all this time …if u need more then washroom also has mirror and u can
say whatever u want to say urself in that …its ur day u have to make it
➢Dnt panic in any case …what will happen if u dnt know the one qz not much …but panic will
collapse whole block so be calm just and happy that u doing ur best and rest is in the hands of
ALLAH who never disappoint a hard worker .
I will just need ur prayers Sincerely ….