A Common Yet Overlooked USMLE Step 1 Prep Mistake That Could Hurt You On Exam Day 👇

Lack of stamina 🏃

Stamina with respect to the USMLE exam refers to your ability to sit for an extended period of time and maintain laser-like focus!

It’s not a common topic of USMLE Step 1 exam prep discussion…

But it’s paramount to your success on exam day.

You work on mastering content… Putting in endless hours learning, reviewing, and quizzing yourself to make sure no topic throws you a curveball.

You work on mastering test-taking skills… Spending countless hours doing practice questions… Block after block after block…

Don’t overlook the importance of building your exam-day stamina!

Here’s the super-simple, 2-step process to make it happen:

STEP 1. PLAN OUT ‘STAMINA SESSIONS’:

This is as easy as having 1-2 days per week where you do 3-5 blocks in a condensed timeframe, such as you would on exam day.

Set aside the typical 60-minutes per block, and give yourself a limited window for breaks (5-10 minutes per block); the goal is to keep yourself in the pressured situation.

Sidenote: You should review your questions after they’ve all been done for the day, not after each block. Otherwise, you’re not maximizing the benefits of this exercise.

STEP 2. SLOWLY INCREASE THE TENSION:

Each week, aim to increase the time spent in your ‘stamina sessions’.

The goal should be to get yourself to a point where you’re able to do a full exam at least a couple weeks out from exam day – without breaking a sweat.

Remember… The entire goal of this practice is to ensure that you’ve built the capability to stay sharp on exam day all the way until the end.

If you’re able to stay sharp on exam day, you’ll give yourself the best possible shot at passing your exam with ease.

If you found this to be helpful, don’t forget to grab our free Medical Student Survival Guide for even more tips & tricks to thrive throughout your medical school journey! Click HERE to get it.