Step 1: Daily routine during the dedicated study period

Last year, as the class above me was slaving away during their dedicated study period for the USMLE Step 1, I wondered about their day-in-day-out routine. Sometimes I saw them in the library or at Chiptole, but these rare sightings only offered proof that they were in fact still alive. So, I thought it might be useful for medical students who have yet to jump the Step 1 hurdle for me to briefly describe my daily routine during the dedicated study period.

I woke up every morning at 6:15 because that is the time I would be waking up to take the real test on April 11th. More often than not, I did some flash cards right after waking up or while making breakfast, just to wake up my mind. After breakfast, I usually did a set or two of 48 practice questions. Each set of practice questions takes 1 hour to complete, and I usually spent about the same amount of time reviewing them. So, if I did two sets of practice questions, that already took me to the afternoon.

I spent the afternoon focusing on a particular topic. That usually involved First Aid together with multiple other texts. For example, I relied heavily on Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease and on BRS Physiology for pathology and physiology, respectively, while studying each organ system. I would continue studying that particular area until late afternoon or early evening before taking another short break.

Sometimes, particularly more toward the end of my study period, I would then do a third set of practice questions and review them in the evening. Then I would have dinner (which was usually take-out), go home and relax for a bit, then do some more flashcards at night before bed.

My daily routine obviously had a certain degree of variability.

First, my routine evolved as I figured out what worked best for me and what didn't, and as my needs changed. I was doing more subject-specific studying and fewer practice questions toward the beginning of the study period compared to the end, necessarily so.

Second, life does go on even when you're studying for the USMLE Step 1. I signed up for a 5k on March 20th, smack in the middle of my study period, and I also ran a half-marathon a week later. This kept me running almost every day, except during that last week before the exam. As difficult as it was for me to set aside time to run, I can't overstate how necessary running was to maintain my sanity. It helped to have family and friends keep me honest about my running. I usually fit my runs in after my morning practice questions or in the evening before dinner.

Third, I took the weekends a little easier, which for me meant only studying 8 hours or so instead of 12. This was also very helpful in keeping me sane, and I'm very glad that the MD/PhD student who took the exam a few years ago, and gave a talk on studying for the Step 1, impressed upon me the necessity of scheduling time off specifically to relax.