Preparing for any exam is stressful enough, especially when there are thousands of resources to choose from. Here is a list of resources I and friends have used personally and found to be very high yield for step 1.
1. First of all, a question bank. I'm not talking about pdfs or copies of an old bank, but an actual, individual question bank.This gives you a chance to practice questions in real time, and to get a feel of what kind of questions to expect on the USMLE.
2. First Aid for the USMLE step 1: This is a must-have for step 1. It's a great guide to the Basic Science content seen on the exam. it also contains all the basic information you need to know about the USMLE. It goes hand in hand with whatever question bank you decide to use. I used it both as a textbook and a notebook. I annotated in the available spaces, the extra information I found in the question bank that wasn't already in the book. Towards the end of my preparation, I had all the information I needed in this one book. I actually took it apart and put it in a 3-hole binder, so that I could add pages of information in-between.
3. Pathoma: This has to be one of the best resources ever. I used it for Pathology in medical school and also for Step 1. It includes a textbook and videos that simplify the relevant topics for step 1 Pathology. I would say try to go through this at least once in order to solidify your knowledge in this subject which is a large part of step 1.
4. Goljan high yield notes: this is a comprehensive list of various diseases, mnemonics, and quick pointers for various subjects. If you can get these, they'll be a great addition to your study materials.
5. Kaplan lectures: There are live courses and online courses that provide lectures on all step 1 subjects. I used this especially for the difficult topics. I didn't necessarily go through all of the videos. I found them very useful for pharmacology and physiology. The course comes with textbooks as well.
6. Doctors In Training (DIT) lectures: These provide lectures which cover all subjects as well. You can choose to use these or the Kaplan videos.
7. NBME practice tests: This is the most common test used before going into the examination.
8. Study partner: of course you can study alone. One of the main things I did with my study partner was to quiz each other on high yield topics. There's a page at the end of the First aid book with diseases and pathognominic terms. You could also quiz each other on the Goljan high yield notes. What better way to stay motivated than through someone else who's studying for the same exam.
Drop any questions or suggestions you have below. I will update this if anything else comes to mind. I'll post my step 2 CK, CS and step 3 experiences soon.
