USMLE Step 1

I ought to write something about Step 1, though obviously I can't give any specifics. In the last few days before the test, I finished reading First Aid and going over some notes. I didn't have time to do as many problems as I wanted and kept cramming to the end (I learned the P450 inhibitors/inducers the day of). I've always been a study sprinter, which doesn't lend itself to these marathon-like tests, but it's not too bad.

The test itself went fine, though its emphases were slightly different than what I had expected or prepared for. Two things helped me a lot more than I expected. The first is a research background. I had a number of problems that involved interpretation of basic science experiments or data. The problems were purposely written to be intimidating in its nomenclature, format, and length, but the problems weren't actually hard. I feel like fluidity with experimental setups and data helped me stick with questions I may otherwise have skipped. The second is active learning of material outside of school: http://content.nejm.org/misc/eicm.shtml and http://caseoftheday.blogspot.com/.