People that have done Step 1- What did you do for food?

Son of Opie · 06-03-2009, 11:34 AM

Hoping for some decent advice for my USMLE 1: The percentages on Qbank are gradually rising, my first aid book is almost completely marked up, but I'm realizing that I have a hard time going more than a few hours without eating. For those of you that have already taken the test, how did you deal with this? Eat a little after each block? Big breakfast?

I'm listening.

asmallchild · 06-03-2009, 12:24 PM

I took a 5 minute break after each block with an additional 2 long breaks: one at the halfway point and one immediately prior to my final block. I brought Nutrigrain bars and took a munch and a swig of water after each block. My appetite usually disappears on big test days though. I've heard of people going down to the streets to look for food. I find that to be a waste of valuable rest time.

Like Mommy and Daddy always say, a big breakfast can help as well but again, I'm usually in no mood to eat even early in the test day.

Bigredmed · 06-03-2009, 06:13 PM

You don't want a huge breakfast, and if you're not one the usually eats breakfast to begin with, test day is not the time to start.

You definitely want a good mix of protein, complex carbs and some simple sugars - an egg or two an some whole wheat toast with jelly or honey would be a great choice. Or if you prefer a couple sausage patties/links for your protein. Toast with peanut butter would also be a good choice.

I would choose clifbars or kashi's protein bars over nutrigrain, again, you're looking for balance between your carbs and proteins. Luckily with so much break time available, it's not as important to go with gatorade or powerade over water, but gatorade is isotonic to blood and won't give you the free water bolus that could mean more restroom breaks.

In terms of caffeine, if you haven't been weaning yourself off up to this point, test day is not the time to start, so keep that intake as close to normal as you can. For me on Step 2 CK, this meant stopping for coffee before the test, and making sure I had my diet pepsi for lunch.

The biggest thing about these CBT's is that if you're a fast reader, there's gobs of time. I took a 45 minute break and walked around the mall to clear my head in the middle of step 2. I still had almost 90 minutes of break time left when I ended the exam...

Son of Opie · 06-03-2009, 07:41 PM

Thanks, Red. So if I'm finishing a block of questions in around 35-40 minutes, I'll have no problem?

asmallchild · 06-03-2009, 08:14 PM

you'll be just fine

i'm a rather quick test taker myself and i usually have time to check over things once and still have 5-10 mins left per block

so i use that time as my "break": nutrigrain + water + bathroom (if it's close by, which it was in my testing center)

after 3 blocks, I take a 15 minute break in addition to my usual 5-10 min break

after another 3 blocks, I use my remaining break time which is ~30-45 minutes

then I'm left refreshed and ready to tackle that last block

I'm sure you already know by now but definitely run through the sample questions and instructions at home. That way, you can skip the tutorial and go right into questions on test day. They take that 15 min tutorial out of your break if I remember correctly. Skip it and you should have a full hour to spend (in addition to any extra time you generate by finishing earlier in a block)

Shalashaska64 · 06-20-2009, 04:42 PM

lol @ future doctors drinking coffee and diet soda. Saaaaaaad.

Bigredmed · 06-21-2009, 01:34 PM

^^^
Apparently you've never met any physicians, ever.
For most, coffee is the fifth food group.

Shalashaska64 · 06-21-2009, 08:52 PM

Like I said, sad.

AliAngel · 06-21-2009, 10:01 PM

please tell me, why is that sad? oh wait, are you one of THOSE people who repeats something he hears from unfounded research before actually looking into it on his own? why don't you check the mayo clinic before you speak? diet soda isn't any worse than regular soda; actually it's better in that it has fewer calories. and for us students who have decided to dedicate our lives to becoming fully trained to better assist our patients, requiring us to take hours of exams constantly until we can begin working, how would you have us stay awake for the hours upon hours of studying necessary? caffeine pills? energy drinks? much better options, i'd say.

asmallchild · 06-21-2009, 10:02 PM

Quote:

lol @ future doctors drinking coffee and diet soda. Saaaaaaad.

FYI, doctors drink, steal, cheat, and lie too. Get it out of your system.

Shalashaska64 · 06-22-2009, 10:56 AM

^except the last 3 don't fall under "nutrition." Fail less please.

Quote:

please tell me, why is that sad? oh wait, are you one of THOSE people who repeats something he hears from unfounded research before actually looking into it on his own? why don't you check the mayo clinic before you speak? diet soda isn't any worse than regular soda; actually it's better in that it has fewer calories. and for us students who have decided to dedicate our lives to becoming fully trained to better assist our patients, requiring us to take hours of exams constantly until we can begin working, how would you have us stay awake for the hours upon hours of studying necessary? caffeine pills? energy drinks? much better options, i'd say.

I am one of those people who eats 4-6 times a day, making sure to get high-quality protein in every meal. When did I say anything about drinking regular soda? True, diet does have extra aspartame but they all fail. So do caffeine pills and energy drinks. There is no better option than a high metabolism and constant hydration to facilitate "hours upon hours of studying." l2argument.

AliAngel · 06-22-2009, 05:48 PM

shala, good for u. you're obviously not a doctor though if u have that much time to "watch your diet," and if u went to college then u must have had ur own kitchen because most meals plans don't allow you to eat "4-6 high-quality protein meals" each day.

btw i was being sarcastic about caffeine pills and energy drinks. and there is still no founded research on aspartame either.

Bigredmed · 06-22-2009, 07:56 PM

Good luck with protein getting you through nights on call in the NICU when you have to make decisions on a very sick ex-24 week preemie who's battling NEC and Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and just spiked a fever, all while fighting your own growing physiologic urge to sleep and circadian rhythm drowsiness at 3:15AM and you've been awake since 6AM yesterday. Protein's not going to cut it, even assuming you had time to stop and eat 4-6 times that day to begin with...

Shalashaska64 · 06-23-2009, 10:49 AM

It's not that hard to chug down an RTD in 10 seconds. Anyway, wasn't this thread about Step 1? If you have a break, why not spend it on quality food instead of garbage? Guess I'm not of a fan of "do as I say, not as I do"