Conscious

Competence Model of Learning

My experience Step1: 252
Preparation time: 11 months

First of all, thanks one more time to this group, it was fundamental for my
learning. I will try to make it simple and understandable.
Personal background:
o IMG
o Upper third of my class
o Year of graduation: 2014
I consider that the above graphic explains much of the process also in my
preparation, so I will use it as a guide of my experience.

You don`t know what you don`t know

The beginning. It will depend on your background of course.
The objective in this period was to KNOW what were the topics and how
deep are those approached.

Material
o First aid (FA) (once, and copying the important things from the
others sources)
o Kaplan (Biochemistry, Anato, Phisio, Pharmaco, Behavioral)
o Embrio. High yield. Dudek.
o Microbiology made ridiculously simple
o Goldjan
o UW online

Time: 7 months, 8 (+/- 2) hours per day, resting one day per week.
UW first time correct % : 68%
UWSA1 online

: 238
Recommendations:
o DO NOT MAKE ANNOTATIONS in other book different from FA. At
the end, the only book you will revise will be FA. (the
photographic memory is also important; it is better to have a
unique mental consolidated source.)

o Before reading any topic from other books, make sure that you
have a GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT IS IN First Aid (eg. charts,
graphics, algorithms, mnemonics, ect). So you know the essential,
and do not invest much time in not-high yield things.
o If possible start doing QUESTIONS SINCE THE BEGINNING as you
progress with the subjects. Help in focalize high yield concepts.
Make annotations of those concepts in FA.

o Do not read Kaplan twice.

o Phisio & Anato Kaplan needs complementation with BRS.
o Behavioral Kaplan is too dense. I made a general review and
complement it with BRS
o UW is the best of the best. Really didactic, understandable.
Sometimes too much information.

You know what you don`t know

Now I felt a little better with my knowledge, but I had some MENTAL
HOLES, some concepts that I knew I understood but couldn`t remember
easily. But I knew in what book to find the answer fast.

The objective in this period was to MAKE THE CONCEPTS MORE CLOSE
TO MY MIND. At the same time, after the intensity of the previous period,
here try to

Material
o FA (second time)
o Doctors in training (DIT) 2014.
o UW (second time)

Time: 2 months, 8 (+/- 2) hours per day, resting one day per week.
UW second time correct % : 82%
UWSA2 online

: 252
NBME 15 online

: 234

Recommendations:
o Try to finish UW and review the wrong answers until you do not
have any wrong answer. So the majority of concepts are
understood, or unless WRITTEN on your First aid.
o Again, your FA would be your best friend.
o
You know what you know

Now is when I felt more confident. There were less MENTAL HOLES, the
principal concepts were learnt, but there were some RELATIONS
BETWEEN THEM that needed to be INTEGRATED, eg. some concepts in
FA that you didn`t know could have a relation.

The objective in this period was to UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONS

between the concepts I have learned, and start with the MEMMORY
FIXATION of concepts that, even that were understood, needed memory.

Here is when it got trickier. Here is when POSTING & DISCUSSION were
fundamental for contrasting what I have learned (before that I didn`t post
so much because I felt I could find answers just reviewing the books; my
doubts were easily solved just doing that).

Material
o FA (third time, until the exam)
o NBME offline
o Posting and discussing in the group.
o BRS. Just questions, especially in my weak point according to
NBMEs. (Behavioral, physiology, histology, anatomy)
o Cards.

Time: 1 months, 8 (+/- 2) hours per day, resting one day per week.
NBME 13, 12, 11, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 offline
: between 235 - 251

Recommendations
o I started adding some friends (in fb) that also were at the same
stage of study, so the discussion was really useful and the answers
were reached without too much delay.
o I pasted my own Memmory Cards (made of paper) on all my
bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. The pasted the
concepts that even understanding the concept needed MEMORY to
be fixed. (eg. pharyngeal arch embryology).
o BRS questions are really direct, without to much statement. Perfect
when you don`t have time to waste.

You don`t know what you know (you know it naturally)

At this time I started felling almost ready for the exam. All the questions
were asking any concept that I watched at some time.

The objective here is to PREPARE FOR THE EXAM, in terms of resistance
(8h practice exams) and review some algorithms or charts just to refresh
the knowledge.

Material
o FA (third time, until the exam)
o NBME 16, 17, 18
o Cards.

Time: 2 weeks, 8 (+/- 2) hours per day, resting one day per week.


2 weeks before exam
NBME 17
241
9 days before exam
NBME 18
262

5 days before exam

NBME 16

241

In NBME 17 and 16, I felt that did with some back pain and with the time
at limit. NBME 18 was most steady.

Recommendations
o Focus in weak point, some of them just some memory failures.
o Practice 8h exams, eg. 1 online NBME + 2 blocks of offline NBME.
o Practice your breaks. In my case: 5`, 5`, 10`, 25`, 5`, 10`.
o Day before exam, I didn`t study nothing. I ran 6km and swam in
the sea. So I did rest well all night.
o UW and NBMEs prepare you well for the pattern of questions in
the real exam.

At the end, I could say that the first part is really PAINFUL. It is tons of
information without knowing what is high yield and not. Do not stress.

Perseverance is the mother of success. There are no tricks, only perseverance.
Repeat and repeat concepts.

No pain no gain
So be prepared.

Ral Montaez
(from PERU, the country where Machu Picchu is set)