How I Approached My Second Year of Med School
Summer before second year
The summer between my first and second year I took off completely. I hadn’t started using Anki yet so I didn’t have any reviews to keep up with, I think taking as much time off as possible was really helpful for me to feel energized for second year.
If you haven’t started using Anki yet and want to utilize it during second year, I recommend learning how to use it over the summer. I used the Anking videos on Youtube to learn how to use the app and their deck! I know there is a steep learning curve at first, but it is worth it to learn how to use the app!
I did not use Anki AT ALL my first year of med school, I def think utilizing Anki or even a few high yield resources (like Pathoma, Sketchy, or Boards and Beyond) during first year would make second year more manageable. If you don’t start using Anki until second year it is still worth it to start and you can catch up with it if you are committed to doing so!
How my strategy shifted between first and second Year
First semester of second year was was my favorite and most balanced semester. I shifted from mainly using our school resources to prep for exams to mainly using the high yield board review resources.
The high yield board review resources I started using were Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, and Sketchy micro & pharm (I had used these resources sporadically during first year, but during second year I used them as my main learning resource). I annotated First Aid as I would watch the videos. Full disclosure, I NEVER went back and read my annotations in First Aid (come to think of it, I don’t think I ever read it cover to cover, just looked through it as I took notes and would also take a pass through some sections before our course exams). In terms of board prep, re-reading my own notes didn’t seem like the most effective way for me, personally, to be recalling the material. I am glad I annotated First Aid, because it held me accountable to actually pay attention during the videos, but I think there might have been more time-efficient ways to actively watch the videos than annotating (considering I never went back to those notes).
Quick tip- near the end of dedicated I ended up using a whiteboard as I watched videos, I would write down key points to make sure I was paying attention, but didn’t take so many notes that I had to pause during a video.
I started using Anki right before second year started and kept up with it pretty much every day until about a month out from step 1. I also took a break from Anki for about 10 days over our winter break, I postponed most of my cards during that time. Throughout second year I would watch videos and then unsuspend the cards related to what I just watched. I watched videos based on what I was learning in our courses. I would keep the cards unsuspended even after we finished a block.
I did around 70-120 new cards per day to get through most of the deck by dedicated, and around 500-1100 reviews per day. I ended up having about 3k cards that I never saw before boards. I accepted that as boards were approaching I would benefit more from spending my time elsewhere (aka questions) than continuing to add more Anki cards.
Second Year by Month:
End of July- mid Nov – I utilized all of the high yield resources along with my course work, I found I had more free time this semester utilizing this method. My primary learning was done with the high yield board resources ( see above). I would supplement by looking over our course material (what we would be tested on) about 10 days out from an exam to make sure I filled in any gaps missing from the high yield board review resources I was primarily using. I would stop adding new cards to my Anki about a week out from my exam so that I could focus on making sure I mastered the material I would be tested on.
Mid Nov- mid Dec– This was the most relaxed block of med school. I took it reallyyyyy easy and only added new cards for psych and geriatrics (the blocks we studied in our coursework that month). I was pretty tired after the semester and wanted to regain some momentum before boards.
Mid Dec- early Jan (winter break)- I “tried” to keep up with my Anki here and there… but I really didn’t. I had around 500 reviews per day and I probably only got through them 3 times over break. For the most part, I just postponed my cards during break! I spent a week with my family and then went to the mountains for a week with Matt! Looking back I am so so happy I took that time off.
Early Jan- late April– FOCUS = BOARDS. My sole focus this semester was studying for boards. I was not as focused on my coursework grades this semester. Most of what we were studying in school this semester we had already seen once before in another semester so I felt comfortable shifting my focus to boards. I tried to align my board review schedule with our current blocks and ended up scoring the same (or slightly higher) as previous semesters. I created my study plan so that I would get through all of Boards and Beyond, Sketchy micro/pharm, a pass of First Aid, finish Anki, and finish my first pass of Uworld. Welp, to be completely honest, I was burning myself out within 2 weeks so I adjusted my plan… my blog post on how I studied for boards is coming soon (this will lay out everything I did specifically for boards during second semester of second year until right before step 1)!!
Note: Because Step is moving to pass-fail I think there will be a fine balance between making sure you maintain focus on your school’s curriculum/grades while also prepping for boards. Also, everything in this post is based on my own experience of trial and error to figure out what worked for me. This is not exactly advice, but just my own experience, so take what you want from it. AND, if something else is working for you stick with it.
Anki tip: If I had started Anki during first year I think that would have freed up time for me to incorporate more board review questions during semester one of second year.
Send me a message over Instagram if you have any questions! I’ll be cheering for you!!! 🙂