Best Resources for the USMLE

We asked Dr. Davietta Butty, MedSchoolCoach advisor and pediatrician, what resources she found very helpful to study from during medical school and while studying for the USMLE.

When I was studying for the MCAT I definitely used the Kaplan system. I went to the classes for a semester or for however long it was and I used the practice tests. I thought that was really important in terms of getting prepared for the format of the test and the type of rigor that the test was going to have. Then as far as the

USMLE is concerned, there are many different resources you can use. I think I remembered studying from First Aid and Goliath lectures. But what was important for me was the group anxiety about Step One in particular where somewhere in January when everyone in my medical school class was getting very excited and anxious and all they talked about was Step One. If that’s something that motivates you then that’s great but if it’s something that’s contagious and increases your anxiety then I think making sure that you are able to remove yourself from that environment to study and stay clear-headed is also important because you don’t want to get psyched out by other people’s anxieties or worries.