Study Schedule, Productivity, and Test Taking Strategies for the USMLE
All of the most potent tactics from thousands of hours of 1-on-1 tutoring distilled into succinct lectures. Don’t improvise USMLE study. Plan your study time effectively with HyGuru.
Plan your Time
Don’t improvise USMLE study. A little planning can save you a lot of time. Use our customizable study schedule to set goals and be efficient.
Learn Test Taking Strategies
Peel back the onion to reveal crucial test taking elements. Learn how to approach questions, question blocks, multiple blocks and game-day test taking psychology.
Make the Most of your Time
Productivity starts the moment you open your eyes in the morning. We’ve surveyed the productivity practices of the most successful people and applied them to all elements of USMLE Step 1 study.
Study Schedule
Have you heard of the 3 + 1 study system- 3 days per organ system and 1 day for catch-up? Don’t improvise. Be strategic in your approach to preparing for the USMLE Step I. Planning up front saves you hundreds of hours down the road. Follow our tutorial to create a customizable study plan layering UW, First Aid, & Pathoma! Everything is in one location for easy study and productivity. Use it for both longer term as well as dedicated study periods.
Test Taking Strategies
Rahul distills thousands of hours of 1-on-1 USMLE Step I tutoring into the most significant test taking techniques. Learn to stem-paraphrase-predict, identify pertinent positives and negatives, and master USMLE question patterns and triggers. Learn typical question styles for each organ system. Then balance your time and routinize your approach to question blocks with the Three Pass Approach. Finally dive into test day psychology and adopt the mindset to execute successfully on game-day!
Productivity
Don’t spend all day on a single UWorld block. In this course Rahul shares evidence based productivity tips that will increase your test performance. You’ll learn to do UWorld blocks in under 90 minutes, when to assess yourself with full length practice exams, and when to pivot if one study approach just isn’t working. Put your highlighter away and adopt a productivity mindset with concrete strategies that will make you a better test taker and a better doctor.
Course Curriculum
- Introduction to How to Review a UW block (4:45)
- Reviewing Incorrect Questions (8:49)
- Reviewing Marked & Correct Questions (2:26)
- Step Wise Approach to Qbank Review (UW) (3:39)
- Doing Qbanks (UW) (4:59)
- Reviewing Qbanks (UW) (7:24)
- Isolating your Fab 5 Topics (3:47)
- Using Notion to Optimize your UW Review (7:04)
- Educational Objective ↔️ Vignette Architecture (3:06)
- Incorrect Answer Choices (1:43)
- Reviewing your Notion Table& FAQs (5:03)
- What is UWorld? (3:02)
- Session Overview (2:15)
- Key Mindset #1 🧠 (3:16)
- Key Mindset #2 🧠 (1:03)
- Key Mindset #3 🧠 (3:33)
- My UWorld Workflow (0:35)
- Tutor vs Timed Mode (4:35)
- Habits to Develop with UWorld (3:12)
- Key Mindset #4 🧠 (1:00)
- A Review of the Fab ✋🏼 (1:09)
- Key Mindset #5 🧠 (0:52)
- The Big Picture (Rapid Overview step) (3:26)
- Which Questions to Review First (8:02)
- OPEN LEAF mnemonic 🍃 (4:31)
- Reviewing the Explanation (4:08)
- Vignette Based Notes (5:58)
- Demographics (1:02)
- Vignette Structure (1:30)
- How to Utilize Your UW Notion Template (3:08)
- Conclusion (11:49)
- Approaching a Question - Practical Example (4:02)
- Stem-Paraphrase-Predict (Advanced) (3:53)
- Introduction to Pertinent Positives & Negatives (2:26)
- Identifying Pertinent Positives (1:53)
- Integrative Example: Pertinent Positives & Negatives (3:44)
- Identifying Triggers in USMLE Questions (3:18)
- Approaching Vital Signs in USMLE Questions (1:57)
- Integrative Example #1: Vital Sign Interpretation (13:17)
- Integrative Example #2: Vital Sign Interpretation
- Strategic Approach to A Block - Introduction (6:12)
- The Three Pass Approach (0:45)
- The First Pass (0:47)
- When to ⛳️ a Question (0:57)
- Benchmarking - Balance Timing in Your Block (1st Pass) (3:51)
- Active Recall Review: The First Pass (0:48)
- The Second Pass (3:12)
- Dealing with Narrowing Down to Two (3:12)
- Integrative Example: Immunodeficiency (11:35)
- The Second Pass (Marked Review) Summary (0:46)
- The Third Pass (2:28)
- Strategic Approach to A Block - Summary (1:58)
- Introduction to Various Question Types on the USMLE (0:14)
- Approach to Lab Value Questions 🧪 (0:59)
- Integrative Example: Lab Values on the USMLE (10:16)
- Approach to Graph & Chart Questions 📊 (0:49)
- Integrative Example: Graphs & Charts (3:35)
- Approach to Cardiology Questions ❤️ (1:49)
- Integrative Example: Cardiology Questions on the USMLE (2:07)
- Approach to EKGs ⚡️ (2:33)
- Approach to Drug Ad & Experiment Questions 💉 💊 (1:41)
- Integrative Example: Drug Ads Questions on the USMLE (3:26)
- Approach to Anatomy Questions 💪🏽 (4:20)
- Approach to Genetic Syndrome Questions 👶🏼 (2:05)
- Integrative Example: Genetics Questions on the USMLE (9:37)
- Approach to Multi-Media Questions 🎧 (1:00)
- Approach to Image Based Questions on the USMLE 🖼 (0:57)
- Integrative Example: Images on the USMLE (4:50)
- Approaching Next Best Step in Management (Step 2 CK) (3:02)
- Approach to Psychiatry Questions 🧠 (3:22)
- Approach to Physician Communication Questions 👨👩👧👦 (1:55)
- Approach to Endocrinology Questions💡 (2:33)
- Introduction to Advanced Test Taking Strategies (8:52)
- The HyGuru Story (4:46)
- General Course Outline of Advanced Test Taking Strategies (1:07)
- Anatomy of a USMLE Question (7:46)
- Chief Complaint (7:40)
- Mental Frameworks (2:57)
- Summary of the Chief Complaint (1:26)
- History of Present Illness (14:48)
- Refractory in USMLE Questions (1:08)
- Past Medical History (11:42)
- Medications (29:16)
- Therapeutic Index & Pharmacokinetics (7:20)
- Summary of Medications (1:11)
- Allergies (7:10)
- Social History (1:31)
- Smoking & Alcohol on the USMLE (14:04)
- Portal Triad & Hepatology (3:00)
- Family History (6:53)
- Pedigrees (6:09)
- Summary of Family History (0:51)
- Vital Sign (2:37)
- Shock Integration (3:04)
- Oxygen Delivery (5:19)
- Growth Percentiles (5:31)
- Summary of Vital Signs (2:05)
- Physical Exam & Shock (2:57)
- Murmurs (9:07)
- Lung Physical Exam (2:17)
- Hemostasis Physical Exam (2:43)
- Oncology Physical Exam (3:16)
- Labs (6:34)
- Test Taking Approach to Labs (10:51)
- CSF Interpretation (3:29)
- Summary of Labs (1:15)
- Imaging (4:02)
- Test Taking Approach to Imaging (5:28)
- Summary of Images (7:12)
- Review of Stem, Paraphrase, & Predict (3:21)
- USMLE Test Taking Psychology (5:04)
- Virtual Question Bank Review (Introduction) (6:34)
- Types of Stems (Step 1) (8:32)
- Types of Stems (Step 2 CK) (8:03)
- Paraphrase (2:10)
- Illness Script Creation (11:50)
- Test Taking Frameworks (20:49)
- How to Approach EKG Questions (18:22)
- Cognitive Switching (4:16)
- How to Approach Anatomy Questions (7:27)
- Gastrointestinal Ligaments (5:05)
- Lymph Node Drainage (1:59)
- Neuroanatomy (6:10)
- MSK Anatomy (4:20)
- Cranial Nerve Anatomy (1:28)
- How to Approach Physical Exam Questions (8:09)
- How to Approach to ID questions (2:48)
- Summary of PE (2:28)
- How to Approach Pathophysiology Questions (8:46)
- How to Approach Syndrome Questions (4:18)
- Virchow Triad Questions (14:44)
- Repro Embryo Questions (6:58)
- Approach to Lab Questions (4:06)
- Hepatology Labs (10:41)
- Little Boost of Motivation (1:33)
- Hematology Labs (7:19)
- Adrenal & Electrolyte Labs (4:13)
- Approach to Graph & Chart Questions (0:51)
- Graph Question Breakdown (7:19)
- Approach to Experimental Questions (2:48)
- Experiment Question Breakdown (1:56)
- Approach to Arrow Questions (1:11)
- Approach to Physician Response Questions (2:43)
- Ethics Question Breakdown (2:17)
- Course Conclusion (3:06)
- Overview of Arrow Questions (3:54)
- Cardiology System (1:23)
- Baroreceptor Reflex (7:51)
- Edema (2:36)
- Aldosterone Escape (3:04)
- Ventricular Septal Defect (3:05)
- Respiratory System (1:09)
- Chronic Respiratory Acidosis (3:10)
- Hypoxemia (5:10)
- Aging (1:36)
- Neonatal ARDS (2:05)
- Endocrine System (1:19)
- Adrenal Insufficiency (5:18)
- Waterhouse Friderichsen Syndrome (1:45)
- Hyperthyroidism (4:37)
- Euthyroid Sick Syndrome (1:49)
- Thyroid Binding Globulin (2:10)
- PTH effects on Bone Kidney and Intestine (4:40)
- Tertiary Hyper PTH (2:27)
- Albrights for the USMLE (4:23)
- Vitamin D Metabolism (2:38)
- Paget Diseases for USMLE (1:55)
- Reproductive System (1:04)
- Two Cell Hypothesis (7:08)
- Renal System (3:24)
- Nephron Key Features (9:14)
- Afferent vs Efferent Arteriole (2:56)
- Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (1:59)
- Primary vs Secondary Hemostasis (3:50)
Your Teacher
Dr. Rahul Damania
Dr. Rahul Damania, fiery and infectious, taught his first USMLE course while still in medical school and has accrued many teaching accolades since then. A born educator and motivator, Rahul continues to augment his educational portfolio through old-school hard work and an authentic pledge to his students' success. Currently a PICU fellow working about 80 hours per week, Rahul humbly recognizes that his credibility as a teacher is forever rooted in an enduring willingness to listen to and learn from his patients.
Rahul, who himself scored above the 90th percentile on Step I and II, has over 3000 hours of USMLE teaching experience. Students working with Rahul average a 20-point increase on their exam. This year alone, he has had multiple students who initially scored sub-200 experience an increase to 230+. He has held multiple comprehensive USMLE courses at top tier medical schools in the Midwest.