Start preparation as early as possible during your medical school.
Start with Kaplan books or your books of choice. Finish one reading first even though you don’t remember everything.
Do Qbank questions randomly so you don’t get bored. Read explanations and remember as much as possible. Read repeatedly. Plan for 5 revisions.
If you get bored reading sitting at one place, move to a different place and start reading again.
Don’t waste time. It’s ok not to attend some social events. Don’t waste too much time on internet. Too much time is wasted in internet these days.
Don’t just blindly follow others’ way of preparation. You will win if you are able to individualize the preparation for yourself.
Remember even the pictures given in Kaplan or your books of choice for preparation. I answered couple of questions correctly by remembering pics given in Kaplan books.
Put focus on one step at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking about all the steps at one time.
Finish at least step 1 and 2 with great scores before looking into research, observerships, MPH/MBA or such things.
Stick to one best series of books and one Qbank. Read them repeatedly as many times as possible.
Pray god to give you blessings and moral support.
Motivate yourself. Find ways to motivate yourself. Think of all the good stuff you get if you get into residency like money, dream car, attractive spouse, etc. Do not depend on others for motivation.
Talk to people who take exam recently. Get some ideas so you feel comfortable and prevent anxiety.
Do not socialize too much at your place of study. You can always gain more friends later.
Relax several times during the day. Mental and physical peace helps you remember stuff well. Do not get into fights or arguments with anyone even on internet.
Don’t be in a rush to take steps. You need 6 months for step 1 and at least 4 months for step 2. Of course, there are exceptions.
Never take step 2 prior to step 1. Take them in their order to get the best possible scores.
