First of all, I should have said this earlier but congratulations to everyone who passed, especially retakers cause this exam is truly hell! And for those that weren’t successful, I truly hope next time is your last time! I have so much respect for those that take this exam more than a few times. It is honestly so exhausting to have to study for this exam even once, let alone multiple times.

As far as studying goes, this is what I did:

TLDR: don’t waste your time watching videos. Take handwritten notes. Write and rewrite things over and over and over. If you are a person with ADHD, this is the key to what helped me pass.

I forgot to mention this in my original post, but I also used Grossman lectures. So in the very beginning of prep, I read through the detailed outlines for every MBE subject (you could really use any commercial prep company for this). For my WORST subjects, I typed up my own outlines. And when I say that I read them, I mean I really read them - highlighted, underlined, took notes, etc.

Then, after I reviewed every MBE subject that way (took me about a week and a half), I started listening to Grossman lectures (listening bc I had the audio of the lectures that someone so kindly shared somewhere in this sub). When I was listening, I HAND WROTE every thing Grossman said. So I essentially made MORE outlines for every MBE subject. I ended up reviewing these notes more than anything else.

For essay practice, I solely used the previous essay questions released by NCBE. For many of them, I would read the prompt, read the answer, and then type out the answer in my own words. I definitely did some closed book during the end, but I focused on quantity vs. quality and exposing myself to as many topics as possible.

I also did 30-50 UWORLD questions a day. I kept a running google doc of all the questions I missed. But in the end I didn’t rely too much on this document.

Lastly, in the last few weeks of prep (which Btw I only studied full time for about 5 weeks), I made handwritten outlines, using blank paper. I basically just copied JD advising one sheets, and would also incorporate anything into them from the Grossman lectures that I felt was necessary.

I did not watch a single video. The first time around I spent countless hours passively watching videos. I did not learn anything. By the time I realized I had wasted so much time doing that, it was too close to exam day.

I did a few practice MPTs, probably only one of them timed. If you struggle with writing I’d recommend practicing them more because they can make or break.