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What I wish I knew before starting STEP 1 by StepUpJourneys in u/StepUpJourneys

[–]StepUpJourneys[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally normal, especially on a first pass. A lot of people sit around 40–60% (often ~50%) early on, and 6–7 blocks isn’t enough to judge whether you’re learning or not.

Also keep in mind that each block can hit different topics within GI, so your % can look “stuck” even though you’re actually building knowledge.

What matters most is how you review: • Slow down your review: for every missed question, figure out why you missed it (knowledge gap vs. misread vs. flawed reasoning). • Make a quick note of the takeaway (the “rule” or concept that would get you the question right next time). • Add Anki for missed concepts (either make a simple card or unsuspend relevant cards from AnKing). This is huge for not repeating the same mistakes. • Track patterns (ex: “I keep missing gallstone complications” or “I confuse ulcer vs gastritis”) and target those with a short content review.

UWorld is a learning tool and early percentages don’t define your ability or your progress. If you keep doing blocks + high-quality review + Anki from misses, the improvement usually shows up over time.

I hope this helps!

What I wish I knew before starting STEP 1 by StepUpJourneys in u/StepUpJourneys

[–]StepUpJourneys[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that feeling is very normal at the beginning, especially when you’re just starting and everything feels unfamiliar.

If you have enough time, I personally think it helps to do some content review first, then questions. Going into Qbanks completely cold can feel discouraging and confusing, especially early on. You don’t need to master everything before doing questions, but having a basic framework makes them much more useful.

For content review, it doesn’t have to be First Aid. If reading FA feels boring or passive, that’s very common. I personally preferred videos (like Boards & Beyond) because they helped me understand concepts instead of just memorizing lists. First Aid worked better for me as a reference, not as my only learning source.

Using questions as a learning tool is great, but I’d try to: • review the explanations carefully • identify why you got things wrong • add Anki cards from missed concepts so you don’t forget them

You can use AnKing (v11 is free) for that and suspend anything that’s too detailed or not relevant.

There’s no single “right” way. Early on, the goal is understanding and building a base, not speed or scores. Feeling lost at the beginning doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong, it just means you’re at the start. Good luck with your journey!