FOCUSED AND DIFFUSE MODES Those are the 2 main ways of thinkin | Usmle step 2 experinces
FOCUSED AND DIFFUSE MODES
Those are the 2 main ways of thinking involved in learning scientific facts as well as the creative acts of artists and scientists according to Barbara Oakley, Ph.D. This woman is the main instructor of the course “Learning how to learn” I took a while ago on Coursera. She’s also the author of the book “A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (even if you flunked Algebra)”. The course was great and very well-done. The thing is that the idea of focused and diffuse modes of thinking is worth entertaining and I think it’s important for the USMLE and any other exam you’re preparing for. Focused mode means what we all know, put your head down into something, reading, writing, solving questions, looking things up… etc i.e. you’re concentrating and trying to learn or reinforce your learning of something. We all good at that. Diffuse mode, on the other hand, means that type of thinking that you enter while in a relaxed mode. Avicenna (Ibn Sina) said once that he often falls asleep while struggling on some intellectual issues and he subsequently dreams about these issues to the point that the answer appears before his eyes in the dream. He then wakes up and writes those new ideas down. This happened to almost all of us one way or another. The idea is that your brain (while in a relaxed mode) wonder and try to make connections between information and concepts you learned before in the focused mode, so you got to give your brain this opportunity especially when we’re talking about a huge exam like USMLE which demands a great deal of integration and connection-making ability between subjects on different levels. So, what can you do about this? Sleep well, take long walks, exercise, relax on your chair for a little bit every day and think lightly about what you learned this day or the day before. This will have a huge impact on your performance. Don’t just study, watch TV, scroll down your Facebook homepage, watch YouTube, talk to people… etc You have to do some relaxed “diffuse” activities. Cooking is one of those by the way
+220 vs +240 vs +260
There’s no difference in studying sources, IQ or timelines! The only difference is the intensity of studying, focusing, taking everything seriously and not panicking too much.
SUGGESTED PLAN
=> Introduction – 1 month – Kaplan video lectures
=> Building the base – 1 month – Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, Psychiatry, Epidemiology, Statistics, Ethics – Kaplan Lecture Notes Internal Medicine – Master The Boards Surgery – Kaplan Surgery Cases Section + Boards and Wards Surgery Section
=> Getting into the game – 2 months – UW subjectwise timed tutor mode – 1 block per day (take notes and annotate your books, make sure to understand everything in UW)
=> Recap – 2 weeks – Revise your book again (you already annotated them and took notes from UW)
=> Before the end – 3 weeks – Do UW (second time) in timed mode 3 blocks a day (do the 3 blocks then read the explanations)
=> Finishing – 1 week – Revise your books and notes
N.B.
Do your first assessment (NBME 4) after “Recap” i.e. after #4. Do NBME 6 when you’re halfway through your second UW round. Do NBME 7 after finishing second UW round. Do UWSA in the last week and FRED 141 free questions in the last day.
PRAYING
For me, this was the most important part of my preparation and the most important tool throughout my life. Praying (making Duaa) i.e. asking God, has almost always worked for me. Asking God isn’t just words you utter. It’s an intense process. You want something and you believe God is the only one who can truly help you get it, so you ask him for help. Ask for guidance, ask for knowledge, ask for understanding, ask for courage, for strength and finally ask for the score.
“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the world,
the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee we worship and from Thee, we seek help.
Guide us upon the straight path,
