wallet biopsy

So err, I'm very embarassed to admit that I've spent, to date, over 1000 dollars for this USMLE step 1 board exam business. 470 dollars to sign up for the exam, and close to 800 dollars worth of review material. I suppose it is rather sad that one would need to buy comprehensive review books when arguably medical school is supposed to teach all this material in a comprehensive way. However, it is a fact of life that school curricula (specifically at this school) are blissfully ignorant of the type of material and presentation that is on the USMLE. To put it another way, as a friend recently confesses, my knowledge base is more like a disparate series of wooden rafts bound together with twist ties, and life thus far at this medical school has been spent jumping from raft to raft, adequate enough to avoid drowning, but not good as a base for anything substantial. To be fair, many classes here are taught remarkably well and are comprehensive. But it's a pity that those courses are in topics that are considered minor on the USMLE, otherwise know as 'low yield'. The truth is, there is simply too much basic scientific material to be presented, and while a broad knowledge base is the aim, the result is often spotty coverage. To be really thorough, this process of basic science education would probably take 4 years, if not more. The content based exam, alas, tries to ensure some kind of uniformity in medical graduates, and that is a commendable goal. That still doesn't make studying for it any easier. Or cheaper.