Katie's Step 1 — 15-Day Command Center

Your avg: 114 sec/Q · Target: ≤90 sec/Q · Peer avg: 63 sec/Q

Do 10Q timed blocks daily with a hard cap of 90 sec/Q.

Rule: Task-label first (What is this asking?), then proof sentence, then answer.

Goal by exam week: ≤85 sec/Q

C — Contradiction found in stem

Q — Question type reread changed what's being asked

D — Directionality error corrected

2 — Second discriminator identified

Net effect: +9 (dashboard) · +5 (calibration block) ✓

"Change when evidence improves. Not when confidence collapses."

"Anxiety is not new evidence."

PHARMACOLOGY — 12th pctile · 25% correct → daily every phase

MICROBIOLOGY — 31st pctile · 40% correct → every other day

EMBRYOLOGY — 42nd pctile · 50% → 2 targeted sessions

GENETICS — NBME 29 flagged → mechanism labels only

RESP/RENAL — NBME 29: 66 → 2 review sessions

ALL OTHERS → maintenance mode, not new review

Study Workflow

Question → First Aid anchor → discriminator → test-day rule → optional reinforcement.

1. Anchor

If fast, find the First Aid line or section that best explains the question.

2. Discriminator

Name the clue that ruled out the closest wrong answer.

3. Rule

Write one test-day decision rule you can apply quickly.

4. Reinforce (Optional)

Use a short Anki pass only if it helps retention and energy allows.

First Aid Anchor Rules

Keep review useful. One miss becomes one rule.

Max 3–5 highlights per topic. Only mark lines that would change an answer.

Link miss to QID/NBME if available.
Add FA anchor only if fast — or use OCR lookup when available. If it takes >30 seconds, skip it.
Write one discriminator: why this, not that.
Write one “Do Not Get Got” rule.
Keep notes ≤ 3 bullets.
Stop before review becomes punishment.

Optional next move: 5 targeted questions, a 10-minute discriminator drill, or one mini-table.