Academic Success Team

A member of the SOM Academic Success Team can :

• Discuss your current approach to studying for block exams or licensing exams, and identify more effective ways you could approach studying for those exams.
• Help you design a practical and reasonable study schedule (e.g., topics on Step 1; UWorld question sets), or help you stick to that schedule over time (accountability).
• Help you find or prioritize additional resources to help you study, such as additional third-party resources or peer tutors.

Some meetings are required by SOM policy:

• Any student who fails a block exam, licensing or shelf exam, or repeatedly scores “low passing” in a block (i.e., below 80% in a block, even if passing all exams) will be contacted for a required meeting with a member of the team to discuss current study strategy, potential improvements to studying, and discuss some ways to address any potential obstacles to better performance.

Students can also elect to book meetings voluntarily:

• Students can schedule a meeting(s) with a member of the Academic Success Team to discuss any aspect of their current or future academic performance (how to improve block exam performance; how to design a Step 1 study schedule; etc.) whenever they would like.

In all cases, you are meeting with a member of the Academic Success Team because you want or need to improve your academic performance. The purpose of the meeting, even if required due to a failing grade—is solely to find ways to improve your academic performance in the future and is not a form of punishment or consequence.

Although team members may be familiar with some topics, content tutoring is not provided. If you need assistance with course content or help answering practice questions, contact your block director(s) or instructor(s) for assistance.

All TTUHSC SOM students can use these services.

As a TTUHSC SOM student, there is NO COST to use these services.

How best to prepare for a meeting with a member of the Academic Success Team might vary by the reason for the meeting, but in general:

• Come with specific topics or questions about your academic performance that you would like to discuss. Of course, these discussions are often free-flowing, and other questions can and will be answered as they arise.
• The person you meet with will likely need to know some academic background information for the discussion, such as your running average of exam grades (an accurate estimate will suffice), scores/output reports from CBSEs or CBSSAs, scores on practice tests in blocks or clerkships, etc. Having these scores or outputs ready for the meeting (whether in person or virtual) can save time and be helpful for the discussion.

Meetings with the Academic Success Team are completely confidential, except in cases of mandatory reporting, such as when there is intent to harm.

By design, members of the Academic Success Team do NOT grade you based on their interactions, teach during blocks, supervise clerkships, or contribute to your evaluations or your Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). You are not obligated to continue meeting with a team member if you choose not to, and you can schedule a meeting with another team member if that would better support your academic success.

However, in situations where students must meet with the Academic Success Team due to a failed exam or other academic delay (e.g., demonstrating readiness for Step 1), the Academic Success Team is required to report back to the requesting entity (e.g., block directors; the SPPCC) regardless of whether the students have met that requirement. Failing to meet with the Academic Success Team when required will be viewed as a professionalism issue. In such cases, the SPPCC may request an update regarding progress or challenges from the students and the Academic Success Team, but those discussions are considered "need to know” and remain confidential at the SPPCC level.

Students can access various resources from TTUHSC SOM, including UWorld, Boards & Beyond, and Pathoma. Dr. Daniel Stuart, the Research and Instruction Librarian, has created a concise LibGuide highlighting additional study and testing resources available to all TTUHSC SOM students. These resources are particularly advantageous for those preparing for Step 1, Clerkship Shelf Exams, Step 2 CK, or looking for more practice questions, case studies, or supplementary materials.

Access the LibGuide and free additional resources here

Step 1

• Resources:
  • USMLE Links:
    • Step 1 Exam Content

• Study Schedules

  Important concepts from Simon Williams, PhD:
  • Organization and discipline – sticking to a plan, no bleeding over to the next day
  • Retrieval practice as learning tool
  • Focused and random sets of questions each day
  • Gaining confidence through topic revision and repetition Strategy
  • Identify a single discipline or organ system on which to focus each day.
  • Ensure that all disciplines/organ systems will be covered before you take Step 1

  Recommended Daily Schedule

  N	Function	Time	Comments
  1	40 questions, focused, timed	1 hour
  2	Review results, only incorrect questions	30 minutes	Must stay on schedule; learn from the overview of results about areas of need.
  3	Review content using favorite resources (Pathoma, Anki)	4 hours
  4	40 questions, focused, timed	1 hour	Same topic (organ system/discipline) as item 1.
  5	Review results, only incorrect questions	30 minutes	Self-assess progress and identify any new areas of need.
  6	Content review, as needed	1–3 hours
  7	40 questions, random, timed	1 hour

  Please note that no single schedule works for every student. Your daily and weekly study schedule will likely change as you progress through the Step 1 preparation process. We suggest working with a member of the Academic Success Team to develop a customized daily schedule and multi-week Step 1 study plan.

• Guides and Tutorials:
  •  Videos and pdf (etc.)
    • AMBOSS YouTube Channel
    • AMBOSS: “How to crush Step 1”

Step 2 CK

• Resources:
• USMLE Links:
  • Step 2CK Exam Content

Step 3

• Resources:
• USMLE Links:
  • Step 3 Exam Content