The American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination Part I is the most difficult exam podiatric medical students face in their academic careers. There is a multitude of different strategies and resources utilized by students across the nation in preparation for the exam — this article is geared to depict a detailed look into three different students’ approaches to the APMLE Part I, with the intention to help give first and second year podiatric medical students insight on how to cultivate their own plan of action for the exam.
Below is a list of resources commonly recommended to students. We have broken down the resources to correspond with the various topics covered in the exam, and included the percentage of the exam that each topic makes up. However, it is of note that some of these resources were not used by any of the writers of this article; this isn’t to say that they are good or bad. There are simply too many resources available for the material on the exam, and it is important for students to be, both, efficient and thorough when limiting the number of resources they plan to use for board studying. Although not all of our resources were the same, all three of us managed to pass the exam on our first attempt.
General Anatomy (13%)
First Aid
USMLE-Rx
BoardVitals
Gross Anatomy Class’s Powerpoint
Netter’s Anatomy
Lower Extremity Anatomy (25%)
Scholl’s PowerPoint
Anatomy of the Lower Extremity by Hirsch
500 New York LEA questions
Ruben LEA Notes
BoardVitals
Dr. Wedel’s PowerPoint
Biochemistry (10%)
BoardVitals
First Aid
BRS Biochemistry
Boards and Beyond
USMLE-Rx
Physiology (13%)
First Aid
BoardVitals
Board and Beyond
USMLE-Rx
Microbiology and Immunology (13%)
Sketchy Micro
USMLE
BoardVitals
First Aid
Pathology (13%)
Pathoma
First Aid
Boards and Beyond
USMLE
BoardVitals
Pharmacology (13%)
Sketchy Pharm
KIIS Pharm
USMLE
BoardVitals
Lange Flashcards
Salem Lebada
Resources Used:
Sketchy Micro
Sketchy Pharm (good for surface level physiology as well)
Boards and Beyond (only for biochem)
Scholl’s Powerpoint
Worth mentioning that I didn’t actually go through the powerpoint myself and instead went through a 1500 card Anki deck that was based off of it created by my classmate, Kira Cramer.
BoardVitals
APMLE prometric practice tests
New York LEA Board Review Questions
Google/Youtube (for spot-checking)
While I initially planned to begin board studying in January of my second year, I came to realize that my core curriculum classes required my full focus. My intention was to study alongside my classes since they covered the material on the APMLE, and supplement with SketchyMicro and SketchyPharm when relevant. Whenever my lecture mentioned a bug or drug from a previous class, I would go back and rewatch the sketchy video later that night. I felt like I was building a strong and holistic foundation using my study strategy — but when I took the APMLE mock exam in early April, I failed with a score of 47%. Fortunately, my scoresheet allowed me to see the four topics in which I needed the most improvement and I was able to structure my study schedule around my weaknesses: microbiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and lower extremity anatomy.
After the mock exam, I started SketchyMicro back over from the beginning, watching several videos daily and frequently using the quiz function on SketchyMedical to make sure I was able to recall the information. It took me about three weeks until I was answering the majority of quiz questions correctly and was confident with microbiology. By this time in late April, I had just over two months to prepare for the exam and three remaining weaknesses to address.
From there on out, my daily study routine consisted of answering 50-100 BoardVitals questions (using Google and Youtube to spot-check topics I would miss questions on), spending ~4 hours on SketchyPharm videos and quizzes, and 50-100 Anki Cards based off of Scholl’s Powerpoint. After going through all of the BoardVitals questions, I started back over on the questions I missed on my first pass through. Once I finished all of SketchyPharm, I spent five days, using the time I typically spent on pharmacology, going through the biochemistry section on Boards and Beyond. Similarly, once I was finished with the Scholl’s Anki Cards, I began going through the New York 500 question bank, going through 50-100 questions per day.
By the week leading up to the exam, I had thoroughly studied every available resource listed at least once. I spent that last week reviewing sections in my resources I felt I was still weak in, mainly pharmacology and the distal branches of the lower extremity nerves and arteries. I also took both of the APMLE practice tests on prometric during that week and was reassured when I passed. The day before the exam, the only studying I did was going back through every single BoardsVitals question for the third time.
While my study strategy allowed me to pass Part I, I walked out of that testing center with uncertainty and a feeling that I could have been more prepared. If I were to alter my strategy, I would have found time to implement the lower extremity anatomy anki cards and sketchy micro back in January, as my upperclassman recommended to me. The most effective part of my strategy was converting my weaknesses into my strengths. Although each student will customize their study schedule to fit their individual needs, I regard the practice questions as an invaluable constant among all study approaches. I also noted that many of the concepts from the BoardVitals question bank were represented on my Part I exam. I found what helped me most and my biggest recommendation for readers is to identify your personal and academic needs as a student, then customize your study schedule towards them. Regardless of which resources you decide to adopt into your study plan, dedicating several hours daily and putting in the due diligence as an aspiring medical professional will give you more security going into your Part I exam.
Daliya Heng
Resources Used:
First Aid
USMLE Rx videos
Sketchy Micro
Sketchy Pharm
KIIS Pharm
Scholl’s PowerPoint
Ruben LEA Notes
Dr. Wedel’s PowerPoint
500 New York LEA questions
BoardVitals
I actually started board studying after shared curriculum was over which was halfway into May of my second year. I tried to begin studying earlier, but it became too overwhelming to balance board studying while we still had exams and assignments due. The first thing I did was print out a blank calendar and broke down each topic that I needed to cover with the number of days left leading to boards. I had a set schedule each day starting with a more feasible topic from SketchyMicro, as a warm-up. I would then switch to lower extremity anatomy; I started with the hip muscles and bones from Scholl’s powerpoint and worked my way distally from there. Pharmacology would come next in conjunction with whatever topic I was studying. For instance, I would study antibiotics while I was going through the biochemistry section of First Aid. I would also do practice questions that correspond to the content I have been studying to gauge how well I was understanding the concept. If I kept getting the questions wrong on the same microbes, I would either rewatch the SketchyMicro video or review the SketchyMicro PDF. In my opinion, it is extremely important to do questions and review it the same day in order to understand and gain insight into why I got a question wrong. If I was unable to review it the same day, I would write down the topic I missed in order to review it the next day.
I’m a kinesthetic and visual learner, therefore, I drew out all of the arteries, veins, and nerves of the lower extremity, made charts for each bone which consist of all its different features, and actively took notes in my First Aid book. I do recommend that if you manage to keep getting the same topic wrong, find a video on USMLE RX or YouTube to approach the concept from a different perspective. In the middle of June, I scheduled a 4 day break. To make up for time off, I studied 10-12 hours each day during the week leading up to my break. During those 4 days I did not study at all because I wanted to rejuvenate myself so that I’ll be recharged for the final stretch. I do believe that taking a break is essential and necessary while you are studying to avoid getting burnt out. It is certainly acceptable to take a day off during the week when you have given a 110% effort into studying each day; don’t feel guilty if you need a day off.
This was my approach to studying and it worked for me. I suggest taking what each upperclassman recommends with a grain of salt. Even if you get an 80% on your practice test, it does not mean that you will get an 80% on the actual boards. It does, however, represent that you are on the right track and you should continue what you are doing. Do not take your foot off the gas pedal due to a few high percentages on practice exams. Also, go at your own pace and don’t compare yourself to others who study at a different pace or who are studying a different topic than you. Keep in mind that each student has their own strengths and weaknesses, so do what works for you and learn as much as you can. A piece of advice that was shared with me, and I also recommend for students is to know your lower extremity anatomy, microbiology, and pharmacology down cold. I also highly recommend to do the questions from the question banks and review all the questions even if you got them right. Remember that board studying is only two months of your life and you should be proud of all the hard work and effort you have put into this process to become a future podiatric physician.
Tien Nguyen
Resources Used
Scholl’s PowerPoint (Anki Deck)
Sketchy Micro
Sketchy Pharm
BoardVitals
APMLE prometric practice tests
New York LEA Board Review Questions
USMLE Rx videos
My goal at the beginning of the second year was to start studying for boards during my winter break. However, I did not start studying for boards until the middle of April because I was told I did not need more than two months for Part I. I started with lower extremity anatomy (LEA) because I felt that it was my weakest subject. I would start each day reading through one of the eighteen sections of Scholl’s PowerPoint and then attempt to complete 50 new LEA Anki cards from a deck created by one of my upperclassmen. When I had time at the end of the day, I would try to watch a few Sketchy videos for Microbiology and Pharmacology and answer the quiz questions for them available on the SketchyMedical website.
This strategy allowed me to be able to complete my first pass through Scholl’s PowerPoint and the lower extremity Anki deck by the time our core curriculum ended in May. At this point, I only had six weeks until boards and our class had a mandatory four-week course to prepare us for the CBSE. During the course, I did not start studying for boards until our class was over for the day, typically around noon. The class covered high yield topics for the CBSE, which aided in my studying for the systems not related to LEA. After each class, I would attempt 40 USMLE-Rx questions and 50 BoardVitals questions. I would then make three to four new Anki cards for each BoardVitals questions based on the explanation given for each multiple-choice answer. My goal for the rest of the day after completing the questions was to finish a subsection of Sketchy videos for either Microbiology or Pharmacology and would then tried to watch all the USMLE-Rx videos for a particular system. If I did not finish the videos for the day, I would continue the next day with the same topic. My study hours during the four week course ranged from six to ten hours. By the time the course for the CBSE ended, I had completed my second pass of Scholl’s PowerPoint and Anki deck, my first pass of all the BoardVitals questions, all the USMLE-Rx videos, all of the Sketchy videos for Microbiology, and half of the Sketchy videos for Pharmacology.
With two weeks remaining, I turned my attention to practice questions. There were a total of eight practice tests that I took; I found two free practice tests on the Prometric website and the remaining six were practice tests handed down from the upperclassmen. I tested my knowledge of lower extremity anatomy by using the 500 New York LEA question bank while continuing to do 50 LEA anki cards per day. I also continued to do the questions that came with the Sketchy videos for Microbiology and Pharmacology. I would only review the material for the questions that I missed for each of the resources that I used that day. By the night before the exam, I attempted 858 USMLE-Rx questions, one pass through the USMLE-Rx videos and the Sketchy videos for Microbiology and Pharmacology, went through three passes of the BoardVitals question bank, three passes through all the questions associated with the Sketchy videos for Microbiology and Pharmacology, three passes through Scholl’s PowerPoint and Anki deck, and two passes through the 500 New York LEA questions.
Although I walked into the testing center feeling confident and prepared, the exam itself proved to be very difficult for me. I flagged over 100 of the 205 questions on the exam after my first pass through the questions and by the time I submitted, I felt defeated. Truthfully, I was very surprised when my results came out weeks later with a passing score. In retrospect, I would have begun board studying much earlier to avoid the anxiety I felt between the exam date and the day scores were released.
For those reading this in preparation for the APMLE Part I, I highly recommend taking a practice test prior to board studying to gauge your knowledge of the material. I recommend allowing yourself at least 3 months for studying. Make a schedule so that you do not fall behind in your board studies. I recommend picking one resource to cover each subject and only use a second resource to cover certain areas that you are weak at. Take note of the study strategies that each upperclassman recommend but take comments about the level of difficulty of the test with a grain of salt; their experience won’t necessarily be representative of yours. Study with a friend to keep each other accountable. Repetition is key and you should go through each subject at least twice. Start with lower extremity anatomy first, as it will be the majority of the material tested on Part I. Do as many practice questions as you can so that you will know your strengths and weaknesses, and emphasize your weaknesses during the last few weeks leading up to the exam.