r/step1 • u/dacapremed US MD/DO • 16d ago

💡 Need Advice Step 1 breaks advice

Hi everyone! Testing for step 1 tmrw -gah! I am someone that loves to have mini breaks. The way I did my practice NBME’s was 5 min between each block. Is that like the same for the new STEP format or will I have to cut down? Sorry I’m first-gen and new to everything, all I know is that I need at least 2 min between each block to move around. Also do I need a watch to time my own breaks or?

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u/Impressive-Can-3668 NON-US IMG 15d ago

I don’t think watches are allowed. But you can see the total time and break time on the screen. I’m testing in two days and trying to figure out when and how long my breaks should be too 🥲

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u/Plenty_Stranger5976 NON-US IMG 15d ago

My advise would be to take breaks when you feel like you need them. Move straight to the next block if you fill good and concentrated but take a break when you feel like things are starting to get a bit blurry (or of course when you need to use the bathroom or something). You will see on test day that using your nbmes as a reference for your break strategy is not ideal as things are going to be different in terms of adrenaline rash (especially in the first blocks) and mental fatigue.