Purpose
Medical students utilize a plethora of resources to supplement their study process throughout the pre-clerkship curriculum. With the transition to an emphasis on passing USMLE Step 1 rather than optimal performance, it is crucial to understand which resources students are utilizing and their rationale. We aimed to explore the existential purpose of second-party resources and if they serve only to aid students in achieving minimal passing scores or if they by extension improve student engagement with the curriculum.

Methods
A survey was distributed to pre-clerkship students at our institution to assess their study resource preferences (n=160) with a response rate of 21%. The survey inquired about the frequency of use of institutionally recommended readings, third-party resources, and students’ perceived value of these resources. Additionally, students were asked about their engagement with lectures and the potential impact of integrating third-party resources into the curriculum (IRB#2024-376).

Result
70% of participants rarely or never used institutionally recommended readings from textbooks or medical literature during their pre-clerkship curriculum. The remaining 30% reported using these resources sometimes, with no student reporting often or always. From this 30%, 79% used less than 25% of institutionally provided materials, with no student using 50% or more of the materials. 85% of students reported always using third-party resources, and the remaining 15% used them often or sometimes. Additionally, 67% of students agreed or strongly agreed that implementing third-party resources to supplement lectures would increase their engagement with lectures.

Conclusions
Students believe supplemental third-party resources would increase their engagement with the curriculum. We posit that faculty investment, education, and utilization of these education tools would allow for improved student participation. Considering the dramatic spurning of textbook-based materials, we aim to explore the continued role of textbook materials in a population that strongly favors microlearning modalities.