Number
517
Name
Medical Students' Study Behavior in a Changing Licensing Exam Landscape: A Survey Analysis for the Use of External Resources
Date & Time
Monday, June 16, 2025, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Exhibition Hall C
Speakers
Gabi Waite - Geisinger College of Health Sciences, School of Medicine
Presentation Topic(s)
Other
Description

Purpose
This study investigated first-year medical students' utilization of external study resources, examining reasons for use, block-specific priorities, financial considerations, and the relationship between resource usage and academic performance in the era of Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) being pass/fail.

Methods
A survey was administered to first-year medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine for each of the seven curricular blocks in the 2023-2024 academic year. Responses were paired with exam scores. Data was described using frequencies, percentages, medians, and interquartile ranges (IQR). Repeated measures analysis assessed external resource use across blocks and association between exam scores and resource use across blocks for each student.

Results
Thirty-seven students responded to at least one of the surveys. The primary reason for using external resources was to study for class exams (92.5%). Students prioritized class materials over external resources. The median number of resources used was 3 (IQR 2-4, p = 0.65) with no significant difference across blocks (p = 0.65) and no significant relationship between number of resources used and exam performance (p=0.59). Med School Bootcamp was the most frequently used resource (69.5%), followed by Anki (63.0%). Financial concerns were prevalent (45.5% to 70%) across blocks; however, these students used the same or more resources compared to those without concerns.

Conclusions
The findings highlight the nuances of resource usage. In contrast to a previous study suggesting a focus on licensing exam preparation, our results suggest a primary focus on class material. We suspect this shift may be related to the recent transition of USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail. The lack of association between resource usage and exam performance suggests potential inefficiencies in resource utilization. Financial concerns, though prevalent, did not appear to limit access to resources. These findings provide insight for optimizing resource recommendations.