Started my Part 1 prep about 14 weeks before the exam date and still felt rushed the last two weeks. Most of my classmates who passed on the first try said they started between 12 and 16 weeks out, so that range seems about right. If you're working through rotations at the same time, push toward the 16-week end.
The basic sciences block is the heaviest lift. Anatomy and physiology together probably took up 40% of my total study time. Biochemistry was manageable once I stopped trying to memorize pathways and started understanding the logic behind them. Microbiology was lighter than expected.
Practice exams were the best predictor of my actual score. I averaged 68% across four full-length practice tests and ended up with a 71% on the real thing. The variance was low, which tells me the practice material is decent quality.
Podiatric-specific content shows up more than you'd expect for Part 1. Don't neglect lower extremity anatomy or the biomechanics material — questions on those sections are usually worth a few extra points over the general med school average.
Biochem was harder for me than anatomy, which is the opposite of most people. Depends a lot on your undergrad background. Be honest with yourself about where you're weakest before you build your schedule.
14 weeks is solid. I started at 10 and passed but it was stressful the last month. Wouldn't recommend it if you have any choice in the timing.
The clinical correlation questions at the end of each section surprised me. Part 1 is supposed to be basic science but there's more application-level stuff than I expected. Don't study in pure isolation mode.
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