The soul-crushing future, part 1 of 3

My entire med school class has assembled for a few required class meetings and career development sessions in the past few weeks. These meetings are supposed to prepare us for the future months and years. I wish these meetings hadn't happened because I have now seen the future. It is soul-crushing. 

Part I: about 8 months into the future, I will have to take USMLE Step 1

Class meeting about USMLE Step 1: 

Step 1 is the first of a series of standardized exams all American medical school students and foreign graduates must pass in order to apply for residency. It is the only real test of two years of basic science knowledge because most med school classes have pass/fail grading. It is, with few exception, the most important part of a student's residency application.

A few third and fourth year students were pulled away from their rotations in the hospitals to share with us some of their study strategies scare the shit out of all second year students. 

These were actually said by third and fourth year students. I'm not kidding. 

Students generally take about 6-8 weeks after the end of second year classes to review for the exam. 

"I studied every day for 12 hours for 6 weeks. Once I took a break and had dinner with my parents." 

"My study break was going for a walk around campus. I would also listen to pathology lectures on my iPod." 

"Every student gives their blood, sweat, and tears for this exam. And the average score is 222. What will you have to do to get above that?" 

I have two healthy kidneys, as far as I know. How many points will that buy me? 

(Parts 2 and 3 will be about third and fourth years, and residency and practice!)