Gunner Training?

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Not really sure what you're talking about?

Anyway they just rolled out this keyboard shortcuts thing and it is pure sex. I'm in love. I've been asking for this since they started GT. Somehow they tinkered with the back end too, I've been getting instant reloads on my questions. Maybe I have a shot at mastering the bank before July after all...

It's kind of spotty. When I do the daily questions, if I go look at another window (doing this on iPad) and return to the GT window, it reloads to the very first question of the set and offers no option to skip questions. Happened after 53/55 question in the set.

Of course this could be iPad related, but I've never had this problem before.

Ah, ok. I had that happen once or twice but I just hit submit questions or whatever at the bottom then start over with a fresh set. If you didn't answer a question's recall level it will give it to you again. If you did, it goes away.

Alright guys, anyone having probs w/ GT today? Or is it just me? Anyway, I e-mailed Nick.. in case it's not just me.

here's what i don't get (and maybe i'm an idiot): i'm trying to use it to direct my studying. so today is biochem, so i'd like to do all the biochem cards and get them done first. but when you do the complete all questions for "biochem" option, it doesn't take that into account in your daily schedule. so pretty much i just did 100 review cards for no reason. very frustrating.

I don't know if this isn't possible or something, but it would be worth your while to update this in the next iteration. being able to focus the review questions each day before doing the other randoms would make it really marketable to those using FA in addition to this program. my two cents (again).

Originally Posted by hrandani

Not really sure what you're talking about?

Anyway they just rolled out this keyboard shortcuts thing and it is pure sex. I'm in love. I've been asking for this since they started GT. Somehow they tinkered with the back end too, I've been getting instant reloads on my questions. Maybe I have a shot at mastering the bank before July after all...

with the instant reloads I can knock out almost twice the amount of review questions now as opposed to before within the same time limit. best improvement by far IMO

Originally Posted by hrandani

Ah, ok. I had that happen once or twice but I just hit submit questions or whatever at the bottom then start over with a fresh set. If you didn't answer a question's recall level it will give it to you again. If you did, it goes away.

Thanks, that seems to have solved it.

Also, they need a "remember me on this comp" option. The log outs are too frequent.

I've never been logged out on firefox, not once, and it's been 11 months. Google chrome logs me out every single session though, no matter what I do.

So I switched back to comprehensive mode today (after using lite past month)... and my mastery lvl jumped up 2x!



Omg. I might actually have a chance to finish this thing before July ?! It's at 68% mastery now (97% banked). Is this possible? I would be so happy, man.

i started using GT recently and finished embryo. i'm moving on to biochem, and i noticed that there are MUCH fewer questions per card, so that not all of the material on that card has a question attached to it. for embryo, there was definitely a question for each piece of information.

for example, the vitamins in anemia card has a ton of information but only 5 questions to bank.

will questions on the material not asked by these bankable questions show up later in a review?

i'm really hoping so, because i definitely won't remember some of those details without a question to go with them.

another thing.

when i first learn a card, i obviously learn to memorize it, so when i go to bank the questions, i know the answers very easily. however, i know i won't remember them tomorrow or the day after.

my question is, when you guys are first learning a card, what score do you give yourself on the questions?

i'm currently doing '3' for the cards i memorize the first time. i'm wondering if i should lower that to 1 or 2.

i just started using GT and i noticed a lot of the info on the cards aren't in my edition of FA (2011).. is this because they're drawing on info from past editions? i've been annotating it into my copy but i was wondering if it was necessary..

whoa, after a month of hiatus to concentrate on uworld and rx, i came back to gunnertraining to find that she's FASTER than ever. in fact, i think it might be too fast but the owners have definitely addressed the previous complaints/criticism. i only wish this happened earlier . it's a great feature thats too late for me but good for those who are considering!

Originally Posted by bchandler

We are also reanalyzing our spaced learning algorithm thanks to your advice. We also have keyboard shortcuts and a MUCH faster review/quiz process coming this week as well! Thanks for the great feedback; keep it coming.

- Ben

Nice work. The faster review/quiz and keyboard shortcuts are awesome and really speed up the daily review.

As an idea for a future feature, could there be a way to download a daily review set of questions (ideally more then 50) and answer them offline and then upload your answers once you have connectivity again? I know that it would be great to do GT questions on the airplane.

I saw on the FAQ section of the gunner training website that there is a 1 month free trial, but you have to have a special code. Does anybody have that? I don't remember seeing one when I read through this thread (though I may have missed it).

Originally Posted by lrkoehle

I saw on the FAQ section of the gunner training website that there is a 1 month free trial, but you have to have a special code. Does anybody have that? I don't remember seeing one when I read through this thread (though I may have missed it).

SDN doesn't allow folks to post codes (they delete them and suspend the posters).

Originally Posted by lrkoehle

I saw on the FAQ section of the gunner training website that there is a 1 month free trial, but you have to have a special code. Does anybody have that? I don't remember seeing one when I read through this thread (though I may have missed it).

Calm down DrDrTobe. The promo code is automatically filled in.

In general, what are people's thoughts on GT? Does it cover everything in FA? I can see how it is good for remembering all the details, but I'm guessing it isn't a replacement for FA.

Originally Posted by DrDrToBe

SDN doesn't allow folks to post codes (they delete them and suspend the posters).

Sorry, the only reason I came here and asked was because on the gunner training website they even suggest going to this type of forum and asking for the free month promo code. Which seems weird to me, why wouldn't they just take out the middle man, make things easier, and offer a free month directly at their website?

Originally Posted by Radonkulous

In general, what are people's thoughts on GT? Does it cover everything in FA? I can see how it is good for remembering all the details, but I'm guessing it isn't a replacement for FA.

Having just read this entire thread, I will try to very succinctly sum up what I've gathered about it. It doesn't seem to be a replacement for FA or UWorld, but is an adjunct to them. The purpose seems to be to keep the material you learn in class fresh, so you don't waste time learning stuff in class then forgetting it. While doing this, the repetitions lead to the material being committed to long-term memory. So it's kind of similar to reading and reviewing FA with class, but they also have questions to go with your reviewing.

Originally Posted by lrkoehle

Having just read this entire thread, I will try to very succinctly sum up what I've gathered about it. It doesn't seem to be a replacement for FA or UWorld, but is an adjunct to them. The purpose seems to be to keep the material you learn in class fresh, so you don't waste time learning stuff in class then forgetting it. While doing this, the repetitions lead to the material being committed to long-term memory. So it's kind of similar to reading and reviewing FA with class, but they also have questions to go with your reviewing.

if you're rising MS2s: goljan audio + RR + GT throughout the school year = very very good place when dedicated study time rolls around. if you want a free code PM me. program is fantastic.

Originally Posted by lrkoehle

Sorry, the only reason I came here and asked was because on the gunner training website they even suggest going to this type of forum and asking for the free month promo code. Which seems weird to me, why wouldn't they just take out the middle man, make things easier, and offer a free month directly at their website?

They allow folks to offer a free month because if you sign up after a month, the person who gave you a free month also gets a free month.

I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for. How are the questions in the Gunner q bank? I've done all of UW, Kaplan, and RX. Can you just use the bank in GT, or do you have to do the whole program? It says they have over 6,000 questions, and I was just wondering what you guys and gals thought about it.

Originally Posted by blueboyscholar

I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for. How are the questions in the Gunner q bank? I've done all of UW, Kaplan, and RX. Can you just use the bank in GT, or do you have to do the whole program? It says they have over 6,000 questions, and I was just wondering what you guys and gals thought about it.

Having used Uworld, Rx, Kaplan and GT, i have to say you MUST use other qbanks in addition to gunner training. It does a great job of going over high yield facts but there are large gaps in it's spread.

Originally Posted by JPanda

Having used Uworld, Rx, Kaplan and GT, i have to say you MUST use other qbanks in addition to gunner training. It does a great job of going over high yield facts but there are large gaps in it's spread.

Originally Posted by JPanda

Having used Uworld, Rx, Kaplan and GT, i have to say you MUST use other qbanks in addition to gunner training. It does a great job of going over high yield facts but there are large gaps in it's spread.

Is RR Path necessary if you use GT + Kaplan + UWorld + Goljan Audio with FA as a reference? I kind of get the feeling that passively reading it again isn't as high yield as the other sources I mentioned which is a more active way of learning (note I'm saying I would have already done 1-2 passes through RR prior to studying).

Originally Posted by Day man

if you're rising MS2s: goljan audio + RR + GT throughout the school year = very very good place when dedicated study time rolls around. if you want a free code PM me. program is fantastic.

I have 11 weeks til MS2 starts....been doing 2 hrs of GT every morning for my MS1 subjects.

I don't think GT is meant for learning new info....rather I hit it up after we do it in class. Like others have said, it allows me to forget all the BS we all learn in lecture and retain the high yield stuff. It fits my learning style VERY well...

Haven't had biochem in a hell of a long time and I can tell you every board relevant enzyme/disease from it purely thx to the GT method.

Plan is to do this every morning and then hit goljan audio + RR all year in school. Only P/F next year so I'm gonna hit boards hard as hell

Originally Posted by Radonkulous

Is RR Path necessary if you use GT + Kaplan + UWorld + Goljan Audio with FA as a reference? I kind of get the feeling that passively reading it again isn't as high yield as the other sources I mentioned which is a more active way of learning (note I'm saying I would have already done 1-2 passes through RR prior to studying).

RR Path ties together pretty much every topic on step 1 from the chapters I've read in it (very few lol).

RR seems like its pure gold after you've ran through all the material once...as a first pass it sucks imo. I despise its layout...

Originally Posted by JPanda

Use GUNNERTRAINING EARLY AND NOW. You dont have to study hours a day maybe just half an hour.

The point of the program is to build long term memory through repetition. The earlier you start - in theory - the better and stronger the memory you will build and the more information it will be. My mistake was starting it in August or the end of year 1. At first, i thought the program was a joke but after using it religiously, i see the value of it. It certainly shouldnt be your only study method. It helps in remembering the nitty gritty details of information and not in learning something new.

You sir have made me feel better about starting it now (just finished MS1).

GT lacks on anatomy, which is somewhat of a drawback.

I'm a huge fan of GT but it focuses on some stuff to the exclusion of others. Way too much derm for some reason, and almost zero neuro? WTF?

When I initially started it after finishing MS1 I would try to go through flashcards and bank stuff I hadn't learned from a real textbook yet. That was a huge mistake. It doesn't really give you enough material to retain. UAAWolf is completely correct that it only works really well for stuff you've learned in depth and largely forgotten.

So you have to study stuff outside of GT, especially if you're doing the same questions on the same material every day and it's not sticking. I don't view it as a qbank really, it's more like interactive first aid. Why that guy was annotating his first aid with GT I'll never know. Talk about totally defeating the purpose.

Originally Posted by hrandani

I'm a huge fan of GT but it focuses on some stuff to the exclusion of others. Way too much derm for some reason, and almost zero neuro? WTF?

When I initially started it after finishing MS1 I would try to go through flashcards and bank stuff I hadn't learned from a real textbook yet. That was a huge mistake. It doesn't really give you enough material to retain. UAAWolf is completely correct that it only works really well for stuff you've learned in depth and largely forgotten.

So you have to study stuff outside of GT, especially if you're doing the same questions on the same material every day and it's not sticking. I don't view it as a qbank really, it's more like interactive first aid. Why that guy was annotating his first aid with GT I'll never know. Talk about totally defeating the purpose.

What subjects do you think it lacks in?

Originally Posted by Radonkulous

Is RR Path necessary if you use GT + Kaplan + UWorld + Goljan Audio with FA as a reference? I kind of get the feeling that passively reading it again isn't as high yield as the other sources I mentioned which is a more active way of learning (note I'm saying I would have already done 1-2 passes through RR prior to studying).

I really cant tell you about RR right now because i havent taken the beast yet. But it seems like the usmle is changing and moving away from the RR path/biochem combo. I think the safest thing to do is to use GT to keep the stuff you learned but to use other sources to supplement it. For GT you have to spend at least a year on it and even then you have to do it everyday for 2 hours plus. It makes more sense to do it in year 1 and continue doing it.

Originally Posted by Radonkulous

What subjects do you think it lacks in?

It covers probably 75% - maybe less - of first aid. A good chunk of it is the neuro section, which isnt that high yield any way, and it is weak in anatomy. Frankly, it is fine that gunner is not covering the other 25%. It would be waaaay too many flashcards if it were to cover the other minutae of first aid.

Originally Posted by JPanda

It covers probably 75% - maybe less - of first aid. A good chunk of it is the neuro section, which isnt that high yield any way, and it is weak in anatomy. Frankly, it is fine that gunner is not covering the other 25%. It would be waaaay too many flashcards if it were to cover the other minutae of first aid.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think a good tactic is to study GT with your first aid book right there.

I sit at the computer, go through the flash cards, go through the same stuff in first aid, then do my "review questions". If I get stumped by a Q, before I see the answer I look it up in first aid, then I see what they put.

I just like studying with a book nearby mainly lol

Originally Posted by hrandani

I'm a huge fan of GT but it focuses on some stuff to the exclusion of others. Way too much derm for some reason, and almost zero neuro? WTF?

When I initially started it after finishing MS1 I would try to go through flashcards and bank stuff I hadn't learned from a real textbook yet. That was a huge mistake. It doesn't really give you enough material to retain. UAAWolf is completely correct that it only works really well for stuff you've learned in depth and largely forgotten.

So you have to study stuff outside of GT, especially if you're doing the same questions on the same material every day and it's not sticking. I don't view it as a qbank really, it's more like interactive first aid. Why that guy was annotating his first aid with GT I'll never know. Talk about totally defeating the purpose.

lol x2...tried this with some pharmacology just to see. Fail...immediately stopped looking at any flashcards I hadn't had in class yet. If anything it might screw me up for 2nd year...gotta have that solid foundation before you rely on review notes

Originally Posted by UAAWolf

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think a good tactic is to study GT with your first aid book right there.

I sit at the computer, go through the flash cards, go through the same stuff in first aid, then do my "review questions". If I get stumped by a Q, before I see the answer I look it up in first aid, then I see what they put.

I just like studying with a book nearby mainly lol

That's pretty intense! I didnt do it because I didnt have the time. But if you have the time whatever works for you.

So how early is too early to start GT? Midway through M1? First day of class?

Originally Posted by Isoprop

So how early is too early to start GT? Midway through M1? First day of class?

As long as you are using GT to review material you have already covered/learned, and not trying to learn new concepts with it, then you should be fine. I started at the end of MS1, but if I had it to do over again I would probably start it a month or two into first year. Reason being that you want to get comfortable with your new school and classes first, then you can gun freely (without friendly fire).

Originally Posted by Vertices

then you can gun freely (without friendly fire).

hehe. awesome.

Before I pay for this, can someone tell me what it is exactly? I know it's interactive and something about flashcards, but their website does a piss poor job of explaining what it is they do.

Do you make your own flashcards out of FA? Do they have pre-made flashcards for you to use? Are the flashcards part of the q-bank? I just don't get it.

Originally Posted by MedStudentWanna

Before I pay for this, can someone tell me what it is exactly? I know it's interactive and something about flashcards, but their website does a piss poor job of explaining what it is they do.

Do you make your own flashcards out of FA? Do they have pre-made flashcards for you to use? Are the flashcards part of the q-bank? I just don't get it.

The flashcards are already made, you do not make your own flashcards. Their flashcards have more info on them than what you may normally think of as a flashcard. The Q-bank is used as a method of testing your recall and helping you memorize via repetition. For this purpose, many of the questions in the Q-bank are long-answer rather than mcq.

I think they still have a 2-week free trial. I would encourage you to look into that so you can get a feel for it before you dish out any $$$.

Originally Posted by MedStudentWanna

Before I pay for this, can someone tell me what it is exactly? I know it's interactive and something about flashcards, but their website does a piss poor job of explaining what it is they do.

Do you make your own flashcards out of FA? Do they have pre-made flashcards for you to use? Are the flashcards part of the q-bank? I just don't get it.

agree!
basically just imagine you have a page of first aid(what they call a card), read through it and think I've got this, press the "bank" button and depending on the amount of info on that page GT asks you 5-20 questions in flash card format on that particular page.
then you grade the cards depending on how easy or difficult you found it. depending on you grading GT presents you those cards regularly or not so often. every time you see the card, you grade it, so GT adapts.

Originally Posted by Vertices

As long as you are using GT to review material you have already covered/learned, and not trying to learn new concepts with it, then you should be fine. I started at the end of MS1, but if I had it to do over again I would probably start it a month or two into first year. Reason being that you want to get comfortable with your new school and classes first, then you can gun freely (without friendly fire).

I would go with the first day as well. This way instead of spending two hours + a day in year 2, you can spend 20-30 minutes a day for two years. Trust me when i say nothing is more frustrating than having to go through 500 or so flashcards a day. It starts becoming a waste of time because there is only so much you can remember/review.

Originally Posted by Vertices

As long as you are using GT to review material you have already covered/learned, and not trying to learn new concepts with it, then you should be fine. I started at the end of MS1, but if I had it to do over again I would probably start it a month or two into first year. Reason being that you want to get comfortable with your new school and classes first, then you can gun freely (without friendly fire).

Originally Posted by JPanda

I would go with the first day as well. This way instead of spending two hours + a day in year 2, you can spend 20-30 minutes a day for two years. Trust me when i say nothing is more frustrating than having to go through 500 or so flashcards a day. It starts becoming a waste of time because there is only so much you can remember/review.

Sounds good, thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by JPanda

I would go with the first day as well. This way instead of spending two hours + a day in year 2, you can spend 20-30 minutes a day for two years. Trust me when i say nothing is more frustrating than having to go through 500 or so flashcards a day. It starts becoming a waste of time because there is only so much you can remember/review.

This is why I am trying to get caught up with everything from first year over the summer. Once you have something "mastered," then you just have to keep it in long-term memory by reviewing it every week or 2 (whatever GT has determined is necessary).

It seems to me though that if you go through too many flashcards too quickly then you don't get it mastered, and then you have to review like 500 things a day. Then when you review that many cards in a day you can't retain enough to rate things a 4 or 5, so you just have to review everything again in a day or two. Basically it creates a vicious cycle.

GT is not a program you can power through quickly in a few weeks, so as others have said, start it early as early as possible to get the best benefit out of it.

Originally Posted by lrkoehle

This is why I am trying to get caught up with everything from first year over the summer. Once you have something "mastered," then you just have to keep it in long-term memory by reviewing it every week or 2 (whatever GT has determined is necessary).

It seems to me though that if you go through too many flashcards too quickly then you don't get it mastered, and then you have to review like 500 things a day. Then when you review that many cards in a day you can't retain enough to rate things a 4 or 5, so you just have to review everything again in a day or two. Basically it creates a vicious cycle.

GT is not a program you can power through quickly in a few weeks, so as others have said, start it early as early as possible to get the best benefit out of it.

Agreed, though with mastery it ends up being more like every 60-90 days, which I wish was a shorter interval. Even something I've mastered can slip away in that time, and I wish there was a max of around 30 days (even though that would up the daily question total) unless you clicked the "never see this again" button. Or at least there should be a way to adjust that in the preferences.

Originally Posted by DoctwoB

Agreed, though with mastery it ends up being more like every 60-90 days, which I wish was a shorter interval. Even something I've mastered can slip away in that time, and I wish there was a max of around 30 days (even though that would up the daily question total) unless you clicked the "never see this again" button. Or at least there should be a way to adjust that in the preferences.

You can always go through the questions even if they dont show up on your schedule!

Originally Posted by DoctwoB

Agreed, though with mastery it ends up being more like every 60-90 days, which I wish was a shorter interval. Even something I've mastered can slip away in that time, and I wish there was a max of around 30 days (even though that would up the daily question total) unless you clicked the "never see this again" button. Or at least there should be a way to adjust that in the preferences.

I guess they figure if you rated something a 5, then you must absolutely know it cold. For instance the fact that epineurium covers the entire neurovascular bundle is not something that will leave me any time soon, even in 60-90 days. Perhaps they should change their discription of what makes a 5 to "you knew it without any effort and will remember it in 60 days without seeing it again."