USMLE Need advice

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How much of UWorld have you done?

Use FA, and throw medessentials in the trash

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You should get through all of UWorld ASAP, and do a second pass if you have the motivation. You've had exposure to the material twice but you haven't been sufficiently exposed to how it's tested. I think you'll benefit from doing as many questions as you can. Then maybe do another pass of MedEssentials or BRS in your weak areas. It'll help you focus on what information is the most important and what stuff can be tuned out. What may seem like just a minor detail on a textbook page tends to stick more and cement in your brain when you see it in question form.

If you're still having problems with pathology at that point, then I'd suggest buying a subscription to Pathoma.

well it seems like the subjects you are studying, you excel, so do the same for the areas you are week in...do that for another week or 2 then take another assessment...

don't neglect the other subjects, but prioritize...and continue Uworld..your scores will increase

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Originally Posted by Convalaria

I thought to save UW bank since my results are not so good..

I think I will split studying process into half-day reading and half-day practicing tests..
Hope this is gonna work, because I'm in panic...

thank you much, guys

You should do UW.

It blows my mind that people "put off" doing UW because they are afraid of having a low percentage. You realize you can have a 50% and this means nothing for the actual exam if you are LEARNING?

Originally Posted by auburnO5

You should do UW.

It blows my mind that people "put off" doing UW because they are afraid of having a low percentage. You realize you can have a 50% and this means nothing for the actual exam if you are LEARNING?

exactly!

I started UW very low and was doing well below the average until I got the gist of it. Using it alongside my primary learning has been the biggest bump for me. No one should worry about your UW scores initially so long as you really are learning from the questions, if you really spend time to use it as a learning tool and not a testing tool then you will see your avgs slowly rise

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Originally Posted by auburnO5

You should do UW.

It blows my mind that people "put off" doing UW because they are afraid of having a low percentage. You realize you can have a 50% and this means nothing for the actual exam if you are LEARNING?

Originally Posted by Houmd

exactly!

I started UW very low and was doing well below the average until I got the gist of it. Using it alongside my primary learning has been the biggest bump for me. No one should worry about your UW scores initially so long as you really are learning from the questions, if you really spend time to use it as a learning tool and not a testing tool then you will see your avgs slowly rise

I agree that UWorld should be used as a learning, rather than a testing tool, but I think it should be used as a late learning tool, not as an early one. Questions yield the greatest benefit when they produce "shock value" because you've already felt you've mastered the material and were "proven wrong." For example, if you've just read a lot on respiratory and then do questions, the questions are worth more than if you had done them alongside the reading or beforehand. That being said, I feel UWorld should be attempted only after FA has been finished and Rx and Kaplan QBanks have been first-passed.

Convalaria, you seem to be at that stage where you're still trying to figure out how to consolidate resources. Yes, there are lots of books and study tools out there for Step1, and people will inevitably recommend different things, but cutting to the chase: if you are within one year of the exam, your primary reading should be BRS Pathology and First Aid, and your interactive work should be USMLE Rx QBank, followed by Kaplan QBank, then UWorld. Don't start UWorld until you've finished the other two QBanks and have at least done a first-pass on FA (at the minimum). You can use other resources as helpful adjuncts to supplement your weaker areas, but those five resources are mandatory. The most important bank, however, is UWorld, so if you are strained for time, then just give it a go.

Hope the helps,

~Phloston

Kaplan and Rx are not mandatory...

Originally Posted by auburnO5

Kaplan and Rx are not mandatory...

The term "mandatory" is loosely fitting and subjective to the opinion of any medical student. Yes, there are many who have said that only FA and UWorld are mandatory in the sense that they alone can be all you need to get your top score, but I personally believe internalizing Rx and Kaplan as a collective backbone before tackling UWorld serves to lock the production of a solid outcome rather than merely hoping for it. But once again, to each his or her own.

Originally Posted by Phloston

The term "mandatory" is loosely fitting and subjective to the opinion of any medical student. Yes, there are many who have said that only FA and UWorld are mandatory in the sense that they alone can be all you need to get your top score, but I personally believe internalizing Rx and Kaplan as a collective backbone before tackling UWorld serves to lock the production of a solid outcome rather than merely hoping for it. But once again, to each his or her own.

Just as anecdotal advice, I know of students who used only FA and UWorld and did extremely well. To each his or her own.

Originally Posted by MrBigglesworth

Use FA, and throw medessentials in the trash

LOL