Doctors In Training (DIT) - Recommended?

[DocYuki]

Hey SDN,
It's been a long, long time since my last post, haha. I've been busy with the notorious pre-clinical years.

I am preparing for Step I, which I am scheduled to take on June 3rd, 2009. I have the essentials ready to go once finals are over on May 8th:

-First Aid 2009
-Goljan Audio and RR Book
-USMLE World
-Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple
-BRS Physio, Path

But there's one major detail. I am the kind of guy who, when it comes to things like preparing for Step I, needs something structured; a push, if you will. I'm not confident I can get up every morning and cover all I need to by myself.

I wouldn't consider a KAPLAN course because they are too expensive and I know that company doesn't bode well with me from previous experience. I was considering this little company: http://doctorsintraining.com/

I have zero knowledge of how they are. Noone at my med-school has an opinion, except for the fact that noone was impressed when they came and spoke to us. But has anyone on here tried them out? They offer, for $600, a series of lectures spanning 15 straight days, each day being 5-6 hours of lecture. The lectures are meant to be active-learning and they use First Aid 2009 as the text book. I don't see how this could go wrong, but the guy who lectures kind of creeps me out. I don't know if I trust him...he might just read straight off of First Aid and waste my $600.

So money, and more importantly, good test prep technique is at stake. I'm the kind of person who needs the push of watching daily lectures, but is this worth the cost?

Anyone with first-hand experience or any idea beyond what I know (which is just what DIT says) is invited to offer an opinion. It would greatly help me out. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Perrotfish]

Thanks for the warning, but having read this thread i got the impression that DIT just goes through the FA. I like reading kaplan books but the FA is just too boring for me, and i thought DIT might be a more pleasant way of going through FA.

Yeah, he quizes you every few minutes, or referes to extra information in the book. I actually tried starting the course a day before my book got here becausee they mailed it late and it just did not work.

I say suck it up and pay for the course. You're no more broke than everyone else who is doing this, and it's not that expensive.

 

[meerak]

is it possible to finish the DIT course in 7 days instead of 15 (2nd round)? Keeping in mind, that Ill be doing goljan audios at the sametime?

or do u think going through DIT once is good enough, and one should then just go over first aid on their own?

 

[Captopril]

Thanks for the warning, but having read this thread i got the impression that DIT just goes through the FA. I like reading kaplan books but the FA is just too boring for me, and i thought DIT might be a more pleasant way of going through FA.

I think the time expenditure/benefit ratio really tips in your favor with DIT when you add on his own 200+ pg supplement. I had a ton of stuff on my test directly from it.

I dunno if it would be worth the time without his quizzes and notes.

 

[African]

Yeah, he quizes you every few minutes, or referes to extra information in the book. I actually tried starting the course a day before my book got here becausee they mailed it late and it just did not work.

I say suck it up and pay for the course. You're no more broke than everyone else who is doing this, and it's not that expensive.

Money wasn't on my mind when i first posted inquiring about DIT but rather the convenience of having the lectures on a hard drive or saved on your laptop specially with considerable time on your hands unlike AMGs. However i will take your advice into account when deciding my next course of action, thanks anyways.

 

[illixir]

You can purchase extra weeks if you're worried about time. Otherwise I think a month is plenty to get through it all, its just 15 days of 5-6 hours each. You can also buy extra views if you like a particular lecture and want to see it again, but you already get 3 views.

 

[Perrotfish]

Money wasn't on my mind when i first posted inquiring about DIT but rather the convenience of having the lectures on a hard drive or saved on your laptop specially with considerable time on your hands unlike AMGs. However i will take your advice into account when deciding my next course of action, thanks anyways.

No matter how much time you have on your hands, I'd still save this course for the last month. It's definitely structured as a review of what you've already studied.

 

[doctor311]

Hey All,

I took the DIT 2010 course and just took Step 1 on Friday, May 07. A lot of you have asked how people studied and time frames of studying leading up to the test. Here is my experience:

I had six weeks from the end of our MSII courses till I took Step 1. I studied on my own for 2 weeks, reviewing a lot of the old stuff that I hadn't covered for a long time (pretty much everything from MSI and the first half of MSII). I basically chose a subject to review each day and then covered the flashcards I had made during the blocks and covered First Aid if I felt I needed to. I also consulted BRS physio and BRS biochem to refresh on the details that I had forgotten (like the fun biochem pathways and such). The overall point of these initial two weeks were to make fresh the material that my brain hadn't seen in awhile. During this time I also tried to do 35-50 World questions a day, which really helped make sure I knew details that are often overlooked in First Aid. I also made a list of unique things I learned from World and tried to review those the next day before I did questions again.

The next three weeks I did DIT. I did each day in order and did it Monday - Friday. These were long days (8AM till 9PM usually), but very productive. I started at 8AM and would do the first two videos, then take a lunch break, do the third video of the day, take a 30 min or so break, and then spend at least 3+ hours reviewing all the material covered that day. This course is worth your money and worth your time. Not only does he go over First Aid in a way that makes it stick, he adds a lot of relevant information that helps cement stuff into your memory. He often gives a clinical correlation to help you remember things that you would have overlooked - i.e. if you have an elderly female patient who doesn't eat a lot, is depressed, and needs help sleeping, give her mirtazapine because it will help with all three of those things. These correlates made a big difference for me because otherwise they would have been simply a list of things to memorize associated with a drug. When I review the stuff he covered that day, I went in the same order from the lectures and would start by reviewing the supplemental handout which provided a lot of self quizzing (which is a great way to learn for us med students) and then would review First Aid. During the lectures I also highlighted the sections (which helped make me realize I had gone through that section) and added notes when I thought they were pertinent. Dr. Jenkins adds a bit, but its not an overwhelming amount. He usually helps you take a ton of drugs or cancers or whatever and simplifies them into a a lot of key associations so you know what is unique about each thing. After reviewing the day's info I would try to do 20-45 World questions. Doing questions at the end of the day (by this time it was 8 or 9PM) was difficult but I would only do however many I felt up to. The key is endurance so you dont want to wipe yourself out because 5 days straight of DIT is a lot of information.

On Saturdays I would review material that I felt weak on during the week and did a bit of World questions. Sundays I took off to spend time with my wife (who somehow still likes me after 6 weeks of madness and me acting kinda crazy....).

I only did one practice test before taking Step 1. I bought one of the NBME ones for 45 bucks. It was a good experience to practice taking a lot of questions and it helped that I got a decent score, because it gave me confidence that what I was learned was sticking. Because it doesn't give you correct answers its not that helpful in learning material, but I would suggest doing at least one practice test before the real deal. I took it two weeks before my Step 1 date.

I finished DIT on a friday afternoon, did catch up on the Saturday. And then from Sunday - Thurs I reviewed pretty much all of First Aid and the correlating sections in the supplemental DIT text. It was a lot of work and by that time I was siiiiick of studying. I also tried to do at least 20 World questions a day, but by that point reviewing the material was more important (I did abut 60% of the World questions overall). But, it was great to know on test day that it was all fresh in my head. I was amazed at how stuff really stuck from the course and I could still remember things Dr. Jenkins had said verbatim during the lectures. I took half of thursday off to rest and then on Friday I took Step 1 and it went really well. So much of the info was automatic and the a lot of the answers were pretty obvious because I had seen the material so many times in First Aid. They were not as many really hard questions as I thought there would be. People aren't lying when they say World is a bit harder than the real Step 1. I know a lot of people say that First Aid doesn't have everything and you need to read BRS books and stuff, but as someone else wrote "DIT + USMLEworld = awesome". Its pretty much all you need. Trust the DIT system and give your 175% and you will do great. No matter what score I can get, I know that DIT got me to my highest potential and I did the best I possibly could have done.

One of thing. If you are worried about stamina, dont. If you have been studying 10-12 hours for weeks on end you can easily handle the 8 hour Step 1 day. You will have plenty of break time. I usually took a 5-7 minute break after each section (if you finish a block early the time gets automatically added to your break time) and I usually finished with a few minutes to spare.

I know a lot of you wanted specifics on the DIT course, so hopefully this helped you. If you are in doubt of the course I would say go for it. I am a Type A personality and very self driven, but without this course there is no way I could have covered all of First Aid in a way what would have made it stick as much it did with DIT. Good luck with Step 1.

 

[Vaca]

Do you mind telling us your scores and percentages you got while doing questions, with your practice exam, and Step 1 score? Thanks!

 

[AKA DocRock]

Obviously a newb....hope this question isn't too dumb

I want to take my step 1 in and around November 2010, now i'm still debating on taking DIT....questions:

1) is there a 2010 version out for the videos? and if so is there any difference btw the 2?
2) are all the notes included with the online course as they are with the live course?
3) what time frame would you realistically say to start DIT b4 ur step 1!
4) i feel like i should go through the material my way 1nce or maybe even 2ice b4 i go through DIT, what do you guys suggest?

 

[Perrotfish]

Obviously a newb....hope this question isn't too dumb

I want to take my step 1 in and around November 2010, now i'm still debating on taking DIT....questions:

1) is there a 2010 version out for the videos? and if so is there any difference btw the 2?
2) are all the notes included with the online course as they are with the live course?
3) what time frame would you realistically say to start DIT b4 ur step 1!
4) i feel like i should go through the material my way 1nce or maybe even 2ice b4 i go through DIT, what do you guys suggest?

1) Yes. Each year's DIT teaches from that year's First Aid. I think you can only by the 2010 one at this point.
2) Yes, they mail it to you right before you start your course.
3) The course takes either 3 or 4 weeks to complete (depending on your pace) and you want to take your exam 1-2 weeks after you finish the course.
4) Yes, you should go through first aid at least once before you start with DIT.

 

[taare]

I have about a month before I take the exam, should I just stick to DIT + uWorld or squeeze in RR Audio+book too? I just dont want to regret later for not touching RR.

Please advise

 

[lawnboy313]

Anyone out there just complete the DIT handbook without watching the videos? (while maybe just going quickly through the videos to confirm answers)?

I love the quizzes/reviews from the handbook, but I'm finding that I don't stay engaged very long during the lectures--I'm not much of a lecture-goer anyways. I wonder if I could get the most out of this course in the least amount of time by just working on the handbook and re-re-reading FA myself. I'd love to open up some more time for UW/NBMEs.

Thoughts?

 

[illixir]

Anyone out there just complete the DIT handbook without watching the videos? (while maybe just going quickly through the videos to confirm answers)?

I love the quizzes/reviews from the handbook, but I'm finding that I don't stay engaged very long during the lectures--I'm not much of a lecture-goer anyways. I wonder if I could get the most out of this course in the least amount of time by just working on the handbook and re-re-reading FA myself. I'd love to open up some more time for UW/NBMEs.

Thoughts?

You could probably do that, but a few questions from the quizzes won't be in FA so you kind of have to watch to get the answers to those. Do fast speed if you have trouble staying attentive, that's how I got most out of it in least amount of time, did all the videos in 4-4.5 hours each day(except for the occasional very long day which might take almost 5).

 

[woodhorse22]

Hello,
Im taking my step 1 on June 12th and I am scheduled to start with the DIT videos on the 18th of May. Do I have enough time or am I cutting it close? I ask this because people were posting here that the course take 3 to 4 weeks, but in my book it says 15 days. Can't I just finish it in 15 days? Lastly, how much time should i keep between finishing the videos and the exam? Thanks

 

[woodhorse22]

Anyone? Please reply. I am desperate

 

[kryptik]

Hello,
Im taking my step 1 on June 12th and I am scheduled to start with the DIT videos on the 18th of May. Do I have enough time or am I cutting it close? I ask this because people were posting here that the course take 3 to 4 weeks, but in my book it says 15 days. Can't I just finish it in 15 days? Lastly, how much time should i keep between finishing the videos and the exam? Thanks

i think you are cutting it close, but that depends on where you stand right now, if you are rocking 230's then you are fine if not you want to give yourself a week to two to revise after the course before your exam.

 

[woodhorse22]

According to my estimation, if I start on May 18th and leave 1 day after every 5 days to catch up, i will get done on the 3rd of June, which is exactly 9 days from my test date. I will have 8 days to review FA one more time. What do you guys think? Also how did you guys incorporate Rapid Review text into your schedule? I want to get through the entire book one more time while doing DIT. Is that doable? THanks

 

[Playmakur42]

.

 

[MoscowAbe]

Hey guys,

How much time is needed to complete the DIT course if I'm pushing for 12 hrs a day.



Thanks

 

[BC848]

Hey guys,

How much time is needed to complete the DIT course if I'm pushing for 12 hrs a day.

Thanks

The videos take 15 days at 6 hours of dedicated video time per day. I would not recommend going any faster than that.

I watch videos for 6 hours, review what was covered for 3.5 hours and then take/review a 48 question block. Usually puts me right at 12 hours a day

 

[MoscowAbe]

Seems like a good plan, I'll do something similar. BY the way do you think this would be enough review just before the exam?

Thanks again

The videos take 15 days at 6 hours of dedicated video time per day. I would not recommend going any faster than that.

I watch videos for 6 hours, review what was covered for 3.5 hours and then take/review a 48 question block. Usually puts me right at 12 hours a day

 

[1nycdoc8]

Does anyone have a promotion code for their school that they wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks a ton for the help! PM would be great

 

[Perrotfish]

Seems like a good plan, I'll do something similar. BY the way do you think this would be enough review just before the exam?

Thanks again

The program recommeds you take the test a week or two after you finish the course. If you have a choice I'd take however many days it would take you to completely go through UWorld a second time.

 

[woodhorse22]

Yeah i think going through UWorld is definitely a good idea. I am going through Uworld again, doing 100qs a day + 48qs from the kaplan Qbank. I am supplementing this with my DIT videos. Takes forever but helps with the stamina. Good luck!!

 

[natureboy]

Did anyone use DIT to power thru their final pass of FA, ending just a day or 2 before the exam? Anyone go through DIT twice?

 

[aashkab]

Is it a good idea to get a NEW first aid 2010 before I start this? I've annotated and highlighted and wrote random stuff all over the place in mine (not exactly high yield either) and am afraid of there being room for DIT's "money annotations."

What do you say?

 

[njmedstudent87]

Did anyone use DIT to power thru their final pass of FA, ending just a day or 2 before the exam? Anyone go through DIT twice?

i'm undecided on this but I might use DIT for the last 3-4 days to get through FA...depends on how lazy I am and if I am then DIT will keep me moving through it...if i do it at fast speed I'm sure I'll get though it in 3 days

It helps to have someone talk out the stuff you're staring at in FA...it's such a boring read

This last week is gona be tough to schedule out...so much stuff I don't know yet but when can you ever know enough for this exam..

 

[WildernessMed]

Hi Folks,

I'm taking my boards in about 5 weeks. I'm signed up for DIT and am debating about when to start. I originally made my schedule with the intention of doing a rough pass of FA and review some concepts from MS1 (BRS, Micro Simple, etc.) that I haven't seen for a while. I heard from a buddy yesterday that DIT actually recommends doing the lectures first, and then filling in the blanks. My original schedule had me finishing DIT with about a week left, and then doing FA the last week.

Can anyone comment on how they have used DIT in terms of starting with it or leaving it for later? I'm now contemplating starting up the lectures today... Thanks

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Did anyone use DIT to power thru their final pass of FA, ending just a day or 2 before the exam? Anyone go through DIT twice?

I'm going to (go through twice AND finish soon before the test,) but I'm going to end around 5 days before my test date. DIT guy suggests that you go through FA one more time after finishing his course. Couldn't hurt.

 

[kissmyasthma99]

Hi Folks,

I'm taking my boards in about 5 weeks. I'm signed up for DIT and am debating about when to start. I originally made my schedule with the intention of doing a rough pass of FA and review some concepts from MS1 (BRS, Micro Simple, etc.) that I haven't seen for a while. I heard from a buddy yesterday that DIT actually recommends doing the lectures first, and then filling in the blanks. My original schedule had me finishing DIT with about a week left, and then doing FA the last week.

Can anyone comment on how they have used DIT in terms of starting with it or leaving it for later? I'm now contemplating starting up the lectures today... Thanks

I started DIT exactly 5 weeks before my boards. I am on Day 10 now. I did not make a rough pass before I started. DIT does a good job of introducing you to FA and explaining things, so I think it would be a good way to start. Most importantly, he tells you which sections are high yield and which aren't which gives you a good way to focus you're studies. You may make a rough pass neglecting important information while focusing and trivial stuff. Also, you want to give yourself plenty of time, because the videos will often take longer than anticipated if you're pausing to write notes and take the quizzes (which I recommend). I originally intended to get through in 2 1/2 weeks, but I'm having to use the weekends to catch up. After DIT, I plan on doing Goljan and hammering UW until my tests with a couple of passes of FA mixed in.

 

[Methotrexate]

i would most definitely start DIT as early as possible because as stated before, it is a great first or second pass. that way, when you have time to study on your own after the course is over, you know what to hone in on. this course teaches you a lot, but when it comes down to it, you need your own study time closer to the exam. also, if you do it too late and it takes too long to complete the course, you might stress yourself out because there is a lot of material.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I just wanted to point out that my roommates both hate DIT and have already quit using it. On the other hand, I know a group of people who think it's okay/decently helpful and a few who thinks it's amazing. In other words, if you learn best with guidance and need the structure DIT provides, it's probably worth checking out. otherwise, don't bother.

 

[mq123]

I just wanted to point out that my roommates both hate DIT and have already quit using it. On the other hand, I know a group of people who think it's okay/decently helpful and a few who thinks it's amazing. In other words, if you learn best with guidance and need the structure DIT provides, it's probably worth checking out. otherwise, don't bother.

Is it because the lecturer is basically reading FA out loud? I saw the longer lecture demo video that someone posted a link for, and that's what it looks like he was doing... I'm just wondering if it's a good way to hammer in those details that never stick (obscure drug side effects, embryology stuff, etc). Even then, it's a lot of money to be paying someone to do that...

 

[Perrotfish]

Hi Folks,

I'm taking my boards in about 5 weeks. I'm signed up for DIT and am debating about when to start. I originally made my schedule with the intention of doing a rough pass of FA and review some concepts from MS1 (BRS, Micro Simple, etc.) that I haven't seen for a while. I heard from a buddy yesterday that DIT actually recommends doing the lectures first, and then filling in the blanks. My original schedule had me finishing DIT with about a week left, and then doing FA the last week.

Can anyone comment on how they have used DIT in terms of starting with it or leaving it for later? I'm now contemplating starting up the lectures today... Thanks

Different things work for different people, but the course itself recommends that you do DIT after you've done a first pass of first aid, and that you should time it so that you finish the course 1-2 weeks before the test.

I just wanted to point out that my roommates both hate DIT and have already quit using it. On the other hand, I know a group of people who think it's okay/decently helpful and a few who thinks it's amazing. In other words, if you learn best with guidance and need the structure DIT provides, it's probably worth checking out. otherwise, don't bother.

Having done it I think it works really well for a second pass of the material if you've already had at least 3-4 weeks to study first Aid and do questions. I'm not really sure if it would be worth it if you only had a 4 or 5 week study period.

 

[MilkmanAl]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know specifically what anyone likes or dislikes about the program. One of my roommates feels he can get through it better on his own, but that's about all I've got.

 

[illixir]

What DIT really is is just a way for you to learn FA inside and out plus a few extras on board-tested topics not in there(he gets tons of info from all the texas students after they take their exams), its read to you and then just a TON of quizzes and high-yield associations that he hammers into your head through spaced repetition.

Nothing less, nothing more, no integrations like Uworld, no understanding like goljan.

 

[Perrotfish]

What DIT really is is just a way for you to learn FA inside and out plus a few extras on board-tested topics not in there(he gets tons of info from all the texas students after they take their exams), its read to you and then just a TON of quizzes and high-yield associations that he hammers into your head through spaced repetition.

Nothing less, nothing more, no integrations like Uworld, no understanding like goljan.

I do think it's also got a very specific audience: people who have made a pass of FA, and also who are starting the course with practice test scores of about a 200-220. If you're not there yet he moves to fast, if you're over that score I would guess he's a little too basic.

 

[Salpingo]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know specifically what anyone likes or dislikes about the program. One of my roommates feels he can get through it better on his own, but that's about all I've got.

Its hard not to be unbiased, since I spent $700 on this and feel like I need to justify my purchase. But here it goes:

Like:

1. The order and structure of the lectures. You can read FA straight through, but it won't really be meaningful if you don't connect the physio with the path with the pharm. DIT has a pretty solid schedule, and their lectures have a natural progression.
2. It gives me something concrete to get through. If I had a bad study day, and feel like I haven't done my best, I can at least hang my hat on the fact that I got through the DIT lecture and quizzes.
3. The questions, for the most part, reinforce the material and give a rapid fire response to how well I'm picking up the basic facts.
4. There's a "fast" button for lectures on material I feel strong on, or those that I know will just require rote memorization, and don't really need to be taught.
5. The lecture stresses facts that you'd normally gloss over (e.g. FA states that Rb mutation is implicated in retinoblastoma AND osteosarcoma. My first time through FA, I just saw Rb, figured I knew it was related to retinoblastoma, and totally neglected osteosarcoma). The DIT guy is definitely aware of stuff you're likely to glaze over and stresses it.
6. He breaks up dense subjects, like neuro and micro, so that they are more manageable.

Dislikes:

1. There are a fair number of questions that basically ask you to regurgitate lists. That might work for some people, but not for me. I'd much rather see more of his "HYQ" (high yield questions).
2. I'm on Day 8, and there have been a couple of times where the lecturer had to go over some dry, tedious material. He just shrugged his shoulders, apologized, and trudged his way through. In fairness, he did his best to highlight essentials, but I just feel like a good teacher can make anything interesting. For example, I've never been bored listening to Goljan.
3. Kind of a pet peeve, but he drops brand names for drugs a lot. I know it helps some people; not me.
4. It'd be nice if he had another teacher go up for lectures. 90+ hours of the same face and voice can get a little grating.

Overall, it works for me. I'm the type of person that needs a simultaneously structured and engaging course. It keeps me on track, that is when I'm not taking breaks to post ridiculously long messages on internet forums.

 

[Perrotfish]

Kind of a pet peeve, but he drops brand names for drugs a lot. I know it helps some people; not me.

+1. "this drug is called .____ you might know this better as __". Seriously? If I knew this drug as ANYTHING I would not be paying $700 for you to help me cram the info into my head.

Edit: Also, just finished the last video. This is the first time I'm beginning to feel like I'm actually going to take this thing on Wednesday.

 

[aashkab]

are there any testimonials on SDN that don't mind posting their before and after diagnostic stories who took DIT? and also their real step 1 score?

My goal is a 235+, and I've heard people say its for people who are near average but at the same time the website is claiming all kinds of other stuff and at this point, I think the best way is to go off of anecdotal evidence from a trusted SDN member, lol.

Again, I know people who have just done FA, goljan, and World and scored 259...

So if i could hammer in FA, who knows what the possibilities are right???

Still on the fence about whether to do this or not. Thanks!

 

[hartbot]

LOOK PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO:

First Aid is an amazing book. We all know that.

So if you put some schmuck in front of a camera and have him read the book out loud it will still be a good review course because he's hijacking all the material in this wonderful collection.

Sometimes it's hard to notice all the details and words in FA, and it might help if someone puts special attention on it. If you need to be babied through the book, and like this type of order, then do it.

However, if you're look me and would rather spend the $700 on a 5-day cruise after the test, then I'll see you on the tanning deck of a Carnival on July 20th.

Peace.

 

[DocDanny]

I listened to my first DIT lecture today, and I am extremely disappointed.

First of all, we just got out of school yesterday. So we only have a few weeks to study for boards, since deadline is June 30th. This guy is acting like you have months with nothing to do but study. That isn't the case at my school.

So I only have 26 or whatever days left of DIT, and I haven't even gone over most of First Aid yet for the first time.

So what the heck am I supposed to do? It will take several days of doing nothing else to highlight First Aid. Do I do that and then cram in as many DIT lectures as possible?

Or do I use DIT as my first run through of First Aid?

Again, this has nothing to do with procrastinating. School got out yesterday, and we always had group projects to do, and short stories and reflective essays, and practice physical exam and patient interviews. Plus actual 2nd year classes. So literally, no time to study.

I am really freaking out because the exam is in slightly more than a month, and the program I signed up for is acting like this should be my LAST month of studying, instead of my first and only month.

 

[Perrotfish]

I listened to my first DIT lecture today, and I am extremely disappointed.

First of all, we just got out of school yesterday. So we only have a few weeks to study for boards, since deadline is June 30th. This guy is acting like you have months with nothing to do but study. That isn't the case at my school.

So I only have 26 or whatever days left of DIT, and I haven't even gone over most of First Aid yet for the first time.

So what the heck am I supposed to do? It will take several days of doing nothing else to highlight First Aid. Do I do that and then cram in as many DIT lectures as possible?

Or do I use DIT as my first run through of First Aid?

Again, this has nothing to do with procrastinating. School got out yesterday, and we always had group projects to do, and short stories and reflective essays, and practice physical exam and patient interviews. Plus actual 2nd year classes. So literally, no time to study.

I am really freaking out because the exam is in slightly more than a month, and the program I signed up for is acting like this should be my LAST month of studying, instead of my first and only month.

It's up to you whether you use him or not, but like I said earlier I do think that this program is designed for a student with more than a month of dedicated study time, to keep you focused and motivated on a second pass of first aid. For someone in their first month of studying I guess it might help if you're more of a auditory learner, but if you don't feel like he's moving at their right pace for you then drop the course.

Off topic, but does anyone else think it's rediculous how little step 1 study time most schools give? My school gave us a speech very early about how additional study time just doesn't help, so that's why we only needed 4 weeks of dedicated time and why I needed to take vacation if I wanted 8. Between weeks 4 and 6 my scores went up by almost 20 points, and I feel like this last month has been one of the most education periods in my medical school education. WTF?

So if you put some schmuck in front of a camera and have him read the book out loud it will still be a good review course because he's hijacking all the material in this wonderful collection.

Sometimes it's hard to notice all the details and words in FA, and it might help if someone puts special attention on it. If you need to be babied through the book, and like this type of order, then do it.

However, if you're look me and would rather spend the $700 on a 5-day cruise after the test, then I'll see you on the tanning deck of a Carnival on July 20th.

Peace.

This is almost the definition of gunner. Is not using a particular study aid really a ego boost for you?

 

[tideleonheart]

So I only have 26 or whatever days left of DIT, and I haven't even gone over most of First Aid yet for the first time.

I think he wants you to have gone through FA twice before you even begin the course...

 

[hartbot]

This is almost the definition of gunner. Is not using a particular study aid really a ego boost for you?

My belief is that we're all unsure and vulnerable at this stage in our studies and I'm sick of companies just capitalizing on this insecurity.

Didn't want to be rude, perhaps just frustrated with how much this test and prepping for it actually costs.

 

[xx216xx]

I think he wants you to have gone through FA twice before you even begin the course...

I think this is the problem I'm having with this guy's lectures. I've gone over first aid and did tons of Uworld questions before I started them with the thought that he was going to go over the important stuff that I missed and tie everything together, like Goljan does, but all I'm hearing from this guy is, "Oh yea, this page is important, you're gonna wanna look at that, but after you've listened to me read to you for five hours." The majority of what he goes over, you should already know. And what the hell is this crap with reading me the high yield pages from FA? Yea, I can read too. Honestly, my opinion of this course is that if you need to feel like you're studying to make your goal of 12 hours a day (which is insane by the way) or that you just need to hear about every little thing out there, then by all means sit in front of your computer listening to this guy for five hours as you go, "yea, yea, i know that, i know that, i know that, well that could be useful, i know that, how much longer?" Me, I'll stick to my much more efficient 6hrs a day where I focus on my weaknesses and improve on them without having to go over material I'm already very well aware of.

Now, rant aside, I'm very aware that the step prep is very school dependent. Mine does a very good job of it but I realize some schools do not "teach to the test" so others might need something like this.

For a reference of where these opinions are coming from: I took a CBSE in march and got a projected 240 and i'm consistently getting in the 70th percentile and above whenever I do blocks of uworld questions (granted they are usually blocks of 25 because i do not want to spend two hours taking and then reviewing them). This is not gloating (if you even consider it that), I just think it is important to give a reference of where I am in my studying so you can judge my opinion's relevance to you. I think that everyone with an opinion in this thread should provide something of the sort so that others can decided whether it is of any relevance; which I would bet is the cause for the large divide with those that love and hate this course.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I understand what you guys are saying, and DIT is probably not for everybody.

For me, there is a 0% chance that I am going to sit down and read FA from cover to cover. Ever. For my learning style, there are better ways for me to spend my time.

So DIT is exactly what I'm looking for: someone to read FA to me, and make it somewhat of an interactive process, quizzing me as I go.

I am not going to go through FA twice before I begin DIT. I will, however, do as many questions from Rx as I can, which I am hoping will be better than going through FA twice, since Rx goes through FA. Time will tell.

 

[kissmyasthma99]

I really like the DIT course, and our school does perennially well on the boards. I think he takes First Aid from just being an outline and adds some meat to it. He adds mnemonics and also lots of information in the handout. The stuff he has added has been on the boards before and is NOT in FA. I also think it helps to highlight the important things, and tell you what is not important. I think it is almost worth the money when he goes section by section and says, "You will have at least 2 question on this box. You will have at least 1 question on this box. There has never been a question on this, etc." He also explains all of the abbreviations and parts of the book that are poorly worded and incorrect. I will recommend to the class below me. Again, just an opinion.

 

[Perrotfish]

I think this is the problem I'm having with this guy's lectures. I've gone over first aid and did tons of Uworld questions before I started them with the thought that he was going to go over the important stuff that I missed and tie everything together, like Goljan does, but all I'm hearing from this guy is, "Oh yea, this page is important, you're gonna wanna look at that, but after you've listened to me read to you for five hours." The majority of what he goes over, you should already know. And what the hell is this crap with reading me the high yield pages from FA? Yea, I can read too. Honestly, my opinion of this course is that if you need to feel like you're studying to make your goal of 12 hours a day (which is insane by the way) or that you just need to hear about every little thing out there, then by all means sit in front of your computer listening to this guy for five hours as you go, "yea, yea, i know that, i know that, i know that, well that could be useful, i know that, how much longer?" Me, I'll stick to my much more efficient 6hrs a day where I focus on my weaknesses and improve on them without having to go over material I'm already very well aware of.

Now, rant aside, I'm very aware that the step prep is very school dependent. Mine does a very good job of it but I realize some schools do not "teach to the test" so others might need something like this.

For a reference of where these opinions are coming from: I took a CBSE in march and got a projected 240 and i'm consistently getting in the 70th percentile and above whenever I do blocks of uworld questions (granted they are usually blocks of 25 because i do not want to spend two hours taking and then reviewing them). This is not gloating (if you even consider it that), I just think it is important to give a reference of where I am in my studying so you can judge my opinion's relevance to you. I think that everyone with an opinion in this thread should provide something of the sort so that others can decided whether it is of any relevance; which I would bet is the cause for the large divide with those that love and hate this course.

Again, I think this course is aimed at a very specific audience. Mainly it's for people who:

1) Have at least 6 weeks of dedicated to study, and probably at least 8 (so that they can go through FA once before the course, and still have at least a week on the other side)

2) Are not doing practicularly well on NBMEs when they start the course: 190-220. If you're above that the course is probably going to be too slow for you. If you started off with a 240 it's not even a close call.

3) Are not capable of studying for 8 weeks at their peak potential without some kind of external motivation.

Now I actually think that a very large subset of medical students. But it's definitely not for everyone.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

In my opinion, you can't possibly see this stuff enough, or in too many different ways.

Yeah, if you're a whiz and you've already got all this crap down pat, then you might not get your money's worth.

For the average med student (my picture is in the dictionary next to "the average med student"), I think stuff like this can be beneficial. Some people will get more from it than others, but if you really listen to the guy and do his questions and stuff, I think it would be pretty helpful. That's what I'm counting on anyway.