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If anyone has a trial access code they wouldn't mind sending my way, that would be awesome.
Rising MS2 here. I've read enough about GT, ready to take the plunge and take this thing for a spin. Any kind souls wanna PM me with a free trial code? Eternal gratefulness...
send you a PM.
Hey everyone,
I've been trying out Gunner for a few months now. I wasn't sure what everyone thought was the best way to use it.
This is how I have used it so far, but wanted to see what has worked for people that have already used it and have had good results in Step 1:
I would go to class, take lecture notes, and outline my syllabus. I would then add anything from BRS to my lecture notes to make a master set of notes. I would then go on Gunner and try and bank questions and topics that were from that particular class. Some of the stuff on Gunner was completely new where I didn't see the information in class or from BRS. I would bank these questions rating them 1 or 2 if I didn't know them on my first pass through or a 3 if I knew them and got them correct after my first review.
My question was, after finishing a set of 20 questions for information on a subject that was covered in class, I was inevitably left with a bunch of 1's and 2's from things I never got from school. Do you guys go back and review these flashcards right away? Do you learn them more over the next couple of days or weeks? My concern is over-burdening myself with new info simultaneously from class and from step 1. Hopefully, I find my curriculum ties to step 1 better in my future classes.
I wasn't sure what the best strategy was. I'm hoping to kill the curve on step 1 (because I have my sights set on one of those specialties that average 240+), and I am using Gunner to help me get some of the high yield info memorized (but I will be using other sources like UWorld, BRS, and RR Path).
My school tends to have average Step 1 scores and the upper classmen in my school tend to bash on our curriculum as "low yield." Those that have done well (claiming 240+) have told me they either completely neglected class and only studied for Step 1 or they were religious class go-ers that supplemented class material with step 1 material. Also of note, my school is pass/fail.
Any constructive thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks for the input!
I personally don't like going back and reviewing the cards themselves. If its a new concept or something I just can't remember, I keep ranking it a 1, and eventually getting asked the same question every day just hammers it into my brain. That's the beauty of spaced learning.
There's quite a bit of stuff I've memorized and even learned that we haven't come to in class. I feel like I'm building a solid foundation for MS2.This is exactly what I do too. If you rank something a 1 you will see it the next day or at worst the day after that. If you see something everyday for a week or two it's hard not to start remembering it. Of course this means more daily questions, but as DoctwoB pointed out, it's better than just re-reading the cards over and over.
There's quite a bit of stuff I've memorized and even learned that we haven't come to in class. I feel like I'm building a solid foundation for MS2.
Definitely. I remember someone on here saying they didn't think GT was good for learning new material, but for the most part I'd have to disagree. So much of what we do is memorization based, and the repetition that GT provides is key. For instance, my school glossed over bone pathology like osteopetrosis and GT has been great for filling in the missing details.
I know right? I feel like my school missed so much, although I know I'll see some in second year.Definitely. I remember someone on here saying they didn't think GT was good for learning new material, but for the most part I'd have to disagree. So much of what we do is memorization based, and the repetition that GT provides is key. For instance, my school glossed over bone pathology like osteopetrosis and GT has been great for filling in the missing details.
If anyone would be kind enough to float me one of the extended trials I would appreciate it; the concept is very appealing.
Im about to start MS2 soon and after going through this thread i'm interested in trying this thing out. Can anybody PM me with a free trial code? Thanks much!
Check PM.Anyone have a trial code to offer? M2 starting up next week...
Ok, don't use it then. It's not even that expensive.It just doesn't seem as reputable. At this point Kaplan is charging an arm and a leg but at least they have solid explanations for their content and legitimacy as a company. God, I just hate every company jumping on the "they are desperate to do well so let's charge whatever" bandwagon.
Does anyone understand the 3 months subscription special. If we buy it and it doesn't go through do we have to pay the full price? That seems a bit unfair.
It just doesn't seem as reputable. At this point Kaplan is charging an arm and a leg but at least they have solid explanations for their content and legitimacy as a company. God, I just hate every company jumping on the "they are desperate to do well so let's charge whatever" bandwagon.
Check PM.
please let us know how your first exam goesAppreciate the insights here.
I am already approaching my first second year exam. And GT has been my main activity. With some Pathoma other texts and videos mixed in. I'm just breezing through the lecture slides to make sure I'm hitting what they're covering.
I hoping this works out well. Cause I'm all in and committing to doing GT for up to 3 hours a day.
It feels right. Keeps me working on things that I need to focus on. Things that I'm weak on. Keeps things in play that I know I would have needed to review but probably would've lacked the organization to review every detail of.
With regards to criticism of the capital investment being injected into this particular educational sector.
I tend to think that medical education is in rapid flux. And that our behemoth institutions lack the proper impetus to keep up. They're part of an antiquated statis quo economy. And are by far the largest shareholders of each of our tiny little flagship corporations.
The amount of money for GT is like having a tiny underfunded R&D department at General Motors. They keep churning out Escalades. And we need something faster, more agile, more personalized, and more efficient.
Kaplan is the epitomy of what you're describing here. Kaplan's explanations are terrible, their books are terrible, their question bank is entirely half-assed, and they are so ludicrously overpriced. There's even a study that showed no difference at all for people who used Kaplan or similar courses. . McGaghie WC, Downing SM, Kubilius R. What is the impact of commercial test preparation courses on medical examination performance? Teach Learn Med 2004;16:202-11.
Kaplan (via my school) charged me 2,300 for their course, which was a near-total waste of time. Their books are better than nothing, but they are nowhere near as good as they should be. You could throw together some BRS, High Yield and Rapid Review that would be a better curriculum for cheaper.
Their lecturers are really hit or miss, as well. They just choose the good ones for their videos. One guy we had was great, for pharm, but the others were either completely incompetent in their field of review (micro guy comes to mind) or a total waste of time. The physio guy just repeatedly told jokes and never covered any material. They repeatedly emphasize that the books, the home study system they hand out, are incomplete without the lectures to go with it. Well guess what? I sat in that classroom for 8 weeks and not one thing they mentioned was not present in the book. The books were incredibly low yield and the anatomy/embryo/histo book in particular was badly organized and full of all kinds of errors and incomprehensible phrasing.
DIT too short? Need someone to be physically present to hold your hand through the most irrelevant minutae from MS1? Then Kaplan is for you. That or you're just looking for a quick way to burn through a few thousand dollars so you feel like you prepared for the step. I know for a fact I could have used that 8 weeks to study on my own with far better gains. Several of my classmates did the full Kaplan program with flying colors then flat failed the step a month later.
Their qbank frequently drove me to rage as well, although it is slightly better than Rx. Thank god they had a iphone app, I used to use lecture time to pound out 8-10 blocks. The lady who introduces the course frequently talks completely out of her ass about how the mechanics of the exam work. I'm trying to think of a single good thing to say about the Kaplan course so I don't sound completely bitter, but it ain't happening.
On the other hand, GT is a solid, extremely efficient do it yourself memory aid with emphasis on recall of basic medical facts and relationships. They don't pretend to be anything they aren't. A full year cost me 100? 120 bucks? and the only time I wasted was when I took a break. I saw incredible results in retention and even learned a few completely new things when I went through their course. I've spent thousands of hours on that website and it's been the biggest single component of my medical education. I saw big gains in my GPA and ended up studying less, and wasting less time. They have nothing to hide, no extra bonus levels, everything you can access in the free 30 day trial is the exact same thing you end up buying. If you didn't like it in those 30 days, you're not going to like it six months later. There's no wasted money there.
GT is a study aid to help you study harder and better and they keep improving their cards. I've even caught them correcting errors in USMLE World.
And as far as Kaplan "having legitimacy" as a company, you might want to read up on their involvement in defrauding the department of education with their diploma mill colleges.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/education/10kaplan.html
Appreciate the insights here.
I am already approaching my first second year exam. And GT has been my main activity. With some Pathoma other texts and videos mixed in. I'm just breezing through the lecture slides to make sure I'm hitting what they're covering.
I hoping this works out well. Cause I'm all in and committing to doing GT for up to 3 hours a day.
It feels right. Keeps me working on things that I need to focus on. Things that I'm weak on. Keeps things in play that I know I would have needed to review but probably would've lacked the organization to review every detail of.
With regards to criticism of the capital investment being injected into this particular educational sector.
I tend to think that medical education is in rapid flux. And that our behemoth institutions lack the proper impetus to keep up. They're part of an antiquated statis quo economy. And are by far the largest shareholders of each of our tiny little flagship corporations.
The amount of money for GT is like having a tiny underfunded R&D department at General Motors. They keep churning out Escalades. And we need something faster, more agile, more personalized, and more efficient.
Check PMwould appreciate the extended trial as well, thanks in advance!