Peep this, sucka yo:
Pretest contained a variety of useful information that skipped a lot of the convoluted b.s. that Blueprints had to offer. Step 2ck might be another ball of wax, as I have read that USMLEWORLD is the go-to resource on countless ocassions.
I am a 3rd year, and neuro was my first rotation. I don't take step2ck until next year. As such, I can only comment on the shelf exam; although I did think of using usmleworld to study for it while knocking out usmle preparation simultaneously. I e-mailed a representative recently about the number of step2ck questions pertaining to neurology, and he/she/it indicated the presence of about 100 questions. Spending over $90 for one month of access to 100 questions? Naw, I'll just wait until the first part of Internal Medicine is over.
To get to the point, Pre-test is "da bomb" for straightforwardness, but Blueprints has some extra shizzles that one might enjoy reading if genuinely interested in details relevant to neurology. If pressed for time, reading the explanations with or without doing the questions would seem beneficial.
However, Kaplan Internal Medicine for Step2ck has a 12-page section on Neurology that didn't have EVERYTHING for the shelf, but what it did contain was high yield. I can remember specific questions on the shelf that I got right because of the kaplan videos and accompanying text that pretty much follows everything Mr. Homeslice instructor guy says . Since the word on the street is that step2ck is less detailed than the shelf exams, one may arrive at the supposition that blueprints would be overkill for step2ck, but not necessarily for the shelf--especially if you like thinking about the difference in posturing in a patient with decerebrate versus decorticate lesions, all of the many different types of muscular dystrophies, the EEG readings for various seizures, details, details, details. In an ideal world, one would be able to learn them all. Realistically, however, Pre-Test, Kaplan, UW, +- FA, +- Step Up, +- Boards and Wards would probably do the trick.
Since my step 1 neuroscience studying immediately preceded my first neuro rotation, I found that remembering Neuroanatomy helped me to rock pimping questions and figure out the locations of lesions. I was suprised at the amount of Rhemuatology included in Neurology, especially subjects like Myasthenia gravis, Guillaine-Barre, polymyositis, Limb-Girdle Muscular dystrophy, etc. Pre-Test covers all of them, however, and Kaplan addresses them in its Rheumatology section of Internal Medicine for Step 2CK. I could have probably done just as well--if not even better--if I didn't have to show up at 6 a.m. ever morning and could just study Neurology out of a book. In other words, I don't think I would have needed to have gone through the rotation to understand anything in any of the resources I encountered, since much of it is conceptually related to the neurological + cardiovascular systems and symptomatically related to the physical exams pertaining thereof.
Word up.
uclacrewdude said:
lemme axe you dis. ill be taking step 2CK w/o having taken neuro (neuro's my last rotation before graduation ... that way i dont need to take the shelf
). do you think pretest is valuable without a clinical foundation or otherwise thorough prep? or is going through the pretest answers sufficient knowledge to shore up what neuro you find on step 2?
