advice on qbank for learning main concepts

[jdj16]

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I've searched for both kaplan and usmlerx qbanks and read what everyone has had to say about them...however, it seems that each has its merits and its downfalls. I'm finishing up m1 at an all systems based school and am looking to start a qbank either now or at the beginning of summer to kind of refresh and relearn the concepts from this past year so that once i hit january i wont have to do such heavy content review. i'm not really looking to score a certain percent or gauge my readiness for step 1 or whatever, i just want to make sure i'm keeping everything retained and learning everything that i need to...my school likes to leave out chunks of info that are in first aid sometimes.

so with all this said, for learning and just helping to retain, it seems like usmlerx might be the best, as i've also heard kaplan has a lot of esoterica and some stuff that's really hyperfocused and not so important. i can cram that stuff towards the end...so i guess i'm talking myself into rx. anyone have a differing opinion?

 

[madchemist89]

From my limited experience, the key is not what qbank or source but annotation of First Aid. Use it as a skeleton and add facts/explanations from several sources, including qbanks, board review books, and anything else that you find useful. There is no secret, and there is no silver bullet. You must first determine what you believe to be of relatively high yield and then study that material into the ground using various resources. Everyone has their own opinion about what material is best to study. You must decide for yourself what you need to know.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I'll be finishing up USMLERx in the next few days, 3000 questions and I actually find myself wishing it was longer. The things it has quizzed me on, I have pretty much down cold. I don't think I would have been able to retain these concepts just by reading FA.

However, if you're one of those people that can read something once or twice and have it forever stored in your long term, you probably won't get a lot out of USMLErx. ~85% of their questions are straight from FA.

 

[Jamiu22]

I'll be finishing up USMLERx in the next few days, 3000 questions and I actually find myself wishing it was longer. The things it has quizzed me on, I have pretty much down cold. I don't think I would have been able to retain these concepts just by reading FA.

However, if you're one of those people that can read something once or twice and have it forever stored in your long term, you probably won't get a lot out of USMLErx. ~85% of their questions are straight from FA.

I used USMLE-Rx too... and completed the questions set..I love it...and I believe even if you can read something once in FA and get it... RX helps you ensure that you indeed got it. One thing is that FA is also a skeleton of what you need to know and doesn't go in depth... RX helps to frame those one liners into meaning vignette. Since my exam isn't for another 10wks, I plan on going through reading my missed/marked questions on RX again before I start uworld... This stuff leaves your brain after a while.

OP, at my school, kaplan qbank is mandatory (paid from our tuition)... so I've been using that too every once in a while when I've got time a lil spare time (10 question sets)... and it does help. The biggest problem for me isn't the understanding the subject - it's the rapid recall that you need on step one. Since you got a year... learn the new material really well... and brush up on week areas from M1... and always keep going back to it every 3months or so... if you learn something really well now and don't look at it for another 9 months (you'll forget the minutias - kaplan helps with this).

I mentioned earlier that rapid recall is what's needed for this exam... from what I've gleaned from those who've come before me - the more questions you do (and really understood) - the better your rapid recall of minutia facts and details; also a good way to check your overall knowledge. So in summary, if you can, do both kaplan qbank and usmle_rx.. you can only be better for it; but if you had to choose one, I'd go with RX.