Advice regarding USMLE Rx scores

[sunshine02]

Hi everyone, I've been getting around 40% correct on USMLE Rx. At this point, is it worth it to keep doing questions to fill in knowledge gaps or study everything (read FA, etc) and then go to Qbanks? I figure 40% correct must mean that I have some significant gaps in knowledge... Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[trs88]

Usmle Rx is literally a "did you memorize this line in FA" type question bank. It's not really testing your critical thinking skills. With regards to your question, do both. Never stop doing questions but if you aren't understanding the questions then hit the review aids harder.

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

Do first aid then do corresponding block of rx. You need to have that stuff memorized for Uworld so you know you are on the right path to work through the question.

 

[sunshine02]

Usmle Rx is literally a "did you memorize this line in FA" type question bank. It's not really testing your critical thinking skills. With regards to your question, do both. Never stop doing questions but if you aren't understanding the questions then hit the review aids harder.

Do first aid then do corresponding block of rx. You need to have that stuff memorized for Uworld so you know you are on the right path to work through the question.

Thanks guys! So far, I've been doing Rx random, not by block. I also haven't gone through my first pass of First Aid.

I'm wondering how to juggle/balance between
1. Reading First Aid
2. Doing Rx questions
3. Zanki cards to hone in the material b/c otherwise I'll just forget what I read in FA. But as you know there are over 10,000 zanki cards and to complete all of them will take some time...

Anyone have experience with how to best incorporate all 3 into daily studying? Really struggling to figure out how to prioritize/plan

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

Forget random.. you’re still building a foundation. Do corresponding material for repetition then worry about random with a qbank like Uworld so you can see deficiencies and go back for 2nd or 3rd pass. This is just my opinion though

 

[Blunt Dissection]

How far out are you from your exam and how many questions have you done? Of the big 3, Rx is the one that's great for building a foundation so you shouldn't be worried about doing it on random. 40% suggests to me that there's either a knowledge gap or there's an issue with approaching questions. If it is a knowledge gap, supplement with review videos like B&B/Pathoma/Sketchy. First Aid is a great tool for specific factoids, but it will not make cross-system connections for you.

 

[themoonman2]

Are you getting this score after having studied all the subjects in pre-clinical or are you doing questions on subjects you haven't studied yet?

 

[sunshine02]

I've done about 400 Rx questions, and I'm doing them after having studied all the subjects in pre-clinical. I do have many months before my exam so I'm not in a time crunch but as you can tell, I have to start early because I have forgotten so much.

I don't think it's a problem with the way I approach questions. I think it's a knowledge issue b/c when I re-read the question, I'll always be like, "oh yeah, I forgot about that" or "What? I've never heard of that before."

 

[Blunt Dissection]

I've done about 400 Rx questions, and I'm doing them after having studied all the subjects in pre-clinical. I do have many months before my exam so I'm not in a time crunch but as you can tell, I have to start early because I have forgotten so much.

I don't think it's a problem with the way I approach questions. I think it's a knowledge issue b/c when I re-read the question, I'll always be like, "oh yeah, I forgot about that" or "What? I've never heard of that before."

Being far out from your exam is great and starting early is great, so since that's the case, don't let the 40% get you bogged down. I'd recommend what the others have said about doing Rx via systems and after you've had a chance to watch some videos on the system. Don't be afraid to use the difficulty flags as well. Doing all the easy questions first after watching the videos gives you a good base to work off and you can transition to doing the medium/difficult questions the following day or the next week etc.

 

[mistafab]

I would highly suggest doing your RX by organ system since you are so far out. You are building a foundation right now - later you can do randoms when you are filling the gaps.

 

[themoonman2]

I would suggest watching boards and beyond, pathoma, and sketchy micro (I have friends that endorse the other sketchy video topics as well). If you spend a couple weeks really focusing on those and learning the basics again, your scores will improve. Also remember that the question banks are a learning tool in themselves, so don't get too down when you don't do as well as you'd hope.