Anki (DrWillBe) vs Firecracker and Step 1

[Meds2dent]

Hey everyone,

I am looking for some input into using these two great resources along with coursework. I have been using FC but do not like that the cards I learn initially and rate high get scheduled two weeks out. I end up spending 2x the amount of time relearning it. However, with anki I have a much higher retention rate and can crush ~150-200 cards in an hour. I guess I am already biased towards Anki but have found strengths in both. There is also the fear of overlooking high yield material or including too much low yield. Thoughts?

As of right now, I am going through organ systems and I have adopted the DrWillBe deck for path and have found it to be great after making some more additions. Although, I sometimes end up putting just as much time in adding my own stuff to the DrWillBe deck as I do to FC. I would like to review the stuff from my basic science courses but I am not finding time for that and the summer between M1 and M2 seems more realistic to review it.

With that said, am I better off making my own cards? If so, I already know the time commitment would be huge but the decks I make would most likely be open to anyone to have once I polish them. I am looking into it being a great resource for others to use alongside the DrWillBe decks. The incentive is that M1s get a great resource to study with while leaving specific tags for HY topics they can migrate into a long term deck.

Here are some thoughts on each resource IMO:

Anki Pros
Highly portable
Highly customizable
Image Occlusion
Flash cards w/ sound
Easy to share with others
Able to tweak SR algorithm

Anki Cons
Time consuming to make cards
High learning curve

Firecracker Pros
Premade flashcards
Closely mirrors FA
Gives a calender to view cards
Easily flag/unflag topics
Many answers are given in context

Firecracker Cons
Many questions are poorly written
Many answers are lengthy and consume too much glucose
Poor search features
Their images suck

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[LostinLift]

I'm curious about this as well. I like the idea of using FC throughout M1 and M2 of my systems based curriculum and supplementing my classes with Anki for minutiae not covered in FC.

My main fear of relying solely on Anki is that the cards I make and information I retain will not be as high yield and relevant for MS2 and Step 1 as FC.

 

[saalik786]

I tried both. Highly prefer Anki over Firecracker. Yes, Anki is free but that's not why I chose it. I think it is better overall (assuming first aid is used to make flashcards). It is also more flexible in that you can tweak the algorithm to what you think is best for yourself. This way the intervals do not jump very high.

 

[ulikedaggers]

I'd much rather pay FC to make cards for me and spend my time doing fun stuff... or more studying.

 

[mcloaf]

I'd much rather pay FC to make cards for me and spend my time doing fun stuff... or more studying.

Very much this.

 

[Donald Juan]

I'm a fan of anki. I think I can do a better job making the cards I need to learn. I tried firecracker, and while it was ok and I see why a lot of people enjoy it, I didn't like how locked in it was. I felt like it would be taking all my time just to keep up with it, while I'm trying to spend the majority of my studying on qbanks and using anki to drill in the hard facts as I realize my deficiencies.

I know a lot of people complain about taking time to make cards, but I don't really see it. If you can type with all ten fingers and know how to use the snapshot tool on your pdf of first aid, it doesn't take long. Not to mention that time making cards isn't just time down the drain, you're learning material as you do it. I have to think through the facts I missed and what is worthwhile to make into a card, and all of this makes me dwell on the subject more than just memorizing what someone else decided to put on side B.

 

[LostinLift]

I'm a fan of anki. I think I can do a better job making the cards I need to learn. I tried firecracker, and while it was ok and I see why a lot of people enjoy it, I didn't like how locked in it was. I felt like it would be taking all my time just to keep up with it, while I'm trying to spend the majority of my studying on qbanks and using anki to drill in the hard facts as I realize my deficiencies.

I know a lot of people complain about taking time to make cards, but I don't really see it. If you can type with all ten fingers and know how to use the snapshot tool on your pdf of first aid, it doesn't take long. Not to mention that time making cards isn't just time down the drain, you're learning material as you do it. I have to think through the facts I missed and what is worthwhile to make into a card, and all of this makes me dwell on the subject more than just memorizing what someone else decided to put on side B.

So did you try starting it during second year? I have no complaints about making Anki cards, in fact I plan on using Anki as a key tool in studying for classes. Spoiler/Disclaimer I don't start M1 until August, but I still would love to drill in important minutiae and high yield facts alongside my M1 classes. If I start right away in M1 and bank slowly along with classes, kicking it up a notch and trying to bank 100% hopefully by the end of Winter Break M2, I think I would be in great position for Step 1. While I know Step 1 is the primary goal of the first two years, honoring classes is important to me as well, so if I notice FC significantly disrupting my classes rather than supplementing them effectively, I will discontinue it. I am hoping, however, this is not the case.

 

[SurgeDO]

M1 just getting into Anki.

does anyone have any experience with the shared decks of FA anki cards? just downloaded a couple packs and figured i could add in additional information throughout the year (cannot stand making flash cards).


didn't enjoy my trial run with FC. put the money i saved toward the 21 month subscription with pathoma. i owe dr. sattar a serious thank you letter.

 

[Donald Juan]

So did you try starting it during second year? I have no complaints about making Anki cards, in fact I plan on using Anki as a key tool in studying for classes. Spoiler/Disclaimer I don't start M1 until August, but I still would love to drill in important minutiae and high yield facts alongside my M1 classes. If I start right away in M1 and bank slowly along with classes, kicking it up a notch and trying to bank 100% hopefully by the end of Winter Break M2, I think I would be in great position for Step 1. While I know Step 1 is the primary goal of the first two years, honoring classes is important to me as well, so if I notice FC significantly disrupting my classes rather than supplementing them effectively, I will discontinue it. I am hoping, however, this is not the case.

I tried it the summer after M1. If you can get through it all by winter break M2, you will be in a good position.

I don't want to discourage you from your goals, and I'm not gonna say they won't happen. But as for me, studying 1-2 hours a day on top of my classes was not going to happen in M1. Plus, realize that if you decide you want to take a weekend off from FC, you're going to come back with a huge sum of cards built up. This can make it seem like a futile effort.

 

[Donald Juan]

M1 just getting into Anki.

does anyone have any experience with the shared decks of FA anki cards? just downloaded a couple packs and figured i could add in additional information throughout the year (cannot stand making flash cards).


didn't enjoy my trial run with FC. put the money i saved toward the 21 month subscription with pathoma. i owe dr. sattar a serious thank you letter.

I've used the huge FA deck a decent amount. It is good, and very comprehensive of FA. It also contains some of the better mnemonics and good info from other sources like DIT, and it has some cool things like audio on the heart murmurs. The only problem with it is that you will notice a difference in the quality of cards from different sections. It was made by several different people and this is clear. Some sections were made by people who know how to make appropriate flash cards, while others are done by someone who looks like they were just rushing through it.

 

[madcowz]

Agree with Don Juan.

So did you try starting it during second year? I have no complaints about making Anki cards, in fact I plan on using Anki as a key tool in studying for classes. Spoiler/Disclaimer I don't start M1 until August, but I still would love to drill in important minutiae and high yield facts alongside my M1 classes. If I start right away in M1 and bank slowly along with classes, kicking it up a notch and trying to bank 100% hopefully by the end of Winter Break M2, I think I would be in great position for Step 1. While I know Step 1 is the primary goal of the first two years, honoring classes is important to me as well, so if I notice FC significantly disrupting my classes rather than supplementing them effectively, I will discontinue it. I am hoping, however, this is not the case.

Oh for the days before med school beat my enthusiasm for learning and ambition out of me...

Yeah, dude. Slow down. Focus on passing and adjusting to med school first. If you want to get a good idea of how people have handled FC along with classes, check out that huge thread on Firecracker or Gunner Training. Lots of good intentions. Many attempt, few maintain. It's next to impossible when you're racking up 1000+ reviews. Personally, I tried FC during first year and found it to be useful only the the sense that it showed me how NOT to write flashcards. Their questions are poorly suited to spaced repetition, which keys in on RAPIDLY moving through questions. Kind of hard to do with vague, multi-part questions.

Just to give you an idea, anki and GT/FC were both formulated from something called Super Memo. If you read the supermemo top 20 rules for generating spaced repetition cards (http://www.supermemo.com/articles/20rules.htm), you'll find that FC breaks these rules right and left.

Full disclosure: I've been using anki on a regular basis since the summer after MS1. I wasted $100 on a FC subscription, so I'm still a little bitter. That said, I still browse their cards occasionally, b/c they're generally well made. Their questions are just crap.

 

[madcowz]

I'm curious about this as well. I like the idea of using FC throughout M1 and M2 of my systems based curriculum and supplementing my classes with Anki for minutiae not covered in FC.

My main fear of relying solely on Anki is that the cards I make and information I retain will not be as high yield and relevant for MS2 and Step 1 as FC.

That's why you pick high-yield resources as a guide for your anki cards. My questions are drawn primarily from FA, leaning heavily towards understanding concepts rather than mindless memorization. I have an electronic copy of FA set up on my dropbox, and as I add facts I highlight the relevant area as to prevent duplicate information. I also started supplementing with information from Pathoma and qbanks (moreso USMLE-Rx than Kaplan). Never, do I ever, add information from my classes. I've found that what is "correct" for Step 1 is not necessarily "correct" in the clinical practice of medicine... but maybe that's just my school.

 

[LostinLift]

That's why you pick high-yield resources as a guide for your anki cards. My questions are drawn primarily from FA, leaning heavily towards understanding concepts rather than mindless memorization. I have an electronic copy of FA set up on my dropbox, and as I add facts I highlight the relevant area as to prevent duplicate information. I also started supplementing with information from Pathoma and qbanks (moreso USMLE-Rx than Kaplan). Never, do I ever, add information from my classes. I've found that what is "correct" for Step 1 is not necessarily "correct" in the clinical practice of medicine... but maybe that's just my school.

Ugh I know, thank you, I'm just going stir crazy already waiting for school to start. I've been in "the real world" for a while and I really want to get back to the books. I know there will be a lifetime of this ahead of me, I'm just excited for my new life to start! I'm doing plenty of other stuff right now to relax, but there are 2-3 hours of my day that I can't help but spend on SDN or on Super Memo or other learning articles. I like the format of FC overall, though I have looked through many cards and know they don't match up with the SuperMemo strategies and are not quick reviews. I know "Ms0's" don't know **** and I won't know how I'll feel about FC until I'm in the thick of things... it's just fun to speculate.

As I said in the Firecracker thread, I have yet to see anyone who worked with Firecracker thoroughly score less than 240, though this may just be due to the individuals' determination and could have achieved similar scores creating their own notecards through Anki or other study methods... but who knows how much FC actually helped.

 

[madcowz]

Ugh I know, thank you, I'm just going stir crazy already waiting for school to start. I've been in "the real world" for a while and I really want to get back to the books. I know there will be a lifetime of this ahead of me, I'm just excited for my new life to start! I'm doing plenty of other stuff right now to relax, but there are 2-3 hours of my day that I can't help but spend on SDN or on Super Memo or other learning articles. I like the format of FC overall, though I have looked through many cards and know they don't match up with the SuperMemo strategies and are not quick reviews. I know "Ms0's" don't know **** and I won't know how I'll feel about FC until I'm in the thick of things... it's just fun to speculate.

As I said in the Firecracker thread, I have yet to see anyone who worked with Firecracker thoroughly score less than 240, though this may just be due to the individuals' determination and could have achieved similar scores creating their own notecards through Anki or other study methods... but who knows how much FC actually helped.

I'd be willing to bet that it's the time commitment rather than the resource that makes a 240+ score. The amount of time it takes to bank cards and answer questions in FC format is substantial. Putting that sort of time towards busting through qbanks or review books would probably result in an equivalent score. Personally, I'm taking that time and generating my own cards with anki. It works for me, but that's just one opinion. If FC works for you, more power to you. But don't put blind faith in a product to bring you a stellar board score. That seems to mostly be about hard work and matching your study methods to your personal learning style.

Also, I totally understand your excitement. It's a fun time, between acceptance and actually starting. Try browsing through the 2013 Step 1 thread for some great information in between all the usual SDN bullcrap.

 

[quickfeet]

Anki is 1,000x better than Fire Cracker. Firecracker is a joke for how much it costs and for what? Basically a copy of FA? Also, there are errors in FC as well as problems with how cards are written. The key is more cards, but lighter info so its easier to get through. Also FC if you miss a card you dont see it for 24 hrs. Anki is relentless in that you have to satisfy that you had one round of successful recall before you say byebye. seems like it would take longer that way, but in reality it is probably better in the long-run so you don't build up cards by 1-rating long and poorly worded cards in FC.

Of course the downside of Anki is making the cards can be a huge timesink. Yes its true you can learn while you do it, but the fact is, when you have severe OCD like me I tend to spend too much time formatting and arranging... heh

Also the Mobile Anki app is such win I can't even begin to put it into words....

 

[quickfeet]

By the way, does anyone use this deck? https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/783831938

Is there any other comprehensive Step I deck you can recommend?

 

[dyspareunia]

Anki is 1,000x better than Fire Cracker. Firecracker is a joke for how much it costs and for what? Basically a copy of FA? Also, there are errors in FC as well as problems with how cards are written. The key is more cards, but lighter info so its easier to get through. Also FC if you miss a card you dont see it for 24 hrs. Anki is relentless in that you have to satisfy that you had one round of successful recall before you say byebye. seems like it would take longer that way, but in reality it is probably better in the long-run so you don't build up cards by 1-rating long and poorly worded cards in FC.

Of course the downside of Anki is making the cards can be a huge timesink. Yes its true you can learn while you do it, but the fact is, when you have severe OCD like me I tend to spend too much time formatting and arranging... heh

Also the Mobile Anki app is such win I can't even begin to put it into words....

FC is not "basically a copy of FA". Glad you know what you're talking about though. Good show.

 

[Brain Bucket]

FC is not "basically a copy of FA". Glad you know what you're talking about though. Good show.

Just let it be. What's the point in trying to help someone who doesn't want to be helped?

 

[saalik786]

the other thing to keep in mind is setting a goal that is do-able. FC is too lofty of a goal for 90% of med students. It's just too much. Most of us are quite ambitious and we think: sure, i'll be able to do it. But the reality is that the vast majority will not be able to keep up with the daily assignments and will not be able to maintain consistency. The other disadvantage about FC is that it ends up being an additional resource. From my experience, I didn't like that at all. Looking back at my experience with FC, having it as an additional source actually hurt me. That is why I switched over to Anki and simply made flashcards using a First Aid PDF. The highest yield resources are First Aid + Uworld + Pathoma. If a student masters these, 240+ is easily do-able. This should be the core of our studies. For the best and most efficient results, I would say make Anki flashcards during your courses. For example, with biochemistry class, make the biochemistry flashcards using the First Aid pdf. Anki flashcards are especially important for the high-memorization subjects (e.g. pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistery) and details that simply need to be memorized. It's also much more manageable to keep up with the flashcards. just my advice so that others can avoid the mistakes I made (i.e. using firecracker).