Annotating First Aid

[DCDAWG]

Everyone says to annotate in FA. But what do you use to annotate? I hope people dont mean notes from class, because I have dont a crappy job keeping my notes organized from the past 2 years.
Thanks.

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[DoctaJay]

Personally I only anotate from USMLE World into First Aid. If there is a question or explanation that I didnt know and that isn't in First Aid, then I put it in there. For me, I actually type it into a word document, and when the word document is full I print it out and put it into my FA book which has been unbound and 3 hole punched. Also, if a professor tells us that such and such fact is constantly put on the boards, and its not in First Aid, then I put it in.

Otherwise it would be too much to put all the details from our class notes into FA.

 

[DarlynVMD]

What I did was added short notes and explanations from my review books onto the corresponding sections in FA, mainly to help me remember something that wasn't in FA, or if FA didn't explain something that well or to my liking... that and from UW only. Nothing to excessive as you don't want to turn a high-yield book into a low yield book full of crap. While you're in basic sciences, just go over the corresponding sections/systems/subjects along with your current coursework, and do your best NOT to write anything in it, unless it's massively important... leave all the note taking for FA board prep.
And don't worry about being disorganized with your notes... I never took a single note in basic sciences... at the end of the year we (ie, students) put together a little party and gave out funny awards, I was awarded the "Never taking notes in class" award... LMAO.... at any rate, as you were.

 

[kdburton]

Personally I only anotate from USMLE World into First Aid. If there is a question or explanation that I didnt know and that isn't in First Aid, then I put it in there. For me, I actually type it into a word document, and when the word document is full I print it out and put it into my FA book which has been unbound and 3 hole punched. Also, if a professor tells us that such and such fact is constantly put on the boards, and its not in First Aid, then I put it in.

Otherwise it would be too much to put all the details from our class notes into FA.

When are you taking the exam? I assume you're only halfway done with MS2, but you've already been doing USMLE World questions?

 

[DoctaJay]

Yeah, since our school basically gives us no time after finals to study for Step 1, then I need to be ready for beast by the time I take finals. So my strategy is to go through the UWorld questions as we learn the content in our coursework. I"m also going through the First Aid sections as we learn the info in our classes too. I see UWorld more so as a teaching tool; I do all the questions on tutor mode (untimed) and I read all the explanations whether I got it right or wrong. If there is anything in any of the explanations for the right answer or the wrong answers that I don't know and that isn't in there, then I annotate FA.

When it gets closer to me actually taking the test, I'm going to reset my UWorld account and use it to make sure that I'm am prepared for the speed and set up of the real thing. I know alot of folks advise not to use UWorld, but for me this has really helped me.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Yeah, since our school basically gives us no time after finals to study for Step 1, then I need to be ready for beast by the time I take finals. So my strategy is to go through the UWorld questions as we learn the content in our coursework. I"m also going through the First Aid sections as we learn the info in our classes too. I see UWorld more so as a teaching tool; I do all the questions on tutor mode (untimed) and I read all the explanations whether I got it right or wrong. If there is anything in any of the explanations for the right answer or the wrong answers that I don't know and that isn't in there, then I annotate FA.

When it gets closer to me actually taking the test, I'm going to reset my UWorld account and use it to make sure that I'm am prepared for the speed and set up of the real thing. I know alot of folks advise not to use UWorld, but for me this has really helped me.

Crap, my school is the same way. We get little or no time for dedicated boards prep. I did not purchase USMLE World, but I do have Kaplan QBank COMLEX Qs provided by my school to go through ... I guess I should get on with those and then do UW ASAP?

 

[DoctaJay]

Man, I really believe that the mantra is: "The more questions the better". Some of the older users used to do like 6000 questions before they took Step 1. So if you have access to both, and can finish both then more power to you.

 

[gluon999]

Man, I really believe that the mantra is: "The more questions the better". Some of the older users used to do like 6000 questions before they took Step 1. So if you have access to both, and can finish both then more power to you.

Here is my thinking: Unless you are naturally very smart i.e in the top 10% of your class, you have got to do thousands of questions to do well. Kaplan was ok, UW was much better. Kaplan Qbank had a good amount of stupid questions that would involve 4 steps or be about some mundane detail that no one cares about, not even the people who write the board questions. I felt that over 95% of UW questions were good and well represented the boards. In fact, once I did all of UW, the Step 1 seemed a lot easier on test day.