Are Q Banks even necessary? Here are USMLE Notes for the Cardiovascular System

[Sitruc]

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[Goober11]

We are not your guinea pigs. This will never work because what is already out there works just fine. I don't know why you think this is a good time to post something like this. Most students (US at least) have either already taken step 1 or in their dedicated study period with 0 intention of using some self-promoting stranger's notes who hardly contributes to the forum.

Leave us alone. This is a subforum for collaboration and support and is not for your shot to get in the test prep business.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Should I do your prep and maybe do well, probably not or should I do the tried and true method of first aid + uworld?

You can see the choice is easy here. How many people have you had ace the exam with your method?

 

[whatdidigetinto]

Hey guys,

I've been wondering for a long time if Question Banks are even necessary at all? I mean, there are thousands of NBME questions to simulate the real USMLE exam. Why aren't the NBME exams enough to track our progress and find out how to take the test? Wouldn't shorter pattern recognition-type questions be just as effective for gathering the content and learning the material as full-length questions?

I don't really have the answer, but I have tons of notes. I meticulously searched for only the highest yield material. I'm wondering if my notes might actually help people do better on the USMLE Step 1 than Question banks. (I know it is a stretch, but I'm curious.) So, I have attached some of my USMLE Step 1 notes for the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.


P.S.
If you use the attached Cardiovascular System notes, please give me some feedback on them:

Did the notes help you?
Did the short, pattern recognition-type questions save you time, or not?
Would you like to see a document like this one for every single subject?
Would a 'Question Vault' with 4,000 short questions work better than a Question Bank with 2,000 long questions? Why? Why not?

I just went over them. They're pretty descent. They're good for a quick review but i wouldn't pay for them though.
Thanks for the freebies, and please keep them coming if you have any more.

 

[COXblocker]

We are not your guinea pigs. This will never work because what is already out there works just fine. I don't know why you think this is a good time to post something like this. Most students (US at least) have either already taken step 1 or in their dedicated study period with 0 intention of using some self-promoting stranger's notes who hardly contributes to the forum.

Leave us alone. This is a subforum for collaboration and support and is not for your shot to get in the test prep business.

A bit Harsh. And apropos at this current juncture. But since I'm bored, I will give my feedback.

I basically do this in my head for questions. A 7 line stem is usually reduced to as much information as you provide. You offer the opportunity to be comprehensive, quickly, which I like. I could see doing 20 questions on the heart valves in about 10 minutes, as opposed to slogging through a few UW question. That said, there is a skill acquired by doing "real" questions. I have found that mixing a traditional Qbank with Firecracker, where I recklessly fly through questions, has yielded good results along the lines of your thinking, i.e. there may be a more efficient way of learning/reinforcing a lot information. Q banks have their place and should not be substituted (It would be blasphemy to suggest otherwise at this point in time).

A few comments on your content. Give as many possible choices as seem to fit. For example, question 24 is an example of increased preload. Give a few choices that increase contractility, a few that increase afterload, and the one that increases preload. Then in the answer, explain why saline is the answer, explain some other choices you might see, and most of all, explain what you'd see with each distractor. Then come up with another example of how they might display preload, say a starling graph, and repeat the detailed process. Then do that for the other two parameters. I estimate around 15 questions on preload, contractility, afterload. There is gold in the explanations. You don't explain why I got it wrong!

Another thought (further down the road...just spitballing). If you ever designed this into a working system, you could incorporate spaced repetition. For example, each concept has many questions that test that same concept (like my preload example) where if someone gets it wrong, they see the other preload question earlier, and those preload questions cycle. That is a frustration with Firecracker. Sometimes I feel like I am associating the shape of the question with the answer (especially on images/large stems on MCQs)

I would suggest doing a sort of study. Randomize a group of students. Gather a large number of traditional MCQs. Choose some to be the test questions, then give the rest to one group. Give the other group your material. Give them a set amount of time to review either the practice questions or your questions, then test them on the set aside traditional MCQs.

I think where you're at, as outlined so eloquently above, is too dangerous when there currently exist tried and true methods that when followed, lead to above average scores. I feel like the average student who does poorly does not take the time to diligently go through FA multiple times, do a butt-load of MCQs, review them, and redo their missed questions. Which is fine for some students who want their vacations/sanity. (To those who did those things and still did poorly, I thoroughly believe the Step 1 asks you to climb a tree and only some people are monkeys, while others are fish and elephants...referring to the comic about our educational system...no racism/bigotry intended)

 

[Leonidis I]

i'm actually doing something very similar as i go through Uworld and Rx and might do it with kaplan qbank as well if i end up buying it depending on how much time i have next year. i think it makes for far more efficient study as you can blast through several of these "mini vignettes" in the same time it takes to read one qbank question.

however, there is a lot lost by not having the complete question because there's distractors thrown in that you have to deal with as well as just having the endurance to read the entire vignette and parsing out the relevant/irrelevant details which is part of the test taking process. maybe have a full vignette, then ask the student to show their mini-vignette (keeping relevant details, omitting irrelevant ones like you're presenting a patient to an attending), then show them the "ideal" mini-vignette and then finally have the multiple choice question (with more than 3 choices of course). the student can then choose whether to start at the full vignette or the mini one.

overall,i think this style would be good during the school year but in dedicated prep qbank questions is where its at since those are tried and true

 

[tarsuc]

Thanks for the freebies, and please keep them coming if you have any more.

rofl

 

[John Lannister]

Hey guys,

I've been wondering for a long time if Question Banks are even necessary at all? I mean, there are thousands of NBME questions to simulate the real USMLE exam. Why aren't the NBME exams enough to track our progress and find out how to take the test? Wouldn't shorter pattern recognition-type questions be just as effective for gathering the content and learning the material as full-length questions?

I don't really have the answer, but I have tons of notes. I meticulously searched for only the highest yield material. I'm wondering if my notes might actually help people do better on the USMLE Step 1 than Question banks. (I know it is a stretch, but I'm curious.) So, I have attached some of my USMLE Step 1 notes for the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.


P.S.
If you use the attached Cardiovascular System notes, please give me some feedback on them:

Did the notes help you?
Did the short, pattern recognition-type questions save you time, or not?
Would you like to see a document like this one for every single subject?
Would a 'Question Vault' with 4,000 short questions work better than a Question Bank with 2,000 long questions? Why? Why not?

I wouldn't use your notes but I agree with the notion that qbanks aren't really necessary. If you could somehow get someone to actively process all the pertinent info with explanations, then that would work (i.e. Uworld writing a Review Book with a high yield format and a explanations format).

The problem is that lots of people don't read actively for long periods of time and qbanks provide a challenge to get questions correct. So I don't think qbanks are necessary, but they are currently the best option.

 

[Sitruc]

Thanks for the honest feedback everyone. From my point of view, an honest negative response is better than no response.

Btw, Goober, do you get mad at people who hand out free samples at Costco? "Screw you, I just had lunch and we are not hungry!" Jk... you're probably right about the majority, and maybe I'm in the wrong forum, but then again, maybe not. Not everyone has the same talents in medicine, and I thought that I might have a talent in teaching. I've already received a few messages complimenting what I've done and asking for more notes.

For people wanting more, unfortunately I can't post any different subjects at this time because they aren't finalized or well-organized; and I'm almost 100% certain it would not be worth anyone's time (it would be like asking people to try a free, yet uncooked, sample; it wouldn't be productive for anyone).

I'll leave the documents up for now and check the thread at a future time. Anyone can use the documents with no strings attached, obviously.

 

[Zzmed]

Thanks for the honest feedback everyone. From my point of view, an honest negative response is better than no response.

Btw, Goober, do you get mad at people who hand out free samples at Costco? "Screw you, I just had lunch and we are not hungry!" Jk... you're probably right about the majority, and maybe I'm in the wrong forum, but then again, maybe not. Not everyone has the same talents in medicine, and I thought that I might have a talent in teaching. I've already received a few messages complimenting what I've done and asking for more notes.

For people wanting more, unfortunately I can't post any different subjects at this time because they aren't finalized or well-organized; and I'm almost 100% certain it would not be worth anyone's time (it would be like asking people to try a free, yet uncooked, sample; it wouldn't be productive for anyone).

👍

I like your answer! The fact that you shared some of your work and you presented a new perspective of USMLE studying is much appreciated. Good for you.

Goober just stated the obvious in an agressive way, that's all.

 

[BlaseFaire]

Thank you for posting these. This is something that rising M2's can look at.

 

[step1april2013]

These are pretty good. Got any on renal or heme-onc?