Behavioral science on usmle step 1-tricky?

[docmo83]

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Is the kaplan behavioral science guy on their online lectures a good way to go for behavioral science for usmle step 1? My friend said High Yield Behavioral science was good. Any opinions?

Also, how does the exam a make a subject overlooked by so many students tricky?

Thanks much!

 

[Elfy]

Is the kaplan behavioral science guy on their online lectures a good way to go for behavioral science for usmle step 1? My friend said High Yield Behavioral science was good. Any opinions?

Also, how does the exam a make a subject overlooked by so many students tricky?

Thanks much!

You're gonna have 2-3 types of questions on behav: psych, ethics, and stats (if you choose to count that as part of behav).

Psych- it can be learned relatively effortlessly.

Stats- it can be learned but on the day of the test it can prove quite time-consuming. A stats q involving calculations or that is poorly worded can easily cost you the point even if you get it right eventually- it's gonna eat up into another question's time.

Ethics- I've read BRS Fadem cover to cover (the long version of HY) and I still narrow options down to 2 out of 5, and about one-third of the time get those ethical dilemmas wrong.

So that's how they make it tricky.

 

[Sislo]

Is the kaplan behavioral science guy on their online lectures a good way to go for behavioral science for usmle step 1? My friend said High Yield Behavioral science was good. Any opinions?

Also, how does the exam a make a subject overlooked by so many students tricky?

Thanks much!

Oooh yeah that guy is very good. I didn't know an iota about sens=tp/tp+fn , spe, ppv, npv stuffs until I listen to him and I haven't missed any question on those stuffs yet after.He look very serious and is so funny.He broke down the defense mechanism and was so good at it.I still could remember him saying the lady in fatale attraction is a " borderline" type of person .Also he said you pick the Conduct Disorder young dude and when he turned 18, slap him with another name: Antisocial

 

[docmo83]

I thought the calculations are quick and should not require a calculator

 

[Elfy]

I thought the calculations are quick and should not require a calculator

I thought so too. Have you timed yourself? It's different for every person. I did, and I spend anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes on each stats question (ok, more often 1 than 4, but 4 has happened as well). Of course there are some qs in other subjects which I answer in 30 secs so it does tends to average off. I just recently noticed trouble with stats I wasn't aware of, and I've been always good at math. I also received an A- on a stats college course at a Big Ten U. So it's not that I can't understand stats, I guess it's the exam pressure and the wording of the questions which is sometimes weird or misleading.

It takes time to draw the 2X2 table, write down the formulas, substitute letters with numbers, or interpret a complicated graph. You do have a calculator that pops up in a corner in your screen. But you have to know what to feed it.

 

[Sislo]

I thought the calculations are quick and should not require a calculator

Not always you still need not to forget how to do division like 67/103 02 stuff like that but overall you wont need a calculation machine from the NASA
I also heard the new program the USMLE is using since august has a calculator integrated.