Best Anki deck for step 1

[Arewestilldoingphrasing?]

I've heard good things about bros and zanki, which is better/is there any difference? Preferably I would like one with Pathoma incorporated

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[DNC127]

Zanki. By far. I did about 1/2 of bros, then switched to zanki. Bros is great, zanki is just more thorough.

 

[Redpancreas]

Bros was good in 2013 when it was made, it then after quality started dropping and updates aren’t that great.

 

[DNC127]

In fact, if I could change anything about how I studied medicine it would be to study Zanki from day 1. I started in January, doing about 500 new a day + all reviews. I only have about 14k left and should finish early march. Started U world last week after finishing my last bank and my average timed & random block scores are well above the national average for each block despite not learning 3 of the systems and such and I still have 5 months to study... Do Zanki.

 

[mymembernames]

Zanki>Bros>>>FC

 

[libertyyne]

The deck you make yourself.
Student-directed retrieval practice is a predictor of medical licensing examination performance

 

[mr.mkitty]

I haven't taken Step yet so take this however you want, but I personally find Zanki to be over-comprehensive. There are simply too many cards for too many easy details that you should be able to remember without needing a card for it. If you like having every single detail from First Aid as a card, then Zanki is phenomenal and that's what you should go with. But I find a huge deck like that just takes away from doing board questions.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

The deck you make yourself.
Student-directed retrieval practice is a predictor of medical licensing examination performance

Eh that has a few issues. One, it’s only 72 students from the same institution. Two, it only compares user generated cards to FC. It doesn’t compare to pre-made Anki cards. I have no doubt that you could have a good outcome if you make your own cards (if your curriculum allows the time for this), but I think we need far more data before we say that using a deck like the Zanki or Bros deck doesn’t predict increased outcomes or even that making your own cards is better than using a pre-made Anki deck.

OP the Zanki deck is far more thorough. The only caveat is that if you are starting to prep for an exam date in like a few months then maybe consider Bros simply because it is shorter by about 10k cards. If you are earlier in the process then go to Zanki.

 

[libertyyne]

Eh that has a few issues. One, it’s only 72 students from the same institution. Two, it only compares user generated cards to FC. It doesn’t compare to pre-made Anki cards. I have no doubt that you could have a good outcome if you make your own cards (if your curriculum allows the time for this), but I think we need far more data before we say that using a deck like the Zanki or Bros deck doesn’t predict increased outcomes or even that making your own cards is better than using a pre-made Anki deck.

OP the Zanki deck is far more thorough. The only caveat is that if you are starting to prep for an exam date in like a few months then maybe consider Bros simply because it is shorter by about 10k cards. If you are earlier in the process then go to Zanki.

say what you will about the limitations of the study. It is still more robust data than musings or anecdotes of performance that anyone will provide.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

say what you will about the limitations of the study. It is still more robust data than musings or anecdotes of performance that anyone will provide.

Comparatively sure, but only by a hair honestly. It’s a pretty weak study, and I’m not sure I would use the term “robust” to describe the data.

 

[libertyyne]

Comparatively sure, but only by a hair honestly. It’s a pretty weak study, and I’m not sure I would use the term “robust” to describe the data.

I'm unsure I would call a survey on sdn "data. " Please show me a stronger study . I'm open to having my opinion changed.


I am being generous with the expert part.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I'm unsure I would call a survey on sdn "data. " Please show me a stronger study . I'm open to having my opinion changed.

Wut? I said nothing about an SDN survey. However an SDN survey is just about as effective as sending a survey around a single medical school class and having a respondant cohort compromised of 72 people...Bottom line, the study you presented sucks (I know you know this....) and is only a hair better than anecdote or SDN surveys. I agree we need a better study.

 

[deleted707454]

In fact, if I could change anything about how I studied medicine it would be to study Zanki from day 1. I started in January, doing about 500 new a day + all reviews. I only have about 14k left and should finish early march. Started U world last week after finishing my last bank and my average timed & random block scores are well above the national average for each block despite not learning 3 of the systems and such and I still have 5 months to study... Do Zanki.

Day 1 from...?

1st year?
2nd year?
1st day of dedicated?

 

[liquidcrawler]

So, as a soon to be M1, should I start zanki from day 1, only adding decks after my lecture material covered it? Or, just forget about lectures after anatomy and focus on zanki?

 

[DNC127]

Day 1 from...?

1st year?
2nd year?
1st day of dedicated?

Yes. From day 0 of medical school basically just keep up with what in class and never miss a review day. And then January of 2nd year get ahead and do the systems you still have left which wouldn't be too big of an ordeal.

 

[Arewestilldoingphrasing?]

Yes. From day 0 of medical school basically just keep up with what in class and never miss a review day. And then January of 2nd year get ahead and do the systems you still have left which wouldn't be too big of an ordeal.

So what are good settings for it? New cards a day, reviews, all that? I’m an M1

 

[DNC127]

So what are good settings for it? New cards a day, reviews, all that? I’m an M1

Just depends. I am just going through the whole bank so I do about 500 new a day and 1000 review. If you were keeping up with class I would just figure out how many there were to get done in your class block. For example if there were 3000 cardio path/phys/pharm cards and you had 30 days of cardio it would be 100 new a day. I would just do all reviews that are available so you stay up on them.

 

[Kewell35]

Anyone else forgetting zanki cards with >5 months reviews? Like I feel as if I'm forgetting entire concepts...I'm using the default anki settings...anyone else? should I change it?

 

[DNC127]

Anyone else forgetting zanki cards with >5 months reviews? Like I feel as if I'm forgetting entire concepts...I'm using the default anki settings...anyone else? should I change it?

I have my max review set at 60 days for boards studying purposes.

 

[RunawayGrape]

So, as a soon to be M1, should I start zanki from day 1, only adding decks after my lecture material covered it? Or, just forget about lectures after anatomy and focus on zanki?

Be careful about adding too many cards from lecture into the deck. If your curriculum is P/F, I wouldn't bother with that at all. Lecture often includes a lot of irrelevant minutiae that are low yield for Step 1, and the Zanki deck is big enough as it is.

 

[liquidcrawler]

Be careful about adding too many cards from lecture into the deck. If your curriculum is P/F, I wouldn't bother with that at all. Lecture often includes a lot of irrelevant minutiae that are low yield for Step 1, and the Zanki deck is big enough as it is.

Apologies, I meant more so that when I finish, for example, my renal block I'd add the renal Zanki deck to the overall deck (if this is how Zanki is organized? I'm not sure). This is versus just adding decks and doing them before my lecture blocks have touched the material.

 

[sammiesings]

I have my max review set at 60 days for boards studying purposes.

Just wondering, what does modifying the max review setting do for you in this situation?

Thanks for all the information about zanki btw; you've got me recommitting to it!

 

[DNC127]

Just wondering, what does modifying the max review setting do for you in this situation?

Thanks for all the information about zanki btw; you've got me recommitting to it!

I take boards in June, so I want to make sure I see each card as much as possible, and don't want them to get more than a couple months out no matter how well I think I know it... thats really all it does. It does make it so you have more cards to review each day, but if you actually know the cards it doesnt add that much more time to do an extra 200 or so reviews.

 

[Kewell35]

I have my max review set at 60 days for boards studying purposes.

doesn't setting the max review at 60 days just mean that the longest a card can go without being seen is 60 days? Would changing the intervals be better?

 

[kb1900]

doesn't setting the max review at 60 days just mean that the longest a card can go without being seen is 60 days? Would changing the intervals be better?

I think, like the person you’re responding to, it depends on how far our step 1 is. I don’t take it for another year and a few months, so I’m fine with my max review being 4 months.

As I get into second year though, it’s going to go down to 2 months.


I don’t see how changing the intervals would make more sense or be better u less your retention rate is lower than 90% for learnin/young/mature cards

 

[Elessar]

I think it's silly to set your max as low as 6o days. If you know something, you know it (especially with some of Zanki's easier physio cards), so at that point you're just being inefficient with your time. I wouldn't recommend a max lower than ~4 months, and even that can be unnecessary. Trust the algorithm.

 

[Kewell35]

I think, like the person you’re responding to, it depends on how far our step 1 is. I don’t take it for another year and a few months, so I’m fine with my max review being 4 months.

As I get into second year though, it’s going to go down to 2 months.


I don’t see how changing the intervals would make more sense or be better u less your retention rate is lower than 90% for learnin/young/mature cards

Max interval means that's the longest time that you would see a card again. If you know a card really well (like ridiculously simple stuff) then why do you want to see it every 2 months? or 4 months? It's inefficient...that's what I'm getting at.

Also let's say that you see a card 3 months before your step, and the max is set at 4 months, then you are going to see the card a month after your step is done. It just seems inefficient.

 

[DNC127]

Max interval means that's the longest time that you would see a card again. If you know a card really well (like ridiculously simple stuff) then why do you want to see it every 2 months? or 4 months? It's inefficient...that's what I'm getting at.

Also let's say that you see a card 3 months before your step, and the max is set at 4 months, then you are going to see the card a month after your step is done. It just seems inefficient.

It only takes like .5 seconds to review a card you know really well. Not really braking the bank time wise. Also, there are so many things I "knew" dead cold that I "knew" I would never forget that turns out I forgot after a couple months. In my mind, I would rather spend more time to make sure that I see everything multiple times.

 

[kb1900]

Max interval means that's the longest time that you would see a card again. If you know a card really well (like ridiculously simple stuff) then why do you want to see it every 2 months? or 4 months? It's inefficient...that's what I'm getting at.

Also let's say that you see a card 3 months before your step, and the max is set at 4 months, then you are going to see the card a month after your step is done. It just seems inefficient.

You’re missing the point I think. If a card is THAT easy, why are you even keeping it in the deck? If I’m certain I’m going to remember it in 2 years, I delete it. (I’m looking at you heterochromatin cards...)

Having said that, the point of lowering your max interval is that the cost-benefit is a minuscule loss of efficiency for massive gain.

It takes less than 40 minutes for me to do like 400-500 reviews. I’d rather have an extra 50 reviews daily if it means that I’ll eventually get a card that I’ve forgotten -> encouraging me to do a review of that concept

 

[Kewell35]

You’re missing the point I think. If a card is THAT easy, why are you even keeping it in the deck?

It's still a card though. Do you delete everything that you think you know well?

Having said that, the point of lowering your max interval is that the cost-benefit is a minuscule loss of efficiency for massive gain.

Not sure man, that's one card but many cards do accumulate, and minutes do turn into hours long term. I wish more information was given on these kind of settings or studies were conducted on the benefits of different settings.

 

[kb1900]

It's still a card though. Do you delete everything that you think you know well?



Not sure man, that's one card but many cards do accumulate, and minutes do turn into hours long term. I wish more information was given on these kind of settings or studies were conducted on the benefits of different settings.

Totally with you but we barely even have a study regarding anki use in med school. Iirc @libertyyne mentioned that one such study suggests making your own cards to give the “most return” in terms of step score across a single cohort of like 70 students via self report survey

 

[Kewell35]

It only takes like .5 seconds to review a card you know really well. Not really braking the bank time wise.

Why are you concentrating on one card only?

Also, there are so many things I "knew" dead cold that I "knew" I would never forget that turns out I forgot after a couple months.

This still doesn't make sense when it comes to changing the maximum interval settings.

In my mind, I would rather spend more time to make sure that I see everything multiple times.

Which can be detrimental if accumulatively you wasted time which could be spent on other study methods or other material. Again, like I said it just seems inefficient. But I'm just talking by conjecture as we all are.

 

[DNC127]

Why are you concentrating on one card only?



This still doesn't make sense when it comes to changing the maximum interval settings.



Which can be detrimental if accumulatively you wasted time which could be spent on other study methods or other material. Again, like I said it just seems inefficient. But I'm just talking by conjecture as we all are.

you do you bro.

 

[prettylittledoctor22]

If I am starting Zanki right now and have my exam in late May, what should I set my intervals to? / how many cards a day

 

[kb1900]

If I am starting Zanki right now and have my exam in late May, what should I set my intervals to? / how many cards a day

Dude that’s like 100 days for 22k cards it’s not possible unless u did over 200 new cards per day.

Id just suspend all cards and unsuspend specific cards/subject decks for ur weak areas or things you’re getting things wrong in UWorld.

But I’m just an ms-1 full disclosure

 

[DNC127]

Dude that’s like 100 days for 22k cards it’s not possible unless u did over 2k new cards per day.

Id just suspend all cards and unsuspend specific cards/subject decks for ur weak areas or things you’re getting things wrong in UWorld.

But I’m just an ms-1 full disclosure

Its completely possible. They just need to do 500 new a day, and they would finish in 59 days... Plenty of time.

 

[kb1900]

Its completely possible. They just need to do 500 new a day, and they would finish in 59 days... Plenty of time.

I suck at math holy moley