Just started 12 week Medicine Rotation. Should I go with the Case Files book or USMLE World for practice questions? Case Files seems convenient to carry around and use while I am at the hospital but I am afraid it will not be enough. If I buy USMLE World, I would get the year subscription so that I could use it for other rotations. Considering I just finished STEP 1 4 weeks ago, I don't know if I can jump back to doing questions so quickly. Also I hear that USMLE World doesnt have that many questions for the other rotations. Your thoughts? Thanks in advance...
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Case Files or USMLE World?
Started by deuce924
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Go with casefiles now and then during the boards use Uworld. casefiles has an excellent format and you will get thru it now.
Case files is great for around the hospital because it is divided into short sections. However, it is not enough for practice questions because there are only 4 questions per section and they are ridiculously simple. If you do not want to shell out the $$ for USMLE world, then go with the MKSAP questions.
I did use USMLE world throughout my 3rd year and I credit it for why I did as well as I did on all of my shelf exams and Step 2. There are ~1500 medicine questions. However, medicine overlaps with virtually all of the other disciplines and doing these questions does help in other fields. While the other sections such as psych and OB/Gyn only have ~150 questions, the questions from World were the closest to what I saw on the shelf.
Brain,
Two questions; first, when doing USMLEWorld questions on the other disciplines, does it include some of the ~1500 medicine questions? Those that happen to be relevent to that discipline?
Second, for those disciplines that only have 150 questions (i.e. psych, OB/GYN), do you suggest using another source? If so, what ones?
Thanks
No, the other disciplines did not include some of the 1500 questions. I randomly added some medicine questions to the other questions as a refresher, which I thought helped. The surgery shelf, for example, was half medicine when I took it.
For me, World was my primary source of questions. I used the Pre-test series for some of the other rotations, but I didn't think it was that great.
Good luck!
If you plan on acing your Medicine shelf, do UW Medicine questions several times, if you plan on passing and doing decent do casefiles only. Questions are the key to doing well on your shelf exams.
