Comment for making it a workable plan

[peace zealot]

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Hi, I am an IMG and got my step 1 score on 18th July, that is 232/83. Now, I am going to start my CK preparation and I need advise of all the experts for my study plan. Please contribute generously as I think my biggest mistake for step 1 was not having a proper stydy plan.

Goal for CK: >250 definitely
Time: 4 months
Material:
1.Kaplan lec. notes and videos for full rivew
2.MTB 2 or First Aid
3.UWorld
4.Kaplan QBank
5.First Aid Q&A Book
6.Pretest Qs
*The last 2 resources I already have so I thougt I would use them provided I have time.

---> In the first 7 to 8 weeks, I would do Kaplan lec and a QBank, that I can't decide either use Kaplan or UWorld in the beginning. If I go for UWorld in the beginning then I can annotate my copy of MTB generously but still I need some advise.

---> In the next 4 weeks do 2nd QBank and study from MTB

---> In the last do UWorld again and MTB

That's a rough idea I have of my study plan. I need to know:
1.Should I use MTB as primary review book or FA and what other book I need to add?
2. When to use UWorld from the beginning of prep subjectwise or after the full review?

 

[shan564]

1.Should I use MTB as primary review book

No. MTB is a great book if you want a 220-230, but it leaves out a lot of details. If you're shooting for a 250+, you'll need to use something more comprehensive like SUS2, FA, etc. Or you could make another run through the Kaplan lecture notes, although that's a lot of content.

I still think you should use MTB, but not as your "primary review book."

2. When to use UWorld from the beginning of prep subjectwise or after the full review?

That depends on your baseline knowledge. For me, it was useful to start UW right at the beginning, since it gave me an idea of the sorts of questions I'd expect. That was a reasonable option in my case because I felt like my baseline knowledge was good enough so that I could already answer most of the questions, and if I didn't know something, I'd learn from the question.
But if you're starting from a weaker point, then you might want to try to get through the Kaplan videos first. I used a lot of the Conrad Fischer videos during 3rd year, which is why I was comfortable with the material already. But if you're starting from scratch, then you probably won't learn as much from UW questions, since you'll just be picking up sporadic facts in a disorganized manner.

 

[peace zealot]

Thanks Shan564 for your input. Do you have any idea about Secrets. I have seen various posts where students have used Secrets or FA along with UWorld and scored great.

 

[shan564]

Thanks Shan564 for your input. Do you have any idea about Secrets. I have seen various posts where students have used Secrets or FA along with UWorld and scored great.

Your prep resources don't define your score. There are people who just used UW and scored 270+, and there are people who went through every resource multiple times and failed.

People seem to like Secrets, but I haven't used it.

 

[kaboodle]

Hey Peace Zealot,
I did the same thing but was at a loss as to what I was doing wrong on my exams. My confidence was shattered because I studied and studied and studied, but didn't see my score increase in world or NBME's. It was my last chance to take it before being kick out of my school, so I went for a review program a friend of mine told me about and went to herself. I went from a 182 to a 220 with their help on CK.

The place is called USMLE solution center and is located in the Nashville suburbs, my friend showed me them facebook. At first I was a bit concerned because there were COMLEX and USMLE students in the same class, but it was awesome and I owe my 38 point increase to them. Really laid back and they were the only ones able to show me what I was doing wrong. Im headed back for my Step 3 class next month. Great class and great price. One tutor was actually tutoring a nephrologist preparing for her renewal boards that she failed previously. And yes, I learned she finally passed after their program. Message me for anything about them.

 

[st2205]

-

 

[peace zealot]

Hey Peace Zealot,
I did the same thing but was at a loss as to what I was doing wrong on my exams. My confidence was shattered because I studied and studied and studied, but didn't see my score increase in world or NBME's. It was my last chance to take it before being kick out of my school, so I went for a review program a friend of mine told me about and went to herself. I went from a 182 to a 220 with their help on CK.

The place is called USMLE solution center and is located in the Nashville suburbs, my friend showed me them facebook. At first I was a bit concerned because there were COMLEX and USMLE students in the same class, but it was awesome and I owe my 38 point increase to them. Really laid back and they were the only ones able to show me what I was doing wrong. Im headed back for my Step 3 class next month. Great class and great price. One tutor was actually tutoring a nephrologist preparing for her renewal boards that she failed previously. And yes, I learned she finally passed after their program. Message me for anything about them.

I really appreciate that you took time to help me out, but I am an FMG and I think this is not an option for me. Congratulations on your success.

 

[kaboodle]

Why, what does that have to do with anything? There were FMG's from the caribbean there. "Any" student can take a board prep course, can't they?

 

[peace zealot]

Because I am not in USA till I take my CK and its not an online course, right?

 

[kaboodle]

Are you taking the USMLE in order to practice in the USA? If not, why are you taking them? And no, the program is not an on-line course.

 

[shan564]

I think the point is that it's very expensive for somebody to fly to Nashville and find a place to stay for the duration of the course. Even if it's an excellent course, most people would rather spend a bit less money and use online resources rather than fly overseas for a course that worked really well for one person, but might not work as well for another person.

 

[kaboodle]

Very true, but it has worked for many people...not just one. Some of the online courses are really expensive too, aren't they? Also, I can only imagine that its quite expensive to pick up and move "overseas" to work in the USA only to make more money than you can elsewhere. Anyway, hope it works out for you.

 

[peace zealot]

I think the point is that it's very expensive for somebody to fly to Nashville and find a place to stay for the duration of the course. Even if it's an excellent course, most people would rather spend a bit less money and use online resources rather than fly overseas for a course that worked really well for one person, but might not work as well for another person.

👍

 

[shan564]

Very true, but it has worked for many people...not just one.

Sure, but even if it's a great course, it's still quite expensive.

Some of the online courses are really expensive too, aren't they?

Some of them... but a lot of people can prepare just as effectively with a couple of books and a Qbank.

Also, I can only imagine that its quite expensive to pick up and move "overseas" to work in the USA only to make more money than you can elsewhere. Anyway, hope it works out for you.

You can get a one-way ticket to the US from India (I'm mentioning India because that's the biggest source of FMGs) for about $1000. That's about 2 months' salary for a junior doctor in India, which is quite a lot of money, but manageable for some people. You might need another $1000 or so for the first few weeks of living expenses, but the rest of the costs are a wash because the person will start getting a paycheck.

By contrast, we're talking about $1500 in round-trip airfare + several weeks of accommodation (at least $1000-1500 if you stay in a trucker motel) + food (which is much more expensive in the US than in most other countries) + local transportation, you're talking about around $3000-4000 before you've even paid for the course. That's about 6-7 months' salary for a junior doctor in India. And I'm assuming the course would cost another couple of thousand.

As Americans, we're lucky enough to be able to put anything on a credit card or our student loans, and then worry about paying it off when we have a doctor's income. Most other people in the world don't have that luxury... paying several thousand dollars to take a USMLE course means having to work for several months to save that money.

 

[peace zealot]

And also USMLE solution center, Nashville is something I have almost never read before on SDN. Anyone going for this much investment would like to take some well tested prep course as Kaplan, also easily available online.

 

[shan564]

Especially when a google search yields a 3-month-old blog post and a 2-week-old facebook page with 8 total followers.

It seems a bit strange that somebody could have found this facebook page, taken the course, improved by 38 points, taken Step 2CK, and gotten their score back - all in the period between July 15 (when the facebook page was made) and today.

But I like to give the benefit of the doubt, so I'm assuming that they had a previous facebook page and website, and decided for some reason to shut it down and start another one.

 

[kaboodle]

Wow, didn't mean to start such a firestorm for you guys. Instead of surfing SD, maybe you should use your time more wisely and study for your exams. Or better yet when you ask advice on things people did to pass their own exams that your still having difficulty with, maybe you should take a look at what their saying.

Yes, apparently, the name was changed because the partners split up but Im not their secretary so talk to them yourself. Also, how about stop asking for advice since you seem to have such a hard time accepting what people have to say. Good luck with your exams, maybe Ill see you when Im there preparing for step 3.

 

[shan564]

You're right, I shouldn't have said that. I apologize. I think I was just tired, under-caffeinated, and frustrated with studying Ob/Gyn.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

Personally, I think those who claim: "I just did uWorld ONE TIME a few weeks before the test and I scored a 270+"


Are either super duper geniuses who absorb everything and comprehend it when observing it once + photographic memory


or

simply full of themselves and are preening on SDN


while the former is certainly likely, I'll hedge my bets and say more of the claimants are the latter




As for the OP:


Your plan is very much like mine, only I did not use MTB.

I use case files (did not find that too helpful overall)


the First Aid Q%A book is just derived from USMLERx. may as well get that full qbank if you went all in

And Pretest, despite how esoteric and specialized some of their questions are, really helped me quite a bit.



270 btw to verify that what I did (seems to have) worked

 

[peace zealot]

Yes it really did work of course. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am feeling confident of my schedule. All I have to do now is stick to it and never get intellectually lazy throughout the process.

 

[peace zealot]

Wow, didn't mean to start such a firestorm for you guys. Instead of surfing SD, maybe you should use your time more wisely and study for your exams. Or better yet when you ask advice on things people did to pass their own exams that your still having difficulty with, maybe you should take a look at what their saying.

Yes, apparently, the name was changed because the partners split up but Im not their secretary so talk to them yourself. Also, how about stop asking for advice since you seem to have such a hard time accepting what people have to say. Good luck with your exams, maybe Ill see you when Im there preparing for step 3.

I apologize, I was just discussing things, never wanted to offend anybody and I always appreciate how everybody on SDN takes time to share their story. 🙂
This has been a great help up till now and I am sure will be throughout the process.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

I will add:

Doing Kaplan QBank and Pretest for the most part does not contribute much to taking Step 2. It definitely helped answer a few questions that Iw ould not have gotten from UWorld alone...

but it is just huge diminishing returns. but the returns are there


Rather, the true beauty of doing those really frustratingly hard qbanks is to survive pimping. I've survived every single pimp encounter on all of my rotations.

Moreover, elaborating on some slightly related highly specialized subject you learned from that qbank seems to get the attending to back off of you for a bit longer than usual.