FAx2 and Pathoma x1. What next?

[Orestis]

Hello,

So in about a week I will finish my FA pass for the second time and pathoma videos for the 1st time. While I was watching the pathoma videos I was taking notes in FA so I will not have to watch them again.

I started doing UWorld since I started studying for step1, doing some blocks every week relevant to what I studied that week. After my first pass of FA I began again FA + pathoma + 20-40 Uworld questions, but this time random.

Before starting the random questions in uworld my score was about 53-54%. I am almost done with uworld(92%) and my score is still 54,4%. Despite the fact that during this second pass I feel that I learned much more stuff my score doesn't seem to change. I know that uworld is a learning tool but shouldn't see at least some progress?

In 10-15 days(when my second pass is done) I will do my first NBME. I am planning on having my exam on January. For those two months I was planning doing FA again(with the pathoma notes) and Uworld once again.

What do you guys think?

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[chromuffin]

Take an NBME now. It's never too early to know where you stand. Take that score and see how far you are from your goal. Don't take the exam too early. That is what I did and I deeply regret it. Consider postponing if you're not happy. Use Anki to hone in on memorization. Figure out why you're missing questions. If it's a lack of memory then Anki. If it's a lack of knowledge, consider looking into Boards and Beyond or some other detailed resource.

 

[Orestis]

So I tookd NMBE 16. I scored 196, which is pretty low. My lowest were in physician tack diagnosis, behavioral sciences, skin/subcutaneous and cardiovascular. Next week I will go through the skeletal and cutaneous system in FA so I guess that is easy to improve. What would you suggest for the rest? Also some people say that NMBE 16 is quite hard and they usually get better scores in the exam. Some people say that it's pretty accurate. What is it?

Thanks

 

[freecitizen]

I don't think it really matters how many times you "pass through the material". At the end of the day, a litmus test of how well you know the material is if you can cover up a column of one the tables (i.e., drugs and their toxicities) in FA and repeat it verbatim. The problem is you have to be able to retain that information for months since you might not see it again. That is why resources such as Anki, Firecracker, Picmonic/Sketchy are so beneficial. In the end, it is my firm belief that the USMLE is a two step memorization exam. If your able to pass the litmus test on 5-10 random tables in FA, then you could probably write the step tomorrow.

 

[Orestis]

I have Anki but I do not use it much. I found a big anki desk on piratebay which has brocencephalon and many others. Should I use that one or do firecracker?

 

[QueenJames]

Do it all over again.