Firecracker

[JackShephard MD]

med.firecracker.me

New medical education website rooted in an adaptive learning platform. Looks impressive, check it out.

Cheers.

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[intubesteak]

For those that have used FC for step 1, how many cards do you suggest doing a day?

I’ve been doing about 100, now 125, a day since close to the beginning of 1st year. Don’t really think I could do many more without having my grades slip. But at the same time only getting 60ish review cards a day with a stack of about 5k (2-3k red/yellow) worries me that I’m not getting enough out of the spaced repetition.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks

I used firecracker all throughout M1/2 and now into dedicated. I think the best part of firecracker is helping you master the material in your current course (organ systems) and making sure you are exposed to everything before dedicated so there are no surprises. I would make it my goal to feel like you master every card in the deck for whatever block you are in. Now that I'm in dedicated the blocks where I was very diligent with firecracker are sooooo much easier to get through. That being said I got a 237 on baseline NBME and had not studied, and I think a big part of that was the spaced repetition. It is just tough getting all those random, nit-picky details that keep popping up and makes it seem like the spaced repetition is a waste of time. At the most, don't stress about nailing the correct answer for those cards, instead click "show more" and quickly refresh yourself on the general concept. I would worry less about how many daily cards, and more about feeling like you master each block.

Part of me thinks it would have been a good idea to only use the "study something specific" area instead of "daily tasks" and really hammer in the material for the block, spending the saved time using other resources (goljan, Qbanks). I will say that the question of the day + refresh task is a good way to review older material without being too painful. I wish they had started the refresh task thing earlier so I could have used it more.

Whatever you do just don't stop! Firecracker is seriously amazing and 100% the best, most complete resource out there (ive used them all). Its hard, and that's a good thing when it comes to learning.

 

[Scrubs101]

I used firecracker all throughout M1/2 and now into dedicated. I think the best part of firecracker is helping you master the material in your current course (organ systems) and making sure you are exposed to everything before dedicated so there are no surprises. I would make it my goal to feel like you master every card in the deck for whatever block you are in. Now that I'm in dedicated the blocks where I was very diligent with firecracker are sooooo much easier to get through. That being said I got a 237 on baseline NBME and had not studied, and I think a big part of that was the spaced repetition. It is just tough getting all those random, nit-picky details that keep popping up and makes it seem like the spaced repetition is a waste of time. At the most, don't stress about nailing the correct answer for those cards, instead click "show more" and quickly refresh yourself on the general concept. I would worry less about how many daily cards, and more about feeling like you master each block.

Part of me thinks it would have been a good idea to only use the "study something specific" area instead of "daily tasks" and really hammer in the material for the block, spending the saved time using other resources (goljan, Qbanks). I will say that the question of the day + refresh task is a good way to review older material without being too painful. I wish they had started the refresh task thing earlier so I could have used it more.

Whatever you do just don't stop! Firecracker is seriously amazing and 100% the best, most complete resource out there (ive used them all). Its hard, and that's a good thing when it comes to learning.

Thank you so much, this is incredibly reassuring!! I’ve definitely found that FC alligns with my school work a lot better for certain classes, and that classes that it does allign better with and i can get 100% of that subject flagged i notice I’m much better at when the reviews coming up.

When school starts getting crazy busy before an upcoming exam i definitely get lazy with FC and instead of reading up on the topics im getting wrong i just go “oops got it wrong ill figure that out later”, i’ve just gotta push myself a little harder to read that “show more” option even when im busy.

But seriously thank you so much for the advice! Congrats on the score and best of the luck with Step 1!

 

[iforget2]

Hey everyone! I'll be starting med school in the fall and have just been looking ahead to all the board prep resources out there. I'm definitely leaning towards using FC, but am hesitant with the time commitment it seems to require. How does everyone balance using FC, keeping grades up in school, research, and life? And has anyone here used Bros/Zanki before switching to Firecracker?

 

[intubesteak]

What was your strategy with Firecracker over the summer between M1/M2? Are you 100% marked, if so when did you get to that point?

Congratulations on the score, I really hope to be in a similar position next year!

I don't think I did much if anything with FC over the summer. I did start doing some Uworld tho. If you are dead set on doing something over summer, go back and review your favorite/best subjects maybe. I tried to work on some weaknesses and it just didn't help all that much. Its hard to be really intense or focused over summer especially if there are other priorities (ie research).

I'm like 98% marked. Some of the basic science stuff I did not get to while in 1st semester. Organ systems should be priority I would say. Its really hard to mark/learn stuff when you haven't learned it in class or are really unfamiliar with it.

 

[intubesteak]

Thank you so much, this is incredibly reassuring!! I’ve definitely found that FC alligns with my school work a lot better for certain classes, and that classes that it does allign better with and i can get 100% of that subject flagged i notice I’m much better at when the reviews coming up.

When school starts getting crazy busy before an upcoming exam i definitely get lazy with FC and instead of reading up on the topics im getting wrong i just go “oops got it wrong ill figure that out later”, i’ve just gotta push myself a little harder to read that “show more” option even when im busy.

But seriously thank you so much for the advice! Congrats on the score and best of the luck with Step 1!

One thing I would helpful was in the couple days before my tests I would do the entire deck for that block. It helped solidify things and definitely helped with a lot of questions on my tests.

 

[intubesteak]

Hey everyone! I'll be starting med school in the fall and have just been looking ahead to all the board prep resources out there. I'm definitely leaning towards using FC, but am hesitant with the time commitment it seems to require. How does everyone balance using FC, keeping grades up in school, research, and life? And has anyone here used Bros/Zanki before switching to Firecracker?

When using firecracker you are studying for classes. Personally doing flashcards is the most effective way for me to memorize stuff, which is a necessary evil in medical school. Typically I would read a chapter or listen to a lecture, then do the corresponding cards in FC to help refresh/solidify. Every morning you are doing cards from the previous few days lectures to help reinforce stuff. When it comes time to study for the test, you will have a ton of it already memorized and not need to cram as much. It really varies based on your school and what block you are in, but I found a ton of overlap with firecracker and my school tests. There are going to be cards from older subjects that you are doing every day, but as long as it doesn't take too much time/energy away from your current class then you are doing fine. Remember, most MD schools don't really have grades the first two years...everything you have to show for those two years are a triple digit score (step1)...keep the long game in mind!

 

[iforget2]

When using firecracker you are studying for classes. Personally doing flashcards is the most effective way for me to memorize stuff, which is a necessary evil in medical school. Typically I would read a chapter or listen to a lecture, then do the corresponding cards in FC to help refresh/solidify. Every morning you are doing cards from the previous few days lectures to help reinforce stuff. When it comes time to study for the test, you will have a ton of it already memorized and not need to cram as much. It really varies based on your school and what block you are in, but I found a ton of overlap with firecracker and my school tests. There are going to be cards from older subjects that you are doing every day, but as long as it doesn't take too much time/energy away from your current class then you are doing fine. Remember, most MD schools don't really have grades the first two years...everything you have to show for those two years are a triple digit score (step1)...keep the long game in mind!

Thank you for the reply! So let’s say I review a card on Friday, my exam for that card is on a Monday, but based on the spaced repetition program the card is not scheduled to show up until Tuesday. Is there a way to use firecracker to review specific flash cards you needed before it is scheduled to appear?

 

[intubesteak]

Thank you for the reply! So let’s say I review a card on Friday, my exam for that card is on a Monday, but based on the spaced repetition program the card is not scheduled to show up until Tuesday. Is there a way to use firecracker to review specific flash cards you needed before it is scheduled to appear?

Yep. You can go into the "study something specific" section and pick specific things to study. You can create a deck to study essentially with whatever you want in it. That's what I've been doing a lot of during dedicated to focus more on my weaknesses. It is a very, very versatile program with lots of ways to organize and do things to fit your needs. That's been my experience at least.

 

[iforget2]

Yep. You can go into the "study something specific" section and pick specific things to study. You can create a deck to study essentially with whatever you want in it. That's what I've been doing a lot of during dedicated to focus more on my weaknesses. It is a very, very versatile program with lots of ways to organize and do things to fit your needs. That's been my experience at least.

Ah I see. So if I wanted to lower the max number of cards to 120 and assuming I’m fairly consistent starting from day 1 would I be able to get through most of the cards by step 1?

 

[intubesteak]

You can't set a maximum number of cards per day, you can only set a minimum. For example, I set my minimum cards per day at 150 so I currently see that amount every day. However, if Firecracker decides that I need to see more cards per day they will give me more cards than 150. I would just trust the algorithm and do whatever the program tells you.

If you did 120 cards everyday from the start of school, you would easily get through 100% of the material. The goal though is to see 100% of the material many times so that you can achieve true mastery of the content. Yes, it is a decent time commitment, but any strategy to memorize all of First Aid, Pathoma, Sketchy, etc. in flash card form will obviously take a serious time commitment.

Yep, its all about repetition! Also, the more easily you can get away from the type A mindset of being super thorough and stuff, the better you will be. However many cards you can do, will help you that much more. There is no magic number that will guarantee you a 260. If you do 120 cards well, slowly, hit snooze unit you actually get it right--then that's plenty. If you click through 120 without really chewing on the info, its not enough. You can never be fully prepared or get 100% (unlike undergrad), so the goal is really to use your time as effectively as possible in order to maximize your own potential. That's my .2 anyways.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Yep, its all about repetition! Also, the more easily you can get away from the type A mindset of being super thorough and stuff, the better you will be. However many cards you can do, will help you that much more. There is no magic number that will guarantee you a 260. If you do 120 cards well, slowly, hit snooze unit you actually get it right--then that's plenty. If you click through 120 without really chewing on the info, its not enough. You can never be fully prepared or get 100% (unlike undergrad), so the goal is really to use your time as effectively as possible in order to maximize your own potential. That's my .2 anyways.

Completely agree!

 

[intubesteak]

Completely agree!

That's comforting! Taking my test in less than two weeks hopefully I practiced what I preached...

 

[intubesteak]

How are your scores? I remember seeing your first NBME being solid. Have you been using FC during dedicated? If so, did you switch your settings to dedicated mode?

So far I took nbme 15 (237) and free 120 (88%, roughly 242). I'm going to take 19 next week. Been getting 90's on Uworld (second pass but not really remembering most questions as I did first pass awhile ago). I have no idea what will happen on test day because I am realizing how important critical thinking and being in the right state of mind is. Either way I think I will achieving my full potential in terms of how much I can cram in my brain lol. Ill post a more detailed experience after I get my score back. I did not do the dedicated test prep..I started subject by subject doing about 90% of the cards for each block. Felt like that was super helpful for remembering stuff I had already learned. Since doing that full pass Ive been cherry picking from the most difficult subjects to try and minimize my weaknesses. I also have been doing 1 hour of strictly pharmacology per day (super, super helpful). This is in addition to other resources but yeah FC has been very helpful for me, though my dedicated is 8 weeks so I did have a little more time on the front end to go slowly though material.

 

[doctorjayyy]

Hey so I have been noticing some discrepancies between FC on my desktop vs FC on my phone/iPad, particularly in total number of questions/topics/cases.

For example, if I look at the desktop version of FC's “Pathoma Companion,” I have 506 topics, 13027 questions, and 1104 cases. For the “Sketchy Companion,” I have 279 topics, 6459 questions, and 493 cases. However, when I look at each of those on my phone or iPad, I have way different numbers for the topics, questions, and cases. For pathoma companion on iPhone/iPad I only have 768 topics, 7870 questions, and 744 cases. For sketchy companion I have 434 topics, 3990 questions, and 337 cases.

So the biggest discrepancy is number of questions/flashcards. Almost half the number than what I have on the desktop version. Has anyone else noticed this? I know @Huggy and @intubesteak use FC a ton. Do you guys have this same issue? I just worry if I do cards/cases on my phone or iPad then it won’t sync correctly with the desktop version and vice versa. But maybe you guys don’t use FC’s pathoma and sketchy companions like I do so it’s not an issue. I’ve signed out and the deleted the app/redownloaded and still have this problem.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Hey so I have been noticing some discrepancies between FC on my desktop vs FC on my phone/iPad, particularly in total number of questions/topics/cases.

For example, if I look at the desktop version of FC's “Pathoma Companion,” I have 506 topics, 13027 questions, and 1104 cases. For the “Sketchy Companion,” I have 279 topics, 6459 questions, and 493 cases. However, when I look at each of those on my phone or iPad, I have way different numbers for the topics, questions, and cases. For pathoma companion on iPhone/iPad I only have 768 topics, 7870 questions, and 744 cases. For sketchy companion I have 434 topics, 3990 questions, and 337 cases.

So the biggest discrepancy is number of questions/flashcards. Almost half the number than what I have on the desktop version. Has anyone else noticed this? I know @Huggy and @intubesteak use FC a ton. Do you guys have this same issue? I just worry if I do cards/cases on my phone or iPad then it won’t sync correctly with the desktop version and vice versa. But maybe you guys don’t use FC’s pathoma and sketchy companions like I do so it’s not an issue. I’ve signed out and the deleted the app/redownloaded and still have this problem.

I have the same issue. I've had lots of issues with syncing between the app and the desktop - often if I do a get ahead task on the desktop it doesn't sync with the phone version. I would email their tech support about this. I generally don't use any of the "companions" because it gets weird like this - I just stick to regular (not high yield) step 1 and it doesn't seem to have the problem there.

 

[doctorjayyy]

Just wanted to make a PSA because a lot of people complain about FC having many cards that require you to recite a list of facts. If you simply message FC through the app about adding a clarifying number to the question stem, they will edit the card immediately. For example, if a card requires you to list 5 drugs to treat X disease, just message them to put “List 5” in the stem and they will respond to you/add that almost immediately. Great customer service. I recommend everyone do this so you’re not left wondering if you should recite 3 drugs/symptoms or 10 for such cards. It’s super helpful to know how many facts are on the other side of the card before you flip it.

 

[doctorjayyy]

Nice. I noticed the same thing on a Saturday and Sunday too. I was surprised by how quick they are to respond. But yeah I almost always immediately message them to add a number to the stem after flipping a card and seeing 2+ bullet points. Otherwise, I know when I get that card again down the road I will have no idea of knowing if there are 5 symptoms or 8 symptoms.

Can confirm.

I noticed that a card incorrectly stated "what are the 2 manifestations of secondary syphilis" but there were five bullet points. I messaged them on a Saturday, and they revised the card within minutes of contacting them.

 

[JimsonWeed]

Got some questions about Firecracker. I’ve been incorporating FC into my studies (before everyone freaks out, don’t worry I’m still anki’ing hard w/ Zanki). I just really like supplementing with FC because it has SO much more to offer with great explanations, examples, images, background info, etc. Anyway, can someone tell me how long it takes to see a card after giving it a 3, 4, or 5? In other words, does giving a card a 5 mean you’ll see it 5 days later, weeks later, or even months later? Looking for someone with FC experience that can give some insight into the algorithm based off their own experience using FC. Based off my limited use, I’ve noticed that cards ranked 1-2 come up quite often but I can’t seem to figure out how long 3-5’s take to show up again. Appreciate anyone who can chime in with their own experience. Thanks.

 

[Scrubs101]

Got some questions about Firecracker. I’ve been incorporating FC into my studies (before everyone freaks out, don’t worry I’m still anki’ing hard w/ Zanki). I just really like supplementing with FC because it has SO much more to offer with great explanations, examples, images, background info, etc. Anyway, can someone tell me how long it takes to see a card after giving it a 3, 4, or 5? In other words, does giving a card a 5 mean you’ll see it 5 days later, weeks later, or even months later? Looking for someone with FC experience that can give some insight into the algorithm based off their own experience using FC. Based off my limited use, I’ve noticed that cards ranked 1-2 come up quite often but I can’t seem to figure out how long 3-5’s take to show up again. Appreciate anyone who can chime in with their own experience. Thanks.

I've never taken the time to try and understand the algorithm, but I'm usually very very particular about cards that i give a 4-5. My deck is very red and yellow heavy, yellow is stuff I have down when I see it (without snoozing) but think theres a chance I may forget it within the month and red is anything I don't have down the first time I see it that day. I usually give a card 3-6 1-2s before i give it a 3, unless its a very wordy card then i usually always keep it in my red pile.

When I first started FC i did all of the anatomy ones as we had just finished anatomy so i put greens on the majority of them, I see an anatomy card maybe once every 2 weeks now lol. So since then I've been very sparing with my greens.

Depends if the material is in my now or past pile mostly, my nows (depending on the size) ill see most of my reds everyday and my yellows every 3 days or so. My past pile I'll see my reds quite frequently(have several thousand reds and only do 150 a day so obvi cant see them all), and yellows maybe a handful every few weeks, and like i said with my green past pile I hardly ever see them.

 

[intubesteak]

Got some questions about Firecracker. I’ve been incorporating FC into my studies (before everyone freaks out, don’t worry I’m still anki’ing hard w/ Zanki). I just really like supplementing with FC because it has SO much more to offer with great explanations, examples, images, background info, etc. Anyway, can someone tell me how long it takes to see a card after giving it a 3, 4, or 5? In other words, does giving a card a 5 mean you’ll see it 5 days later, weeks later, or even months later? Looking for someone with FC experience that can give some insight into the algorithm based off their own experience using FC. Based off my limited use, I’ve noticed that cards ranked 1-2 come up quite often but I can’t seem to figure out how long 3-5’s take to show up again. Appreciate anyone who can chime in with their own experience. Thanks.

Almost never gave 4 or 5, basically just for cards I thought were dumb and I never wanted to see again. Also FWIW I would drop Zanki like a hot potato if you are doing FC. They both accomplish the same purpose which is 1) forced recall and much less importantly, spaced repetition. Pick one (FC is better IMO for the reasons you mentioned) and use the other time doing Qbanks. Just my .2, scored 263 and used FC heavily.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Got some questions about Firecracker. I’ve been incorporating FC into my studies (before everyone freaks out, don’t worry I’m still anki’ing hard w/ Zanki). I just really like supplementing with FC because it has SO much more to offer with great explanations, examples, images, background info, etc. Anyway, can someone tell me how long it takes to see a card after giving it a 3, 4, or 5? In other words, does giving a card a 5 mean you’ll see it 5 days later, weeks later, or even months later? Looking for someone with FC experience that can give some insight into the algorithm based off their own experience using FC. Based off my limited use, I’ve noticed that cards ranked 1-2 come up quite often but I can’t seem to figure out how long 3-5’s take to show up again. Appreciate anyone who can chime in with their own experience. Thanks.

Highest I will give is a 4. Tried some 5s and haven't seen those cards in an unacceptably long time.

 

[A_Future_MD]

Have any firecracker users used it as a primary source for their histology/cell bio course? If so, how? Thanks

 

[NeuResurgens]

Have any firecracker users used it as a primary source for their histology/cell bio course? If so, how? Thanks

Wouldn't recommend it as a primary for anything - best to use your school's material for learning it the first time. FC does provide good review for the step-testable principles here but it's not a great primary source.

 

[ciucia53]

Have any firecracker users used it as a primary source for their histology/cell bio course? If so, how? Thanks

I agree with UNMedGa. Firecracker is better for reviewing the material as a second pass or testing yourself to see if you're retaining information. If you're looking for a primary source for histology, I personally really liked Junqueira's Basic Histology. You can check to see if your medical school carries this textbook in their library. It's nice because it explains the concepts well, has a lot of pictures, and has practice questions at the end of chapters! You can also find a lot of resources for histology online, including websites with example pictures and practice questions.

 

[NeuResurgens]

I agree with UNMedGa. Firecracker is better for reviewing the material as a second pass or testing yourself to see if you're retaining information. If you're looking for a primary source for histology, I personally really liked Junqueira's Basic Histology. You can check to see if your medical school carries this textbook in their library. It's nice because it explains the concepts well, has a lot of pictures, and has practice questions at the end of chapters! You can also find a lot of resources for histology online, including websites with example pictures and practice questions.

I would also add that the slides some med schools have online are particularly helpful for practice, like these hi-res shots of different histological samples from michigan: Spectrum WebScope: Histology

Use these alongside what your school teaches about how to identify tissues histologically, and practice finding these structures and features in the online slides.