Firecracker

[JackShephard MD]

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med.firecracker.me

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

Cheers.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Bats, dogs and raccoons.

But I guess bats are #1 for the boards.

 

[piaisthemater]

has anyone found a way to see your %mastery by subject since the update? it used to be under "performance" when you clicked "more", but now that just takes you to your Qs/day graph.

 

[Bancrofti]

Thanks guys. Yea I was gonna go with bats after I searched it.

Myedema.. it's crazy b/c FC says foxes represent one of the major causes in the east. Oh well, all that is OD, we just need to know bats domestically and dogs abroad.

 

[ulikedaggers]

Anyone jumping on the 35% off deal FC is running right now? I'm good through May, but still can't decide if I want to continue FC during MS2 or not. My main goal is going to be finishing Kaplan Qbank by the start/middle of second semester and then starting UWorld and idk if I'll be able to do FC and Qbanks simultaneously.

 

[madchemist89]

I am planning on taking my exam in June (not sure which day yet) and classes get out in May, so I am looking at about 4-5 weeks of dedicated study time. I've been using Firecracker religiously for the past year or so, and it has certainly been helpful. However, I realize that there are gaps in my knowledge (simply forgotten the material), and I do not know when I will be seeing this material again in my daily reviews. When should I drop Firecracker and move on to FA + Pathoma + UW? Should I continue using Firecracker until my dedicated period (my original plan) or should I switch to my dedicated materials earlier, such as the beginning of March? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.


Edit: Looked at school calendar. Plan on starting in March instead of April.

 

[LostinLift]

Will FC most likely have a "sale" in June/July/August before new classes start? How much did you guys have to pay? I thought last time I looked FC was $250/year, but now they have a "sale" for $399/year.

 

[ulikedaggers]

Will FC most likely have a "sale" in June/July/August before new classes start? How much did you guys have to pay? I thought last time I looked FC was $250/year, but now they have a "sale" for $399/year.

I paid $78 for 4 months not too long ago. I'm anticipating a pretty good sale within the next couple of months as FC tries to entice people to sign up for dedicated prep time.

$399/12mo is actually the normal price now. I suppose you could by three 4-month subscriptions for $300 total though.

 

[Darkskies]

I just recently started using Firecracker and it seems like it's a very good way to reinforce the concepts I've been learning in school. However I only have one system banked(Gastroenterology) and the review questions you have to do seem to be overwhelming at times. I was thinking about not going through the Anatomy on FC at all and also skipping the Anatomy sections in the systems review. Is this a good idea? Also, if my board exams are scheduled for mid to late june, is it still possible for me to bank most of the modules on FC? Would this be a good strategy or should I use other resources at this point? Thanks!

 

[HLxDrummer]

It will be really hard for you to bank the majority of the topics by June if you just started. How much time do you have everyday to dedicate?

Post how many topics you have already flagged and how many days till the test.

I started at the start of this school year and I am half way done now. 72% mastery.

 

[Polymyxin]

Also, if my board exams are scheduled for mid to late june, is it still possible for me to bank most of the modules on FC? Would this be a good strategy or should I use other resources at this point? Thanks!

I'm in a similar situation. In my opinion, it is IMPOSSIBLE to finish banking (let alone get to ~90% banked) by a June exam if you just started now. Does anyone else have any insight/experience? I called the FC company and they were not too helpful and told me "everyone is different".

There are about 1100 cards, with an average of about 8-9 concepts (aka questions) per card, therefore about a total of roughly 9,000 concepts/questions (please note, these are my approximations based on the fact that I've banked 25.4%, with 2189 concepts so far... [therefore 2189 / 0.254 = 8,983]). When I called FC, they did not know how many concepts/questions they had. Assuming about 9,000, you'd have to bank about 100 new concepts/questions per day to get 100% banked by May (about 90 days). That doesn't seem like a lot. But, if you truly introduce 100 new concept/questions per day, the daily review # keeps building up and you'll be needing to do hundreds of review questions per day, not to mention flagging 100 concepts/questions-worth of new cards. Despite likely not being able to bank all of FC, I'm still doing FC because it is really helping me. I'm focusing on important topics, especially those I'm weak in.

 

[001100010010011]

I banked everything beginning in August. I finished banking everything two days ago. I have 500 questions to do daily but will be able to whittle it down over the next few weeks.

Your best bet is to only flag topics you struggle with. If you try to do what I did in 6mo, you won't have time for qbanks.

 

[HLxDrummer]

I'm in a similar situation. In my opinion, it is IMPOSSIBLE to finish banking (let alone get to ~90% banked) by a June exam if you just started now. Does anyone else have any insight/experience? I called the FC company and they were not too helpful and told me "everyone is different".

There are about 1100 cards, with an average of about 8-9 concepts (aka questions) per card, therefore about a total of roughly 9,000 concepts/questions (please note, these are my approximations based on the fact that I've banked 25.4%, with 2189 concepts so far... [therefore 2189 / 0.254 = 8,983]). When I called FC, they did not know how many concepts/questions they had. Assuming about 9,000, you'd have to bank about 100 new concepts/questions per day to get 100% banked by May (about 90 days). That doesn't seem like a lot. But, if you truly introduce 100 new concept/questions per day, the daily review # keeps building up and you'll be needing to do hundreds of review questions per day, not to mention flagging 100 concepts/questions-worth of new cards. Despite likely not being able to bank all of FC, I'm still doing FC because it is really helping me. I'm focusing on important topics, especially those I'm weak in.

Just FYI most people say there are 1100 topics/concept and 8-9 questions/cards per topic. Gets confusing when everybody calls it something difference.

So if it is 25% done then you have 825 topics/concepts left. If you have 90 days that is 9 topics/day. Doable, but you won't be doing much other studying depending on how well you know the stuff. This (if you assume 10 questions per topic) means you 8,250 questions to do. That means you will be adding approximately 91 questions every single day..

Last semester I tried to do 5 topics/day on top of studying for class and it was too much for me. Keep in mind I need to keep over 75% in classes to pass and I have a fiancee/dog/etc. If you have no life outside of class it is possible I guess. 10/day would be really rough.

 

[SciencePlus]

Hey Guys/Gals--

I'm ~50% of the way banked, and starting to realize that I won't have enough time to finish Firecracker by my boards date (given other commitments/prep material). Any suggestions on which topics should be banked last?

My current strategy is to skip embryo all together, don't know where to go from there. Also I've been noticing a lot of treatment questions in microbio which seem pretty damn specific (ex. what do you use to treat leprosy?). Are these type of questions even on step 1?

Thanks

 

[Bancrofti]

I banked everything beginning in August. I finished banking everything two days ago. I have 500 questions to do daily but will be able to whittle it down over the next few weeks.

You are a god amongst men.

Last semester I tried to do 5 topics/day on top of studying for class and it was too much for me.

That's a bit discouraging. I was hoping to manage exactly that amount so that I could finish by late March. I suppose I could do less and finish later, but I wanted to finish early so that I could have a whole month or a little more of solely doing questions and not flagging anything, after which point I would possibly stop using the program and focus on everything else.

 

[Bancrofti]

Can anyone explain Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome to me? Elsewhere and on FC itself it is said to lead to a hypercoagulable state, but then FC also says that it inhibits coagulation and increases PTT in vitro... Lost and I hate Lupus.

 

[HLxDrummer]

You can always give it a try. I am terrible at memorizing so you might be able to do it easier than me. Right now I am just flagging a few new topics a day as we learn them and trying to keep my question load low. I think I am better off focusing on classes and learning it well the first time than flagging them like crazy hoping I will learn by doing the questions.

I wish I would have started this first year. I would have gladly paid $250 to use it then and flag as I learned stuff. Studying for Step 1 would be a joke..

 

[ulikedaggers]

I banked everything beginning in August. I finished banking everything two days ago. I have 500 questions to do daily but will be able to whittle it down over the next few weeks.

Your best bet is to only flag topics you struggle with. If you try to do what I did in 6mo, you won't have time for qbanks.

Oh wow that's incredible...

 

[Que]

You are a god amongst men.


That's a bit discouraging. I was hoping to manage exactly that amount so that I could finish by late March. I suppose I could do less and finish later, but I wanted to finish early so that I could have a whole month or a little more of solely doing questions and not flagging anything, after which point I would possibly stop using the program and focus on everything else.

Looks like we have a similar plan. I do about 6 topics a day unless it's a few days before an exam, then I do maybe 2-3. It's definitely doable. I'm 303 topics in and going at a rate of ~120 flags a month. I also do a Pathoma video a day and 2 46Q blocks of Rx per week. Once I get into April though I'm switching to pure UW and only doing my daily FC questions, not adding anything new.

 

[001100010010011]

Haha, you

You are a god amongst men.


That's a bit discouraging. I was hoping to manage exactly that amount so that I could finish by late March. I suppose I could do less and finish later, but I wanted to finish early so that I could have a whole month or a little more of solely doing questions and not flagging anything, after which point I would possibly stop using the program and focus on everything else.

That fired me up. Thanks.

How far along are you?

 

[001100010010011]

Can anyone explain Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome to me? Elsewhere and on FC itself it is said to lead to a hypercoagulable state, but then FC also says that it inhibits coagulation and increases PTT in vitro... Lost and I hate Lupus.

I have had trouble with this too. I don't think that the pathophys has been uncovered but somehow B2-glycoprotein and clotting factors might play a role. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/333221-overview#a0104

The paradoxical increase in PTT is apparently an artifact because of antibodies binding the reagent: http://www.pathologystudent.com/?p=2101

 

[ShireCheshire]

If anyone wants to buy my firecracker subscription, PM me. It didn't fit my learning style.

 

[Bancrofti]

Haha, you

That fired me up. Thanks.

How far along are you?

55%

My plan is actually to flag 5 topics per day Monday-Thursday, and 10 Friday-Saturday.
I was trying to be super ambitious over winter break and flag 10 per day consistently so I would have had 600-700 cards banked already, but on average I only got around to that 3-4 times per week.

That being said I know I fell off with it last term, so I'm a little worried it may not happen as scheduled even though it's definitely doable. The only thing I have going for me is that truly the only new material I have to learn this term is Pharmacology. Now that I'm thinking about it, the reason it makes it difficult is because I was also attempting to Finish Kaplan and Rx at the same time. Maybe I should forego those and make sure I finish this first? Then get around to those?

I would like to completely finish Kaplan Qbank and Rx once. Then go through Uworld at least twice.

I have had trouble with this too. I don't think that the pathophys has been uncovered but somehow B2-glycoprotein and clotting factors might play a role. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/333221-overview#a0104

The paradoxical increase in PTT is apparently an artifact because of antibodies binding the reagent: http://www.pathologystudent.com/?p=2101

Thank you so much. That second link provided a pretty clear explanation of the potential mechanism. Every time I got that question I scratched my head and told myself I would get around to looking it up later b/c I don't like just remembering random details without understanding.

 

[Polymyxin]

Looks like we have a similar plan. I do about 6 topics a day unless it's a few days before an exam, then I do maybe 2-3. It's definitely doable. I'm 303 topics in and going at a rate of ~120 flags a month. I also do a Pathoma video a day and 2 46Q blocks of Rx per week. Once I get into April though I'm switching to pure UW and only doing my daily FC questions, not adding anything new.

Que, that is a pretty good schedule. Approximately how questions do you end up doing on FC per day?

 

[notbobtrustme]

Can anyone explain Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome to me? Elsewhere and on FC itself it is said to lead to a hypercoagulable state, but then FC also says that it inhibits coagulation and increases PTT in vitro... Lost and I hate Lupus.

Okay, so this is what happens. In vivo, the anti-phospholipid antibodies can activate platelets leading to a hypercoaguable state and possibly DIC. In vitro, those very same antibodies interfere with the lipids used in the test, causing an abnormally high reading. Furthermore, mixing normal serum doesn't fix the problem because the antibodies still bind the phospholipids used in the assay, causing the PTT to remain elevated. Finally, these same antibodies can cause a false positive on VDRL because they also interfere with the test.

 

[Que]

Que, that is a pretty good schedule. Approximately how questions do you end up doing on FC per day?

150-200 daily review Q's, plus questions pertaining to whatever new topics I flag. Answering them all isn't my favorite part of the day but I split it up and spend max 30 secs/question so it isn't too bad. I mostly end up doing them during class.

 

[001100010010011]

Anyone bothering to do their qbank as well?

 

[LostinLift]

In terms of people complaining that FC has questions they don't like (whether it be erroneous, contain too many answers, whatever), can't you just rate the question in question, , as a 5 and select "never see again"?

 

[ulikedaggers]

In terms of people complaining that FC has questions they don't like (whether it be erroneous, contain too many answers, whatever), can't you just rate the question in question, , as a 5 and select "never see again"?

I think the main concern with erroneous cards is that there might be more down the line (errors) that you don't catch. Also for the overly-detailed cards, if you mark it as "never see again" there might not be another card with similar information.. and now you've just taken an entire concept out of your rotation.

 

[001100010010011]

Ok. I just checked out the USMLE style questions on FC.

Verdict:

Terrible.

 

[Brain Bucket]

My biggest gripe with FC right now is that they've removed the comments section under each subtopic.

 

[mcloaf]

My biggest gripe with FC right now is that they've removed the comments section under each subtopic.

It no longer seems to save my ratings/comments for some cards that are confusing/errant...

 

[LostinLift]

Does anybody know someone that used FC religiously and did NOT score well? I see people complain about every aspect of FC, but I have not seen someone post about using FC and scoring below 240, at least from the 2013 experiences thread.

Not that this necessarily means completing FC will get you above 240, causation causality blah blah blah, but it's important to note.

 

[ulikedaggers]

Does anybody know someone that used FC religiously and did NOT score well? I see people complain about every aspect of FC, but I have not seen someone post about using FC and scoring below 240, at least from the 2013 experiences thread.

Not that this necessarily means completing FC will get you above 240, causation causality blah blah blah, but it's important to note.

Not me.. but as you say, there's no causative relationship. The majority of people who use FC religiously would've scored well on Step 1 anyway. It takes a special kind of crazy to pay hundreds of dollars and flip through digital flashcards for hours every week.

 

[LostinLift]

Not me.. but as you say, there's no causative relationship. The majority of people who use FC religiously would've scored well on Step 1 anyway. It takes a special kind of crazy to pay hundreds of dollars and flip through digital flashcards for hours every week.

So are the people who use Anki religiously not crazy because they don't pay for it? Other than the opportunity cost of time they invest in making the cards. Sure you can say making the cards helps with the learning process, but so does going over the cards and trying to understand them in a broader context, always asking "why". Mindset is often the most important factor in learning new information. And personally, my time will be a little more valuable than $250/year.

 

[ulikedaggers]

So are the people who use Anki religiously not crazy because they don't pay for it? Other than the opportunity cost of time they invest in making the cards. Sure you can say making the cards helps with the learning process, but so does going over the cards and trying to understand them in a broader context, always asking "why". Mindset is often the most important factor in learning new information. And personally, my time will be a little more valuable than $250/year.

Do you know people who used Anki decks (that incorporated high-yield info from FA and various Step 1 resources covering all Step 1 topics) religiously who didn't do well on Step 1? Making your own deck (or using pre-made decks) takes time and exposes you to missing certain topics/concepts.

Constructing your own Anki deck(s) that are equivalent in quality to FC is like trying to write your own version of FA. Just not going to happen imo.

Edit: Just to clarify, I think FC is superior to Anki simply because the quality of pre-made Anki decks is not as high as FC and to create an Anki deck equal or better to FC would be quite an undertaking.

 

[Brain Bucket]

It no longer seems to save my ratings/comments for some cards that are confusing/errant...

Maybe they're trying to tell us something. Heh.

Does anybody know someone that used FC religiously and did NOT score well? I see people complain about every aspect of FC, but I have not seen someone post about using FC and scoring below 240, at least from the 2013 experiences thread.

Not that this necessarily means completing FC will get you above 240, causation causality blah blah blah, but it's important to note.

It's fairly new. Wasn't that expensive when I signed up for it.

Like it's already been said, it takes a special sort to get through FC ... the sort that'd tend to do well regardless. I wouldn't be surprised if well over half (arbitrary number) the subscribers give up/move on before 75% (arbitrary number) mastery and end up doing just fine.

Also, reporting bias.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Does anybody know someone that used FC religiously and did NOT score well? I see people complain about every aspect of FC, but I have not seen someone post about using FC and scoring below 240, at least from the 2013 experiences thread.

Not that this necessarily means completing FC will get you above 240, causation causality blah blah blah, but it's important to note.

There's like three filters to all the testimonials. You have people who bought the product, did well on Step 1 and then reported back to the company. People who didn't do as well on Step 1 are less likely to report back and the company is less likely to put their testimonial up.

 

[LostinLift]

There's like three filters to all the testimonials. You have people who bought the product, did well on Step 1 and then reported back to the company. People who didn't do as well on Step 1 are less likely to report back and the company is less likely to put their testimonial up.

Except on SDN, where people love to complain. I'm not only talking about testimonials or the people posting their 260 scores on Step 1 thread.

I was asking everyone as med students or friends of med students, whether you personally knew someone or heard of someone that used FC and scored poorly.

 

[Brain Bucket]

Except on SDN, where people love to complain..

Positive reinforcement is for amateurs.

I'm not only talking about testimonials or the people posting their 260 scores on Step 1 thread.

I was asking everyone as med students or friends of med students, whether you personally knew someone or heard of someone that used FC and scored poorly.

Define 'used'. You're looking for reassurance, and you won't find it here.

Go through the Scores & Experiences thread, distill the commonalities in preparation for those who scored in the range you're looking to achieve, and follow that.

 

[LostinLift]

Define 'used'. If you're looking for reassurance, you won't find it here.

Go through the Scores & Experiences thread, distill the commonalities in preparation for those who scored in the range you're looking to achieve, and follow that.

Consistently used for > 1 year with > 80% banked and at least 65% mastery, used only between the hours of 6 am and 3 pm, excluding holidays and every 3rd Sunday, only while at home, walking to school, or on the treadmill.

I'm not saying it's not possible to score poorly while using FC, I was curious if anyone knew anyone personally or through a friend who had.

 

[Brain Bucket]

Consistently used for > 1 year with > 80% banked and at least 65% mastery, used only between the hours of 6 am and 3 pm, excluding holidays and every 3rd Sunday, only while at home, walking to school, or on the treadmill.

I'm not saying it's not possible to score poorly while using FC, I was curious if anyone knew anyone personally or through a friend who had.

Yes.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

[Lafakads]

There's like three filters to all the testimonials. You have people who bought the product, did well on Step 1 and then reported back to the company. People who didn't do as well on Step 1 are less likely to report back and the company is less likely to put their testimonial up.

So we had a FC guy come to our school and said that the average board score for FC users was around a 248ish (I think). They sent a survey of people taking the boards and of the 1400( around there), about 1100 responded.

They said they encourage people to submit their board scores and then if enough of a class sends it to them, they will provide an event for the people that used FC.

 

[ulikedaggers]

So we had a FC guy come to our school and said that the average board score for FC users was around a 248ish (I think). They sent a survey of people taking the boards and of the 1400( around there), about 1100 responded.

They said they encourage people to submit their board scores and then if enough of a class sends it to them, they will provide an event for the people that used FC.

Wow

 

[Brain Bucket]

if enough of a class sends it to them, they will provide an event for the people that used FC.

Why haven't I heard about this before? I want to know more about this 'event'.

 

[ulikedaggers]

FC back down to $250/year. I guess nobody was crazy enough to shell out $400.

 

[xadmin]

It is back up to $399

 

[mcloaf]

It is back up to $399

They are crazy.

 

[Brain Bucket]

It was 35% off for a bit.

Well, in it's infancy it was ~200 for 2 years. Worth the risk.

 

[Bancrofti]

lol. I think I paid $100 or 119 or something for a year with some special they had last summer. Sucks for the new people. I like it, but $400 is ridiculous.

 

[notbobtrustme]

lol. I think I paid $100 or 119 or something for a year with some special they had last summer. Sucks for the new people. I like it, but $400 is ridiculous.

yea I like it as well, I got the same deal as you did, but it's definitely not worth 400 bucks. The best thing is that it's structured so people who dislike spending time to be organized benefit the most from this. For 400 bucks, you can get Pathoma, First Aid and Uworld and do VERY well on the boards.

If you can be organized, I'm sure you can find First Aid+Goljan Anki decks that are just as high yield as FC.