Really enjoying the iOS app. Someone said earlier that they did not like the look of the app, but I personally really like the simple color palette this has. Just black and white, with a pleasant-to-the-eyes light green to highlight cards being tested. Here is how it looks like on iPhone for those who haven't downloaded it yet:
I have noticed that the app has helped me answer 20-30% more questions daily than I normally do, and this can be explained by two aspects of this app:
- Unlike the mobile version of FC, the app does not load each MCQ independently, making it easier to flash through a quiz without having to weight for a new question to load (a problem when you do not have a reliable internet connection).
- After you grade your recall effort, the app automatically transitions to the next question. On the web version of FC, one has to click on the appropriate numerical grade and then click on the right arrow/hit the n (next) key to move on. It's amazing how just removing one step can make such a big productivity improvement.
By the way, for those of you wondering about using FC for STEP 2 CK, I have to say that so far it has been a really valuable tool for helping me remember
workup algorithms and treatment guidelines. The cards are also considerably more organized and up-to-date than the STEP 1 material (I am currently doing my internal medicine rotation and have been going through FC together with Step Up To Medicine and Pocket Medicine. So far only one out of the +80 subjects I have flagged has outdated info, which was later corrected).
I have a few requests I would like to see the FC team incorporate into the app on future updates:
- Ability to change font (it is really small and does not obey Apple's "dynamic font" functionality)
- Ability to display one's notes (I tend to use the note space for mnemonics)
- Ability to select "never see again" for cards that, well, we do not wish to see again.
Great job with V 1.0 of the app and the excellent effort being put into improving the STEP 2 material. I am really happy to see FC continuing to improve. I used FC MUCH more often than First Aid throughout second year and my STEP 1 dedicated study period. I scored a
251 (not impressive by SDN standards, but nevertheless a good score) and think FC was the best way (based on my style of learning) to keep facts/memorization-heavy topics fresh in my mind. My only regret was that I started it rather late, and o
nly managed to flag ~65% of the STEP 1 content.