First Aid and UWorld

[BloodySurgeon]

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I am trying to understand if I need to know material outside of FA or Uworld. Hypothetically, if I were to MEMORIZE (not understand) all of FA and UWorld, would I be able to score a 240+ on the real exam? If so, what are the use of outside material? I am using other books because I believe it is impossible to simply memorize all the material, but I want to know if additional information is really necessary to score well on the exam or if it is a waste of memory space and it is better to know FA/UWorld COLD.

Also, how much of the exam do you believe are repeats of questions/topics you have seen in UWorld or NBME exams?

 

[ipizzy]

I can't directly address your question since I haven't taken the real deal, but I recently took an NBME and found that memorization is only helpful if you can apply what you know to new situations. There may be presentations of the material in slightly different ways that require understanding rather than memorization. There are also plenty of multistep questions, too.

Knowing your stuff cold is undeniably helpful, though!

 

[shan564]

If you can memorize everything in FA and UW, you can probably get 240+.

Problem is, you probably can't memorize everything in FA and UW. If you don't have an understanding of what you're memorizing, it's too easy to forget it all before the test.

 

[gravitywave]

with this ghastly process behind me, i don't understand why people talk about 'memorizing' FA. 'memorizing' FA will get you nowhere. all FA does is remind you of everything that's not in FA.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

What I was really trying to evaluate is if I need to know more information than what is listed in First Aid (using it as a checklist). There is still a ton of information that is not listed on FA/UWorld but I believe it is low yield. Obtaining a 240+ is a very difficult task and I want to evaluate if I need to know these low yield information to get that score.

One of my weaknesses, for example, is Gross Anatomy. I cant remember what every nerve innervates and the function of every muscle but I do see a lot of questions integrating them. First Aid does lists a good handful of them but is it necessary to learn the other muscles or other facts like what nerve lies underneath the piriformis muscle?

Like I stated in my OP, I don't think it is possible to memorize FA since you need to have an understanding of it to put it in your long term memory. However I want to know if I should try retaining information that I have learned but are not been discussed in either FA or UWorld to obtain a 240+.

 

[chet]

Look, I know as much as everyone else on this forum about the real deal. . . nothing, but here's my opinion.

Study from whatever sources you feel like then start doing blocks of uWorld, then reassess. People are going to have different opinions about this depending on their background. For example, someone who got by with the bare minimum amount of studying in the first two years, or just forgot a lot (like myself) probably benefit from additional sources. But if you have a photographic memory, FA would just seem obvious. My experience so far is that basically every question I've seen in uWorld could be answered from First Aid, but your ability to extract and apply that information depends on the level of understanding you have prior to "memorizing" first aid.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

👍

 

[herewego]

Look, I know as much as everyone else on this forum about the real deal. . . nothing, but here's my opinion.

Study from whatever sources you feel like then start doing blocks of uWorld, then reassess. People are going to have different opinions about this depending on their background. For example, someone who got by with the bare minimum amount of studying in the first two years, or just forgot a lot (like myself) probably benefit from additional sources. But if you have a photographic memory, FA would just seem obvious. My experience so far is that basically every question I've seen in uWorld could be answered from First Aid, but your ability to extract and apply that information depends on the level of understanding you have prior to "memorizing" first aid.

I agree. Currently studying for step as well, little more than 70% done with Uworld. I do a pretty thorough job of reading explanations, reviewing questions, annotating etc. I think FA is just to focus your attention on things listed, but this can mislead you into thinking if you know X is associated with Y, that that'll be enough. Although I'm sure there are sections where FA is sufficient, I think understanding the information presented in uworld and being able to extrapolate/apply to different situations is whats important. That and being able to ask yourself, ok in this convoluted esoteric sounding question, what are they really asking?

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Doctopus]

I think this is an important question and I'm not sure the answers here address it. To restate the OPs question a different way, suppose you had the highest IQ in the world, unlimited time in the world to take Step1, and it was "open book" but the only book you could use was First Aid. What score would you get?

240?
260?
????

Ultimately, what this question is wrestling with is whether or not to devote one's time to fundamentally understanding every little detail in First Aid and its relationship with every other detail in First Aid, or, rather, to devote one's time to learning--at a relatively less deep level--the additional detail available from other resources like GT, BRS/HY stuff, Robbins, CMMRS, etc.

It's something I've wondered myself. Do people who say you need to go above and beyond FA mean you need those additional facts to do well, or is it more like by going to so many sources you will have the fundamental (FA, basically) ideas down even colder.

Curious to hear others' thoughts.

 

[Doctopus]

I should probably add that in the scenario above the hypothetical test taker "understands" the facts contained within First Aid. That is to say, he has used outside resources to know what the First Aid factoids are trying to tell him; however, he does not have the facts available to him from those outside resources during the test. Only the facts within First Aid.

 

[secants]

I'm curious as well. Considering every USMLE step 1 experience thread has FA/Uworld listed as most people's exclusive source, it's interesting to see a good chunk of people score above a 235 with only those two sources. Makes me wonder if their medical school actually did a good job in teaching them the foundations or if all these people were just smart and good test takers.

 

[tootheye]

FA is like a high yield Power Point presentation with bullets ! You dont use it to "gain"knowledge - rather to recollect and remind you at the right time of the fact that is is already familiar in your mind regardless of the source.
One might "remember" from FA but understood from another source. FA helps you bridge what you gained from a different source pool to stay in your mind. In other words,

Other sources- help you gain knowledge
FA- helps you remember that and reinforce
UW- Helps you apply it- which is the ultimate requirement on the day!

No three under or over play each others' importance. They are complimentary. Each stage of prep you suit yourself which varies with every individual taking various factors into consideration. There's no one size/book fits all. The typical phases are no brainer.

Understand the concept( Source)..... memorize ( FA)........Apply (UW)! The rest is history......Ooops- Future!

 

[ijn]

I think this is an important question and I'm not sure the answers here address it. To restate the OPs question a different way, suppose you had the highest IQ in the world, unlimited time in the world to take Step1, and it was "open book" but the only book you could use was First Aid. What score would you get?

240?
260?
????

Ultimately, what this question is wrestling with is whether or not to devote one's time to fundamentally understanding every little detail in First Aid and its relationship with every other detail in First Aid, or, rather, to devote one's time to learning--at a relatively less deep level--the additional detail available from other resources like GT, BRS/HY stuff, Robbins, CMMRS, etc.

It's something I've wondered myself. Do people who say you need to go above and beyond FA mean you need those additional facts to do well, or is it more like by going to so many sources you will have the fundamental (FA, basically) ideas down even colder.

Curious to hear others' thoughts.

STEP honestly seems pretty superficial in the depth of knowledge it probes. I'm sure there are those random questions that 25% of medical students answer correctly, but you can miss those and still get a 250+. Knowing Robbins in and out is excessive. BRS level material given a student with 2 years of solid background in basic science lectures seems just about right.

 

[Doctopus]

Good to know.

 

[G0LDENEYE]

FA is like a high yield Power Point presentation with bullets ! You dont use it to "gain"knowledge - rather to recollect and remind you at the right time of the fact that is is already familiar in your mind regardless of the source.
One might "remember" from FA but understood from another source. FA helps you bridge what you gained from a different source pool to stay in your mind. In other words,

Other sources- help you gain knowledge
FA- helps you remember that and reinforce
UW- Helps you apply it- which is the ultimate requirement on the day!

No three under or over play each others' importance. They are complimentary. Each stage of prep you suit yourself which varies with every individual taking various factors into consideration. There's no one size/book fits all. The typical phases are no brainer.

Understand the concept( Source)..... memorize ( FA)........Apply (UW)! The rest is history......Ooops- Future!

I think this is the best post I've read on this question so far. I find it insane how anyone who has looked at FA thinks straight up memorizing it is a good idea.

 

[gravitywave]

FA is like a high yield Power Point presentation with bullets ! You dont use it to "gain"knowledge - rather to recollect and remind you at the right time of the fact that is is already familiar in your mind regardless of the source.
One might "remember" from FA but understood from another source. FA helps you bridge what you gained from a different source pool to stay in your mind. In other words,

Other sources- help you gain knowledge
FA- helps you remember that and reinforce
UW- Helps you apply it- which is the ultimate requirement on the day!

No three under or over play each others' importance. They are complimentary. Each stage of prep you suit yourself which varies with every individual taking various factors into consideration. There's no one size/book fits all. The typical phases are no brainer.

Understand the concept( Source)..... memorize ( FA)........Apply (UW)! The rest is history......Ooops- Future!

this was said so much better than i could ever do (see post #4). when the people who have done well talk about "memorizing FA" (and it's rare in when they do in my experience), they must all be talking about some variant of this.

 

[berry15]

This is a bit off topic but if anyone has FA 2012, I'd greatly appreciate some help. I was following the 2012 FA errata and accidentally whited out the wrong sentence! Can someone who has the 2012 edition please tell me what it says on page 315 under the Insulin section, Regulation - hyperglycemia, GH, and cortisol .... and what does it say next? I need this next sentence as I whited out until where it says B-agonists. Thanks so much!!

 

[hellooo]

I'm sure figured this out already but just in case: "..and cortisol increase insulin; hypoglycemia and somatostatin decrease insulin; beta-agonists.."

 

[Morsetlis]

with this ghastly process behind me, i don't understand why people talk about 'memorizing' FA. 'memorizing' FA will get you nowhere. all FA does is remind you of everything that's not in FA.

Well, a labeled skeleton won't elucidate to you the name of the muscles, but it will certainly remind you of the need to know the muscles... and then their function, and innervation, and blood supply...