Focus on Big Robbins or is FA/Pathoma/BnB enough?

[4thtimeretaker]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey guys, just wanted to know what your opinion is on Big Robbins. My school uses the text extensively and recommends the practice questions as well. The depth of pathology that Big Robbins covers is very extensive and very draining to read. It feels way more than to the level of knowledge we need to know for Step 1. Do you think it's worthwhile to review it or is FA, Pathoma, BnB sufficient enough?

 

[slowthai]

Yeah, it's way overkill. BnB and Pathoma will cover you for path/pathophys. Big Robbins is best used for clarification of more difficult topics like the vasculitides and nephrotic/nephritic syndromes.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I use the Robbins interactive qbank, but the book is overkill. And my school is really path heavy.

 

[slowthai]

I use the Robbins interactive qbank, but the book is overkill. And my school is really path heavy.

How do you like the qbank? I was thinking of using it at a point.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

How do you like the qbank? I was thinking of using it at a point.

I love it. I do it for every module. Really hammers in the path stuff very well.

 

[slowthai]

I love it. I do it for every module. Really hammers in the path stuff very well.

Have you checked out the review book? How do you think it compares?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Have you checked out the review book? How do you think it compares?

All the questions in the review book are in the interactive qbank, plus a bunch more. Some of the chapters have like 80 questions in the interactive one.

 

[catnip12]

@Matthew9Thirtyfive What other q banks do you use? I know I’ve also seen you post about AMBOSS which I was on the fence about earlier but am now more swayed to get.

to answer @4thtimeretaker I used Big Robbins kind of like @slowthai suggested above. I needed a bit of a deep dive into different GI pathology so I turned to it. (which incidentally turned out to be my strongest unit, but there could’ve been many other confounders to this fact).
Point still being that I derived benefit from the Clinical pearls and summaries and lay out of Big Robbins for some units but I won’t be the one to advise you to switch out the more popular UFAPS for it.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

@Matthew9Thirtyfive What other q banks do you use? I know I’ve also seen you post about AMBOSS which I was on the fence about earlier but am now more swayed to get.

to answer @4thtimeretaker I used Big Robbins kind of like @slowthai suggested above. I needed a bit of a deep dive into different GI pathology so I turned to it. (which incidentally turned out to be my strongest unit, but there could’ve been many other confounders to this fact).
Point still being that I derived benefit from the Clinical pearls and summaries and lay out of Big Robbins for some units but I won’t be the one to advise you to switch out the more popular UFAPS for it.

I like the AMBOSS qbank but honestly I’ve mostly been using the Robbins qbank and usmle Rx. It just is easier to do the rx qbank in sections.

 

[slowthai]

All the questions in the review book are in the interactive qbank, plus a bunch more. Some of the chapters have like 80 questions in the interactive one.

That's interesting...how many qs total? The last time I checked, the interactive one had 500+ and the book had 1100+. Maybe the interactive one combined them or something

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That's interesting...how many qs total? The last time I checked, the interactive one had 500+ and the book had 1100+. Maybe the interactive one combined them or something

I just went back and looked and they actually have the same amount of Qs. I like the interactive one because it’s less flipping a book around.

 

[slowthai]

I just went back and looked and they actually have the same amount of Qs. I like the interactive one because it’s less flipping a book around.

Is it this one? USMLE Robbins Pathology Question Bank | Practice Exam, Review

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Is it this one? USMLE Robbins Pathology Question Bank | Practice Exam, Review

No, it’s the one that comes with the book. It’s literally the exact same questions just online.

 

[slowthai]

No, it’s the one that comes with the book. It’s literally the exact same questions just online.

Oh, I see I see. So then you could do the interactive one plus the ones in the link if you wanted more practice.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Oh, I see I see. So then you could do the interactive one plus the ones in the link if you wanted more practice.

Yeah, I guess. I haven’t looked at the ones in the link. Are they different from the ones in the book? I find the ones in the book/interactive review to be more than sufficient.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I made it a point to never open Big Robbins during medical school. I ended up fine. Better resources exist.

 

[slowthai]

Yeah, I guess. I haven’t looked at the ones in the link. Are they different from the ones in the book? I find the ones in the book/interactive review to be more than sufficient.

I'm guessing they are, because they're specifically "USMLE-style". But who knows, really. I guess it's just a source for more questions if you're dying for some and you've exhausted everything else.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'm guessing they are, because they're specifically "USMLE-style". But who knows, really. I guess it's just a source for more questions if you're dying for some and you've exhausted everything else.

I dunno about you, but by the time I get through Rx and Robbins, I’m certainly not dying for more questions haha.