Gunner Training?

[hope2bpaindoc]

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A

 

[lrkoehle]

Sweet thank you. I'll start with the one month then 1 yr. this should take me till the end of June next year 🙂 please tell us how you do on the boards. GL

I certainly will. It's nice to have another source of motivation to do well. So far my first 2 practice NBMEs have been mid 250's, which I'd be thrilled to have on the real deal. Of course I am pushing for a higher score, so maybe I can figure out how to bump my score ~10+ points in the next 2 weeks. I think if I had been more diligent with GT throughout second year and not needed that massive push to finish the last ~30% of GT in late March, then I might be hitting those 260's now. Oh well...biggest thing is I just don't want to regress from where I'm at currently. Now back to the grind.

 

[loveoforganic]

I think a 250 should feel great 😉

Also, every time I answer a question, I'm getting the customized review schedule popup following my rating that I have to click out of before moving on... It's destroying my rhythm. Anyone have an idea? I hope this isn't a new feature. Attachment is pic of box that pops up

Edit: it only happens when I hit the enter key, not when I click "next question." So maybe a keyboard key is sticking? What key would it be where that happens? I tried 'c' and 'escape' without success. Enter key functions the same as the 'c' key, so I don't think it's a stuck key anymore, unless GT has combination key presses coded for, and it's a combination key with enter, which would seem odd.

And apparently the up and down keys are hiding/displaying the answer as well during quiz questions, rather than just the left and right keys (which still do it like normal)

I think I know what it could be... I take it back gunner gods, 250 sucks, 285+ or bust

 

[lrkoehle]

I think a 250 should feel great 😉

Also, every time I answer a question, I'm getting the customized review schedule popup following my rating that I have to click out of before moving on... It's destroying my rhythm. Anyone have an idea? I hope this isn't a new feature. Attachment is pic of box that pops up

Edit: it only happens when I hit the enter key, not when I click "next question." So maybe a keyboard key is sticking? What key would it be where that happens? I tried 'c' and 'escape' without success. Enter key functions the same as the 'c' key, so I don't think it's a stuck key anymore, unless GT has combination key presses coded for, and it's a combination key with enter, which would seem odd.

And apparently the up and down keys are hiding/displaying the answer as well during quiz questions, rather than just the left and right keys (which still do it like normal)

I think I know what it could be... I take it back gunner gods, 250 sucks, 285+ or bust

Haha, well my second practice NBME was 2 less than my first one, so that 250+ was less sweet than the first (I was hoping to be moving the other direction) but it is still solid nonetheless. I have plenty of friends at school that would probably kick my ass if they found out I was disappointed with 250+. Honestly, I would be very happy with that as a real score, but of course I'm gunning for the 265+.

As for your problem, I know that Shift+Enter pulls up the customized review thing (I actually use it a lot right now to keep my daily questions from piling up on one day or if there is something I want to be sure to see before step-I). Maybe your shift key is stuck down?

 

[Brotato]

I think a 250 should feel great 😉

Also, every time I answer a question, I'm getting the customized review schedule popup following my rating that I have to click out of before moving on... It's destroying my rhythm. Anyone have an idea? I hope this isn't a new feature. Attachment is pic of box that pops up

Edit: it only happens when I hit the enter key, not when I click "next question." So maybe a keyboard key is sticking? What key would it be where that happens? I tried 'c' and 'escape' without success. Enter key functions the same as the 'c' key, so I don't think it's a stuck key anymore, unless GT has combination key presses coded for, and it's a combination key with enter, which would seem odd.

And apparently the up and down keys are hiding/displaying the answer as well during quiz questions, rather than just the left and right keys (which still do it like normal)

I think I know what it could be... I take it back gunner gods, 250 sucks, 285+ or bust

The solution is to end the quiz, and then restart it from the dashboard.

 

[nopo18]

If ending quiz doesn't work, you may have sticky-keys enabled on your shift key

 

[loveoforganic]

The solution is to end the quiz, and then restart it from the dashboard.

Fixed it, thanks. I should have tried that. My solution for almost everything is to turn it off and back on

 

[GTP]

I certainly will. It's nice to have another source of motivation to do well. So far my first 2 practice NBMEs have been mid 250's, which I'd be thrilled to have on the real deal. Of course I am pushing for a higher score, so maybe I can figure out how to bump my score ~10+ points in the next 2 weeks. I think if I had been more diligent with GT throughout second year and not needed that massive push to finish the last ~30% of GT in late March, then I might be hitting those 260's now. Oh well...biggest thing is I just don't want to regress from where I'm at currently. Now back to the grind.

👍👍👍

 

[doctoritis]

How do I select only certain subjects to keep in my bank? For example - Biochemistry and Physiology?

Also, do I just start questions and get a mix of both types of questions, or do I have to do questions by category? Such as click on Biochem and only do that and then Physio later?

 

[loveoforganic]

I don't think you can do the former. For the latter, it's up to you, they give you both options on the home page

 

[The kitchen sink]

Ok so I don't know anything about GT, so how much time do u need to do this program and how successful is it?

 

[saalik786]

for those who are very familiar with GT, can you comment/rate as to which sections are strongest vs weaker ones? For example, pharmacology > microbiology > immunology...

I'm trying to decide whether or not to commit to GT. Thanks.

 

[withrye]

Ok so I don't know anything about GT, so how much time do u need to do this program and how successful is it?

The time needed depends on how much time you have. If you have over a year, you can work through the flashcards/questions over months and not get overloaded. You could spend at most two or three hours a day solidifying a really solid and comprehensive base of knowledge.

If you only have a few months and plan to go through all the flashcards, you could be spending hours and hours doing questions due to the way they accumulate.

On the success front there are a few anecdotes of people who have done very well (i.e. 255+) and who have attributed much of that success to GT. That being said, I don't think there are dozens of people who have posted about having used it over an extended period of time and reporting back on their experiences and scores.

 

[Gunneria]

You can integrate it with courses which is helpful...gts layout is like an online first aid with a little more and albeit a couple of omissions. Withthatbeing said if repetitiveness is your taste and doing an hour or 2 hrs of questions daily on everything for the long term helps you, then GT will build the long term memory you need with the expectation thatby the time you start dedicated board review you will have most if not all of first aid mastered and canfocus on qbanks and practice exams. The big upgrades i like is you can preferentially select the subject you want to do questions on hence if coursework is a priority you can quiz yourself on just your current course's material vs stuff from 1st year anatomy vs before where you had a melting pot of questions from all subjects to sipher through

 

[tigress]

The new update sounds good (I was asking them for that for a year, and they kept telling me it was "coming soon"). I wanted to use it to study for block tests but had trouble just doing the questions I wanted, and ended up having to manually set the review dates for each question, which was a pain.

That was one of my main problems with GT, though: they kept promising great updates, and couldn't even come up with something as simple as an iPad app. It seemed to me like they got in too deep before they truly knew what they were doing, and then were playing catch-up. I just wish they hadn't kept promising things and then not delivering.

It's a nice concept overall, but it takes a lot of dedication. I think if I didn't have other obligations outside school, I would have made better use of it. But you have to be very diligent in keeping up, because once you get behind it just gets ridiculous.

So in the end, I used it for just under a year (summer after M1 through end of M2). When I first started I adored it, and got a bunch of my classmates signed up. I think most of them ended up being big fans. In the end, though, it didn't work for me due to the time commitment.

It does, however, have some of the best mnemonics I've found anywhere.

 

[JackShephard MD]

The new update sounds good (I was asking them for that for a year, and they kept telling me it was "coming soon"). I wanted to use it to study for block tests but had trouble just doing the questions I wanted, and ended up having to manually set the review dates for each question, which was a pain.

That was one of my main problems with GT, though: they kept promising great updates, and couldn't even come up with something as simple as an iPad app. It seemed to me like they got in too deep before they truly knew what they were doing, and then were playing catch-up. I just wish they hadn't kept promising things and then not delivering.

It's a nice concept overall, but it takes a lot of dedication. I think if I didn't have other obligations outside school, I would have made better use of it. But you have to be very diligent in keeping up, because once you get behind it just gets ridiculous.

So in the end, I used it for just under a year (summer after M1 through end of M2). When I first started I adored it, and got a bunch of my classmates signed up. I think most of them ended up being big fans. In the end, though, it didn't work for me due to the time commitment.

It does, however, have some of the best mnemonics I've found anywhere.

Why would you need an iPad app for a website? Does SDN need an iPad app? Google?

Anyway, I agree with your sentiments. The program takes a **** load of time. I used GT for a bit then I had to reset because I got behind and as you said, it got ridiculous. I think it works though, it's just finding the time. While some say it omits things, I would agree, but it certainly has lots of detail in some areas. I'm using it now a bit and would like to see what the high end users say after boards this year.

 

[tigress]

Why would you need an iPad app for a website? Does SDN need an iPad app? Google?.

Well, many people wanted an iPhone app--the website is practically impossible to use on an iPhone. For me, I found it difficult to use the interface on my iPad, and it could have been much easier with an app designed for a touch screen. At one point mid-year when they changed the format, it was a disaster on the iPad. I really respect UWorld's iPad app--it's much easier for me to carry my iPad to the library with my books than to lug around my (very old and clunky) computer, so I end up doing most of my UW on the iPad.

 

[JackShephard MD]

Well, many people wanted an iPhone app--the website is practically impossible to use on an iPhone. For me, I found it difficult to use the interface on my iPad, and it could have been much easier with an app designed for a touch screen. At one point mid-year when they changed the format, it was a disaster on the iPad. I really respect UWorld's iPad app--it's much easier for me to carry my iPad to the library with my books than to lug around my (very old and clunky) computer, so I end up doing most of my UW on the iPad.

Good point.

 

[Gunneria]

I agree thats my biggest fear of falling behind. A hopeful goal is to get 1st year stuff under the belt to the point where I can just review them and hand out 5s and perfect recall. Another solid upgrade of GT is yo can RESTORE your perfect recall questions hence in the flurry of having a lot of questions you can perhps down the road at a much stressfree time do those quesions whether you initially knew them really well but later forgot or if the number of questions simply just got too tedious and you wanted to wait down the road to do them

 

[JackShephard MD]

I agree thats my biggest fear of falling behind. A hopeful goal is to get 1st year stuff under the belt to the point where I can just review them and hand out 5s and perfect recall. Another solid upgrade of GT is yo can RESTORE your perfect recall questions hence in the flurry of having a lot of questions you can perhps down the road at a much stressfree time do those quesions whether you initially knew them really well but later forgot or if the number of questions simply just got too tedious and you wanted to wait down the road to do them

How many weeks have you been using GT?

 

[Gunneria]

by weeks if you mean months, then 4

 

[The kitchen sink]

The time needed depends on how much time you have. If you have over a year, you can work through the flashcards/questions over months and not get overloaded. You could spend at most two or three hours a day solidifying a really solid and comprehensive base of knowledge.

If you only have a few months and plan to go through all the flashcards, you could be spending hours and hours doing questions due to the way they accumulate.

On the success front there are a few anecdotes of people who have done very well (i.e. 255+) and who have attributed much of that success to GT. That being said, I don't think there are dozens of people who have posted about having used it over an extended period of time and reporting back on their experiences and scores.

OHH man, well i have 3 weeks till my test so guess not. thanks anyways

 

[ipizzy]

for those who are very familiar with GT, can you comment/rate as to which sections are strongest vs weaker ones? For example, pharmacology > microbiology > immunology...

I'm trying to decide whether or not to commit to GT. Thanks.

It depends on what your strong or weak sections are, I think. For most everyone, GT is very useful for memorization-heavy subjects (micro, biochem, pharm). Pharm in particular is great. You have to go digging through each system for it's relevant pharm, though.

 

[Suncrusher]

OHH man, well i have 3 weeks till my test so guess not. thanks anyways

definitely not lol.

 

[twostep376]

To all you out there stumbling on this thread debating whether or not to use GT...do it!

I am a good student but I've always had to work hard for my grades. I have used GT diligently all year long, making sure to really learn this content and understand it as thoroughly as I can.

My grades first year were pretty good--solid. This year, with GT, my grades were amazing.

Now, I am in my dedicated prep time for step 1. I just took my first full length practice NMBE.... was shooting for a 230 overall at the start of this ordeal, and I got a 260 on the practice test. My jaw dropped when I read that score.

My UWORLD average on 46 question sets (random/timed) is between 75-85% and I'm halfway through UWORLD.

Seriously, I was not expecting to be situated where I am right now. If these next 3 weeks go well, I could get a score that I once thought was probably out of my reach regardless of how hard I worked.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is: GT rocks. I'll post an update in 6 weeks or whatever when my actual score comes in... but right now I feel pretty thankful for choosing to go with GT last August. My school performance improved and I am absolutely better prepared for the boards than I would have been on my own....that's a pretty perfect combination.

 

[loveoforganic]

Another plus for GT I don't think has really been mentioned - the system to report errors in questions is very simple and quick, and staff are very active in responding to feedback on errors found. I've reported maybe 10 questions and, though I've only gotten 6 emails back/questions changed, all of those replies were very fast (often same day, always within a day), which leads me to think I was just wrong on the ones that were ignored

 

[doctoritis]

I don't think you can do the former. For the latter, it's up to you, they give you both options on the home page

I'm sorry but I don't see the option for either/or. How exactly would I do that?

I'm also not understanding how you can alternate questions in multiple subjects yet not select multiple and specific (aka not all the subjects) to do - to me it seems like this goes hand in hand.

.. confused .. sorry for being a hassle!

 

[loveoforganic]

In the area where you do your daily review questions, on the user dashboard. You have an option to "review all daily questions" or click a scroll down menu below that and review your daily questions for each subject one at a time.

Unless that's not what you're talking about, in which case I'm not sure what you're asking

 

[bulldogmed]

To all you out there stumbling on this thread debating whether or not to use GT...do it!

I am a good student but I've always had to work hard for my grades. I have used GT diligently all year long, making sure to really learn this content and understand it as thoroughly as I can.

My grades first year were pretty good--solid. This year, with GT, my grades were amazing.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is: GT rocks. I'll post an update in 6 weeks or whatever when my actual score comes in... but right now I feel pretty thankful for choosing to go with GT last August. My school performance improved and I am absolutely better prepared for the boards than I would have been on my own....that's a pretty perfect combination.

Are you and anyone else who wants to comment saying that GT would work well for an M1?

Sorry in advance if my nube question annoys anyone. I didn't want to read through 34 pages for my answer.

 

[MoistHands]

To all you out there stumbling on this thread debating whether or not to use GT...do it!

I am a good student but I've always had to work hard for my grades. I have used GT diligently all year long, making sure to really learn this content and understand it as thoroughly as I can.

My grades first year were pretty good--solid. This year, with GT, my grades were amazing.

Now, I am in my dedicated prep time for step 1. I just took my first full length practice NMBE.... was shooting for a 230 overall at the start of this ordeal, and I got a 260 on the practice test. My jaw dropped when I read that score.

My UWORLD average on 46 question sets (random/timed) is between 75-85% and I'm halfway through UWORLD.

Seriously, I was not expecting to be situated where I am right now. If these next 3 weeks go well, I could get a score that I once thought was probably out of my reach regardless of how hard I worked.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is: GT rocks. I'll post an update in 6 weeks or whatever when my actual score comes in... but right now I feel pretty thankful for choosing to go with GT last August. My school performance improved and I am absolutely better prepared for the boards than I would have been on my own....that's a pretty perfect combination.

Hi... Great work! 👍

Wanted to know how many months before your dedicated study time did you get done with all of GT? Also if you don't mind could I ask about %covered and mastery?
Thanks

 

[ipizzy]

Are you and anyone else who wants to comment saying that GT would work well for an M1?

Sorry in advance if my nube question annoys anyone. I didn't want to read through 34 pages for my answer.

I think M1 is too early; wait til beginning of M2 (or if you must...summer between M1 and M2. It is definitely possible to complete GT alongside M2 classes as long as you are diligent and plan ahead). But, there are others who started in M1 and loved it.

 

[twostep376]

While I don't think it would hurt, I don't think I would've benefited much from GT during M1... I may have done a little better but GT is a MASSIVE commitment and, while I was ready to make that commitment second year, during first year I think it's more healthy to be not-so board obsessed. First year is a good time to adjust to medical school in general; I think starting GT early would've got me focused on the boards way too soon and I'm not sure that would've been a good thing.

Regarding % mastery etc.... I ignore that. I, personally, can't remember too many things that well (at the level required for GT) after 90 days so I often rate myself at the level of a 3 or so for topics that I'm good at (after giving myself a few 5's). This way I see most topics at least every 30 days. This works for me pretty well.

I was at 94% complete about 6 weeks out from my test -- I'm not going to bank much of anatomy because I don't think some of it is that useful for me right now.

Hope that helps.

 

[MoistHands]

Thanks twostep. That helps. I have read so many posts mentioning high mastery percentage that I was wondering if that is really that imp cause even am giving <=3s to all Qs.

 

[JackShephard MD]

To all you out there stumbling on this thread debating whether or not to use GT...do it!

I am a good student but I've always had to work hard for my grades. I have used GT diligently all year long, making sure to really learn this content and understand it as thoroughly as I can.

My grades first year were pretty good--solid. This year, with GT, my grades were amazing.

Now, I am in my dedicated prep time for step 1. I just took my first full length practice NMBE.... was shooting for a 230 overall at the start of this ordeal, and I got a 260 on the practice test. My jaw dropped when I read that score.

My UWORLD average on 46 question sets (random/timed) is between 75-85% and I'm halfway through UWORLD.

Seriously, I was not expecting to be situated where I am right now. If these next 3 weeks go well, I could get a score that I once thought was probably out of my reach regardless of how hard I worked.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is: GT rocks. I'll post an update in 6 weeks or whatever when my actual score comes in... but right now I feel pretty thankful for choosing to go with GT last August. My school performance improved and I am absolutely better prepared for the boards than I would have been on my own....that's a pretty perfect combination.

It appears you're in good position. So you didn't like the anatomy cards? I've banked them all before, but reset. Are you not finding those cards helpful for Uworld or practice tests?

Also other users currently in qbank land, how has GT anatomy been? Too much, too little (not likely) or just right?

 

[lrkoehle]

Thanks twostep. That helps. I have read so many posts mentioning high mastery percentage that I was wondering if that is really that imp cause even am giving <=3s to all Qs.

This is where you have the ability to customize GT to your liking. If you don't want more than 30 days between when you see something, then rate it a 3. If you're OK with 60 days, then rate it a 4. If you REALLY know something well, then rate it a 5, so it does not bog you down. I really only started rating things as a 5 recently as I approach my Step-I date, because I figure if I know it well enough to not see it again before my exam, then I must have really mastered it...

It appears you're in good position. So you didn't like the anatomy cards? I've banked them all before, but reset. Are you not finding those cards helpful for Uworld or practice tests?

Also other users currently in qbank land, how has GT anatomy been? Too much, too little (not likely) or just right?

I feel like the anatomy on GT has been at a good level of detail. I have had some UW questions I definitely would have missed if not for the GT anatomy section beating it into my head. GT is great for anatomy in my opinion, because anatomy is not very conceptual; it's more you know it or you don't. GT gets those details in your head that would have left since you took anatomy. On top of that, I found the GT anatomy section to be pretty easy to bank fairly quickly.

 

[Gunneria]

Irkoehle, regarding GT's coverage of anatomy and histo for example, what is your opinion on GT's level of "clinical" and "visual" anatomy in the context of:
a.) cross-sectional anatomy, histologic images, radiographic images
b.) anatomy clinical correlates (i.e. vs. using Moore's blue boxes, etc...)

I briefed over the anatomy section and GT does a great job of presenting normal anatomy but I was wondering how it did for what perhaps would be more relevant to step I testing and what additional recommendations you may have in mind.

Thanks

 

[saalik786]

To all you out there stumbling on this thread debating whether or not to use GT...do it!

I am a good student but I've always had to work hard for my grades. I have used GT diligently all year long, making sure to really learn this content and understand it as thoroughly as I can.

My grades first year were pretty good--solid. This year, with GT, my grades were amazing.

Now, I am in my dedicated prep time for step 1. I just took my first full length practice NMBE.... was shooting for a 230 overall at the start of this ordeal, and I got a 260 on the practice test. My jaw dropped when I read that score.

My UWORLD average on 46 question sets (random/timed) is between 75-85% and I'm halfway through UWORLD.

Seriously, I was not expecting to be situated where I am right now. If these next 3 weeks go well, I could get a score that I once thought was probably out of my reach regardless of how hard I worked.

So, basically, what I'm trying to say is: GT rocks. I'll post an update in 6 weeks or whatever when my actual score comes in... but right now I feel pretty thankful for choosing to go with GT last August. My school performance improved and I am absolutely better prepared for the boards than I would have been on my own....that's a pretty perfect combination.

I'm glad GT has been working out well for you. Can you mention about your time commitment with GT?....how much time per day do you think you have spent banking new cards and also generally reviewing? Also, about how many questions has your daily review consisted of? thanks.

 

[lrkoehle]

Irkoehle, regarding GT's coverage of anatomy and histo for example, what is your opinion on GT's level of "clinical" and "visual" anatomy in the context of:
a.) cross-sectional anatomy, histologic images, radiographic images
b.) anatomy clinical correlates (i.e. vs. using Moore's blue boxes, etc...)

I briefed over the anatomy section and GT does a great job of presenting normal anatomy but I was wondering how it did for what perhaps would be more relevant to step I testing and what additional recommendations you may have in mind.

Thanks

GT has been slowly but surely adding more images, so I think they're getting better in that regard not just for anatomy/histo but everything. As for clinical correlations, I don't exactly recall what was in the anatomy section vs. what was in the MSK section, for instance. They both covered things like brachial plexus and I know brachial plexus lesions are covered in GT, but I don't recall which section those questions came from specifically. I'm pretty sure the anatomy section had some good clinical correlates...

 

[secants]

I just finished the anatomy section and it has a decent number of HY clinical correlates. The only annoying thing is that some of the MSK stuff is in the orthopedics section so you'll get anatomy of the knee in the anatomy section with the unhappy knee stuff in the ortho section. Although I believe they do provide links on the cards to go back and forth.

Although It won't do my any good now but I hope they make a dedicated radiograph section with all the normal anatomy labeled rather than us memorizing it from scattered sources online.

 

[lrkoehle]

I just finished the anatomy section and it has a decent number of HY clinical correlates. The only annoying thing is that some of the MSK stuff is in the orthopedics section so you'll get anatomy of the knee in the anatomy section with the unhappy knee stuff in the ortho section. Although I believe they do provide links on the cards to go back and forth.

Although It won't do my any good now but I hope they make a dedicated radiograph section with all the normal anatomy labeled rather than us memorizing it from scattered sources online.

Agreed! I also was hoping they'd get their neuroanatomy brain slices section up and running in time for me to benefit from it. Luckily the best pre-clinical block at my school is easily our neuro block, so I am pretty solid there (though I would certainly benefit from some reviewing...).

 

[JackShephard MD]

I feel like the anatomy on GT has been at a good level of detail. I have had some UW questions I definitely would have missed if not for the GT anatomy section beating it into my head. GT is great for anatomy in my opinion, because anatomy is not very conceptual; it's more you know it or you don't. GT gets those details in your head that would have left since you took anatomy. On top of that, I found the GT anatomy section to be pretty easy to bank fairly quickly.

Good to know. I agree they were easy to add, except maybe a few neck anatomy cards that I struggled with but the rest is pretty money. Since I'm considering surgery, I kind of like the anatomy anyhow.

FYI to those who want anatomy Q's, I've have this book and it's pretty short and all clinical:

http://www.amazon.com/Underground-C...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338414116&sr=1-1

Probably can get a used copy for 5-10$ if you want some anatomy Q's, it has 100 short cases and 20 MC Q's at the end. It could be finished in an afternoon.

 

[Alvarez13]

Good to know. I agree they were easy to add, except maybe a few neck anatomy cards that I struggled with but the rest is pretty money. Since I'm considering surgery, I kind of like the anatomy anyhow.

FYI to those who want anatomy Q's, I've have this book and it's pretty short and all clinical:

http://www.amazon.com/Underground-C...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338414116&sr=1-1

Probably can get a used copy for 5-10$ if you want some anatomy Q's, it has 100 short cases and 20 MC Q's at the end. It could be finished in an afternoon.

BRS anatomy questions are the gold standard. UMich questions are pretty awesome too.

 

[Gunneria]

BRS and michigan are great....a hidden goldmine honestly is Lippencott Q and A anatomy/embryo and embryo...unlike the former, this book has a longer Qs and a ton of high yield clinical visual stuff (x-rays, etc...) that are very board-like

 

[rlevitin]

I saw someone above just asked about doing GT as an M1, and read the responses, but I wanna ask the same question from a slightly different angle.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to guess how many questions/what the time commitment would be like going along with M1 classes. It seems like we wouldn't need to bank cards nearly as fast as when you start during M2, and if going slower works out to an hour or less a day doing GT, that doesn't seem all that bad, especially if it'll help with studying.

I've seen a lot of posts with people noting how swamped they were using GT during M2 but not during M1, and I'm curious if starting right off the bat would lighten the workload significantly or if it would still accumulate into the big time-commitment that it is?

 

[ipizzy]

I saw someone above just asked about doing GT as an M1, and read the responses, but I wanna ask the same question from a slightly different angle.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to guess how many questions/what the time commitment would be like going along with M1 classes. It seems like we wouldn't need to bank cards nearly as fast as when you start during M2, and if going slower works out to an hour or less a day doing GT, that doesn't seem all that bad, especially if it'll help with studying.

I've seen a lot of posts with people noting how swamped they were using GT during M2 but not during M1, and I'm curious if starting right off the bat would lighten the workload significantly or if it would still accumulate into the big time-commitment that it is?

It's not that I don't think GT would be helpful during first year; it probably would be. However, I treat it as a board prep tool first and foremost. I think that doing GT too far in advance can waste your time (e.g. once you start doing review questions, you'll rank them with different scores and slowly over time the topics that show up in your quizzes are very jumbled up). When you aren't studying from other sources like FA at the same time, those questions that show up every 60-90 days may not stick very well and it's hard to recall information when you don't have context of being in the mode of thinking about a particular subject (remember, your questions are all jumbled up). You will still likely remember the answer to the question, but you'll notice you require more time to think back to what you last saw 90 days ago. GT then overall begins to take up more of your time. I noticed towards the end of my GT banking that I felt increasingly discombobulated because up until that point I had only used GT (no other sources) and my review quizzes were starting to give me questions that I hadn't seen in 90 days.

On the other hand, using GT (100% banked) while you're in your dedicated study period is such a breeze. After you make your first pass through FA (which feels more like a refresher after getting through all of GT), all those little pieces of information start coming back together again and the discombobulated feeling starts to go away. You'll get faster at your quizzes again. You have a stronger mental framework where you can ferret away those factoids and regain your sense of the bigger integrated picture.

Thus, in my opinion, the ideal way to use GT is to come up with a time frame for how long you think it will take you to bank 100% of the cards 1-2 months prior to starting your dedicated study period. Be honest with yourself about how much time it takes you to review things and learn them. Try looking at an average GT card (which probably has 5-10 questions associated with it) and reading it over as if you are trying to learn and bank it. Make a note of how much time it takes you to get through that card. Have an idea of the maximum amount of time you want to spend on GT per day, and figure out how much banking of cards that translates to. Don't forget to account for your daily review quizzes, which will eventually take up 1-2 hours of time (depending on how aggressive you bank and how fast your questions pile up).

Sorry for the long response, hope it helps 😎

 

[JackShephard MD]

It's not that I don't think GT would be helpful during first year; it probably would be. However, I treat it as a board prep tool first and foremost. I think that doing GT too far in advance can waste your time (e.g. once you start doing review questions, you'll rank them with different scores and slowly over time the topics that show up in your quizzes are very jumbled up). When you aren't studying from other sources like FA at the same time, those questions that show up every 60-90 days may not stick very well and it's hard to recall information when you don't have context of being in the mode of thinking about a particular subject (remember, your questions are all jumbled up). You will still likely remember the answer to the question, but you'll notice you require more time to think back to what you last saw 90 days ago. GT then overall begins to take up more of your time. I noticed towards the end of my GT banking that I felt increasingly discombobulated because up until that point I had only used GT (no other sources) and my review quizzes were starting to give me questions that I hadn't seen in 90 days.

On the other hand, using GT (100% banked) while you're in your dedicated study period is such a breeze. After you make your first pass through FA (which feels more like a refresher after getting through all of GT), all those little pieces of information start coming back together again and the discombobulated feeling starts to go away. You'll get faster at your quizzes again. You have a stronger mental framework where you can ferret away those factoids and regain your sense of the bigger integrated picture.

Thus, in my opinion, the ideal way to use GT is to come up with a time frame for how long you think it will take you to bank 100% of the cards 1-2 months prior to starting your dedicated study period. Be honest with yourself about how much time it takes you to review things and learn them. Try looking at an average GT card (which probably has 5-10 questions associated with it) and reading it over as if you are trying to learn and bank it. Make a note of how much time it takes you to get through that card. Have an idea of the maximum amount of time you want to spend on GT per day, and figure out how much banking of cards that translates to. Don't forget to account for your daily review quizzes, which will eventually take up 1-2 hours of time (depending on how aggressive you bank and how fast your questions pile up).

Sorry for the long response, hope it helps 😎

Good post. I think ideal start time is either after 1st or 2nd semester. I would avoid 1st semester for sure.

Ipizzy and other 100% bankers, are you only doing the assigned daily Q's? If so, I would guess you may not see some questions (scheduled 45+ days ahead) during your dedicated prep (~5-6 weeks). I'm wondering if any of you are going to the next calendar day's Q's or doing all the Q's from a certain topic, like Micro, for example.

 

[lrkoehle]

Good post. I think ideal start time is either after 1st or 2nd semester. I would avoid 1st semester for sure.

Ipizzy and other 100% bankers, are you only doing the assigned daily Q's? If so, I would guess you may not see some questions (scheduled 45+ days ahead) during your dedicated prep (~5-6 weeks). I'm wondering if any of you are going to the next calendar day's Q's or doing all the Q's from a certain topic, like Micro, for example.

I'm only doing my daily questions, and that is more than enough GT for me right now. For the things that I won't have seen during my dedicated study period, it was basically all things I knew really well by that point, thus reviewing those topics with non-GT sources like qbanks or FA is enough review of those areas, IMO. If I want to go over an entire topic at once right now, I'd just pull out my FA and read over it. As ipizzy points out, FA type sources help tie everything together, which is my main goal right now.

So, ipizzy, it sounds like you're moving pretty quickly through your daily GT questions. Do you ever find yourself slowing down and reading a card like it's the last time you'll ever see it? I keep doing that (because at this point it probably is the last time I'll ever see it), and it is slowing me way down...😡

 

[ipizzy]

Good post. I think ideal start time is either after 1st or 2nd semester. I would avoid 1st semester for sure.

Ipizzy and other 100% bankers, are you only doing the assigned daily Q's? If so, I would guess you may not see some questions (scheduled 45+ days ahead) during your dedicated prep (~5-6 weeks). I'm wondering if any of you are going to the next calendar day's Q's or doing all the Q's from a certain topic, like Micro, for example.

I typically do my assigned daily Qs; sometimes I get ahead and do another day or two. I feel pretty comfortable that I've seen most everything at least once out at the 60-90-day mark close to or during my dedicated prep time (which is only 3 weeks long) since I finished banking in early March. I never do all the Qs from a particular topic...it would probably take too much time haha

So, ipizzy, it sounds like you're moving pretty quickly through your daily GT questions. Do you ever find yourself slowing down and reading a card like it's the last time you'll ever see it? I keep doing that (because at this point it probably is the last time I'll ever see it), and it is slowing me way down...😡

Yes, I do that occasionally - but only for topics I feel weak on. I've found that I am most effective with GT if I don't attempt to do my whole daily Q load in one sitting. Instead I take breaks every 2 pages of FA and do 10 GT questions. It makes both of them go by faster 🙂

 

[loveoforganic]

Went on a banking spree a couple days ago, so the gift of 400 review qs tomorrow presents itself. ****. :|

 

[Alvarez13]

Went on a banking spree a couple days ago, so the gift of 400 review qs tomorrow presents itself. ****. :|

I've been around 300/day for a few weeks now after having 100% banked everything. The best thing I've been able to do is get out the stop watch and force myself to up the pace. ~50 questions per 20 min block and I'm done before lunch and can do UW for the rest of the day or read review books.

 

[Gunneria]

Do you guys feel the daily questions in GT i.e the case or lengthy problems are derived from GTs qbank? Hence are you killing two birds with one stone by doing GT- the fact recall of GT and GTs qbank, making that awesome by eliminating the need to do GTs qbank as a separate source since youll get the qs in te daily review...