High yield anki decks in the P/F era?

[TehTeddy]

Greetings SDN,

Current MS-1 here, still trying to wrap my head around how best to study (just finished the first week). After going through many pages of recommendations both here and reddit, it seems the massive pre-made decks (Zanki, Anking, etc.) have been the go-to for years. That being said, I've been questioning how worth it going through them is, especially with Step 1 P/F. Of course I still want to hit the high points, especially with things that come up again on Step 2.

My current plan is to see what we're covering in class, watch some BnB/pathoma videos, do the relevant pre-made cards, then apply the concepts via amboss questions/in-house questions, while making cards on what I'm getting wrong. Ideally I'd do well enough to pass, while keeping enough time for other activities (research, etc.), so I would prefer not to sift through minutia whose purpose used to be for reaching top percentiles on Step 1. Are there smaller pre-med decks that accomplish this more or less? The smallest I've seen so far is the original lightyear and bros decks.

Thanks!!

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[Phloston]

Greetings SDN,

Current MS-1 here, still trying to wrap my head around how best to study (just finished the first week). After going through many pages of recommendations both here and reddit, it seems the massive pre-made decks (Zanki, Anking, etc.) have been the go-to for years. That being said, I've been questioning how worth it going through them is, especially with Step 1 P/F. Of course I still want to hit the high points, especially with things that come up again on Step 2.

My current plan is to see what we're covering in class, watch some BnB/pathoma videos, do the relevant pre-made cards, then apply the concepts via amboss questions/in-house questions, while making cards on what I'm getting wrong. Ideally I'd do well enough to pass, while keeping enough time for other activities (research, etc.), so I would prefer not to sift through minutia whose purpose used to be for reaching top percentiles on Step 1. Are there smaller pre-med decks that accomplish this more or less? The smallest I've seen so far is the original lightyear and bros decks.

Thanks!!

Focus less on Anki and more on actual Qbank Qs. USMLE Rx is superior to Amboss. But if you have time do USMLE Rx --> Amboss --> UW in that order. Also go through all NBME exams, including offline forms. If you're in MS1 you have tons of time to get through the offline forms. The latter will build you for the eventual 2CK.

 

[djiboutiman]

If you’re doing BnB and Pathoma the smallest decks would be Soze (for BnB) and Pepper or Upgraded Duke’s (or even the Clozified Duke’s) for Pathoma.

Your plan sounds pretty solid. Of course practice questions are the most important thing once you learn the content.

 

[SweetBurger]

i wouldnt say USMLE rx is superior to amboss. Amboss questions are just really freakin hard. USMLE rx questions are for memorizing first aid

 

[KirksvilleKrunk]

Focus less on Anki and more on actual Qbank Qs. USMLE Rx is superior to Amboss. But if you have time do USMLE Rx --> Amboss --> UW in that order. Also go through all NBME exams, including offline forms. If you're in MS1 you have tons of time to get through the offline forms. The latter will build you for the eventual 2CK.

Rx is a lot of first order questions and not worth it at all...

 

[thatchemguy]

Rx questions are horrendous. You can do all of them for a given unit right before the exam to see if you memorized FA enough, if you really want.

 

[wondervisions]

Pepper for micro and pharm and anking biochem (but suspend many low yield cards).

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

i wouldnt say USMLE rx is superior to amboss. Amboss questions are just really freakin hard. USMLE rx questions are for memorizing first aid

That might have been true 5 years ago, but it’s not anymore. I am using amboss for M3, but in M1/2, Rx was way more reflective of the nbme exams than amboss. Amboss preclinical questions are harder because they will make a question look like it’s X and then the answer is Y because usually X looks like that but in 1% of the cases, it’s Y.

Obviously some people will love amboss for M1/2, but most of the people I know feel the same way.

 

[MedScat]

I like using Anking and using the hierarchical tags option. Anking deck has cards for every video and after I watch a B&B/pathoma video, I simply do the tagged cards for that video. It's so helpful and it helps break down the hugeness that is anking in a manageable fashion. You might not end up finishing the entire deck but, you definitely cover all the high yield topics. This method got me to improve greatly from step 1-->step 2.

In terms of question banks...I liked Rx for M1/M2 but prefer Amboss for clinical years. Amboss questions are really hard but they do push you. If you can do a mix of both that is ideal but, if you can only afford to get one, I recommend Rx for M1/M2 especially with step 1 being P/F now.You can switch to Amboss in the future if possible

 

[wondervisions]

I don’t think you need to do any q banks before dedicated for p/f step 1 tbh.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I don’t think you need to do any q banks before dedicated for p/f step 1 tbh.

Lol what? Qbanks are not just for step 1. They are the most active form of learning and should be part of the study plan for exams in general. Like one of the most important parts.