How long to review a block of UW? Do you take notes?

[swtiepie711]

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I'm just beginning to settle down for Step2CK studying by doing blocks of UW, reviewing answers and then some reading in the evening.

I'm finding that it takes me FOREVER to do a block & review the answers (the review part) - like 2.5-3 hours per block. In part, this is because I'm jotting notes down from each question (mainly a line or so, a take home point).

Just wondering if it would be more worthwhile to skip the note taking part, just do questions & read the answers and move on.

At the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky to get thru UW once. If I picked up the pace, I could possible go through the ones I got wrong again or something. Not sure what pp do. I know some pp annotate into StepUp or Crush or something, but historically that takes even longer (have to locate the topic in the book, jot down the note, etc) and I never seem to have time to go back through the book again (I annotate the heck out of my First Aid for Step 1 and never had a chance to really sit back down & go through it).

Sorry to grumble - just not sure how to allocate time.... Appreciate any thoughts & good luck, everyone!

 

[indynshrty]

I did the same thing.

I would make notes on all the questions (it really helped me), but as with you, it also took awhile. It took less time as I got through more questions, because I was getting more right and knew why the answers were correct as well, so I would only skim over those questions.

It depends on when you take step II. I just tried to do at least 4-5 44 question blocks a day when I was hardcore studying and go over topics I felt weak on.

Good luck!! 🙂

 

[Golding]

I'm just beginning to settle down for Step2CK studying by doing blocks of UW, reviewing answers and then some reading in the evening.

I'm finding that it takes me FOREVER to do a block & review the answers (the review part) - like 2.5-3 hours per block. In part, this is because I'm jotting notes down from each question (mainly a line or so, a take home point).

Just wondering if it would be more worthwhile to skip the note taking part, just do questions & read the answers and move on.

At the rate I'm going, I'll be lucky to get thru UW once. If I picked up the pace, I could possible go through the ones I got wrong again or something. Not sure what pp do. I know some pp annotate into StepUp or Crush or something, but historically that takes even longer (have to locate the topic in the book, jot down the note, etc) and I never seem to have time to go back through the book again (I annotate the heck out of my First Aid for Step 1 and never had a chance to really sit back down & go through it).

Sorry to grumble - just not sure how to allocate time.... Appreciate any thoughts & good luck, everyone!

You're better off going over questions, honestly. It's sort of a funny thing, but when I was going over notes on what I'd get wrong, I noticed my score cruising upward from 56% to 65% to 77%. Then I let myself get away with not writing notes and just glancing at the lessons to be learned, and I noticed my scores trending from 77% to 65% to 59%. It does make a difference.

But definitely understood, going over each question like that can be tedious. Give yourself a little bit of a break, and write down why you missed the ones you missed. Not having to write anything for the ones you got right is practical (why spend time learning a lesson you obviously know?) and can be a subconscious reward for yourself. It's nicer having to write about 15 questions versus 44. Saves paper, too.

 

[swtiepie711]

I did the same thing.

I would make notes on all the questions (it really helped me), but as with you, it also took awhile. It took less time as I got through more questions, because I was getting more right and knew why the answers were correct as well, so I would only skim over those questions.

It depends on when you take step II. I just tried to do at least 4-5 44 question blocks a day when I was hardcore studying and go over topics I felt weak on.

Good luck!! 🙂

It does take a while! But I'm starting to focus more on the ones I got wrong & the one's I got right but shouldn't have (i.e. guessed, wrong logic, etc). The ones I got right b/c I knew it - just reading the answer & moving on.

See, I'd be stoked to be doing 4-5 blocks a day - but at the rate I'm going, it's like 3 blocks a day leaving myself a couple hours to review. Oh well. Maybe I'll speed up eventually.

Did you just focus on weak areas (ones you identified or that UW pointed out were weak?)? I started my studying w/ doing blocks of UW by day, reading stepup at night (mind you, I'm on study day 2 of 21). Thanks so much for the insight!

 

[swtiepie711]

You're better off going over questions, honestly. It's sort of a funny thing, but when I was going over notes on what I'd get wrong, I noticed my score cruising upward from 56% to 65% to 77%. Then I let myself get away with not writing notes and just glancing at the lessons to be learned, and I noticed my scores trending from 77% to 65% to 59%. It does make a difference.

But definitely understood, going over each question like that can be tedious. Give yourself a little bit of a break, and write down why you missed the ones you missed. Not having to write anything for the ones you got right is practical (why spend time learning a lesson you obviously know?) and can be a subconscious reward for yourself. It's nicer having to write about 15 questions versus 44. Saves paper, too.

Thanks for the reassurance. I'll keep plodding away and try to focus on the ones I got wrong/why! Thx!

 

[indynshrty]

That sounds like a plan. I just focused on areas which I knew myself were weak, as well as what UW told me what was weak.

You've got plenty of time...just keep on swimming as a little fish would say. You'll speed up eventually and as you start finding patterns and seeing the info over and over again.

Good luck! I think I get my scores next week so hopefully my study plan worked! 🙂

 

[aye]

have you tried typing the explanations out? if you have a desktop and a laptop, you can open world on the desktop and type out the explanations using the laptop, or vice versa. it seems like it would go faster that way. although i'm not sure which method (typing vs writing) will have the most impact in remembering the concepts.

to the OP, after over week of writing out the explanations, how's your timing for going over the question blocks? are you getting any faster?

 

[swtiepie711]

have you tried typing the explanations out? if you have a desktop and a laptop, you can open world on the desktop and type out the explanations using the laptop, or vice versa. it seems like it would go faster that way. although i'm not sure which method (typing vs writing) will have the most impact in remembering the concepts.

to the OP, after over week of writing out the explanations, how's your timing for going over the question blocks? are you getting any faster?

Yea, I guess youre right that I type faster than I write, but I've got a sole laptop so for now, writing it is.

I will say after >1 week, I have gotten faster. 2 blocks today - one in 2hr20min and the other in 2hr. I'd be happy if I could do & review each block in 2 hr... 21 blocks to go and I'll officially have been through usmleworld once!

 

[indynshrty]

Just wanted to up date you. Got my scores back and my method worked 🙂 good luck!!

 

[swtiepie711]

Just wanted to up date you. Got my scores back and my method worked 🙂 good luck!!

indynshrty, that's so awesome!!! congratulations!!!

I've been keeping a running list of fact - trying to limit myself to a line or so per question with a fact I had forgotten/didn't know/key to the question. I've got about 30 pages now (sheesh!) and am about 60% through UW. I haven't done much reading at all -other than the UW explanations, but I figure at the pace I'm going I should maybe be able to wrap up UW with a few days grace period before my test.

At that point, don't know how time would be better spent - redoing questions I got wrong on UW? Reading thru Crush or Secrets or FA2CK?

Anyways, since what you did worked, I'm all for advice! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts & congratulations on doing well!!! 🙂

 

[indynshrty]

Thanks!!

If it makes you feel better, I filled up about 3 notebooks worth of notes 🙂

During the year I read the NMS books for my rotations, except for IM and I read Step Up. I also read FA and Secrets. But I did all of this during my third year, and if I had a question about something on UW, I would look it up in Step Up and FA. I really really concentrated on UW though.

Don't get too bogged down in your schedule, just make sure you get through all the questions, and if you can do the questions you got wrong again. It's really not that bad of a test 🙂

Good luck!! I hope you do well!

 

[swtiepie711]

During the year I read the NMS books for my rotations, except for IM and I read Step Up. I also read FA and Secrets. But I did all of this during my third year, and if I had a question about something on UW, I would look it up in Step Up and FA. I really really concentrated on UW though.

Don't get too bogged down in your schedule, just make sure you get through all the questions, and if you can do the questions you got wrong again. It's really not that bad of a test 🙂

Good luck!! I hope you do well!

I used various books throughout the year (FA psych, NMS surgery, StepUp medicine, BluePrints OBGYN & BRS peds) and did well on shelves. I haven't read FA or secrets - I've read maybe 1/2 of Crush in June (which was a while ago) and maybe 80 pages of StepUp in the last 2 weeks. My main studying has been UW.

So...wise one who has finished 2ck 🙂, it looks like I may wrap up questions a few days before my test - leaving me 2 "free" days before my exam. Would you recommend redoing questions I got wrong on UW over reading crush/secrets/orFA? If you'd recommend running through one ofthese resources - any thoughts (it seems crush > first aid, but FA2CK seems to have a lot more info in it?)?

thanks so much for any suggestions!

I've done 2 NBMEs - #1 before I started studying & then #3 a week later (my score dropped 13 points, but someone else said #1 overestimates & #3 underestimates so who knows). I had planned to do #2 tomorrow 1 week before my test & that's about it - I don't really see the point in doing #2 & #4 both and from what I hear, #2 is a bit better predictor/maybe a little optimistic but I don't think I need to be crushed by #4 within a week of my test 🙂

Thx again & congrats again on not only being done but having done well!!!

 

[indynshrty]

My school had its own exams at the end of the rotations, so I never took shelves. But if you've prepared and done well on those, I would just continue to review UW.
From my experience I just reread everything that I wrote down the last couple of days.

I never took any of the NBME (I had to take COMLEX as well so I needed to save some money), so I can't tell you anything about those scores and what they were closer too.

🙂 Cheers!