For the people who are using / already finished DIT (2011) I was wondering what you thought of the different lecturers? I hear last year it was just Dr. Jenkins, but this year there is more people... are they any good?
if you are currently / already did 2011 DIT
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6 hours for DIT...2.5 for each block of world....Reviewing dit for the day 1.5-2.5 hours. Yeah it can be done.
Thanks. I'm the type of person who would listen to class lectures 3 times...so for me, lectures are great!
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I don't think its doable unless you want to kill yourself.
I start DIT ever day at 8 oclock. I usually finish by 2pm and I do it very fast. Alot of people take till 5. Then I review the days material from about 2-5. Workout and eat dinner 5-7. Then do a block of rx and review it by from 7-9. Then 1 hr to relax watch tv, take care of crap and go to bed. I guess if your more of a night owl you can squeeze two uworld blocks in. But there were a few DIT days that took way longer then expected and I didnt even have time for 1 rx block.
I start DIT ever day at 8 oclock. I usually finish by 2pm and I do it very fast. Alot of people take till 5. Then I review the days material from about 2-5. Workout and eat dinner 5-7. Then do a block of rx and review it by from 7-9. Then 1 hr to relax watch tv, take care of crap and go to bed. I guess if your more of a night owl you can squeeze two uworld blocks in. But there were a few DIT days that took way longer then expected and I didnt even have time for 1 rx block.
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For me these numbers didn't quite work out like this. DIT would take me 7 to 8 hours, then an hour and 45 minutes for two blocks of Uworld, plus 1.5 hours per block to review. I could barely squeeze all of that into 12 hours and that was without reviewing the DIT for the day.
Could you do it? If you rushed through some of it and didn't mind studying 14 hours, totally! But don't count on DIT taking 6 hours, I think 1 of the 15 days took me just over 6 hours, the rest were much longer...
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I think it would be smarter to spread DIT(like 20 days). It makes more sense to solidify the material, instead of rushing things.
hmm... okay well i guess ill try it out and see how long it takes me and adjust accordingly. Thanks.
one more question -- can the DIT lectures be played at 2x speed? and how many actual hours is a days worth of lecture? 5?
one more question -- can the DIT lectures be played at 2x speed? and how many actual hours is a days worth of lecture? 5?
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You can go at 1.5x but I haven't been able to keep up with them that fast and usually I played all my school lectures at 1.5-2x speed and never went to class. I think they talk faster than the average lecturer (especially Lewis). I would say it usually takes me 6-7 hours to get through a day of lecture (on regular speed) and that is with minimal breaks. Today took me 6.5 but I did take about 45 mins of personal time off during that and it was a shorter lecture day. I usually start by 8:30 and finish in the early afternoon, take a lil break then do questions then review material.
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I usually watch school lectures at 2X speed or faster and I only bumped DIT up to 1.5 a few times. (for stuff I already knew really well that was pretty concept heavy and light on the memorization)
****t. lol - i usually 2x my class lectures as well. Guess DIT will take much more time than I anticipated. Ill find out in 3 days. Thanks.
Here's what I'm currently doing (Day 3 DIT):
Awake at 730, start lectures at 8. Whenever I finish them, I finish them. I don't care if it's 2 or 5 PM. I make sure to learn the "4 and 5 star topics" before I do anything else. If there's time, I do a Qbank set. Yesterday, I did 46 questions and reviewed 20 of them...It's taken me 8.5-9 hours each day. I'm hoping to get up to 12 hours by days 10-15.
Today, my computer went screwy, so it threw me off. Tomorrow will be better!
So, basically, what I'm saying is:
- Lectures
- High Yield Topics
- Qbank
- Bed
- Repeat
Awake at 730, start lectures at 8. Whenever I finish them, I finish them. I don't care if it's 2 or 5 PM. I make sure to learn the "4 and 5 star topics" before I do anything else. If there's time, I do a Qbank set. Yesterday, I did 46 questions and reviewed 20 of them...It's taken me 8.5-9 hours each day. I'm hoping to get up to 12 hours by days 10-15.
Today, my computer went screwy, so it threw me off. Tomorrow will be better!
So, basically, what I'm saying is:
- Lectures
- High Yield Topics
- Qbank
- Bed
- Repeat
Talk to them if you are having connection issues - starting on Day 2 or Day 3, I started having a lot of difficulty getting the lectures to load more than 10 minutes at a time (for reasons I will still never understand). The first call to DIT didn't help that much, but the second time, they changed how I loaded it and it made a TON of difference. I'm not sure I can even explain what they did, but it helped a lot.
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Hey quepatho, weren't you going to take an NBME this weekend? How'd it go? I took a couple NBME's this weekend and saw some big improvements with DIT so I was just curious how yours went!
Yay I just took NBME 12 and made a 233. 🙂 Not bad for a jump from 221 from last week's NBME 11. Also I was absolutely exhausted taking this NBME! Thanks for asking 🙂
Pretty happy, hoping I can get higher, but if I do in the 230s, I really can't complain (given that I don't have too long to prepare for this exam and haven't even had one of the key 2nd year classes - pulmonary).
I didn't see much of an improvement during weeks 1 and 2 but week three did a lot for me, I think.
Anyway, I know you're doing awesome (following your posts and stuff) so congratulations. Hoping this turns out well in the end.
oh poo. The DIT predictive test has me at a 221. 🙁 Way to ruin my high from the 233 on NBME #12.
I'm gonna assume they are better at preparing ppl to take Step 1 than they are at predicting how I'm going to do 😉.
I'm gonna assume they are better at preparing ppl to take Step 1 than they are at predicting how I'm going to do 😉.
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Good assumption 🙂 233 is a great score on a harder test...nice job!
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Hey guys,
Been a while.....
Just finished Day 4 of DIT and I'm feeling kinda "meh" about the whole score jump that he pretty much guarantees, I mean, all we've really done the last 4 days is learn how to group drugs together or answer some really really obvious 1 line questions.....now, I'm NOT knocking the program, I just have a few Q's:
--does it really "pick-up" or get better as he begins to go into organ systems?
--have people seen the "score boost" that Dr. Jenkins refers to?
--how can I maximize DIT? or how have people who've really seen a boost from DIT used the program?
thanks in advance, I'm just starting to get a little worried about spending 4 days on said info vs. other stuff......Otherwise, it's pretty cool seeing a lot of common names I used to follow back in the good ol' pre-med days (sigh)...I'm itching to post more but I may be the first diagnosed case of "Internet Message Board Avoidant Personality Disorder".......😳
Been a while.....
Just finished Day 4 of DIT and I'm feeling kinda "meh" about the whole score jump that he pretty much guarantees, I mean, all we've really done the last 4 days is learn how to group drugs together or answer some really really obvious 1 line questions.....now, I'm NOT knocking the program, I just have a few Q's:
--does it really "pick-up" or get better as he begins to go into organ systems?
--have people seen the "score boost" that Dr. Jenkins refers to?
--how can I maximize DIT? or how have people who've really seen a boost from DIT used the program?
thanks in advance, I'm just starting to get a little worried about spending 4 days on said info vs. other stuff......Otherwise, it's pretty cool seeing a lot of common names I used to follow back in the good ol' pre-med days (sigh)...I'm itching to post more but I may be the first diagnosed case of "Internet Message Board Avoidant Personality Disorder".......😳
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Myself and everyone else I've talked to at my school who are doing DIT have seen some good Qbank score increases. Stick with it because it does get more intense as the organ systems pick up. However, after taking a bunch of NBME's and doing Qbank question that first week of DIT is a lot more high yield than it feels, so make sure you learn it well!
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Thanks Sheldor!
Ya, I guess I'll keep at it...I'm just now starting to realize how long these lectures take, especially when you're stopping and starting as much as I do...thus, it's hard fitting in some Q's AND reviewing FA.....
--Anyone else get scared of taking a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. NBME after a week or two of studying b/c they're scared they may see NO progress or even worse, a LOWER score?........I'm prob going to take another NMBE (my first since ~ 3-4 weeks ago) and I'm getting nervous I'm going to see nothing or that my score will drop....I don't know if I could handle that.......
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Totally understand what you mean about taking the NBMEs. I literally hold my breath after I submit the last block hoping that my score went up. I am currently on Day 7 of DIT and I took my second NBME on Saturday (the first I took before dedicated study time about 2 weeks before) and I went from a 210 to 228. I can tell you that on my NBME there were 2 or 3 questions that I learned directly from DIT (i.e. DiGeorge isn't the only immunodeficiency that presents with absent thymic shadow). So keep plugging along and you will see improvement!
I feel like, if anything, it's making me realize that I don't know as much as I thought I did. I'm starting to wonder if I just got lucky when we did our basic science exam.
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Yesterday was rough for me (Day 12) literally spent over 8 hours getting through the videos, then I did my block of UW and it was down from where I had been (thinking maybe I was just brain fried as I made about 8 stupid mistakes).
I took a CBSE at school the week before I started DIT and was at 185, took UWSA 1 after day 8 and was up to 206 (still not good), and praying when I take another one this Saturday I can hit 215-220. My test is on the 11th and I'm really afraid I won't make my goal of 215 which I know is low for SDN but o well.
I took a CBSE at school the week before I started DIT and was at 185, took UWSA 1 after day 8 and was up to 206 (still not good), and praying when I take another one this Saturday I can hit 215-220. My test is on the 11th and I'm really afraid I won't make my goal of 215 which I know is low for SDN but o well.
With 3 days left of DIT, I'm sure you can make your goal, no question, so long as you can finish it and keep doing a little UWorld each day (one block at least if you can).
It is demoralizing to see drops in UWorld, but just remember they are isolated blocks and don't mean much by themselves. I had a 15% drop in UWorld on my last practice block...haha....still trying to recover myself.
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WHy is there increased Cardiac Output in hypovolemic shock (according to DIT)? Or does it depend on how much blood youve lost?
Thanks
Thanks
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the kaplan med essentials book says CO is unchanged, but the HR does increase... I didn't pick that up when he said that in DIT...
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It was somewhere. I wrote it down. So cardiogenic would have decreased CO and hypovolemic is unchanged or increased then. Hopefully there wont be a question requiring us to know the difference haha
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With 3 days left of DIT, I'm sure you can make your goal, no question, so long as you can finish it and keep doing a little UWorld each day (one block at least if you can).
It is demoralizing to see drops in UWorld, but just remember they are isolated blocks and don't mean much by themselves. I had a 15% drop in UWorld on my last practice block...haha....still trying to recover myself.
Thanks for the encouragement- my UW block today was 20% higher than yesterday, what a relief! I might push my practice test to Sunday and use Saturday more as a review day- I feel like I need to spend more time in FA especially on biochem.
Yeah, I'm taking my last practice test today, a week before the exam. I think if I took a practice exam any closer to my actual exam date and did poorly I'd freak out. Give yourself some time to review things in your head and feel confident that you know it. 🙂
I will be finishing DIT with about 10 days to spare. I was thinking about taking one NBME, reading through the handbook (3-4 days), and one pass of first aid (5 days). Does this sound reasonable? Thanks everyone!
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Finished DIT yesterday- took their predictive exam today- 219, sure hope they are accurate because I would be happy with that score!
I have 1 week til my exam- planning on going through FA 1-2x and doing 1-2 UW blocks a day. Was going to take a NBME tomorrow but thinking maybe at this point it would be more beneficial to just memorize little details- thoughts?
I have 1 week til my exam- planning on going through FA 1-2x and doing 1-2 UW blocks a day. Was going to take a NBME tomorrow but thinking maybe at this point it would be more beneficial to just memorize little details- thoughts?
Holy hell...How can anyone learn anything from these lectures? There isn't enough time to do 3 lectures and a thorough review of the day's material!!!
Done with day 9. I'm a day behind right now...Is it possible to catch up and actually learn something?
I'm trying to learn as I go, and I have no time for that!
Done with day 9. I'm a day behind right now...Is it possible to catch up and actually learn something?
I'm trying to learn as I go, and I have no time for that!
I'm also starting to freak out...If I pick the pace back up tomorrow and finish out strong, I won't end it until the 10th. My exam is the 30th, and I've hardly done any Qbank questions.
So, my question is this: Should I try to hammer out the lectures, take notes, pay attention, and then finish the day with Qbank questions rather than trying to review? My current plan of attack doesn't seem to be working too well.
An alternative plan would be to try to finish the course within the next 4 days, and then use the remaining time to review and do questions. Suggestions?
So, my question is this: Should I try to hammer out the lectures, take notes, pay attention, and then finish the day with Qbank questions rather than trying to review? My current plan of attack doesn't seem to be working too well.
An alternative plan would be to try to finish the course within the next 4 days, and then use the remaining time to review and do questions. Suggestions?
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Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to start doing that tomorrow. I'm going to do the questions in the morning, first thing, because I fear that I won't have the stamina to do them late.
Did you do 2 sets of 46? Uworld? With annotation? That seems like a LOT.
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i did 2 DIT lectures a day instead of 3 so I could have more time to study the material. I got a 217 on NBME 5 around 1 week in and then a 240 on NBME 7 afterwards so it seemed to work... I was doing a block of 46 uworld questions/day and reviewing them too. I did it like that because I think I'd go insane watching that much lecture per day... if you like variety it's something to consider. I have 12 days before boards to review, we'll see what happens. good luck!
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I finished the lectures and did 1 block of UW with annotation- then if I had time I spent maybe 1 hour doing extra reading- I wanted to do more but I'm exhausted- I have 6 study days left til test- taking tonight off and praying I can find the inner strength to push through this week- never been so tired in my life!
Yea, this **** is crazy. But I think it's def worth the sacrifice to do less questions and more reviewing each day. I think i'm going to take 1 day off each week and spend it reviewing the past 5 days of lecture also...I want to make sure I know first aid as well as possible since most people say 80-90% of the exam is in first aid.
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I agree with the early assessments with one exception (I'll get to it). Dr. Jenkins definitely knows his stuff and while he spends a lot of time reading first aid to you. He also spends a lot of time connecting the dots in ways no one has for me before and thats the impressive part of this whole DiT thing. Plus he is very well organized.
I thought hampton richards was good. IDK. I got embryo pretty well from my first two years (self-study, not that ant school teaches embryo well). So listening to him was dreadfully boring to me. I fully realize he taught it well, but if you understand embryo he brings nothing unique to the table (no good mnemonics or memory tools that wouldnt be really obvious). Then again 98% of people probably do need a better embryo basis and I can fully understand why you'd love him.
McInnis. Forgetable. He taught. I actually wanted Jenkins back. It was blah.
Dallas Alvey: is this guy seriously a surgeon? This was my thought process every time he was called in to make a 5 minute totally pointless appearance. Though he does a huge chunk of GI, I was already turned off to him by then.
Chris Lewis: IDK about you guys but I was in love with him. One of my personal problems with DiT was that it went too slow. Except for when they were covering the million quizzes, I always ran it on 2x speed because I cant take the meandering the other people do. It was nice to be able to watch Chris Lewis at normal speed and not feel like he was wasting my time thinking about what he wanted to say next. Admittedly, I'm a NYer, so maybe I'm used to people talking a million miles an hour because of the local conversation speed? I loved everything he did. Especially since he was very microbio and (if you did solid pharm, where I had won a few free lectures) pharm oriented and those are areas I wanted a really strong grounding on. I love cheesy jokes and I felt he cut all the nonsense info out of micro and really stuck to the indentifying info and made jokes out of the stuff that is low yeild. As opposed to Dr. Jenkins doing a 10 minute speil and then telling you its 1 star and you'll prob never see it.
Whenever that last situation happened I felt like I was in an abusive relationship with Dr. Jenkins. He did that just to see me squirm. I'm convinced.
Overall: Really great stuff though. If you can get past Dallas Alvey.
I thought hampton richards was good. IDK. I got embryo pretty well from my first two years (self-study, not that ant school teaches embryo well). So listening to him was dreadfully boring to me. I fully realize he taught it well, but if you understand embryo he brings nothing unique to the table (no good mnemonics or memory tools that wouldnt be really obvious). Then again 98% of people probably do need a better embryo basis and I can fully understand why you'd love him.
McInnis. Forgetable. He taught. I actually wanted Jenkins back. It was blah.
Dallas Alvey: is this guy seriously a surgeon? This was my thought process every time he was called in to make a 5 minute totally pointless appearance. Though he does a huge chunk of GI, I was already turned off to him by then.
Chris Lewis: IDK about you guys but I was in love with him. One of my personal problems with DiT was that it went too slow. Except for when they were covering the million quizzes, I always ran it on 2x speed because I cant take the meandering the other people do. It was nice to be able to watch Chris Lewis at normal speed and not feel like he was wasting my time thinking about what he wanted to say next. Admittedly, I'm a NYer, so maybe I'm used to people talking a million miles an hour because of the local conversation speed? I loved everything he did. Especially since he was very microbio and (if you did solid pharm, where I had won a few free lectures) pharm oriented and those are areas I wanted a really strong grounding on. I love cheesy jokes and I felt he cut all the nonsense info out of micro and really stuck to the indentifying info and made jokes out of the stuff that is low yeild. As opposed to Dr. Jenkins doing a 10 minute speil and then telling you its 1 star and you'll prob never see it.
Whenever that last situation happened I felt like I was in an abusive relationship with Dr. Jenkins. He did that just to see me squirm. I'm convinced.
Overall: Really great stuff though. If you can get past Dallas Alvey.
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What it really comes down to is how fragmented first aid is. People say oh X wasn't in first aid (when X likes to hide in a margin or in some random section somewhere.) The other big mistake people make is memorizing facts without knowing how to apply them. I think it helps you get a little bit better traction on first aid vs. just memorizing it and wrestling to apply it on the qbank.
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