Is Kaplan course enough?

[TheGrinch]

Hey ppl, I'm going to be taking the Kaplan IntensePrep Complete offered at my school which includes:

15 days of live lectures from 8am-4pm for Biochem, Immuno, Microbio, Path, Pharm, and Physio

7-volume set of books, Qbook, and Qbank Plus

In addition, I'll be using First Aid, UW, and Robbins & Cotran Review of Pathology.

In case you're wondering what the point of the thread is...is all of this enough? And before we get all philosophical and start asking "what is 'enough'", let me rephrase by saying, is all of this enough to get an average score (~220)?

Many people view RR Path as an absolutely essential book, but I've compared it to the Kaplan Path book and there doesn't seem to be a big difference besides the RR being in color? Is it worth buying in addition to the Kaplan Path book I received as part of the course?

Are there any areas that I should use to supplement the Kaplan material?

Thanks in advance!

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[12loser12]

In my experience the Kaplan intense prep review was a very good review, however I would recommend looking through any material you aren't really solid on before attending. There simply isn't enough time to teach it all, just review. Also, make sure they are utilizing all 15 days. When I went we only had classes like 11 of the 15 days and they totally skipped biochem, immuno, micro, behavioral, etc. The books seem good and are easy reads but are a little be outline form, so again, make sure you understand the stuff, otherwise if you're iffy on it, listen to the online lectures that go with it.

 

[runx]

Many people view RR Path as an absolutely essential book, but I've compared it to the Kaplan Path book and there doesn't seem to be a big difference besides the RR being in color? Is it worth buying in addition to the Kaplan Path book I received as part of the course?

Given that the USMLE pictures are in black and white (last I heard) I wouldn't pay more for colors.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Given that the USMLE pictures are in black and white (last I heard) I wouldn't pay more for colors.

USMLE is in color

 

[TheGrinch]

In my experience the Kaplan intense prep review was a very good review, however I would recommend looking through any material you aren't really solid on before attending. There simply isn't enough time to teach it all, just review. Also, make sure they are utilizing all 15 days. When I went we only had classes like 11 of the 15 days and they totally skipped biochem, immuno, micro, behavioral, etc. The books seem good and are easy reads but are a little be outline form, so again, make sure you understand the stuff, otherwise if you're iffy on it, listen to the online lectures that go with it.

Is it like the Kaplan MCAT class where they give you "homework" reading assignments for a topic before it is taught?

You're class skipped Biochem? I've heard that's actually one of Kaplan's strengths.

We have 3 days each for Biochem, Path, Pharm, and Physio, and Immuno/Microbio, so what you're saying makes sense. Do they just teach out of the book for most of it? Or do they add anything extra?

Thx for the reply

 

[TheGrinch]

Given that the USMLE pictures are in black and white (last I heard) I wouldn't pay more for colors.

USMLE is in color

Is the color thing the only difference? If theres a real difference between the two books, I'll get RR, but I don't want to spread myself too thin over different sources.

Also, I..er..my friend just got a hold of the Goljan audio, which is illegal and unethical. Should he use it in addition to the Kaplan videos and class?

Thx for your input

 

[DRJJ1]

Is the color thing the only difference? If theres a real difference between the two books, I'll get RR, but I don't want to spread myself too thin over different sources.

Also, I..er..my friend just got a hold of the Goljan audio, which is illegal and unethical. Should he use it in addition to the Kaplan videos and class?

Thx for your input

im getting tired of reading ignorant questions that either have been answered or just plain not to thought out before asked...why would a company or book only change color... again, each course or book has its own weaknesses n strengths and there is no fine line to draw ,,either pick a few or all of them and thats it
there is no magic to this test but to KNOW EVERYTHING!!!! some strategies are there or made up to help you feel "at ease" but when it comes down to it its just a false sense of security for this test to say one thing works and the other doesn t for you pick yours and stick with it...study hard and know it all and study like you never studied before is all I can say for this monster exam I call it the GREAT HUMBLER!!

 

[TheGrinch]

Sorry for being ignorant, but if I knew how to study for Step 1, I wouldn't be wasting time on SDN.

The reason I'm asking about the difference between the two is because I opened up both RR and Kaplan and compared certain topics, and they seemed to be presenting the same information, pretty much in the same way (except for the difference in color vs B/W). But on SDN, everyone seems to be in love with RR, and I want to know why. I've read posts where people say reading RR is the equivalent of having an answer key to the Path portion of Step 1..I know thats an exaggeration, but can RR really be that much better?

If everyone says Goljan is good, I would be an idiot if I ignored it. But before jumping on the Goljan bandwagon, I want to understand why it's better than Kaplan.

Thanks for your advice though, and I apologize for being ignorant.

 

[Rabbit Hole]

If Kaplan is working for you then go for it. A lot of people think RR path is better because it makes connections with a lot of other subjects (physio micro biochem).. plus, it goes along with the audio. I don't like the book because of the way it is written so I'm using BRS path and the G-audio as my main source.

No need to get on the bandwagon or drink the kool aid. The only MUST HAVE materials are FA & UW. You're on the right track about not wanting to spread yourself too thin. I remember a post on this forum saying that it's better to know 1 source really well instead of half-ass knowing 2 sources.

 

[knuckles]

How similar would the real Kaplan live course be to using those Kaplan video lectures that are floating around along with the Kaplan course lecture books?

 

[runx]

USMLE is in color

histology is? liars at my school...

 

[TheGrinch]

If Kaplan is working for you then go for it. A lot of people think RR path is better because it makes connections with a lot of other subjects (physio micro biochem).. plus, it goes along with the audio. I don't like the book because of the way it is written so I'm using BRS path and the G-audio as my main source.

No need to get on the bandwagon or drink the kool aid. The only MUST HAVE materials are FA & UW. You're on the right track about not wanting to spread yourself too thin. I remember a post on this forum saying that it's better to know 1 source really well instead of half-ass knowing 2 sources.

Oh alright, I'll stick to Kaplan, FA, and UW.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.