Just finished the FA Q&A Book - my brief thoughts on it

[Phloston]

I just banged out the FA Q&A book (5 days x ~200 Qs/day).

On average, I found the FA Q&A explanations to be slightly shorter and more vague than USMLE Rx's. Therefore, I decided to use this book mainly just for practicing questions rather than for heavy concept-building. I reviewed only the ones I got wrong and marked. This is in contrast to USMLE Rx, where I had reviewed every explanation and had annotated into FA heavily, thereby having completed only one 48-question block per day.

Furthermore, there is ~10% overlap with USMLE Rx. I know for a fact I had encountered quite a few of the questions before.

I found ~10 fairly substantial errors (and it's not like you can just submit a comment the same way you can on Rx).

The book was very easy in terms of question-difficulty. This was very disappointing, as I had hoped it would have proved to have been of greater value (i.e. frequently they'd have a pretty good question stem, you'd figure out the Dx or adverse Sx, and then they'd end up telling you anyway later in the same stem).

I finished Rx and FA Q&A at a little over 85 and 94% correct, respectively. With regard to the questions that I had gotten wrong in the latter, I still feel it was worth it having gone through the book.

Bottom line: if you have a bit of time on your hands, it would be beneficial to blast through FA Q&A; there are a few small details that are not in USMLE Rx that are good tidbits to know (i.e. possible wtf question-info). I would recommend doing FA Q&A after USMLE Rx because the former is better used as mere question-practice rather than for core concept learning.

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[peace zealot]

Hahahah


My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

I see similar problem here, or may be you just wanted to catch some limelight!

 

[baraa123]

very good job ... bravo man
keep the hard work and even if u didn't an excellent degrre in the usmle exam ( because u know there will things u will never been heard about it . so don't care)

continue the good job and u will be a great doctor for sure

 

[lemonade90]

Haters gonna hate. Phloston, I appreciate your insights. Please don't stop posting questions and answers as it helps the rest of us learn too.

 

[g8orlife]

effective repetition is key. i'll revisit the book for one day closer to the exam. Chances are, if you're forgetting the info in just a few months, then you probably don't have a grounded understanding of it to begin with. for example, no one would ever forget the beta-blockers or what they do because we've all heard / read about them so many times. this applies to everything else, even the biochem and embryo minutiae.

+1

 

[g8orlife]

Final score: Me 1 - Trolls 0 ....... Up Top

Hilarious

 

[Kaputt]

+1

It's wise to remember that not all of Step 1 is concept-driven; there are tons of details that are easy to forget. Unless you are constantly re-reviewing the minutiae (which I get a headache just thinking about), you're going to forget it in a few months.

Step 1 doesn't just test important things that we need to and often remember, it tests a good deal of BS too. And doing well on the BS is what tips you into the high scores.

 

[Phloston]

I hadn't been on SDN this whole past week as I (ironically, given all of our talk of heavy studying) just got back from scuba diving / backpacking in Cairns (one of the beauties of being in Australia ).

I was amazed to see that this thread took on so many posts (and perspectives). Thank you to those of you who have provided encouragement and motivation.

 

[RedSoxSuck]

I hadn't been on SDN this whole past week as I (ironically, given all of our talk of heavy studying) just got back from scuba diving / backpacking in Cairns (one of the beauties of being in Australia ).

I was amazed to see that this thread took on so many posts (and perspectives). Thank you to those of you who have provided encouragement and motivation.

No worries. We kept it alive in your absence. You gotta do what you go gotta do.

Btw, redsox still suck as*. Vtec, more like an ugly trex, punked out in 2004. He would have gotten whooped even more but that overrated piece of ***** wasn't brave enough to take his mask off.. Just saying!!!

For those of you who don't remember here is the video:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuuR6oHERT8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[XRanger]

December 21st

wtf...why are you waiting so long to take the test? If you're getting 90% on qbank you're obviously ready. You wanna take the test at your peak. I would get burned out if I have to constantly study from now to december. Even if you're taking a vacation or break between now and then, having the step 1 in the back of your mind all day would be mentally exhausting I assume.

 

[CaptainSSO]

Hahahah

This is the reason why noone takes IMGs seriously. Your step 1 score isn't worth anything if you take 6+ months to study for it.

Step 1 is a predictor of PERFORMANCE for AMGs who take it within 4-6 weeks of ending school. It is a representation of their dedication & hard work throughout the school year, & it is used to compare students in similar situations. Residency programs know that & they value high step 1 scores from students who do it in 6 weeks.

A 270 from an AMG means they were able to get a much stronger grasp on the material throughout the year compared to their fellow classmates (& to other AMGs around the country). It is their way of judging the student's ability of handing a high stress situation, & being able to learn & excel. It is an indicator of PERFORMANCE.

They do NOT value your 270 the same, knowing you spent 9 months preparing for the test (i.e., taking the performance value out of the equation). Any idiot can spend 9 months studying for an exam & do well. The fact that your school even gives you the option of studying for 9 months, speaks volumes about their expectations of their students (i.e., our students are not very bright, lets give them a year so they can boost their step 1 scores, & then we can brag about our high test scores/tripple "99s" to unsuspecting people)

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

This is what residency programs are going to think when they look at applications:
AMG - Well this student has a 240, has been involved with research, he seems like a great candidate

IMG - Well this guy has a 270, but it looks like he spent 3 years in pre-clinicals, & he doesn't have any research....wtf did he do for 3 years? Well considering he was able to score high, lets just take that to mean he can speak english. But how is his performance as a student? Who knows...Lets put him in the maybe pile with the 220s

Do I hate on IMGs? You could say that.
Do I have friends who are IMGs in the Caribbeans & queenland? Yes

My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

for those who are new to this form :
AMGs = american medical graduates
IMG = international medical graduates, i.e., medical school on the beach with with pina coladas & a bull**** degree

You have issues dude.

I get the distinct feeling you did a LOT of projecting in your blind hate. Something hitting too close to home?

 

[JackShephard MD]

You have issues dude.

I get the distinct feeling you did a LOT of projecting in your blind hate. Something hitting too close to home?

True.

Yet I agree that 9 months prep is abusing the system. And I'm sure PDs realize this. Imagine finishing an entire qbank 8 months out. Most of us are just starting 2nd year at that point.

 

[Val7]

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Maybe you forgot that IMGs can be graduates from EVERY SINGLE country in the world. I think what you are ranting about are US students studying in the caribbean or maybe some other English-speaking country.
There are however, many other countries in the world- maybe you have heard of that. There are countries in Europe, where it is really hard to get into med school. We don't get any time off to study for the USMLE (because we have our own exams here, and they are not in English). We don't get any tipps or any time off, we study everything you study in A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE so when I get around to taking Step 1 with doing my school work here, I am sure I won't be able to do it in five weeks. How could I? I don't even know many of the English words, for example in Biochemistry. So don't go on ranting about IMGs when you have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about.
And if you are talking about US IMGs, please specify. I really don't know anything about Caribbean schools, so I don't know if what you are saying is even remotely true.
BUT: AMERICA IS NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL IS HARD!

Hahahah

This is the reason why noone takes IMGs seriously. Your step 1 score isn't worth anything if you take 6+ months to study for it.

Step 1 is a predictor of PERFORMANCE for AMGs who take it within 4-6 weeks of ending school. It is a representation of their dedication & hard work throughout the school year, & it is used to compare students in similar situations. Residency programs know that & they value high step 1 scores from students who do it in 6 weeks.

A 270 from an AMG means they were able to get a much stronger grasp on the material throughout the year compared to their fellow classmates (& to other AMGs around the country). It is their way of judging the student's ability of handing a high stress situation, & being able to learn & excel. It is an indicator of PERFORMANCE.

They do NOT value your 270 the same, knowing you spent 9 months preparing for the test (i.e., taking the performance value out of the equation). Any idiot can spend 9 months studying for an exam & do well. The fact that your school even gives you the option of studying for 9 months, speaks volumes about their expectations of their students (i.e., our students are not very bright, lets give them a year so they can boost their step 1 scores, & then we can brag about our high test scores/tripple "99s" to unsuspecting people)

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

This is what residency programs are going to think when they look at applications:
AMG - Well this student has a 240, has been involved with research, he seems like a great candidate

IMG - Well this guy has a 270, but it looks like he spent 3 years in pre-clinicals, & he doesn't have any research....wtf did he do for 3 years? Well considering he was able to score high, lets just take that to mean he can speak english. But how is his performance as a student? Who knows...Lets put him in the maybe pile with the 220s

Do I hate on IMGs? You could say that.
Do I have friends who are IMGs in the Caribbeans & queenland? Yes

My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

for those who are new to this form :
AMGs = american medical graduates
IMG = international medical graduates, i.e., medical school on the beach with with pina coladas & a bull**** degree

 

[Kaputt]

I hadn't been on SDN this whole past week as I (ironically, given all of our talk of heavy studying) just got back from scuba diving / backpacking in Cairns (one of the beauties of being in Australia ).

I was amazed to see that this thread took on so many posts (and perspectives). Thank you to those of you who have provided encouragement and motivation.

Ok I take it back you do know how to spend your time

Hope you had some fun away from the books

 

[CaptainSSO]

True.

Yet I agree that 9 months prep is abusing the system. And I'm sure PDs realize this. Imagine finishing an entire qbank 8 months out. Most of us are just starting 2nd year at that point.

Yea I agree it is pretty extreme, but honestly it doesn't bother me because we will not be competing with IMGs (well I mean, if someone from the US is competing with an IMG that is their own fault for not trying hard enough)--they have to fight hard for whatever spots they will get.

 

[Amdavadi]

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Maybe you forgot that IMGs can be graduates from EVERY SINGLE country in the world. I think what you are ranting about are US students studying in the caribbean or maybe some other English-speaking country.
There are however, many other countries in the world- maybe you have heard of that. There are countries in Europe, where it is really hard to get into med school. We don't get any time off to study for the USMLE (because we have our own exams here, and they are not in English). We don't get any tipps or any time off, we study everything you study in A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE so when I get around to taking Step 1 with doing my school work here, I am sure I won't be able to do it in five weeks. How could I? I don't even know many of the English words, for example in Biochemistry. So don't go on ranting about IMGs when you have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about.
And if you are talking about US IMGs, please specify. I really don't know anything about Caribbean schools, so I don't know if what you are saying is even remotely true.
BUT: AMERICA IS NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL IS HARD!

 

[iCY]

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Maybe you forgot that IMGs can be graduates from EVERY SINGLE country in the world. I think what you are ranting about are US students studying in the caribbean or maybe some other English-speaking country.
There are however, many other countries in the world- maybe you have heard of that. There are countries in Europe, where it is really hard to get into med school. We don't get any time off to study for the USMLE (because we have our own exams here, and they are not in English). We don't get any tipps or any time off, we study everything you study in A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE so when I get around to taking Step 1 with doing my school work here, I am sure I won't be able to do it in five weeks. How could I? I don't even know many of the English words, for example in Biochemistry. So don't go on ranting about IMGs when you have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about.
And if you are talking about US IMGs, please specify. I really don't know anything about Caribbean schools, so I don't know if what you are saying is even remotely true.
BUT: AMERICA IS NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL IS HARD!

I was referring to the american students who go abroad for school. Thanks for the input though, I didn't realize you guys had it this rough

 

[CaptainSSO]

Nvm, pointless

 

[iCY]

True.

Yet I agree that 9 months prep is abusing the system. And I'm sure PDs realize this. Imagine finishing an entire qbank 8 months out. Most of us are just starting 2nd year at that point.

Theres too many posts here on SDN where people share their score, & start off by saying that they didn't perform on the "SDN level", & actually seem as if they feel bad for not scoring a 270. People need to realize that many (but not all) of the scores here are from "abusing the system". Doing pathoma, goljan audio, all of kaplan videos (which btw, I'm preety sure they just bootleg), then followed by DIT & 4 qbanks is not the norm for american students.

Luckily i'll be taking step 1 in a few weeks, & then moving on with my career.

 

[Kaputt]

Theres too many posts here on SDN where people share their score, & start off by saying that they didn't perform on the "SDN level", & actually seem as if they feel bad for not scoring a 270. People need to realize that many (but not all) of the scores here are from "abusing the system". Doing pathoma, goljan audio, all of kaplan videos (which btw, I'm preety sure they just bootleg), then followed by DIT & 4 qbanks is not the norm for american students.

Luckily i'll be taking step 1 in a few weeks, & then moving on with my career.

When people scoring in the 240s-260s have low self-esteem about their scores, there is a problem here.

 

[Wheatley]

Hahahah

This is the reason why noone takes IMGs seriously. Your step 1 score isn't worth anything if you take 6+ months to study for it.

Step 1 is a predictor of PERFORMANCE for AMGs who take it within 4-6 weeks of ending school. It is a representation of their dedication & hard work throughout the school year, & it is used to compare students in similar situations. Residency programs know that & they value high step 1 scores from students who do it in 6 weeks.

A 270 from an AMG means they were able to get a much stronger grasp on the material throughout the year compared to their fellow classmates (& to other AMGs around the country). It is their way of judging the student's ability of handing a high stress situation, & being able to learn & excel. It is an indicator of PERFORMANCE.

They do NOT value your 270 the same, knowing you spent 9 months preparing for the test (i.e., taking the performance value out of the equation). Any idiot can spend 9 months studying for an exam & do well. The fact that your school even gives you the option of studying for 9 months, speaks volumes about their expectations of their students (i.e., our students are not very bright, lets give them a year so they can boost their step 1 scores, & then we can brag about our high test scores/tripple "99s" to unsuspecting people)

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

This is what residency programs are going to think when they look at applications:
AMG - Well this student has a 240, has been involved with research, he seems like a great candidate

IMG - Well this guy has a 270, but it looks like he spent 3 years in pre-clinicals, & he doesn't have any research....wtf did he do for 3 years? Well considering he was able to score high, lets just take that to mean he can speak english. But how is his performance as a student? Who knows...Lets put him in the maybe pile with the 220s

Do I hate on IMGs? You could say that.
Do I have friends who are IMGs in the Caribbeans & queenland? Yes

My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

for those who are new to this form :
AMGs = american medical graduates
IMG = international medical graduates, i.e., medical school on the beach with with pina coladas & a bull**** degree

tl dr

But iCY you made things hateful when we are all here trying to ask questions and help each other and give advice based on personal experience. What is your problem dude? You remind me of some of my classmates who see one guy working super hard and trying their best and all they do is critique and flame them. Sad.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

 

[Brotato]

^^ I think the real news here is that Teddy Roosevelt apparently has a SDN account.

 

[Chirurg]

^^ I think the real news here is that Teddy Roosevelt apparently has a SDN account.

maybe news to you ^^