Kaplan Qbank

[alternatego]

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Well guys, I bought Qbank a couple of months ago to use it during as a focused review of each subject i.e. I finished doing Pathoma, RR and FA of MSK, and then I'd do all of Qbank's questions on that specific system.

Right now I'm at 48% completion, with 1072 questions done and only two systems remaining: Cardiovascular and GI. My accumulated score is 70%.

Do any recent test takers think Qbank helped them do well in the exam?
Should I try to finish the whole Qbank before I start UW? I have 75 days left until exam day (Aug 31)

 

[alternatego]

really, isn't anyone using Qbank these days? Could somebody offer me his/her opinion on its usefulness?

 

[Aclamity]

I liked qbank, even though many say it's too detailed. However, I feel like I learned more from doing qbank AFTER UW. I think UW should be your priority to finish, though 75 days is a lot of time so I think you could do both.

 

[ipizzy]

I also really liked Qbank. I started with Kaplan Qbank, finished it, then moved on to UWorld. I like to think that I benefited from seeing UWorld questions closer to my test date; UWorld's style was closer to my actual exam and practicing the UWorld style right up until d-day made the actual test feel very familiar. I did both question banks on random mode, though (which I highly recommend).

Kaplan's Qbank was a great way to start out because it made me feel like I knew nothing and lit a fire under my *** to keep studying hard day in and day out. Kaplan is also wonderful for making you into a more discerning and confident test-taker (especially picking between very similar answer choices, pacing yourself, dealing with poorly worded questions, etc). Qbank's content is pretty much the same as any other question set out there (except their micro questions can be ridiculously over-detailed).

If it sounds like this post is a backhanded compliment to Kaplan, it isn't; I am being sincere when I say that these are all positive things about Kaplan's Qbank that other people may undervalue or point out as flaws when it comes to test prep. I took my first NBME right after finishing Kaplan (no UWorld at that point; just Kaplan + FA 1x + GT) and scored above 270. I was not 100% sure of every question I encountered on that NBME, but Kaplan had prepared me for feeling like I didn't know what I was doing yet trusting myself anyway.

 

[ijn]

I thought Kaplan was annoying when going through it and I don't think it helped me at all in terms of when I took STEP 1. Thank god they don't write STEP 1 questions, or else only phloston would break 240.

 

[Convalaria]

I haven't yet taken exam, but decided to share my experience.
Kaplan was my 1st qbank after I reviewed all subjects. Yes, it has questions on many details, and yes, it is annoying. But I think it is still good and useful. It helps you to remember these little things and when you begin practicing UW you would be able rationally to put them together to develop clinical reasoning. I began doing Kaplan in mixed mode and my scores were 60-70s. After few days I decided that doing it by topic depending on what subject I studied that day would work for me and it did. Having finished Kaplan I began UW.
It looks like you have plenty of time till exam, so why not. The more questions you practice the better.

 

[quique2]

I only used Kaplan Qbank (Sept through Dec 2011, quite a few months ago now) and did not actually use UW although I admit went over about 800 copied questions from a 2007 UW. People thought I was crazy for not doing UW but I ended up doing well.

I do recognize that the questions were not that similar to the exam in terms of difficulty and wording, but they worked OK. Also, they are well known for having numerous questions of a bunch of low yield nitpicky details but I really liked that because I felt like I prepared for the worst.

 

[alternatego]

Ok, I've done 68% of Qbank with 70% overall correct. I haven't started UWorld yet, but I will next week, since my exam is 60 days away and I was saving it for last.

I did blocks system-wise, timed-tutor mode, NOT random, since my objective was to use Qbank as a first exposure to MCQs.

I've found Qbank to be very useful, especially for the physiology behind each system, and it has been an excellent system-wise review of Micro (since it asks lots of Qs about bugs corresponding to each system). Pharm has been pretty good too. For Path, its been good, just not that amazing, since clinical scenarios are fairly straightforward. Anatomy is GREAT in Qbank, and I think its something that should be pointed out, since I've heard lots about the CT scans showing up in USMLE.

The Qtorials are pretty cool most of the time - although sometimes they can be pretty boring. The heart sound questions were good (I'm finally grasping how to distinguish the different heart murmurs).

I definitely recommend Qbank for someone who's looking for a 1st time exposure to clinical vignettes and has enough time to use UW later.

 

[MoistHands]

What is the least amount of time I could finish K Qbank in? I am thinking of doing it in tutor mode subject wise and aim for 1.5 hrs per block (with review) and annotate conservatively? Will it be a waste if I do so? I have done FA 1x and GT 50%...

I need advise on which to prioritize between K Qbank and second read of BRS Phys/Behav, Pathoma and other review books....

exam in approx 80 days

 

[alternatego]

I took my 1st block on May 6 and finished all systems today (July 2) but it was my first pass for most systems so it took me longer, because I first studied FA+Pathoma+RR and then started doing Qbank system-wise blocks.

 

[san2]

I did both Kaplan Qbank and Uworld. Uworld is def better for the real exam, but qbank throws in those missing facts which could be the difference between a great score and a good score. It all depends on what score you are targeting for.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

I took my 1st block on May 6 and finished all systems today (July 2) but it was my first pass for most systems so it took me longer, because I first studied FA+Pathoma+RR and then started doing Qbank system-wise blocks.

If you reviewed everything once already... it is a good idea to do the questions integrated. That is how you will see it on test day.

 

[alternatego]

If you reviewed everything once already... it is a good idea to do the questions integrated. That is how you will see it on test day.

Yep, thanks for the advice, I'm planning to do just that with UWorld starting next week 🙂

 

[loveoforganic]

I took my 1st block on May 6 and finished all systems today (July 2) but it was my first pass for most systems so it took me longer, because I first studied FA+Pathoma+RR and then started doing Qbank system-wise blocks.

Was this during your dedicated time? About how much time would you estimate to actually complete a block with reviewing the answers (and annotating, if you did that)? Also, it seems from my brief glance at Qbank that the systems-based Q's are organ specific and not general topic specific (like neoplasia), correct?

TYIA!

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

incorrect. they have both systems and individual disciplines. you can for instance check pathology for cardio/ respiratory. or pharm for these systems

 

[alternatego]

Was this during your dedicated time? About how much time would you estimate to actually complete a block with reviewing the answers (and annotating, if you did that)? Also, it seems from my brief glance at Qbank that the systems-based Q's are organ specific and not general topic specific (like neoplasia), correct?

TYIA!

A block can easily take 2.5h to review+annotate in timed-tutor mode. I did this before my last 8 weeks of intensive, dedicated study, which begin on monday (my exam is scheduled for August 31st).

Your 2nd question has already been answered, so no point going over that again 🙂

 

[loveoforganic]

Thank you both. I signed up for the trial for qbank and looked through it a bit and just have one more question. It says you can't reset the bank, but there are options to redo ones you got incorrect. Are these the only ones you can redo? Can you still relook at the ones you've gotten right (but not necessarily try to reanswer them)?

Thanks again

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

.

 

[AngryBird69]

It's a simple paradigm: the more questions you do, the higher your score. Who cares if the questions are picky or if you score abysmally on them; at the end of the day, you did 2200 more questions and the intangibles from that are priceless.

 

[alternatego]

Thank you both. I signed up for the trial for qbank and looked through it a bit and just have one more question. It says you can't reset the bank, but there are options to redo ones you got incorrect. Are these the only ones you can redo? Can you still relook at the ones you've gotten right (but not necessarily try to reanswer them)?

Thanks again

Yes, you can "relook" used questions with their explanations.

 

[Phloston]

It's a simple paradigm: the more questions you do, the higher your score. Who cares if the questions are picky or if you score abysmally on them; at the end of the day, you did 2200 more questions and the intangibles from that are priceless.

Very good advice here.

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I haven't yet done Kaplan QBank (will start it within the next few weeks), but I can tell from having done the QBook and some of the questions from Kaplan notes that there's definitely a higher level of thinking-power required to answer the Kaplan-style. In agreement with one of the posters above, it preps you to answer other questions more easily (e.g. being able to hit a 90 mph fastball better because you practiced in a 110 mph batting cage). The QBook has minutiae in there, but I also feel it does a great job of asking questions that require a purely new way of thinking relative to other resources (i.e. you might find more awkward graph- or table-formatted questions, for instance, or new ways of differentiating between organisms).

A few people have mentioned having gotten lots of "graph" questions on their USMLE, whether with respect to physio or pharm, and this is where Kaplan might present a subtle strength. On the actual USMLE, a substantial percentage of questions will likely require application rather than mere memorization. The more you know, the more you can apply, so I do think Kaplan is still a very strong resource. I've already heard from many people that the Kaplan question-style is relatively disparate compared to that presented on the real exam. Therefore, I would take everything you can from Kaplan recognizing that it's a resource used mainly to improve your background knowledge, but in terms of functioning as an actual gauge of performance on the USMLE, UWorld and/or the NBMEs are better.

 

[alternatego]

Very good advice here.

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I haven't yet done Kaplan QBank (will start it within the next few weeks), but I can tell from having done the QBook and some of the questions from Kaplan notes that there's definitely a higher level of thinking-power required to answer the Kaplan-style. In agreement with one of the posters above, it preps you to answer other questions more easily (e.g. being able to hit a 90 mph fastball better because you practiced in a 110 mph batting cage). The QBook has minutiae in there, but I also feel it does a great job of asking questions that require a purely new way of thinking relative to other resources (i.e. you might find more awkward graph- or table-formatted questions, for instance, or new ways of differentiating between organisms).

A few people have mentioned having gotten lots of "graph" questions on their USMLE, whether with respect to physio or pharm, and this is where Kaplan might present a subtle strength.

You will love Qbank, it has LOTS of crazy graph questions which only 32% of students answered correctly. At least I thought they were very ingenious.

 

[Victorinox]

Are you willing to share your Qbank cummulative scores ? I am averaging about 67% (range 76-59) having done about 20% of Qbank.

I have only done one NBME and only managed a 207 (was rushed and not very settled when I did it -
before starting QBank).

I am just going through FA a second time and have yet to do UWorld or Pathoma. I still have about 3 months but work full time, so not quite free to study all day.

 

[alternatego]

Are you willing to share your Qbank cummulative scores ? I am averaging about 67% (range 76-59) having done about 20% of Qbank.

I have only done one NBME and only managed a 207 (was rushed and not very settled when I did it -
before starting QBank).

I am just going through FA a second time and have yet to do UWorld or Pathoma. I still have about 3 months but work full time, so not quite free to study all day.

Sure, I'm at 70% cummulative at 68% completion, I still haven't taken any NBME's so I don't know where I'm standing (I might take one on Saturday though). I could PM to you my cumulative scores in all systems (I finished all system-specific questions already) once Qbank un-crashes (its been giving me error messages all day, I emailed Kaplan and it looks like its a problem with their servers).

 

[loveoforganic]

Yes, you can "relook" used questions with their explanations.

Muchos gracias!

 

[alternatego]

Ok, I was on my first pass and scored 214 on NBME 12 at 68% completion, 70% overall correct of Qbank, in case anyone would find this info useful. I'm still 8 weeks away from my exam so I hope to improve my score A LOT by the time August 31st arrives.

 

[alternatego]

Well, got my score back - 246/86.

I feel Qbank was useful as a preparation towards doing UWorld, and it was a great tool to expose oneself for the first time to the style of questions you can find on UW. I definitively recommend Kaplan's Qbank to anyone with enough time to do BOTH question banks.

If your foundations are not strong (as was my case, being an IMG) I can honestly say that you need to schedule your time for doing both question banks. I did Qbank system wise, in timed-tutor mode. I did not finish all the questions, though - my completion rate was 75%, doing all systems plus all behavioral sciences and genetics.

Qbank's Behavioral Sciences questions are pretty good and I actually got starred on this category in my score report.

Bottom line is: if you are an IMG, then schedule enough time to do both Qbank first (in a system wise fashion, timed-tutor mode, annotating heavily into FA) and then UWorld (unused, timed-tutor mode, so you don't get demoralized by getting <60% block after block, annotating some broader concepts into FA, you'll notice a lot of repetition of concepts with Qbank, so hopefully you won't need to add too much stuff)

Best luck, and I hope this is useful to anyone wondering if they should do Qbank as a preliminary question bank, before starting UW.

 

[thecalccobra]

@alternatego- What did your UWorld score end up being?

 

[skyeen]

Well, got my score back - 246/86.

I feel Qbank was useful as a preparation towards doing UWorld, and it was a great tool to expose oneself for the first time to the style of questions you can find on UW. I definitively recommend Kaplan's Qbank to anyone with enough time to do BOTH question banks.

If your foundations are not strong (as was my case, being an IMG) I can honestly say that you need to schedule your time for doing both question banks. I did Qbank system wise, in timed-tutor mode. I did not finish all the questions, though - my completion rate was 75%, doing all systems plus all behavioral sciences and genetics.

Qbank's Behavioral Sciences questions are pretty good and I actually got starred on this category in my score report.

Bottom line is: if you are an IMG, then schedule enough time to do both Qbank first (in a system wise fashion, timed-tutor mode, annotating heavily into FA) and then UWorld (unused, timed-tutor mode, so you don't get demoralized by getting <60% block after block, annotating some broader concepts into FA, you'll notice a lot of repetition of concepts with Qbank, so hopefully you won't need to add too much stuff)

Best luck, and I hope this is useful to anyone wondering if they should do Qbank as a preliminary question bank, before starting UW.

When you say you did the blocks system-wise, do you mean you only selected Path, Pharm, Pathophys and Physio questions for each system, or did you do everything from Micro to Biochem for each system?

Also, how many blocks did you do per day?

Thank you for your post btw. It's been very helpful.

 

[alternatego]

@alternatego- What did your UWorld score end up being?

69% at 100% completion.

 

[alternatego]

When you say you did the blocks system-wise, do you mean you only selected Path, Pharm, Pathophys and Physio questions for each system, or did you do everything from Micro to Biochem for each system?

Also, how many blocks did you do per day?

Thank you for your post btw. It's been very helpful.

I selected just ONE organ system while selecting ALL disciplines

 

[Big Baller]

It's a simple paradigm: the more questions you do, the higher your score. Who cares if the questions are picky or if you score abysmally on them; at the end of the day, you did 2200 more questions and the intangibles from that are priceless.

I have yet to take Step1 but what you said worked for me in basic sciences so I would say that is MONEY ADVICE

 

[skyeen]

I selected just ONE organ system while selecting ALL disciplines

Great! Thank you! 🙂