Kaplan USMLE dvds?

[NRAI2001]

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Someone mentioned the kaplan usmle dvds on another thread. I had never heard of them untill then. Those of you who have used them or checked them out how would you rate them? How helpful are they?

 

[drjhana]

hands down, the best available material for preparing usmle1

if you are doing kaplan notes better get the videos or just do it from other sources like cmmmrs for micro,lippincott for pharm,biochem HY for neuro,embryo n so on.


because kaplan has formatted their lecture notes in such a way that it is very incomplete without the video lectures.

 

[MikeyLu2010]

Pharm is awesome...immuno is ok...biochem is good...havnt gone thru all of biochem..but i plan to...if you are weak in pharm..like me..then it helps alot!

 

[TUMED2010]

Pharm videos (with Lionel) are a high yield and stimulating at 2x, in my opinion. I watched all of Pharm at 2x in about 2.5 days before the nbme pharm shelf and scored very well (650/800 or roughly 90-95 percentile). I did not do as well on the nbme path shelf (around 55-60%) and would recommend Goljan book over Path videos (although they have good slides).
Hope that helps. Biochem 2004 is done by Lionel as well, but I haven't watched the 2007-8 biochem for comparison.

 

[Knicks]

Guys, a classmate of mine has Kaplan lecture videos from circa 2000-2002. I looked at his pharm vids and it's some Dr. named Trevor, and not Lionel. And some other lecturers that are not in the newer DVDs.

If I borrowed his DVDs and used them instead of the "newer" videos, would that be "better" or are they basically the same?

Please elaborate in your responses.


PS: please refrain from posting a lecture about piracy, as nothing in this post advocates it. Thanks.

 

[myry]

I've had the unique opportunity to watch parts of both the older and newer DVDs. The consensus in the past on SDN seems to be that the DVDs worth watching are biochem, pharm, and behavioral science. I'm adding physio and immuno since these are personal weaknesses of mine. I'm using the older DVDs for physio and part of biochem and the newer DVDs for pharm, behavioral science, and immuno. The following is my reasoning:

Dr. Raymon is awesome at teaching pharm and explaining concepts, esp antiarrhythmics and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. I've only seen parts of Dr. Trevor's lectures and his "accent" was distracting me, so I switched to the newer videos and never looked back.

The older DVDs, however, do have physio taught by Dr. Dunn. I'm so thankful for him, as everything is much clearer now. He helps you to truly understand physio, which is definitely needed for the boards. ( I memorized some parts of physio when taking the course.) When I look at BRS after learning from him, I know why everything occurs and it connects everything in that book, even though BRS is very good and enough for someone with a strong background in physio. I've heard good things about the newer DVDs, but I'm not switching since Dr. Dunn is working for me.

The older DVDs also have Dr. Raymon teaching biochem. Since I like him so much for pharm, I'm going to watch him for the metabolism part of biochem. One friend says he even started to like biochem thanks to Dr. Raymon. The guy in the new DVDs is supposed to be good also, but I'm going to stick with Dr. Raymon since I like his teaching (and many have had success with him).

Both the old and new DVDs have Dr. Daugherty for BS. Although I haven't listened to him yet, I plan on doing so since BS is high yield and he is supposed to be very good and entertaining.

The newer DVDs also have a different professor for immuno and micro, who is supposed to be worth listening to for the immuno section (I haven't seen them yet).

As a side note, the video quality of the older videos is also poor; the newer ones are much better.

These are my opinions or what I have heard from others. Hope this helps. Good luck

 

[Knicks]

^^ Thanks for the input!

So Dr. Trevor's accent was the only reason you're using the newer videos for pharm? Let's you weren't 'distracted' by it, would you have just stuck to Dr. Trevor's pharm lectures?

 

[peter90036]

i listened to the dude on Behavioral Science when i bought the Webprep step1, then i watched the videos of him in BS,

tho he was "entertaining" i can't say i remember stuff from his lectures...maybe its not my style...

the chick in Psychiatry videos for 2ck was much more my style and the information stuck in my brain for a good while (or maybe its because she's a she...)

i also had a peek at the 2007 videos and the guy they have in Physiology has an accent and pronunciation which annoys the hell out of me, even tho he seems interested in the stuff he's saying.. and he keeps repeating some phrases as some verbal tick

"Now having said that, ladies and gentlemen"

aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrr.......

 

[myry]

^^ Thanks for the input!

So Dr. Trevor's accent was the only reason you're using the newer videos for pharm? Let's you weren't 'distracted' by it, would you have just stuck to Dr. Trevor's pharm lectures?

I also didn't like Dr. Trevor because he is kind of boring and the quality of the video was awful, so I decided it was worth it to try Dr. Raymon. I loved Dr. Raymon because he's a great teacher, and he is also entertaining and incorporates questions into his teaching so it's more active. Basically, he just kept my attention better than Dr. Trevor. 🙂 I'm sure Dr. Trevor is good, though, since everyone was recommending the Pharm DVD before the newer DVDs were released.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Trevor rocks, you just gotta play him fast. Besides it's funnier when you listen to Goljan dissing Trevor on his audio lectures.

 

[myry]

i listened to the dude on Behavioral Science when i bought the Webprep step1, then i watched the videos of him in BS,

tho he was "entertaining" i can't say i remember stuff from his lectures...maybe its not my style...

the chick in Psychiatry videos for 2ck was much more my style and the information stuck in my brain for a good while (or maybe its because she's a she...)

i also had a peek at the 2007 videos and the guy they have in Physiology has an accent and pronunciation which annoys the hell out of me, even tho he seems interested in the stuff he's saying.. and he keeps repeating some phrases as some verbal tick

"Now having said that, ladies and gentlemen"

aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrr.......

did you listen to the psych for 2ck in order to prep for Step 1 (so it's the same material), or are you just saying watching psychiatry when you were preparing for Step 2 was much better than your experience watching BS when you were preparing for Step 1? Sorry if that's not the best wording...I'm getting tired🙂

 

[Anaphylactic]

I've been looking at the Kaplan website to find out more about these USMLE DVDs but could not find them. Can anyone post a link to these? Thanks.

 

[peter90036]

i watched the 2ck material for step 2ck prep (but i had previously tried to study for step 1 -thus bought webprep, but didnt take 1, just 2ck)
yes the psych for 2ck was better(for me) than BehSci
same with watching the other funny guy in internal medicine from which lectures i only remember they were funny...and: "ox clox diclox and naf", and when he was moving to show how the rash moves in RMSF ...that's about it.

understanding the books was always more beneficial than the videos (which only added a small percentage of benefit)

Anaphylactic: kaplan has a "30 visits" to watch the videos ...

 

[linuxgrl]

Gotta put in my plug for the endocrinology physio lectures. Just watched them last night and they are fantastic. I always had trouble keeping straight the effects of hormones and this guy makes it so easy. He puts everything in decision tree format and it was so helpful.

He talks slow though so you gotta speed it up to 1.5, sometimes 2x.

 

[Captopril]

Gotta put in my plug for the endocrinology physio lectures. Just watched them last night and they are fantastic. I always had trouble keeping straight the effects of hormones and this guy makes it so easy. He puts everything in decision tree format and it was so helpful.

He talks slow though so you gotta speed it up to 1.5, sometimes 2x.

Sorry I know it's an old topic, but had to comment on the African dude in the physio videos. His "double bubble" story is glorious.

 

[NRAI2001]

Where do you get these videos from??

 

[Saladin MD]

Where do you get these videos from??

The same place we get our crack: the black market.

 

[nope80]

Can someone elaborate about these videos? Are these sold through kaplan or do you have to buy one of their packages ?

 

[lantus99]

What's wrong with the new physio guy Fitzovich ? I haven't gotten to him yet..... Are there any issues with any of the newer speakers on the current videos? i.e. Seastone - I'm definitely not feeling this Reichenbecher guy for genetics ugh!!

 

[doctorvp]

Can someone elaborate about these videos? Are these sold through kaplan or do you have to buy one of their packages ?

These are bootleg videos that are floating around on the net.. Kaplan does not, and has never sold them.

 

[BlondeCookie]

I've been looking at the Kaplan website to find out more about these USMLE DVDs but could not find them. Can anyone post a link to these? Thanks.

You have to enroll in a Kaplan course to watch their DVDs. It is the same material as in their live lectures, but instead of watching the lecture live in a classroom with other students you sit in the Kaplan computer lab and watch the videos while you are in the Kaplan center. The advantage is that you get to stop the playback, rewind, and listen again if you miss something. The disadvantage is that it takes longer to get through everything because you keep hitting rewind, play, etc. Being in the class forces you to be on the ball so you are constantly paying attention.

 

[drpenny]

Hey can someone please tell me if things have changed drastically from the older videos to the newer ones?

Someone told me I really need to get the new kap books and the new videos, but honestly I think most of the stuff is the same. I don't wan't to spend my last $600 buck for something I don't necessarily need.


By the way, I have the kap books with that are blue, quite old I know...any advice?

 

[usmle99]

HI,
Kaplan blue books are more than enough!
even white books 2004 edition also oki!


kaplan videos it all depends whether u can sit throuogh lectures!
new videos are definitely better!

 

[drpenny]

HI,
Kaplan blue books are more than enough!
even white books 2004 edition also oki!


kaplan videos it all depends whether u can sit throuogh lectures!
new videos are definitely better!

By any chance do you know where I can get the new videos from? I am really stressed out bcs the guy who offered the new videos is asking for $600 and I am flat broke!!! Can you help me with this?

Oh yeah and I actually have the 2004 edition of the books, just checked.
'04 books, do they coincide with the new videos?

 

[usmle99]

Hi,
At the most there may be shuffling of topics as in micro! and in biochem few chemical structure that be added or deleted in new editions!thats no way gonna affect!

Dont waste 600$!
I think recession is something thats on papers only!
HY mol bio for 110$ ?????????kaplan videos for 600$?????????

 

[drpenny]

Thanks for the headsup. I wont waste time buying the books...can't afford them anyhow, but i was gonna beg a couple of my friends for some cash...lol

I'll just have to get the latest video/dvds I guess...then I will be on the road to success

 

[scube]

penny,

I just talked to a friend of mine who has the newest and the ones before that. THings haven't changed much. Unless they get a doc that is stellar it wont. Infact my friend hates the new physio guy. Use what you have save your money for a trip after you kick the boards arse.

 

[harrypotter]

Is anyone out there using the dvds w the 4 book set (rather than the 7book set)?

is it hard to find the corresponding book chapter vs dvd chapter?

 

[drpenny]

penny,

I just talked to a friend of mine who has the newest and the ones before that. THings haven't changed much. Unless they get a doc that is stellar it wont. Infact my friend hates the new physio guy. Use what you have save your money for a trip after you kick the boards arse.

Thanks Scube,

I feel reassured now. I will be watching a subject/wk. Hope I can stomach all the lectures Oh well, I don't have much choice...being out of school for such a long time.

Thanks again for f/u

 

[scube]

Thanks Scube,

I feel reassured now. I will be watching a subject/wk. Hope I can stomach all the lectures Oh well, I don't have much choice...being out of school for such a long time.

Thanks again for f/u

subject a week may not be the way to tackle it. I would shoot for hours a week. some subjects are very short ( 8-10 hours total) some are long (40 hours). my best guess is 160-180 hours, less if you take out path, most can be watched at 1.5-1.8. so it is very doable in 6 wks even with other stuff in your life.

 

[lantus99]

2 questions:

i'm watching the videos now but need advice on how to plan ahead for what i will do for pathology :

are the new path videos by barone (not kaplan book, just video) worth watching if your path is weak? i wasn't sure if I should watch him first and then listen and read goljan rapid review and audio. Or should I ditch the pathology from kaplan completely and start with goljan book and audio?

2. is it ok to watch the videos like this to build up the basics from each and move on to the harder subjects? : anatomy , physio, biochem, micro immuno, path and pharm after.

i dont like the neuro or genetics people!

 

[drpenny]

subject a week may not be the way to tackle it. I would shoot for hours a week. some subjects are very short ( 8-10 hours total) some are long (40 hours). my best guess is 160-180 hours, less if you take out path, most can be watched at 1.5-1.8. so it is very doable in 6 wks even with other stuff in your life.

sounds more reasonable that way...thanks! How do I change the speed?

 

[scube]

sounds more reasonable that way...thanks! How do I change the speed?

I use quicktime, up at the top you have to open video controls. I think the same can be done in WMV. I think this has been discussed on the forum, if you search you might find your answer

 

[nlax30]

For those who don't like quicktime or with slightly older computers you may want to give VLC Medial player a try -> http://www.videolan.org/

It's just a free and open source media/video player that plays back pretty much any format under the sun and take up too much system resources. Also has a slider to adjust playback speed to whatever you want. It's what I use for any sort of video playback now. And it's getting PLENTY of use with board review now.

 

[lantus99]

I am debating on the path lectures. Does anyone know how many hours the pathology lectures are? I'm about to start path this week and wasn't sure if Barone was worth watching as a refresher. I finished anat-biochem.genetics-physio and micro so far. Still got BS and Pharm to do.

Is it worth watching him and then going to listening and reading Goljan RR? Or go straight to Goljan? Thanks.

I saved so much time speeding the videos and dropping the kaplan lecture notes and used the relevant kaplan medessentials sections instead PRIOR to watching each corresponding lectures. After that, FA flies by! Those big blue lecture notes were too damn thick! And if I did not say it before, that neuroscience guy is horrible! 👎 Genetics wasn't so great either. The other people were not so bad.

 

[harrypotter]

lantus,
oh i can't stand the neuro guy either lol ... he's so... blah

I have a question about how you're using medessentials. Are you just reading it before hand and then watching the videos? Have you been able to follow along alright? How do you use FA then?

Thanks!

 

[lantus99]

harrypotter, I am just going through for example, the anatomy from the first section and then doing the anatomy from each system in the second section and going along to the videos. The index for each section breaks it down fairly well. Doing the same for each other subject.

I just can't retain all the info from the lecture notes. After the videos, I am doing the subject based board simulator series to get more concept based info.

Then after that I will go through all the anatomy for example in FA from the inlay on the cover chart. The medessentials has all of the main charts, graphs and tables. Most of it spills into first aid so it is like looking/reading it 2x as medessentials and videos being the primer. Basically I am using medessentials as a first pass. I will be using RR for 5 days (mostly the audio sections) and then UW+FA for my last 3 weeks. I am using UW more as a refresher of topics I have already went over.

There's no way I can or will remember EVERYTHING from RR. FA for memorizing the finite details, the videos at an increased speed and bss and goljan audio for concepts. I just want the big picture of things and get whatever else from First Aid. I have about 5 weeks until my exam. I decided not to do the barone videos. Too many sources drove me crazy and I feel much better!

 

[scube]

harrypotter, I am just going through for example, the anatomy from the first section and then doing the anatomy from each system in the second section and going along to the videos. The index for each section breaks it down fairly well. Doing the same for each other subject.

I just can't retain all the info from the lecture notes. After the videos, I am doing the subject based board simulator series to get more concept based info.

Then after that I will go through all the anatomy for example in FA from the inlay on the cover chart. The medessentials has all of the main charts, graphs and tables. Most of it spills into first aid so it is like looking/reading it 2x as medessentials and videos being the primer. Basically I am using medessentials as a first pass. I will be using RR for 5 days (mostly the audio sections) and then UW+FA for my last 3 weeks. I am using UW more as a refresher of topics I have already went over.

There's no way I can or will remember EVERYTHING from RR. FA for memorizing the finite details, the videos at an increased speed and bss and goljan audio for concepts. I just want the big picture of things and get whatever else from First Aid. I have about 5 weeks until my exam. I decided not to do the barone videos. Too many sources drove me crazy and I feel much better!

Goljan says "don't use the kaplan notes, use these, thats why you are here, thats why you came" kinda confusing seeing as he was teaching for kaplan

 

[harrypotter]

thanks lantus!! it sounds like a really good plan and good luck on the test!!!