MKSAP 2 vs 3 for IM shelf

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Red Beard

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So I was looking at threads with recommendations for the IM shelf....prior to the release of MKSAP for students 3, MKSAP 2 was apparently considered the best resource....a ton of posts here along the lines of "MKSAP 2 is all you need."

More recent threads that came out after MKSAP 3 was released have a lot more comments like "total waste of time, not helpful at all for the shelf."

So I was doing MKSAP 3 today, and switched over to MKSAP 2 to do questions on the same topics....I've scored significantly lower on the same topics I already covered on MKSAP 3!

Did MKSAP get easier with the release of version 3?

The only other explanation for the change in people's enthusiasm about MKSAP would be if the shelf is harder now than it was 3 or 4 years ago. Based on what I'm seeing, the MKSAP questions seem to have gotten easier though....although I don't have MKSAP 4 so who knows.

Thoughts?

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MKSAP 2 was a beast to get through but well worth the effort. Many people complained about it's rigor and thus it probably changed with the new edition. Personally, MKSAP was responsible for my high shelf exam score and subsequent Honors in IM. I was the only person in my class to get completely through it and I received the highest shelf score.

I will say that for my year, the IM shelf was one of the most difficult shelf exams and MKSAP 2 was a good resource for questions.
 
Don't mean to hijack, but I have MKSAP 4 and I'm wondering the same thing. It was an impluse buy; I saw the newest edition and I just clicked "Add to Cart".

To redbeard: FWIW, I've been reading these forums as well and so far I concluded that the Kaplan CK QBook is the most-recommended question source for the IM shelf. I guess that's why I bought the 4th edition of MKSAP...
 
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I am using MKSAP 4 for the medicine shelf. I also have 3, but I like the way that 4 is broken up by system instead of by symptom.

I am also using NMS, which is about as thrilling as an instruction manual - I can see why people prefer Step Up. I've also found it helpful to refer back to RR path and FA which I used and annotated for Step 1.
 
I am using MKSAP 4 for the medicine shelf. I also have 3, but I like the way that 4 is broken up by system instead of by symptom.

I am also using NMS, which is about as thrilling as an instruction manual - I can see why people prefer Step Up. I've also found it helpful to refer back to RR path and FA which I used and annotated for Step 1.

I was thinking of going back home for Christmas and picking them up to use for reference again. I find myself constantly wanting to flip through those books to clarify a basic mechanism of something I forgot.
 
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