Official QBank Thread

[Pox in a box]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This is now the official thread for QBank discussion since there are a lot of different threads with common themes.

 

[2TIM4:7]

Is it just me or is the full length test Kaplan offers super-evil? I did a full 10 points lower on it than I have been on the Qbank! What's the deal?

I just took it today and it mirrored my Qbank percentage.

 

[nutmegs]

Is it just me or is the full length test Kaplan offers super-evil? I did a full 10 points lower on it than I have been on the Qbank! What's the deal?

yeah, I thought it sucked and was nothing like qbank, I took the real thing yesterday and it's not that bad, I thought...

 

[anamarylee]

I thought QBank was supposed to be updated. I just ran into a RA question that puts a COX2 inhibitor as the correct answer (OL885). All the other ones are not appropriate choices. I haven't found a link in the Kaplan page to report these kinds of errors. If I'm mistaken, someone, anyone... please show me the way.

 

[allylz]

according to kaplan you can e-mail "[email protected]" to report things like that.

still, if all the other ones are inappropriate, it's not like it's illegal to use a COX2, right? i mean if that's what COX-2s are supposed to be used for, and the person doesn't have heart problems that would seem like they were implying COX2s were contraindicated, then i think it's still safe to say that's the answer to the question. then again, i'm no pharm genius.

 

[RLMD]

My FA 2004 says COX-2's are used to treat rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Is it the same in 2005? For now, if FA says it, thats what Im going with.

 

[Cowboy DO]

So im only about 75% through Qbank, and now when i do tests i never get any Histo, Cell-bio, Genetics, Biostats, Embryo or biochem. I havent done any blocks with just these subjects so whats the deal with them running out early. Those are the subjects i suck at so now my scores are awesome but they dont mean as much. Has this happend to everyone else?

 

[allylz]

75% is pretty far through Qbank.
if you're worried about those subjects why not do tests where you select those disciplines specifically and do "unused and incorrect"?

 

[Cowboy DO]

yeah thats what ill probably do. You'd think though kaplan would give you enough questions to make it all the way through the whole thing.

 

[Kluver_Bucy]

Everyone seems to say Qbank sucks for Step 1. Can anyone that took the test actually defend the Qbank questions and say it helped?

 

[jojo14]

I think QBank helped me. I had a few repeats on the actual exam today (word for word) I used something like 105% of it. I went over all of my weak areas, like the Biochem questions multiple times, and made sure I knew what I would expect for each answer if it was on the test. Yeah, I knew the answers after a while, but I still ended up learning what I needed to out of the question so I would get it right for the real deal. Plus you learn nuances between nitpicky diseases/drugs stone cold.

 

[nutmegs]

qbank helped me. I used it to study from, actually, by reviewing my tests and reading all the little answers. the sheer repetition of doing that many questions is invaluable, IMO

 

[katieb]

I'm taking Step 1 in 5 days. I've been getting consistently about 70% in the last week or so, but suddently is it normal for my random 50-question Qbank average to fall by 10% in the last couple of days? Or are people consistently improving? Or am I just freaking out?

 

[nutmegs]

I'm taking Step 1 in 5 days. I've been getting consistently about 70% in the last week or so, but suddently is it normal for my random 50-question Qbank average to fall by 10% in the last couple of days? Or are people consistently improving? Or am I just freaking out?

don't freak. I started sucking at qbank so I just stopped and concentrated on reading first aid.

 

[kmmymac]

This might be a dumb question, or a really lazy one since I'm getting tired of studying, but how much information should I be taking away from the questions? I'm seeing a LOT of information in the questions and the answers that I have not covered in my review books, or in the 2 years of med school! Is the content of Qbank reflective of the content of the boards, or should I be looking at Qbank as a "trainer" for this test, cuz like earlier posts said, doing all those questions have got to yield something...

 

[allylz]

should I be looking at Qbank as a "trainer" for this test, cuz like earlier posts said, doing all those questions have got to yield something...

when i do practice questions i usually take them as a kind of prototype, like, here is the TYPE of question i want to be able to answer (so if they phrased it another way, or for example if the question is about factitious disorder i want to make sure i also know about somatization disorder and conversion disorder cause those are all in the same category and obviously all fair game).

with qbank the questions are harder than the exam so if you want to ace the exam, you probably want to be able to do well on qbank, but if you just want to pass i would look at the questions on the orientation CD (or the orientation website if you didn't get the CD) from NBME and use those as my prototype.

 

[anamarylee]

My FA 2004 says COX-2's are used to treat rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Is it the same in 2005? For now, if FA says it, thats what Im going with.

The 2005 FA says the same thing, except it adds that refecoxib (Vioxx) is now withdrawn (p 308). Valdecoxib (Bextra) has also been withdrawn from the market (the 2005 FA puts it with celecoxib as treatment of RA and OA, so I don't think this is the most recent information). For more information, check the FDA Public Health Advisory from late December 2004:

"Public Health Advisory: FDA Recommendations Concerning the Use of NSAIDs
Audience: All healthcare professionals and consumers
The FDA issued a Public Health Advisory summarizing the agency's recent recommendations concerning the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug products (NSAIDs), including those known as COX-2 selective agents. This advisory was issued because of recently released data from controlled clinical trials showing that the COX-2 selective agents (Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra) may be associated with an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke)"

 

[JMD]

So, I have a week until my exam... my q-bank scores have been up in the range I want them to be and NBME #1 that I did yesterday gave me some confidence and then "WHAM"- I sit down and do 2 blocks of q-bank this morning and bomb them (drop like 15 points).

Anyone else have this happen to them? Basically just had all of my confidence drained out of me 🙁 .

 

[nutmegs]

So, I have a week until my exam... my q-bank scores have been up in the range I want them to be and NBME #1 that I did yesterday gave me some confidence and then "WHAM"- I sit down and do 2 blocks of q-bank this morning and bomb them (drop like 15 points).

Anyone else have this happen to them? Basically just had all of my confidence drained out of me 🙁 .

this happens to everybody. check out your answers to see where you went wrong briefly, but don't dwell on it.

 

[kimm70]

this happens to everybody. check out your answers to see where you went wrong briefly, but don't dwell on it.

I have two weeks until my exam and was doing pretty well until yesterday and today where I went down 15-20% on a few blocks. I am freaking out and am trying to talk myself into taking the evening off. Is it possible just to get 50 really crappy, hard questions or should I be panicking? Every question seemed hard--there were no "gimmes." It seems like even things I know I didn't recognize and if I could narrow it down to two choices I invariably chose incorrectly. Ugh. I am glad I moved my test from the 25th to July 2nd. At least I have one more week to try to remedy things.

 

[k2md]

Argh! My test is on Wednesday and I'm freaking out...was reviewing a test on QBank, then all of a sudden I got an error, "error processing your request." Now, I am able to log in, click on "Start" under Step 1 Qreview, and click on QBank...but once I click on anything on the next screen ("Step 1 IV Qbank," "Step 1 Qbank," or "Cumulative Performance Reports"), all of those give me an error:
________________________________________________
There was an error processing your request.

To correct this error message, please try the following:

Configure your Internet Security Application.
Security applications, such as Norton Internet Security and McAfee Internet Security (among others), include a privacy feature which affects the functionality of our online courses. To ensure that you access your online resources without technical difficulties, please turn the privacy services/privacy control option off or add kaptest.com to the trusted list. Please refer to your software user's guide if you are not sure how to do this.

Do not use a "favorite" to access your online resources.
Kaplan's courses use many of the latest Internet technologies. While the online functionality will work most of the time if you use the "favorites" option to log in to your Kaplan homepage, there may be times when your internet browser will display the above message. We recommend you always type "www.kaptest.com" in the address bar of your browser to access your Kaplan resources.

AOL users should not use the AOL browser.
If you're an AOL user, minimize AOL's browser and use either Internet Explorer (recommended for PC users) or Safari (recommended for Mac users).

If you still need assistance, please call us at 1-800-KAPTEST.
______________________________________________________

Basically, now I can't access any Qbank features...and it has worked until that moment for a few months, and I haven't changed any settings or anything. Has this happened to anybody here? If so, what did you do?? Thanks for you help...I'm freaking out! =O

 

[bluebirdie]

Argh! My test is on Wednesday and I'm freaking out...was reviewing a test on QBank, then all of a sudden I got an error, "error processing your request." Now, I am able to log in, click on "Start" under Step 1 Qreview, and click on QBank...but once I click on anything on the next screen ("Step 1 IV Qbank," "Step 1 Qbank," or "Cumulative Performance Reports"), all of those give me an error:
________________________________________________
There was an error processing your request.

To correct this error message, please try the following:

Configure your Internet Security Application.
Security applications, such as Norton Internet Security and McAfee Internet Security (among others), include a privacy feature which affects the functionality of our online courses. To ensure that you access your online resources without technical difficulties, please turn the privacy services/privacy control option off or add kaptest.com to the trusted list. Please refer to your software user's guide if you are not sure how to do this.

Do not use a "favorite" to access your online resources.
Kaplan's courses use many of the latest Internet technologies. While the online functionality will work most of the time if you use the "favorites" option to log in to your Kaplan homepage, there may be times when your internet browser will display the above message. We recommend you always type "www.kaptest.com" in the address bar of your browser to access your Kaplan resources.

AOL users should not use the AOL browser.
If you're an AOL user, minimize AOL's browser and use either Internet Explorer (recommended for PC users) or Safari (recommended for Mac users).

If you still need assistance, please call us at 1-800-KAPTEST.
______________________________________________________

Basically, now I can't access any Qbank features...and it has worked until that moment for a few months, and I haven't changed any settings or anything. Has this happened to anybody here? If so, what did you do?? Thanks for you help...I'm freaking out! =O

I'm having the same problem. Didn't show up until today. I hope they fix it soon.

 

[k2md]

Alrighty it works now...I guess it was just a server fart...

 

[HiddenTruth]

so i came across this qbank q..and i think there is something missing. Testing for gag reflex, when right phar mucosa is touched, uvula deviates to the right, and when left is touched, the pt does not gag. Wanted to know where the lesion was.
a. Left GP and L vagus n.
b. L GP only
c. L vagus only
d. 5. 6. same as above except with right (irrelevant)

I got it right by selecting a. but I don't think u can preceisely rule out c. I mean it's clear that there is a left cagus involved (uvula edviates to the right), but how do u know based on this hx that there is a GP nerve lesin as well. Iknow GP serves as the afferent limp for the gag reflex. But, if there is a vagus lesion, you wouldn't get the gag right? In qbank it says, that if it was left side vagus only lesion, the pt would have deviation of the uvula to the right when a gag was elicited, but touching either side would elicit a gag. Does that seem right? I woudl think you need both to "visualize" a gag, even though afferent (IX) may be intact. And, technically, according to the hx touching the rt side would actually give u a gag, eh? Just a bad question I think.

 

[RLMD]

so i came across this qbank q..and i think there is something missing. Testing for gag reflex, when right phar mucosa is touched, uvula deviates to the right, and when left is touched, the pt does not gag. Wanted to know where the lesion was.
a. Left GP and L vagus n.
b. L GP only
c. L vagus only
d. 5. 6. same as above except with right (irrelevant)

I got it right by selecting a. but I don't think u can preceisely rule out c. I mean it's clear that there is a left cagus involved (uvula edviates to the right), but how do u know based on this hx that there is a GP nerve lesin as well. Iknow GP serves as the afferent limp for the gag reflex. But, if there is a vagus lesion, you wouldn't get the gag right? In qbank it says, that if it was left side vagus only lesion, the pt would have deviation of the uvula to the right when a gag was elicited, but touching either side would elicit a gag. Does that seem right? I woudl think you need both to "visualize" a gag, even though afferent (IX) may be intact. And, technically, according to the hx touching the rt side would actually give u a gag, eh? Just a bad question I think.

The gag reflex gives me a headache sometimes. I think normally if you initiate a gag reflex, CN IX will send the afferents to the medulla and then you will get BILATERAL projections from both vagal nuclei. this is why normally there is no tonsilar deviation because the action of the left and right vagus cancel each other out. If CN IX was intact you would get a gag reflex. if there is no gag reflex, CN IX is messed up.

 

[HiddenTruth]

The gag reflex gives me a headache sometimes. I think normally if you initiate a gag reflex, CN IX will send the afferents to the medulla and then you will get BILATERAL projections from both vagal nuclei. this is why normally there is no tonsilar deviation because the action of the left and right vagus cancel each other out. If CN IX was intact you would get a gag reflex. if there is no gag reflex, CN IX is messed up.

my question is, how are u getting a "gag" if vagus is jacked.

 

[RLMD]

my question is, how are u getting a "gag" if vagus is jacked.

I thought the question said, you touch the left side and no gag. that means CN IX is messed up. If it was ok, and it was just vagus that was jacked, then the patient would gag (doesnt matter if there is a deviation or not). and since there is a deviation, there has to be a problem with CN X as well. the only way you could get no gag with only a vagus problem is if both vagal nuclei/nerves were gone. the bilateral projections is the key.

 

[nice_guy]

so i came across this qbank q..and i think there is something missing. Testing for gag reflex, when right phar mucosa is touched, uvula deviates to the right, and when left is touched, the pt does not gag. Wanted to know where the lesion was.
a. Left GP and L vagus n.
b. L GP only
c. L vagus only
d. 5. 6. same as above except with right (irrelevant)

I got it right by selecting a. but I don't think u can preceisely rule out c. I mean it's clear that there is a left cagus involved (uvula edviates to the right), but how do u know based on this hx that there is a GP nerve lesin as well. Iknow GP serves as the afferent limp for the gag reflex. But, if there is a vagus lesion, you wouldn't get the gag right? In qbank it says, that if it was left side vagus only lesion, the pt would have deviation of the uvula to the right when a gag was elicited, but touching either side would elicit a gag. Does that seem right? I woudl think you need both to "visualize" a gag, even though afferent (IX) may be intact. And, technically, according to the hx touching the rt side would actually give u a gag, eh? Just a bad question I think.

I think you can rule out the fact that left GP is intact. If left GP were OK (and we already concluded right vagus is OK from its response to touching the right pharyngeal mucosa), then when touching the left GP, we would see a gag response on the right side at least. I guess the key is that like the light reflex and corneal reflex, there is a consensual response.

I realise this response is rather late, but hope it helps someone.

 

[njbmd]

I'm still looking for a definitive answer on how Qbank scores compare to real scores. In other posts people claim their dean said to shoot for 65-70% overall, and in another post (same thread) somebody claims their school says that 58-60% overall indicates a high liklihood of passing. A while back I looked around where people posted their actual scores (which were, for the most part, well above average) along with their Qbank percentages, which seemed well >70% for the most part.

So, if anybody can offer a more definitive answer to this question, please share!

Hi there,
There is no "magic" Q-Bank percentage that correlates with your score on USMLE Step I. Q-Bank is a great practice tool in that it can help you with practicing the questions in the manner in which they are asked on USMLE. For many students, this is useful because most medical schools ask regurgitation-type questions on their course exams and USMLE is far from this.

Do not make the mistake of getting a certain percentage of Q-Bank questions correct, lull you into thinking that USMLE will be a "chip-shot" for you. I have seen people with 80% correct on Q-Bank fail USMLE or barely pass. On the other hand, I have seen folks with 50% correct on Q-Bank ace USMLE Step I.

Q-Bank is a great tool for practice. Most of their questions are pickier than USMLE. There is no definitive percentage on Q-Bank that corresponds to how you will do on USMLE. Is Q-Bank work the money? I think so for practice but nothing more. BSS is a great resource too.

njbmd 🙂

 

[Amiroz]

Hey Guys
Ive definitely heard that u cant magically correlate any qbank score with actual scores a lot more than ive heard the opposite. But my situation is a little puzzling so i thought id ask anyway.
My average is pretty poor (62) I have done about 120% of qbank. However I had finished most of it before I studied pathology and i still have more than half of pharmacology to cover. my frist 5 scores were :
54
48
52
46
63
52
pretty poor, but some of them were before i started studying period, my last 5 scores are:
90
82
90
80
92

So my question is, some of the improvement is due to just me memorizing the exams, some of it is because of me learning some stuff. What kinda shape do you guys think Im in?
Miroz!

 

[Dr Chooch]

Hey Guys
Ive definitely heard that u cant magically correlate any qbank score with actual scores a lot more than ive heard the opposite. But my situation is a little puzzling so i thought id ask anyway.
My average is pretty poor (62) I have done about 120% of qbank. However I had finished most of it before I studied pathology and i still have more than half of pharmacology to cover. my frist 5 scores were :
54
48
52
46
63
52
pretty poor, but some of them were before i started studying period, my last 5 scores are:
90
82
90
80
92

So my question is, some of the improvement is due to just me memorizing the exams, some of it is because of me learning some stuff. What kinda shape do you guys think Im in?
Miroz!

I'd say your gonna.........SMOKE IT!! ahhhahahaha

No, seriously, those are awesome percentages but if you are redoing QBank questions I think it's kind of hard to interpret if you are improving in the areas that you need to for the reason you said....remembering the questions. I would take one of the NBME tests now because it will have some fresh questions and might give you a little more insight on your strong/weak areas. Or, you could just take the real test on Monday and leave yourself a whole week before your next rotation starts. 😉

Chooch

 

[Amiroz]

Smoke THIS! mother*****

'Sup Chooch, hope youre having a good time vacationing at ..... see i forget the exotic vacation spots you guys go to, hope ur enjoying skiing, paragliding, paracheuting , flying and the occasional space travel !

Imma do the NBME baby soon as Im done with my pharm mediocrity.
Thanx for the advice. I guess it will take until next summer for someone else to reply since its USMLE off-season. Maybe ahhh Kay or someone else who uses this site from our class would pop a reply, or an fmg or something.

Anyway, gotta get back to work. This studying is really giving me a rectal proplapse man!! oooops, there goes my epiglottis on the floor. alright gotta tuck in some!

PEACE!

 

[BigA]

I'm taking Step 1 in June, so theoretically I could start doing the Qbank questions now and probably have time to run through them twice. Would this be a good strategy, or is it better to "save" them until right before the test?

 

[Dr.Ivy.League]

How much trust should one put in the Q bank? Any takers? Is it a pure imitation or just an emulation? How much should one rely on it? 😱 😱

 

[DOctorJay]

how similar is the bootleg version of Qbank to the current one offered by Kaplan?

 

[raidermedic]

I'm taking Step 1 in June, so theoretically I could start doing the Qbank questions now and probably have time to run through them twice. Would this be a good strategy, or is it better to "save" them until right before the test?

I second this question. Is it better to just be able to go through Qbank twice or should I be diong Kaplans Qbook and saving Qbank for crunch time?

 

[Isoniazid]

how similar is the bootleg version of Qbank to the current one offered by Kaplan?

I guess it depends on the bootleg version that you have, but the qbank bootlegs that have gone around in the past couple of years at UMDNJ-SOM are exactly the same questions as the official usmle q-bank from kaplan.

 

[Spazz]

I'm taking Step 1 in June, so theoretically I could start doing the Qbank questions now and probably have time to run through them twice. Would this be a good strategy, or is it better to "save" them until right before the test?

To add to this question--

I've talked to folks who are saying to start Qbank now (I'm taking the Test in June), doing 50-question blocks, even though you haven't reviewed the material and score like in the 50's (or less). The advantages they pointed out are
1) you gain familiarity early on with the feel of the test format,
2) helps you build stamina bit by bit
3) this identifies weak points in your knowledge base and
4) the process of reviewing wrong answers is in itself a review and reinforcement of material.

Knowing me I couldn't grind through 6-8 hours of review books before hitting Qbank at the end of the day. Rather, based on what I've heard, I'm thinking about starting each day with a 50 question block on the topic I'm reviewing, like Physio questions for Physio day. Then I'd review the answer choices, right and wrong. In all that'd take me about 3 hrs, then I'd hit First Aid, etc. for the rest of the day.

Any thoughts to anyone out there?? Is it indeed better to "save" Qbank, and use other question resources in the meantime to I.D. your weakspots?

 

[Bones2008]

my classmates and I are taking step 1 over the next couple weeks. I started qbank just over 4 weeks before my test date and am on schedule to complete it a few days before the test. the prevailing sentiment I've heard from people who started qbank significantly earlier than that (like 2 months or more before test day) is that they simply don't remember the lessons they learned from the older questions. also, when they do the old questions again now they say they're not sure if they're getting them right because they can think it through or because they recognize the question.

to answer the other part of your post. I've found that the 6-8 hours of study is good to do before qbank. in all likelihood you will realize once you start taking qbank that it is (at least in my opinion) damn near worthless before studying the relevant material. this is for two reasons: 1) these questions are HARD, even for people who have been studying for a while; 2) qbank tests a fair amount of minutiae that are just really not high-yield/important for step 1, and you won't have a sense of what's important and what's not until you look through first aid, BRS, etc. do a few questions at the begining of the day if you feel like it'll help you get ready/psyched up, but a 50 question set on material you haven't relearned yet is just a waste of good questions on an unprepared mind, in my opinion.

 

[marcusab]

Hey does anyone know if its possible when doing qbank to only do questions you've done once? All I see is the unused/incorrect/unused+incorrect/all items. For those of you who did qbank a second time, how did you do it?

 

[JulianCrane]

Why are these questions so nit-picky and obscure?? Is this how the real exam is? I have the Robbins Review of Path Question book and I find those questions tough but straightforward. Is Kaplan trying to discourage me??

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

Coming to this website can be stressful sometimes. 🙂 It's sort of funny that the average score on QBank is 62%, yet it seems like most everyone here gets 70-80% or higher. My scores are a lot closer to the QBank average than the SDN average -- should I be concerned? I'm not going into a competitive field, so I don't need stellar scores -- breaking 210 would be fine for me!

 

[Adcadet]

Rust - very nice observation. I took Step 1 last year, and looking around at Step 1 scores showed that they were almost univerally above average. I've heard that Qbank is now reporting average scores (which is new this year) so it's nice that you point out that, as expected, the SDN posted average is well above average.

 

[(nicedream)]

Anyone else doing quite a bit better on USMLE Qbank than on COMLEX Qbank? At first (first couple blocks) my scores on USMLE Qbank were around 15 points lower, but since then (25 blocks of 25) my USMLE scores have been 10-15 points HIGHER....

 

[dreds]

Do most people use Q bank and IV Q bank? Is one better than the other?

 

[Pollicis]

Isoniazid,

Does your bootleg contain 41 blocks of 50 questions? I just started doing these, and in the first 4 blocks, I think I've seen 5-7 questions that keep on repeating. Does anyone else have this?

Thanks.

I guess it depends on the bootleg version that you have, but the qbank bootlegs that have gone around in the past couple of years at UMDNJ-SOM are exactly the same questions as the official usmle q-bank from kaplan.

 

[bolisol007]

Hey does anyone know if its possible when doing qbank to only do questions you've done once? All I see is the unused/incorrect/unused+incorrect/all items. For those of you who did qbank a second time, how did you do it?

I was wondering the same thing. Does anyone know how?

 

[marcusab]

Yeah I called Kaplan and they said the only way would be to flag all the questions that you want to take (say test 1, then test 2, etc), and then do them. It wasn't worth the time for me

I was wondering the same thing. Does anyone know how?

 

[bolisol007]

Yeah, i agree.
From PMing, it sounds like one way to do it is to start with all your incorrect anwsers and randomly go through questions after that. You probably will still get lots of repeat questions, but oh well.

Yeah I called Kaplan and they said the only way would be to flag all the questions that you want to take (say test 1, then test 2, etc), and then do them. It wasn't worth the time for me

 

[hey_you]

When you guys practice with QBank, do you do a block of random questions including all the subjects? or do you do 50 questions of a particular subject (e.g. microbiology)?

 

[(nicedream)]

When you guys practice with QBank, do you do a block of random questions including all the subjects? or do you do 50 questions of a particular subject (e.g. microbiology)?

Random - better approximates real thing, ie having to change line of thinking for each question.