Preparing for 2nd year

[ahowardmd]

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So I'm getting ready to start 2nd year of medical school, thinking about how I'm going to get through it. How do these purchases sound?

medium robbins + Goljan audio + rapid review path = to get through path

USMLE World qbank + first aid + Doctors in Training = get ready for STEP 1.

Anything I'm missing? What have y'all heard about Gunner Training?

 

[mdeast]

So I'm getting ready to start 2nd year of medical school, thinking about how I'm going to get through it. How do these purchases sound?

medium robbins + Goljan audio + rapid review path = to get through path

USMLE World qbank + first aid + Doctors in Training = get ready for STEP 1.

Anything I'm missing? What have y'all heard about Gunner Training?

I'm gonna use Gunner Training from September-January. Maybe once a week or when I have time to review MS1 concepts and help me review for exams. I love the whole notecard approach, but am usually too lazy to make 'em. Then switch to USLME World or something similar closer to the exam. I've decided to delay clinics one month for the extra study time...so I may have a ridiculous 3 month block to study for boards and finish up my basic science research project and any other pubs before entering clinics.

We started our MS2 material last March (Cardio, Cancer, and Pulmonary Blocks). I'd highly recommend First Aid, Basic Science: Organ Systems if you have a similar block system. It's well organized by disease, has key points of physio, etc. Also, because my school doesn't necessarily teach everything that's on boards...it's nice to study additional relevant material using First Aid Organ Systems WHILE you're taking that block, rather than in 6 months when you're studying for Step 1 and are like...."what's a lung?" Personally, I find regular First Aid useless as it's more in outline form. Good if you like annotating though. Look to your upperclassmen as well for resources. I pretty much pass every exam by studying high-yield TA notes that get handed out every block. AMAZING.

 

[bruinhd]

So I'm getting ready to start 2nd year of medical school, thinking about how I'm going to get through it. How do these purchases sound?

medium robbins + Goljan audio + rapid review path = to get through path

USMLE World qbank + first aid + Doctors in Training = get ready for STEP 1.

Anything I'm missing? What have y'all heard about Gunner Training?

Your study plan is almost exactly what I used. I found that most of the time, fetal Robbins was more than enough for the first time through. Use the pocket fetal Robbins to read casually, then use your notes + RR Path every other time through and you should be good.

 

[Elbowstoopointy]

So I'm getting ready to start 2nd year of medical school, thinking about how I'm going to get through it. How do these purchases sound?

medium robbins + Goljan audio + rapid review path = to get through path

USMLE World qbank + first aid + Doctors in Training = get ready for STEP 1.

Anything I'm missing? What have y'all heard about Gunner Training?

Gunnter training is legit. Read the FA section first, then do the GT flash cards, then do the review q's. You have to use it daily though and I'm too lazy right now to touch it during summer

 

[Elbowstoopointy]

I'm gonna use Gunner Training from September-January. Maybe once a week or when I have time to review MS1 concepts and help me review for exams. I love the whole notecard approach, but am usually too lazy to make 'em. Then switch to USLME World or something similar closer to the exam. I've decided to delay clinics one month for the extra study time...so I may have a ridiculous 3 month block to study for boards and finish up my basic science research project and any other pubs before entering clinics.

We started our MS2 material last March (Cardio, Cancer, and Pulmonary Blocks). I'd highly recommend First Aid, Basic Science: Organ Systems if you have a similar block system. It's well organized by disease, has key points of physio, etc. Also, because my school doesn't necessarily teach everything that's on boards...it's nice to study additional relevant material using First Aid Organ Systems WHILE you're taking that block, rather than in 6 months when you're studying for Step 1 and are like...."what's a lung?" Personally, I find regular First Aid useless as it's more in outline form. Good if you like annotating though. Look to your upperclassmen as well for resources. I pretty much pass every exam by studying high-yield TA notes that get handed out every block. AMAZING.

Only issue with this book is it has more errors than I have ever seen in any published book. Errata is like 60 pages long

 

[willen101383]

I am starting M2 in a few weeks as well. I am at a DO but plan on taking the USMLE as well as COMLEX. Every time I search step 1 study methods all I see is the taus method...and it seems like that is a 6 month plus method. I am a bit older so most of my friends are either pgy 2s,3s or attendings by now.

Is there ONE good spot where I can figure out WTF i need to get in order to prepare for the step 1. I am not a major gunner...nor am I shooting for 260. But I want to have a solid above average score to enhance the possibility of matching into allo EM (at this point anyway).

Advice? So far I have a free copy of goljan and have first aid which I have been using to study for systems (we start systems at the end of M1..so far have done cardio, renal, pulm).

 

[ahowardmd]

Your study plan is almost exactly what I used. I found that most of the time, fetal Robbins was more than enough for the first time through. Use the pocket fetal Robbins to read casually, then use your notes + RR Path every other time through and you should be good.

Excellent, makes me more confident about my plan. I didn't do as well as I would have liked to this year...gotta step it up a notch.

Gunnter training is legit. Read the FA section first, then do the GT flash cards, then do the review q's. You have to use it daily though and I'm too lazy right now to touch it during summer

I think I'll sign up for half a year...then do USMLE World the 2nd half of the year.

 

[bruinhd]

I am starting M2 in a few weeks as well. I am at a DO but plan on taking the USMLE as well as COMLEX. Every time I search step 1 study methods all I see is the taus method...and it seems like that is a 6 month plus method. I am a bit older so most of my friends are either pgy 2s,3s or attendings by now.

Is there ONE good spot where I can figure out WTF i need to get in order to prepare for the step 1. I am not a major gunner...nor am I shooting for 260. But I want to have a solid above average score to enhance the possibility of matching into allo EM (at this point anyway).

Advice? So far I have a free copy of goljan and have first aid which I have been using to study for systems (we start systems at the end of M1..so far have done cardio, renal, pulm).

Do your best to focus during the year and supplement with Goljan. When it comes time to study for the boards, you will toss both of these things to the wayside. They will net you 10% of the questions when FA and UW don't cover it.

In the 1 or 2 months of Step 1 prep, utilize everything this guy said: DIT, FA and UW. Go through FA at least twice, the first time with DIT. Go through all of UW at least once. Twice is optimal.

The Step will be like ~2/3 UW concepts, then ~1/3 will be facts you straight memorized out of FA -- ie what does this virus do, which of these is a feature of Crohn's, etc.

10% of Step 1 will be out of the little nitpicky details they had you learn in second year, coupled with stuff you've never heard of or have no way of answering.

Hope this helps.

 

[medstud87]

Do your best to focus during the year and supplement with Goljan. When it comes time to study for the boards, you will toss both of these things to the wayside. They will net you 10% of the questions when FA and UW don't cover it.

In the 1 or 2 months of Step 1 prep, utilize everything this guy said: DIT, FA and UW. Go through FA at least twice, the first time with DIT. Go through all of UW at least once. Twice is optimal.

The Step will be like ~2/3 UW concepts, then ~1/3 will be facts you straight memorized out of FA -- ie what does this virus do, which of these is a feature of Crohn's, etc.

10% of Step 1 will be out of the little nitpicky details they had you learn in second year, coupled with stuff you've never heard of or have no way of answering.

Hope this helps.

Great help.

When would you suggest starting UWorld if you are aiming to get through it 2x? Also would doing kaplan q bank 1st semester, then Uworld 2nd, be beneficial or a waste to buy both.

 

[willen101383]

Do your best to focus during the year and supplement with Goljan. When it comes time to study for the boards, you will toss both of these things to the wayside. They will net you 10% of the questions when FA and UW don't cover it.

In the 1 or 2 months of Step 1 prep, utilize everything this guy said: DIT, FA and UW. Go through FA at least twice, the first time with DIT. Go through all of UW at least once. Twice is optimal.

The Step will be like ~2/3 UW concepts, then ~1/3 will be facts you straight memorized out of FA -- ie what does this virus do, which of these is a feature of Crohn's, etc.

10% of Step 1 will be out of the little nitpicky details they had you learn in second year, coupled with stuff you've never heard of or have no way of answering.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this advice as well!! Any other contributions would be welcome!!

 

[secants]

I will also be a second year and from browsing the Step 1 forum, Gunner Training and Pathoma seem to be highly acclaimed so I will definitely try those out.

Besides Path, does anyone have any tips for Micro and Pharm? I know Clinical Micro made easy is usually recommended and is pharmcard enough for pharm? Basically is there some gold standard for these two classes like Pathology has or just rely on Class notes?

 

[AKAdemic]

Anyone care to share one of those one-month subscription things to gunner training? I'd like to check it out.

 

[UAAWolf]

I will also be a second year and from browsing the Step 1 forum, Gunner Training and Pathoma seem to be highly acclaimed so I will definitely try those out.

Besides Path, does anyone have any tips for Micro and Pharm? I know Clinical Micro made easy is usually recommended and is pharmcard enough for pharm? Basically is there some gold standard for these two classes like Pathology has or just rely on Class notes?

For pharm I heard just go hard in class and that first aid is enough. If all else fails I think the Kaplan vids are good for pharm.

 

[link2swim06]

Anyone care to share one of those one-month subscription things to gunner training? I'd like to check it out.

It has a free trial subscription.