Qbank vs. Medrevu vs. EMonline

[jaka13]

Please share your opinions and experiences with Kaplan Qbank, Medrevu online question bank and Exam master online question bank.

I'm trying to decide which set of questions best approximates the USMLE Step 1 format, but is also affordable.

Kaplan pretty much has a corner on the market... are any of the other test bank programs any good? Why or why not?

Anybody have any opinions?

Thanks!

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[pedia]

Hello. Although I did not take Step 1, I have recently took Step 2. I have used the cd-rom from exammaster. It is great. I also used the on-line program for exammaster. I found it better and extremely helpful. The format was exactly like the exam. The questions and the explanations were on target. I was surprised my scores improved within three days of using the exammaster on-line questions.



I had a short amount of time but it was definitely worth it.
You first do an exam in real time mode. Then do the study mode and check your answers. The explanations were excellent able to digest.
Then you take another exam or retake that exam at a later date. Because of my time frame, I re took it in 3 days and my score improved, also in 7 days.

I am currently using the cd-rom for Step 1. I definitely plan to get the on-line version of exammaster for Step1.
You also get the chance to create exams for that particular step. Endless amount of questions.!!!!

I walked into the exam with confidence.I was ready and believe it or not, I found the actual exam easier!!!. I was glad I was fully prepared.
I have used other study methods and courses over the past years but finally I found a program that fully prepares you. Believe me, building your confidence is 3/4 of the battle which could be that 75 or higher!!
That is my insight on USLME preparation and experience with EM-Online.
Good luck in your studies!!!!!!!

 

[PimplePopperMD]

Very few will be able to tell you with certainty which is best, because few of us have used all the sources.

I used QBank, primarily because I figured that they've been around and have the resources. I found that the QBank, along with First Aid, were the two best resources for study I had. I did every question, and ended up with a respectable score.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[ckent]

Everybody that I have talked with has told me that q bank is 20X better then medrevu. Medrevu doesn't have all of the good features of q bank, and their questions (BoardSimulatorSeries questions) are not nearly as useful as q bank questions. Q bank should be considered a requirement for step 1.

 

[BellKicker]

Hmmm,

I uses both medrevu and qBank. I guess qBank was a little better but medrevu gives you more questions for the money.

Medrevu generally has more diverse questions but the explanations are not as good as qBanks. They tend to be too long to read through, like if the question was about colon cancer, the explanation will start off "the colon, or large intestine, is the final part of the GI tract........." ALso, you can't go back to old tests, which might be the biggest drawback.

As for similarities to the actual test... Probably about the same, I think.

If you really like questions, do them both. If you only have time for one, do qBank.

Good luck.

 

[Amy]

So, is one month of Qbank access enough time to get through all the questions, or is a 3 month suscription more helpful? I figure I can use other sources (FA, class notes, BRS, etc) to study and use Qbank the month before the exam to solidify the information and "practice" for the real thing. Any suggestions? (I'm taking Step 1 in June).

 

[ckent]

Originally posted by Amy
So, is one month of Qbank access enough time to get through all the questions, or is a 3 month suscription more helpful? I figure I can use other sources (FA, class notes, BRS, etc) to study and use Qbank the month before the exam to solidify the information and "practice" for the real thing. Any suggestions? (I'm taking Step 1 in June).

1 month is just enough time to go through every question in q bank once while studying. I had a couple of classmates who didn't finish all of their q banks questions in one month, but I don't think that they would have finished all of their questions even had they purchased the 3 month option. By the time one month is up, you will be tired of doing q bank questions. It might be useful to go through the questions more then once, but most people that I know did not have the endurance to run through 2000 questions twice. If I were you, I would save the extra hundred bucks.

 

[Amy]

Thanks, kent. I really wasn't planning on spending the money for 3 months, but I wanted to hear people's opinions. I'm already broke from registering for the exam, but I hear Qbank is an essential study tool... I guess I can spare $130 to have access to all those questions.

 

[Scott_L]

Let me start by stating that I work for Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, who publish the medrevu question bank. But please don't read this as an advertisement.

First, I believe that the Kaplan Q-bank is a very good product. The Step 1 question bank on medrevu contains a total of 3,800 questions from the Board Simulator and NMS Step 1 product. There are going to be a number of technical enhancements made to the medrevu site including the ability to go back to old test. These will go live January of 2003. Medrevu is a less expensive alternative to Kaplan and provides an excellent source of basic science review. The explanations are in-depth. Medrevu is designed for the student that wants to prepare on their own. When I meet students that feel unsure about their ability to pass Step 1, I generally recommend them to Kaplan, Princeton or Dr. Jolly's KC review course.

If students are interested in learning more about the medrevu Q-bank, please contact me, I am the marketing manager for all review and clerkship products at LWW. I welcome all of your questions and feedback. One of the most important aspects of studying for Step 1 is to do as many questions as you can from multiple sources. The NBME has hundreds of question writers all with different writing styles.

If any of you are attending the national AMSA meeting this March in DC, I am having a USMLE prep panel discussion with LWW authors including Dr. Samir Mehta author of Step-Up, Dr. Linda Costanzo author of BRS Physiology and Drs. Pamela Champe and Richard Harvey of the Lippincott Illustrated Review Series. If you are going to be at the meeting, I hope you will attend.

Feel free to contact me and I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries as I do post from time to time but try not to advertise.

Regards,

Scott
[email protected]

 

[Y2KOK]

Originally posted by pedia
Hello. Although I did not take Step 1, I have recently took Step 2.

how were you able to avoid step 1??? yet move on to step II ???

 

[Amy]

Originally posted by Y2KOK
how were you able to avoid step 1??? yet move on to step II ???

You can take Steps 1 & 2 in either order, but both must be taken before Step 3.