QBanks - with best explanations?

[rb10]

I have been using USMLERx for a little while, and though they just made some "updates" - Im not sure about them. I liked that they had references to FA, but I feel as though using them might be leaving too much in the hands of the FA team.

So, which bank should I switch to? UW or QBank?

Which would you say has better concept explanations?

Seems UW has good 3rd order questions.... and the new QBank has some gimmicks as well, with ReKap, worth it?

thanks everyone!

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[hasha100]

I'm currently using Kaplan and I like it. It's a good way to learn but it seems that some of the questions are very detailed (stuff that probably won't be tested on Step 1). I'm going to get UWorld in a few days because I've heard really good things about it. Most ppl say UWorld is more similar to the type of questions asked on Step 1, so most likely if you're going to get a question bank UWorld is the way to go.

 

[rb10]

that is what i was thinking as well.

the only think holding me back was that I also heard Kaplan had good explanations... does UW do a good job?

also, is the ReKap thing useful, or just marketing?

 

[hasha100]

I don't have UWorld, so I can't comment on their explanations. Kaplan on the other hand does have very thorough explanations. Regarding the ReKap, it is useful every once in a while but I don't think it's very necessary. Oftentimes, the ReKap reiterates what was already said in the explanation so I end up reading the same thing twice.

 

[rb10]

thanks! i wish goljan could write the explanations... to the point and concept oriented.



EDIT: just looked at the demo on UW and the explanations look great and the education points seem to be money!

 

[Blesbok]

If you are only getting one, kaplan is a joke compared to UW. And i have had both.

 

[bikedoc1021]

why so you say q-bank is a joke compared to usmle world? an explaination would be more useful than a blanket insult.

 

[Blesbok]

why so you say q-bank is a joke compared to usmle world? an explaination would be more useful than a blanket insult.

The questions they ask and their explanations are a joke compared to UW. Try them both and you will see.

 

[ASDIC]

Qbank sucks.

Let me give some examples from a few recent tests I took in microbio and immuno.

First of all, their questions are poorly written. They want you to recall obscure facts such as Paul Bunnell antigens, and layer of the epidermis HPV infects. None of this crap is in Big Robbins, Goljian, and not even wikipedia.

Second, some of their questions have wrong answers. For example, one question said IgE mediated worm killing is Type 1 hypersensitivity, which we all know is wrong. Another said, densensitization therapy is used to induce Th1 response, which again is wrong. I checked several sources that said allergic desensitization is used to induce anti-IgE IgG.

Third, their photomicrographs for the questions are messed up. In an identification question, they had an arrow (supposedly) pointing to a nucleous, but the arrow was bigger than the cell itself and it looked like it was pointing to the cell. In addition, a lot of the pictures lack resolution and they want you figure out looking at some blur.

Fourth, their explanations suck big time. A lot of the questions simply have high yield facts associated with the questions, which in no way help you reason why the answer is correct or incorrect.

The funny thing is that I am scoring way higher on USMLE World than I was on qbank. The former relies on logical processes to arrive at an answer, while the latter simply wants you to recall facts and put 2 and 2 together. Given my experience with shelf exams, the NBME wants you to be logical and not some memory machine.

 

[lankysudanese]

Qbank sucks.

In an identification question, they had an arrow (supposedly) pointing to a nucleous, but the arrow was bigger than the cell itself and it looked like it was pointing to the cell. In addition, a lot of the pictures lack resolution and they want you figure out looking at some blur.

I had the exact same experience on my real test. but you could hardly argue that kaplan is secretly training you for these horribly written questions.

 

[Blesbok]

Qbank sucks.

Let me give some examples from a few recent tests I took in microbio and immuno.

First of all, their questions are poorly written. They want you to recall obscure facts such as Paul Bunnell antigens, and layer of the epidermis HPV infects. None of this crap is in Big Robbins, Goljian, and not even wikipedia.

Second, some of their questions have wrong answers. For example, one question said IgE mediated worm killing is Type 1 hypersensitivity, which we all know is wrong. Another said, densensitization therapy is used to induce Th1 response, which again is wrong. I checked several sources that said allergic desensitization is used to induce anti-IgE IgG.

Third, their photomicrographs for the questions are messed up. In an identification question, they had an arrow (supposedly) pointing to a nucleous, but the arrow was bigger than the cell itself and it looked like it was pointing to the cell. In addition, a lot of the pictures lack resolution and they want you figure out looking at some blur.

Fourth, their explanations suck big time. A lot of the questions simply have high yield facts associated with the questions, which in no way help you reason why the answer is correct or incorrect.

The funny thing is that I am scoring way higher on USMLE World than I was on qbank. The former relies on logical processes to arrive at an answer, while the latter simply wants you to recall facts and put 2 and 2 together. Given my experience with shelf exams, the NBME wants you to be logical and not some memory machine.

I had one that didn't even have an arrow. it asked me to identify the blood supply of the structure that the arrow was pointing to and then showed me an xray of the entire pelvic region without an arrow.

 

[InternationlDoc]

I had the same one Blesbok!

yea some of the stuff on kaplan is whack! but I think Kaplan Qbank is not bad at all. I just got UWorld and took random 30 question - did really well, and I think that is in large part due to having been through most of kaplan.

but man, the explanations on UWorld are excellent! its almost like reading a text book. I never knew ear anatomy till I read it on one of the question explanations - like wow.

 

[Labslave]

For what it's worth, I've seen all three question banks (and happen to be an author for USMLERx) and can state without a doubt that World blows the others out of the water. It's not even close. The one drawback is the fact that there aren't as many questions in World as there are in the other Q banks.