Question banks?

[radian313]

What are some good question banks to use for the first two years, I am trying not to use Uworld, Rx, or Kaplan and want to save them for later. Just content review questions for my lecture exams.

I find myself doing fine on exams, but have zero confidence going into them, but what helps me is, doing questions.

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[IslandStyle808]

You can try Zanki or Bros. You can even try Firecracker, which breaks material down into subjects that you can specifically select.

 

[radian313]

Im new this, how does it work> I know I sound stupid, but I am curious....thanks

 

[Chibucks15]

+1 to firecracker. I mark the topics as we cover them in class and use it for a bunch of practice questions, and when I start board prepping more I'll already have the topics marked and ready to go

 

[IslandStyle808]

Im new this, how does it work> I know I sound stupid, but I am curious....thanks

I'm doing it by blocks. I look for a specific block and within each block there is specific subject. I mark those and go over them when I go over certain lectures in a block. If you are board preping instead, you can mark the subjects you want to do and then just do them (i.e. you make the cards current). There are some youtube videos that show how to use firecracker so you can see how the system works.

 

[68PGunner]

What are some good question banks to use for the first two years, I am trying not to use Uworld, Rx, or Kaplan and want to save them for later. Just content review questions for my lecture exams.

I find myself doing fine on exams, but have zero confidence going into them, but what helps me is, doing questions.

My advice is to actually pick either Kaplan or USMLERx and go straight to it. You might as well get used to board style questions and not overrated garbage written by PhDs. You won't have enough time to finish all three Qbanks if you don't start now.

As someone who’s destroying Kaplan and Uworld right now on my first pass, I recommend to everyone the three following things:

1) Zanki every block w/ 1-2 weeks to spare ahead
2) Pick either Kaplan or USMLERx and run through all quests for that block
3) Take extensive notes in the form of Anki flash cards to fill in knowledge gaps for that block
4) Keep up w/ the Anki review and your life leading to dedicated will be a four week vacation

Warning: your preclinical grade might drop to average or below average but your board performance will be maximized on the test day.

If I had put in my current effort on class lectures, I can probably break top quartile of my class easily and then pray for a 230 Step 1. At my current progress based on Kaplan and Uworld projection, a 250+ is a realistic possibility.

 

[radian313]

You can try Zanki or Bros. You can even try Firecracker, which breaks material down into subjects that you can specifically select.

My advice is to actually pick either Kaplan or USMLERx and go straight to it. You might as well get used to board style questions and not overrated garbage written by PhDs. You won't have enough time to finish all three Qbanks if you don't start now.

As someone who’s destroying Kaplan and Uworld right now on my first pass, I recommend to everyone the three following things:

1) Zanki every block w/ 1-2 weeks to spare ahead
2) Pick either Kaplan or USMLERx and run through all quests for that block
3) Take extensive notes in the form of Anki flash cards to fill in knowledge gaps for that block
4) Keep up w/ the Anki review and your life leading to dedicated will be a four week vacation

Warning: your preclinical grade might drop to average or below average but your board performance will be maximized on the test day.

If I had put in my current effort on class lectures, I can probably break top quartile of my class easily and then pray for a 230 Step 1. At my current progress based on Kaplan and Uworld projection, a 250+ is a realistic possibility.

I was planning on using Uworld + Kaplan + USMLE Rx Question banks for my USMLE prep, I guess its safe to say I wount have time to do it?

 

[68PGunner]

I was planning on using Uworld + Kaplan + USMLE Rx Question banks for my USMLE prep, I guess its safe to say I wount have time to do it?

Bet now and 1st semester of 2nd year, it’s already a tall task to learn new class materials along w/ doing a Qbank for each block. Right now, I only have Repro and GI left before I’m done w/ content learning. I’m pushing about 40-80 quests a day at my pace and will probably be able to do all three Qbanks, 2nd pass of Uworld, and maybe 4-5 NBMEs.

If you can manage to finish a block of Qbank quests from either Kaplan or USMLERx for each block all the way up to 2nd semester of second year, you will already be ahead of me.

 

[radian313]

Bet now and 1st semester of 2nd year, it’s already a tall task to learn new class materials along w/ doing a Qbank for each block. Right now, I only have Repro and GI left before I’m done w/ content learning. I’m pushing about 40-80 quests a day at my pace and will probably be able to do all three Qbanks, 2nd pass of Uworld, and maybe 4-5 NBMEs.

If you can manage to finish a block of Qbank quests from either Kaplan or USMLERx for each block all the way up to 2nd semester of second year, you will already be ahead of me.

Should I just do the blocks with what I am learning? Right now I have a lot video subscriptions, you name it, I have it,

Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, Lecturio,

The problem is Im not testing myself. Firecracker seems nice but its not board style questions.

I think I like your advice of doing USMLERx. Im doing fine on exams, 80-90%, my thing is I learn best from questions, doing endless reviewing of slides isnt my thing.

 

[68PGunner]

Yes, get right into the block that you’re learning and start doing quests. Don’t worry about your % initially. Just focus on content learning. Reviewing slides to get low yield points on in class exams is a waste of your time if you can comfortably pass your classes.

I recommend doing timed mode w/ a block of 20 quests initially. Once you’re comfortable with that, start doing blocks of 40 quests and get used to usmle testing conditions.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Should I just do the blocks with what I am learning? Right now I have a lot video subscriptions, you name it, I have it,

Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, Lecturio,

The problem is Im not testing myself. Firecracker seems nice but its not board style questions.

I think I like your advice of doing USMLERx. Im doing fine on exams, 80-90%, my thing is I learn best from questions, doing endless reviewing of slides isnt my thing.

FC actually does have vignettes.

 

[radian313]

So I played around with FC, and USMLE Rx.

I think I am in love with USMLE Rx. The crossplatform is great. FC seemed a bit too hard to use. Not sure what it was.

My resources I think I'll use is, my slides (notes) + Pathoma + Sketchy + Physeo + USMLE Rx + Boards and Beyond (if needed)

 

[Atom612]

So I played around with FC, and USMLE Rx.

I think I am in love with USMLE Rx. The crossplatform is great. FC seemed a bit too hard to use. Not sure what it was.

My resources I think I'll use is, my slides (notes) + Pathoma + Sketchy + Physeo + USMLE Rx + Boards and Beyond (if needed)

Can anyone chime in on if they found Physeo to be worthwhile?

 

[radian313]

Can anyone chime in on if they found Physeo to be worthwhile?

Physeo is great to use AFTER youve gone through it on your own either via lecture or reading. Its not good as a first time learning tool. It does take up time. But its sort of like pathoma for physiology.

Bugs and drugs = sketchy
Pathology = pathoma
Physiology = physeo

Anything else = boards and beyond

Questions = usmle rx + flash facts

Your own notes

Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat...

 

[68PGunner]

Can anyone chime in on if they found Physeo to be worthwhile?

Good for big pictures. Tons of typos in their nephrology videos.

Their quests are high yield for boards. Have encountered a few of them on Uworld myself. I watch them after finishing an organ Zanki Physiology deck just to tie everything up.

Def not a good source for an initial details grinding session.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Physeo is great to use AFTER youve gone through it on your own either via lecture or reading. Its not good as a first time learning tool. It does take up time. But its sort of like pathoma for physiology.

Bugs and drugs = sketchy
Pathology = pathoma
Physiology = physeo

Anything else = boards and beyond

Questions = usmle rx + flash facts

Your own notes

Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat...

do you think that the physiology in boards and beyond is better than physeo?

 

[radian313]

do you think that the physiology in boards and beyond is better than physeo?

Yes and No.

Yes because it goes into a bit of detail if you are still trying to learn, plus it gives you a PDF book to follow. No because it takes a crap load of time to get through the videos. On average one video is 50 minutes long, and there are about 6 videos each.

B and B is good because its short, follows first Aid (gives you the page number)....and B and B can be used for other subjects...

It all depends how comfy you are with the material if you need that extra "punch" in physio.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Yes and No.

Yes because it goes into a bit of detail if you are still trying to learn, plus it gives you a PDF book to follow. No because it takes a crap load of time to get through the videos. On average one video is 50 minutes long, and there are about 6 videos each.

B and B is good because its short, follows first Aid (gives you the page number)....and B and B can be used for other subjects...

It all depends how comfy you are with the material if you need that extra "punch" in physio.

and do you think B&B adds anything useful to sketchy or pathoma in their respective subjects?

 

[radian313]

You cant compare pathoma and sketchy to B and B.

Pathoma and Sketchy I think should almost be required. B and B are option. Tell you what, I would suggest trying these out, medical school is all about what works for you.

I'll give you a break down of what works for me.

Pre read lectures > Listen to lecture (get big picture) > Relisten to lecture and annotate on slides (I use my iPad) > use external resources to figure out things > go back to notes and read objectives, and see what you are completely lost on > re-read slides > do questions from USMLE Rx > from there just start reviewing the slides...

by the time this is over youll ave about 5-7 passes, thats usually enough for me to get 80-90% on exams.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You cant compare pathoma and sketchy to B and B.

Pathoma and Sketchy I think should almost be required. B and B are option. Tell you what, I would suggest trying these out, medical school is all about what works for you.

I'll give you a break down of what works for me.

Pre read lectures > Listen to lecture (get big picture) > Relisten to lecture and annotate on slides (I use my iPad) > use external resources to figure out things > go back to notes and read objectives, and see what you are completely lost on > re-read slides > do questions from USMLE Rx > from there just start reviewing the slides...

by the time this is over youll ave about 5-7 passes, thats usually enough for me to get 80-90% on exams.

You probably could substitute B.B. for Pathoma if you were low on funds. The other day I watched them back to back to compare and the content was the exact same, although this was an n=1 subject. The reason Pathoma is given such a leg up is that B.B. is simply too new and Pathoma is the tried and true resource. The biggest difference IMO that gives Pathoma just a slight edge is you get the book, and having a hard copy to go through as you watch the vids is money.

 

[radian313]

You probably could substitute B.B. for Pathoma if you were low on funds. The other day I watched them back to back to compare and the content was the exact same, although this was an n=1 subject. The reason Pathoma is given such a leg up is that B.B. is simply too new and Pathoma is the tried and true resource. The biggest difference IMO that gives Pathoma just a slight edge is you get the book, and having a hard copy to go through as you watch the vids is money.

Yep agree with this. The book makes a big difference, especially if you are crunched for time and cant go through Robbins Pathology.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Yep agree with this. The book makes a big difference, especially if you are crunched for time and cant go through Robbins Pathology.

One guy I know is reading 10 pages a day and by the time boards roll around he will have read the book from cover to cover a lot of times. Interetesting idea

 

[IslandStyle808]

You probably could substitute B.B. for Pathoma if you were low on funds. The other day I watched them back to back to compare and the content was the exact same, although this was an n=1 subject. The reason Pathoma is given such a leg up is that B.B. is simply too new and Pathoma is the tried and true resource. The biggest difference IMO that gives Pathoma just a slight edge is you get the book, and having a hard copy to go through as you watch the vids is money.

B&B gives you the actual slides for the video. You could print those out or make a powerpoint and add notes to it. By comparison I think over all, B&B has the edge over Pathoma in terms of bang for your buck.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

B&B gives you the actual slides for the video. You could print those out or make a powerpoint and add notes to it. By comparison I think over all, B&B has the edge over Pathoma in terms of bang for your buck.

I agree, especially since it covers every topic instead of simply the path

 

[Oh_Gee]

You probably could substitute B.B. for Pathoma if you were low on funds. The other day I watched them back to back to compare and the content was the exact same, although this was an n=1 subject. The reason Pathoma is given such a leg up is that B.B. is simply too new and Pathoma is the tried and true resource. The biggest difference IMO that gives Pathoma just a slight edge is you get the book, and having a hard copy to go through as you watch the vids is money.

if you do this for more subjects comparing the 2, could you let us know if the rest of B&B pathology is the same thing as pathoma

 

[radian313]

B&B gives you the actual slides for the video. You could print those out or make a powerpoint and add notes to it. By comparison I think over all, B&B has the edge over Pathoma in terms of bang for your buck.

I respect your opinion man, but I just cant agree to it. Pathoma (Pathology) is a core subject in its own that combines many different disciplines and it has to be given its respect. If you are doing solely for USMLE, then sure B and B would do it, but like many schools, they do systems based, and we use Pathoma time after time for CV, for Resp, for Blood and Lymph (anemias). Thats my only thing.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I respect your opinion man, but I just cant agree to it. Pathoma (Pathology) is a core subject in its own that combines many different disciplines and it has to be given its respect. If you are doing solely for USMLE, then sure B and B would do it, but like many schools, they do systems based, and we use Pathoma time after time for CV, for Resp, for Blood and Lymph (anemias). Thats my only thing.

Pathoma is pretty much an indispensable resource which there is no way I could do without. However, B&B is more all encompassing and you're paying only $50 dollars more. To be honest I don't think you can do without either resource. B&B is pretty much my saving grace for subjects like behavioral science, biostats, and epi which my school has failed to provide adequate education on.

 

[radian313]

Pathoma is pretty much an indispensable resource which there is no way I could do without. However, B&B is more all encompassing and you're paying only $50 dollars more. To be honest I don't think you can do without either resource. B&B is pretty much my saving grace for subjects like behavioral science, biostats, and epi which my school has failed to provide adequate education on.

Same here man, I agree, my school too. Thankfully I have an MPH which helps with that. If I had to say to a incoming first year what subscriptions you will need for sure....

Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and Beyond

The rest like physeo, lecturio, picmonic are I think optional....

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Same here man, I agree, my school too. Thankfully I have an MPH which helps with that. If I had to say to a incoming first year what subscriptions you will need for sure....

Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and Beyond

The rest like physeo, lecturio, picmonic are I think optional....

This x100. I personally would also say to start the Zanki deck but that’s just me. If you use those resources and then also get a pass or two of Professor material for minutia then you should do well both in class and on boards. At least that’s my theory, I’ll let everyone know in a year and a half lol.

 

[TissueSpeed]

Pathoma is pretty much an indispensable resource which there is no way I could do without. However, B&B is more all encompassing and you're paying only $50 dollars more. To be honest I don't think you can do without either resource. B&B is pretty much my saving grace for subjects like behavioral science, biostats, and epi which my school has failed to provide adequate education on.

first thing i thought when going thru some BB was "wow how can one person be so well versed in so many things. he must be a machine or something"

 

[IslandStyle808]

first thing i thought when going thru some BB was "wow how can one person be so well versed in so many things. he must be a machine or something"

Yeah the guy is a cardiologist and ironically I picked it up B&B during my cardiology block. So at the time I didn't question what he taught and if it was board relevant. Ironically that same belief carried through to various other blocks during my second year.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Yeah the guy is a cardiologist and ironically I picked it up B&B during my cardiology block. So at the time I didn't question what he taught and if it was board relevant. Ironically that same belief carried through to various other blocks during my second year.

B&B is awesome. That guy makes everything alot simpler. Works well for my tired brain.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Stat Rx now. There is no point to delay it. The good of the bank is for learning the topic by repetition. Otherwise, the question style is poor.

You'll have enough board review with Kaplan and UWorld during second half second year.

 

[radian313]

Stat Rx now. There is no point to delay it. The good of the bank is for learning the topic by repetition. Otherwise, the question style is poor.

You'll have enough board review with Kaplan and UWorld during second half second year.

Thanks for chiming in. I got the 1 year subscription

 

[Scrubs101]

For those of you that have started Rx in 1st year, at what point throughout the organ systems unit do you usually start questions? For example we're starting to wrap of physio of neuro and will be beginning path next week, how should i set up my question sets? Do i just check neuro, then everything besides path/pharm? Does it just come out to be a mixed bag of questions that you can really only tackle near the end of a system?

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

I agree w/ B&B. Used it for my cardiopulm block going into the final exam. I didn't do so hot in the pulm section which was the midterm, but I used it for cardiophys and I did realllyyyy well (almost 20% better) on the final exam.