Recent Firecracker review?!

[ES671]

Has anyone used Firecracker recently who can comment on how they liked it? I feel like given my learning style I would enjoy it but at the same time I have never used pre-made flashcards before and do not know if I would like that aspect. Any comments on the program would be appreciated.

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[AlbinoHawk DO]

Nobody should waste their money with this product when there are free decks like Zanki and Bros

 

[sab3156]

Nobody should waste their money with this product when there are free decks like Zanki and Bros

Firecracker content is outstanding and more comprehensive than Zanki and Bros. The cards are pretty trash, though. Firecracker serves a different purpose than Zanki, which is to have the vast majority of the content that would possibly be tested on Step 1 outlined by section, + flashcards of this content. I personally think the pre-made anki decks are garbage, but I also understand that it's the best a lot of people have access to (other than making your own deck). I am happy to be making my own personal anki deck based on the Firecracker content (which is basically First Aid, Pathoma, and more, all in one), as well as the rarely missing stuff from Firecracker that is perhaps in First Aid and other sources.

 

[ES671]

I think I am going to give it a chance since they do offer a free trial as well as Osmosis. I feel like using a program like this would help me stay on track better than just Anki which I tried for my Biomedical Masters Program and it just slowed me down making flashcards. (I still made flashcards but on quizlet because it was faster)

If anyone has comments on Osmosis as well would also be appreciated!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Firecracker content is outstanding and more comprehensive than Zanki and Bros. The cards are pretty trash, though. Firecracker serves a different purpose than Zanki, which is to have the vast majority of the content that would possibly be tested on Step 1 outlined by section, + flashcards of this content. I personally think the pre-made anki decks are garbage, but I also understand that it's the best a lot of people have access to (other than making your own deck). I am happy to be making my own personal anki deck based on the Firecracker content (which is basically First Aid, Pathoma, and more, all in one), as well as the rarely missing stuff from Firecracker that is perhaps in First Aid and other sources.

I did Firecracker, but that was several years ago which is why I didn't comment on its quality today. At the time, I would say FC was definitely a waste of money and regret having spent my money on it. I think cards like Zanki and Bros may be less comprehensive, but you also need to realize retaining information is limited for most people and it's key to be 100% on the HY knowledge instead of being 70% on "everything."

 

[Medic741]

Hey! I used Firecracker during MS1 and *loved* it. When I was on top of a class, would click all the sub-categories that were covered by the lectures I watched that day, and during the evening would go over all the Firecracker cards for that subject so that I hit each topic and got what First Aid wanted me to know out of the material. Day before an exam, would review all the red/yellow cards for that topic as a batch. When I studied like this, would consistently get >90% on the exam!

Firecracker's great, and using it to study for specific exams throughout the year was really efficient for me. Throw in doing the spaced repetition 'today's tasks' at night before bed/whenever I was bored or needed a break it's been great to have reminders on weird material you might otherwise forget.

EDIT: Because it's so well built to be able to study exactly the material you've covered, and use it for specific exam studying, it was worth every penny that I spent on it

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Hey! I used Firecracker during MS1 and *loved* it. When I was on top of a class, would click all the sub-categories that were covered by the lectures I watched that day, and during the evening would go over all the Firecracker cards for that subject so that I hit each topic and got what First Aid wanted me to know out of the material. Day before an exam, would review all the red/yellow cards for that topic as a batch. When I studied like this, would consistently get >90% on the exam!

Firecracker's great, and using it to study for specific exams throughout the year was really efficient for me. Throw in doing the spaced repetition 'today's tasks' at night before bed/whenever I was bored or needed a break it's been great to have reminders on weird material you might otherwise forget.

EDIT: Because it's so well built to be able to study exactly the material you've covered, and use it for specific exam studying, it was worth every penny that I spent on it

You brought up something that is very key here. It sounds like your curriculum was geared toward boards, whereas my curriculum was simply not. I would have to spend additional time on class material to survive. If your exams and curriculum is similar to FC, I can definitely see it as an efficient tool

 

[Medic741]

You brought up something that is very key here. It sounds like your curriculum was geared toward boards, whereas my curriculum was simply not. I would have to spend additional time on class material to survive. If your exams and curriculum is similar to FC, I can definitely see it as an efficient tool

God I can imagine that was really frustrating

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

God I can imagine that was really frustrating

I really liked FC myself when I was in Anatomy. However, once I was past Anatomy, my entire course curriculum was all over the place. I personally think that doing FC space repetition task everyday since Day 1 can def land someone in the 240s-250s range on their Step 1.

People whined about FC cards but it’s childplay in comparison to maturing Zanki 15-20K cards.

 

[sab3156]

I did Firecracker, but that was several years ago which is why I didn't comment on its quality today. At the time, I would say FC was definitely a waste of money and regret having spent my money on it. I think cards like Zanki and Bros may be less comprehensive, but you also need to realize retaining information is limited for most people and it's key to be 100% on the HY knowledge instead of being 70% on "everything."

Well, that is the issue. For someone like me who wants to shoot for the highest score I can possibly get, FC content (not the cards, though) is outrageously good. Zanki just isn't enough. Though, as you said, if you just want a deck with the major stuff, Zanki is probably fine.

 

[sab3156]

People whined about FC cards but it’s childplay in comparison to maturing Zanki 15-20K cards.

The real issue isn't the number but the quality of the cards. FC cards are pure garbage and though Zanki has more cards, they are discrete and much more efficient to learn from. However, the FC content is supreme.

 

[Dr. Death]

Just got my results back on USMLE and COMLEX, high 240's USMLE, 684 COMLEX. I used FC starting in first semester of first year and used it up until a month before my exams. FC is great for spaced repetition, but you can't think of it as flash cards because they are almost nothing like Zanki cards. The most effective way to use them is to learn a subject (take antiarrhythmic drugs), then mark those topics and do all the cards over that topic. The next day, re-do all the cards that you marked red or yellow. After that, those cards will be slowly integrated into your daily allotment of questions.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Pick the flashcard source that you personally like best. In the end, all that matters is that you are using one.

That being said, a good friend of mine used Zanki/Salt/Pepper all through second year (didn't start until 2nd year) and scored a 272 on a practice exam 2 weeks before their USMLE. The rest of their practice exams were 250's & 260's. This individual isn't one of those child geniuses with a perfect memory, they just worked hard in 2nd year to keep up with flashcards.

From watching my friend go through the process, it seems as if as long as you are consistently using a review source through the year (like Anki or FC) you will be at a nice starting point come boards. Then during dedicated, you can fill in the gaps whatever flashcard source you used didn't fill for you through the year (via UWorld questions & making a deck of questions you missed with your chosen flashcard source.)

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Well, that is the issue. For someone like me who wants to shoot for the highest score I can possibly get, FC content (not the cards, though) is outrageously good. Zanki just isn't enough. Though, as you said, if you just want a deck with the major stuff, Zanki is probably fine.

Entirely missed the point of what I was saying.

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

The real issue isn't the number but the quality of the cards. FC cards are pure garbage and though Zanki has more cards, they are discrete and much more efficient to learn from. However, the FC content is supreme.

Zanki is pure garbage. When I was in Anatomy, I was able to review an entire subject in a day within 4-5 hrs. It was the same thing for me in Heme. It’s impossible to do that w/ Zanki. Zanki has a lot of repetitive cards that are unnecessary. Zanki cards for Pharm and Micro are gold though. I memorize everything in Sketchy through those cards.

 

[sab3156]

Entirely missed the point of what I was saying.

Care to clarify? It seems like a lot of people just hate on FC when they clearly don't know much about it.

 

[sab3156]

Zanki is pure garbage. When I was in Anatomy, I was able to review an entire subject in a day within 4-5 hrs. It was the same thing for me in Heme. It’s impossible to do that w/ Zanki. Zanki has a lot of repetitive cards that are unnecessary. Zanki cards for Pharm and Micro are gold though. I memorize everything in Sketchy through those cards.

This. Zanki can be **** for a lot of cards, and Bros is worse. So much effing repetition in Zanki.

 

[Goro]

Has anyone used Firecracker recently who can comment on how they liked it? I feel like given my learning style I would enjoy it but at the same time I have never used pre-made flashcards before and do not know if I would like that aspect. Any comments on the program would be appreciated.

It's decent on Anatomy, but I'm not crazy about the practice questions. Lots of pseudo-questions; some content on minutiae, and some bad questions (no correct answer or >1 correct answer)

 

[sab3156]

It's decent on Anatomy, but I'm not crazy about the practice questions. Lots of pseudo-questions; some content on minutiae, and some bad questions (no correct answer or >1 correct answer)

This is true. However, I really feel that the content (just the reading material) is worth the price alone.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Care to clarify? It seems like a lot of people just hate on FC when they clearly don't know much about it.

Well, I used it for 2 years, so I clearly know about it.

There's nothing to clarify if you read my post. Retaining 100% of the material learned in medical school is impossible. You need to focus on the more important things. You'll eventually see when you take your boards that FC made you memorize a lot of useless when you could have spent that time knowing actually important stuff. Again, it's more important to know 100% of the HY stuff (which puts you in the 250-265 range) vs being 70% on everything. A lot of people buy into the FC propaganda until they get to boards and realize how much they wasted.

 

[sab3156]

There's nothing to clarify if you read my post. Retaining 100% of the material learned in medical school is impossible.

"100% of material learned in medical school"? We are talking about Firecracker (Step 1 preparation).

Again, it's more important to know 100% of the HY stuff (which puts you in the 250-265 range) vs being 70% on everything. A lot of people buy into the FC propaganda until they get to boards and realize how much they wasted.

This is really based on the individual. Maybe you had trouble keeping up with all of the FC material, but I don't have trouble even making my own Anki deck based on it and keeping up with it, and it's really benefiting me. I know several people who used FC, and even if they didn't like the terrible format of the cards, they stuck with it and did very well.

 

[shadowlightfox]

This. Zanki can be **** for a lot of cards, and Bros is worse. So much effing repetition in Zanki.

To be fair, those repetition is what helps drill it into your head.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I can really only compare the micro decks of FC vs Zanki. I did micro on FC last year and am doing Zanki 3.0 now to refresh.

Zanki>>>FC and its not even close. FC is very good for micro, but Zanki just blows it out of the water. It’s very nice to have all the info in one place like FC does, but the cards are crappy most of the time. Constantly loading up pictures that have nothing to do with the question, asking you to recall entire paragraphs at times, you click a link to learn more info and half the time you still have to do a google search anyway bc they just gave you some random garbage, etc. It’s stupid. But hey, at least it costs hundreds of dollars.

 

[sab3156]

To be fair, those repetition is what helps drill it into your head.

That is the point of spaced repetition, though. You do not need multiple cards to accomplish that.

 

[sab3156]

I can really only compare the micro decks of FC vs Zanki. I did micro on FC last year and am doing Zanki 3.0 now to refresh.

Zanki>>>FC and its not even close. FC is very good for micro, but Zanki just blows it out of the water. It’s very nice to have all the info in one place like FC does, but the cards are crappy most of the time. Constantly loading up pictures that have nothing to do with the question, asking you to recall entire paragraphs at times, you click a link to learn more info and half the time you still have to do a google search anyway bc they just gave you some random garbage, etc. It’s stupid. But hey, at least it costs hundreds of dollars.

FC definitely has very bad cards, no doubt. But Zanki is a mess and you can make a way better anki deck based on FC content.

 

[Ho0v-man]

FC definitely has very bad cards, no doubt. But Zanki is a mess and you can make a way better anki deck based on FC content.

To each his or her own, I suppose. To me, it seems so much more efficient to just alter a zanki card with a note/image/diagram, etc. if I don’t like the card than to make cards off of cards. But perhaps you learn best from making your own cards. I don’t. But if I were to make an anki deck from flash cards, I’d just reformat/reorganize zanki/bros to my own liking than building from scratch.

You could also make your own cards out of FA/pathoma/sketchy since you’re making your own since all FC is is just some badly formatted flash cards from those sources anyway.

More than one way to skin a cat.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

When I diligently do my Zanki cards for whatever system I’m in my test scores are 95%+, when I don’t they are mid 80s. It’s not a coincidence.

I’ve done both FC and Zanki, FC is garbage and not worth the money.

The major difference from what I’ve seen is that FC can be a primary learning tool if used the right way. The people complaining about Zanki are most likely trying to use it as their primary source and it isn’t meant to be that. Zanki is Pathoma, FA, Sketchy, and UW in one deck and resigned to be a supplemental source to help hammer the details in your head.

 

[sab3156]

The people complaining about Zanki are most likely trying to use it as their primary source and it isn’t meant to be that.

Wrong. It is just a terrible, repetitious deck that has a lot of garbage cards and doesn't even have enough content to answer several qbank questions (I know this because I do all the qbanks, and if you disagree with this assessment, then you may have room to step up your qbank game). Can you criticize FC content in the same way? Not really.

As a deck, Zanki suffers from various problems in the same way FC suffers from various problems, but at least FC is organized into readable content that is simply amazing.

If you are looking for just a deck that will get you by and isn't fully comprehensive, Zanki is the better option. If you want the best content out there, FC is the king and nothing else comes close.

@Anti-PD1

 

[shadowlightfox]

That is the point of spaced repetition, though. You do not need multiple cards to accomplish that.

The thing is sometimes some facts are too volatile to remember even with spaced repetition, that having 5 cards hammering your head with it is better than just one card. It's a lot harder to forget it that way and to get the answers wrong, and you don't have to keep hitting "Again < 10min." that you would with only a single card.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Wrong. It is just a terrible, repetitious deck that has a lot of garbage cards and doesn't even have enough content to answer several qbank questions (I know this because I do all the qbanks, and if you disagree with this assessment, then you may have room to step up your qbank game). Can you criticize FC content in the same way? Not really.

Lol bro I wreck in my Qbanks, I’ve already done about a few thousand questions and do multiple banks.... You can like FC, that’s cool I don’t really care. If it works for you then do it. I hate it and Zanki clicks for me. It’s ok if someone disagrees with you. I’m just here offering a different opinion to OP.

 

[sab3156]

Lol bro I wreck in my Qbanks, I’ve already done about a few thousand questions and do multiple banks....

Lol "few thousand questions" during ms1, seems legit. SDN can be priceless sometimes.

 

[Scrubs101]

Lol "few thousand questions" during ms1, seems legit. SDN can be priceless sometimes.

It is almost the end of august, assuming he started systems in january did 15qs/day x200days = 3k qs. Doing 15qs a day is incredibly doable and a few 3rd yrs(4th yrs now) from my school i talked to that did well on boards highly suggested something similar. 10-20qs a day along with systems.

A really smart guy in my class made it his goal to get through UWORLD as many times as possible and was like half way done with it in May(end of 1st year). It shouldnt surprise you that there are people who have done more than you, because no matter how hard youre working theres always somebody working harder.
Or it could just be how people are divvying up their effort. Having an easy curriculum vs taxing curriculum can make a large difference. I know i personal would not be happy with my grades if i dedicated a ton more time to boards resources/questions at the moment. If youre like me and have to read professors materials several times over to prepare for an exam thats very specific towards what was in your professors slides, youll have less time to dedicate towards questions and boards material. Some people can focus on boards resources 100% and still crush school, some curriculums dont allow for that if they differ drastically from whats in FA/FC/Zanki.

In regards to your question OP, ive used FC for a year now and can say the cards and algorithm blow compared to zanki. But the resource itself is much more encompassing and one could say that some of the formats of the cards (patient presentation cards/anythig not cloze deletion) could offer more in terms of learning and applying. They just arent the easiest to memorize.

Whatever you choose, do it consistently. That is the key.

 

[sab3156]

It is almost the end of august, assuming he started systems in january did 15qs/day x200days = 3k qs. Doing 15qs a day is incredibly doable and a few 3rd yrs(4th yrs now) from my school i talked to that did well on boards highly suggested something similar. 10-20qs a day along with systems.

A really smart guy in my class made it his goal to get through UWORLD as many times as possible and was like half way done with it in May(end of 1st year). It shouldnt surprise you that there are people who have done more than you, because no matter how hard youre working theres always somebody working harder.

You're forgetting that the vast majority of the questions are path and pathophys (second year material, assuming traditional curriculum). Very little first year material. 3000 questions means he's basically half-way (?) through the three major qbanks, mostly through stuff he hasn't even learned in school yet, but according to him he "wrecks" the qbanks. This is why I don't trust anything he says.

Sounds like your classmate was full of crap. When someone tells you that they've done most of UWorld on stuff that they haven't even learned yet, red flags should go up. Who knows, maybe he was just mindlessly clicking through the questions. But the poster above literally claimed to be "wrecking" these questions.

 

[Scrubs101]

You're forgetting that the vast majority of the questions are path and pathophys (second year material, assuming traditional curriculum). Very little first year material. 3000 questions means he's basically half-way (?) through the three major qbanks, mostly through stuff he hasn't even learned in school yet, but according to him he "wrecks" the qbanks. This is why I don't trust anything he says.

Sounds like your classmate was full of crap. When someone tells you that they've done most of UWorld on stuff that they haven't even learned yet, red flags should go up. Who knows, maybe he was just mindlessly clicking through the questions. But the poster above literally claimed to be "wrecking" these questions.

I think he has systems based curriculum but i may be wrong.

Most people at my school (systems based) that do currently do qbanks, do them by systems so its entirely possible that he (my classmate) just did what we’d covered by that point (Neuro, GU, MSK, Endo, some Female Repro and Derm) not sure what that adds up to. I guess it’s possible, but the dude i know seems like a pretty straight shooter/down to earth guy and i see no reason why he’d lie. But i definitley usually am in the camp of trusting most people.

Im just saying both of the claims we’re talking about here are entirely possible, whether you want to believe them or not is up to you. Im well aware that there are many people harder working and more intelligent than me, so i dont usually doubt these kinds of claims if theyre theoretically possible. But you can definitely believe what you want to believe itll make no difference to you or me in the long run whether or not we believe what other people are doing

 

[sab3156]

Most people at my school (systems based) that do currently do qbanks, do them by systems so its entirely possible that he (my classmate) just did what we’d covered by that point (Neuro, GU, MSK, Endo, some Female Repro and Derm) not sure what that adds up to. I guess it’s possible, but the dude i know seems like a pretty straight shooter/down to earth guy and i see no reason why he’d lie. But i definitley usually am in the camp of trusting most people.

Does your school teach pathology and pharmacology along with all of the organ blocks?

Also, didn't mean to say "traditional" curriculum in my previous post.

 

[Scrubs101]

Does your school teach pathology and pharmacology along with all of the organ blocks?

Also, didn't mean to say "traditional" curriculum in my previous post.

Yeah, first half of 1st year we do all the basic sciences. Then january of 1st year we start with neuro and we do everything with every system physio,path,pharm,micro/immuno related to the systems etc. Essentially after every systems class im able to mark every sub-section in FC under that system

 

[sab3156]

Yeah, first half of 1st year we do all the basic sciences. Then january of 1st year we start with neuro and we do everything with every system physio,path,pharm,micro/immuno related to the systems etc. Essentially after every systems class im able to mark every sub-section in FC under that system

So basically from January of first year and onward, you are doing all the complete organ blocks until Step? I think that is a good idea. KCU has a "systems" curriculum, but first year is all basic science and physiology/anatomy/embryo, then pathology/pharmacology in second year, but we seem to actually do a bunch of pathology during the first year, too... for some reason.

 

[Scrubs101]

So basically from January of first year and onward, you are doing all the complete organ blocks until Step?

Yessir, makes doing qbanks along side a lot easier.

I do see the plus side of doing traditional (forgot the real name of it, phys-> path) curriculum, since you essentially get to cover a lot of things twice. But i think a lot of schools are transitioning to systems now, not entirely sure on that though

 

[Ho0v-man]

You're forgetting that the vast majority of the questions are path and pathophys (second year material, assuming traditional curriculum). Very little first year material. 3000 questions means he's basically half-way (?) through the three major qbanks, mostly through stuff he hasn't even learned in school yet, but according to him he "wrecks" the qbanks. This is why I don't trust anything he says.

Sounds like your classmate was full of crap. When someone tells you that they've done most of UWorld on stuff that they haven't even learned yet, red flags should go up. Who knows, maybe he was just mindlessly clicking through the questions. But the poster above literally claimed to be "wrecking" these questions.

Dude, why are you like this? Who hurt you?

This thread is just giving opinions about a resource to a pre-med. No ones attacking you, just disagreeing about their own personal preference. We can all have different opinions and those that deviate from your own aren’t necessarily wrong...just different.

Nobody cares if you use FC/whatever else. No one resource works for everybody.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Lol "few thousand questions" during ms1, seems legit. SDN can be priceless sometimes.

I would give you an exact number but that would require me to interrupt the peace and quiet of my current vacation and convincing you, quite simply, isn’t worth the effort.

You're forgetting that the vast majority of the questions are path and pathophys (second year material, assuming traditional curriculum). Very little first year material. 3000 questions means he's basically half-way (?) through the three major qbanks, mostly through stuff he hasn't even learned in school yet, but according to him he "wrecks" the qbanks. This is why I don't trust anything he says.

Lol you are a complete fool. I have a systems based curriculum that covers all the basic sciences in one semester and then we start systems the second semester of MS1. We do path, pharm, phys, and histo in the system and I’ve already covered a number of systems. All you have to do is the relevant questions to all of the systems we’ve already covered and throw in a bunch of basic science based questions and that is easily 2k.

Get over yourself.

 

[sab3156]

I would give you an exact number but that would require me to interrupt the peace and quiet of my current vacation and convincing you, quite simply, isn’t worth the effort.



Lol you are a complete fool. I have a systems based curriculum that covers all the basic sciences in one semester and then we start systems the second semester of MS1. We do path, pharm, phys, and histo in the system and I’ve already covered a number of systems. All you have to do is the relevant questions to all of the systems we’ve already covered and throw in a bunch of basic science based questions and that is easily 2k.

Get over yourself.

Yeah, still don't believe a word you say. #SDN

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Yeah, still don't believe a word you say. #SDN