Regarding Kaplan DVDs

[medflava]

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Hey guys,

I just wanted to know if getting Kaplan videos for Step 2 is a good idea before starting rotations. What do you guys say?

 

[McGillGrad]

75% of step 2 is basic science material along with a small chunk of management. You will not gain much before starting clinicals because you should still have basic science fresh in your mind and have no idea about management until you see it on the wards.

 

[MCYan]

75% of step 2 is basic science material along with a small chunk of management. You will not gain much before starting clinicals because you should still have basic science fresh in your mind and have no idea about management until you see it on the wards.

I do not think i will agree with 75% of step 2 being basic science. More like 10-20% of the question resembles step 1 question. Having said that, i still would not get kaplan step 2 videos BEFORE rotations start. I would just spend an hour or so every day after work to read about your own patients and you will be fine for shelf exams. However, studying for step 2 is a different topic and should be covered elsewhere if you do a search.

 

[McGillGrad]

I do not think i will agree with 75% of step 2 being basic science. More like 10-20% of the question resembles step 1 question. Having said that, i still would not get kaplan step 2 videos BEFORE rotations start. I would just spend an hour or so every day after work to read about your own patients and you will be fine for shelf exams. However, studying for step 2 is a different topic and should be covered elsewhere if you do a search.

So you're saying that we study much less for step 2, have a 229 mean score (vs. 221 for step 1) yet there is 80% new info to learn? How does that work?

 

[Scaredshizzles]

So you're saying that we study much less for step 2, have a 229 mean score (vs. 221 for step 1) yet there is 80% new info to learn? How does that work?

The reason people do better is because step 2 questions are more predictable from USMLE world...because all step 2 questions are clinical vignettes, and there are only so many questions like this writers can come up with. So people can pretty much memorize 90% of the type of clinical scenarios that show up on the exam by doing the UWorld questions. Moreover, everyone studies hard for shelf exams during rotations, which have very similar questions.

So that is why people do well on step 2, not because it is a repeat of the basic science content of step 1. Maybe 2-5% of questions are pure basic science type questions, and up to another 10% will present a clinical vignette but ask you about some sort of basic science pathophysiology type of question.

 

[McGillGrad]

Quite an unremarkable explanation. How do you explain that I had a 64% average on USMLE World step 2 qbank after 8 random 44q blocks two weeks after taking step 1? I only scored a 243 on step one, so I am no genius. It is because the ones I got right were straight step 1 material. Most of the ones I got wrong were management.

My attendings have always told us this, but my experience has proved then right.

The reason people do better is because step 2 questions are more predictable from USMLE world...because all step 2 questions are clinical vignettes, and there are only so many questions like this writers can come up with. So people can pretty much memorize 90% of the type of clinical scenarios that show up on the exam by doing the UWorld questions. Moreover, everyone studies hard for shelf exams during rotations, which have very similar questions.

So that is why people do well on step 2, not because it is a repeat of the basic science content of step 1. Maybe 2-5% of questions are pure basic science type questions, and up to another 10% will present a clinical vignette but ask you about some sort of basic science pathophysiology type of question.