Running 4 Qbanks

[slowthai]

I was thinking of running 4 banks: Rx, Kaplan, Amboss, and UWorld. I would do Rx and Kaplan at the same time during the first half of the fall of M2 and Amboss during the second half. Then UWorld starting from spring of M2.

Does this sound doable/realistic? It would take about 4 months (like a semester) to run through 7500 questions doing about 70 questions/day.

It may sound like overkill, but I don't have natural test taking ability; I think it's below average to average. So far, I have improved it by reading about test taking strategies and putting them into practice with practice questions from review books I've been using for M1.

As an aside, I'm a serious Zanki user, and I've heard that Zanki makes Rx at least somewhat redundant, so I may end up dropping it. Also, I've heard so many mixed views on Amboss, so I may end up dropping it as well, lol.

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[Ho0v-man]

Sounds like a recipe for serious burnout. Keep up with Zanki and do your best to get through one qbank fall semester. Doing questions is one thing reviewing takes a lot longer. You still have stuff to learn in 2nd year classes.

I liked rx, even as a die hard Zanki user. Yeah some questions were straightforward. But it throws tables and graphics in your face for even more repetition.

I hated Kaplan. Questions were either super easy or impossible and not like step at all.

I wouldn’t sweat test-taking ability. That’s MCAT stuff. For Step, you really just need to have it memorized. Beyond that it’s just reading comprehension. I could almost argue that some of the good test takers (518+ MCAT folks) are almost at a disadvantage if they’re counting on test taking skills to overcome knowledge deficits because you can’t do that on Step 1 really. It’s really the other way around.

 

[slowthai]

Sounds like a recipe for serious burnout. Keep up with Zanki and do your best to get through one qbank fall semester. Doing questions is one thing reviewing takes a lot longer. You still have stuff to learn in 2nd year classes.

I liked rx, even as a die hard Zanki user. Yeah some questions were straightforward. But it throws tables and graphics in your face for even more repetition.

I hated Kaplan. Questions were either super easy or impossible and not like step at all.

I wouldn’t sweat test-taking ability. That’s MCAT stuff. For Step, you really just need to have it memorized. Beyond that it’s just reading comprehension. I could almost argue that some of the good test takers (518+ MCAT folks) are almost at a disadvantage if they’re counting on test taking skills to overcome knowledge deficits because you can’t do that on Step 1 really. It’s really the other way around.

Thank you so much for your advice about qbanks. What you said about test taking is extremely encouraging, like you don't know how much it helps, lol. Thank you.

 

[Ven0m]

70 questions, 5 minutes spent on each question = ~6 hours, that's pretty intense

 

[slowthai]

70 questions, 5 minutes spent on each question = ~6 hours, that's pretty intense

Yeah, I recalculated it with an earlier start date, and it turns out to be about 36 per day, which is much more manageable, lol.

 

[Deecee2DO]

Yeah, I recalculated it with an earlier start date, and it turns out to be about 36 per day, which is much more manageable, lol.

Yeah I wouldnt do more than 40ish per day with review during pre-ded. It takes me a long ass time to review as well so like if Im doing questions and content review several months out from Step im usually limiting myself to 40 since it takes like 4 hrs or so if youre spending about 5-7 mins max reviewing each question with some being much less especially if you know some answers really well already

 

[FalconSlice]

I was thinking of running 4 banks: Rx, Kaplan, Amboss, and UWorld. I would do Rx and Kaplan at the same time during the first half of the fall of M2 and Amboss during the second half. Then UWorld starting from spring of M2.

Does this sound doable/realistic? It would take about 4 months (like a semester) to run through 7500 questions doing about 70 questions/day.

It may sound like overkill, but I don't have natural test taking ability; I think it's below average to average. So far, I have improved it by reading about test taking strategies and putting them into practice with practice questions from review books I've been using for M1.

As an aside, I'm a serious Zanki user, and I've heard that Zanki makes Rx at least somewhat redundant, so I may end up dropping it. Also, I've heard so many mixed views on Amboss, so I may end up dropping it as well, lol.

That's a lot. Generally, the key is to do know a few resources REALLY well instead of a lot of them "okay." (Really it's to do as many resources as possible and still know them REALLY well, but lots of people overestimate how many resources they can truly truly master 100%--so that's the reason I word it as a "few" resources)

More is not always better.

Btw, M3 is coming after your Step I, and, believe me, AMBOSS will come in helpful then so don't worry

YMMV

 

[Yumills]

I was thinking of running 4 banks: Rx, Kaplan, Amboss, and UWorld. I would do Rx and Kaplan at the same time during the first half of the fall of M2 and Amboss during the second half. Then UWorld starting from spring of M2.

Just wondering, is this still your plan? I was planning on doing the same thing starting M2, but haven't looked too far into the details of how feasible it would be. Is it overkill or doable with hard work.

 

[Deecee2DO]

That's a lot. Generally, the key is to do know a few resources REALLY well instead of a lot of them "okay." (Really it's to do as many resources as possible and still know them REALLY well, but lots of people overestimate how many resources they can truly truly master 100%--so that's the reason I word it as a "few" resources)

More is not always better.

Btw, M3 is coming after your Step I, and, believe me, AMBOSS will come in helpful then so don't worry

YMMV

Im gonna go against the grain here and say when it comes to practice questions more is actually always better. The more practice questions you do the better youll score. I havent heard or met anyone whos done all four banks and reviewed them who has gotten under a 250 step 1. Most people who score high do a monstrous number of questions. But when it comes to content review then i agree more resources is not always better-all you really need is First Aid pathoma and sketchy content wise the rest is perfecting your test taking strategy with questions

 

[Deecee2DO]

OP when it comes to banks having done all of them myself. I suggest this order:
1. Rx in fall along with classes (start with Rx for a good navigation of First Aid)
2. Amboss after Rx (winter and early spring)
3. Save UWorld for last aka dedicated/March onward

And Kaplan is trash. Amboss is way better

If you do all of Rx Amboss and UWorld + Uworld incorrects you can almost guarantee yourself at the very least 245-250+ you gotta work hard though. do Sketchy, pathoma and BnB alongside class in the fall and spring itll save you springtime pre-boards anxiety

 

[slowthai]

Just wondering, is this still your plan? I was planning on doing the same thing starting M2, but haven't looked too far into the details of how feasible it would be. Is it overkill or doable with hard work.

Yeah, it's still my plan. Just doing a block a day and I'll be able to finish everything before dedicated (if I want). I might save some UWorld for dedicated. Don't know yet.

Edit: Well actually, my plan is a little different. I'm doing one bank after the other instead of Rx and Kaplan at the same time. But otherwise, it's still the same.

 

[slowthai]

OP when it comes to banks having done all of them myself. I suggest this order:
1. Rx in fall along with classes (start with Rx for a good navigation of First Aid)
2. Amboss after Rx (winter and early spring)
3. Save UWorld for last aka dedicated/March onward

And Kaplan is trash. Amboss is way better

If you do all of Rx Amboss and UWorld + Uworld incorrects you can almost guarantee yourself at the very least 245-250+ you gotta work hard though. do Sketchy, pathoma and BnB alongside class in the fall and spring itll save you springtime pre-boards anxiety

I've started Rx and I'm on pace to finish all 4 banks before or by dedicated. I'm doing all banks on random because I'm trying to milk the spaced repetition thing for everything it's worth. I've finished most of Zanki, so I'm using the qbanks to augment and solidify my knowledge, along with hopefully improving my test taking skills.

Yeah, I've heard mixed things about Kaplan. It's tried and true though, just like Rx (which I've also heard mixed things about). Bottom line, I need all the questions I can get. I've seen only top scores (250+) from people doing all four banks.

Yeah, I'm doing BnB/Pathoma alongside class. I've finished lolnotacop (micro) and Zanki pharm and I've been chipping away at sketchy (micro and pharm) slowly but surely, with plans to finish it well before dedicated.

 

[Deecee2DO]

I've started Rx and I'm on pace to finish all 4 banks before or by dedicated. I'm doing all banks on random because I'm trying to milk the spaced repetition thing for everything it's worth. I've finished most of Zanki, so I'm using the qbanks to augment and solidify my knowledge, along with hopefully improving my test taking skills.

Yeah, I've heard mixed things about Kaplan. It's tried and true though, just like Rx (which I've also heard mixed things about). Bottom line, I need all the questions I can get. I've seen only top scores (250+) from people doing all four banks.

Yeah, I'm doing BnB/Pathoma alongside class. I've finished lolnotacop (micro) and Zanki pharm and I've been chipping away at sketchy (micro and pharm) slowly but surely, with plans to finish it well before dedicated.

Youll crush it bro. Since you already did zanki then setting banks to random is great and youre ahead of the game. Keep working hard

 

[slowthai]

Youll crush it bro. Since you already did zanki then setting banks to random is great and youre ahead of the game. Keep working hard

Hope so! Thanks man!

 

[ExplodingUlcers]

I've started Rx and I'm on pace to finish all 4 banks before or by dedicated. I'm doing all banks on random because I'm trying to milk the spaced repetition thing for everything it's worth. I've finished most of Zanki, so I'm using the qbanks to augment and solidify my knowledge, along with hopefully improving my test taking skills.

Yeah, I've heard mixed things about Kaplan. It's tried and true though, just like Rx (which I've also heard mixed things about). Bottom line, I need all the questions I can get. I've seen only top scores (250+) from people doing all four banks.

Yeah, I'm doing BnB/Pathoma alongside class. I've finished lolnotacop (micro) and Zanki pharm and I've been chipping away at sketchy (micro and pharm) slowly but surely, with plans to finish it well before dedicated.

You finished most of zanki already? How??

 

[slowthai]

You finished most of zanki already? How??

I started with a pace of 50 news/day from day 1. Let's say we were on cardiovascular and renal was the next block. While I was doing the cardiovascular deck, if I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish the next system (both the path and phys) before the exam for renal, I would go ahead and start it and go at a pace of 20-50 cards/day or whatever pace I needed to be able to finish right around or a little before the renal exam. This would be on another profile so that I wouldn't feel like my main deck was ballooning with reviews. I had to do this if I wanted to keep up/stay ahead. I did this for the first semester. I felt like I needed to do the path decks to help me really solidify these phys heavy blocks, as phys doesn't come naturally to me. The side effect of this was that I ended up being way ahead of my curriculum.

Over winter break, I started running lolnotacop at a pace of 57 cards/day. My plan was to finish it and Zanki pharm by the beginning of M2. This way, I could start qbanks as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until I was fully done with Zanki to start, but I'm doing too many qbanks to wait, so I settled for being okay with being 80% of the way through.

How did I do this without losing my mind? I used Conaanaa's settings with no capped max interval. This minimized the number of cards I had to do on a daily basis. At my highest, I was at around 750 cards/day, which is a lot, but still a far cry from the 1000+ I regularly see get thrown around. Yes, my retention numbers are crap since reviews get pushed out so freakin far, but the way I see it, my heavy use of qbanks will make up for it. I believe a strong familiarity with the material + heavy application of it is more important than having a high retention percentage, but that's just my opinion. Plus, doing multiple qbanks on random will supercharge the spaced repetition thing, so I don't believe I'll have anything to worry about memory-wise.

 

[Dantes]

I started with a pace of 50 news/day from day 1. Let's say we were on cardiovascular and renal was the next block. While I was doing the cardiovascular deck, if I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish the next system (both the path and phys) before the exam for renal, I would go ahead and start it and go at a pace of 20-50 cards/day or whatever pace I needed to be able to finish right around or a little before the renal exam. This would be on another profile so that I wouldn't feel like my main deck was ballooning with reviews. I had to do this if I needed to keep up/stay ahead. I did this for the first semester. I felt like I needed to do the path decks to help me really solidify these phys heavy blocks, as phys doesn't come naturally to me. The side effect of this was that I ended up being way ahead of my curriculum.

Over winter break, I started running lolnotacop at a pace of 57 cards/day. My plan was to finish it and Zanki pharm by the beginning of M2. This way, I could start qbanks as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until I was fully done with Zanki start, but I'm doing too many qbanks to wait, so I settled for being okay with being 80% of the way through.

How did I do this without losing my mind? I used Conaanaa's settings with no capped max interval. This minimized the number of cards I had to do on a daily basis. At my highest, I was at around 750 cards/day, which is a lot, but still a far cry from the 1000+ I regularly see get thrown around. Yes, my retention numbers are crap since reviews get pushed out so freakin far, but the way I see it, my heavy use of qbanks will make up for it. I believe a strong familiarity with the material + heavy application of it is more important than having a high retention percentage, but that's just my opinion. Plus, doing multiple qbanks on random will supercharge the spaced repetition thing, so I don't believe I'll have anything to worry about memory-wise.

That's pretty solid. I started early (second semester) and actually regret not starting sooner. What was your true retention like with Conaanaa's settings? I found mine slipping below 80% and had to change it a little.

 

[slowthai]

That's pretty solid. I started early (second semester) and actually regret not starting sooner. What was your true retention like with Conaanaa's settings? I found mine slipping below 80% and had to change it a little.

About 73%. It freaks me out a bit, lol. But I'm probably going to do a pass of all the cards that are due beyond my test date during dedicated.

 

[giguerex35]

not to revive an old thread but can somebody specify what exactly they mean by review of questions previously done in detail. Ive done quiet a bit of questions on AMBOSS and have it set on study mode i so can read through the other answers and rationales as i do each question, is this what you guys mean?

 

[Deecee2DO]

not to revive an old thread but can somebody specify what exactly they mean by review of questions previously done in detail. Ive done quiet a bit of questions on AMBOSS and have it set on study mode i so can read through the other answers and rationales as i do each question, is this what you guys mean?

When I review questions this is what I do. Its quick and effective and doesnt get you bogged down in unnecessary detail bc its easy to spend 10 mins on one question. You dont really need to read every single answer choice explanation in detail like people say. Before you do this look at your breakdown on the qbanks of what your weak topics are and write them down next to you so you have them in front of you when youre doing questions (more on that below). Here are the tiers:

Got question correct because you knew it cold and you could walk someone through your thinking process and why the correct answer is correct: read the quick main learning objective at the bottom and move on.

Got question correct because you were down to two choices and picked the correct answer: read why the other one that you had it down to was wrong plus the main objective at the bottom

Got question incorrect because you had it down to 2 choices and picked the wrong one: read why the one you chose was wrong and why the correct one was correct. Then read the detailed explanation at the top and the objective.

Got question incorrect because you had no clue at all: Read the full explanation at the top the main objective why the answer you chose was wrong and why the correct answer is correct then maybe why the answer that most people chose was wrong if it was a hard question.

Remember the weak topics I told you to write down? So if you get a question wrong or right on a topic youre weak in: read the full explanation and the objective then why the answer you chose was incorrect or correct vs the other ones you were between.

This was my method and I ended up with a 254 on Step 1. Any questions PM me. Cheers!