Rx 50% off...worth it??

[random1234]

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Hey guys, upcoming MS2 here
My class has a coupon for the 12 month until you pass Rx program which will make the cost 150.
Is it worth it?
I personally was going to go with Kaplan as my secondary Qbank source, but idk.
I hate reading FA for what it's worth and hate the style...so is this a better alternative to learn what's in First Aid?
I do pretty well on shelf exams but have found the Kaplan content much more representative than UWorld for shelf exams anyway.
I haven't covered path, pharm, or neuro yet.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

I personally found Kaplan more helpful than Rx. Kaplan questions seem a little more well rounded whereas Rx questions seemed to rely on you knowing ONE detail to get the question right. I bought an Rx subscription and completed sround 27% of it before switching to Kaplan. Then i did Uworld after Kaplan.

 

[Phloston]

I'm not just saying this because I was an editor for Rx, but its utility for Step 1 is a lot better than Kaplan. Rx questions are known for their simplicity, but the QBank does a great job of drilling FA, which is what people need. Kaplan is overly technical, complicated and minutiae-focused much of the time; people get bogged down in it failing to realize much of what they're studying won't ever in a million years surface on the Step 1 (I was also guilty of this). If one has time, both QBanks are good to do because they'll both increase the Step score, but if it came down to it - Rx vs Kaplan - for Step 1 (excepting UW), Rx wins. And I would never recommend to any one of my students to do Kaplan over Rx if he or she had to do one and only one.

 

[1lifeleft28]

Can you share the coupon code?

 

[Command]

Hmm so the rep here was lying when he said $179 is the lowest price this year @gobigorgohome22

 

[gobigorgohome22]

yeah dude, come on help your fellow class of 2018ers out! Remember, this is US vs. USMLE!

Share the code!

 

[Jabbed]

I'm not just saying this because I was an editor for Rx, but its utility for Step 1 is a lot better than Kaplan. Rx questions are known for their simplicity, but the QBank does a great job of drilling FA, which is what people need. Kaplan is overly technical, complicated and minutiae-focused much of the time; people get bogged down in it failing to realize much of what they're studying won't ever in a million years surface on the Step 1 (I was also guilty of this). If one has time, both QBanks are good to do because they'll both increase the Step score, but if it came down to it - Rx vs Kaplan - for Step 1 (excepting UW), Rx wins. And I would never recommend to any one of my students to do Kaplan over Rx if he or she had to do one and only one.

I vaguely remember a review that you did of the Kaplan Qbank ages ago saying that it was a worthwhile test bank and that you expected it to bump your score a few points. Do you still think that's the case now that you're on the other side of step 1?

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

Rx questions are known for their simplicity, but the QBank does a great job of drilling FA, which is what people need. Kaplan is overly technical, complicated and minutiae-focused much of the time; people get bogged down in it failing to realize much of what they're studying won't ever in a million years surface on the Step 1.

I agree, Rx is simpler. I also agree that Rx does a more efficient job at hammering FA. It is also clear that you would not be biased toward Rx over Kaplan because you are an editor, since I am assuming you liked Rx so much after actually trying it that you wanted to help make it better. I respect that.

However I believe the tight relationship between FA and Rx is not as beneficial as one would think. I learned one thing after spending my entire 2nd year of med school and 30+ all-nighters studying for Step:

Review materials are in no way equivalent to the REAL Step exam, they just prepare you for it.

Therefore the more homogenous and focused your materials are, the more likely I believe someone may miss a topic on their real exam. Some questions on my Step 1 exam were asking questions about topics that I once thought were "minutia" in my first-year med school classes and in Kaplan Qbank and Kaplan HY lectures.

While it is true that one should not spread themselves too thin with dozens of different study sources, I bought Kaplan because it has a good reputation and it is in some ways different than FA, yet each question topic was often a permutation of a FA topic that even had a FA page reference.

So if I had to rank Qbank question difficulty based on similarity to my Step 1 exam, it would be something like 1.) UWORLD 2.) Kaplan 3.) USMLERx, even though my real Step 1 exam was HARDER than UWORLD.

Just my 2 cents. Do all 3 if you have the time! 🙂 I wish I had finished all 3.

 

[Señor S]

I liked Rx a lot. It's repetitive but it covers a lot of things that aren't as well represented by UWorld. If I could do it over I would start Kaplan in December, Rx in March/April and aim to have them both done by the time classes ended, then go back and redo my wrong questions before the test.

 

[justAstudent]

When do people typically start using USMLE Rx or Kaplan?

 

[sd227]

I liked Rx a lot. It's repetitive but it covers a lot of things that aren't as well represented by UWorld. If I could do it over I would start Kaplan in December, Rx in March/April and aim to have them both done by the time classes ended, then go back and redo my wrong questions before the test.

How would you get through the banks without learning all the information from classes. Would you advise reading ahead in first aid in order to complete the banks ahead of time?

 

[Señor S]

How would you get through the banks without learning all the information from classes. Would you advise reading ahead in first aid in order to complete the banks ahead of time?

The banks allow you to select specific content areas, so I would try to only do those for classes/sections I'd already (hence starting in November/December rather than at the beginning of M-II). I'd also advise people not to focus on one particular subject (e.g., "I'll do all the renal questions") as the banks are often repetitive and you'll get answers right just based on having read a previous explanation. I'd add new content areas after I'd completed that section in Pathology ("I just had my cardiology test, now I'll add that discipline to my pool of questions"). Keep a few notebooks for high-yield concepts in different areas. That would be the best strategy imo, besides doing well in classes of course.

 

[iSaruman]

Hmm so the rep here was lying when he said $179 is the lowest price this year @gobigorgohome22

Actually I used that code and got the deal for $150, not $179. Not sure if the rep was simply mistaken or not, but it looks like the same deal OP got. Try punching it into the Rx website yourself and see.

To OP, I tend to agree with @Phloston - Rx seems to be better for slamming FA into your brain. I just look up the pages in FA when I read explanations for the questions I got wrong, and so far it's really helped get the minutiae down.

 

[Entadus]

Actually I used that code and got the deal for $150, not $179. Not sure if the rep was simply mistaken or not, but it looks like the same deal OP got. Try punching it into the Rx website yourself and see.

To OP, I tend to agree with @Phloston - Rx seems to be better for slamming FA into your brain. I just look up the pages in FA when I read explanations for the questions I got wrong, and so far it's really helped get the minutiae down.

Has that code expired? Can you please share? 🙂

 

[Mr. Vandemar]

I emailed the reps today and asked about getting a discount code for either the Q bank or triple play and they said they currently have no active codes. I really was hoping to use it along with M2 coursework (starts tomorrow), but there's no way I am paying full price.

 

[pathologyDO]

Anyone know if there is a Step 2 CK USMLE Rx code that can be used still?

 

[Tympany]

Sorry, bumping this thread for follow-up. I was also curious about USMLE-rx and was wondering if opinions changed for that vs. Kaplan now. I know everyone said it's negligible money compared to what we're investing in total, but if I were to only get one to save what little I have, what would you recommend?

When do people typically start using USMLE Rx or Kaplan?

Also curious about this. I was thinking of using Uworld during the last few months, and using one of these two at the start of M2.

I emailed the reps today and asked about getting a discount code for either the Q bank or triple play and they said they currently have no active codes. I really was hoping to use it along with M2 coursework (starts tomorrow), but there's no way I am paying full price.

Any updates on discount codes or is there a place where I could find the reps' emails? I'd rather not pay $400 for the Triple Play either.

 

[Phloston]

Sorry, bumping this thread for follow-up. I was also curious about USMLE-rx and was wondering if opinions changed for that vs. Kaplan now. I know everyone said it's negligible money compared to what we're investing in total, but if I were to only get one to save what little I have, what would you recommend?



Also curious about this. I was thinking of using Uworld during the last few months, and using one of these two at the start of M2.



Any updates on discount codes or is there a place where I could find the reps' emails? I'd rather not pay $400 for the Triple Play either.

Please try the SDN free classifieds if you're looking for coupon codes. People often post them there (and are not allowed to on the step forums). To answer your other questions, qbanks cycle new questions in and remove/revise older ones with time, but their styles stay somewhat constant.

 

[Tympany]

Please try the SDN free classifieds if you're looking for coupon codes. People often post them there (and are not allowed to on the step forums). To answer your other questions, qbanks cycle new questions in and remove/revise older ones with time, but their styles stay somewhat constant.

Sorry, realized there was another section afterwards. If you only had the money to buy one qbank, which would you recommend? From perusing the boards, it sounds like Kaplan may be better, but I'm liking the thought of USMLErx really drilling you with First Aid.
Also, it seems like most of the people here are just asking for codes for qmax. Is the Triple Play Bundle not as good as it sounds?