Sketchy Worth it?

[Frogger27]

M1 here, getting ready to start biochem and associated classes. Already have Pathoma but is Sketchy worth buying? 250 for 12 months seems a little high, especially since I would not be taking step until June of 2019 so I would have to purchase another subscription. Should I wait until I get more into system blocks?

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[68PGunner]

Wait until you hit Immuno.

 

[Promethean]

Yes. So worth it. If you use it.

It is worthless if you buy it and don't use it.

You don't need 12 month subscriptions to everything. If you plan when you will attack each subject, you can get by with 3 month subs to most of these resources.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Sketchy is absolutely worth it. If you're a visual learner it's one of the best resources you can use.

Waiting until systems is fine, but if you have some micro and pharm in the meantime it would certainly be helpful for those as well.

 

[Bobcat18]

Worth it X1000000

 

[Mad Jack]

Sketchy, particularly micro, is the best resource I ever purchased aside from UW.

 

[Mad Jack]

To give you an idea, Sketchy is so good that I thought about buying it again just to brush up on things I'd gotten rusty on lol.

 

[ortnakas]

To give you an idea, Sketchy is so good that I thought about buying it again just to brush up on things I'd gotten rusty on lol.

Same.

Although to save money, no use buying it until you need it. If you're not covering micro or pharm yet, wait and purchase when you get there.

 

[emkayveedee]

best resource for pharm and micro. everything else they're doing is new so I have no opinion on it

 

[whatisthisstuff]

Probably not necessary until 2nd year depending on your schools curriculum.


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[themoonman2]

Sketchy micro is amazing. I'm just getting into sketchy pharm, and it seems really good too.

 

[Redpancreas]

M1 here, getting ready to start biochem and associated classes. Already have Pathoma but is Sketchy worth buying? 250 for 12 months seems a little high, especially since I would not be taking step until June of 2019 so I would have to purchase another subscription. Should I wait until I get more into system blocks?

Like everyone is saying, buy it when you need it and keep it around. You may end up needing the 12 mo. but make that decision when you need it. Also, you may hear a "rumor" going around SDN and in general where people say the Micro questions on the real deal don't test Sketchy stuff. I find that blindingly obvious because the real-deal has worked to adapt against resources, but at the same time, there were still 20 or so questions on my exam that indirectly tested Micro knowledge and knowing something like Gonorrhea conjunctivitis was quicker than Chlamydial helped narrow antibiotics. Sketchy helped for those. Some images I remembered helped me get points then and some I even use know. Moving forward, board exams test the same stuff and Sketchy is a very nice way to learn things.

 

[coldcase331]

My opinion of sketchy

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[Shams al Deen]

I don't even consider myself a 'visual learner', and even then Sketchy Micro was priceless. That resource alone (plus learning the abx) is enough to kill the UWorld micro questions. I don't like cramming Sketchy either. I spaced out watching around 10 videos/week for many months, with a lot of re-watching old vids. So I think getting a 12 month subscription can def be worth it if you use it like that. I didn't use any sketchy pharm, tried a couple videos and wasn't feeling it.

 

[NotYou20]

I'm not a visual learner at all and it's still amazingly helpful for pharm and micro

 

[Goro]

M1 here, getting ready to start biochem and associated classes. Already have Pathoma but is Sketchy worth buying? 250 for 12 months seems a little high, especially since I would not be taking step until June of 2019 so I would have to purchase another subscription. Should I wait until I get more into system blocks?

My students seem to love Sketchy. My Microbiologist faculty colleague is amazed that they learn anything from it though.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

My students seem to love Sketchy. My Microbiologist faculty colleague is amazed that they learn anything from it though.

It's a great tool for efficient long-term retention by anchoring otherwise 'random' facts in a coherent single place. For example I distinctly remember that Staph aureus is catalase positive and coagulase positive and has protein A as its main virulence factor even several years after I took micro. Pretty much irrelevant now, but it's stuck thanks to Sketchy. Also helps with clinical things like remembering its role in quick-onset food poisoning, abscesses, predilection for tricuspid valve endocarditis 2/2 IVDA, etc etc. So while it's not particularly in-depth knowledge it does contain many high-yield points that help all the way through preclinical to clinical work.

 

[Goro]

It's a great tool for efficient long-term retention by anchoring otherwise 'random' facts in a coherent single place. For example I distinctly remember that Staph aureus is catalase positive and coagulase positive and has protein A as its main virulence factor even several years after I took micro. QUOTE]
How on Earth did you do that??? My brain shorted out from this subject!

 

[aformerstudent]

Here's some feedback if you care...

I went to a Caribbean school and took immuno/micro there. The students that were struggling or getting C's were using Sketchy Micro and the students who aced the course and became TA's did not use Sketchy Micro.

My personal opinion is that Sketchy Micro is amazing but for USMLE-style questions, I would be very cautious with using it.

 

[Affiche]

Goro: Because Moses parted the coagulated sea while holding his golden A staph next to an Egyptian cat, duh.

 

[Goro]

Goro: Because Moses parted the coagulated sea while holding his golden A staph next to an Egyptian cat, duh.

 

[21Rush12]

I'd say wait it out until you're covering the subjects and try the sample videos. I can't decide if I like it or not yet myself but really it's not going to be much help without the context of learning it in class, IMO.


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[DocWinter]

If I could have one resource for pre clinicals it would be sketchy.
I still pull the image up in my mind when discussing and micro or pharm

 

[sinombre]

To give you an idea, Sketchy is so good that I thought about buying it again just to brush up on things I'd gotten rusty on lol.

I still refer to some of the images in my head three years later.

 

[mehc012]

Goro: Because Moses parted the coagulated sea while holding his golden A staph next to an Egyptian cat, duh.

See, this is why I hate Sketchy. It's extra crap to memorize and it turns all conversations into sh¡tshows as soon as 2 Sketchy users are at the table.

 

[Mad Jack]

See, this is why I hate Sketchy. It's extra crap to memorize and it turns all conversations into sh¡tshows as soon as 2 Sketchy users are at the table.

It's easier for a lot of people to remember one stupid picture than twenty random facts though

 

[aformerstudent]

It's easier for a lot of people to remember one stupid picture than twenty random facts though

This is true, but the NBME will NOT be writing test questions where you will easily be picturing those scenes. I feel Sketchy Micro was good to test myself but not a safe way to sit for an exam. Way too risky to spend too much time memorizing those different scenes.

 

[Stagg737]

I didn't use it (much) but really wish I had later on. Everyone I've talked to has said Micro was essential, so much so that some of the highest board scores in our class came from people who literally only used sketchy and FA for their micro resources. I've heard mixed things about Pharm just because the videos are a lot longer, so the story/image become less cohesive.

 

[aformerstudent]

so much so that some of the highest board scores in our class came from people who literally only used sketchy and FA for their micro resources.

I wonder if there is a correlation between US students and Caribbean students because my argument would be the opposite. The Caribbean guys I know that scored 230-240 on STEP1 did not use Sketchy Micro as part of their study plan.

Also, they make you guys pay for that? We got Sketchy Micro and Pharm for free.

 

[Mad Jack]

This is true, but the NBME will NOT be writing test questions where you will easily be picturing those scenes. I feel Sketchy Micro was good to test myself but not a safe way to sit for an exam. Way too risky to spend too much time memorizing those different scenes.

I disagree- once you knew the thing you were working with, the pictures were a godsend. It doesn't work for everyone though, you have to be a visual person.

 

[bananafish94]

If you're a visual learner, it's very helpful. I know a lot of people who swear by it during microbiology. I'm not really a visual learner, I prefer to read things, but it still helps me a decent amount. Some of the parasite videos recently saved me on an exam.

 

[aformerstudent]

I disagree- once you knew the thing you were working with, the pictures were a godsend. It doesn't work for everyone though, you have to be a visual person.

No, I actually agree. I think Sketchy is amazing for how it puts all of that info together. I passed one or two exams just using Sketchy alone but there is no way I would ever be proficient with microbiology based on Sketchy...even as a main tool. We took the NBME shelf and I "did not do well" on it because those questions assumed you were proficient with that material.

Sketchy, to me at least, is something I would use to test myself only.

 

[Mad Jack]

No, I actually agree. I think Sketchy is amazing for how it puts all of that info together. I passed one or two exams just using Sketchy alone but there is no way I would ever be proficient with microbiology based on Sketchy...even as a main tool. We took the NBME shelf and I "did not do well" on it because those questions assumed you were proficient with that material.

Sketchy, to me at least, is something I would use to test myself only.

I performed extremely well on my shelves and decent on the boards, Sketchy was literally my only study tool aside from First Aid for micro.

 

[aformerstudent]

decent

That's what I mean.

 

[Mad Jack]

That's what I mean.

I don't think I missed a single micro question on Step 1- the stuff they throw at you isn't that difficult and I was firmly to the far right in that area in my score report. My weakness on the boards was pharm and biochem, not micro.

 

[68PGunner]

I use Sketchy Micro and Sketchy Pharm overall pics to cue random facts for Micro and Pharm. It helps w/ long term retention for me. I can literally recall every random facts about Micro based on those Skeychy overall pics.

 

[aformerstudent]

I don't think I missed a single micro question on Step 1- the stuff they throw at you isn't that difficult and I was firmly to the far right in that area in my score report. My weakness on the boards was pharm and biochem, not micro.

Then we can conclude that Sketchy Micro is an excellent tool for US medical students.

 

[Affiche]

Lol some salty MFs in here. I never miss NBME micro or pharm questions and I use sketchy exclusively, with the caveat that I'll Wikipedia something if I need more of a narrative.

Use what works for you. Ignore what other people are doing if you don't like it.

 

[Stagg737]

I wonder if there is a correlation between US students and Caribbean students because my argument would be the opposite. The Caribbean guys I know that scored 230-240 on STEP1 did not use Sketchy Micro as part of their study plan.

Also, they make you guys pay for that? We got Sketchy Micro and Pharm for free.

Idk, I know a few people who scored 250+ who only used sketchy and FA for micro. I really think it just depends on how you learn. We did have to pay for it ourselves, but your school also made you pay for it through tuition. It's never really free unless you download it illegally or use a friends subscription.

 

[mehc012]

Lol some salty MFs in here. I never miss NBME micro or pharm questions and I use sketchy exclusively, with the caveat that I'll Wikipedia something if I need more of a narrative.

Use what works for you. Ignore what other people are doing if you don't like it.

Only salty because a few Sketchy people literally turn small group sessions into gibberish. I don't care what people use for their own study, but leave the Sketchy talk out of PBL sessions.