Thoughts on reading through first aid for board prep?

[coconutlover]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Not reading through seriously but sort of reading through to get a general idea and lay of the land. Sort of like leisure reading. Any thoughts?

 

[GoSpursGo]

I would not expend time on anything "for leisure" if you expect to derive benefit from it. First Aid is a review book and there's nothing especially fancy about how it's organized. Many students use it as a resource, either to consolidate information that they are currently learning in class or as a way to review older information throughout the year.

If you are not already using First Aid, you probably should be. But one way or another you need to pick a strategy and stick to it.

 

[operaman]

Yeah I mean you can skim the whole book in an afternoon. Not sure how helpful it would be. Just remember that when you do finally get to your dedicated study time, by the end of it you’ll find yourself forgetting things you just review a few weeks ago at the start of it. So odds of remembering much from a read through is minimal.

Where a comprehensive review source can be helpful early on is used alongside your coursework to help identify the high yield often-tested info from your lectures. Many students will write in any mnemonics or other helpful hints to themselves as they go. Used that way it can be quite helpful just because it’s a nice framework for later. Nowadays there are many nice Anki decks out there as well you can use to help keep the info current in your mind as time goes along.

 

[Hollow Knight]

You'd be better off just eating as many AnKing cards as possible instead of just sitting there reading it. It's the same material and you'll retain way more that way.

Please don't listen to the people telling you to sit around and read First Aid. Do UFAPS and AnKing. It works.

 

[Redpancreas]

Not reading through seriously but sort of reading through to get a general idea and lay of the land. Sort of like leisure reading. Any thoughts?

First Aid for USMLE Step 1 (FA) is meant for recall after you've learnt about a topic comprehensively as it condenses the most high yield information into memorable chunks, but it won't help make sense of anything. For example, you've mentioned in past threads you would like to understand pathophysiology. Reading FA wouldn't help here. It may be helpful to have the PDF copy and print pages of the topics corresponding with your in-house lectures for the day. Review the pages during your self study. It may help keep you motivated when you see the same minutiae from your school lectures appear in FA. This will help you focus on what's high yield.

 

[coconutlover]

You'd be better off just eating as many AnKing cards as possible instead of just sitting there reading it. It's the same material and you'll retain way more that way.

Please don't listen to the people telling you to sit around and read First Aid. Do UFAPS and AnKing. It works.

So here's my approach then, wake up 40 uworld question block, finish rest of anki for day, then for spare time in day try to review older stuff. Would you suggest I do a second pass of sketchy micro, sketchy pharm, pathoma, and bnb?

 

[Hollow Knight]

So here's my approach then, wake up 40 uworld question block, finish rest of anki for day, then for spare time in day try to review older stuff. Would you suggest I do a second pass of sketchy micro, sketchy pharm, pathoma, and bnb?

So you’ve already done UFAPS and matured the AnKing cards? And you’re going to sit around and read first aid on top of that stuff?

If I were you I’d go to the gym or go see my friends or family or something. But if you’ve already done all the things then yeah reading first aid won’t hurt you. It sounds like you’re working too hard though honesty. Maturing AnKing and doing UWord is enough, it’s more than the vast majority of med students do these days.

If you have to keep reviewing I’d do pathoma or sketchy

 

[coconutlover]

So you’ve already done UFAPS and matured the AnKing cards? And you’re going to sit around and read first aid on top of that stuff?

If I were you I’d go to the gym or go see my friends or family or something. But if you’ve already done all the things then yeah reading first aid won’t hurt you. It sounds like you’re working too hard though honesty. Maturing AnKing and doing UWord is enough, it’s more than the vast majority of med students do these days.

If you have to keep reviewing I’d do pathoma or sketchy

I have not matured Anking. I have matured maybe 21k card out of 35k? I am 12% through Uworld and doing it right now. Sorry to clarify, would that change any of your thoughts? Also, how should I incorporate first aid as I do uworld. Is it worth reading over the uworld pages on the stuff I get wrong from uworld?

 

[Hollow Knight]

I have not matured Anking. I have matured maybe 21k card out of 35k? I am 12% through Uworld and doing it right now. Sorry to clarify, would that change any of your thoughts? Also, how should I incorporate first aid as I do uworld. Is it worth reading over the uworld pages on the stuff I get wrong from uworld?

21k is pretty dang good man. If you do UWorld and your incorrects you'll be far ahead of most US med students.

If you want to kill yourself, go mature the rest of the cards with Boards and Beyond or Bootcamp (assuming you've done sketchy and pathoma already)

Or go, like, pet your dog or talk to your wife or something

 

[coconutlover]

21k is pretty dang good man. If you do UWorld and your incorrects you'll be far ahead of most US med students.

If you want to kill yourself, go mature the rest of the cards with Boards and Beyond or Bootcamp (assuming you've done sketchy and pathoma already)

Or go, like, pet your dog or talk to your wife or something

do u think there is value in maturing entirety of anking for step 2 or do u think doing like 60-70% is good enough? Issue is even though im doing anki its just knowledge I need practice questions cuz its just words in my head right now I think

 

[Hollow Knight]

do u think there is value in maturing entirety of anking for step 2 or do u think doing like 60-70% is good enough? Issue is even though im doing anki its just knowledge I need practice questions cuz its just words in my head right now I think

You definitely need to finish UWorld.

If you finish UWorld and still have time to finish more of the deck, you’ll be even better off of course. But again, you’re already doing better than most people.

There’s definitely value in maturing the whole deck, but don’t do that instead of practice questions. More questions should be your first priority