why do random QBank questions as opposed to by subjects?

[dingleberry007]

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I've been reading a lot about how to tackle the QBanks, and to those who started doing questions at random as opposed to subject specific...

By doing random questions, aren't you going to test yourself on a lot of the material that you presumably haven't covered yet? If you do questions subject based and then get them right/wrong, wouldn't that be a better indication of if you learned the material?

Since I'm in the beginning of prepping, I am probably missing something. Could any please explain to me why so many people suggest doing random questions at first?

thanks for all your help

 

[Clin2008]

IMO doing random questions can be very helpful in keeping the material fresh. It is the way questions are presented to you in the real thing, so it would get you used to it. Once you have reviewed all subjects, it is the way to go!

However, it would probably not be quite a good idea to do random questions from subjects you have not yet reviewed. I tried this approach, and I found myself spending too much time reviewing questions from subjects I had not yet studied. I prefer doing random questions from subjects I have already covered. As soon as I have gone through a given subject, it gets added to my random pool.

That is not to say you should only do random questions. Doing subject based questions right after you have covered a given material is very helpful. However, I rather use a different source of questions other than a Qbank, such as end-chapter questions from review books. I believe if you do subject questions from a Qbank, chances are it might overestimates your score. Let’s say you are doing questions from renal physiology, you are going to look for a renal physiology answer!

As always, the best way to go depends on your background and preferences.

 

[Blesbok]

Even if you haven't restudied it, most of the stuff you should have some idea about, so when you get a question on it, you read over the explanation and study as you test.

Towards the end of studying you are still doing questions from stuff that you studied at the beginning, so you are constantly going over those things in your mind as opposed to getting to the USMLE and realizing that you forgot the stuff you studied a month ago because you haven't thought about it for the last month.

 

[dilated]

By subject makes them artificially easy. when you get a question stem about a dude with fever and hematuria and you're in the vascular question block, hmm!

If you're using world you can randomly select from the particular blocks you've covered. I did this to omit neuro since I did it last.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

There are a couple reasons I think doing random questions is best - first, unless you are trying to do questions while you are still taking 2nd year courses, as Blesbok said you have covered all the areas even if you haven't reviewed them again. Random questions are a great way to keep your knowledge fresh in many areas, even if your review for that day is focused on one subject.

Secondly, the exam will be random and not sorted by subject. I think it's really important to get used to switching gears, and it does take some practice to get that down. As others have mentioned, it is going to be a lot easier to answer questions about a subject when you are already thinking about that subject.

Anyway, if you're close to the exam (4 weeks away or so) and in your dedicated review time, your best bet is to do random, timed questions because you need to start getting into "test mode." If the exam is farther off, doing some questions by subject is probably not necessarily a bad thing. Just keep in mind that some subjects don't have a lot of questions -- so sorting them by subject might end up with you using up all the questions in a particular subject.

 

[TonyDaTigrUprct]

There are a couple reasons I think doing random questions is best - first, unless you are trying to do questions while you are still taking 2nd year courses, as Blesbok said you have covered all the areas even if you haven't reviewed them again. Random questions are a great way to keep your knowledge fresh in many areas, even if your review for that day is focused on one subject.

Secondly, the exam will be random and not sorted by subject. I think it's really important to get used to switching gears, and it does take some practice to get that down. As others have mentioned, it is going to be a lot easier to answer questions about a subject when you are already thinking about that subject.

Anyway, if you're close to the exam (4 weeks away or so) and in your dedicated review time, your best bet is to do random, timed questions because you need to start getting into "test mode." If the exam is farther off, doing some questions by subject is probably not necessarily a bad thing. Just keep in mind that some subjects don't have a lot of questions -- so sorting them by subject might end up with you using up all the questions in a particular subject.

nicely stated, I totally agree with everything mudphud just said.

 

[blz]

This is the way I did it. Only people who can stomach two question banks should try it. I studied 6 weeks.

While reviewing the material for the first time I used Kaplan qbank and I would do the questions subject only. By the time I got through covering the material once I ended up like 70% through kaplan qbank. I then switched over to USMLEworld for my timed, random questions.

This worked out wonderfully for me because it made reviewing answers very efficient because I wasnt wasting time going over questions I didn't review anything for (I usually only focused on questions I got wrong). In the end, I got through about 70% of qbank and 80% of usmleworld in about five weeks (I didn't do any questions my last week). There's no way I would have been able to do those many questions if I did random from the getgo.

That's another option to consider. Worked wonderfully for me to attain 260+. I agree with mudphudwannabe's strategy for people who only are using one question bank.

 

[hasha100]

This is the way I did it. Only people who can stomach two question banks should try it. I studied 6 weeks.

While reviewing the material for the first time I used Kaplan qbank and I would do the questions subject only. By the time I got through covering the material once I ended up like 70% through kaplan qbank. I then switched over to USMLEworld for my timed, random questions.

This worked out wonderfully for me because it made reviewing answers very efficient because I wasnt wasting time going over questions I didn't review anything for (I usually only focused on questions I got wrong). In the end, I got through about 70% of qbank and 80% of usmleworld in about five weeks (I didn't do any questions my last week). There's no way I would have been able to do those many questions if I did random from the getgo.

That's another option to consider. Worked wonderfully for me to attain 260+. I agree with mudphudwannabe's strategy for people who only are using one question bank.

I'm using a similar strategy to you blz. I do subject based questions on the material I recently covered. I plan to be done with about 60% of Qbank in the next few days. Then i'll start UWorld and start doing random timed blocks of questions. I agree in that I personally don't find doing random questions helpful when I first started studying (it was horribly frustrating...especially with all the flipping back and forth thru FA when reviewing the questions).

I have about a month to go and I hope this strategy works as well for me as it did for blz (260+!!!! That's amazing. Congrats!!).