Just finished the FA Q&A Book - my brief thoughts on it

[Phloston]

I just banged out the FA Q&A book (5 days x ~200 Qs/day).

On average, I found the FA Q&A explanations to be slightly shorter and more vague than USMLE Rx's. Therefore, I decided to use this book mainly just for practicing questions rather than for heavy concept-building. I reviewed only the ones I got wrong and marked. This is in contrast to USMLE Rx, where I had reviewed every explanation and had annotated into FA heavily, thereby having completed only one 48-question block per day.

Furthermore, there is ~10% overlap with USMLE Rx. I know for a fact I had encountered quite a few of the questions before.

I found ~10 fairly substantial errors (and it's not like you can just submit a comment the same way you can on Rx).

The book was very easy in terms of question-difficulty. This was very disappointing, as I had hoped it would have proved to have been of greater value (i.e. frequently they'd have a pretty good question stem, you'd figure out the Dx or adverse Sx, and then they'd end up telling you anyway later in the same stem).

I finished Rx and FA Q&A at a little over 85 and 94% correct, respectively. With regard to the questions that I had gotten wrong in the latter, I still feel it was worth it having gone through the book.

Bottom line: if you have a bit of time on your hands, it would be beneficial to blast through FA Q&A; there are a few small details that are not in USMLE Rx that are good tidbits to know (i.e. possible wtf question-info). I would recommend doing FA Q&A after USMLE Rx because the former is better used as mere question-practice rather than for core concept learning.

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[RedSoxSuck]

I just banged out the FA Q&A book (5 days x ~200 Qs/day).

On average, I found the FA Q&A explanations to be slightly shorter and more vague than USMLE Rx's. Therefore, I decided to use this book mainly just for practicing questions rather than for heavy concept-building. I reviewed only the ones I got wrong and marked. This is in contrast to USMLE Rx, where I had reviewed every explanation and had annotated into FA heavily, thereby having completed only one 48-question block per day.

Furthermore, there is ~10% overlap with USMLE Rx. I know for a fact I had encountered quite a few of the questions before.

I found ~10 fairly substantial errors (and it's not like you can just submit a comment the same way you can on Rx).

The book was very easy in terms of question-difficulty. This was very disappointing, as I had hoped it would have proved to have been of greater value (i.e. frequently they'd have a pretty good question stem, you'd figure out the Dx or adverse Sx, and then they'd end up telling you anyway later in the same stem).

I finished Rx and FA Q&A at a little over 85 and 94% correct, respectively. With regard to the questions that I had gotten wrong in the latter, I still feel it was worth it having gone through the book.

Bottom line: if you have a bit of time on your hands, it would be beneficial to blast through FA Q&A; there are a few small details that are not in USMLE Rx that are good tidbits to know (i.e. possible wtf question-info). I would recommend doing FA Q&A after USMLE Rx because the former is better used as mere question-practice rather than for core concept learning.

When's your test?

 

[Phloston]

December 21st

 

[RedSoxSuck]

December 21st

If you don't break 265 then SDN community will be disappointed in you.

 

[DroptheBop]

If you don't break 265 then SDN community will be disappointed in you.

I was thinking more along the lines of 280 for him...

 

[RedSoxSuck]

I was thinking more along the lines of 280 for him...

Yea, you are right. Phloston, 280 or bust!!

 

[Kaputt]

No offense but I can't imagine why someone would devote so much time to one test. Especially when you can cover your bases in 5 weeks.

 

[chiefMD]

No offense but I can't imagine why someone would devote so much time to one test. Especially when you can cover your bases in 5 weeks.

x2. you just wasted your time reading that book. youll forget most in a few months and just have to restart back over again a month or so before your test.

 

[iCY]

a 280 isn't going to make your Australian degree seem any better

 

[The kitchen sink]

December 21st

So... much... time...... i wish i had.....

 

[RedSoxSuck]

a 280 isn't going to make your Australian degree seem any better

What does that have to do with anything? If the man wants to study hardcore for a long time then mad props to him. 280 with an American education or African education does not diminish the score.

 

[mdquestion]

December 21st

Wait really? Why are you on this board posting everyday now?

 

[VisionaryTics]

a 280 isn't going to make your Australian degree seem any better

That's kind of an ******* comment.

 

[Brotato]

Believe it or not, there are amazing doctors in other countries of the world too. I know this may be a shock to some

 

[JackShephard MD]

a 280 isn't going to make your Australian degree seem any better

Let's treat each other with respect.

I will say this though, I think there is a mistaken belief on SDN that:

240 < 250 <<<< 260 <<<<<<<< 270 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 280

Once you reach 250+ you are doing pretty damn good and I don't think PD think any more of you, maybe excluding a few specialties and a few hospitals.

 

[iCY]

What does that have to do with anything? If the man wants to study hardcore for a long time then mad props to him. 280 with an American education or African education does not diminish the score.

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

 

[RedSoxSuck]

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

Man, Philly fans are truly fanatic. Just messing. I lived in Philly once and hated the cold weather.

 

[johndoe3344]

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, however asinine it is...

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

Maybe you should spend a little less time trollin-- I mean reading these boards and these threads if certain posts bother you so much.

 

[mdeast]

Let's treat each other with respect.

I will say this though, I think there is a mistaken belief on SDN that:

240 < 250 <<<< 260 <<<<<<<< 270 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 280

Once you reach 250+ you are doing pretty damn good and I don't think PD think any more of you, maybe excluding a few specialties and a few hospitals.

To be honest...240=250=260=270. I know a lot of people on this forum think boards scores matter more than anything else. But to be honest, top programs look for way more than board scores. It's mainly a cut-off (i.e. you need to get above a certain score to be considered). These cutoffs are probably different depending on what institution you attend, but again....just cutoffs. Once you make it to interview for residency, your board score isn't much of a consideration.

Top programs want people who want to do academic medicine (i.e. research, etc.) and/or have accomplished and/or contributed something unique to medicine.

They'll take an accomplished 240 scorer over a 270 almost every single time.

 

[JackShephard MD]

To be honest...240=250=260=270. I know a lot of people on this forum think boards scores matter more than anything else. But to be honest, top programs look for way more than board scores. It's mainly a cut-off (i.e. you need to get above a certain score to be considered). These cutoffs are probably different depending on what institution you attend, but again....just cutoffs. Once you make it to interview for residency, your board score isn't much of a consideration.

Top programs want people who want to do academic medicine (i.e. research, etc.) and/or have accomplished and/or contributed something unique to medicine.

They'll take an accomplished 240 scorer over a 270 almost every single time.

Agreed, great post. I might raise that to 250 just because it seems some specialties are reaching means in the mid 240s. The general sentiment is correct though, the rest of the app matters much more than 10-30 more points after 250.

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

I definitely don't like your style but the points are probably correct. It's not pathetic, it's just not effective.

I was talking to a guy at my school who crammed step 1 for a 250+ in about a month. That's winning.

This test isn't that important. I'm not saying to not try your best, but a reasonable study plan with a hardcore dedicated period (~5-6 weeks) is enough and sufficient to do very well.

 

[mdeast]

Agreed, great post. I might raise that to 250 just because it seems some specialties are reaching means in the mid 240s. The general sentiment is correct though, the rest of the app matters much more than 10-30 more points after 250.



I definitely don't like your style but the points are probably correct. It's not pathetic, it's just not effective.

I was talking to a guy at my school who crammed step 1 for a 250+ in about a month. That's winning.

This test isn't that important. I'm not saying to not try your best, but a reasonable study plan with a hardcore dedicated period (~5-6 weeks) is enough and sufficient to do very well.

I'd say there are really only a select few specialties that a 250+ is really that important (the two that come to mind are Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery). Otherwise, even ultra competitive specialties like Optho and Derm....more than half of last year's accepted students had below a 245. I'd even venture to guess that average board scores are higher at less prestigious institutions than they are at top ones for certain specialties.

Step 1 is important. But yeah. You probably shouldn't be spending 8 month studying for it. I'm almost 7 weeks in and f**k me i'm ready for this to be over with regardless if I even break 230.

 

[JackShephard MD]

I'd say there are really only a select few specialties that a 250+ is really that important (the two that come to mind are Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery). Otherwise, even ultra competitive specialties like Optho and Derm....more than half of last year's accepted students had below a 245. I'd even venture to guess that average board scores are higher at less prestigious institutions than they are at top ones for certain specialties.

Step 1 is important. But yeah. You probably shouldn't be spending 8 month studying for it. I'm almost 7 weeks in and f**k me i'm ready for this to be over with regardless if I even break 230.

 

[Phloston]

What does that have to do with anything? If the man wants to study hardcore for a long time...

I appreciate your maturity.

No offense but I can't imagine why someone would devote so much time to one test. Especially when you can cover your bases in 5 weeks.

It's more than just the score that's important.

x2. you just wasted your time reading that book. youll forget most in a few months and just have to restart back over again a month or so before your test.

Effective repetition is key. I'll revisit the book for one day closer to the exam. Chances are, if you're forgetting the info in just a few months, then you probably don't have a grounded understanding of it to begin with. For example, no one would ever forget the beta-blockers or what they do because we've all heard / read about them so many times. This applies to everything else, even the biochem and embryo minutiae.

Wait really? Why are you on this board posting everyday now?

I think SDN is great in the sense that it is the only place I've found where people are actually passionate about responding to and helping other people. There are obviously those who try to bring others down, but that will never change in life.

Let's treat each other with respect.

Man, Philly fans are truly fanatic. Just messing. I lived in Philly once and hated the cold weather.

Considering I did most of my undergrad in Boston (I also did some in Sydney, Australia), maybe baseball isn't a topic we should bring to the table??

 

[RedSoxSuck]

Considering I did most of my undergrad in Boston (I also did some in Sydney, Australia), maybe baseball isn't a topic we should bring to the table??

LOL. Diehard yankee fan. Hate the redsox with passion. Friend offered me $500 to wear redsox jersey for a day and i literally pissed on it and then burned it.

 

[Shadowmoses]

Phloston encourages me to study harder, and while I'm nowhere near at his level yet, I'd be satisfied if I can do 3/4 of what he has done so far by the time I take the test. I also have like a 1.5 years till I sit for the exam I'm not exactly in a rush right now.

Keep up the hard work man, I salute you

 

[hotchik]

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

kinda have to agree lol sorry phlosten you're an awesome dude... but he's got a point...who manually keeps track of their % correct on a question book? lol

I also agree that you might have too much time to study before your exam...with a brain like urs why don't you do some research for publications? Wouldn't it be better to have a 260+ with some damn good research (or even MORE research than you already have now) vs a 270+?

Either way props to your for spending so much time on one test...not sure what your goal is in your career, but coming to America for medicine may not be the best choice with the current healthcare costs/issues haha

Try not to be too gunner...you can have the highest step 1 score in history, but if your an egotistic, conceited *****hole, no residency is gonna wanna take you.

gl with studying!

 

[MrBeauregard]

Effective repetition is key. I'll revisit the book for one day closer to the exam. Chances are, if you're forgetting the info in just a few months, then you probably don't have a grounded understanding of it to begin with. For example, no one would ever forget the beta-blockers or what they do because we've all heard / read about them so many times. This applies to everything else, even the biochem and embryo minutiae.

I don't necessarily agree. I think it's great what you're doing, and if I had the time to complete every question bank or book I could get my hands on, I would definitely do it. But just because someone can't remember the details of cellular and molecular biology or every single embryologic precursor doesn't mean they don't have a grasp of the fundamentals; it simply means they don't use that information enough to keep it in the forefront of their mind. The reason no one will ever forget the MOA, indications, contraindications, etc. of a B-blocker is because of the prevalence of hypertension and heart disease in this country and the utility of B-blocker therapy in those diseases. That's completely different than not remembering that the smooth portion of the right ventricle and the trabeculated portion of the right ventricle develop from different structures, and what structures those are, or remembering every single regulated step in each medically important biochemical pathway. That stuff just isn't clinically relevant enough to have it always be easily accessible in our minds at any given moment.

Anyways, keep up the good work. There are a lot of haters on this forum, but as you said, this is definitely one place where there are people who actually care about helping others understand material and do well on Step 1.

 

[Chirurg]

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

shocking how judgemental some medical students can be.

I appreciate your insight phloston, don't let random people bring you down, keep posting about your experience, it is helpful.

 

[Kaputt]

Having taken the test, my assessment is that adding 6 months to your study schedule will likely not get you into the 270s+ range if you weren't going to get there in 5 weeks anyway.

The actual exam is going to have questions that are not in the standard review books or question banks/books. Unless you're combing through Harrison's in your 8 months and remember every line, you are going to get questions wrong. These sorts of questions are near impossible to prepare for because they will be so random. Plus, factor in human error on your exam, which will cost you some questions.

The sky is not the limit on Step 1. You will hit a ceiling. Which is why I feel there are limited returns in studying beyond 2 months (5-6 weeks should work for most people I would think).

 

[JackShephard MD]

I hope I haven't sounded judgmental about this because I am a firm believer that individuals should do what they want. The thing we were discussing, which I think is important, is what do scores above 240/250 range do. I think this is important because when someone wants an unbelievable score it's usually a means to an end. The end being landing a good residency.

Here is a good thread that I saved:
Game Plan for Competitive Residency
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=842328&highlight=radiology+specialty

In my first year of medical school a Urologist came and gave us a talk about how to get into Urology (presumably how to get into any competitive residency) and gave this advice, and in this order:

1. Step 1 score: 230 minimum. 240 preferred. 250+ is all the same
2. AOA / Class Rank: Be AOA
3. Research: Pubs > Posters > Bull****; High-Impact > Low-Impact > Nothing
4. Letters of Rec: Chair of the Department
5a. Auditions: Do aways. They are critical. Your best shot of getting a residency is either the home school or the place you do an away.
5b. Auditions can be your Personal Statement if going into something less difficult.

This advice is pretty consistent from residents and program directors. Read over threads with people in the know. The point were discussing is, should one invest nearly a year to try to get that unbelievable score? Sure, it's fine. But don't delude yourself into believing that it's going to make a difference in your application. All the other factors begin to play a bigger role once you've done very well on Step 1.

So good luck to Pholston, hope he does well.

 

[Aclamity]

Relax people, y'all know that everyone and their mom on here bought DIT/GT/FA as an MS1 or beginning of MS2. Unfortunately we all had school, but if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight. The guy's just doing what you couldn't. And I know tons of IMGs, all of whom put in > 6 months to get great scores. It's not uncommon at all.

And I would keep track of my % on a qbook also. what's the point if you don't know how well you're doing? didn't you all manually keep track of your scores on Examkracker's 101 VR passages? (fond memories everyone ?)

 

[mdquestion]

Relax people, y'all know that everyone and their mom on here bought DIT/GT/FA as an MS1 or beginning of MS2. Unfortunately we all had school, but if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight. The guy's just doing what you couldn't. And I know tons of IMGs, all of whom put in > 6 months to get great scores. It's not uncommon at all.

And I would keep track of my % on a qbook also. what's the point if you don't know how well you're doing? didn't you all manually keep track of your scores on Examkracker's 101 VR passages? (fond memories everyone ?)

No. Lol.

 

[Aclamity]

No. Lol.

oh dear, maybe it's just me then. I guess my priorities are getting skewed during this hardcore study time hah

But still, good luck phloston! you sound like you're in excellent position to get a 250 TOMORROW

 

[JackShephard MD]

if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight. The guy's just doing what you couldn't.

You're right, I wish I could sit in a room like a hermit and study for 9 months for something that takes 6 weeks. If only!!!!

 

[ijn]

Unfortunately we all had school, but if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight.

I would never want to study for 8 months straight with 2 years of basic sciences as a foundation. I'm two weeks into my STEP 1 study time and I want to kill myself already from the boredum. I have 4 weeks to go and I don't see myself being productive at all for the last two weeks. If I had 8 months I'd be playing Diablo 3 for 6 months and STEP 1 for 2 months.

 

[Kaputt]

Relax people, y'all know that everyone and their mom on here bought DIT/GT/FA as an MS1 or beginning of MS2. Unfortunately we all had school, but if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight. The guy's just doing what you couldn't. And I know tons of IMGs, all of whom put in > 6 months to get great scores. It's not uncommon at all.

I must be in the minority, because I did not use DIT/GT as an MS1 or MS2, and only cracked open FA for mild review a month before MS2 ended for me. Honestly, I would not have studied for 8 months after completing MS2 if given the option. I was ready to take the exam after 5 weeks and was really tired of studying. If what SDN does is normal, I'm glad to be a freak

And what I'm arguing is that you'd probably get the same score after 5 weeks that you would after 6 months. I can understand why someone with all the time in the world to study for Step 1 would take as much time as they could, but you'll hit a ceiling eventually.

 

[JackShephard MD]

i would never want to study for 8 months straight with 2 years of basic sciences as a foundation. I'm two weeks into my step 1 study time and i want to kill myself already from the boredum. I have 4 weeks to go and i don't see myself being productive at all for the last two weeks. If i had 8 months i'd be playing diablo 3 for 6 months and step 1 for 2 months.

+1

i must be in the minority, because i did not use dit/gt as an ms1 or ms2, and only cracked open fa for mild review a month before ms2 ended for me. Honestly, i would not have studied for 8 months after completing ms2 if given the option. I was ready to take the exam after 5 weeks and was really tired of studying. If what sdn does is normal, i'm glad to be a freak

and what i'm arguing is that you'd probably get the same score after 5 weeks that you would after 6 months. I can understand why someone with all the time in the world to study for step 1 would take as much time as they could, but you'll hit a ceiling eventually.

+1

 

[Pills Of Soap]

I would never want to study for 8 months straight with 2 years of basic sciences as a foundation. I'm two weeks into my STEP 1 study time and I want to kill myself already from the boredum. I have 4 weeks to go and I don't see myself being productive at all for the last two weeks. If I had 8 months I'd be playing Diablo 3 for 6 months and STEP 1 for 2 months.

I concur

 

[mdeast]

I concur

Totally agree. I'm 6 weeks in and about 1.5 weeks to the exam. So unmotivated to study now even though I should be. 6 weeks is enough. Believe me.

 

[iCY]

Relax people, y'all know that everyone and their mom on here bought DIT/GT/FA as an MS1 or beginning of MS2. Unfortunately we all had school, but if given the opportunity you ALL would've studied for 8 months straight. The guy's just doing what you couldn't. And I know tons of IMGs, all of whom put in > 6 months to get great scores. It's not uncommon at all.

And I would keep track of my % on a qbook also. what's the point if you don't know how well you're doing? didn't you all manually keep track of your scores on Examkracker's 101 VR passages? (fond memories everyone ?)

Hahahah

This is the reason why noone takes IMGs seriously. Your step 1 score isn't worth anything if you take 6+ months to study for it.

Step 1 is a predictor of PERFORMANCE for AMGs who take it within 4-6 weeks of ending school. It is a representation of their dedication & hard work throughout the school year, & it is used to compare students in similar situations. Residency programs know that & they value high step 1 scores from students who do it in 6 weeks.

A 270 from an AMG means they were able to get a much stronger grasp on the material throughout the year compared to their fellow classmates (& to other AMGs around the country). It is their way of judging the student's ability of handing a high stress situation, & being able to learn & excel. It is an indicator of PERFORMANCE.

They do NOT value your 270 the same, knowing you spent 9 months preparing for the test (i.e., taking the performance value out of the equation). Any idiot can spend 9 months studying for an exam & do well. The fact that your school even gives you the option of studying for 9 months, speaks volumes about their expectations of their students (i.e., our students are not very bright, lets give them a year so they can boost their step 1 scores, & then we can brag about our high test scores/tripple "99s" to unsuspecting people)

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

This is what residency programs are going to think when they look at applications:
AMG - Well this student has a 240, has been involved with research, he seems like a great candidate

IMG - Well this guy has a 270, but it looks like he spent 3 years in pre-clinicals, & he doesn't have any research....wtf did he do for 3 years? Well considering he was able to score high, lets just take that to mean he can speak english. But how is his performance as a student? Who knows...Lets put him in the maybe pile with the 220s

Do I hate on IMGs? You could say that.
Do I have friends who are IMGs in the Caribbeans & queenland? Yes

My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

for those who are new to this form :
AMGs = american medical graduates
IMG = international medical graduates, i.e., medical school on the beach with with pina coladas & a bull**** degree

 

[iCY]

I appreciate your maturity.



It's more than just the score that's important.



Effective repetition is key. I'll revisit the book for one day closer to the exam. Chances are, if you're forgetting the info in just a few months, then you probably don't have a grounded understanding of it to begin with. For example, no one would ever forget the beta-blockers or what they do because we've all heard / read about them so many times. This applies to everything else, even the biochem and embryo minutiae.

Noone forgets beta-blockers because that is a topic you face on a daily basis. A strong medical school education is supposed to set up your understanding of the pre-clinical sciences so that you can more effectively learn medicine & treat your patients as a doctor. A strong medical education does not mean that you can impressively recite an entire embryology text in an instant with crystal clear detail. That does NOT make you a better doctor.

 

[Brotato]

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

Hateful much?

 

[missmedschool]

TF? Is it really that serious? SMH.

 

[Chirurg]

Hahahah

This is the reason why noone takes IMGs seriously. Your step 1 score isn't worth anything if you take 6+ months to study for it.

Step 1 is a predictor of PERFORMANCE for AMGs who take it within 4-6 weeks of ending school. It is a representation of their dedication & hard work throughout the school year, & it is used to compare students in similar situations. Residency programs know that & they value high step 1 scores from students who do it in 6 weeks.

A 270 from an AMG means they were able to get a much stronger grasp on the material throughout the year compared to their fellow classmates (& to other AMGs around the country). It is their way of judging the student's ability of handing a high stress situation, & being able to learn & excel. It is an indicator of PERFORMANCE.

They do NOT value your 270 the same, knowing you spent 9 months preparing for the test (i.e., taking the performance value out of the equation). Any idiot can spend 9 months studying for an exam & do well. The fact that your school even gives you the option of studying for 9 months, speaks volumes about their expectations of their students (i.e., our students are not very bright, lets give them a year so they can boost their step 1 scores, & then we can brag about our high test scores/tripple "99s" to unsuspecting people)

Lets face the facts. You were probably too lazy as a student in college to build up your application for medical school here, so you decided to ship out to a country that didn't care if you were able to pass your MCAT or not. Now your streak of laziness continues & you're choosing to spend 9 months to phony up a bull**** step 1 score so people will take you seriously. Are you really proud that you've dodged the bullet of hard work that most AMGs put into their career, & that you could just sidestep all of it by maliciously crafting a high step 1 score? I won't even go into how you arrogantly flaunt your qbank scores on SDN. Your obsession with a high step 1 score is unnecessary. You should be intelligent enough to understand that your high step 1 score sends a different message than an AMG with the same score.

This is what residency programs are going to think when they look at applications:
AMG - Well this student has a 240, has been involved with research, he seems like a great candidate

IMG - Well this guy has a 270, but it looks like he spent 3 years in pre-clinicals, & he doesn't have any research....wtf did he do for 3 years? Well considering he was able to score high, lets just take that to mean he can speak english. But how is his performance as a student? Who knows...Lets put him in the maybe pile with the 220s

Do I hate on IMGs? You could say that.
Do I have friends who are IMGs in the Caribbeans & queenland? Yes

My friends however, are bright enough to know what a step 1 score means for them. I would not mind working with those kinds of people on my team. You however, are arrogant and misguided, and I do not value or trust your your judgement, because obviously there is something lacking.

for those who are new to this form :
AMGs = american medical graduates
IMG = international medical graduates, i.e., medical school on the beach with with pina coladas & a bull**** degree

WOW, I guess judgemental wasn't quite the right word here....

Hateful much?

I think he/she was quite clear about this in his/her post.

 

[Aclamity]

I would never want to study for 8 months straight with 2 years of basic sciences as a foundation. I'm two weeks into my STEP 1 study time and I want to kill myself already from the boredum. I have 4 weeks to go and I don't see myself being productive at all for the last two weeks. If I had 8 months I'd be playing Diablo 3 for 6 months and STEP 1 for 2 months.

I must be in the minority, because I did not use DIT/GT as an MS1 or MS2, and only cracked open FA for mild review a month before MS2 ended for me. Honestly, I would not have studied for 8 months after completing MS2 if given the option. I was ready to take the exam after 5 weeks and was really tired of studying. If what SDN does is normal, I'm glad to be a freak

And what I'm arguing is that you'd probably get the same score after 5 weeks that you would after 6 months. I can understand why someone with all the time in the world to study for Step 1 would take as much time as they could, but you'll hit a ceiling eventually.

Totally agree. I'm 6 weeks in and about 1.5 weeks to the exam. So unmotivated to study now even though I should be. 6 weeks is enough. Believe me.

yeah yeah I agree with all of this and would never spend more than 6-7 weeks on this thing, but I'm just saying I don't blame people who do. Especially for IMGs this test has a lot more weight. But I think what I've learned from reading all the Step 1 Experiences threads is that people start peaking and/or burning out after about a month, and everything beyond that garners marginal returns. I also highly doubt I'd be doing 300 questions/day 6 months prior to my test (probably just casually reading through FA), but hey, if you've got that kind of dedication and stamina, more power to you.

and iCY, bro, you're being wayy harsh man. I don't think I'd generalize all IMGs like that. But you're right that a 270 + no research <<<< 240 + lots of research.

 

[Eilat87]

Why can't we be friends..

 

[Shadowmoses]

Well this thread went hilariously off topic by the 2nd post.

 

[MedSensation]

Well this thread went hilariously off topic by the 2nd post.

+1.

Good points. There is definitely a way to make GT work, I just don't think that there is enough time for it in a AMG schedule. If I was an IMG on the other hand & had months to sit home & do nothing but step 1 studying, GT would be $$$.

As for the past GT users that have gotten extraordinary scores using GT, I would be willing to bet that they would have gotten those scores anyway. I don't think that GT is some magical program that will bump you up from a 230 to a 250. I also don't think that people looking for a step 1 study program should invest in a program that requires such a heavy time commitment, based on the testimony of a few users who were probably very smart/hard working to begin with.

There isn't much more that I can say because the program is still new, and not many people have taken step 1 after having used it. I personally am not going to put all my eggs into the GT basket & hope for a magical outcome.

Because wasting 7 months studying to only gain a few extra points on a step 1 score is pathetic. Theres better things to do with your time.

This post wasn't about writing a review for the book, he made this post to show off. Why he wants to show off, who knows? Maybe he feels insecure about having a foreign degree & feels the need to redeem himself by showing SDN that he can bang out all of usmle RX & the FA qbook 8 months before his test? By the way, who the F actually bothers to manually keep track of their % correct on a question book? Obviously he did it to boast about his #s.

I also find it shocking that his face is plastered on almost every thread in SDN, which tends to be a common theme with the other Australian students. Maybe you guys should spend a little less time proving to SDN that you are intelligent, & a little more time finishing up school & getting on with your life.

Way to embarrass yourself !



And OP , here is an advice to you ...

don't trust everything you read on the internet, there are people out to troll you & give you wrong information.

Besides, whats the chances that someone who claims to not have first aid memorized is correct when he says the questions he got wrong were not in FA? Chances are they were & he just didn't remember it or understand the fact.

Final score: Me 1 - Trolls 0 ....... Up Top

 

[iCY]

HAHA medsensation. Way to twist my words

The statement I made about the value of GT is true, its golden for IMGs who want to memorize every little detail. If I had the option of doing that, I would also get a golden step 1 score (which is what the my post on GT was saying), But would I choose that option? No

 

[Brotato]

I'm pretty sure Stephen Colbert doesn't appreciate you giving him such a bad name in this thread iCY