Zanki implementation for MS1 questions

[kelminak]

Hi there,

I have a few questions regarding implementation of Zanki into my first year. I'm in a systems-based format, so the first block we're in right now is just "Foundations of Medicine" (i.e. the basics), then we move into the systems (Block 2 MSK, Block 3 Neuro, and so on). If you want to see our curriculum, it's here. I'm currently already turning every lecture into an Anki deck while in class, studying the decks a week in advance, then reviewing them all the night before a test. I'm coming up around average so far but I feel like I have tons of free time compared to classmates. I want to use that free time to add Zanki into my studying to simultaneously drive up my grades and prepare for Step 1 ultra-early (yes, I am aware of how early this is.) My plan is to follow something similar to this guide eventually where on top of your class-made cards, you add ~30-50 Zanki cards a day (dividing the relevant Zanki deck by the amount of days in the block), then suspending class-made cards after a test and leaving the Zanki cards in a review pile to eventually build up and constantly quiz me about stuff from previous blocks.

Ok, sorry for the brick of text. With that out of the way, here's my questions:

• The divisions of Zanki seem to match fairly well with how our systems are broken up. However there are some anomalies. Biochem and immuno are together in our first block, which we're already a good month into. I have a month summer break after MS1 that I could add these to. Would that be an ok time to "catch up" on those? There are ~7 weeks left in this block which if I divided the two decks into that, it'd be about 42 cards a day. Could I just get started with that now? The cards that I've previewed seem to correlate well with what we're being taught in class.
• The Shamim guide that I referenced earlier talked about finding the cards that are relevant and then adding them rather than just going through the subdecks. Could I simply just start a deck at the beginning of the block and then add it to the "reviews" megadeck when I'm finished? I feel like I would avoid missing any cards that way versus his way of just finding the cards after the block is over and learning them at that point. The only downside would be that the cards might not perfectly correlate to what is being taught in class.

Thank you a lot for taking the time to read this. I appreciate your help! Let me know if there's any other info I could provide. All tips, criticisms, etc. are welcome - I have no ego.

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[wanderingorion]

I have a "Reviews" megadeck that I add stuff to after completing blocks. It's really helpful to retain the small information/review physiology over the long term. I would highly recommend it. You can search the tags in the Zanki deck, etc. to sort it out. Just takes a little time, but much less than what it would require to make them yourself.

 

[kelminak]

I have a "Reviews" megadeck that I add stuff to after completing blocks. It's really helpful to retain the small information/review physiology over the long term. I would highly recommend it. You can search the tags in the Zanki deck, etc. to sort it out. Just takes a little time, but much less than what it would require to make them yourself.

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking! Pretty much once I was done with the block I was going to dump the cards into a review mega-deck and then just crush a certain amount of those a day. Would it be a bad idea to not sort them out the first time I reviewed them and just straight up clicked on the deck (e.g. Zanki GI) and did however many it would take took make it through them by the end of the block? I guess I'd have to figure out a system where I'd be doing some new Zanki cards, then transferring them to the review deck after I've seen them. I'm sure there's a way but I'm just not experienced enough using at that level. My current method of class studying is fairly primitive despite its effectiveness.

 

[wanderingorion]

Yeah that's exactly what I was thinking! Pretty much once I was done with the block I was going to dump the cards into a review mega-deck and then just crush a certain amount of those a day. Would it be a bad idea to not sort them out the first time I reviewed them and just straight up clicked on the deck (e.g. Zanki GI) and did however many it would take took make it through them by the end of the block? I guess I'd have to figure out a system where I'd be doing some new Zanki cards, then transferring them to the review deck after I've seen them. I'm sure there's a way but I'm just not experienced enough using at that level. My current method of class studying is fairly primitive despite its effectiveness.

IMO, I would only use the Zanki cards as you cover the material. You don't want to bog down your brain with GI minutae during your Resp block. That being said, I move the cards covering the topic (MI, Cardio anatomy, etc.) after that lecture. It's very difficult assimilating information when it doesn't have any context/framework.

 

[kelminak]

IMO, I would only use the Zanki cards as you cover the material. You don't want to bog down your brain with GI minutae during your Resp block. That being said, I move the cards covering the topic (MI, Cardio anatomy, etc.) after that lecture. It's very difficult assimilating information when it doesn't have any context/framework.

Ok that gets at the core of my question. I knew if I just cranked out the cards without respect to any order, I wouldn't have seen the material and I'd effectively be learning it for the first time then on top of the stuff I'm trying to study.

So I think I'm getting a better idea of how to approach this. I still need to figure out how to deal with Block 1 stuff at this point. I'm not sure if it's worth going back through and figuring out all of the topics we've already been tested on and trying to get through them (sounds overwhelming) or if I should just use my summer to catch up on those cards. Any thoughts?

 

[wanderingorion]

Ok that gets at the core of my question. I knew if I just cranked out the cards without respect to any order, I wouldn't have seen the material and I'd effectively be learning it for the first time then on top of the stuff I'm trying to study.

So I think I'm getting a better idea of how to approach this. I still need to figure out how to deal with Block 1 stuff at this point. I'm not sure if it's worth going back through and figuring out all of the topics we've already been tested on and trying to get through them (sounds overwhelming) or if I should just use my summer to catch up on those cards. Any thoughts?

It's not that difficult to comb through Zanki to suss out the topics you've already seen. (Go to browse and scroll down on the Left until you get to the tags). After you find them, just add them to your review deck and work through them. Just set your "news" to 40 a day, and limitless reviews (so you keep up with them until they go mature). Then, when you add block 2+ stuff, it will be manageable. Conservatively, my M1 material is 10K cards (which includes Zanki, Pepper, U World, etc.), so you'll have no problem with those over the year.

 

[kelminak]

It's not that difficult to comb through Zanki to suss out the topics you've already seen. (Go to browse and scroll down on the Left until you get to the tags). After you find them, just add them to your review deck and work through them. Just set your "news" to 40 a day, and limitless reviews (so you keep up with them until they go mature). Then, when you add block 2+ stuff, it will be manageable. Conservatively, my M1 material is 10K cards (which includes Zanki, Pepper, U World, etc.), so you'll have no problem with those over the year.

I didn't realize the tags were down there below the decks...

I'll play with this more after my last test of this week tomorrow. Thank you so much for all of your help and not making me feel stupid. The reception was less warm on reddit (ironically).

 

[wanderingorion]

I didn't realize the tags were down there below the decks...

I'll play with this more after my last test of this week tomorrow. Thank you so much for all of your help and not making me feel stupid. The reception was less warm on reddit (ironically).

No problem! Always happy to help.

Honestly, I discovered the tag thing like 3 weeks ago. Don't feel bad, haha.