virgipcc
Forum Newbie
Topics: 1
Posts: 2
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Hey guys! I'm from argentina and i'll probably take the exam next year (april maybe)... Anyway, i started studying histology, but after i read first aid i'm not sure if i'm doing well. Also, i got a file with a lot of "hot topics" from usmle which most of them are diseases. So, i wonder if is a good method to study each disease from harrison and complete the rest (such as anatomy, histology, etc.) From the kaplan and glojan books.
What do you think????
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| starbrite520
Forum Guru
Topics: 131
Posts: 427
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hi, how are you..
well my exam is in a few days, and since i have started my prep for step 1, a few months ago, my method of studying has kept changing.
this is my advice.
goljan-for path . type in goljan on this forum search u will find out all about it, alot of freebies
first aid. now first aid everyone agrees to use it. but alot of people say to use it near the end to review. in my opinion I HATE FIRST AID. its very unorganized, bunch of jargon all over the place. but golden. my theory is" if everyone says use it, it has a large portion of info in there, why not memorize it first, know it well, n use the rest of the books to aid in getting a higher mark n understanding?!"
i had that theory at the very beginning of my studying, and i gave it up easily, as i said first aid was so cluttered. and i got confused . but now in the last week of my prep , i wish i had known this book solid first, because it says alot of the sme things other books say, just more simply put.
this is my tip for you. get comfy with your first aid asap.
try and read it, if it confuses u,use another book source such as kaplan, to aid u. but sort of make first aid your priority.
ie-do biochem all out of first aid. struggle along the way with kaplan to sort you out. at the end of your first aid biochem read, know it ALL. after if you have time, go okay, i am done first aid, what other book should i use to compare to.
8/10 times first aid will be enough.
the rsources i recommend are kaplan. you will be shocked at the sheer volume of info on such imp topics stressed in your med school but againt hey know what is high yield and what is not.
i would recommend pass program. i started too late into my study, and i wish i had more time for them. they are a mere 200 pages of notes. the prof is a joker and talks down teh subjects, and they just seem too easy. i think pass program combined with a first aid is killer.
the audios for pass program, i think its a total of 9 audios, some 2 hours long, some 7 hours long. but 1/15th (im guessing) of thet ime all of the kaplan vids will take u.
the way it works for me is- learn something small WELL, and u'll have time to read it again if you really have to. rather than struggle with a HUGE kaplan book, and later have no time to reread it for comfort.
anyways its all your call everyone swears by kaplan, but pass program is just not too new. alot of the info is the same as kaplan, sometimes kaplan has more info. but in terms of you understanding that stuff, being comfortable with it, and cutting your study time DOWN, pass program all the way.
anywho in terms of subjects: again kaplan is good, pass program is good,fa IS A MUST
goljan-for path, kaplan is too short
pharm-fa they say is enough, your call
micro-clinical micro made simple is a favorite, kaplan is very unorganized
anat-kaplan seems suffice, use highyield series for the radiology pics
physio-kaplan or brs is good, i LOVED the pass program on intro to physio.
behavioral-fa should be enough
biochem-kaplan is good
i hope i helped sorry i made this post so long. i tend to go on n on. but i hopei helped you
i suggest studying by organs, it makes it a little easier. kaplan books are not organized that way however, so to your discretion
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| epc924
Forum Junior
Topics: 11
Posts: 60
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I do agree with most of wat starbrite520 said in the previous post,
however i do wanna share few points.
i have used both pass program video and kaplan books so far, i m still in the middle of my preparation but as i watched pass video i sometimes get confused simply Dr Francis is trying to integrate everything in one video, which is good BUT for me, i need to study one subject at a time first for all the subjects before watching pass video in order to understand the info Dr Francis try to convey.
About FA, i would suggest to scan through it first, and then begin ur study. Cuz FA is golden but most of the info in FA has a deeper concept/meaning hiding behind each words. so to get the best out of the FA, IMO is to study basic science first and then MEMORIZED everything from FA or studying FA and kaplan at the same time.
as far as path goes, yes RR is good but it has alot of info/details in that book. So be prepared to spend alot of time with it. cuz i m still in the process of going through my first read of that book, so cant comment much. hope this helps
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| youngone
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 35
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Guys! Dont forget about USMLE WORLD!
That is the new secret weapon. 
It is a question bank which prepares for you for the style
of questions you will encounter on D-day.
Look it up!
Goljan, get his 37 audios and lecture notes. Look around.
Kaplan, and all the other goodies mentioned by starbrite520.
A couple of months in to your studies you will have a clearer picture
of everything.
Good luck!
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| youngone
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 35
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Best aproach, IMO
system based, use FA as a skeleton.
Use other books at the same time.
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| starbrite520
Forum Guru
Topics: 131
Posts: 427
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epc924.. i agree with you. dr. francis is confusing. perhaps he made sense to me since i had already gone through each of the kaplan books-thats true i never thought of that. but for me perseonally i spent A LOT of time with kaplan books and videos, a lot of unnecessary time in my opinion, if i had opened my mind a bit more, kept up a positive attitude i could have cut that time in half. so i just am more leaning on Pass program , for my recommendation as it, cant go more then 7 hours a video, versus 30 hours per kaplan subject.
thats what i meant. like it might be fuzzy and unclear, but im sure they would rather spend maybe 3-4 hours decrpyting what he said, rather then 30 hours and being crystal clear but painstakingly long.
again that is just MY opinion.
- i think you should look at kaplan books and pass program notes. and use kaplan books FOR SURE. but in terms of audio, choose between what you are reading from the notes. if you can follow kaplan without an audio needed-great, do that. pass program notes are sort of useless with out an audio, they dont really stick into your head, for he asks a million different concepts
and i def agree that doing FA as a once over is the best idea. just a quick glance to orient yourself. it will save u alot of time. i did that very poorly the first time, so when my time came to add kaplan notes to my biochem, i added in so much. and later when i started reading my fa , i realized most of it was in there, i just didnt look carefully enough!
and ofcourse USMLE WORLD USMLE WORLD USMLE WORLD. it is very very hard but well worth it
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