starbrite520
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hey... just thought of something
there are 400 and then some pages of reading in First aid for step 1. (not including the intro pages for how to calculate scores, img info, etc, or the cover pages for each subject).
now, if you read 8 pages a day, and know them WELL, you can finish the first aid book within 50+ days. meaning, within 7 weeks, you should know first aid.
isn't that amazing? sorry I am just like 
because if i had realized that earlier, instead of stressing myself out, with crazy schedules and giving up on certain days, I would have taken it slow, 8 pages a day.
I would ensure that I would know those pages inside out, and geez 7 weeks, is nothing!!
I could repeat and repeat this thing, and know the first aid like in my sleep within 14 weeks!
sorry-this is HUGE TO ME. i pray, someone out there reads this before their prep, and i save them loads and loads of time.
*please just humor me* no need to point out what a pointless post this is
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| starbrite520
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Topics: 130
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oye- before i forget. i know someone might say 8 pages a day is nothing, and i agree. but if you think about it, first aid is jampacked with information and diagrams. each picture alone explains pages of material. so 8 pages a day is quite an accomplishment. especially considering cvs is so high yield, 40 pages, and you could know it well within 5 days!!!
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| study499
Forum Elite
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Good luck...
I have max 6 weeks to my exam....and feel like I hv just started my prep seriously...I am gone focus on 3 things ONLY....FA..Goljan's word to word..& UW...hoping to know every point in FA very well...
So love FA and like yr post here as well 
got to go...FA is waiting.
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1st before 2nd. stay Single Minded. imagine next year when you have ur results in hand.there will be no way back.
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| target
Forum Elite
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you are right ..........even I think why it didnt occur to me previously !!
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| starbrite520
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lol target i feel the same way i wish i had busted out my calculator like a long long time ago
pray4a99- I agree with how you feel! but Remember to do FA first and foremoest, before you do goljan. He might intimidate some. what a trick i do is, i go through his official textbook rapid review (you can find links on this site through the search engine) and whichever pictures he has up in his book, you know they are highyield. the rest of them he shows in his goljan slides are key, but not as high high yield. so it can shaveyou some time, if you just focus on the pics in his book.
if yo udont have time for goljans lectures, just go through the 100 and 36 page high yield notes. they are goljan enough, and sum up each organ. so as yo do one subject in FA, read the goljan on it, to ensure you got it !
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| hmmm_hmmm
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good ideea...
however, memorizing first aid without any background to it will be detrimental to one's prep I feel...
FA is just buzz words, it CANT be your PRIMARY source...if you understand the concepts behing it and then memorize the facts in FA, then you will rock the usmle.
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| starbrite520
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oh i definitley agree!! I just think that if you do 8 pages a day of FA, that hopefully won't take up like 8 hours of your time. So if you don't get a concept or need clarification you can go to a source to clarify. Whereas hopefully you can get the gist from FA, and you can continue on reading
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| P4a99
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Topics: 38
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starbrite520 wrote:
pray4a99- I agree with how you feel! but Remember to do FA first and foremoest, before you do goljan. He might intimidate some. what a trick i do is, i go through his official textbook rapid review (you can find links on this site through the search engine) and whichever pictures he has up in his book, you know they are highyield. the rest of them he shows in his goljan slides are key, but not as high high yield. so it can shaveyou some time, if you just focus on the pics in his book.
Just a small correction: that was Study499 not P4a99 who was talking 
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| P4a99
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Till now there are two schools out there. One that says it is absolutely mandatory to read like 8 review books and refer to text books when you do not understand something.
And the other is absolutely positive that MEMRIZING FA by heart and doing a million questions is more than enough for getting 95+.
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2008 Step 1 Study Plan Discussion ..... I am a moderator not a source for download links. Please do not ask me for any.
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| P4a99
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starbrite520 wrote:hey... just thought of something there are 400 and then some pages of reading in First aid for step 1. (not including the intro pages for how to calculate scores, img info, etc, or the cover pages for each subject). now, if you read 8 pages a day, and know them WELL, you can finish the first aid book within 50+ days. meaning, within 7 weeks, you should know first aid. isn't that amazing? sorry I am just like because if i had realized that earlier, instead of stressing myself out, with crazy schedules and giving up on certain days, I would have taken it slow, 8 pages a day. I would ensure that I would know those pages inside out, and geez 7 weeks, is nothing!! I could repeat and repeat this thing, and know the first aid like in my sleep within 14 weeks! sorry-this is HUGE TO ME. i pray, someone out there reads this before their prep, and i save them loads and loads of time. *please just humor me* no need to point out what a pointless post this is
Thanks for pointing that out. Many exam takers, especially IMGs, neglect FA until it is too late. Because I still did not start my second read I will have you words in mind ... Thanks
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| starbrite520
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i am very sorry for that mistake I guess you two are just too famous in my mind i confuse you lol.
I agree with both schools. Having review courses is extremely important- but It's if you need it.
I did both methods. I did kaplan books, all 8 of em, and knew em. and they cleared up alot of misconceptions, things i had forgotten etc. But honestly speaking, my mind can only retain so much, so alot of it started slipping out.
but when i did it with just FA, the last month or two, i cursed and cursed  bc first aid had pretty much all of kaplan, and LESS intimidating. i mean, each kaplan book ranges from 300-800 pages. Whereas that's the size of the entire FA. I think if i just had struggled and struggled to understand FA, it would have been better. I would have one book to go to , and that psychologically makes me feel better, that it is only one book. Also, the fact that one subject is 800 pages in kaplan, versus about 40 pages-100 pages in first aid, also revlieves me a little bit.
I think, that for newcomers- try it out. Do one subject with kaplan. Then do FA. see what you preferred.
If you want to do FA, but are scared you might miss out on certain aspects, then do FA, and to clear up your confusion and clarify yourself-go to kaplan or another supplemental course, and make sure they are saying the same thing, nothing different.
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| starbrite520
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Topics: 130
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believe me-if you guys hate FA out there, think its confusing i totally agree! I hated it, when i first started it. I didnt touch it til i finished a subject in kaplan, because otherwise those diagrams and notes made no sense to me from FA.
but now i realize, if i had just put some more time into FA , i could have still saved alot more time then I spent on kaplan. Plus you can probably read FA once by the time you read one kaplan book
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| starbrite520
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http://rumorsweretrue.wordpress.com/2007/01/09/ho...
makes me happy
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| psychobob
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I've taken Liveprep/watched DVDs and all the HY points that have been discussed are mentioned in FA. Every time a teacher says 'ok guys, this is tested alot', its there in FA gloating because I missed it. Now I know what people mean when they say every word is important. After going through all the kaplan books once, i'd say 80% is in FA. The weakest subjects I think are Patho and molecular bio. And topics like biostats, pharmocodynamics/kinetics really require a more complete explanation atleast for me.
Best thing to do is put FA in a binder, and add extra sheets to write in notes from kaplan to help explain a concept further. I sometimes photocopy diagrams such as the metabolism diagram from biochem. I just can't see myself going back and flipping through all those books.
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| starbrite520
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omg, psychobob i think we were seperated at birth.
your last paragraph (for a second) made me think you were quoting me.
thanks for your input-makes me totally relieved (phew!) that you went to the preps and agree
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| psychobob
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It's strange though, most of the people in the class weren't using First Aid. So I really can't understand how you can review with 7 books without having a place to consolidate it. There's ALOT of info in the kaplan books, and alot of it is long explanations that seem unnecessary for the exam IMO (except for patho and physio in which I use BRS). I mean, it's good to read once but whats the point if you forget alot of the information afterwards. I think i've forgotten most of it already and I don't have the time to reread everything over just to forget it again.
But thankfully, I took all the important keypoints which weren't in FA and placed it in there. And I've taken diagrams from some of the books and medessentials to help explain certain concepts which I've forgotten. I think the key for this exam is to study efficiently, and not to try to learn as much information as you possibly can. I've heard 100s of exam experiences from forum posters and friends. It doesn't appear to be a 'pure knowledge' exam. I think you just need to get into the mindset that this exam requires. Because there will probably be questions you won't be able to answer no matter how much you read.
So pretty much my plan is to know my revised FA, BRS Physio and Patho cold. Then go through Robins Q book + USMLEWORLD and add anything that isn't in those books.
Since I haven't taken the exam yet, take my advice/ramblings with a grain of salt. 
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| psychobob
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FA is just buzz words, it CANT be your PRIMARY source...if you understand the concepts behing it and then memorize the facts in FA, then you will rock the usmle.
I have to humbly disagree Dr. hmmmm hmmmm. FA isn't buzzwords. It's all HY information that you will need for the exam. It gives you diagrams, photos and core explanations. If the explanations aren't enough or that particular area doesn't ring a bell, then you should supplement with another source.
FA does have a buzzword section though. It's like a few pages near the back. I wouldn't recommend it.
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| psychobob
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Till now there are two schools out there. One that says it is absolutely mandatory to read like 8 review books and refer to text books when you do not understand something.
And the other is absolutely positive that MEMRIZING FA by heart and doing a million questions is more than enough for getting 95+.
So a good solution would be to find a middle ground. Know FA + Patho/Physio book really well, and do one Qbank.
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| P4a99
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Topics: 38
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Do you attend an American school?
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2008 Step 1 Study Plan Discussion ..... I am a moderator not a source for download links. Please do not ask me for any.
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| psychobob
Forum Newbie
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P4a99 wrote:
Do you attend an American school?
Nah. IMG finished few months ago.
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| seems
Forum Elite
Topics: 7
Posts: 283
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hii guys
which edition of FA do u think is the best one> i have read 2004 thats subject wise,but i dunt know which one to go with.system wise or subject wise. i think aftr 2004 evry FA is system wise right. i wanna get a FA and plzz let me knw which one shd i get.
thanx and good luck everybody
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| starbrite520
Forum Guru
Topics: 130
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i recommend it where it has both. the beginnin is subject wise with biochem, micro, behavioral, immuno, pharm basics. then the next chapters is all organs. it is a lot easier to organize in your studies and in your brain!
the 2008 version has this, as well as 2006. i know for sure 2004 does not have it. im not sure about any other versions-sorry
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| DRchromatin
Forum Senior
Topics: 23
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The First Aid editions from the year 2006 and on were changed to a system based format. Also, I think hmmmm_mmmmm has a good opinion on how FA should be used. FA is a book with high-yield information but if you use it without having the concepts to go along with the high-yield topics, you may run into a lot of trouble. It is like trying to remember a bunch of random facts with no logical reasoning behind any of it.
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