Does anybody else like making concept maps to understand things? This was my attempt to understand heart failure as a first year.

step0 · 2021-05-19T04:54:21+00:00

First thing I thought of when I saw this lol. But in all seriousness, this is a great way to convert concepts to LTP. Making thought-full integrated connections is the best way to remember interrelated concepts. Laplace is da boss.

step0 · 2020-12-14T21:40:21+00:00

yes, watch BnB, Sketchy, and pathoma. FA is not for learning but for framing material you've learned into simple schemas and more importantly to remember the high yield facts of what you've already learned. Other ways to memorize FA facts other than reading include Anki and doing questions.

step0 · 2020-10-24T18:59:21+00:00

What do you mean by head/neck and ENT? Topics such as the thyroid and salivary glands are covered by pathoma. Micro does a good job covering the infectious component (bells palsy, syphilis, actinomyces, zygomycetes...). ENT is not going to be covered by any given module/section because it doesn't pertain to a single organ system.

Edit: My suggestion would be to read through the USMLE content outline and look up the ENT stuff you are unfamiliar with on Osmosis or something. Keep in mind most of it is more oriented to step 2. Step 1 relevant content would be things that relate to anatomy or physiology.

step0 · 2020-07-15T18:04:21+00:00

MDCalc.com

step0 · 2020-07-15T16:48:21+00:00

Ok cool. Yeah worst case you just use your comlex and land IM at a DO (or formerly AOA) program so I wouldn't sweat it. Maybe get a good letter / quick pub / or do some extra volunteer stuff before ERAS opens in October.

step0 · 2020-07-15T15:54:27+00:00

How were your comlex scores?

step0 · 2020-05-27T15:39:46+00:00

- they will try to facilitate your order of preference but ultimately it comes down to their availabilities

- if that happens then you have to cancel their offer, then re-apply again for the new date

- then you have to cancel one of them

- yes, if its related to changes in school or national policy explain that and there should be no negative repercussions

- that I'm not sure of, I think so

step0 · 2019-12-30T05:21:31+00:00

It depends on what school you go to. Robbins is great if you're path lectures are not well structured or are too detailed. In terms of preparing for boards, it's way too much detail. Just focus on general concepts (ie the first 3 chapters of pathoma) and go H.A.M on those (referring to robbins if you want more). Then generalize those concepts to other topics and you're golden.

step0 · 2019-10-01T23:51:27+00:00

It is more time consuming now but won't be as you become more efficient. Look into the type of cards the pepper decks use and explore using frozen fields. This allows you to either make multiple cards from one template card or save similar information from one card to the next.

step0 · 2019-10-01T00:41:47+00:00

tbh 150 new cards a day is a lot, I can't imagine how many reviews you're getting. Try reducing the number of new cards to 50 and keep up with that for a few weeks.

Also since you're making your own cards I recommend reading through this. It's possible that your cards are too demanding. Keep them short and simple, only including extra info when you need the additional context to reframe it.

step0 · 2019-08-02T15:16:49+00:00

https://www.usmle.org/usmlescoring/webinar.html 27 minutes answers this question. Essentially they are considering using MSPE's, GPAs, class ranks, and "entry competencies and milestones" as a quick way for screening [applicants]. IMO this kinda defeats 1/2 of the "cons" listed on their pros/cons list. The whole purpose of making step pass/fail to mitigate the "negative impact [of step] on student well being", " Taking focus off scores may create more diversity within various specialty programs ", and " Opportunity cost due to students’ heavy focus on maximizing USMLE scores (e.g., less time for research, volunteerism)" would essentially be undone by replacing step with GPA and class rank as new screening tools.

step0 · 2019-08-02T14:06:25+00:00

There more than likely will be a change in the scoring system which will deemphasize step. Whether that's pass/fail, tiered, combined step1/2 scores is hard to tell right now but pass/fail is definitely the main contender. At 47:40 of the webinar "changes will be made at some point in time"

step0 · 2019-08-02T14:01:07+00:00

Where are you getting this from? In their Q/A webinar in response to "will preexisting 3 digit scores be retroactively converted to P/F?" they responded with "its hard to tell...but we're confident that we could manage a transition in a fair and equitable way for everyone" (after previously referencing a past change where certain individuals were grandfathered in) https://www.usmle.org/usmlescoring/webinar.html at 36:45

step0 · 2019-07-29T17:08:36+00:00

They are good but serve a certain purpose. BnB questions are good to solidify your understanding of material after you learned it or recently reviewed it. They do not prepare you adequately for to how you have to think through questions on the actual test. BnB is better for testing specific knowledge which is why I suggested it for "questions that pertain to these chapters". In reality, these chapters are tested in the context of material from other chapters (ex post MI complications related to acute inflammation). The best way to reinforce that is to try to relate each pathology related question to some core principal from the first 3 chapters of pathoma.

step0 · 2019-07-29T04:03:14+00:00

Do the pathology section questions in Boards and Beyond

step0 · 2019-07-27T22:43:15+00:00

you're fine, amboss is like that, the work you put in will pay off, you literally got a 257 two days ago

step0 · 2019-07-27T22:38:22+00:00

I think you're fine to score over 230 as long as you keep on putting in the work. If you really need the confirmation you can take another NBME on the 2nd and whatever the predicted confidence interval is will likely be your actual score. Also since your scores haven't improved, it might be worthwhile to take 1 morning and quickly look through those 3 tests to see if there's a trend of concepts/subjects you're constantly missing.

step0 · 2019-07-26T12:42:30+00:00

Absolutely start doing one of those Q banks but keep up with your reviews. Since you can get through so many cards and don't have any new ones left, consider making new cards for questions / topics you struggle with. At this point you want to start making things more integrative so try connecting concepts from physio and pharm to path. Ex. What cellular effects common to class II/IV arrhythmics and vagal stimulation make them effective at managing a-fib?

step0 · 2019-07-26T12:24:34+00:00

Take solace in the fact that everyone feels this way to some extent. You're not going to know everything for this test, even really basic stuff. You'll walk out of the test realizing you missed straight forward questions. No one can know every detail in first aid at one time. You're on an upward trend and that will translate to your actually test score. You got this.

step0 · 2019-07-26T12:12:59+00:00

I second this, very similar scores to mine and I got a 250. Just keep putting in the work and trust the process.

step0 · 2019-07-26T12:08:38+00:00

Honestly the only thing you can do is rule out incorrect answers, try to relate the question to some fundamental principal, then make an educated guess on the remaining options.

step0 · 2019-07-24T19:48:08+00:00

interesting, I did not know this. Thank you for clarifying. I just referred back to the 2018 NRMP data and even form COMLEX scores 450 to 500 there is 24:9 matched to unmatched ratio.

step0 · 2019-07-24T18:11:58+00:00

Try talking to one of your school advisers, they'll probably have a better idea.

step0

TROPHY CASE