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Askdoc-USMLE Prep Courses
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By askdoc, on August 2nd, 2010%
It’s been over a year since I first published “NBME Self-assessment Tests and USMLE Review.” Little did I know it will become the most popular of my post with over 14,000 pageviews in the past year. Since that time a lot of things have changed, hence this update.
If you have not read the previous two posts on this topic, please do so as I will not be repeating what I have said there in this post. You can access Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
How well does NBME predict your USMLE Score?
That has been the number one question asked of me since I wrote about this topic. My answer is still the same. Fairly well. Although correlation is never 100% more like 70 to 80%. However, certain development in the past few years have made the assessment tests less reliable for some people. Continue reading NBME Self-assessment Tests and USMLE Review – An Update
By askdoc, on March 4th, 2010%
Hello Everyone, this is actually my first time to try posting videos in my blog. So please excuse the effort if the quality is not too good. Hope to get better at doing this in the future.
A lot of people think that all they need to do in order to do well . . . → Read More: How to Master the USMLE Step 1 – an Introduction
By askdoc, on July 29th, 2009%
I would like to announce that I’ll be accepting applications for the September Class of Askdoc’s USMLE Step 1 Prep Course which will start on September 1, 2009 and end on March 3, 2010. This is the 5th batch of enrollees for this course. Please click on this link to go to the Home . . . → Read More: September Class – Accepting Applications for USMLE Step 1 Prep Course
By askdoc, on July 26th, 2009%
Today, we will talk more about the NBME self-assessment tests. We previously discussed what the NBME self-assessment tests are and how they impact your USMLE review. You can read the posts here. Now we will cover three important topics. When to use the NBME self-assessment tests, how to use the NBME self-assessment tests and how wise it is to use the USMLE World self-assessment tests instead.
Continue reading NBME Self-Assessment Tests and USMLE Review – Part II
By askdoc, on June 19th, 2009%
The NBME self assessment test is another of those tools that I feel is responsible for the increasingly high scores in the USMLE. It is a great tool that allows the test-taker to assess his or her readiness for the exam. To a certain extent, if used properly, it is also a useful tool for the examinee to target a certain score, even 99′s and achieve it.
Continue reading NBME Self Assessment Tests and USMLE Review
By askdoc, on October 25th, 2008%
We will now continue with Part II of our series on “Answering USMLE Type Questions”. In Part I we discussed the 3 most common problems people have with USMLE type Questions. In part II we will discuss various strategies to correct these weak points. There are strategies you implement during the preparation phase and other strategies you do during the exam itself.
However, the strategies during preparation is more effective than those you employ during the examination and therefore it makes sense to fix these problems before the actual examination day.
The main challenge in clinical vignettes is to be able to diagnose the case as fast as possible. As a medical student, the way we learned clinical cases starts with a diagnosis, say Myocardial Infarction. Then we study the signs and symptoms that accompany myocardial infarction followed by laboratory tests that suggest or confirm the diagnosis. Lastly we study therapeutic interventions. That is how clinical vignettes are presented in Underground Clinical Vignettes, which is fine for medical students having their first taste of medical cases. Unfortunately for most people who are ready to take the USMLE, they’ve already gone through that process and will probably need only a short review and it will still not help them with diagnosing clinical vignettes. The reason is that clinical vignettes are presented the other way around with signs and symptoms as clues while you come up with the diagnosis. Continue reading Answering USMLE Type Questions – Part II
By askdoc, on October 15th, 2008%
I wrote this initially in response to someone who was really having a hard time answering tough USMLE type question. Most of the time, when people think their problem is answering tough USMLE type question. the reality is that they have a KA (Knowledge Acquisition) problem. In other words, they did not do their review properly and their problem is primarily with insufficient knowledge base rather than difficulty with USMLE type questions.
Therefore, I always make it a point to test their knowledge base first. This is usually done by testing them using straightforward questions that test knowledge and recall without the common tricks that accompany USMLE type questions.
Now as you may know, I have an online prep site at http://prep.askdoc-usmle.com. The prep site contains all the courses available to course participants of my USMLE Step 1 prep course. There is a demo prep course for Review of Pathology which features the first chapter out of 25 total chapters of Review of Pathology. It covers cell pathology. The online quiz is a straightforward quiz which directly tests recall and does not use USMLE type question. Do well there and it proves you do not have a knowledge base problem.
Continue reading Answering USMLE Type Questions – Part I
By askdoc, on September 15th, 2008%
We begin part 4 of our series on “What to Study for the USMLE”. In Part I, we discussed the need to choose our review material based on what we want to achieve in the exam. We also discussed the use of substituted judgment when we rely on reviewers to know what to review for the examination, and the need to make sure that these judgments are based on the same goals we have with regards to passing, scoring well or acing the exam.
In part 2, we discussed that the score you want to achieve not only dictates the review materials you choose, but also how much of those review materials should be mastered and not just read through. In part 3 we talked about the various materials you used for review and the need to go back to textbooks for concepts you do not know, since you cannot review concepts you do not know. You have to learn them first and you need textbooks for that.
In part 4, we will discuss the two types of text reviewers you should be using for your review and how to use the concept of different types of recalls with the reviewers to maximize the amount of material you can store in your head for the exam.
Continue reading What to Study for the USMLE – Part IV
By askdoc, on July 18th, 2008%
We begin part 2 of our series on “What to Study for the USMLE”. For those just joining us, please refer to previous post here. Before we discuss the various criteria for selecting study materials for review, we need to clarify some concepts and discuss some limitations.
First, there is no real . . . → Read More: What to Study for the USMLE – Part II
By askdoc, on July 4th, 2008%
We now come to the second part of our discussion of “Using Q Banks effectively for USMLE Review”. For those just joining us, please review the previous post here.
Previously we talked about what Q Banks to use and when to use them for review. We will now talk about how to use Q banks as study tools and how to use them for review and assessment.
Continue reading Using Q Banks Effectively for USMLE Review – II
By askdoc, on June 25th, 2008%
This is a really big topic and would probably take at least a dozen posts maybe even two to finish. However, we have to begin somewhere. This is actually the most common question asked in forums. When people ask whether First Aid is enough, should I do Q Banks, do I need Goljan, etc. the question they are really asking is, what should I study for the USMLE. When they scour through exam experiences in forums, spend money on bootlegged CDs or DVDs or decide whether to use the extremely expensive UCV (you know its my pet peeve  ), etc. what they really are concerned about what to study for the USMLE.
Continue reading What to Study for the USMLE – Part I
By askdoc, on June 12th, 2008%
Doing Q banks is now considered part and parcel of USMLE review. Any person still not using Q banks is taking a big chance of doing poorly in the examination. In fact I believe one of the biggest reason for the increasingly high scores among both AMGs and IMGs is due to the existence of superb Q Banks, primarily USMLE World and Kaplan. My double 99 in step 1 and Step 2 CK Continue reading Using Q Banks effectively for USMLE Review
By askdoc, on June 4th, 2008%
Which one is better, UW or Kaplan? This is one of the most often asked questions I’ve encountered from people and the answer is as always not that straightforward. Each has its pros and cons and thereby is more useful in one situation than another.
The best answer is Continue reading USMLE QBank vs. Kaplan QBank: Which one?
By askdoc, on May 29th, 2008%
“Study the High yield stuff”. “Don’t bother with that because it’s low yield”. When I was just starting my review, these are the most common advice I get from “experts” in forums and books about reviewing for the USMLE. The question is how good is this advice. Continue reading High Yield Concepts and the USMLE.
By askdoc, on May 20th, 2008%
I would like to announce that I’ve compiled my series of posts on “How to Create a Study Plan for the USMLE” into an eBook in PDF format. I’ve also included the last 4 posts and completed the series. It is downloadable from this site. This ebook is released under a Creative Commons . . . → Read More: How to Create a Study Plan for the USMLE – Download Page
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