First Aid
- Pros
- Contains probably 99% of the answers to UWorld questions.
- Simple and easy to follow diagrams.
- Outline format, short bullet points.
- Great for rapid review of all the high yield information .
- Affordable! About $25, but some schools (like mine) will give you a copy for “free” if you have an AMA/AMSA membership or something of that sort.
- Cons
- Not a learning tool (only for high yield review).
Pathoma
- Pros
- Dr. Sattar is an EXCELLENT teacher! He emphasizes using basic foundations to understand more complex concepts.
- He asks questions throughout his videos to help you make connections and think critically (eg “do you remember what disease we talked about that presents similarly?”
- The text has margins that you can take notes in while you watch the videos.
- The first 3 chapters are ultra high yield for Step 1!
- Cons
- Can feel oversimplified at times.
- ~$100
Sketchy
- Pros
- Memory palace is so effective! Helps you retain information long-term!
- Fun to watch!
- Cons
- Does not work for everyone.
- Costs $$$, but you can often find copies from someone!
UWorld
- Pros
- The best learning tool for Step 1! Every explanation is a review of another disease/concept.
- Explanations also point out why that answer is more/less likely
- Simple, easy to follow diagrams! Take notes on these to refer back to them later or save them as a flashcard within UWorld.
- Download the app!
- Cons
- So many questions!
- Cost: ~$600 depending on length of subscription, but worth it!!
Anking Step 1 Deck
- Pros
- FREE!
- Highly effective for long-term retention, which makes studying during dedicated much easier because you have less to learn.
- Aids in quick recall on exams, which helps with time management on tests.
- Aids in intuition when answering tough questions.
- Best tagging system and EXTREMELY ORGANIZED!
- Includes images from FA, Sketchy, B&B, UWorld (downloaded separately in Reddit post)
- Includes notes in extra section that aids in comprehension of concepts.
- Cons
- Some people find themselves memorizing the structure of the card itself rather than the content.
- Not the best for critical thinking (although it does depend on how you use it).
- The Extra section can be overwhelming sometimes because there’s a lot of text, but it provides context and background for you to understand the fact being tested. This is one way you can navigate around the problem of strict memorization that people report with Anki!
BRS Physiology
- Pros
- Dr. Costanzo is a GODDESS of physiology. She knows how to break down complicated concepts in a way we can understand. (We are so blessed to have her as faculty. She taught our Pulmonary and Renal physiology!)
- BRS diagrams are GOLD.
- BRS Physiology is high yield for boards!
- Cons
- Can feel oversimplified at times.
- Like FA, BRS only contains high yield bullet points to rapid review in preparation for boards. It should not be used as a learning tool. I’d recommend her full textbook Costanzo Physiology if you’re looking for a text for learning!
Boards & Beyond
- Pros
- Dr. Ryan also explains concepts in a way that is easy to understand and remember.
- Dives deep into pathophysiology of a disease, why this symptom occurs, etc.
- Cons
- Difficult to watch all the videos alongside classes
- Can often contain more detail than needed
- Costs $$$
USMLERx
- Pros
- Questions are written based off First Aid.
- More exposure to FA, extra practice questions.
- Cons
- The questions often felt like a list of facts strung together from First Aid. Basically, it felt like another way to test your knowledge of First Aid facts (which is repetitive if you are using Anki to do that, only Anki is more time-efficient then doing questions)
- Costs $$$ (I bought my subscription on sale for about $150)
Avoiding Resource Overload
- My biggest advice: Study smarter, not harder! EVERYONE knows UFAPS – UWorld, First Aid, Pathoma, Sketchy. EVERYONE uses these resources. But not everyone scores the same. Why? Because it’s HOW you use it that matters. No one method is perfect and will work for everyone.
- For me, I used Anki to solidify UFAPS and long-term retention. This lightened my burden during dedicated studying SIGNIFICANTLY.
- Second biggest advice: Do not spread yourself too thin and try to do UWorld, Amboss, AND USMLERx, or try to watch ALL of Boards & Beyond and Sketchy AND read Lange. It’s just impossible and probably unnecessary. Focus on the resources that have a good track record (UFAPS) and then move on to other resources if you want more exposure, practice, and supplemental learning.
- If you are using Anki and can’t decide which pre-made deck to use, just pick one and stick to it. Most decks, such as Lightyear and Anking, cover essentially the same information and differ only in style and organization.
- The Anking Deck is a revamped version of Zanki and has the best tagging system I know of! It’s also got images from First Aid and Sketchy, which is nice because everything is in one place.
- Lightyear tagging system is based on the Boards & Beyond videos, which is helpful if you want to study the related cards after watching the video.
- Pathoma, Boards & Beyond, Picmonic, Osmosis? Choose one and stick with it. Pathoma is a great start because it’s short and sweet. Boards & Beyond goes in depth and is a great supplemental resource. I didn’t use Osmosis, but I loved the visuals of the videos.
- If you are wondering which QBank to use, I recommend UWorld > Amboss > USMLERx. I haven’t used the Amboss QBank before, but I’ve only heard good things about it. Some people find that they remember the UWorld questions too well when they go through their 2nd pass, so they use Amboss for more practice questions. Same goes for USMLERx. I would do UWorld first, see how you feel on the 2nd pass, and then see if you want to try USMLERx or Amboss.
- Note: I’m actually using the Amboss library for clerkships so I will update you all on this in another post!
- Remember that you only have 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week (I know, I forget sometimes too)! You can’t use all the resources out there, so if you want to use a new resource, something else has to give. Ex: if you want to watch all the Boards & Beyond videos, then you might have to give up watching all the class lectures (which a classmate of mine did). You also have to keep up with class material to pass your class exams, which do not always test Step 1 Material. That means you have to keep your use of outside resources to a minimum!
I hope you found this post helpful 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions!
With lobe,
Kelly
