itsartipatel

I know there is an abundant amount of resources available out there and everyone has their own preferences. I’ve listed some of my top favorites down below and how I used them throughout my basic sciences. I like using resources outside of what the school provides because it’s always helpful to learn with a different perspective. But, I would not recommend using too many resources. It can get overwhelming to have lots of resources because you fall into the habit of wanting to use everything and get through it all. And when you try to do this, you don’t end up using any of the resources efficiently. Instead, I would advise you guys to pick some of your favorites and stick to those. 

[First Aid for Step 1]

This will be your best friend throughout medical school. I wish I had started using the book from my first semester. It might seem like a hassle at first to be using the book in addition to all the PowerPoint slides, but it is worth it. The PowerPoint slides are going to be filled with a lot of information and it gets difficult to figure out what the high yield topics are. This is where the book comes in. First Aid is concise when it comes to providing information and a lot easier to review through for specific exams. Your school exams might be more focused on their provided material but for NBMEs, First Aid is the way to go. There have been many times when I came across an odd question on the exam that came straight from First Aid. So, it is helpful to take notes in the book as you study for your exams. The book is filled with a lot of mnemonics and images as well that will stick in your mind as you continue to come across them multiple times. 

[Pathoma]

Pathoma is strictly a pathology textbook that comes with videos. Although I did not use this resource during my basic sciences, many of my peers did. They would watch the video and take notes in the book. I did end up using Pathoma during my dedicated Step 1 study period, and it was a good resource. All the high yield topics were covered, and he mentioned them multiple times so that it stuck in your brain. 

[Sketchy Medical]

Sketchy is heaven. These short videos are jam-packed with so many details that will forever be embedded into your brain. Sketchy has a unique way of taking a topic and presenting it in a way that will help you learn so much. Sketchy offers videos for Microbiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology. I liked it most for Microbiology and found it quite enjoyable to watch the videos. After just 2 rounds of going through the videos, I was able to recall majority of the information. It is definitely a fun way to learn compared to reading about a bacteria or virus. A pdf of the images is also provided if you don’t have time to watch the videos, which is also helpful. What I loved most about Sketchy was that everything in the frame had a meaning behind it. And if multiple bacteria/viruses had a common feature, the same object/character/color/etc. was used to further reinforce it. 

[USMLE Rx]

Rx is a question bank platform that you will most likely start using by at least your 3^rd semester. The outline of Rx is integrated with First Aid and is a great resource when it comes to applying your knowledge. When reviewing the questions, each answer choice is thoroughly explained on why it is correct or incorrect. This really helps you get the most out of each question. Besides questions, there are videos and flashcards that can be used to supplement your learning. I wasn’t a big fan of using Anki and was never able to get into it. Rx really came through with their pre-made flashcards on all the topics that are in the First Aid. I used these flashcards during my downtime or when I did not feel like reading through the book itself. It was great for active learning and recall. 

[UWorld]

I know a lot of students prefer using UWorld as their question bank from the beginning of medical school but I chose not to do that. I wanted to use this question bank for my dedicated Step 1 period and did not want to risk having the questions memorized. What I would recommend is starting to use UWorld during your last semester of 2nd year. This will allow you to start adapting to the question format better and you will become accustomed to doing a block of 40qs.

For Step 2 & shelf exams, UWorld is the number 1 resource and for this, I suggest you use it from day 1! I talk a lot more about this under the Step 2CK post so definitely check it out 🙂