The King of Bulls**t USMLE QBank Advice

Another piece of sh*tty advice infecting the med student community.

Boy oh boy! It sure stinks in here from all the shi**y advice floating around USMLE prep land…

But nothing quite takes the cake like the classic “Just do USMLE World three times!”

When students reach out to me with USMLE struggles, they almost always wonder why they’re stuck despite following that sage advice.

“All my friends did it… Why isn’t it working for me?”

Newsflash friends… You’re being fed some top-notch BS!

Let me be blunt: This is a useless way to study.

No, not doing questions… Repeating questions.

Unless you’re going to see the exact questions you’re trying to memorize—med school isn’t high school— what is the point behind the approach?

Have you asked yourself why you’re doing this?

Have you determined the underlying goal behind repeating the same questions over and over?

Oh, you have? Let me guess…

You’re trying to learn the information, and you’re trying to see where you’re still weak.

Got it!

Here’s the thing… If you’re repeating questions, you’re accomplishing neither.

Sure, you can recognize the correct answer, but are you improving your recall of an answer based on the question, or are you improving your understanding and mastery of the underlying concept? Ahhh… Lightbulb moment 💡

If I were to rewrite the exact same questions with a few tweaks… Maybe change the question’s perspective, force you to think just a tiny bit differently, and change the answer choices… Would you be able to get to the correct answer? Or would you be thrown off and confused?

Hint: Thrown off and confused has been the answer in my experience.

I realize this sounds harsh… I’m probably coming across as an A-hole… But my job is to help you see clearly so you can actually achieve your goals, not to coddle you and tell you that you’re doing a great job when you’re not.

Answer recognition is not content mastery.

Alright…

We’ve established that doing the same questions repeatedly isn’t the best way to make real progress…

So, what is?

I’m glad you asked…

First, do questions—of course!

I recommend a full-timed block every time…

Doing full-timed blocks will build your tolerance to long question sessions, so you’re in good shape for exam day.

After each block, get a pen and paper and review your questions… Dissect the vignettes to understand the way they’re written (question pattern recognition is essential to boosting your test-taking skills), go through each answer choice, and take notes (first, figure out why the correct answer is correct, then go through each incorrect and ask yourself why they were wrong, while also reviewing the details of each… taking notes along the way).

Once you’ve gone through one Qbank and have confidence in your ability to handle each topic and/or concept, take an assessment exam and then get started on a second question bank…

This is where you’re truly testing your knowledge…

You’ll make mistakes, but this is where you pinpoint the areas holding you back… This is where the magic happens. The magic comes from finding the remaining weaknesses after finishing the first Qbank and starting a new one.

⭐ When you identify a weakness at this point in your USMLE prep, it’s important to dedicate extra time to those areas. After all, you’ve put in a lot of time and effort, yet you’re still stuck in certain areas… This warrants extra attention. ⭐

Once you’ve completed the second question bank, assess yourself with a Qbank assessment or NBME exam to see where you’re strong and weak. Remember that NBME exams are your gold-standard assessment tool leading up to the real exam. Try using the Qbank assessments early and the NBMEs later in your journey.

From there, you’ll work to improve your weaknesses and continue assessing yourself until you’ve reached your peak… Or, at the very least, a strong NBME performance that gives you a 99% chance of passing if the exam is taken within one week.

There you have it!

It’s important to know why we do something…

The idea that doing Qbanks on repeat doesn’t work is a wake-up call—or slap in the face—to most medical students.

But where’s the sense of wasting time doing something that doesn’t work, creates a false sense of content mastery and security, and puts your future at risk?

There isn’t any, and that’s the point.

Everything you do in your journey to USMLE dominance should be backed by a good reason…

Any time someone gives you a piece of potentially career-altering advice without the ability to explain why you should take it, don’t hesitate to question its validity.

🔹

P.S. If at any time you take an NBME exam (unused, timed, and online) and the results show that you’ve got a 99% chance of passing if taken within one week, for the love of God, get your ass into a Prometric center and get the exam over and done with!

🔹

If you found this post helpful and/or useful and want me to continue writing, please do me a huge favor and share this with someone you think will benefit. And if you’re on Twitter, please click the link below and hit “like” on the thread linked to the same topic.

On Twitter/X? Click HERE and “like” the post.