Kaplan VS USMLEWorld VS First Aid?

I'm re-posting this from the discussion I posted last month. Here is the post:

Okay, so I've seen reading, seeing and hearing a lot of things about Kaplan's review books (not just the Q-book but the whole package deal!) and USMLE World. I wanted to do a survey regarding these review materials.

As we all know, a lot of IMGs are in need of tips on what review material to use. So, I'm starting a forum about it. Which is better? Choose from the following below:

1. Kaplan review books (not just the Q-book)
2. Kaplan Q-books only
3. Kaplan review packages (comprehensive, basic, etc.)
4. First Aid for the USMLE Steps
5. Road maps (various subjects)
6. USMLEWorld.com (online review/exam)

Please leave a comment below, stating your preference. You can give other answers aside from the ones enumerated above. Please give a reason why you prefer that kind of review materials. Is it because it's more flexible? Is it because it gives you better time management? Is it cheap/expensive? How reliable and accurate is it? Did it improve your grade or was the result otherwise? How did you come across it? What made you decide to use it for your USMLE review?

There are no wrong answers to this discussion. You can give a short answer or a very long answer. You can answer the questions above, or you can post your own reasons.

Please let's help our fellow IMGs. Your input to this topic will be truly appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance for your participation!

IMGs rock!!!

Tags: 1, 2, 3, book, books, cs, guide, materials, review, study

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Comment by Dr.G.Bhanu Prakash on July 21, 2012 at 4:42pm: www.usmletutor.org

Comment by sandra bulok on January 12, 2010 at 5:13pm: hi guys i need to write aboutmy experiece,,,i tink people who speaking about the uw is the master and the kaplan books is more han enough are really going to fake all the people,,,and waste there time nd effort,,,plase i need all the memeber of this ebsite know something,,,,neither UW nor Kaplan books are enough,,,,dont beleive those saying it is ore thn enoguh,,,because i did so and was have blenty of time to study,,,6 months for ck and was really wake up and sleep overthe books and practiced daily uw and last two months UW and my score was1st 50% ten at te end of my period of preparing i reach to 70- 85% in CK UW,,,and finally failed,,,failed failed,,,,to be frank with u,,,i got 72%,,

Comment by jinx on January 11, 2010 at 9:34pm: @marwa Was Step 1 or Step 2? Because if it's Step 1, it's really hard and I hear a lot of people sitting for it say that they had a tough time. If your really want to embark into this painful endeavor, then don't lose hope! Try again. Aim for a higher score when you revise with UW. Although 70% is a good score, getting anything lower than 75-80% when revising for the exam means that you run the risk of not passing the exam.

Also, if you are planning to take the exam again, you really have to aim for a higher score since they raised the 3 digit passing score starting this year (from 185 to 188).

I wish you well.

Comment by vinn on December 21, 2009 at 12:32pm: UW n FA , rest all is crap n waste of time

Comment by marwa on December 2, 2009 at 11:10am: i did Q kaplan book,,,
i did Q kaplan notes,,2009
i did 1st aid,,
i revise UW twice,,scored 65-70% online
6 month full study,,,,
and finally i fail,,,,??!!!!any comment
i

Comment by palak patel on October 7, 2009 at 12:43pm: For step1 did Kaplan notes, First Aid, Qbook and UWorld. UWorld> Notes>FA>Q book.
For step2Ck did the same .
For step2CS FA and practice with live partner.
Whatever steps u do, Uworld is a Must.

Comment by jinx on October 6, 2009 at 8:26am: For Step 1 I used Kaplan (center prep) in the Philippines. The materials (video lectures, review books) is really great especially if when you were in med school they skimmed parts of the topic (biochemistry and microbiology).

First Aid for Step 1 was really good, especially for the mnemonics. Didn't use uworld for step 1.

Step 2 CK: Again, center prep with kaplan. If you are reviewing with Kaplan OUTSIDE the US, please make it a point to check if the center you're going into really does have the updated materials, especially the review books. But otherwise, the materials are good.

First Aid for Step 2 CK wasn't that good as for Step 1.

Step 2 CS: For those who are interested, c3ny offers a 3 day review/seminar for this exam. You have the option of which days you can go of the 3 days (each day has a different activity). it's cheaper than kaplan and the staff is very helpful and friendly. it's only in NYC though. Did not use First Aid for this one.

This is just my opinion. Hope this helps :)