[americandoc]

I have to appear in Feb 2011 for step one,, have Kaplan and first aid,, plzz do I need to do Goljan...won't Kaplan be enough ,,can anyone plz be honest enough to tell me how to make it to the 99 without Goljan,,and do I have enough time to do the whole Goljan till Feb..

thnkzzz

 

[Pixie]

Goljan worth every second

my only advice to u is-do Goljan Rapid Review.
It is worth each and every second of u r time.
lot's of high yield info in there.
and if u want a good score don't think about it without doing Goljan.
Get his audio lectures also.

 

[ashishkabir]

Do Goljan - he'll help solidify your understanding of pathology - you have time...

 

[Aisha]

goljan is not important

@ faith and ashishkabir : u have not done usmle yet, right?

@ shum: one of my friends did 1st step and got 99 by reading FA only! but he is actually a :scared: "book worm"=he read textbooks carefully at basic stage...

So I think that depends on your previous knowledge. if you think that you have a lot of information you can just work on FA and Kaplan ...

Good Luck All

 

[ashishkabir]

@ faith and ashishkabir : u have not done usmle yet, right?

@ shum: one of my friends did 1st step and got 99 by reading FA only! but he is actually a :scared: "book worm"=he read textbooks carefully at basic stage...
so i think that depends on your previous knowledge. if you think that you have a lot of information you can just work on FA and kaplan ...

Good Luck All

Hey Aisha - you're right, I haven't written it yet, but it's a life changing exam for a lot of people at this stage of their careers and you need all the edge you can get...

I'd still recommend, based on a number of 99s and 90+ scoring friends who are waay smarter than me that the OP try and squeeze in Goljan RR. Of course, its entirely possible to pass this exam based on just your medical school knowledge, but I don't know many on these forums who would try that route. Hats off to your friend -that's the kind of physician scientist we'd all like to be. If you are that person, can I work for you someday? I'd like to be a second author on that Nobel prize winning paper in which you cure cancer

I'm ranting, but my point is that here I'm repeating the advice from others who have come before me. FA and Kaplan are enough, but Goljan is an excellent addition and will help you truly understand pathology if you don't know it yet

 

[Dr_Kal_El]

Honestly only 1 of my friends said that Goljan was overkill, but he said afterwards that I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Most of the ppl I've spoken to who did well on their 3 digits scores (aka high 99s) told me Goljan is of the utmost importance!

Stop freaking out dude, you have 1 more month than me, i'm no uber genius, if I have time to finish it (now on the review again) while doing Kaplan lectures....it only depends on how well you manage your time! It is very much POSSIBLE to do it and do it well!

good luck

 

[Sabio]

See this poll

We have a poll that asks members how essential for Step 1 prep here
http://www.usmle-forums.com/usmle-step-1-recommended-threads/3411-goljan-must-read.html

 

[anoop007]

Goljan RR help

How much of Rapid Review should I be retaining? I understand and can recall everything that Dr. Goljan mentions in his lectures but once I go back to quiz myself from the text I feel like I can't remember much Any suggestions?

 

[Dr_Kal_El]

How much of Rapid Review should I be retaining? I understand and can recall everything that Dr. Goljan mentions in his lectures but once I go back to quiz myself from the text I feel like I can't remember much Any suggestions?

unfortunately there's no magic potion or pills, but if you make your own outline/summary of what you need to know about every disease (mostly keywords obviously) that should make it easier......yes i'm saying instead of trying to memorize Goljan word for word, write it out in ur own Ultra Sleek Review of Goljan, that should help with memorizing, and since u'll use keywords that will help with associations/filling in the gaps.....hope this helps

 

[fin-84]

I have just give couple of looks to my Goljan, but I must say that I love it. Now I am eager to read everything else before it so I can get most of it when I start reading it. I have planned to go it through at least two times.

 

[mtoi]

I have 'dissected' complete Goljan audio into snippets, like if he has talked about cystic fibrosis in different lectures, I have 'cut and paste' audio format of cystic fibrosis (for example sake). now all I need is study buddy to optimize the impact of Goljan's audios. I have compiled all his jokes into one audio, just to impress upon you, how much I love his audio lectures. pm me to be study buddy

 

[Aisha]

important

Well, I must say SORRY... I did not know that Goljan is the same as BRS :redcheeks;!
A friend who got 99 in step 1 said: "BRS should be studied carefully, it is comprehensive and great source for revision. FA must be studied 10 times! and BRS once,,, it is simply great"

So, YES, you need Goljan to get 99.

Sorry again, I am just a 2nd-year medical student and I just tried to help :sorry:.

 

[ashishkabir]

Goljan Rapid review and the BRS Series are different books. The BRS series has a different book for almost every subject. You can do BRS Pathology instead of or in addition to Kaplan Pathology, but my suggestion is to do Kaplan pathology and then Goljan rapid review to complete your understanding. That being said. First Aid plus Kaplan or First Aid plus BRS Pathology or First Aid plus an excellent medical school professor are also effective combination as per a number of high scoring 99ers.

It's just someone's opinion though... You have to do what works for you. The way to know what is working for you is to do questions and to do NBMEs - if you're doing well on them - what you're using is the correct material.

 

[fin-84]

I would in any case look the reviews it has get from amazon.com. 77 5star and 13 4 star opinions is very good. So I think there is lot more information in RR Goljan path than kaplan or FA. And you need some extra when you aim high.