Hello reader,
Below I have included some advice I once gave my own JMP pod in preparing for the MD6 examinations. I try to give you an idea about what to expect and how to prepare yourself for the unit. However, keep in mind that these are just my opinions. Everyone has different learning styles and strengths, so please keep in mind that this is just one person's advice. Be sure to talk to your upperclassmen for further opinions and guidance.
I hope you find it useful! Please forgive the very informal phrasing and language.
1. Books for MD6 (from what I personally liked and some close classmates used):
Dr. Miles used to assign (and maybe still will assign) Nolte's "The Human Brain" but I dont think a lot of us found that book very useful at all. A few did so I guess you can try your luck with it. I personally liked Blumenfeld's (Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases) to go along with Dr. Miles's lectures (spot reading only, its waaaaaaaaaay too long to read through the whole thing...at least for me). BRS is a good short read and is really Step 1 relevant. Its still a little TMI, but a great source to read. Lots of ppl liked Wisconsin Manual as well (probably best source for pathways), but keep in mind that it is also somewhat long. Its best used for pathway purposes (learning the spinal tracts, parkinson's pathway, basal ganglia, etc). I didnt personally make it through the whole book (not even close). Some ppl also liked "Cranial Nerves" and the neuroanatomy coloring/drawing book. I cant personally vouch for those though. Haines (Atlas of Functional Neuroanatomy) is a pretty decent atlas. Id say a good portion stuck with Netter'sthough. In any case, it's useful to have an atlas for neuroanatomy. Just remember for neuroanatomy/physiology, pick a few sources that match your style and try to stick to those sources. Some ppl will go insane with the number of books they are reading for neuro, but it is really easy to overwhelm yourself. 2. Board Studying It would be wise to study relevant parts of FA and Secrets, Pathoma videos, Goljans, etc while going thru the unit. Dont go too crazy with the other board stuff tho (ie trying to board study cardio or other non relevant topics for now). Pass MD6 first. I know qbanks are popular amongst your class. While being proactive and studying secrets, panthoma, and maybe doing a "lesser" qbank like kaplan or Rx or firecracker on the side is useful to give you the breadth needed for boards, keep in mind you still have all of MD7 (you probably should start studying in MD7) and MD8. Using your best resource (ie uworld) so early in the game may actually not benefit you as much as you may think. Everyone has their own styles, but as always my general advice is to study board material relevant only to your unit while you go through the JABSOM curriculum. Use resources that you may not get to come back to later in MD8 (ie Secrets, Goljans, Panthoma videos, etc). Once you get to MD8, its pretty much just FA +/- maybe 1 or 2 other resources plus your qbanks (uworld) for most ppl. Again everyone has different basal abilities, skills, strategies and methods, so this is just advice. Do what works for you.
3. Psych and MS:
Psych and psych pharm is really high yield. Or just pharm in general. Lots of us focused so intensely on neuro that we didnt do our usual studying for MEQ/MCQ. Remember that while neuro can be tough, it is just one part of MD6. Pay attn to what Dr. Haning emphasizes in psych, as psych is a larger part of the final than you may anticipate. Musculoskeletal stuff comes up again as well.
4. Keep in mind that the midunit will only cover musculoskeletal topics (unless they change the timing of it), and thus will not accurately represent the final. It is important to just keep on track yourself and try study for the extra credit quizzes (can add 10% to your grade---or it used to at least, idk if thats still accurate, theyre changing a lot). Stuff can change a lot in MD6, so just go with the flow.
5. Quizzes: no real good way to study for these as they can cover literally anything in the unit. Keep up with the material as a whole, and you should be able to get a few pts here and there. Theres no sense in stressing about specifically studying for the quizzes. Although keep in mind neuroanatomy and psych are probably the most high yield topics given the directors.