Firecracker is a learning platform which is used as a study aid for medical students and is owned by Wolters Kluwer. Many students claim that this resource is effective for improving exam scores on the USMLE step exams as well as medical school exams. However are these claims true? In this article I will be doing an objective review on the Firecracker Question banks and learning platform.

Pros

• Spaced repetition feature is very good because it uses a learning algorithm to tell you when it is time for you to review questions that you have already seen. There is also a lot of flexibility with this. For instance, If I am currently studying Pulmonology, but I have already done questions in the Gastroenterology section, then I can Just review Pulmonology review questions by going to that section in the dashboard and selecting the option to do the review questions

• Alternatively if I only want to review pulmonology questions then I can adjust the setting of priorities which are donated by the colored tags that are near each section. So if Pulmonology was my priority then I would go here and select the tag which says urgent. I could also go into the other sections and select unmark or one of the other tages that is not necessarily urgent.
• The spaced repetition is also very flexible and user friendly. You can go back and re do the questions in the flashcard app. You can also use the snooze button if you want a card to go back into the deck.
• The last good thing about the spaced repetition feature is that includes multiplex choice questions. This is, in my opinion a very good way to enhance your test taking abilities, and begin developing the ability to choose the right answer from other answers that are presented.

• Detailed Question explanations: The explanations offer a lot of very useful and high yield information. Not only does the platform point out why the correct answer is right, but they also point out why the other answers are incorrect.

• Highlight features: You have the ability to highlight on the articles. This is great because you can make mental notes of important pearls or mark a particular section that you want to come back to and review some more

• User data tracking: the platform tells you whether or not above the national average near the average or in at risk which means below the national average. I like this feature a lot because it provides users with insight and transparency into their own progress. This is helpful if you want to know where you stand in your progress of studying for board exams

• Article length: The articles are not long and drawn out. THey are organized in using bullet points which makes it very easy to read and absorb the information. Many question banks which have articles normally clump the information indense paragraphs that are very wordy and contain more information than is necessary for 

• Price: Compared to other options on the market, the price is very reasonable. For 12 months it is only $199. This is way more affordable then something such as Boards and Beyond which is $250 for 1 year.

Cons

• Cannot exit exam: Basically once you start taking the exam, there is no way to leave the exam and then come back.
• Can only do 50 cases at once: The solve cases function only allows you to do no more than 50 cases at once.
• Not enough videos. Even though the topics contain associated videos I think there should definitely be more.

Is there a tutor mode?

• Yes there is a tutor mode. To do questions on tutor mode in the firecracker question bank you have to go to the area which says study a specific topic and then click the section which says solve the cases. This will then allow you to answer all of the questions in that particular section which are written in a USMLE style format.

• So For example If I were studying the topic achalasia, I could Mark this topic and then go to the section which says solve cases. This would then allow me to answer only the questions from the achalasia section because this is a section which I marked.

Does it have step 1 and step 2

• Yes. Firecracker contains a full section for step 1, as well as a full section for step 2. 

What does the prioritization feature do?

This feature allows you to assign a priority to certain topics. In total there are 3 prioritizations which are Urgent, Past, current, and current. Urgent means that you have a test in the topic coming up fairly soon. Past means that you studied the topic in the past, and current means you are studying the topic now. whatever you assign a topic will determine how often the algorithm shows them to you.

Interface

• The interface is very user friendly and the information is presented in a very clean way. 
• The platform is not overly saturated with excess features, and navigating through sections is very easy.

How to use Firecracker?

• You can use firecracker in the beginning of your medical studies in first and second year alongside your normal medical school curriculum. Because this resource contains a very good spaced repetition feature, The most benefit would come from using it as early as possible.
• You can also use it closer to step exams because the Step 1 and Step 2 practice tests on the platform are timed and simulate real testing conditons

In conclusion

Firecracker is definitely a solid investment. the price is very affordable and then spaced repetition is in my opinion second to none. Even if you already have a question bank that you already use, Adding firecracker will definitely add to preparation for the USMLE step 1 and Step 2 exams as well as your medical school exams.