We've rounded up some background information and best practices for using Firecracker for Clerkships.

Dallin, a third-year medical student at Des Moines University, used Firecracker throughout year two of medical school to accomplish a few goals simultaneously; retaining information learned in class, preparing for USMLE, and shoring up osteopathic manipulative medicine knowledge that is emphasized on COMLEX. The Firecracker DO program includes comprehensive content and practice questions for every concept and fact that is fair game to be tested on both COMLEX and USMLE combined. The content is all originally authored, and indexed neatly to leave no doubt which materials are relevant for which exam(s) and classes/Clerkships. Dallin accounts how supplementing coursework with Firecracker, Uworld, and Combank was the perfect recipe for two tremendous board scores in one week:

So...we've almost made it to the end of 2017. It's been an interesting year, for everyone. Through December 31st, we're having our hoiday sale on Firecracker:

1 year of Firecracker for $150

18 months of Firecracker for $200

2 years of Firecracker for $250 ... and more.

Want to study like the most successful medical students do? Of course you do! We've compiled here a set of video tutorials recorded by medical students, for medical students, which delve into exam preparation skills and recommendations for successful studying. If you'd like to read some guides authored by students, we went ahead and put together this collection of winter break studying champions' experiences.

We hope you’re surviving (or have survived) finals season. You’re probably looking ahead to next semester as well. We know from conversations with students that they are using several resources to help them keep up with classes, boards and wards. It's that time of year for us too. Our end of year sale is here! Starting today, through December 24th we're offering the lowest possible rate on Firecracker:$150 for 1 year, $250 for two years.

Vacation study strategies! Over the years, winter break has been one of the most popular times for students to start consistently practicing a daily routine of doing questions. Sticking to a regular review routine during the vacation helps you refresh on materials you've learned this past semester, and/or older content you learned last year. These healthy study habits will carry into the New Year, helping you to cruise right into your coursework, and for second- or third-year medical students, into boards with confidence in your comprehension.

As stated in this USMLE announcement, the recommended Step 1 minimum passing score will change from 192 to 194. This change will affect examinees who take a Step 1 examination that begins on or after January 1, 2018.

Through tomorrow night you can subscribe to Firecracker MD or Firecracker DO for $180 for 1 year, $300 for 2 years, or $400 for 4 years. This includes, well, everything:

This Friday we released two new PDF books to members: SketchyMicro and Pathoma companions. Like our other textbooks, these are complete renderings of Firecracker’s SketchyMicro and Pathoma topic coverage, complete with images, tables and charts. Each chapter links back to the relevant topic inside Firecracker so that you can kick off a flash card or test-question session directly.

The following is a guest-authored blog post from John, a second-year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, one of Firecracker's more than twenty official partner institutions: