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PASS PROGRAM IS SCAM AND I FAILED WITH PASS PROGRAM DONT RECOMMEND IT - Printable Version

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PASS PROGRAM IS SCAM AND I FAILED WITH PASS PROGRAM DONT RECOMMEND IT - internalmedicinecarlos - 02-23-2024

I took the Pass program USMLE Step 2CK review course and I unfortunately failed my USMLE STEP 2 CK exam after doing better on the practice exams and NBME before I took the course. I know 7 other students that have also failed with PASS program online and live course PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THEM. The course materials are outdated and have incorrect information in them. Dr Francis is an incompetent and very cruel inconsiderate individual. Their PASS program tutors don’t show up and miss entire days without giving notice to anyone. I was surprised to see my score go down from my NBME, and it was a total waste of time and money.
If they ask you to extend the class and off you a Starbucks gift card for a positive review—> RUNNN while you can. They are mostly foreign tutors with heavy accent that cannot teach well + they mistreat students on a daily basis. They will steal your money and teach just like how they did in the carribean medical schools. The tutors are mostly  international graduates that only care about themselves and will not give any additional effort to help you. They will give the bare minimum and steal your money. They DO NOT cover any high yield material for the exam or do not help you enough for the USMLE.  When you ask them for help they will say “comeback tomorrow” they have to leave early  and then they will forget about even helping you the next day. The PASS program tutors will often pack up early(as much as 1-2 hours before the scheduled end of class) and leave instead of spending extra time with the students. Other times they will reschedule until late at night and finish after 2 AM!!! I have some thoughts to share. I took the course earlier this year in January 2024 and regret taking it. The purpose of this review is to share my terrible experience so students can make the right decision when choosing a preparation course. The professor Dr Francis is very rude and goes on unnecessary tangents he is careless and the material is badly outdated. He is rude and incomprehensible at times has a heavy accent and he is very hard to understand at times.  The majority of their tutors are really difficult to understand and they have a heavy accent stay away from them. They have fake agents that go online and bad mouth other programs to make themselves look better, they also send tutors to spy and steal from other programs. The course design is flawed in so many ways, Dr Francis barely covers anything and talks more about examples with his everyday life which has absolutely nothing to do with the USMLE. When you try to ask a question he treats you bad as if you are mistreating him or disrespecting him. It was a total waste of time and I could not focus on my rotations because I was too nervous about the exam from the lack of preparation and gaps in my knowledge.. Sitting in the class online with old paperback notes that are outdated to 2003 is not the most ideal way to study. There is no scheduled break, and if you ask for one he will curse profanities and scream at you and he is also recorded dismissing my friend from the class. The notes are VERY POORLY structured notes that are difficult to follow along with, the content will sound like a lower socioeconomic status individual from McDonalds wrote it. The sessions almost ended 2-3 hours early. It’s a very misleading advertisement of time. The tutor of African descent has a heavy unpleasant voice + accent,  is quite rude always ends early and also never shows up on random days without giving notice. He never formally introduced himself on the first day and there was no introduction.  He will ask follow-up questions and not share high yield facts after.  He shouts at people at random to share the reasoning for their answer choice or to read the supplemental slides he shows when he is seen texting and taking calls during the class. The students offer better explanations and are more knowledgeable than him. When a professor makes other students do their job for them, that is never a good sign. Very Messy lectures with such poor use of time during teaching... Every 20 minutes its a 10 minute tangent that VERY loosely relates to the topic... This makes it impossible to filter out the useful information from the useless stories being told - some are great examples that can help remember the material (like 1in 5) but it's impossible to reel Dr. Francis back in when he starts a story. It's a tough situation because you don't want to be disrespectful by telling him to go back to the topic please, because at the same time you feel like you and your time are not being respected. Also constantly disregarded start/end times, and the online option also feels like a tack-on for extra money since it's a hassle to even ask a single question. Also... if you have to mention HOW much the program will change my thinking SO many times (at least 3 minutes every half day), it makes me question... There's way too much self-tooting of the horn during lecture that makes it seem disingenuous.
Truthfully, this is not the caliber of program I was expecting for $2000 and I will be actively recommending against it. The program hurt me more than helped me by convincing me this was a good use of 6-8hrs/day.
Step 2CK online review course, run by an uneducated, heavy accent, seemingly uninterested, and occasionally rude professor that goes for only really 2 hours worth of content at at time , wastes about 4-6 hours 5 days a week. You are better off finding another course or just being extremely diligent and doing it on your own. Not what they say they are. There was zero interaction after the initial (I paid for the online course). The lectures are mediocre at best and all I can say is stick to better more comprehensive or some more trustable sources. There is no magic pill for USMLE, just work hard and study all the topics. This was a waste of money for me and I cannot get back my lost time I have missed the MATCH cycle this year due to this failure. Please avoid them at all costs.

total waste of time and money they are also very rude on the phone


RE: PASS PROGRAM IS SCAM AND I FAILED WITH PASS PROGRAM DONT RECOMMEND IT - kuvalis2 - 08-28-2024

Quote:I took the Pass program USMLE Step 2CK review course and I unfortunately failed my USMLE STEP 2 CK exam after doing better on the practice exams and NBME before I took the course. I know 7 other students that have also failed with PASS program online and live course PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THEM. The course materials are outdated and have incorrect information in them. Dr Francis is an incompetent and very cruel inconsiderate individual. Their PASS program tutors don’t show up and miss entire days without giving notice to anyone. I was surprised to see my score go down from my NBME, and it was a total waste of time and money.

What recommendations would you make to prospective students considering the PASS program, and what warning signs should they be aware of?

How did reviewers’ experiences with the PASS program compare to their performance on practice exams and NBMEs prior to taking the course?
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