PASS ProgramReviews of pass-program.com

I was an online on-demand student and I would not have recommended this to my friends. Dr Francis put together concept very well, and helped to tie many topics together. However, this was not enough to do well on STEP 1. There were not sufficient details and many big topics missing. I also realized the classes are the same for Step 2 (except they are given some extra lectures). The workbook they send you has many errors and it looks like it was never proofread or formatted. I paid an extra $100/hr for private tutoring which was not worth the price- although it is tutor dependent. I also paid $50 for an “NBME consultation”. I still don’t know what that was for, I was given a sample schedule that was from another student who had weeks more time than I had, and the consultant just repeated to me the subjects I needed to work on (I sent her my score report with the subjects and the bar graph). I never heard from the program again. It was helpful to tie big concepts together and I did feel that I learned new ways to think through problems, but it was not worth the money. I wish I had chosen another prep program.

Let me start by saying this program is not average. It has high highs, but low lows... which results in an "average" rating, but one should not expect an average experience. The pros: The Pass Program team, led by Dr. Francis, has done the work to pull out the patterns and organize information in their lectures and printed material in a way that builds use associations and helps trainees retain and utilize the information. Typical medical school instruction relays an insane amount of information, of varying importance and relevance, and expects the trainee to sort through it and create the associations that matter (which often doesn't happen). Pass Program participants can expect to LEARN without such a heavy reliance on route memorization of facts. There is still a need to memorize, but understanding, synthesis and application are the foundation of the Pass learning process. Other pros are the herd effect you get by participation in the in-person program, which means you can share the energy of the team during preparation (as opposed to being independently responsible for your own pacing and motivation when preparing alone). This is of huge benefit for a number of reasons. Finally, the tutoring sessions, morning questions and other supplemental offerings can be helpful, though they are much more dependent upon who is providing the resource at the time. Overall, the pass rate for Pass Program participants in greater than 90%. For a program that takes students from all over the world and medical schools of various levels of sophistication and quality, this is an outstanding statistic. The CONS are significant and are what hold this program back from being a much more nationally recognized and respected brand. Generally, the cons are related to a lack of professionalism. Dr. Francis is incredibly knowledgable but can be surprisingly informal (bordering on immature), especially during lectures. There is an excessive focus on sex and sex-related discussions that is humorous at first, but quickly becomes add, and then disturbing and distracting at best. Rhetoric about the social roles of men and women, especially in romantic context, cause the classroom to feel more like a locker room than a professional environment. Mix this with a very clear imbalance in power (students are especially vulnerable - many have failed exams and are desperate for support with exam passing and securing a residency) and you have a number of students who are uncomfortable, but too afraid of the repercussions to speak up. Tutoring can be hit or miss. Some tutors have passed all exams, while others are still studying - while also tutoring you. Overall, this is not a horrible aspect of the program. Occasionally, however, one might get a tutor that is only moderately knowledgeable about the areas of your inquiry... some may admit it, while others may knowingly share what they think (but do not know). Still others are misinformed, but not experienced enough to realize it. The materials need professional editing. Period. There are errors throughout the text, some glaring, some just errors in consistency and organization, that bring the professionalism of the course down significantly. Because the program is geared towards those with much less expertise, and because the core content is so strong, the materials can "pass," if you will. But, put in front individuals who are more sophisticated in the topics, the concepts may be impressive, but the delivery is mediocre at best. Finally, the interpersonal dynamics can be disappointing. As has been shared in other reviews, the intimacy between Dr. Francis and the group (because of discussion topics and time spent one-on-one) and that he might have with specific students (because of the length of time they spend there, or because they are repeat program participants, or even because they invest a great amount of time building their relationships with Dr. Francis) can be alienating for some. Yes, there are obvious favorites, which is much more related to a lack of a professional distance. Dr. Francis gets a lot of gratification in the work he does, but also shows very clearly that working with some students is more gratifying than with others. The establishment of in-groups and out-groups is never a good thing, but intentionally or unintentionally, they do exist in this program and can leave some students unseen. This translates to classroom engagement as well - there are certain names all students recognize because they are called upon with such frequency, then there are others who you might rarely hear. Ideally, the program leader would exercise extreme caution to provide equal value and engagement to every student, given the program is a commercial prep course, not an academic institution where students are accepted or even evaluated based on merit. Overall, I would recommend this program to those who need to a clearly defined program to prepare for any level of the Board exam, and would say it is worth the financial investment, despite the cons (which are serious cons). No one should be subject to inappropriate conversations or discussions that border on (or step into) the harassment zone, but perhaps this is par for the course in medical education and training. I do hope that Pass Program, and its leader, will step it up a notch so that it and he might receive the respect and admiration the core program deserves.

I’ve attended the PASS program for Step 1 one and my experience was awesome!! However, for step 2 the experience was a bit different. I felt like I was all over the place. I didn’t know what source to use for management, no one would give me their honest opinion about my scores for assessments. I also felt like I had to beg for help since I have a time limit on when to take my test. I think the program needs to find ways to address step 2/3 needs! The program seems to be directed moreso for step 1. The basics never change! So, the review is good indeed! But students would benefit if from having more direction for step 2. I thought Le Pava was great!!! She really knows her information well! I wish that I could’ve had more sessions with her for step 2. One week is not enough and although the management in the big book is there. Some things are out of date. I would like to see pass provide more resources for step 2. I didn’t come in confident and I feel the same way I came in months later. To pay an enormous amount of money for this review course I should’ve been better prepared. Not to say that the help was unavailable, but more could’ve been done!

Dr. Francis and the staff at PASS are all great! The information that is taught is great as well. However I felt that the teaching method is much better for performing well on the wards. The Step exams require quick synthesis of information and pattern recognition unlike the wards when one has more time to think through processes. If the course had more hi-yield directed teaching, it would be much better.

The part I loved the most was meeting other students. They helped me keep going and some good tutors.

I think that the 8 week program should have more lectures than the 4 week program. The last lecture on microbiology was very quick and a lot of that information comes on the test. The staff was very kind and the housing was great, but the lectures were not that good.