 Held in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, a small quiet urban city, generally very safe. People are very polite.
 Offers accommodations  Shared 3 bedroom apartments. Each student has his/her room and bathroom.
Shared kitchen and living room. No TV’s allowed.
 Price  slightly lower than other usmle live lecture preps
 Shuttle available to and from PP center twice a day  morning and evening. PP center is 7 minutes away.
 4 Week course –geared more towards Step I
 All students Step 1, 2, and 3 attend the same lectures. Additional step 2/3 lectures are held on
Tues/Thur. Usually, over 90% of the students at PP are preparing for Step 1.
 Revolving 4 Week course, possible to start mid-cycle and stay till the following mid cycle. Can be done except one might feel lost in class since some lecturers build on previous concepts.
 One-on-one tutoring sessions for 1 hr with PP tutors  1. They explain the PP technique of answering qsts, 2. Observe you answer qsts--you read the qst out loud following the PP technique, select an answer, and explain yr selection/thought process, 3. Tutor goes over yr exam taking technique, mistakes, exam content, yr knowledge fund and makes recommendations.
 You will receive approximately 2-4 hrs of tutoring a Week
 You will receive a syllabus that goes along with the lectures.
 Lectures M-F: 7:30am-9:30am, 10:30am-12:30pm, 1:40pm-4:15pm. Hrs subject to change
 Breaks: 9:30-10:30, 12:30-1:40 ; Tutoring : 9:30-10:30, 12:30-1:40, 4pm-8pm, and 8am-6pm Saturdays
 No Weekend lectures except for one Saturday during the 4 Week cycle.
 Having a drilling partner/partners is almost mandatory  probably will be yr room-mate with whom you review PP clues nightly. Almost rapid fire fashion (Q/A).
 Dr. Francis WILL KNOW YOUR NAME before the end of 1 st Week. It’s a good idea to know the PP clues as he calls every student by name in class to answer qsts. (Don’t worry, he will not embarrass anybody).
He also gives monetary awards several times a week to whoever answers his qsts in rapid fire fashion during the drills.
 He is a very engaging lecturer so you will not be bored or feel sleepy.
 You will get lots of motivation from Dr. Francis and most tutors.
 PP will recommend a question bank for you to buy (usually usmle world, they tolerate Q bank but do not recommend it, definitely not usmle Rx—they claim that per their experience, usmle Rx qsts are easy and mislead students into thinking they know the material but fail the real USMLE step)
 PP will strongly recommend that you take a NBME exam three Weeks into the program so that they can tailor your studying schedule for the remainder of the session based on your results.
 Everybody in the program is there for the same reason  to pass either step 1, 2, or 3. Most students have taken the exam before but there will be others who are preparing to take the exam for the 1 st time.
 4 Weeks will fly fast, use your time wisely.
 Lecture content and style focuses on :
1. How to group information/diseases/USMLE clues
2. How to sift through tons of information very quickly/efficiently so as to focus on the main points
3. How to ignore distracters/details and pick out the pertinent information
4. Drill, drill, drill.
5. Test taking strategies (PP is very good at this)
6. Many students get inspired and motivated by his stories and personal experiences.
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1. Website:
PP website has been updated with current information; check it out before you apply.
2. Sessions:
It’s best to start a session from the beginning vs. in the middle, but it’s still fine if one cannot make it.
Some students come in the middle of a session for various reasons and still do great.
3. Office staff/Receptionist:
When you call PP with inquires or clarifications etc a)The front desk person may sound abrupt, unhelpful and forgetful especially on many issues. Be patient. PP tutors do not behave that way, they are professional and supportive. b)You will rotate between different tutors till you identify one or two that you prefer. Let Dr. Francis know your preferences so he can keep you with the same tutors. There is a book at the back of the lecture hall where you write your requests.
4. Transportation:
Pros  Survive by using the shuttle or car pool with your room mates/class mates to PP center and relying on them to take you grocery shopping and to tutoring sessions. You save money by not renting a car or driving for many hrs from here to Champaign-Urbana.
Cons  Yr schedule will be dependent upon the students who have cars; you might miss tutoring sessions if you do not have transportation. PP center has few computer rooms but no designated area for quiet study, so you might not be able to go somewhere else to study such as  wireless coffee shops, Barnes & Noble, the 24 hr library at Univer. Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It may not be economical to use taxi as your mode of transport.
Choices  1. Survive w/shuttles and classmates cars 2.Drive your car to Champaign 3. Fly there and rent a car for about $ 450—500/month. Check local enterprise 20% discount for students of PP or
Advantage car rental for weekly discounts.
5. Housing/Food:
Wal-Mart’s 4 minutes from the apartment complex, various fast foods and restaurants are within minutes of PP center and apt cplx.
Internet free via Ethernet, no wireless access yet, but that may have changed so check w/PP.
Take your laptop with you to Illinois!
6. Studying:
Where can you study?
Your room-(chair and desk provided), PP center, wireless coffee shops, “Pages for all” wireless bookstore-close to apt complex, B&N, Borders, 24 hr Granger Engineering Library at U of I. Note that there are over 60 libraries at U of I. Granger has an environment conducive to studying.  upper floors for quiet studying, 5 th floor study rooms for discussions-no ID required. Computers available to the public on 1 st floor. Sublevel floor available for quiet studying.
Pros  Open 24 hrs except Fri/Sat, offers an escape from crowded environment at PP center. No ID required. Free parking after 5pm M-F and all day Sat/Sun. Buy wireless card e.g. t-mobile and use yr laptop at campus.
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Cons  Pay for parking before 5pm. Wireless access restricted to their students unless you have yr own wireless card. Pay and collect your prints at Undergrad library across the street-not at Grainger.
7.Exercise/Fitness: a) Basketball game among students 2x/Week. b) PP might or might not pay for 1 month pass at local recreational center  weight room and
treadmills etc. c) Can pay for yourself if you wish  $ 25/month. d) Vast areas and parks for jogging/running e) Apt complex probably has a gym by now f) Other gyms available at various prices.
8. Extension:
If for any reason you require an extra 2 weeks after the session ends to study independently and take the exam in Champaign, you can; either request for a housing extension for 2 weeks which may at times be difficult since they reserve the rooms for the next coming class unless you are paying both tuition and housing for 2 weeks.
Or, check U of I at Urbana-Champaign adverts for room- mates. Some students have been able to find very good rooms at affordable prices. Talk to your fellow classmates, some of them might be natives of
Champaign/Urbana.
9. Other added benefits: The environment at PP is generally conducive to studying, you are away from yr regular distractions in San Antonio, you are doing approximately 50 qsts a day and gauging your progress, most tutors are very helpful, and your test taking strategy will improve.
Good Luck!
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