Question banks

The advice I got from almost all of my seniors was that the no. of questions solved during the USMLE prep time highly correlates with the score.
Searching for the big banks for step 1 I found the banks we all know about and giving each of them a try, I've reached my verdict.

1. UW
Of course this is the number 1 question bank for the usmle, the questions are beautifully written and the answers are long enough to clear the point for you but not too long to waste precious time. The number of 2 and 3 step processing questions are too damn high, with a minority of questions that are either 1 or 4 steps.

2. Kaplan
Why Kaplan is no. 2 and can't make it to the top of the list is their questions quality. The feedback is not as great as that of UW but still good. The real issue here is the questions,  a lot of the questions are 1 step processing, testing really low yield info, concentrating about retrieving some details instead of applying the learned principals. Also a lot of questions are not in a case format or too short compared to the standard 110:140 words per question in the real deal.

3. USMLE weapon
I'm in my full mind and not affiliated with any organizations. For me, weapon tops Rx Qmax.for a variety of reasons actually. Weapon's questions are just as Qmax in terms of practicing FA but the questions are well written, a case format of the appropriate length and the feedback is sufficient yet concise, a trait you'd value greatly when you're preparing and you're short on time, and they throw you the buzzwords, which I think is good in the first run over the materials. The defect was with the low count number of questions, they concentrated on some topics and ignored others almost completely. More than a 20 questions about lysosomal storage diseases with less than 5 about metabolism!!!  While the bank is obviously overpriced, the amount of slides and audio files is the bare minimum. I don't want a description of a murmur, I need to listen to a dummy like the real exam.

4. Rx Qmax
Don't get me wrong, this is still a great source of questions but not number 2 or 3 for me while for others Qmax is no. 2. What really irritates me is how direct the questions are, most of the times they are just a mere recollection of the information. Putting that beside the fact I'm solving it with the course load during the school year!!  The questions are not what I'd call ideal for the step exam.

5. USMLE consult
I didn't really have enough time to try it. The questions were short with short feedback but with extensive references to textbooks. I think if your school offers it for free during the basic years then do it. But if you're thinking about buying it near the exam, you'll be hurting yourself and your score.

6. Goljan pathology bank
Less than 450 questions and since most students have already bought the book then solving them in 3 or 4 days while studying pathology is not a bad idea.

7. usmle easy, score 95 and others
Don't even think about it. You could try them if you want, but when it comes for exam prep in 2014 don't use materials that feels like they've stopped supporting for a decade.

That's my order list of the commercially available questions banks for the usmle. What is yours?