High-Yield Tag
The High Yield tag (tag:#AK_Step1_v12::#Low/HighYield) is a widely used tag in the AnKing Step Deck that highlights the most essential cards. It’s especially helpful for students with limited time or those who prefer to spend more of their study schedule doing practice questions rather than reviewing large numbers of cards.
How was it created?
The High yield tag was created after Step 1 went pass/fail, with cards first being accepted around 2020 until 2025 where the project was fully completed. Since the AnKing step deck has many cards, students realized it was overkill to do all cards in the Step 1 tag for a pass/fail exam. Therefore, this tag was created to allow students who wish to study “high yield” concepts in a quick and easy manner.
The cards that the high-yield tags were applied to includes:
- Zanki Step Deck
- Zanki Pharmacology
- lolnotacop
AnKing team members went through each one of these cards and answered this question “How much do I need this card to answer practice questions”. Based on this question, we gave the card a score of 1 to 5.
1-HighYield → Cards that are the highest yield, these concepts tend to always show up on practice questions. Knowing these cards and the material it covers will assist you greatly in answering questions
2-RelativelyHighYield → Cards that are also high yield, but less ‘high yield’ compared to “1-HighYield”. Depending on time constraints and your workflow, this tag can also be considered since it touches on alot of useful concepts and cards
3-HighYield-temporary → These are cards that are meant to be suspended later on. The word ‘temporary’ means they should be unsuspended temporarily as they build on later concepts. For example, a card here could define a disease, which later on in your studying, you most likely won’t need and you can then suspend.
4-LowerYield → Cards that do not give you the most bang for your buck. Although they may show up in exams, they are not high yield and can be skipped.
5-LowYield → Cards that are rarely ever needed to answer a question. They are very ‘low yield’, they rarely show up in questions.
DISCLAIMER: Just because a card is tagged as LowYield, does not mean it will NOT show up in in-house exams, NBMEs, the real deal, etc. It is just the ‘yield’ the card gives you, a card about the leads that show ST elevations in an inferior MI is much more “high yield” relative to a card about mossy fibers in the cerebellum that target excitatory terminals on granule cells.
How to use it
- Navigate to Browse in Anki
- Head to tags on the left hand side
- Go to #AK_Step1_v12 and you will see #Low/HighYield
- Click the arrow to open the dropdown to see the 5 categories. Based on your use case, select the categories that best fit you. For example, you may choose to only unsuspend 1-HighYield and 2-RelativelyHighYield and decide to keep suspended the other categories.
FAQ
Is it for Step 1 or Step 2?
- The project was only done for Step 1 cards. It is not meant for Step 2 because Step 2 is scored
Will I pass if I just use the High Yield tag?
There is no guarantee that you will pass if you do the high yield tag. Step 1 is still a difficult exam, you must ensure that you have learnt the material beforehand, are consistent with Anki everyday, and do a ton of practise questions (UWorld, NBME, Free 120, AMBOSS). There is no ‘shortcut’ to passing Step 1, this tag is meant to assist you rather than guarantee a pass. There is no substitute for consistent daily effort!
I believe a card is tagged incorrectly
If you believe a card has a tag that is not correct, either its more lower yield or more higher yield. Please submit a suggestion on AnkiHub and let us know why you think so. Make sure to follow proper rationale & sourcing guidelines for the Step deck