In the list below, I will put a star (*) before the name of the book if I have used it or a dash (-) if I didn't use it. I own all of the books listed below and have provided a concise review of why I liked or disliked each one.
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Here it is, the list of my USMLE Step 1 Resources!!
Comprehensive
*First Aid for the USMLE Step 1: I'm sure you've heard over and over how important this book is. If you're taking Step 1 this year, get this book, the next edition will come out in December. If you don't have this book, BUY IT NOW! Do not even think about preparing for Step 1 without First Aid. They call it FIRST Aid for a reason. This book covers all subjects from Anatomy to Path. It is very concise and high yield. Some people only use First Aid, and although I don't recommend doing this, it shows how important this book is to your score.
-Kaplan MedEssentials: This book is in table format, which makes the material easier to memorize. I skimmed through this book but decided not to use it because it seemed too bland and tedious for my taste. However, many people recommend it and new edition just came out in 2009. In my opinion, this book can be one of the most useful books if used properly. If you are going to buy the Kaplan Videos, I STRONGLY advise you to use Kaplan medEssentials over the Kaplan lecture notes. Unfortunately, I didn't think of this until AFTER I finished watching all the Kaplan videos. This book is basically a summary of the 6 huge books in the Kaplan Lecture notes series. It has all of the high yield figures that are in the Kaplan Lecture Notes. If you're going to watch the Kaplan videos, save yourself the time and money required for the Kaplan Lecture Notes and buy yourself a copy of medEssentials instead!
*Kaplan Lecture Notes: These require a great deal of time to work through. However, many people have recommended using these during your basic science classes to help you identify high yield information from each subject. I usually don't recommend using the Kaplan notes unless you have enough time or need a thorough review book for each subject. Kaplan does an excellent job of covering the basics, and they do so in great detail (relative to the USMLE's focus, at least). The set of Kaplan notes usually sells for over $500, so this is something you'll want to consider as well. Perhaps borrow a used set of books from a friend or snatch it on the rare occasion that it is available for a lower price.
Physiology:
*Kaplan book: Adequate for most sections. Sometimes further explanations are needed. I studied some sections from BRS.
-BRS physiology: this is a great book. It takes longer to get thorugh this than the Kaplan book, but it is great review and covers many topics that the Kaplan book fails to cover.
Pathology:
*Rapid Review Pathology (Goljan): I LOVE this book. Next to First Aid, this is the most useful book for Step 1! It contains a lot of high yield information, concise explanations, and many integrations and correlations. This is a book that I will say you MUST BUY. The only 2 books that I think you absolutely must have for step 1 are First Aid and Rapid Review Pathology. 90% of the questions that will be on your exam will be from these 2 books alone. Goljan knows what he's doing. He's been taught USMLE review courses for years. Buying this book will boost your score! You will definitely regret not buying this book. The link above is for the 3rd edition. I actually own the 2nd edition, which is excellent. The 3rd edition has more images and updated content and structure. If you already have the 2nd edition, you'll be fine, if you don't, buy the 3rd edition.
-I don't recommend BRS Pathology or any other Pathology book. You can't beat Goljan! Don't even think about using the Kaplan Pathology book, it is HORRIBLE!
*Webpath: this website has tons of pathology images and even a few Radiology images for select diseases. If you have time, you could go through the images quickly. If you don't have a lot of time left, this is too low yield for you. I felt that it was too time-consuming.
*Robbins and Cotran Review of Pathology: has 1100+ questions divided by chapter and go along perfectly with Rapid Review Pathology. Some questions were more detailed than necessary, but this was a great way to nail the facts into my brain after reviewing each chapter in Rapid Review Pathology.
Pharmacology:
*First aid has all of the drugs you need to know.
*Kaplan book explains mechanisms in more detail. Some chapters are low yield.
*Brenner's Pharmacology Flashcards: excellent flash cards. What I did was put them in the washroom and went through a few each day.
- Lange Pharmacology cards: I haven't tried these but I put up the link because many people like them.
-Do not bother with any other books for pharm. Lippincott's Pharmacology is great for your basic sciences but it is low yield for Step 1. You may need to refer to it occasionally.
Microbiology and Immunology:
*Kaplan book: This is the only resource I used for micro, but I must say I'm not very satisfied with it. It could have been organized better into a more efficient and concise review, but oh well, what are you going to do.
-MMRS (Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple): this is a good book but I think it's too detailed for Micro. It's pictures and mnemonics are great though. I skimmed through the mnemonics and pictures, but didn't have time to read all the text.
Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Embryology:
*Kaplan book: sufficient for these low yield subjects.
*Netter's Anatomy: Don't try to go through the whole atlas! Only use as a supplement.
-High Yield Anatomy, HY Neuroanatomy, HY Embryology: I have all 3 books. These are ok if you want more information about a certain topic, but don't waste your time by reading everything in these books. The images in High Yield Neuroanatomy are excellent and well worth the price of the book.
Biochemistry:
*Kaplan book: Excellent review for Biochem. Very high yield and well worth your time.
-Lippincott's Biochemsistry: I used this book during my Biochemistry coursework, it's a great book. If you've used this book during your course and are comfortable with it, go ahead and use it for Step 1 review, but only to annotate First Aid. Just make sure not to get bogged down in some of the details in this book. Review questions are okay, but not in typical USMLE format.
* High Yield Cell and Molecular Biology: After taking the exam, I felt this book was a waste of time. It's too detailed in some areas, and all of the important facts in it are found in First Aid. I don't recommend this book.
* UCV Biochemistry: this book is AMAZING! The way the metabolic deficiencies are presented in clinical scenerios helped me grasp these concepts very well. This has made Biochemistry so easy for me.
Behavioral Science:
*Kaplan book: concise, to the point, and high yield. I wouldn't recommend anything else over it.
*UCV Behavioral Science: This book contains about 100 clinical cases that you read about in Behavioral Science. It is great for consolidating the incomplete concepts you gain while reviewing this subject. I used it because Behavioral Science is one of my weak areas.
*USMLE Medical Ethics: If you keep getting those ethics questions wrong in practice questions, get this book. It shows you what the USMLE wants you to say. For the USMLE you should always think in terms of "the best ethical standards", and not what is actually done by physicians in the US.
* High Yield Biostatistics: Biostatistics was my weakest area in Basic sciences. This book is concise and I got through it in 2 days. It is an excellent review book for anyone who struggles with Biostatistics. This was a life-saver for me!
Question Review:
*Usmle World: I will be starting this in a month, I will put up my review of it then.
*Kaplan Step 1 Qbook: provides blocks that you can do to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Some questions are way too detailed, so don't get bogged down by them.
*First Aid Q&A for the USMLE Step 1: haven't gotten to this yet. Will post review soon.
*First Aid Cases for the USMLE Step 1: haven't gotten to this yet. Will post review soon.
* USMLE Step 1 Recall: Buzzwords for the Boards (the CD not the book): Great audio review for Step 1. It's in Q & A format and has about an hour of review for each subject. I liked listening to the section for each subject right after I was done with that subject.
If you guys would like to add to this list or would like to put in your feedback, please leave a comment or send me an email.
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ReplyDeleteYour blog is freaking awesome man!
ReplyDeleteI Wish you were motivated enough to start one for CK as well.
Your blog is extremely helpful for all of us who're confused about what books to read. GREAT thanks man! :)
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