Best books for Step I prep

[han14tra]

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I'm a MS-1. No, I'm not studying for Step I yet. My parents just want to help by buying me some USMLE Step 1 prep books/practice materials for Christmas. Any recommendations for what they should buy?

 

[ChiDO]

goljan rapid review edition 3
first aid step 1 2010

 

[turkeyjerky]

unless you're in a systems-based curriculum where they teach you some path first year, they're really no great step 1 books useful for 1st year. But I'd add in the following:

Clinical micro made ridiculously simple
robbins review of pathology

 

[ChiDO]

Clinical micro made ridiculously simple
robbins review of pathology

no. that is what goljan is for.

 

[username456789]

no. that is what goljan is for.

No, Robbins Review is a question book that has pretty much nothing but practice questions. That is not what Goljan is for.

 

[Ableton]

no. that is what goljan is for.

Robbins review of pathology should be used to supplement Goljan. It's an amazing question book!

If you're first year, I'd pick up BRS physiology and HY neuro... they can be used alongside your classes and seem to be good come board studying time.

 

[ChiDO]

No, Robbins Review is a question book that has pretty much nothing but practice questions. That is not what Goljan is for.

My bad. misread it as big robbins.

 

[Mattabet]

I'm an M1, and I've got a First Aid for Step One book that an M3 friend of mine recommended. It's kind of nice to look at when biochem is getting you down to see three weeks of class condensed into three pages that are most relevant for the boards; I try to flip through the relevant pages as review before exams.

The trouble with any subject-specific books is that it's probably hard to be sure where and how much help you're going to need 18 months down the line. So I'd 👍 the general First Aid.

 

[Dral]

FA
Goljan (use his audio too...cannot stress this enough.)
BRS physiology (such a good book for solidifying physiology concepts)
HY Neuro (they seem to like neuro questions on step I)
HY Anatomy (this is +/-...if you use it, don't get bogged down with all the information...just focus on clinical stuff like what muscle/action gets taken out when a certain nerve is damaged, blood supply to the gut, etc)

Use USMLE world QB and possibly some Kaplan QB if you have the time. Take at least one official practice NBME half exam mid-way through your studying.

Not sure of the total cost for all those resources, but they paid off for me. Happy studying.

 

[Depakote]

FA
Goljan (use his audio too...cannot stress this enough.)
BRS physiology (such a good book for solidifying physiology concepts)
HY Neuro (they seem to like neuro questions on step I)
HY Anatomy (this is +/-...if you use it, don't get bogged down with all the information...just focus on clinical stuff like what muscle/action gets taken out when a certain nerve is damaged, blood supply to the gut, etc)

Use USMLE world QB and possibly some Kaplan QB if you have the time. Take at least one official practice NBME half exam mid-way through your studying.

Not sure of the total cost for all those resources, but they paid off for me. Happy studying.

those are solid textbook recommendations, but the question bank subscriptions are expensive and would likely expire before the OP would get any real use out of them. I'd hold off asking for those until next Christmas They'd be a great gift for your M2 year and would save you a lot of money then.

 

[Dral]

I know some people who invested in them all year and did the questions appropriate per curriculum module. I'm not sure how it really worked out for them. I got Kaplan in November for 3 months and got through half. Got a month of World and did all of it. But yeah, not cheap (especially not Kaplan).