Best COMLEX study material

[the prodogy]

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I'll make it short and straight to the poing. What are the best COMLEX study materials? I've heard that FirstAid is really good. What are some other books would you all recommend?

Thanks

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

usmleworld

 

[TeamZissou]

I'll make it short and straight to the poing. What are the best COMLEX study materials? I've heard that FirstAid is really good. What are some other books would you all recommend?

Thanks

Dude, it's summer, go do something you love. If researching this stuff is then go ahead, just make sure you are enjoying yourself.

From what I've read Buckeye is right, and coincidently it's what I'll be using. But keep in mind that by the time you will be taking the COMLEX things could change so essentially you will be required to ask the same question then.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

I'll make it short and straight to the poing. What are the best COMLEX study materials? I've heard that FirstAid is really good. What are some other books would you all recommend?

Thanks

I've been researching board review stuff this summer and reviewing First Aid, etc.

Here is a full usmle/comlex studying schedule and book list I found on SDN a while back. It's a schedule that many on the Step 1 board have found very useful, and I've been using it to work off of.

The list of books/resources this author (and others) have considered best is:

First Aid (most current edition- comes out each December)
-there are mistakes in this book every single year, here are the 2007 errata: http://usmlerx.wordpress.com/2007/0...tions-to-2007-first-aid-for-the-usmle-step-1/

• Rapid Review Pathology (by Goljan)
-there were several reported errors in the first printing of this book, so be sure to check out Dr. Goljan’s official errata page at: http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/college/biomedical/pathology/goljan.cfm

• Rapid Review Biochem
-way more succinct and clinical then Lippincott and co-authored by Goljan
* Alternatively: the Kaplan Biochem book by Hansen is excellent and by far the best of the Kaplan series....if you can get it cheaply….do it

• Goljan audio and slides (available in bootleg only)

• High Yield Behavioral Science

• High Yield Neuro (some sections are too detailed, but basics and pics are good)

• High Yield Cell and Molecular (1999 edition- new one has way too much detail)

• Lange Review of Medical Micro and Immuno by Levinson
-only for Immuno section, which is ~90 pages

• Micro Made Ridiculously Simple (edition 3 is fine)

• Savarese OMT Review (for DO students only)

• BRS Physiology


On the other hand, here's a couple of USMLE review books I've read personally and didn't find helpful:

• BRS Pharmacology - read it cover to cover this summer because I enjoy pharm and knew many of the drugs already. Unfortunately, it's probably too detailed for USMLE/COMLEX review and is riddled with factual and grammatical errors.
• USMLE Road Map: Neuroscience (Lange/McGrawHill): We had to use this for our neuro class, which was taught by the author (White). However, I'm not impressed with the book. It's too detailed for review and it does a poor job of explaining a lot of important material.

PS: There are many here on SDN who seem to feel that loafing around and doing nothing during your pre-MS1 summer and MS1-MS2 summer is the best course of action. I strongly disagree with this and have stated so elsewhere. Many of my friends are reviewing for boards this summer and/or doing things like shadowing that will enable them to review material they've learned during the MS1 year. I think that some sort of review is very important to help keep you on your toes and solidify whatever knowledge you've learned for boards thus far. Even the Center for Teaching and Learning at our school emailed all rising OMS-2s and recommended we do this.

 

[nlax30]

The same materials I used for USMLE were fine for COMLEX, only with the addition of an OMT review book.

 

[pianoman511]

I would add that while USMLE World is a great source for review, it doesn't really represent the types of questions you'll see on the COMLEX. The content may be similar, the style of question is very different.

When I took the COMLEX, I noticed that the COMBANK and Kaplan COMLEX QBank were more representative of how the questions are written. It also goes without saying that the COMSAE is similar to the COMLEX.

 

[DiverDoc]

Goljan audio

First Aid

Saverese

KNOW THE ABOVE COLD AND YOULL DO FINE

Practice questions to re-enforce the above content

 

[tideleonheart]

Having just taken comlex yesterday, I can definitely say that you will need an extra resource for Micro like Microcards or Clinical Micro made Ridiculously Simple. Comlex this year has been pretty heavy on micro (like previous years too). There were plenty of questions on the test that were not in FA.

 

[nsheth]

I'm going to use DIT to study for the COMLEX + OMM Savarese book. The program follows with FA and they recommend extra books like Golijan Pathology, BRS Physiology, High-Yield Neuroanatomy, Golijan Biochemistry, and Lippincott Pharmacology