Boards & Wards vs. FA Step 2

[Krony]

For those that have taken Step 2 and used one of these resources (or both), is either source a clear winner? I have a number of other books on my list, but am trying to decide between these two for my sort of base review book. My impression from spending too much time standing around at the bookstore looking at these is that FA provides a little more detail and explanation, while B&W seems to be sufficiently broad, but doesn't seem to provide much in the way of explanation. Is B&W better because one can get through it faster/more times especially before the exam? Or is it better to learn all the detail in FA? For either source, do answers on the exam seem to "jump out" at you having memorized one book or the other?

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[goldenjims]

B&W. For sure.
You can carry it around in your coat and read when things are slow.
I didnt even look at First Aid and only used B&W, QBank, and Kaplan books.
Did well. Good Luck

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Since B&W's is so commonly used for Step 2, would it be wise to buy it and use it as one progresses through 3rd year? What other book would be helpful? Step Up Medicine?

 

[Methyldopa]

Since B&W's is so commonly used for Step 2, would it be wise to buy it and use it as one progresses through 3rd year? What other book would be helpful? Step Up Medicine?

I used b&w throughout 3rd year, and tried to read it before a shelf exam and in fact would write notes in it just like I did for FA Step 1.


The new edition of FA Step II actually looks pretty good, they seemed to have switched to a bullet point format, so take a look at it.

I know a few people that didn't use b&w because it was too long and used Crush instead. There are many options out there. I suggest you go to a book store and peruse all the books and see which one is the best fit for you.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

I used b&w throughout 3rd year, and tried to read it before a shelf exam and in fact would write notes in it just like I did for FA Step 1.


The new edition of FA Step II actually looks pretty good, they seemed to have switched to a bullet point format, so take a look at it.

I know a few people that didn't use b&w because it was too long and used Crush instead. There are many options out there. I suggest you go to a book store and peruse all the books and see which one is the best fit for you.

Great advice. So, what's the word on Step-Up to Medicine book. I've heard it's so good that some attendings are actually recommending it.

 

[neilc]

i carried b&w around for all of my core clerkships, and read it over and over and over for a long time. it was basically my down time reading. i actually lost it about 3 weeks before step 2 and i just grabbed FA to replace it. i think that was the best way to do it, because b&w gave me a great basic grasp of the material, and after that i was able to use the info in FA to better apply the material to the exam.

 

[Methyldopa]

Great advice. So, what's the word on Step-Up to Medicine book. I've heard it's so good that some attendings are actually recommending it.

I haven't heard anyone using step-up. I didn't bother with it because I don't like system based reviews.

The 3 top books people used (in no particular order):
1. FA, or
2. B&W, or
3. Crush

No matter what book you pick, you'll do fine on Step 2. Everyone I spoke to did better on Step 2 than 1.