First Aid casebook
Started by Suncrusher
It is a bit simplistic honestly. I think Step 1 Secrets is much better.
No. Don't touch Step1 SECRETS unless you are at least 6 months away from your exam. If you're within the 6-month-mark, focus on doing as many practice questions as you can, reading FA, and supplementing with Microcards and BRS Path, if you haven't already. SECRETS is not a succinct book. It's great reading, but it won't get you as many points as the former.
I read FA CASES cover-to-cover earlier this year. I used it as my public transportation reading for a couple of months. I would alternate between that, SECRETS and Goljan audios. CASES is good, but bear in mind that it's most effective earlier in your prep (i.e. before you finish USMLE Rx). The same goes for Goljan audios as well. Many of these resources are more effective when you're first learning the material, but once you have the basics down, they become redundant (yes, Goljan, even you). I would say that it is worth it to blast through CASES as public transportation reading or as side-reading while you're watching your girlfriend cook dinner and don't feel like doing real studying.
Overall, SECRETS is fantastic, but only use it if you're in MS1 and trying to learn basics, or if you are in MS2 but >6 months from your exam.
Go through CASES regardless. I recommend the entire FA package (i.e. FA + USMLE Rx + CASES) for anyone prepping for Step1. Even though much of the book was redundant for me because I had already read FA and done lots of practice questions, I still learned some good stuff from it. That being said, you would also learn from SECRETS, but CASES is more to the point. Therefore, CASES > SECRETS.
I read FA CASES cover-to-cover earlier this year. I used it as my public transportation reading for a couple of months. I would alternate between that, SECRETS and Goljan audios. CASES is good, but bear in mind that it's most effective earlier in your prep (i.e. before you finish USMLE Rx). The same goes for Goljan audios as well. Many of these resources are more effective when you're first learning the material, but once you have the basics down, they become redundant (yes, Goljan, even you). I would say that it is worth it to blast through CASES as public transportation reading or as side-reading while you're watching your girlfriend cook dinner and don't feel like doing real studying.
Overall, SECRETS is fantastic, but only use it if you're in MS1 and trying to learn basics, or if you are in MS2 but >6 months from your exam.
Go through CASES regardless. I recommend the entire FA package (i.e. FA + USMLE Rx + CASES) for anyone prepping for Step1. Even though much of the book was redundant for me because I had already read FA and done lots of practice questions, I still learned some good stuff from it. That being said, you would also learn from SECRETS, but CASES is more to the point. Therefore, CASES > SECRETS.
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