First summer off of basic sciences

[jamie_kee_mac85]

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Hi there,

I just finished my first term of basic sciences (mainly anatomy and biochem) and I wanted to start preparing for the usmle's which I'm planning to write after my second year. Do you guys have any recommendations on books I should be using now to help me remember the stuff I covered in first term? I got the 2006 edition of First Aid. Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Jamie

 

[Keg]

Hi there,

I just finished my first term of basic sciences (mainly anatomy and biochem) and I wanted to start preparing for the usmle's which I'm planning to write after my second year. Do you guys have any recommendations on books I should be using now to help me remember the stuff I covered in first term? I got the 2006 edition of First Aid. Any other recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Jamie

So, this thread is about to be flooded by people telling you to not touch a book this year. They're wrong. I wish I'd had the foresight to do some work last year - I'm a crammer, and nothing stuck. Top that with pass fail where 60=P, and here I am trying to stuff lysosomal storage diseases into my short term only to drink them back out after the test.

In any case, I'd get review books for the subjects you've covered and get them down cold. Like, no hesitation when someone asks you what enzyme is deficient in Tay Sachs. So yea, get whatever review books you're comfortable with to start reviewing from and get this info committed to long term memory.

If that's not enough, buy the review books for this year's courses and leaf through. Not for retention, but just to figure out where everything is. And as you go through the courses, supplement the information given to you with outside information (from a path review book, the associated phys and biochem review book, pharm review for drugs you're learning). I wish I had done all this instead of sleeping 10 hours a day, playing grand theft auto, and cramming before tests. Grades are fine, now I'm just worried about my board score. Guess I shouldn't be a procrastinator. Anyway, that's my spiel.

 

[RunwayModel]

So, this thread is about to be flooded by people telling you to not touch a book this year. They're wrong. I wish I'd had the foresight to do some work last year - I'm a crammer, and nothing stuck. Top that with pass fail where 60=P, and here I am trying to stuff lysosomal storage diseases into my short term only to drink them back out after the test.

In any case, I'd get review books for the subjects you've covered and get them down cold. Like, no hesitation when someone asks you what enzyme is deficient in Tay Sachs. So yea, get whatever review books you're comfortable with to start reviewing from and get this info committed to long term memory.

If that's not enough, buy the review books for this year's courses and leaf through. Not for retention, but just to figure out where everything is. And as you go through the courses, supplement the information given to you with outside information (from a path review book, the associated phys and biochem review book, pharm review for drugs you're learning). I wish I had done all this instead of sleeping 10 hours a day, playing grand theft auto, and cramming before tests. Grades are fine, now I'm just worried about my board score. Guess I shouldn't be a procrastinator. Anyway, that's my spiel.

Yes, I couldn't agree. While you can still enjoy your summer, that doesn't mean you can't do a very slow review. By not studying AT ALL whatsoever, you are bound to forget what you learned 1st year, and if your medical school requires that you HAVE to take Step 1 before setting a foot in clinical clerkships, this could be a problem as remember, you are also learning Year 2 material too.

I agree, buy the review books NOW you will get acquainted with throughout the summer and MS-2, so that you can then go through them enough times, so that when you are to take them, you have fully prepared as much as you could. You should probably only do the subjects you've done so far, and use the others with the class when you have it.

The 3 P's

• Pathology = Rapid Review Pathology
• Pharmacology = Katzung and Trevor's Board Review Pharmacology (It's all in First Aid as lists of facts, but the review book makes it understandable)
• Physiology = depending on if you're strong in that subject (BRS Physiology by Costanzo) but if you're weak, The larger text called plainly "Physiology" by Costanzo.

Microbiology/Immunology =

• Some people use: Clinical Micro Made Ridiculously Simple (CMMRS does not have Immunology though)
• Some use Lange's Medical Microbiology and Immunology Exam and Board Review by Warren Levinson
• Some use them together: CMMRS for Micro and use Lange's for the Immunology section

Behavioral Science = BRS Behavioral Science

Biochemistry = Rapid Review Biochemistry

Anatomy = High Yield Gross Anatomy, High Yield Embryology, High Yield Histopathology, High Yield Neuroanatomy, High Yield Cell and Molecular Biology (preferrably the 1999 edition).

• (Pure Histology is rarely tested, but when it is test it is integrated with other subjects like Path or Phys so if you have time, HY Histopathology might be good - it will also, give you a preview for Path) - the new edition is no longer High Yield Histology but renamed HY Histopathology.
• If you can not get the 1999 edition of HY Cell and Molecular Bio, then skip chapters 20-23, and 27 of the new edition.

 

[Knicks]

Hmmm, interesting posts in posts 2 and 3.

One question though (especially for the poster above me): how come you didn't mention any kaplan book(s)? Surely they are great sources too?

Thanks.

 

[Tiger26]

I respectfully disagree with the above. In our positions scrambling to study for this thing, it's easy to say I would have done this and that if I had an extra summer to study. However, the only way most people (esp. me) can study is when the level of fear is really high (i.e. 3-5 weeks before the exam). When there's no urgency, it's going to take a long time to get through stuff (much of which he hasn't learned yet anyway) which will probably just result in frustration and a waste of a summer.

The only advice I'd give would be to follow the step 1 forums and start coming up with a book list, study plan, and tips to succeed 2nd year since that's where most of this information comes from. M2 is a long, long year . . .

 

[45408]

Hmmm, interesting posts in posts 2 and 3.

One question though (especially for the poster above me): how come you didn't mention any kaplan book(s)? Surely they are great sources too?

Thanks.

Generally not the best sources from what I hear. I only glanced through them, and I wasn't really impressed. Pricey too, I believe. It's better to use a review book as you go through each class and then use it again for boards, if at all possible.


Like Tiger, my strongest motivation to study is the fact that my test is in 10 days now. I personally would have been wasting my time if I started doing anything before January for a June test.

 

[RunwayModel]

Hmmm, interesting posts in posts 2 and 3.

One question though (especially for the poster above me): how come you didn't mention any kaplan book(s)? Surely they are great sources too?

Thanks.

Kaplan works if you have an "ok" foundation to begin with. Friends have told me, while their lecture notes and videos/live course are good at pointing out what is high yield and more importantly HOW it is tested, there were quite a few questions on the real exam that were nowhere to be found in the Kaplan Lecture Notes, but we were able to find them in the review books.

Will it make a HUGE difference? I don't know. It may make the difference between a little above average and a great score.

Some of them are not that great for example the Kaplan Pathology lecture notes. I've heard the Biochemistry and Behavioral Science are very good. Just remember, the lecture notes BY THEMSELVES are not enough. They even say at the beginning of the notes that they are meant to follow a video/live lecture course and not meant to be used alone as review books, as there is a lot of information intentionally left out of the notes so that you end up having to get the course to fill in the gaps.

 

[Knicks]

Can't you do that with Kaplan books though? A lot of people do recommend Kaplan.

(Genuinley curious, as I'm using Kaplan with the videos).


EDIT: nevermind, just read the post above this one. But would the Kaplan books WITH the vids be a decent/solid source to study from?

 

[RunwayModel]

I respectfully disagree with the above. In our positions scrambling to study for this thing, it's easy to say I would have done this and that if I had an extra summer to study. However, the only way most people (esp. me) can study is when the level of fear is really high (i.e. 3-5 weeks before the exam). When there's no urgency, it's going to take a long time to get through stuff (much of which he hasn't learned yet anyway) which will probably just result in frustration and a waste of a summer.

The only advice I'd give would be to follow the step 1 forums and start coming up with a book list, study plan, and tips to succeed 2nd year since that's where most of this information comes from. M2 is a long, long year . . .

True, hence only SLOWLY go through classes he has already completed. The High Yields and Rapid Review Biochem are not that long. The rest of the review books can be used with their respective courses when they happen. I don't recommend start studying Path before the class starts, that would be pointless.

I know for me the last 3 weeks before the exam, I did not want to be learning NEW information (I would have just FREAKED out) but rather just build up stamina by just doing questions over and over so that by the time test day comes, 350 questions will seem like nothing. The last 3 weeks, I did it where a certain number of questions in the day time and flipping through review books on topics missed in questions at night.

 

[Tiger26]

True, hence only SLOWLY go through classes he has already completed. The High Yields and Rapid Review Biochem are not that long. The rest of the review books can be used with their respective courses when they happen. I don't recommend start studying Path before the class starts, that would be pointless.

I know for me the last 3 weeks before the exam, I did not want to be learning NEW information (I would have just FREAKED out) but rather just build up stamina by just doing questions over and over so that by the time test day comes, 350 questions will seem like nothing. The last 3 weeks, I did it where a certain number of questions in the day time and flipping through review books on topics missed in questions at night.

At the same time, even with review of previously learned material, there's still a year to forget stuff in between--hell, I can't remember some stuff I learned last week

 

[synapse lapse]

I respectfully disagree with the above. In our positions scrambling to study for this thing, it's easy to say I would have done this and that if I had an extra summer to study. However, the only way most people (esp. me) can study is when the level of fear is really high (i.e. 3-5 weeks before the exam). When there's no urgency, it's going to take a long time to get through stuff (much of which he hasn't learned yet anyway) which will probably just result in frustration and a waste of a summer.

The only advice I'd give would be to follow the step 1 forums and start coming up with a book list, study plan, and tips to succeed 2nd year since that's where most of this information comes from. M2 is a long, long year . . .

Yep, it's not very practical to try and study material when you have no context to put it in. The vast majority of that context is clinical in nature, and comes during 2nd year. Anyhow, you can review what you did first year in FA if you really have to study. I also can't study unless the fear level is high. Otherwise I will just sort of skim and not memorize all the facts. Oh, and I highly recommend the Kaplan home study guide, I was using it the last 3 weeks for review, but I had to ditch it yesterday half through book 3/4 b/c it was taking much too long and I only have 16 days until the exam. But if I had a couple more weeks I would have stuck it out. The books are well written, chock full of information, and when you go back through FA it is very simplistic compared to the books. I am the kind of person who needs some cohesive system to follow or I will be all over, but now I have done a 2/3 of the Kaplan system and feel more confident in my decision to focus on FA/UW these last 2 weeks.