Good materials for board prep

[dudeliness]

Hey, I'll be starting med school next year (been accepted at LECOM-E, Nova, and AZCOM so far) and I've heard that some people like to prep for boards right from 1st semester of OMS1. Sounds like a good idea to me, but was wondering if anyone could suggest good materials to use for study. I'm looking for COMLEX as well as USMLE. I know this has been asked before, but I figured this was a good way to break into the med student forum. 😉

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[costales]

First Aid, Goljan/Pathoma, Savarese. Buy them used if available. They're great to have, but there is not much you can do with them in the 1st semester.

 

[BabyDoc86]

I did a search on here a while back and this was the most comprehensive list I found (I forgot to write down who posted it), just to keep as a resource for things to consider during MS-II:


I would highly suggest supplementing your class notes with these books....

1) Robbins pathology- Huge book but a fairly easy read.make sure you read at least the first 5 chapters just to get the fundamentalsdown. Every school library should have this book on reserve there is no need toreally buy it.

2) Rapid Review pathology by Goljan- awesome book, read itas a supplement to your class notes. Hopefully you will realize how great thisbooks is while you still have time to get through it. RR pathology is great tohave, as you get closer to board studying you can transition to PATHOMA butdont use pathoma as a main pathology source.

3) Physiology by Costanza (NOT theBRS version)- invaluable book. I referred to this book numerous times duringstudying for step 1 and Step 2, since physiology is the basis of medicine andhaving a good foundation is important.

4) Barr's the Human nervous system- Great book for neuro.supplement with HY Neuro.

5) i'm sure you will be required to use Grant's dissectorto get through gross anatomy. You will also need some sort of Atlas. There aretwo types of Atlas, an illustrative type such as Netter's or Thieme and aphotography atlas such as the Color atlas by Rohen, yokochi. I would highlysuggest going to your medical library and seeing which works better for you.

6) Katzung and Trevor- Pharmacology, this was the gold standard in my schoolbut i never used it. I used Lippincott's pharmcology as anadjunct to my class notes.

8) First aid to the USMLE... New version comes out eachdecember. You will probably need to purchase the most current version rightbefore your comlex/ usmle. If you are just starting i would suggest waitingtill december to purchase the 2013 version, and the following year purchase the2014 version. First aid is just the bare bones of what you should know by theend of second year for boards. The books i mentioned above will help you putthe "meat" on those bones. DO NOT get confused with First Aid for theComlex, which is just a basic summary of OMT.

9) OMT review by Savarese- "the green book". mostpeople dont open this book till a month before boards. a new version hasnt comeout since 2003 and i doubt there will be a new one since the book is that good.You will need this book for Comlex 1, 2, and 3.

10) Microbiology- My class notes were extremely thorough. some classmatesresorted to Cinical microbiology made ridiculously easy, but i was never one ofthem. I used the book, Lange microbiology/ immunology to supplement my Immunologylectures.

11) HY embryology- quick read, covers the basic principlesthat you will need to know.

First year is too soon to start using question banks, but if you feel youneed the practice and dont have access to old exams then i would suggest usingUSMLERX. Its a decent qbank that is used along with First Aid. This way youwill save the best qbanks (UWORLD, Kaplan) for the months leading upto boardsduring second year.

Caveut- Class notes are your primary sourceto doing well, everything else is secondary.

 

[Mbeas]

They're great to have, but there is not much you can do with them in the 1st semester.

I'll definitely agree with this. I came in starting with the same motivation to start board prep from day 1, but it just doesn't work. A lot of board prep is reviewing old material, and during the 1st semester you don't really have old material. You can buy the books because you will eventually need them, but don't expect to be using FA on day 1.

I will add that some board prep books (BRS Phys) may help you in your classes because they break down complex topics to much simpler bullet points, but other than that, I would hold off.

 

[MrBeauregard]

Want to board prep beginning first semester? Buy some real primary texts (not board review books) and study like every single test is the most important of your life.

When you actually begin board studying late 2nd semester of MS2, you'll have laid a great foundation and it'll all be review.

The best thing you can do is study hard for classes.

 

[dudeliness]

Sweet! Very good responses, thanks!
Makes sense that it would be hard to use review materials from day one. My brother-in-law is ms3 right now and suggested I buy and read once through Robbins and cotran pathology book. He said that way when I get to it in med school it will not be brand new to me. I just got to thinking there must be all kinds of stuff that would be useful to study.
Anyway, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[docnotsopc]

Hey, I'll be starting med school next year (been accepted at LECOM-E, Nova, and AZCOM so far) and I've heard that some people like to prep for boards right from 1st semester of OMS1. Sounds like a good idea to me, but was wondering if anyone could suggest good materials to use for study. I'm looking for COMLEX as well as USMLE. I know this has been asked before, but I figured this was a good way to break into the med student forum. 😉

First year: First Aid. Dont you dare open it until second semester. Study normally for classes. DO NOT STUDY FOR BOARDS. Its ridiculous and overkill. Use FA to supplement your courses.

Optional Gunner: Study summer in between 1st and 2nd year, get actual board prep (pathoma, DIT, goljan, Q banks). Most people are destroyed after first year and need a break though.

Second year: Purchase pathoma, DIT, Goljan, and Q banks. Study hard for your courses

Rule #1: Courses always come first (with the exception of BS courses at end of 2nd year and OMM, at least for me). Dont do well in classes --> probably wont do well on USMLE

Rule #2. Do not start board prep in first year. Its unnecessary. You will NOT remember things and the amount of time you have to put in just isnt worth it. You will burn out very very very quickly. Med school in first year is hard enough with the transition into med school. It will be overkill to study for boards when you could be A) resting B) exercising C) maintaining relationships......all three of which will help you perform better on exams

 

[dudeliness]

Solid advice bro. I know that first year is gonna blow, at least that's what everyone's telling me so that's what I'm planning on. Your advice to exercise and maintain relationships is good, maybe I'll try to do that more.
Plus, multiple people have mentioned that studying extra hard for tests in classes is the best board prep, so maybe I'll just focus on trying to excel on that, especially during first year. Thanks again

 

[docnotsopc]

Solid advice bro. I know that first year is gonna blow, at least that's what everyone's telling me so that's what I'm planning on. Your advice to exercise and maintain relationships is good, maybe I'll try to do that more.
Plus, multiple people have mentioned that studying extra hard for tests in classes is the best board prep, so maybe I'll just focus on trying to excel on that, especially during first year. Thanks again

Good luck man! Balance is key (until 2nd semester of 2nd year lol than study boards all day and night)

 

[411309]

I have been reading BRS anatomy, phys, cell bio/histo and supplementing with netters anatomy flash cards. Ill also go through BRS micro/immuno biochem/genetics/molecular and have a good idea on all of those before i walk into med school. Im a little surprised no one reccomended those though, is SDN not a big fan of BRS?

 

[Wolverines83]

I have been reading BRS anatomy, phys, cell bio/histo and supplementing with netters anatomy flash cards. Ill also go through BRS micro/immuno biochem/genetics/molecular and have a good idea on all of those before i walk into med school. Im a little surprised no one reccomended those though, is SDN not a big fan of BRS?

So to get it out of the way: I don't think you should be studying for school right now. I personally think it's a waste of time since you'll have plenty of time during med school to be a med student. Focus on enjoying your time until then. I don't fault your ambition, I just feel there are better things to do with your time.

But anyway, back to your question about BRS. I have the phys book and it's a great book for reviewing after you've learned the material. I use it to refresh when studying path since you can't understand path without phys. It's quick, concise, and easy to reference. That said, it's certainly not a textbook by any means.

I guess BRS doesn't get a lot of love because there are better sources out there for most subjects. Not that BRS isn't great, but aside from phys their books don't really measure up. Of course that's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

 

[zoner]

I have been reading BRS anatomy, phys, cell bio/histo and supplementing with netters anatomy flash cards. Ill also go through BRS micro/immuno biochem/genetics/molecular and have a good idea on all of those before i walk into med school. Im a little surprised no one reccomended those though, is SDN not a big fan of BRS?

And you think I am the gunner

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[MrBeauregard]

The problem is everyone wants to read board review books. Pick up a freaking medical textbook, people. Exercise your intellectual curiosity and read a text with some actual prose instead of just a quick-hit bulleted list of facts.

I don't think there is anything wrong with "pre-reading", which I don't necessarily equate with "pre-studying", as oxymoronic as that may sound. There was someone on here (I think VisionaryTics) that said it best when he said the key is to learn the lingo and thought process of medicine. It's not always about what you know, but is sometimes more about how you think.

 

[411309]

So to get it out of the way: I don't think you should be studying for school right now. I personally think it's a waste of time since you'll have plenty of time during med school to be a med student. Focus on enjoying your time until then. I don't fault your ambition, I just feel there are better things to do with your time.

But anyway, back to your question about BRS. I have the phys book and it's a great book for reviewing after you've learned the material. I use it to refresh when studying path since you can't understand path without phys. It's quick, concise, and easy to reference. That said, it's certainly not a textbook by any means.

I guess BRS doesn't get a lot of love because there are better sources out there for most subjects. Not that BRS isn't great, but aside from phys their books don't really measure up. Of course that's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

well i just have nothing better to do for a year honestly besides work and read so I figured why not lol. Im pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere. I feel like im understanding most of what im reading so far, do you really think this wont really help me at all if i have netters flash cards down and the brs series down snce a textbook covers a lot more?

 

[dntke1518]

I have BRS anatomy and it is a good book to review with, the questions that they have with each section help out quite a bit.

 

[Mbeas]

I have been reading BRS anatomy, phys, cell bio/histo and supplementing with netters anatomy flash cards. Ill also go through BRS micro/immuno biochem/genetics/molecular and have a good idea on all of those before i walk into med school. Im a little surprised no one reccomended those though, is SDN not a big fan of BRS?

omfg absolute waste of time...get a girlfriend, go on vacation, etc.

Like was mentioned above: be a med student once you are in med school. "Pre studying" is pointless. You have plenty of time to study once you start school, unless you are terrible with time management.

As for BRS, I really like it. They are good supplements to your classes.

 

[411309]

omfg absolute waste of time...get a girlfriend, go on vacation, etc.

Like was mentioned above: be a med student once you are in med school. "Pre studying" is pointless. You have plenty of time to study once you start school, unless you are terrible with time management.

As for BRS, I really like it. They are good supplements to your classes.

lol im going to vegas for a while soon. ive done a lot of stuff in my life, most of the stuff i havent done is stuff i cant afford to do lol. im not going super hardcore, im just doing casual reading out of interest really. not exactly doing this like MCAT studying, lol. i just wanted to see what people thought about BRS really. oh and if you saw the girls in my town you would not say get a girflriend, lmao

 

[NeuroLAX]

lol im going to vegas for a while soon. ive done a lot of stuff in my life, most of the stuff i havent done is stuff i cant afford to do lol. im not going super hardcore, im just doing casual reading out of interest really. not exactly doing this like MCAT studying, lol. i just wanted to see what people thought about BRS really. oh and if you saw the girls in my town you would not say get a girflriend, lmao

If you haven't taken the topic(s) you're studying, casual reading is not likely to be very effective. I would instead read some books not related to medicine that you've wanted to read.

I love the BRS series 👍. They are brief but concise.

 

[411309]

actually i learned a ton of stuff while studying for the mcat and did pretty well in undergrad anatomy so i understand what im reading for the most part. the hardest book for ironically is BRS anatomy, that book is super intense. But netters really helps me put it into perspective..

 

[Wolverines83]

well i just have nothing better to do for a year honestly besides work and read so I figured why not lol. Im pretty much stuck in the middle of nowhere. I feel like im understanding most of what im reading so far, do you really think this wont really help me at all if i have netters flash cards down and the brs series down snce a textbook covers a lot more?

It won't hurt to be familiar with the topics but I think the yield is going to be drastically lower than you expect. With that said, if you're enjoying it, then keep doing it. I just want you to realize that it's probably not going to actually get you ahead. You're going to be expected to learn the material in much more of a "clinical" way. Anatomy is going to be much more than just memorizing muscles or bones; it's about understanding how anatomy contributes to presentations of pathology and all that stuff. That kind of thing is hard to learn on your own with no context given by faculty/school/etc.

The BRS books are fine but I think you'll be surprised at how much they DON'T include (how can they be so small otherwise?) After you finish phys, for instance, go back to the BRS phys book and you'll realize that they leave out a lot of the most basic (but extremely important) aspects of phys because they're so fundamental that every med student should know them.

 

[zoner]

If there was one book that we should familiarize with before med school what would that be?

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[costales]

If there was one book that we should familiarize with what would thay be?

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Some say the Bible. Some say the Kama Sutra.

 

[411309]

It won't hurt to be familiar with the topics but I think the yield is going to be drastically lower than you expect. With that said, if you're enjoying it, then keep doing it. I just want you to realize that it's probably not going to actually get you ahead. You're going to be expected to learn the material in much more of a "clinical" way. Anatomy is going to be much more than just memorizing muscles or bones; it's about understanding how anatomy contributes to presentations of pathology and all that stuff. That kind of thing is hard to learn on your own with no context given by faculty/school/etc.

The BRS books are fine but I think you'll be surprised at how much they DON'T include (how can they be so small otherwise?) After you finish phys, for instance, go back to the BRS phys book and you'll realize that they leave out a lot of the most basic (but extremely important) aspects of phys because they're so fundamental that every med student should know them.

how did you do on your first anatomy test? was it anything like you expected it to be while you were studying for it in med school?

ive always been into the human body so its cool to refamiliarize myself with muscles and stuff since im big into bodybuilding.

 

[zoner]

Hery cole I always thought you were a a girl. Funny

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[Wolverines83]

how did you do on your first anatomy test? was it anything like you expected it to be while you were studying for it in med school?

ive always been into the human body so its cool to refamiliarize myself with muscles and stuff since im big into bodybuilding.

Walked into my first anatomy test 100% confident in myself. Walked out like I just finished my first shower in prison. lol

But after that I did really well. It was just a matter of learning how they wanted us to know the material.

Just do what you enjoy for the next 9 months or so. Go hiking, camping or whatever it is you do. Visit family/friends who live in other places. Get drunk...a lot. Make bad (but legal) decision so you can say "This one time..."

If it'll ease your mind to do some anatomy reading from time to time then do that too but certainly don't make it a focus.

 

[zoner]

Walked into my first anatomy test 100% confident in myself. Walked out like I just finished my first shower in prison. lol

.

If thats how it really is I am looking ver foward to taking 'multiple' tests in med school

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[San Quentin]

not a problem for everyone obviously... if i was white, married with kids, I would be very very happy there. just that i am a minority in every deviant sexual way possible and it is much better for my kind to be close to a big city and be close to authentic ethnic food

Walked into my first anatomy test 100% confident in myself. Walked out like I just finished my first shower in prison. lol

If thats how it really is I am looking ver foward to taking 'multiple' tests in med school

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Zoner,
If you can't get a seat in a med school for sexual deviants, you should apply for a spot in your state penitentiary????
🤣

 

[zoner]

In san quentin?

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[411309]

Hery cole I always thought you were a a girl. Funny

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not sure if you're being serious or not lol.


and wolverine you have inspired me to not drop the soap in medical school during anatomy tests.

 

[Druggernaut]

My brother-in-law is ms3 right now and suggested I buy and read once through Robbins and cotran pathology book.

Does your brother-in-law hate you?

BRS anatomy is decent to use along with your anatomy class. Otherwise, I don't really use review books for studying (with the exception of Pathoma). I have them, but they're not going to get pulled out much until it's time to get to business with board studying.

I can't recommend Gunner Training enough, though. I'd suggest getting going with it as soon as you've adjusted to medical school and are confident you can manage your courses. I started shortly after anatomy, and I can't tell you how much less painful going through the anatomy and embryology sections would've been while they were fresh. I probably would've done marginally better in my anatomy course, too.

If you want to pre-study, just figure out what your first course or two is and look that over. I did some anatomy pre-studying, and it helped a little. But never make any sacrifices to do it before school starts. If there's anything more fun you could be doing, you should. Downtime at work? Feel free to hammer away at those Netter flash cards. Sunday afternoon at home? Turn on some football or play some video games.

 

[Mbeas]

Downtime at work? Feel free to hammer away at those Netter flash cards. .

I seriously don't see the point in doing this. I feel like it's just the anxiety to start that drives pre-meds to "pre study".

As for studying anatomy, obviously it's much more than just pictures on a flash card. You'll have to know insertions, origins, nerve innervations, blood supplies, actions, paths of nerves/blood vessels, anastomoses, branches of arteries, contents found in certain regions, etc. and questions will be asked in a clinical format. The only advantage I see is familiarizing yourself with names of muscles which can be done in a few days. It's not something you do 1 YEAR before school starts.

 

[Wolverines83]

Does your brother-in-law hate you?

yeah...read a few pages of that book and then reevaluate your brother in law's advice.

Run away from that book as fast as you can and don't ever look back. Everyone raves about it because it's the "bible" of pathology. But I'll say it here and now: the authors of that book have no clue how to convey information to students. They're more concerned with sounding intelligent than actually ensuring the reader retains information.

That book tries to turn pictures into text...which is horrible. Remember when someone said a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, that book just shows you how many damn words can be wasted when a picture with labels would suffice. The book should be about 500 pages, max.

For example: As written in the path book:

"A botanical reproductive pod is suspended from its parent organism by a stem derived from its own stroma. This seed is packaged into a secretory vesicle with other seeds surrounded by a plethora of nutrient rich mesenchyme, enabling the cells to imbibe sufficient sustenance to survive in the outside world. There is a fibrous capsule present to prevent invasion by parasitic organisms and to protect from environmental dehydration. Upon detachment of the reproductive pod from the parent organism, annelids and other segmented predatorial animals will attempt to breach the fibrous capsule using various proteolytic enzymes. Once inside, they digest the nutrient rich mesenchyme for their own nutrition, and to the detriment of the reproductive pod. This cycle permits the control of the botanical organism's population and the survival of the annelid."

How it should be written:

"A worm ate an apple."

Use the robbin's pocket companion and goljan rapid review path (book, not lectures) for your path course.

 

[MrBeauregard]

A botanical reproductive pod is suspended from its parent organism by a stem derived from its own stroma. This seed is packaged into a secretory vesicle with other seeds surrounded by a plethora of nutrient rich mesenchyme, enabling the cells to imbibe sufficient sustenance to survive in the outside world. There is a fibrous capsule present to prevent invasion by parasitic organisms and to protect from environmental dehydration. Upon detachment of the reproductive pod from the parent organism, annelids and other segmented predatorial animals will attempt to breach the fibrous capsule using various proteolytic enzymes. Once inside, they digest the nutrient rich mesenchyme for their own nutrition, and to the detriment of the reproductive pod. This cycle permits the control of the botanical organism's population and the survival of the annelid.

Where is that written?

 

[Wolverines83]

Where is that written?

Pg 1451.

Hey one more thing. If you're thinking about buying 1st Aid...wait for the 2013 edition. 2012 is garbage. I guess they tried to reformat it and just messed everything up. Pictures are reversed, equations are wrong, etc. The errata is like 15 pages long. I just don't trust it anymore so it's been relegated to my scrap paper pile.

I think they release 1st Aid in December? Since you don't need it now just hold off for the 2013 version.