How to study for the Steps while taking your courses?

[socrates89]

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Ok so I'm the type of person who isn't that good at cramming type of studying so I wanted to know it is possible to study for the steps while taking a course like for example gross anatomy during the school year???

Gross Anatomy
I'm using the book Snells clinical anatomy and in order to study or review for the steps I'll be using BRS Gross Anatomy sounds good? My plan is to read the books that I will be using to study for the steps once while taking the course and then a second time when studying for the steps is this a good idea?

So basically im looking for review books in the subjects listed below but not light books, instead heavy review books which can help me as a supplementary to the text and give the information in a good manner.

Please guide me as to what the best books to buy for my circumstance??


these are the subjects for now

Physiology Textbook using is Guyton and review is BRS Physiology should I use both of these or is there a better text and review book.

Biochemistry- I have Harpers and Lippencotts but I don't have a review book yet please tell me which one i should get

Gross Anatomy Textbook is Snell's and Essential clinical Anatomy by Lippencotts and for a review book im using BRS Gross Anatomy is that sufficient??

Embryology I have Keith L Moore as a textbook and as a review I have BRS Embrology is that a good choice

Behavorial Science - What is the best textbook and review book for the subject

How is High Yield for review of the subjects is it better than BRS please guide me to the best review and textbooks??

thanks

 

[socrates89]

79 looks and no responses can someone please guide me!!!!

 

[SeventhSon]

If you are a first year, the only thing I would do is bust out first aid and look to see if there is anything that is completely unfamiliar, while you are taking your class, and read about it with your class. Your #1 priority should be doing well in your classes.

For each of those courses you listed there i no obvious best choice, except possibly BRS Physio (which I actually think is pretty weak except for GI and endocrine)

 

[DingleBerry]

My advice is to use whatever will help you do best for your class grades. For me it was the class notes/powerpoints of the lectures and written transcripts. Don't start studying for step 1 now, instead concentrate on learning your course material. Then when you do start studying for step 1 buy first aid and qbank and at that point suppliment any weak spots with review books. I think its more time and cost effective this way but thats just me...

 

[socrates89]

maybe Im misunderstood what I want is to be guided to get

1. best textbook
2. the best review book which will be the best supplementary to the text for quick reviews there by getting the most in depth review before hitting the qbank and FA books

So please give me the best books. I have no clue as to what textbook for behavioral science I should get. and what review book. As well as the other books for the other subjects. Please give me input on the the best text/review books in this subject give me your picks and why that is a good book.

also which is better BRS, High Yield or Goljan's review series and for what subjects?

 

[Slide]

Look in the UMSLE Step I forum for more concentrated advice about books people felt were high yield and supplemented their studying. So far, FA and BRS Physio seem to be your best bets first year.

 

[SocialistMD]

1. best textbook

Use whatever textbook your coursemaster suggests. They are all basically the same.

2. the best review book which will be the best supplementary to the text for quick reviews there by getting the most in depth review

It depends on the format you prefer. I hated the way the BRS books were formatted, so I didn't use them for anything except pathology. High Yield is good for Behavioral Science. The Lippincott's Review of Biochemistry and Pharmacology are good. There really isn't that much embryology, and you'll refresh yourself on what there is when you study for anatomy. We had a very good physiology syllabus, so that is what I studied for that. I just did questions for anatomy.

Take all of this information with the fact that I took Step 1 in 2003. I agree with the others; don't think in terms of board review now and just focus on the classes themselves. Most people don't start reviewing until half-way through second semester of second year.


So please give me the best books. I have no clue as to what textbook for behavioral science I should get. and what review book. As well as the other books for the other subjects. Please give me input on the the best text/review books in this subject give me your picks and why that is a good book.

also which is better BRS, High Yield or Goljan's review series and for what subjects?[/QUOTE]

 

[socrates89]

bump please anyone else please give me a list of your book choices

 

[Law2Doc]

bump please anyone else please give me a list of your book choices

As others have said, doing well in your courses is the best approach to doing well on the boards, particularly so in first year, which is going to be lower yield for that test than second year. While some folks use First Aid while they go through the basic science years, most save that for second year. As for textbooks that help you do well in your coursework, you really have to talk to upperclassmen at your school. Because again your goal should be acing your courses (which in turn helps with the boards more than going off on your own in terms of texts), and what resources help ace courses at a particular school may vary. There are many threads you can search for as to what texts are good for the various first year subjects, but again I would probably defer to what upperclassmen suggest is best for your particular school. Bear in mind that first year is lower yield than second year for the boards, so stressing about board review for eg embryo is probably a waste considering the one question you may see on embryo in the Step. Just know embryo well enough to do well in your med school course and you are set.

 

[njbmd]

Ok so I'm the type of person who isn't that good at cramming type of studying so I wanted to know it is possible to study for the steps while taking a course like for example gross anatomy during the school year???

Gross Anatomy
I'm using the book Snells clinical anatomy and in order to study or review for the steps I'll be using BRS Gross Anatomy sounds good? My plan is to read the books that I will be using to study for the steps once while taking the course and then a second time when studying for the steps is this a good idea?

So basically im looking for review books in the subjects listed below but not light books, instead heavy review books which can help me as a supplementary to the text and give the information in a good manner.

Please guide me as to what the best books to buy for my circumstance??


these are the subjects for now

Physiology Textbook using is Guyton and review is BRS Physiology should I use both of these or is there a better text and review book.

Biochemistry- I have Harpers and Lippencotts but I don't have a review book yet please tell me which one i should get

Gross Anatomy Textbook is Snell's and Essential clinical Anatomy by Lippencotts and for a review book im using BRS Gross Anatomy is that sufficient??

Embryology I have Keith L Moore as a textbook and as a review I have BRS Embrology is that a good choice

Behavorial Science - What is the best textbook and review book for the subject

How is High Yield for review of the subjects is it better than BRS please guide me to the best review and textbooks??

thanks

First of all, your study for your coursework is the best preparation for USMLE Step I. When you are done with your coursework, you will have more than enough time to review for Step I. You cannot REVIEW what you haven't LEARNED in the first place and thus collecting review books is counter productive. It also takes away from valuable course study time.

Get a copy of First Aid and look at their reviews in the back. This gives you a good idea of what is out there. This changes yearly so you may even want to put off purchasing FA until the year that you will be taking Step I.

The saddest thing is those folks who have tons of review books sitting around and run out of time to actually study for courses because they are so anxious about studying for boards. You will not get to boards if you don't get past your courses and you have plenty of time to review if you have mastered your coursework well.

I never "crammed" for either coursework or boards and I did extremely well in both. Relax, focus on your courses and let board study go until you are done with second year. Toward the end of second year, ask your upperclassmen what they used and what's good in addition to looking at FA.

 

[Ali Purinol]

Relax, focus on your courses and let board study go until you are done with second year.

Interesting that you say this. In First Aid, it says that people who start preparing "months" in advance ace the exam, while those who prepare weeks in advance "just pass." Not my words... those of FA, my friend.

Being done with second year effectively gives you 5 weeks or so to study. First Aid also says to buy board review books early "during your first year" and use them concurrently.

So what if the OP is a person who wants to ace the exam?

Not to say that focusing on the coursework is not a bad idea. In fact, that advice seems to come up time and time again However, I got the impression that you dismissed the OPs inquiry as something he/she should not worry about yet. Well, if February is not the time to worry then what about march?

To address the OP, I've heard the Kaplan books are a good review although a little much. Qbank is always highly recommended. One thing I witnessed was a group of students last year who preached "QBANK, FIRST AID, BRS PATH, BRS PHYS and don't start till second year is over" and thats it. Needless to say that same group of people complained that there scores did not break 229. I think 225 was the highest. If thats your goal then theres the formula. If you want something higher, then I would suggest a different method.

njbmd I am not taking a shot at you and the following is not referring to you, but I want to tell the OP about taking advice from fellow students who offer there advice like candy. Consider the sayings "The empty can rattles the most" and "Still waters run deep." I think you have to go out and know who to ask.

 

[Ashers]

Interesting that you say this. In First Aid, it says that people who start preparing "months" in advance ace the exam, while those who prepare weeks in advance "just pass." Not my words... those of FA, my friend.

Being done with second year effectively gives you 5 weeks or so to study. First Aid also says to buy board review books early "during your first year" and use them concurrently.

I read that in FA last year and laughed. So much BS probably designed to sell more books because people might lose them while waiting for M2 year to be done. I don't know too many people who started straight up preparing for step 1 before the end of M2 year. You'll get burnt out with the hours on end of studying. I was burnt out after 3.5 weeks (which left 2.5 weeks for a vacation home).

The BEST preparation you can do to study for step 1 is learn the material well the first time around. Then it's not a surprise when you, say, meet Mr. Biochem or Behavioral Sciences again and again. Oh bad times.

The only board review books I used during the year were BRS path and Lange Immuno and Micro. I didn't even use BRS path to study for step 1.

 

[njbmd]

Things that take time away from the study of your coursework end up biting you two ways: First, you don't have the knowledge base to build on for USMLE and second, you are stuck trying to relearn things that you could have learned in your coursework in the first place.

I had a honorary fellowship during the summer between my second and third year that required that I take Step I within the first three weeks of May (our coursework ended April 28). I had done very well in my coursework, was able to use two and one half weeks for board review and ace Step I.

Five weeks is more than enough time to throughly review for USMLE Step I if you have mastered your coursework. If you have not mastered your coursework, studying a review book is worthless and five months won't be enough time to try to learn material for this exam.

Trying to study for boards takes time away from coursework study. After coursework is done and mastered, board review becomes efficient and useful. You can't review what you haven't learned in the first place and those "review" books are for "review" and not learning. If acing Step I was about memorizing a review book, then we wouldn't have as many mediocre scores out there.

One could simply start memorizing review books on the first day of medical school and by end of second year have all of them memorized. The only problem with this is that USMLE is not a test of memorization but a test of application of pre-clinical science. If you don't have a good knowledge foundation from coursework, you fail.

 

[J1515]

I read that in FA last year and laughed. So much BS probably designed to sell more books because people might lose them while waiting for M2 year to be done.

👍 The writers aren't stupid, they know you'll buy the book during first year, then the following year when you hear there's a new edition and all your classmates have it you will have to buy that as well.

Don't believe everything you read.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Many people place an emphasis on doing as well as you can in class but I do not believe this is the best way. Students can spend all their effort studying for class but that leaves no time/energy for research, extracurricular activities, or board review. Studying to maximize your grades for classes is especially problematic for P/NP curriculums, since the last 10% of your grade is likely minutae the professor happened to want you to know and which you may never see again. I find that a balance of these activities is best for your happiness and for your CV. My goal in classes was generally to pass comfortably.

Read more about how I studied for boards instead of wasting time memorizing random stuff some Ph.D. thinks is important, and made time for research:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=6033669&postcount=579

 

[Ali Purinol]

The writers aren't stupid, they know you'll buy the book during first year, then the following year when you hear there's a new edition and all your classmates have it you will have to buy that as well.

Don't believe everything you read.

Yeah buying new editions is a waste of money. That little scheme is true for all textbooks not just first aid. you don't HAVE to buy anything. using an old edition is usually just as good as getting a new one. Please, tell me what information in first aid i should believe. should i not believe that the ratings in the back of first aid are true? should i not believe what it says about preparing for the boards?

I am not saying that doing well in the classes is the best preparation. However, not planning early is a sure way to secure a score that you won't be happy with.

 

[SnowTown]

This just goes to show everyone is different. So just try to find what's best for you. Of course that's easier said than done.