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New SDN Article: “The Boards”: USMLE Overview
I think you answered your own question. It is plenty if you really memorize it and are already somewhat comfortable with the subject. And if you don't have enough time for anything else you have little choice.
heyy are you all re-reading clinical microbio made ridiculously simple to prepare for step 1? it has a lot more detail than FA
- May 1, 2006
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FA is more than enough for micro. CMMRS is excessive.
M4 here (who did well on Step1, which is a question you should ask any upperclassman who tries to give you advice!)
M4 here (who did well on Step1, which is a question you should ask any upperclassman who tries to give you advice!)
- Nov 18, 2007
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I disagree. I have no experience with CMMRS, but FA is not enough for micro (unless you have a strong background in micro/ID). This is a high yield subject, and if the OP is not strong in it, he/she should definitely get a review book which explains the material/concepts in detail (instead of having random tables of disorganized trivia, which is what my opinion of FA is).
regarding the point on commenting on one's step 1 performance, I think that it is more important for every poster to indicate how versed in the topic (in this case, micro) they were prior to their step 1 prep. someone who aced micro in MS2 is less likely to require (and thus recommend) extra resources, when compared to the average Joe.
leading by example: I had a solid grasp of micro during MS2, but still chose to read Kaplan micro as my main resource for this subject.
I think the big question is when micro is in your school's schedule. My school ended MS2 with a combined micro/path course and a cumulative micro final; I didn't review micro at all after that.
If micro ends soon before your Step I, FA may be sufficient. FA does not contain the answers to every question you will see, but that's true for any subject.
If micro ends soon before your Step I, FA may be sufficient. FA does not contain the answers to every question you will see, but that's true for any subject.
When you start doing the quiz banks you can see where FA is weak in micro...there isn't enough explanation on the "why" of things. I recommend getting a book to refer to for how virulence factors work, how they replicate, etc. There's also a couple of lab tests not mentioned.
Okay, this is a pretty eye-opening thread for me, as I was going to use FA alone for micro. If neither FA or CMMRS are enough, what do you all recommend? Any suggestions would help.
I don't think anyone said CMMRS isn't enough - it has a lot of information in it. I wasn't planning on using anything more in-depth than CMMRS.
You should try actually reading the previous posts. The key to whether or not FA/CMMRS are enough for your studying needs depends upon whether or not you have a firm base to start with.
My micro course was actually given at the end of my M1 year, which meant that I had to learn a ton of stuff pretty much from scratch. Despite this, CMMRS was definitely enough (for me) to get the concepts and context necessary to understand what was in FA.
- Nov 20, 2004
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We've had sporadic micro throughout the year (PBL curriculum), but our text sucked. I tried to go through FA Micro and found it was tough - like memorizing a shopping list. I spent a long weekend reading HY Micro and Infectious dz and annotating into FA and it really helped. I felt like this book placed an emphasis on the pathogenesis, virulence factors, etc. that seem to be high yield for the boards.
I don't see how people can buy review books for every subject and still have time to review everything adequately in 4-6 weeks. Plus practice questions!
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U are totally right Clemson Doc, I mean MMRS is a hugeeeee book. I am not that great in micro, i was an average student. But no way you can ask me to read such a huge book in crunch month, do millions of questions and then also read other review books. Maybe just use it as a reference if I dont understand something on FA.
It may look big, but there are lots of pictures and the type is large. If you focus, you should be able to read the whole thing in two days or less. If you don't already have a good grasp on the material, you should after reading it. You will then be able to make sense of all the lists in FA. The micro section of FA was one of the few sections in FA in which I did very little underlining/highlighting, and I think it was due to reading this book.
Though unpopular, i'm currently using Kaplan Micro. It's a quick read and it presents all the relevant pathogenesis. Then I annotate FA with any missing information that seems important. FA by itself is probably enough to pass, but not enough to do well.
No, but this is what i've been told from a couple of friends who have. And that's why I added the 'probably'.
There is no books out there that will prepare you enough for anything. Pick one book that you like, study it then do LOTS of questions. Add in your personal notes that you had learn from doing questions that may not be cover in the book. Now... its going to be the best book for you b/c you had personalized it to your strength and weakness.