Next Target: Step 2

[rirriri]

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Step 2 is creeping up in a few months.

Ive signed up for Kaplan MedPass. And I will sign up for Qbank.

I just need one piece of advice from people who have taken the exam or are currently studying.

Which is the best of the following for Step 2:
A) First Aid
B) Secrets
C) Crush The Boards
D) Prescription For The Boards
E) Advance Life Support

I guess i will pick up (A) First Aid just because it adds an atmosphere of, ahem, confidence. But out of the other 4 books, which is the best to pick up for quick toilet time studying? Ive heard different things from different people and i just need the breakdown from people who have used some of them with success.

additionally, is there anything *essential* that absolutely MUST use for this exam? (i feel like im leaving on a psychadelic camping trip)

thanks in advance
cheers

 

[blueintheface]

For library studying I would use Blueprints and 2nd edition of Crush the Boards, for ward time studying I would use Secrets (becaues it neatly fits in your white coat pocket), for toilet time studying I would use Advanced Life Support (it has a water-proof vinyl cover designed just for that purpose). First Aid was pretty much useless, except maybe as toilet paper... 😀

 

[Celiac Plexus]

I posted a while back about what I used.

Prescriptions------>Rip through this a couple of times as fast as possible. It's a nice overview, and is easy on the eyes.

Boards and Wards------->Very good review book with a lot of lab values and numbers. I recommend reading this 2X very carefully. I feel that it is the single most useful Step 2 review text available.

Advanced Life Support------->About 2 days before the exam I read this book in about 1.5 hours. It's a nice skeleton review book to jog your memory, and hammer home some of the most common dzs, dxs, and txs. It will make you feel good right before the exam.

Q-Bank------>Definitely do as many questions as you can. They're probably the closest approximation to the real thing as you can get. Though they're not as good for Step 2 IMHO as they were for Step I. I scored from the 50s to low 80s on various subject exams, with an average of about 70%.

NMS--------->I did all 5 exams on the 5 days leading up to the exam. These questions tend to border on the esoteric, but if you can nail these questions, the consensus among my classmates is that you will do fine on the exam. My scores were pretty consistently at about 70%.

Secrets------> I just skimmed over sections of this book. It's not that good IMHO for the exam. If you have the time then it can't hurt I suppose. A lot of people swear by this book, but I don't agree with them.

First Aid------> Sucks. Prescriptions is a better substitute.

Good luck on the exam. I don't know anyone who did MedPass for Step 2, but I know a few people who did it for Step 1 and if you can handle watching all of the tapes, and poring through hundreds and hundreds of pages of outlines, then you probably won't need these other books and you will do just fine.

Caveat: I was just aiming to pass the exam, and not blow it out--I scored a 226. So take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

 

[rirriri]

thanks Celiac and Blueintheface.

celiac, you really bought and read that many small books?? Well thanks for reviewing them. Ill be hitting the bookstores soon.

First Aid is really that useless?? ive been hearing that the new revised edition is actually very good. Is that the edition you had?

hmmm...well it seems you did well using those strategies. I agree that questions will likely be the most important part of this preparation.

thanks and CHEERS!

 

[Brewster]

I did not feel that First Aid (the new edition) was useless. I felt it was fairly comparable to Prescription for the Boards. They both have gaps in the information they provide. I actually used both (as well as Boards and Wards).

 

[Celiac Plexus]

I actually did buy all of those books....😱 It was a matter of economics, and time for me. I studied during a rotation so I did not have the time for MedPass (or the 700 bucks either...). Fortunately I was able to leave early on most days of the rotation and camp out in the library.

As for 1st aid being "useless"... I did not say that it was. But compared to prescriptions I thought that it was inferior. Prescriptions was just easier to read. A little light on the hardcore details but that's why I scammed B&W pretty hard.

Good luck.