Question for you Step 2'ers.....

[Knicks]

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Other than Kaplan, what are other recommended books (not necessarily series) for preparing for Step 2?

Thanks in advance.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I don't think there are any "necessary" books for Step II. A copy of Crush, Secrets, or First Aid may be somewhat helpful.

If you have taken the NBME shelf exams for the core specialties, beyond doing all of USMLEWORLD there is nothing I would recommend.

If you have not taken these exams, perhaps Kaplan is a good choice although I'm not familiar with it. Compared to Step I this test covers a much narrower set of memorized facts and emphasizes clinical reasoning more.

 

[tfom08]

Along with the ones already mentioned, quite a few people have been using Step Up to Medicine (not the one for step 2) with pretty good success. This is only reasonable if you have a decent amount of time to study.

 

[markglt]

knicks, your signature is awesome

 

[Knicks]

Along with the ones already mentioned, quite a few people have been using Step Up to Medicine (not the one for step 2) with pretty good success. This is only reasonable if you have a decent amount of time to study.

Can you, or anyone else for that matter, define what constitutes "a decent amount of time to study" for the Step 2?

knicks, your signature is awesome

Thanks.

Gotta inform people... 😀

 

[tfom08]

Can you, or anyone else for that matter, define what constitutes "a decent amount of time to study" for the Step 2?



Thanks.

Gotta inform people... 😀

I don't think you can really put a length of time on it because it depends on how fast people read and if they are able to retain information well with one reading. I actually used the Kaplan series and Step Up to Medicine with 4 weeks to study because I had used Step Up during the year so it was an easier read going back through it. If you had never read Step Up before and are a slow reader, a month probably isn't long enough to utilize the book. Maybe find a copy of the book and read a chapter and decide if it is something that will work for you.

 

[Knicks]

I don't think you can really put a length of time on it because it depends on how fast people read and if they are able to retain information well with one reading. I actually used the Kaplan series and Step Up to Medicine with 4 weeks to study because I had used Step Up during the year so it was an easier read going back through it. If you had never read Step Up before and are a slow reader, a month probably isn't long enough to utilize the book. Maybe find a copy of the book and read a chapter and decide if it is something that will work for you.

Hey tfom08, thanks for the input.

Can anyone also chime in on this: I heard from someone that the Step2 CK First Aid book was "useless". Now, granted that was just one person's opinion about the book, but can anyone else comment on this book. I don't want to waste time on it if it's "not that good" or "useless".

I'm planning to make UW my main source, plus Kaplan.

How do you people rate Crush, Secrets, and Boards&Wards? Should I use all/any of these concomitantly with the aforementioned two main sources? or will I be "spreading myself too thin"? (a popular phrase on these forums 😀)

Thanks in advance SDN.

 

[tfom08]

Hey tfom08, thanks for the input.

Can anyone also chime in on this: I heard from someone that the Step2 CK First Aid book was "useless". Now, granted that was just one person's opinion about the book, but can anyone else comment on this book. I don't want to waste time on it if it's "not that good" or "useless".

I'm planning to make UW my main source, plus Kaplan.

How do you people rate Crush, Secrets, and Boards&Wards? Should I use all/any of these concomitantly with the aforementioned two main sources? or will I be "spreading myself too thin"? (a popular phrase on these forums 😀)

Thanks in advance SDN.

I bought FA and also used Kaplan notes for OB/GYN, Peds, and Surg and Step Up for medicine. I never used FA after the first time I looked at it. Simply put, if you are going to spend enough time to use the Kaplan notes, they are much more comprehensive than FA. There is no reason to use both. Only use FA if you don't have time to use the Kaplan notes for some subjects. A lot of people use UW + FA, and that is a fine combination mostly because UW is great and doesn't need much backup. But if you have time to read, Kaplan >> FA (obviously 800 pages in Kaplan for ob/peds/surg will cover more than 80 pages in FA).

 

[Knicks]

I bought FA and also used Kaplan notes for OB/GYN, Peds, and Surg and Step Up for medicine. I never used FA after the first time I looked at it. Simply put, if you are going to spend enough time to use the Kaplan notes, they are much more comprehensive than FA. There is no reason to use both. Only use FA if you don't have time to use the Kaplan notes for some subjects. A lot of people use UW + FA, and that is a fine combination mostly because UW is great and doesn't need much backup. But if you have time to read, Kaplan >> FA (obviously 800 pages in Kaplan for ob/peds/surg will cover more than 80 pages in FA).

Thanks. 👍