rate these books for Step 1

[adismo]

I KNOW youve seen this CRAP before, but please give your opinions/grades on these step 1 review books. Basically, which of these are golden and which suck?

I figure this forum is not as biased as the grades given in the back of a certain book whose publisher has a vested interest in pushing its other books.

Which is better, First AID or Step up?

-NMS step 1 review
-Kaplan Qbook
-BRS Anatomy
-BRS Pathology
-BRS Physiology

-! Underground clinical vignettes anatomy, biochem, micro, pathophys, pharm, behavioral sci.

-Pathophysiology for Boards and Wards
-Ridiculously Simple Microbiology
-Lippincott Biochem
-Lippincott Pharm



But yo, if you have ADD, like me, pick one book that was especially 'quick and dirty' good. Holla at yo boy.

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[Dodge This]

I'm studying for Step 1 now. My review resources include:

First Aid
BRS Physio
BRS Path
PharmCards
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple
High Yield Behavioral Sci
Board Simulator Series (5 books of practice questions)

I was given the UCV series by a 4th year, but it doesn't seem very useful as of yet. Definitely not a primary review resource.

 

[mcwmark]

First Aid is definately more high yield.

-NMS step 1 review

Not too useful.

-Kaplan Qbook

Kaplan QBank is the best source for questions for Step I.

-BRS Anatomy

Not useful, considering how little anatomy is actually on the test. Use your time to study physiology instead.

-BRS Pathology
-BRS Physiology

I would definately read these two books as review.

-! Underground clinical vignettes anatomy, biochem, micro, pathophys, pharm, behavioral sci.

Fun, but not useful as a study tool.

-Pathophysiology for Boards and Wards
-Ridiculously Simple Microbiology
-Lippincott Biochem
-Lippincott Pharm

Didn't use these books at all.

My opinion, in order of most useful:

1) First Aid
2) Kaplan QBank
3) BRS Path
4) BRS Physiology
5) Step Up
6) High Yield Neuro
7) High Yield Embryo

As for pharm and micro, i think reviewing from class notes and whatever is in the First aid should be enough to do well.

 

[DrQuinn]

Know your first aid like you know this month's issue of Playboy. But don't rely solely on that. I think (for me) what helped me do so well was to use a variety of sources. My main source was Kaplan's 1999 USMLE Review series... I also read the 2001 version through once, and read Step Up and First Aid once through (wish I had spent a little more time on First Aid, might have gotten me a few more points). I also did the BRS.

People who used First Aid solely did pass, but did not do stellar.
Q

 

[Hold UR Fire]

Ranking of Step 1 Books:
1. First Aid
2. First Aid
3. First Aid
4. First Aid
5. First Aid
6. First Aid

It's my opinion that you CAN use First Aid (along with Q-bank) as your primary resource and do well. But that doesn't mean that you just sit there and read FA over and over again. You might need to use other books to better understand and retain what is in FA. For example, I read Micro Made Ridiculously Simple cover to cover as I was going through FA, skipping over topics not covered in FA or Q-bank. But I didn't go into more depth with a topic except to better understand what they said about it in FA. My attitude was, "If it's not covered in FA, why am I wasting my time looking at this topic?" Just for comparison, I scored a 246/99 using this strategy.

Good Luck to all! I hope this helps.

 

[adismo]

thanks all.... bump