Step 1 preparation books

[drmedstudent]

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Hi guys,

I have to start preparing for my Step 1 boards this summer. I have 9 weeks to study.

Any advice on which are the best books for the different subjects?

Anatomy
Embryology
Biochemistry
Cell Biology/Genetics
Histology
Neuroanatomy
Pathology
Physiology
Pharmacology
Behavioral Science
Statistics
Immunology
Microbiology

BQ1: Is it a good idea to pick the books that First Aid gave the highest rating to (A+) for each subject? That's what I was thinking.

BQ2: Also, do you guys recommend reading Lippincott's Biochem and Pharm books? I know its rated highly in First Aid but is it really high yield and worth reading in the 9 week time?

 

[IMGUSMLEStep1]

The 2 must have books are First Aid and Rapid Review. You COULD use other books as supplements but try to stick to those two.

If you used Lippincott's Biochem and Pharm for classwork, they may be of some use for you, but again, only as supplements. Don't try to go through a review book for each subject because you'll run out of time.

 

[drmedstudent]

thanks for the reply

what books did you/or have u used?

 

[IMGUSMLEStep1]

First Aid and Rapid Review Path are my 2 main resources. For some reason I was convinced at the beginning of my USMLE prep that I should buy a review book for each subject and study from it. I went with Kaplan for most subjects. I later realized that this is WAY too time consuming so I stuck to first aid and rapid review path. I used Kaplan and other review books as supplements that I would skim quickly and annotate to first aid from. I've listed all the books and resources I've used on my blog (the link is in my signiature). It was one of my first posts.