using uslme prep books as M1

[fun8stuff]

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I will starting M1 in Aug and have heard several people speak of the benefits of using review books (such as first aid) starting from day 1. My questions are...

1)does it matter if i were to buy a 2004 edition now, then around january of M2, buy the newest edition?

2)which do you think is/are the best (first aid...)?

thanks...

 

[fun8stuff]

I will starting M1 in Aug and have heard several people speak of the benefits of using review books (such as first aid) starting from day 1. My questions are...

1)does it matter if i were to buy a 2004 edition now, then around january of M2, buy the newest edition?

2)which do you think is/are the best (first aid...)?

thanks...

bump

 

[idq1i]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Do not get USMLE review books as a first year

1 - USMLE emphasizes 2nd year classes. Very little content is dedicated to 1st year material. Hold off buying usmle books until you start your second year.

2 - Do your best to learn the material well the first time. When the mle rolls around in 2 years, all that you will need is FA to review (and cram useless information), and the Qbank to practice mle-like questions

 

[substanceP]

hi there,

first off, congradulations on getting in! i'll be starting third year this fall (actually, in a week - orientation is june 20th), so i thought i'd put in my 2 cents on how to handle the preclinical curriculum. the thing you have to realize is that studying is a very personalized thing in medical school. some people i know bought every book offered and then some, others only stuck to the syllabus (you'll get a 'syllabus' for each class which consists of notes/ppts for every lecture). i (and it worked out fine for me) mainly used the syllabus, but bought step 1 first aid at the beginning of my first year. then, over the course of the next two years, i made little notes in the margins. when i started studying for the boards a couple of months ago, i went back over first aid and was able to see my old notations, which helped me while reviewing. i used the same edition i bought as a first year (2003 edition) to study for step 1. i hope this helps.

 

[nutmegs]

hi.
I just took the exam last week.
I would recommend getting BRS physio for sure, and possibly biochem and gross anatomy. also pick up a high yield neuroanatomy.

these were actually all I used to study for my classes MS1 besides the course notes. I found them helpful for our classes (we took shelf exams for all the basic science courses...) and it was nice to already be familiar with them come time to study the boards.

while the exam does emphasize MS2, there was definitely first year stuff on there- more anatomy than FA covered, I thought. using FA all year second year is a good idea, but not mandatory. BRS path is a must.

 

[Just Applied]

Did using these review books help you perform well in the class along with doing well on step 1?

 

[nutmegs]

absolutely

 

[substanceP]

yes, the review books helped during the preclinical years.

 

[oompaloompa]

I will starting M1 in Aug and have heard several people speak of the benefits of using review books (such as first aid) starting from day 1. My questions are...

1)does it matter if i were to buy a 2004 edition now, then around january of M2, buy the newest edition?

2)which do you think is/are the best (first aid...)?

thanks...

whoa, slow down there my friend. I think its admirable that someone who hasn't even started med school yet is already worried about the USMLE, but I assure you, it's a little premature. Review books in general, and First Aid in particular are just that....review. First Aid contains short phrases, catch words, and brief pneumonics that are designed to make you go "oh yeah", and remember a complex concept or a highly detailed subject. They are NOT designed for primary, first-time learning. No first year could read a section out of the pathology part of First Aid and know what the hell its talking about. Honestly, even after two years of classes and reading First Aid 5-6 times all the way through in the past 6 months for the Step 1 I just took, and there were still some things in there I don't fully understand.
just to clarify, I don't mean to discourage you, in fact I want prevent you from being discouraged by starting your "review" prematurely. Trust me, you can wait till 6 months before Step 1 to start studying like everyone else, and then you'll go through all the review books you can stand. If you are highly motivated, I would suggest going through the relevant parts of First Aid as part of studying for a final, but don't be too hard on yourself. I know I underestimated the pace that med school would keep, you simply can't do all the "extra prep" you planned on.

Anyway, good luck with everything, I'm sure you'll be great. I'll leave with a saying we gave our first years:

"The most protective measure a first year med student possesses is ignorance of what's to come"

 

[nutmegs]

aaaaaaaaaaand... other people, who cannot stand to sit down and read textbooks, really did use review books for primary, first-time learning. it's all about your style.

 

[dl2dp2]

honestly, this is an old thread, but whatever.

I say go get the lippincott books and BRS books and get started EARLY

start anatomy early rather than late

start biochem

don't be like me trying to cram usmle into a month. 🙁

start studying before med school starts. read the book and reread the book after each lectures. read the syllibus twice make sure you understand EVERYTHING that was said. and memorize. all the details that you think won't be tested...believe you me, it will.

 

[nutmegs]

and don't feel bad if you don't have time to do half that.

 

[fun8stuff]

whoa, slow down there my friend. I think its admirable that someone who hasn't even started med school yet is already worried about the USMLE, but I assure you, it's a little premature. Review books in general, and First Aid in particular are just that....review. First Aid contains short phrases, catch words, and brief pneumonics that are designed to make you go "oh yeah", and remember a complex concept or a highly detailed subject. They are NOT designed for primary, first-time learning. No first year could read a section out of the pathology part of First Aid and know what the hell its talking about. Honestly, even after two years of classes and reading First Aid 5-6 times all the way through in the past 6 months for the Step 1 I just took, and there were still some things in there I don't fully understand.
just to clarify, I don't mean to discourage you, in fact I want prevent you from being discouraged by starting your "review" prematurely. Trust me, you can wait till 6 months before Step 1 to start studying like everyone else, and then you'll go through all the review books you can stand. If you are highly motivated, I would suggest going through the relevant parts of First Aid as part of studying for a final, but don't be too hard on yourself. I know I underestimated the pace that med school would keep, you simply can't do all the "extra prep" you planned on.

Anyway, good luck with everything, I'm sure you'll be great. I'll leave with a saying we gave our first years:

"The most protective measure a first year med student possesses is ignorance of what's to come"

*i didnt mean to infer that i want to start studying early, that i am worrying about the uslme, or that i want to see this info for the first time in review books.

*however: i have found in the past that the overview provided by review books is beneficial. It takes a lot of time to read textbooks.. i have found in the past that using textbooks to clarify certain points to be the best way to go.

My questions were what the best books to use are, since I have limited funds, and if buying 1-2 yr old editions would make that big of a difference.

I am starting to buy these now because I have money now, since I am working. I am going to try to buy these over the next few months.

Thanks for everyones replies.

So, thet BRS series, lippincott series, and first aid are good to get.

 

[substanceP]

also, if you get a chance check out clinical micro made ridiculously simple. i liked/used it.

 

[gunit07]

It all depends on your curriculum - if it's integrated or normal/abnormal.

Dont even think about using first aid during your first year - it will be quite deceiving - First Aid material is VERY different than what is worthy for your tests in school... (ie: you need to know a LOT less for boards.)

Make sure you check out the used book sales at your school - last summer i got 13 books for 100 bucks! all in practically brand new condition! i saved hundreds!

If your curriculum is set up normal/abnormal - the i would recommend brs path and phys for sure.
Get the MRS book for micro too - that is a GREAT book🙂

If you have an integrated curriculum (like i did) i dont think those books are terribly helpful... mainly cause you'll have to cary around like 5 books with you in addition to your notes and required readings...

but usually your med school tests will be more detailed than what is in the review books.

Hope this helps🙂

 

[nutmegs]

also, if you get a chance check out clinical micro made ridiculously simple. i liked/used it.

this book seriously owns you.

 

[quideam]

Keep in mind that your first year courses will likely be MUCH more detailed than required for the boards, and also that the emphasis on certain topics may be very different from what's emphasized on the boards. The second point is especially true if you're learning through PBL or some other modern-type of medical school curriculum. My advice - get BRS physiology AND the big Costanzo (both are written by her) and annotate the BRS. HY anatomy, HY embryology are fairly useful. Other than that, having the review books might be nice, but your time will be better spent cramming in the useless facts of 1st year rather than the useless facts of USMLE prep since you're being graded on the former right now. For second year courses, however, i'm planning on studying primarily from textbooks and board review books, but that's because it's much closer to the exam.

Good luck!
Quid

 

[quideam]

Oh, and for microbiology - lots of people love 'Ridiculously Simple', but the style just didn't work for me (seemed too disorganized). I LOVE the Lange Microbiology and Immunology - it has enough detail for the course, and all of the 2nd years say it's perfect for microbiology and immunology review for the boards. If you get the Examination / Board Review version of the book, you get the content PLUS a ton of great USMLE practice questions. Anyway, just a thought.

Q

 

[nutmegs]

LOVED micro made simple. but I heard the others in the series suck.

 

[substanceP]

LOVED micro made simple. but I heard the others in the series suck.

ditto.

 

[raidermedic]

Anatomy made simple wasn't too bad. A good read before you hit a Netters or Moore Dally. But definately not enough for exams.

I found Path BRS to be good first year. Just reading through a chapter before an exam will get you a free cheap points. Same thing for BRS anatomy, it had a lot of those classic vignettes the instructors like to ask.

 

[mikedc813]

Forget First Aid while you're a first year. It emphasizes 2nd year material just like everyone else has said already. What will help you the most are review books like BRS. I didn't like High Yield books as much. When you're studying for your first year exams BRS will help you a lot. It's not a must, but I think that they sum up info and make it concise. BRS physiology is especially good and I strongly recommend that.