USMLE books

	Step-Up to USMLE Step 2 (Step-Up Series)
	By: Jonathan P Van Kleunen ISBN: 0781771560 Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Release Date: 01 September, 2007 Bioscience book rank: 141162	i've been a big fan of step up series since the day i studied for step 1. so when comes to step 2 preparation, i have no doubt that this is one of the books that i decide to purchase off the local bookstore. i found out the information presented in this book is okay for broad knowledge and general understanding. when comes to specfic disease management, the book lists many tests under that disease and u have no idea what would be the best initial diagnostic step/or even best management for that particular disease. the book also contains numerous typos and careless mistakes that could be lethal had this book been your only primary study resource. overall, i strongly recommend this book to be used only when u have read blueprint series and decided to gain an overall perspective of what the common dzs are portrayed. <br />
	EZ Pass Step 3 CCS - The Efficient USMLE Step 3 CCS Review
	By: Alireza B. Esfahane ISBN: 1598247646 Publisher: E-BookTime, LLC Release Date: 17 January, 2008 Bioscience book rank: 319654
	USMLE Pharmacology and Treatment Flashcards: The 200 Questions You're Most Likely to See on the Exam For Steps 1, 2 & 3
	By: Conrad Fischer ISBN: 1427797064 Publisher: Kaplan Publishing Release Date: 01 April, 2008 Bioscience book rank: 117821
	KAPLAN USMLE STEP 2 CK LECTURE NOTES, Psychiatry, Epidemiology and Ethics, Pediatrics, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qbook
	By: kaplan medical ISBN: B0012VNQCA Publisher: Release Date: 2006 Bioscience book rank: 193500
	USMLE Road Map: Neuroscience (LANGE Basic Science)
	By: James S White ISBN: 0071422870 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical Release Date: 12 March, 2004 Bioscience book rank: 71791	Neuro was not my best subject in first year. This is a great review and helped me understand a few key concepts that I didn't learn during first year. If you spend half a day skimming through this book reading the blue boxes and LOOKING AT THE DRAWINGS you will be well prepared for the questions on the exam. I bought this book after reading a bunch of reviews on it. Just recently finished reading it to review neuro. I feel like I finally understand what they were trying to teach us last year. <br />I give it 4 stars only because it's kind of long and dense with text. The wording is pretty technical and sometimes you have to think really hard about what they're saying. <br />The clinical correlations are good. All you need to know about that particular tract/system/whatever is all in once place. <br />I would recommend this for anyone who needs a good neuro refresher. <br /> As a first year medical student I believe Dr. White to be one of the best professors I have ever had. This book is clear and to the point. I highly recommend it.
	USMLE Road Map: Pharmacology, 2/E (USMLE Road Map Series)
	By: Bertram G. Katzung ISBN: 0071445811 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical Release Date: 20 October, 2005 Bioscience book rank: 45907	I've read already Lippincott's Illustrated review of pharmacology and others great resources and i am convinced that USMLE Road Map Pharmacology seems the most high yeld and fast review. It just goes direct what is important to know. Simple and Efficient. <br /> <br /> OK, this book isn't the best choice for in-depth learning of pharmacology - and you definitely shouldn't expect this from the resource which is only 178 pages long - but this isn't the main purpose of this title - it was created to be used as a RE-VIEW and it serves this purpose extremely well. <br />For in-depth study you should get 'Katzung and Trevor's Review of Pharmacology' or 'Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology'; these books are excellent, but, even though both claim to be 'reviews', who can reread their 600 pages again and again? at the same time, pharmacology tends to be forgotten in just a few weeks (even when it was learned very well in the past) and you have to refresh your memory again and again; and as your exam approaches you'll need more and more quick reviews because you'll not have enough time for the big resources; even though pharmacology is the best written subject in 'First Aid for the USMLE step 1', still it's too superficial and you should reserve that book for cramming just before the exam; so, you'll get a long gap in the middle between in-depth study and 'First Aid', which has to be filled; at this point of your preparation, you'll find that 'USMLE Road Map: Pharmacology' is very helpfull, well-written, well-illustrated and perfectly suited for quick and repetitive readings; it focuses on high yield facts, which will be heavily tested on USMLE step 1, without extraneous details, which may be important for wards or for the USMLE step 2 CK, but aren't necessary for step 1; for this reason 'Road Map' is much more useful for step 1 than 'Pharmacology for the Boards and Wards', which tries to reach everyone and, as a result, is less high yield for this exam; though this book is larger (256 pages) than 'Road Map', it contains more irrelevant information and less - relevant.
	First Aid Cases for the USMLE Step 2 CK (First Aid Cases)
	By: Tao Le, Esteban Schabelman, Anil Shivaram, Joshua Klein ISBN: 0071464115 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical Release Date: 14 December, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 347269	It doesn't offer anything more than the First Aid Step 2CK book. It is in case format, but without a question format like the exam, so it wasn't too helpfull.
	NMS Review for the USMLE Step 3 (Book with CD-ROM)
	By: Mitchell H Rosner, Andrew E Lazar ISBN: 0781732018 Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Release Date: 15 December, 2002 Bioscience book rank: 38117	Regardless of what one prefers to believe, physicians tend to be, on average, of only slightly higher intelligence than the standard person. As such, most of their learning is obtained via the same methods as the general population: repetition and forced, timely recall. I invoke this bit of information in order to provide an appropriate frame for the flavor of my review. <br /> <br />"Review for Usmle Step 3" is essentially a question bank--and it is a colossal one at that, with 750 questions available spanning five examinations. The questions are of the "single best answer" variety, with a few negative (i.e., which of the following is NOT...) inquiries thrown in the selection. Following every examination, there is a question-review section, within which evidence is outlined for why one answer is right and the others are incorrect. <br /> <br />There is also a CD-ROM included with this book--encoded within it is a software program with which one may practice the same questions present in the book on their computer. <br /> <br />I found this book to be an excellent resource for self-assessment prior to sitting for the USMLE step 3. The five written tests were a great way for me to home in on my weak areas, as every question explanation includes a mini-legend which demarcates the question's medical discipline focus (i.e., OB/GYN, internal medicine, pediatrics, etc., or some combination). <br /> <br />This medical-discipline-area information enabled me to do some rough calculations as to my knowledge deficit in each area. Before I challenged the next practice exam, I would "bone up" in the discipline in which I calculated myself weakest. It was in this way that I was able to review weak areas systematically, instead to just "reading everything". There are several online question bank services which perform this same evaluation automatically, but none can claim that they provide this information for $40! <br /> <br />There are several caveats: <br /> <br />1. The book is somewhat dated. <br />2. Some questions drift from the case-format seen in a majority of USMLE Step 3 items. <br />3. There are too many questions per case (up to 5 or 6, while the USMLE contains a maximum of 2 or 3). <br />4. A few questions require remarkably specific knowledge regarding numerical parameters which designate disease (i.e., fasting glucose tolerance test disease cut-off values)--in modern exams, laboratory min-max tables eliminate nearly all "number-knowledge" requirements. <br />5. Presence of several "negative-answer" format questions (NOT, EXCEPT, etc.) <br /> <br />There is a CD-ROM included with the book. The CD-ROM is essentially a rehash of all questions covered in the book--if you really need your questions to be available to you at all times, then perhaps the CD-ROM will benefit you. <br /> <br />To the medical student/resident with a limited budget: great book for diagnosing your weak spots. <br />To the medical student/resident with an unlimited budget: subscribe to Qbank or another, equivalent, online question bank; by the way, the rest of us hate you. Kidding. <br />To all: this book alone is not enough; questions are important, but you need to create an "information scaffold" in your mind--pick up an adjunct review textbook as well. <br /> <br />Good luck on your exam. <br /> Just do qbank or qbook. Don't buy, don't borrow, don't waste your time. This question book is an okay review of subjects if you perfer a Q/A format way of learning. However, the question format and style of questions are not similar to the USMLE Step 3. There are few Negative questions (eg. all of the following except) in the USMLE Step 3 and at the most, there are 3 questions following a passage (In NMS, there can be up to 6-7 questions following a passage). I found the NMS review to be too detailed (like questions we see in Step 1 and 2- eg) indirect inguinal hernias are medial to what structure.....) <br />I found the Kaplan Q book the most similar to the style and content of USMLE Step 3 (However, the passages in Kaplan tend to be very long and detailed). A good review book is Crush Step 3 as well. Good Luck!
	USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Qbook (Kaplan USMLE)
	By: Kaplan ISBN: 1419551515 Publisher: Kaplan Education Release Date: 01 September, 2006 Bioscience book rank: 154541	I regret to say that this book is not the third edition. It is the second edition with a different cover and a different edition date. I reviewed the book page by page, and the only difference with the second edition is that the so called third edition has three more blank pages at the end of the book to take notes. This is a deception
	Mastering the USMLE Step 2 CS
	By: Jo-Ann Reteguiz ISBN: 0071443347 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical Release Date: 28 November, 2004 Bioscience book rank: 219239	This book has several flaws, particularly with the sample cases. They are not written in a format in which it is easy to practice them with someone. The lack a lot of questions and physical exam maneuvers. And last but not least, it never includes a sample closure, which in my opinion is very important, especially for IMGs. <br /> <br />I found First Aid to be much helpful. I used this book, and this book only to prep for the CS examination, and I passed no problem. It gives about 60 "real style" cases for you to go over, complete with checklists for things you have to cover on history, on physical exam, and on discussion with the patient. It also has a great overview of what the test is about, how it's structured, and how you'll be scored. You can easily go over the cases alone, or even better while using a partner to act out the case and work out the timing you'll need during the actual examination (it goes fast). <br /> <br />It's a nebulous, difficult to prepare for examination, and I found this book extremely helpful. It's very difficult to actually sit down and study for an exam like this, so going over cases and practicing is probably the best thing you can do to get ready. This book's great for practicing, and I hope this was useful.