Some really great lectures.

The following books are the ones that I have looked over and consider to be the best books out there. I might very well have missed other good resources, so if you find a terrific gem out there, please let us all know! Obviously, these are all my opinions, so this list is primarily a heads-up on some of the many many books out there.

First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 is the book that everyone recommends, so I will go ahead and recommend it here too. It's loosely a collection of commonly tested facts and concepts put together in an outline. There's quite a lot of information here, but it doesn't cover everything, so I would suggest annotating your copy with additional notes that you may encounter when reviewing old syllabi or (better yet) going through other review texts. I went to Kinko's and had my copy cut at the spine and hole-punched so that I could put extra sheets of notes in whereever I wanted.

FAQ: What are the differences between each edition of First Aid? Do I need to get the latest edition?
The editions mostly stay the same, as the information contained within them is decades old. Each edition suggests different supplemental review texts, so take a look at a new one at least for that. One important difference introduced in 2006 is a switch from a subject-based organization (e.g. biochemistry, anatomy) to an organ-based organization mirroring our classes (e.g. respiratory, cardiovascular).

BRS Pathology and Physiology are two excellent resources for reviewing the meat of the material from second year. They go into much more depth than First Aid without requiring you to carry around a copy of Robbins. Each book is about 6"x8" and 300 or so pages, so you can conceivably finish them both. Highly recommended by previous students for reviewing class material as well, so now is a great time to get them.

FAQ: What are the differences between each edition of BRS Path? Do I need to get the latest edition?
The new 3rd edition is almost exactly the same in content as the 2nd edition, though in my opinion it looks better.

Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (CMMRS). I know, Dr. Moseley said don't use this book because it has mistakes in it. But you know what? I'm willing to take my chances not knowing every little fact about every little bug if I can get all of the information in a fun, entertaining fashion. The slightly immature cartoonish style may be offputting to some, but I think it's funny and it helps stick the material in your mind. Certainly much better reading than going through Sherris again (although that is an excellent reference text).

Lippincott's Biochemistry is a great review book for biochemistry. This is the same book that was suggested for second quarter biochemistry, and I feel like if you can get through all of this, you'll be fine for any biochem question that might come up. If you can't go over everything, at least go over the material that isn't emphasized in our lectures, such as sphingolipid metabolism and vitamins.

Katzung and Trevor's Review of Pharmacology is a book that I'm on the fence about. It's an intimidating tome of information, and was a book suggested by Dr. Vincenzi as a supplement to pharmacology in Autumn. However, it's significantly smaller than any textbook of pharmacology, and pharm is an intimidating topic. Some people have suggested that using First Aid for pharmacology is sufficient, and this may be a good route to take as well if strapped for time.

BRS Behavioral Science. Did you know that the USMLE is statistically 10% SHB-ish questions? A point is a point is a point, and you certainly don't want to screw up a "common-sense" type question. I'm of the opinion that First Aid is not sufficient for this topic, but who knows?



The rest of these books are merely okay, or good for people who feel like they need a refresher in a certain specific topic.

Rapid Review Pathology is written by Dr. Ed Goljan, who is the Chair of Pathology at Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine, a frequent lecturer for Kaplan, and a rockstar in the world of USMLE review. I personally find the format of this book a little too cramped and not written in a great style, but perhaps you might prefer it over BRS Path.

This book mirrors the bootleg Goljan lectures. (see below)

Rapid Review Biochemistry is co-written by Dr. Ed Goljan, and follows the same format and style as RR Pathology. Shorter and more to the point than Lippincott, this is a good choice if you're a fan of the RR format.

BRS Histology and Cell Biology is an interesting book. Histology is not a high-yield topic on the boards, but Cell Biology is becoming increasingly so, so this book might be worth a quick read if (like me) you don't feel comfortable with basic cell biology topics.

Lippincott's Pharmacology is designed to follow and supplement its biochemistry friend. If you like a nice, tight integration, this is a good book for you. I think Katzung is a better book, but this one is very good too.

Lange's Medical Microbiology & Immunology is a popular choice among students who can't stand CMMRS. It's a little longer, a little more thorough, and a lot more serious.

BRS Microbiology and Immunology. I have this book mainly for the second part on immunology. I really don't like the beginning part on micro, as I think it emphasizes unimportant details and presents its information in a weird manner. Immunology is important for the boards though, so if you don't feel really good about immuno and don't want to go through Parham again (an excellent textbook), check this out.

High-Yield Series for Anatomy. I like these versions better than their BRS counterparts, but I don't think I'll sweat anatomy too much. These are worth a read or two, but most of the really important stuff is probably in First Aid. Besides, the thought of cramming all that anatomy into my head is not a good one.

Clinical Anatomy Made Ridiculously Simple has all the pros and cons of CMMRS - it has the cartoons and the crazy mnemonics, but it also doesn't go into great depth on any topic and its style may be offputting to some. If you really like CMMRS, you might like this too.

Behavioral Medicine Made Ridiculously Simple and Psychiatry Made Ridiculously Simple together cover all the material that is also in BRS Behavioral Science with the exception of epidemiology . I like the format of these books, and both are extremely short, so are a good alternative to Fadem's book. On the other hand, BRS Behavioral Science has more test questions and has the advantage of being your one-stop-shop for all the material from SHB and Brain and Behavior.

Underground Clinical Vignettes come highly recommended by Vijaya, the USMLE tutor. Instead of presenting information in lists or tables, these books present cases and ask you to integrate your knowledge in many different fields in order to answer their posed questions.