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Rating: 
Summary: Necessary, but by itself not sufficient
Review: A must-have guide for Step 1 prep. But by itself, not sufficient to cover the nitty-gritty details found on The Test. Best used as starting point in January or February, then add BRS review series. Mix in Kaplan QBank along the way. Alternatively, instead of BRS, you may want to review your own class notes on pathophysiology (which I did, and found quite helpful, even though it's more time-consuming). And, be sure to keep up with current health events in the news (they show up on the boards)!
Rating: 
Summary: Forget about First Aid.
Review: First Aid for Step 1 is like Netter's -- not very good and highly overrated. The book is a mess of random information that has no connection and no flow to it, and is therefore difficult, frustrating and low-yield. The only good part of the book are the images but these can be found online (WebPath) for free. I skimmed First Aid once, tossed it aside and spent all of my time with Step-Up which is a MUCH better book.
Rating:
Summary: Nice outline, but plan on studying much more than this!
Review: First Aid is essential for Step 1, and I found it very helpful for many 2nd year tests, but you are going to need MUCH more than just this. I took First Aid with me on the day of the test, and tried to look up any questions that had stumped me right after I completed a section. It is just not detailed enough! Step 1 demands that you know tiny details that are not covered in First Aid. Overall, it will cover the big picture, and it's not a waste of time, just don't be surprised when you find extremely detailed questions on Step 1 that you can't answer with First Aid.
Rating: 
Summary: USMLE First Aid STEP 1
Review: For all foreign doctors, this book is a goal if you want to have short information and help to remind the correct answer in the test. All the Docs must have one.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential for Step 1
Review: If you plan on taking the USMLE Step 1, forget about trying to read all of those high yield books... there just isn't time. Instead, study this book, and hit up the Kaplan Qbank and you should be in good shape if you've been paying attention in classes for the past two years. It's got very concise and specific info that's great for answering standardized test style questions. It's absolutely essential, and worth the investment. Also, if you have an older version.. keep it. They dont change much year to year, but for sure grab one of them because it will save you a lot of time, and can only help your score.
Rating:
Summary: Last 4 editions are identical
Review: My only concern is that the 2004 edition is identical to the editions of the past 5 years. Nothing new except for a few more pics.
Rating:
Summary: If only I had had this from the 1st day of Med School!
Review: There are plenty of Step 1 resources out there, and this book can't replace things like a good old Kaplan review course, BUT...
This was the most useful book I found to help me review for the exam. Upon reading it, I realized that it would have been SOOOO helpful in my courses to just give me a short, clear overview of all the truly important concepts that I needed to understand in each subject (something my courses were unable to clearly outline!)It is arranged by course, eg Pathology, Biochem, Microbio, Physio, Pharm, etc. It provides plenty of helpful mnemonics. This is not really something that you read cover to cover. If you're looking for something to review by systems, then Step-Up (by Mehta) is a great book. It's arranged by renal, cardiovascular, etc. First Aid was recommended to me by every last one of my upperclassmen. It has a great collection of high-yield glossy path photos that you should be familiar with, and it ends with reviews of many other useful books you may need for the 1st two years of med school. If you don't have it yet, you should get it.
Rating:
Summary: REQUIRED
Review: What can I say that you haven't already heard. This book is the "bible" of the USMLE. Study it, know it! I would recommend to start using in early on (by your second year)- that way, by the time it's time for the boards, you've been using it all along, and you're going to know it pretty darn well!
That's going to help you a lot for boards
Rating:
Summary: REQUIRED
Review: What can I say that you haven't already heard. This book is the "bible" of the USMLE. Study it, know it! I would recommend to start using in early on (by your second year)- that way, by the time it's time for the boards, you've been using it all along, and you're going to know it pretty darn well!
That's going to help you a lot for boards
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