First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 (First Aid Series)

Rating:
Summary: Way Off Base
Review: Just took step 2 couple days ago and went to the bookstore to
review this and all the typical other used step 2 books.

I have read most of the review books ( kaplan, nms, Crush, FA )
and found NONE OF THEM TO BE HELPFUL !!!!! They are very
low low yield.

For some reason, the industry keeps propagating this and other
useless Trash and Students keep buying it.

Step 1 : Is the study of Disease

Step 2 : Is Mostly OUTPATIENT /Family / Ambulatory Medicine

Step 3 : Is Mostly INPATIENT / ICU Medicine

If you want to study for Step2 ; Focus on Family Medicine and Ambulatory / Outpatient medicine. Not stupid books that make you memorize the Brachial Plexus branches or give you tons of stupid drug side effects !!! Think of what you need to know if you were
working in a CLINIC seeing common things.

Also, Dont Read too much Internal Medicine ; I read Harrisons 16th edition q bank and the questions werent Outpatient oriented enough. Step 2 isnt an Internal Medicine Board Exam !!!!!

I would recommend : Washington Manual Survival Series books
and Family Practice Questions : ISBN: 0071431306

ALTHOUGH : FIrst Aid for Step 3 is Excellent !!!!! If you want
a quickie buzz book for step 2, this book is good.

BTW : Usmleworld Psych and Stats was Extremely High Yield

I took over 40 step2 books to the used bookstore and gave them away after I took the exam. Read 1st aid 2 days before the exam ; what a waste !!!!!!







Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth the money
Review: Nice quick review of VERY good information. Great to read a couple of days before the exam to help put it all together.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Review
Review: Nice quick review of VERY good information. Great to read a couple of days before the exam to help put it all together.

Rating:
Summary: This book saved me on Step 2
Review: Quite simply the most high yield text for Step 2. It's all there, and it's in a manner that's not terribly painful to get through multiple times. I used this and one question book for Step 2 with great results.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing. Nowhere near as good as First Aid Step 1
Review: Save your money and read something else. Although this review book is designed to be high yield, the information contained is TOO BASIC to be helpful. I learned almost nothing new from reading this book. The USMLE will test a deeper level of experience and knowledge than is contained in this book. Anyone who has had an adequate medical education will find the information in this book almost trivial. There are few decent Step 2 review books out there; this isn't one of them. BIG disappointment compared to First Aid for Step 1.

Rating:
Summary: Could be better.
Review: This book comprises the pretty comprehensive chapters of Dermatology, Neurology and Statistics. Obg is okay there. Surgery amd IM are weak. However, It is still worth to be considered.

Rating:
Summary: not comprehensive
Review: This book has a lot of nice pictures, but it doesn't cover the bases. It touches on far too few topics to be a 'must have' book. I loved First Aid for Step 1, but this was a let down and a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Fair review book
Review: This is a fast-paced read, very concise, and helpful review of most subjects on the boards. However, I found it to be too general as a primary review book. It is a very good review once one has read another book with more details or as a last week refresher before the exam.

Rating:
Summary: New & Improved
Review: This new edition is much improved over the past editions! Although it's still not up to par with First Aid for Step 1, it's a comprehensive review packed with high yield topics. It's a rather thick book (over 600 pages), and due to the nature of the exam it's not too "crammable" - so you'll need some time to read and understand the material. I recommend this along with the Blueprints series and either NMS Step 2 or A&L practice questions in your preparation of the exam.

Rating:
Summary: There are better books out there.
Review: Though First Aid for Step 1 was a great book that helped a lot of medical students through the first two years and boards, this book just doesn't match up. The content is fairly flimsy and the information on the computerized exam is lacking.