BRS Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, Fifth Edition (Board Review Series) [Paperback]

Todd A. Swanson (Author), Sandra I. Kim (Author), Marc J. Glucksman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0781798752 | ISBN-13: 978-0781798754 | Edition: Fifth

Thoroughly updated for its Fifth Edition, this popular review book is an excellent aid for USMLE Step 1 preparation and for coursework in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics. Chapters are written in an outline format and include pedagogical features such as bolded key words, figures, tables, algorithms, and highlighted clinical correlates. USMLE-style questions and answers follow each chapter and a comprehensive exam appears at the end of the book.

A companion website includes an interactive question bank with questions from the book and the fully searchable text.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Fifth edition (December 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781798752
• ISBN-13: 978-0781798754
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Biochemistry
  • #46 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Chemistry
  • #84 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Test Preparation & Review

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Questions are full of errors, July 27, 2007

By 

S. Stampfer (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BRS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Edition (Board Review Series) (Paperback)

The material this goes through is great, concise, displayed well, properly bolded, and with good diagrams. However, the questions and answers/explanations are full of errors. I've done over a third of the questions in the book and I've come across more than two dozen errors. Some of them are huge, to the point where it says stuff in the answer key that completely contradicts a sentence in the lesson part of the chapter (if you have the book, see Ch 9 Question 6 for example). This actually happens about once per chapter. Then, in other cases, the answer key mixes up the letters, so you think you got the question wrong but then read the explanation and it turns out you're correct (and vice versa).

Of course, there might be more errors in the body of the book that I don't pick up on because I read that part first and accept it as fact. However, I think the material covered in the lesson section is solid; it's just the question section that it WORTHLESS. If you already have practice questions for the boards and just need a good review (or want to place out of biochem/mol bio in med school), then this is probably the book for you. If you want a book that gives you a lesson plan with questions to prepare you for the boards, this is NOT that book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is worthless, March 17, 2008

By 

Mark Twain "Mr. Clemons" - See all my reviews

This review is from: BRS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Edition (Board Review Series) (Paperback)

I am speechless about this book. It is so riddled with errors that the questions cannot possibly represent Boards questions. The questions are too detailed, contain too many calculations, and does not adequately prepare you for the Boards. This book is worthless. The errors are prolific. The authors should be ashamed. This was the most epic waste of my education to date.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars worthless, March 20, 2008

By 

D. Baudoin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BRS Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fourth Edition (Board Review Series) (Paperback)

The questions on this book are not consistant with questions on NBME shelf exams. I used this book to study, consistantly scored very well on the end of chapter and the comprehensive eams in the book, yet I was dumbfounded by the questions on the NBME biochem shelf exam. The material tested on the exam was the same material covered in this book, however, the emphasis was on the wrong things.