Review
The length is very user friendly because they can be covered a few at a time without breaking continuity. The case-based format is exactly how we as students are encouraged to study for the USMLE. The questions are case based, just as on the USMLE. The detailed answers provide supplemental information to what is presented in the cases. ... The tables present a lot of key information in a very concise, user friendly way. I feel as though this book is unique in that it has more information than purely outline-based review books but does not delve into the depth of a review textbook. Yes. The book is designed in a user-friendly manner. A student can flip through one case in between lectures or sit down and run through several cases in an hour. The fact that each case has the same components (vignette, epidemiology, basic science, etc.) helps the student think/learn in a systematic manner. I feel that this book is a good mix of cases and text - there isn't really a review book I have seen that is quite like this. --3rd year medical student, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine The cases were of an appropriate length and complexity for Step 1. A review book should use the cases to highlight important points, which this book did. This review book was easy to read, and having cases and questions after the study content was a good idea. This helped illustrate the points that I had just read. The thumbnails and key points were excellent - clear, concise, well-done. This will definitely be helpful to students studying for Step 1. The multiple choice questions are excellent. ... The key points and charts are excellent. -- 3rd year medical student, SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine Overall, strengths of the book include its easy readability and the format. I liked that each section began with a case and then described the basic science to get the reader's interest; and then gave the answer. In general, topics for step 1 were covered, and questions added to the learning. Key points section was great! The key points were excellent to sum up the well written basic science portions. Compared to other review sources, it was good as a quick review. I felt this book would be a worthy buy also because students using it for step 1 could refer to it and find it useful during their clinical rotations. -- 3rd year medical student, UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School The organization of each little snippet is very conducive to learning, because it starts broad, gets narrower and ends with the subjects of primary importance. The questions at the end were helpful, and offered good descriptions of the right answer and hit on the major points of the disease itself. -- 3rd year medical student, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio I think it would be quite useful for step one review because it is short yet complete. -- 2nd year medical student, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine I love all the features. They enhance my learning a lot more than other books I have read. The basic science review is especially important for Step 1 preparation. It is certainly more than a review. It is also a guide. I would rate it A+. It is very comprehensive and has easy to follow outline covering all the USMLE tested topics. The content of each case presented are expected to be tested on the exam and have been very well discussed. I do specifically like the integration of pharmacology into the cases ... Overall, it is a very good book and I would certainly recommend it to my friends. -- 3rd year medical student, University of Calgary
