Crush the Boards: The Ultimate USMLE Step 2 Review [Paperback]

Adam Brochert MD (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1560533668 | ISBN-13: 978-1560533665 | Publication Date: July 15, 2000 | Edition: 1st

Written by Dr Brochert, who scored in the 99th percentile in Steps 1 and 2 of the US Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), this comprehensive review book is jam packed with clinical information that has appeared on recent administrations of the USMLE Step II, and will enable medical students to "crush the boards". Step II is the same level of difficulty as Step I, but the questions are more relevant to the clinical practice of medicine and focus on what a first year resident in the emergency room or clinic should know - how to diagnose, manage, and treat common diseases. Coverage includes epidemiology and biostatistics, pharmacology and microbiology, cardiac physiology, and basic EKG pathology. Knowing common and life-threatening diseases in the sub-specialties (orthopedics, urology, ophthalmology, nuerosurgery, child psychiatry, and vascular surgery) can increase one's score substantially.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hanley & Belfus; 1st edition (July 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560533668
• ISBN-13: 978-1560533665
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,586,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, November 15, 2002

By 

"crunchyinmilk" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crush the Boards: The Ultimate USMLE Step 2 Review (Paperback)

I am a terrible studier with no attention span whatsoever, yet with the help of this book I went up 25 from my step 1. Here's what I did: I read this book, reread the blueprints books that I had read anyway over the course of third year, did most of the questions in the NMS book, then reread this. Whenever anything important-sounding came up, especially in the questions from the NMS book, I would write it into the margins of crush the boards. It took a fair amount of time, but certainly no more (probably a good deal less) than I spent on step 1. It was also far less painful studying for step 2 than for step 1.

The book is a nearly flawless summary of important points. It skips the basics (e.g. assumes you already know what a QRS complex is) and focuses on only the highest of the high yield. In fact, I'd bet that you could beat the mean just by reading this book alone.

One minor point, I ran out of time and did not review the "pictures" section at the end of the book (that's one problem with the book. It has very few pictures, and usually just suggests that you "know how to recognize" a given finding). As it turned out, there was not a single picture on my test. Maybe 4 or 5 films, but they were easy to identify. So it's not an issue.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best for last days before exam, September 10, 2001

By 

edar "edar2001" (Prescott, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crush the Boards: The Ultimate USMLE Step 2 Review (Paperback)

This book isn't probably the sufficient source to ACE the exam but I believe you CAN PASS it with that book only. That's a lot from 200 pages book.
For me it worked incredibly well as a study companion to Blueprints series in first stage of studying and then as the GREATEST final review source (with NMS and Kaplan questions sources)
Nothing can give you so much "consolidation" on your last 4 days before the exam like going through Crush The Boards for one final time.
I would take one star away for the lack of illustrations but once again ........200 pages!!!! You can always use First Aid or any atlas for pictures.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title of the book says it all!, October 5, 2000

By 

Chris Thomas (Augusta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crush the Boards: The Ultimate USMLE Step 2 Review (Paperback)

I scored average on Step 1 and was able to improve my three-digit score by 38 points on Step 2 using this book. It is extremely high-yield and right on the money. I would highly recommend this text to anyone in preparation for Step 2.