22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic first aid, but now with colored diagrams, December 29, 2011
This review is from: First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2012 (First Aid USMLE) (Paperback)
Edit: 1/9/12
Changing my review to 4 stars. I just tried to highlighting as another review mentioned and it does indeed smear the ink a bit. But using a bit higher quality sharpie highlighters, it didn't really smear much, if at all. While I don't really highlight first aid (b/c everything's relevant and important), others might find it a flaw.
Edit: 1/6/12
After using for a week, I really have to say this update is MUCH better than previous updates. Is it perfect? No. Definitely not. But did they make a lot of changes for the better?
in the 2010 => 2011: the book came out almost identical, except for a changing the cover
in the 2011 => 2012: there are multiple changes, which in my personal opinion, is for the better. They took the colored platelets at the end and incorporated them into the text itself. Why is this beneficial? Well, it allows you to make faster associations. There've been many studies on memory that have shown pictures/diagrams etc will improve recall.
also, people complain about errors. All books have errors! But what makes First Aid so great is that they have an errata that is CONSTANTLY being updated. You'll be hard pressed to find any resource that does this as frequently.
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I received my copy in the mail this morning. I've looked through it for a few hours and here are my thoughts...
First Aid will always be amazing for the boards. This edition, in my opinion, far exceeds their usual yearly updates. They got rid of the individual colored images and integrated the diagrams/pictures into the text itself--NEXT to the related topic. The good thing is that they didn't over-do the pictures. First aid has always been, and always should be, a review/outline of the most pertinent material for step 1. They have not abandoned that purpose.
In summary, I believe this is a great updated edition of first aid. Must better than previous editions in which the only thing they updated was 2010 => 2011 on the cover. It's definitely a great buy!!
I'll try to update this with any errors or other thoughts.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!, February 4, 2012
This review is from: First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2012 (First Aid USMLE) (Paperback)
I was going off the 2010 version and got this version. There are some GREAT changes to the book. It is better organized, and the color is so helpful! There is no longer a section for photos which makes you flip back and forth, they're in the section along with the disease/process that is being discussed.
Well worth the upgrade to 2012!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Upgrade To Color, February 11, 2012
This review is from: First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2012 (First Aid USMLE) (Paperback)
I have seen a few mixed reviews of this product, but I have to say, Wow what a step up.
The integrated color diagrams are so much more engaging.
The layout still gives you plenty of room to add in extra detail - plus keep in mind this is high yield information.
Overloading the pages with excess notes kind of negates the purpose of this book. Use this as an overall guide and hit up other sources if you need more details.
Also, I had the 2011 ebook on my iPad, and a paperback 2009 edition. Looking up corresponding slide examples for different pathologies in the back was a pain. Now you don't have to do that. All of the pictures are aligned with the corresponding material.
It still hits all the majors topics and diseases; I've been using it to study for pharmacology and neuro, right along with lecture material.
In my opinion, you should get this version. It is so much more engaging than the black and white editions.
This book is actually a pleasure to use.
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