Customer Reviews

NMS Review for the USMLE Step 3 (Book with CD-ROM)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hopefully you have more time than that. I took my step 3 in 2005, used both NMS and Qbook for questions and review, given this edition of NMS was published in 2002 and Qbook 2004, and I was paranoid. But if I only had time for one question book, I'd prefer NMS, as Qbook tends to go into too much detail that I probably would not need to pass my exam, and NMS really did a very good job in the explanations.

Do you need Qbank? I didn't get it because, 1. it is very expensive; 2. it lacks the flexibility in studying as it requires you to sit in front of the computer; 3. it can be very tiring, as if I no longer feel bad enough that I had to dish out $600+ for the test and sit through 2 days of exam; 4. after step 1 and 2, I really do not need to familiarize myself any more with the computer interface (NMS also comes with a computer question format along with the hardcopy); 5. Qbank is pretty up to date if that's a concern. And I have always wondered if the questions overlapped between Qbook and Qbank. I wrote to Kaplan, they never wrote me back.

Now, hopefully NMS will come up with a newer edition soon, otherwise if you are taking your step 3 in 2006 or later, you may want to think twice. However, I will still give this a 4 star in 2005.

Ultimately, the true measure of any preparatory text lies in the results and successes of its users. In this regard, I found this text to be an enormous success!

I used this book as my sole source for preparing for Step 3. The strengths of this book are as follows:

1) Detail: All answers are meticulously written with clear, thorough explanations, such that you're never in doubt as to why your answer may have been wrong and why the correct answer is the best choice.

2) Consistency: As with many texts, this is written by two authors, yet it is impossible to tell question-styles apart. Furthermore, the editing is superb in that the answers to questions that cover the same topic but are in different sections of the book are always consistent with each other.

3)Up To Date: The answers in this book reflect the authors' up-to-dare knowledge of controversial areas, as they always present you with the right answer but often provide you with an additional explanation if the area is controversial.

4) Breadth: The book's 750 questions allow it to cover an enormous range of material, more than enough to adequately prepare you for the exam.

There are few weaknesses of this text. The most prominent one is the lack of any pictures, which makes dermatological preparation difficult. For that, I would suggest picking up a supplemental text. For all other topics, you can't go wrong with this text!

Great!!!
I used this book as the sole source for step 3 (sometimes a little bit of Crush Step 3) and was more than enough. Use it if you as myself were exposed to peds, gyn, psych and other stuff some years ago. The book is most current and well written with good pictures but does not get 5 stars because the questions do not reflect the actual USMLE-MCQ style but it was not a major problem.
It is written in 5 practice test with total 750 questions that cover most of the topics tested in step 3; it is coming with a company CD ROM that to be honest I never used, has the same questions as in the book.
In summary a great buy and was really good for me. You do not need anything else.

I bought this book and took the exam. The proof is in the outcome- I did great. The book is well written and covers all of the topics well. The questions are not impossibly hard and seem to mimic the exam format well--in fact, some of the questions were similar to the ones on the actual exam. I would HIGHLY recommend this book. I think it is far more useful than the Crush step 3 book.

I would recommend you follow up with a topical review like Crush or Strong Medicine for Step 3 in the week before the test. I like Strong Medicine the best.

this book is well written but not good enough for the step 3. the management part is not enough. questions are easy and more look like step 2 and not the step 3. I think it is very good for the step 2 preparetion. I compared this book with crush step 3, kaplan Q BANK, passfirst MCQ, Mosbey's ACE the board and step 3 instant. in one word as a prepared student for the step 3 I do not recommend this book for the step 3 preparation as long as there are better sources.

As of 2004, if one wants to learn from practice questions than this is the best source. It also gauges the difficulty of exam questions correctly so one can use this to see if one is ready to pass.

I used this book and CRUSH step 3 and found that the NMS review was far superior. The proof is in the outcome and I passed the exam with >90 percentile. Some of the material in this book is nearly identical to that seen on the exam. The answers are up to date, thorough and educational (even for internship in general). I highly recommend.

I liked this review book very much- the questions were well written and the answers thorough. I have tried the Kaplan, Crush Step 3 and think this review book is the best. The questions are reasonable and cover all areas. I would highly recommend it.

I have been using this book and I have to warn you that there is a problem with the CD it generates questions randomley and does not take in consideration Cluster questions and the cluster gets scrambeled and you will not be able to answer some questions propperly which will affect your ability to answer, if you can overcome this issue you will have a very good experience with this book. I have done well on the test.