Publication Date: October 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 078177070X | ISBN-13: 978-0781770705 | Edition: Third
Regarded by many students as the strongest USMLE Step 1 tool on the market, USMLE Step 1 Recall: Buzzwords for the Boards is now in its Third Edition. The question-and-answer Recall format helps students memorize the facts that are most often tested on the USMLE. An especially popular Power Review section helps students brush up on the details and test how well they've retained knowledge over the study period. The thoroughly updated Third Edition organizes facts according to their specific basic science disciplines and provides current, accurate information at just the right level of depth for study and review.
This book isn't so bad. It is true that the NBME is moving away from using buzzwords in their questions, but many of the questions in this book are useful to remind you of important facts. For example, the first question in the biochemistry section is "What is the rate limiting step in glycolysis?" Answer "PFK-1". If you're the type of person who likes to study by answering questions (which I do) this book will save you time. I normally make up my own questions as I go along but this book does it for me. And not all keywords are bad -- it's difficult to describe verbally what Howell-Jolly bodies in a manner that specifically hints at asplenia -- it's just plain easier to use the eponym. With those considerations in mind, I would recommend this book, not as a primary source for study, but a good way to form associations with material you've just studied and to remember important, frequently tested facts.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Do NOT rely on this book for board study, because the medical licensing exams are moving away from buzzwords. I had very few if any buzzwords on my USMLE. However, many medical schools still use buzzwords on their exams, and it is an easy book to skim through before tests if you have extra time.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
I borrowed a copy of this book from a friend and liked it so much I bought my own. It's not for a comprehensive review but it is great for emphasizing key points -- the same ones that seem to come up again and again in all the review books, plus a few extra. The quiz-yourself format lets you go as quickly or as slowly as you need to. And it's great to pick up when you have a few minutes to study but don't have enough time to get into a full study session.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews