Customer Reviews

USMLE Step 1 Recall: Buzzwords for the Boards (Recall Series)

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Good book as a quick review, but certainly not complete or sufficient on its own. It lives up to its title by highlighting "buzzwords"..which is very important in the actual exam. The format may not appeal to everyone and is best used during a final review. Contains a few mistakes. I would not say it is necessary for Step 1. I used it as a "break" from studying "real" books and to see how much I had retained. It highlights important details but is not comprehensive.

This book is great for testing your retention after reading subject specific review books. After taking Step 1, I went back over this book and found many similar questions. Repetition is the key to learning all of those obscure facts. This book is very helpful when used in conjunction with other review texts.

This book helps you recall the important info you forget from semester to semester. I use it daily to refresh my memory. The easy to read format lets me breeze through each subject. I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a pretty good test of how well you studied material, but not a good way to review material for boards. Pretty much you will go through the book and be in love with yourself for having memorized a bunch of facts from notes and other reviews, or you won't. There are minimal explanations to mechanisms or etiologies, and a few mnemonics that seem helpful. Other than that, I just used it as a way to determine how well I had understood material from other sources. If you buy a 200 page paperback with writing on half of each page and expect to have a board review book, you aren't studying right.

Has the potential for being a very helpful book, but I found it to be filled with repeated questions and incorrect information - suprising for a 2nd edition. Wouldn't recommend this book until someone does a much better job editing it.

don't bother picking this one up. as a 2nd yr medical student prep. for the boards, I can tell you that this book is too "short attention spanned" to learn anything. each page has 2 columns, the left side w/ a question and the right side w/ the answer...there's about 10 questions or so on each page...for each usmle topic (pharm, phys, path...). if you like kamikaze learning this might be for you. otherwise, if you're looking for solid learning forget about it!

This definitely helped me remember more facts quite faster in preparation for the USMLE Step 1. The book focuses on key facts and topics that are so important to know in order to pass the test. I also used the following books that are also available on amazon.com:
Microbiology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers
(ISBN: 0971999635)
Spinal Anatomy Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers
(ISBN: 0971999600)
The last two study guides helped me know the type of questions that were asked on the USMLE Step 1. I used these three books and passed the USMLE Step 1 the first time. I had a few friends who recommened the microbiology study guide. I'm glad I took their advice.