tuxluck

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STEP1复习材料：推荐给毕业十年以上的CMG

作者：tuxluck 于 2007-9-6 03:32 发表于最热闹的华人社交网络--贝壳村

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First, several general issues:1. Here I am only talking about my personal experience. Since everybody comes from different background and has different level of clinical and research experiences, my experience may not work for everybody.2. For those graduated more than 10 years ago (like me), you will have tremendous difficulty to complete the first reading. You may not remember anything two months after you complete each subject. It doesn’t matter. Everybody is experiencing the same thing. Just keep on reading, finish all subjects for once. When you come back to the subject the next time, they will look familiar to you. This time, you will have a real review.3. I reviewed each subject for at least three times with same or different materials. Most books I chose were thick books. I also chose books with review questions. Once I completed the first reading of each book, I went through those questions. Then put the book aside, went to the next book. After completed all subjects for the first time, I went back to each book for the second time. This time I tried to remember as much as possible. For the third time, I used Kaplan Webprep and some Kaplan notes. At this period, I do not need any books for most part, just enjoy the lecture. When I listened to Kaplan lectures, I also read First Aid step 1 carefully and tried to write all important points on the FA book (while they are missing in that FA book). For the last week before exam, my only material was FA step 1 and webprep neuroscience (which is a very condensed version of Kaplan live lecture).4. Practicing questions is really important. However, I never rely on questions. If you do not have a good review before doing Qbank. I do not think any question books (alone) are good enough for you to pass with a decent score. They are important only to make you familiar with the high-yield points and format of the exam. I did not start to do Kaplan Qbank until three months before my exam, and my average score from Kaplan Qbank was already around 80%.5. How long do you need to complete the review? I used about two years for all steps (1, 2CK&CS). Seldom read anything during work time. Study 4-5 hours every night at home.6. Is Kaplan review (video + notes + Qbank) enough? Most possibly it is enough if you are graduated less than ten years ago. However, for old graduates, it will be hard to understand Kaplan contents if you do not review some books in more detail. Personally I do not think this single coverage is enough. I like to use different materials to enhance my memory. 7. It is not so hard to review a subject for 4, 5 times. When you are familiar with most contents of that subject, you can go through that subject in one-day’s time. That will be the time you can go to the exam room comfortably.ANATOMY: I think high yield series are the best books for anatomy review.High-Yield EmbryologyDUDEKLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001ISBN 0781721326Like First Aid said, it is a very good, concise review of embryology for the USMLE. Offers excellent organization with clinical correlations. Includes a high-yield list of embryologic origins of tissues. For Chinese medical graduates, we did not learnt a lot on this subject. Kaplan review materials do not provide good contents on embryology either. Therefore I think it is worth to go through this book carefully.High-Yield Neuroanatomy FIXLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005 (I was reading an old version)ISBN 0781758998This is the most import book for anatomy. Chinese graduates will have biggest difficult on neuroanatomy. First aid said this book was compiled in a clean, easy-to-read outline format. Offers straightforward text with excellent diagrams and illustrations. The first several chapters are particularly good. I totally agree with that. I read several different books on neuroanatomy, this is definitely the best one. However, I do not think anybody can get a good learning with only one book. Kaplan video neuroanatomy helped me a lot. I listen to that subject for at least 5 times. A lot questions on neuroanatomy in my exam. Be well prepared on this subject.High-Yield Gross AnatomyDUDEKLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2002, 190 pages,ISBN 0781730430High-Yield HistologyDUDEKLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004, 288 pages,ISBN 0781747635I do not have much to say about these two books. I just read through them and they are straight forward, easy to understand. Go through them once may be already enough if you review with Kaplan anatomy materials later. The best part of these books are their clinical relevant notes. Very high yield!Kaplan video anatomy is also a very excellent review course. The teacher made important points very clearly and help you to remember those points much easier.Final note for anatomy: if you do not have much experience on cell biology research, it is better you find a cell biology book to have a good review.behavīorAL SCIENCEHigh-Yield behavīoral ScienceFADEMLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001, 144 pages,ISBN 0781730848As first aid said, this is a clear, concise, quick review of behavīoral science. Offers a logical presentation with crammable charts, graphs, and tables. Features a short but adequate statistics chapter. But the contents here are definitely not enough for our review. As we do not have any behavīoral science course in China, we really need some detail review on this subject. I had a lot questions on behavīoral science. Most of the are patient-doctor relation type questions. We need a good teacher to teach us American culture and ethics on this subject.Kaplan notes are best material! Combine these two books and Kaplan video (the teacher is wonderful), it will be enough for BS review.BiochemistryLippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: BiochemistryCHAMPELippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005, 534 pages,ISBN 0781722659An excellent book that offers a comprehensive review of biochemistry and good clinical correlations as well as highly effective color diagrams. The new edition also includes high-yield chapter summaries and a “big picture” chapter at the end of the book that highlights the most important concepts.To remember high yield biochemistry contents and fit them into exam questions, you will need Kaplan lecture.Microbiology and ImmunologyMedical Microbiology and Immunology: Examination and Board ReviewLEVINSONMcGraw-Hill, 2002, 614 pages, ISBN 0071382178Very complete contents with excellent diagrams and tables. Includes an excellent immunology section. The “Summary of Medically Important Organisms” is highly crammable. This book, combined with Kaplan microbiology and immunology review lecture video (notes are horrible, I could not even finish any page) was enough for me to remember all that was necessary for exam.PathologyBRS PathologySCHNEIDERLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001, 488 pages,ISBN 0683302655For most of us, pathology with be the easiest subject to go through. This book is an excellent, concise review with appropriate content emphasis. However, since the USMLE is very clinical oriented, pathology is the most important subject. Despite that this book is ranked first in FA, it definitely does not give enough foundation for USMLE review.Kaplan video lecture pathology is the worst material in the step 1 series. Although it is still worth to go through once, do not spend too much time on that.The best review material for pathology is Goljan lecture audio (35 hours of audio record). You do not need any book for that. Just put the audio files in your mp3 player, enjoy Goljan’s active and entertaining lecture when you are commuting, working or even sleeping. I listened to Goljan audio for three times.I also did Robin’s Pathology Review 2000 questions one week before the exam. I think those questions are great.PharmacologyI used “Katzung and Trevor’s Pharmacology: Examination and Board Review”, that was a horrible book, very bad organization, incomplete contents. Only good thing there was the questions which provide a lot information outside of the text. I hated that book. The following book is so much better: I did not buy it because when I was reviewing, the old version was 2000, I though it was too old (actually it was not).Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology HOWLANDLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006, 552 pages,ISBN 0781741181An outline format with practice questions and many excellent illustrations and tables. Cross-referenced to other books in the Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews series. Good for the “big picture,” and takes an effective pathophysiologic approach. Highly detailed, so use with coursework and review for the USMLE. For the motivated student.Kaplan video lecture provide a wonderful complement to this book, helped a lot to understand and memorize the contents.PhysiologyHonestly speaking, I did not find any physiology book that is good for USMLE review. The exam use clinical cases for physiology questions. Therefore a good clinical correlation is very important. However, that is more like pathophysiology. I think only Kaplan video lecture did a very good job on physiology review. Anyway, here is the book I read, and I think this is a MUST book for physiology (because you do need to know the basic contents in this book), although it is not much helpful for the exam.BRS PhysiologyCOSTANZOLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003, 352 pages,ISBN 0781739195I also spent some time to read this book:High-Yield Acid BaseLONGENECKERLippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1998, 100 pages,ISBN 0683303937You will have several AB questions, not many. I read this book just because I was very interested in this subject and I think it worth to spend some to on this subject which is important for everyday clinical work.