urgent book advice need plz ASAP - feras

[ArchivalUser]

please help me with book choices any input will be greatly appreciated and post will be useful to many forum members who are starting to prepare for usmle step 1

i need to know your opinion ASAP cuz i need to ask someone who is coming back from the US to buy the books for me and i only have few days

what in your opinion and according to your experience are the best books to study following subjects (i was sleeping during medical school so i need thorough studying and i am willing to read more than one book on a subject if necessary, and i've got time)

path >>> rapid review - goljan path review - goljan notes - BRS - pathophys boards and wards - goljan audio (all good books i am gonna listen to the audio that's for sure but which one or combination is best)

pharma >>> lipp - katzung - road map - kaplan (which one or combination is best)

neuro >>> road map - HY - kaplan (which one or combination is best)

micro >>> recall - HY - MRS - jawetz (which one or combination is best)

immuno >>> jawetz - how the immune system works - kaplan (which one or combination is best)

biostat >>> HY - appleton and lange (which one or combination is best)

thanks

[ArchivalUser]

My humble opionion: get a whole set of Kaplan notes (7 books + 1 question book), buy the latest edition of First Aid for USMLE step 1 (this is a great book, very useful along your study, and most useful shortly before your test) I think 90% tested points are there.

Kaplan comes with lectures. You can subscribe Kaplan webprep for 2 months and they will send you all the books. Then you can listen to the lectures.

Some people who are bold enough are selling Kaplan stuff in classified forum. You can go and take a look. It is a great deal if you can get them in this way. But of course, it is ilegal.

Other books, I think you can forget about them. Just focus on Kaplan. They are good combination great for your prep.

Good luck.

[ArchivalUser]

hi feras,arya is right just focus on FA(HY topics in fa)and keplan notes and do keplan qbank u can score more than 90%.there are already so many subjects and sub subjects and u r aiming to use so many books,this is not right aproach.i think u have point in urs mind that for scoring reading more books is necessery.it will become very difficult to consolidate in last days of urs prep.best stretegy is that first read keplan notes(very easy to study)if u can not clear concept of any topic in keplan then clear the topic in other review book or textbook or keplan dvds and then add notes from these sources to urs notes ,that will be sufficient.use keplan urs main book,bcz it directly reflects exam ,it has all that topics which are tested in exam,all topics in it are explained moderately ,not like other books in which some topics are very short 4 to 5 lines and some topics are very long of 7 to 10 pages.some people are fond of reading many books(there own learning style)and they also score if u wanna read many books then follow study stretegy of MEGs(a 99 scorer),he firstly read keplan notes and and then add notes from keplan to FA,then he read BRS patho,BRS physio and then add the notes which are extra in brs to keplan and then add the notes to FA and in last only read FA.MEGs study stretegy is in another forum,u can download his stretegy in that forum

[ArchivalUser]

thank u so much for input, i really appreciate it, i already have kaplan notes and i read the biochemistry one and liked it but as i said i was sleeping in med school and we took basic science 5 years ago and for me kaplan seemed a little insufficient and the biochemistry is said to be one of the best of the notes

so let me rephrase my question which of the above mentioned books is best to supplement kaplan for each subject, and for pathology since its not the best in kaplan which is the best method/books to prepare it

[ArchivalUser]

hi feras,i again say that keplan is the best,ten years old graguade use it to score,
one thing keep in mind that preparing for this test is a different thing ,this test doesnt need to know every think,this test reqiures that u have a solid knowlege of HY topics and some knowledge about low yield and requires how well u apply the knowlege.it also depends on how much u study during urs ist 2 years but not so much,but it is not very necessery.now a days very old graduades with only using keplan can pass why,although they forget every thing what they read during ist two years but they pass why?this means that only basic year performence is not necessery ,u said that u were sleeping during urs basic years then why some people failed just after when they take the exam just after basic years and also there are people who failed the test when they take the exam just after exam.this test all depends on how u apply urs knowledge ,although u are away from basic subjects for years but keep in mind that still some knowlege is in urs subconcious level and aslo during clinics u also reviewing these bcz there is a relation between clinical and basic years,alll u need now is hard work and try to refresh urs subconcious and review the material so that u conciuosly master that material.
keplan for all subjects is more that enough ,be confident on these material,as u said that u can understand the material that is good that is what reqiured the better u understand the material the better u can apply the knowledge,keplan has all the hy topics which are tested in exam and also the
cocepts in it are explained according to exam,it is even good for path,however if u are not satisfied with keplan patho,then read my post replies to usmlegiver and babu regarding patho book , here is
hi usmlegiver,drbank is right that patho is heavily tested and 4 patho read A rated books.have a look to my post reply to babu regarding patho book,may it helpfull to u.
hi babu,keplan is best ,bcz keplan(notes)is very specific to exam it is exam oriented.while goljan(rapid review is good, answer to urs previous post)is broad and clinical oriented.so best stretegy for patho is that first read keplan and if u feel that u r not able to apply urs knowlege to some topics by answering some questions when u r doing keplanqbank then suppliment keplan with goljan(bcz goljan is clinical oriented and also goljan tells u that how u apply urs knowledge)even if u have less time then supplimention with goljanHY 100 pages will also be helpfull. if u do not like keplan then note the topics in keplan and FA and then study these topics in goljan or brs.a 99 scorer says that patho is subject which needs supplimentations even if u do not understand any topic in review book then clear concepts in robins text book.for commen and important pics and slides ,see the slides in webpath or robin text book.that is all that required for patho.but be seriuos with patho bcz patho is heavily tested in test and also patho relates to all subjects .if u study patho well then all subjects becomes some what easy to u.

[ArchivalUser]

i am very grateful to you Dr. Ameer for the time u took to clarify things for me, and i agree with you 100% that test is about understanding concepts and then applying knowledge no matter where u get this knowledge from, although some topics needs cramming but its not impossible

and i am gonna take ur two advices cuz they made a lot of sense to me first one is to read kaplan first and supplement as needed second one is to use questions to assest whether supplementation is needed or not very good idea

thank again and best of luck to you

[ArchivalUser]

HI Feras!!!

Your name sounds like an old freind of mine who left medical school to take care of his Dad who was sick.. anyway.. i have books .and much more for step 1 ... just read my postage.. or you can email me: dide19

GL

[ArchivalUser]

hi feras.thanx
u mentioned about some topics which are cramming,for this note that one good study stretegy is that duiring urs first read(first read should take 45 to 60 days)try to understand the material not memorize the material if u have new eddition keplan notes then it is best.as u read a chapter(during ist read,read to understand)then after each chapter quickly do questions of that chapter in keplan,do this for whole keplan notes.then during urs 2nd read try to memorize the material and then with FA(HY topics in FA,FA is the best,believ me only do the topics of FA in keplan u can pass,but dont take risk,)and then with FA after 2nd read do keplan qbook,note urs weak points in keplan qbook and then after 3rd read do keplan qbank,note urs weak point and then take nbme forms and then take the test.

[ArchivalUser]

thanks a lot to ferras,fayyaz ameer& arya.
really appriciate u all for guiding us who r new to usmle world.
iwas confused about many things before but with ur help it is getting cleared
thanx again.