USMLE Step 2 Recommended Books and Audio

USMLE Step 2 Secrets is a hard-hitting, high-yield, short yet dense review for the USMLE Step 2 CK. The overall difficulty in finding recommending books for the USMLE Step 2 CK is that the enormous breadth of material covered in the USMLE Step 2 CK massive and no single text can serve as your sole USMLE Step 2 CK review. That being said, USMLE Step 2 Secrets is a great place to start for a firm basis of clinical knowledge applicable to the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. Because of the familiar “Secrets” format of questions and answers, the book is useful for both individual and group study with friends – break up the monotony! USMLE Step 2 Secrets should be used in conjunction with other resources that present slightly different information such as First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK or a quick review like USMLE Help Step 2 CK. Much of the information in USMLE Step 2 Secrets can be found in other books such as Crush the USMLE Step 2 and you should choose the book you prefer based on your favorite learning style. With great information in a versatile Q & A format, USMLE Step 2 Secrets is one of our “Must Have” USMLE Step 2 Recommended Best Books.

USMLE Help Step 2 CS is packed with case scenarios, case scenarios, case scenarios – the USMLE Step 2 CS is all about becoming familiar with any clinical case that can be thrown at you, and the second half of this book has 40 great clinical case scenarios from start to finish. The entire first part of the book is dedicated to exam preparation for the clinical simulation itself including how to write your note, preparation for exam day, what to do for challenging patients, and everything from the initial plan of attack to your checklist for exam day. The forty clinical cases for the USMLE Step 2 CS are well laid out for studying with friends or family as your “simulated patient,” and there is even a section on setting up a clinical exam room at home! If you don’t have a study partner USMLE Step 2 CS Audio is available (disclaimer – the audio is from us at ApolloAudiobooks.com – we love the book and we admit we have a financial interest and are biased toward this great book) for questions and answers in more clinical form. You can take the USMLE Help Step 2 CS Audio with you to the gym, on your commute, or to the beach – anywhere your mp3 player or iPod will go. With a great preparation section for the USMLE Step 2 CS, excellent case scenarios, and a portable mp3 audio format, USMLE Help Step 2 CS is definitely one of our USMLE Step 2 CS Best Books “Must Have” book recommendations. Lean more about USMLE Help Step 2 CS at USMLEHelp.com and EduRad.org.

USMLE Help Step 2 CK is short, high yield and inexpensive. This is not a comprehensive USMLE Step 2 CK review book but is a quick review of USMLE Step 2 CK diseases and testable topics. USMLE Step 2 CK Audio is available (disclaimer – the audio is from us at ApolloAudiobooks.com – we recommend this book and we admit we have a financial interest and are biased toward this book). You can take the USMLE Help Step 2 CK Audio with you to the gym, on your commute, or to the beach – anywhere your mp3 player or iPod will go. For the price, this is an inexpensive, quick, and portable review with our great Apollo Audiobooks mp3 audio format, USMLE Help Step 2 CK is one of our USMLE Step 2 CK Best Books “Must Have” book recommendations.

The Next USMLE Step 2 “Must Have” Book is Underground Clinical Vignettes USMLE STEP 2 BUNDLE.

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times, the USMLE Step 2 is all about clinical case scenarios! Whether you are studying for the USMLE Step 2 CK or the USMLE Step 2 CS, the UCV series of clinical vignettes will be invaluable. As the USMLE moves from the more basic sciences of Step 1 to the more clinical sciences and rotations of the USMLE Step 2, so too, your studying should change to focus more on clinical cases than basic sciences and memorizing basic facts. Although the USMLE Step 2 has now been divided into the USMLE Step 2 CK and USMLE Step 2 CS, both tests want to know if you can approach a clinical patient (or case) and begin to think it through from history, physical exam, then appropriate labs and final diagnosis. The Underground Clinical Vignettes for the USMLE Step 2 will take you through that process step-by-step for each specialty rotation. Hopefully you already started studying the UCV series for the USMLE Step 1 (as these same types of clinical vignettes will show up on the USMLE Step 2 and USMLE Step 3). To elaborate on our review of UCV for Step 1, these cases are great to study because they are the same cases you: 1. Will see on the wards 2. Will be “pimp” question cases for several of your rotations 3. Will be the same types of clinical cases you will see on the USMLE Step 2 (and also on the USMLE Step 3) and 4. Will see in practice as a “real life” physician. We recommend buying them all as a bundle because they will serve you well on each of your clinical rotations and for the USMLE Step 2. For all of these reasons, Underground Clinical Vignettes USMLE Step 2 BUNDLE is one of Apollo’s Best Books Book Reviews “Must Have” books for the USMLE Step 2.

The Final USMLE Step 2 “Must Have” Book is Crush Step 2: The Ultimate USMLE Step 2 Review.

In Crush Step 2 Brochert presents much of the same “must know” information that is presented in USMLE Step 2 Secrets but in a different format with outlines, tables and the like. Many students swear that Crush Step 2 is the ultimate guide for the USMLE Step 2, it does contain a ton of information that will help you pass the USMLE Step 2; however, as we have mentioned before, it is virtually impossible to have a comprehensive book for the USMLE Step 2 because of the breadth and depth of knowledge covered. Our recommendation is to use Crush Step 2 as one of you primary USMLE Step 2 books – as the core of your knowledge and information. Then add on subspecialty books in subjects that are covered lightly in the book or where you are week. For example, you may want add Surgicall Recall as your surgery book to cover this section of Crush Step 2 that is relatively lighter. Crush Step 2 is a favorite among IMGs studying for the USMLE Step 2 and it contains a ton of USMLE Step 2 information, is written in a compact/concise manner, and relatively easy to navigate and read. Some have suggested pairing Crush Step 2 with First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK because they tend to cover quite different material to give you a more comprehensive basis of knowledge in preparing for the USMLE Step 2. That being said, we believe that Crush Step 2 is the stronger of the two books if you only have the opportunity to buy one. With tons of USMLE Step 2 “must know” information packed into an easy to read book, Crush Step 2 is definitely one of our USMLE Step 2 Best Books Reviews “Must Have” books for the USMLE Step 2.

USMLE Step 2 Best Books Reviews and Recommendations - USMLE Step 2 "Highly Recommended" Books

Quick List – Boards and Wards, Surgical Recall, First Aid Q&A for the USMLE Step 2 CK, Step-Up to USMLE Step 2, Step-Up to the Bedside

The First USMLE Step 2 “Highly Recommended” Book is Boards and Wards: A Review for USMLE Steps 2 & 3.

Boards and Ward for the USMLE Step 2 and 3, just as it’s name suggests, contains a lot of great clinical information that you can use on the USMLE Step 2 and 3 exams as well as on your clinical rotations. One the book’s better aspects is its coverage of ophthalmology, dermatology and radiology – the clinical rotations that are not as heavily tested on the boards, but which many students do as a rotation at their institution. Of note, if you are doing an ophthalmology rotation, or interested in ophthalmology, pick up a copy of Apollo’s book “Ophthalmology: A Brief Review” – all the ophtho a medical student needs to know in 70 pages… but back to Boards and Wards. In addition, the concept of a combination USMLE Step 2 and USMLE Step 3 review book makes a lot of sense – as both exams tend to focus on clinical scenarios and your clinical rotations. One of the criticisms of the Boards and Ward book is that there are errors found in the tables (see the reviews on amazon.com) for a listing. With high-yield information for both the USMLE Step 2 & 3 and your clinical rotations, Boards and Wards for the USMLE Step 2 & 3 is one of Apollo’s Best USMLE Books Book Reviews “Highly Recommended” books for the USMLE Step 2.

We cannot overstate how much we love Surgical Recall! Although Surgical Recall may first appear to be a simplified surgical text in question-and-answer format, we would argue that this book can serve as your primary study book for the USMLE Step 2, your surgery NMBE exam, and your entire clinical rotation. Although you may have supplement some of the surgical subspecialties with other books, Surgical Recall can stand on it’s own for most of your information needs both on the ward and the USMLE Step 2. As if the book itself were not enough, the publisher has added access to the MP3 Audio version and online flashcards with the purchase of the text – so you get the Surgical Recall Book, Surgical Recall Audio, and Surgical Recall online flashcards all for the price of the book! Pretty good deal! We recommend you use Surgical Recall to compliment the surgery sections of your more comprehensive review books such as USMLE Step 2 Secrets or Crush Step 2. The only reason that Surgical Recall is not a “Must Have” book for the USMLE Step 2 is that it is not a comprehensive resource for the USMLE Step 2. That being said, Surgical Recall IS a Must Have book for any medical student on a surgical rotation (which make up just about everybody), and that’s why Surgical Recall is on of Apollo’s Best USMLE Step 2 Books “Highly Recommended” books for the USMLE Step 2. Want to learn more about Surgical Recall Audio? See Apollo’s

The Next USMLE Step 2 “Highly Recommended” Book is First Aid Q&A for the USMLE Step 2 CK.

If you like the First Aid Series for the USMLE Exams, as most of us do, the First Aid Q & A for the USMLE Step 2 CK is useful book to have around for quick review. This USMLE book is preferable to First Aid “Cases” for the USMLE Step 2 CK because the “Q & A” book offers the same type of material in a little more interactive format. The information found in both First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK and First Aid Cases for the USMLE Step 2 CK is very similar – and add to that the fact that clinical cases format is not much a change from the regular book itself. Therefore pick up First Aid Q & A for the USMLE Step 2 CK instead of the Clinical Cases book. You can use the Q & A as a review of your knowledge picked up from the FA USMLE Step 2 CK book, use it to test yourself on your progress in studying for the USMLE Step 2, and use it to study with friends – quizzing each other on USMLE Step 2 topics to break up the monotony. In December 2009 First Aid will be releasing a new edition of First Aid “Cases” for the USMLE Step 2 CK and we will see if there is a departure from their 2006 edition. So for a great USMLE Step 2 CK book that follows the First Aid format and learning style, we recommend First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK as one of Apollo’s “Highly Recommended” books for the USMLE Step 2.

Step-Up to the USMLE Step 2 may at first appear to be a short book and a quick read (for those of us looking to avoid a 600 or 700 page review book for the USMLE Step 2 CK), but this one is dense! There is a ton of useful information packed into the three hundred pages of text and the print is smaller than comparable FA USMLE books. For every student and even for each USMLE Step examination each person has his preferences – one preferring the First Aid for the USMLE step 2 format and another preferring the Step-Up to the USMLE Step 2 format. In our experience, for the USMLE Step 2, Step-Up to the USMLE Step 2 contains more in-depth coverage of applicable disease processes than does First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK. The tables and systems-based chapters are quite detailed, but once again, we run into the problem that no USMLE Step 2 book can cover the great breadth of knowledge tested on the USMLE Step 2 CK. Note that Step-Up for the USMLE Step 2 is a better USMLE Step 2 CK review book than for the USMLE Step 2 CS – as the text focuses mainly on clinical knowledge rather than examination skills and the approach to the clinical patient for the USMLE Step 2 case simulations. Therefore, we recommend you use Step-Up to the USMLE Step 2 in conjunction with some of the many sources listed above. For those of you who are die-hard “Step-Up” fans, the book won’t disappoint. With tons of USMLE Step 2 information packed into a deceptively thin USMLE Step 2 book, we recommend Step-Up to the USMLE Step 2 as one of Apollo’s “Highly Recommended” Best Books for the USMLE Step 2.

The Next USMLE Step 2 “Highly Recommended” Book is Step-Up to the Bedside: A Case-Based Review for the USMLE Step 2.

Here we are again, stressing the importance of clinical case scenarios for the USMLE Step 2. Step-Up to the bedside is another great clinical scenario book that has 100 commonly tested clinical cases and presents them is a straightforward format with presentation, exams, labs and the basic clinical science underlying the disease process. If you a fan of the “Step-Up” Series, you will like the “Quick Hits” and occasional mnemonics. These clinical cases run the gambit from basic sciences to clinical sciences, Step-Up to the bedside can be used in studying for the USMLE Step 1 or USMLE Step 2 and USMLE Step 3. We feel that it is most-appropriate for the USMLE Step 2 as this is where clinical cases really begin to be stressed by the USMLE. As we have mentioned before, these commonly tested clinical cases are the same ones you will be tested on in the USMLE Step 2, the ones you see and be asked about on the wards, and the patients you will really encounter in your practice as a “real” physician. For a more comprehensive, detailed and applicable set of clinical cases for the USMLE Step 2, also check out the entire Underground Clinical Vignettes BUNDLE for the USMLE Step 2 reviewed above in our “Must Have” recommended books for the USMLE Step 2, but for a great start on 100 commonly tested cases on the USMLE Step 2, pick up Step-Up to the Bedside for the USMLE Step 2 – and that’s why Step-Up to the Bedside for the USMLE Step 2 is one of Apollo’s Best Books “Highly Recommended” books for the USMLE Step 2.

NOTE: LWW will be releasing Step-Up to the Bedside For the USMLE Step 2 AUDIOslated for release in October 2009! Although Apollo Audiobooks, LLC is not releasing this USMLE Step 2 audio product, we will have it listed on our website as the ever-growing list of USMLE Audio products continues to expand.

USMLE Step 2 Best Books Reviews and Recommendations – USMLE Step 2 “Other Great Recommended” Books

Quick List - Blueprints Pediatrics, Blueprints Obstetrics & Gynecology, First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK , The Blueprints Psychiatry, Step-Up to Surgery

The First USMLE Step 2 “Other Great Recommended” Book is Blueprints Pediatrics.

As we move from the more-comprehensive USMLE Step 2 review books to the more clinical-rotation-specific review books, you can see why many of these texts are listed “Other Great Recommended” Books for the USMLE Step 2. Now we are looking for USMLE books that both long enough to give you a basic understanding for your clinical rotation, and yet short enough that you can use them as a review for the USMLE Step 2. Entering third-year of medical school, most of you are familiar with the Blueprints Series as an excellent review book for you rotations. The best of the Blueprints Series for USMLE Step 2 review and the wards are Blueprints Pediatrics and Blueprints Ob/Gyn. In short, Blueprints Pediatrics is a fabulous review, full of information, dense, and with good figures and diagrams to boot! If you know the information in this one, short textbook from front to back (and you learned a little on the wards along the way) you should have enough information to pass you NBME shelf exam and do well on the pediatrics questions on the USMLE Step 2. However, at 384 pages, Blueprints Pediatrics in NOT a comprehensive pediatrics text – for that look to Nelson. On the other hand, if you are looking for a relatively short pediatrics book that will serve you well on your rotation, and help you significantly for the USMLE Step 2 and your pediatrics NBME, look no further than Blueprints Pediatrics – and that’s why Blueprints Pediatrics is one of Apollo’s USMLE Step 2 Best Books “Other Great Recommended” Books for the USMLE Step 2.

The Next USMLE Step 2 “Highly Recommended” Book is Blueprints Obstetrics & Gynecology.

In the above review, we already mentioned some of the outstanding attributes of Blueprints Ob/Gyn for the USMLE Step 2 and your clinical rotation and NBME shelf exam. Many students agree that Blueprints Ob/Gyn is the best book of the entire Blueprints Series. This USMLE Step 2 Review book is well written, concise, and contains enough information for you to pass the Ob/Gyn questions on the USMLE Step 2 and the NMBE. Of note, First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 is a little light on the Ob/Gyn section and this book is a great supplement to really flesh out you knowledge. Blueprints Ob/Gyn is memorable and easy to read. As we mentioned before, this Blueprints title is not intended to be a comprehensive Ob/Gyn text, but if you go through all the “must know” material in this book about three times, until it is second nature to you, you will be well-prepared for the USMLE Step 2 and for you clinical rotation – and that’s why Blueprints Obstetrics & Gynecology is one of Apollo’s “Other Great Recommended” Books for the USMLE Step 2.

The Next USMLE Step 2 “Other Great Recommended” Book is First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK.

The First Aid did an okay job with this USMLE Step 2 CK review text, but it definitely is not as strong as their USMLE Step 2 CS and USMLE Step 1 gold-standard editions. First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK is a good review of many high-yield topics and information, but may be lacking in some of the clinical details that are more important for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK can be combined with many of the other great recommended USMLE Step 2 books mentioned above. The high points include some great mnemonics that the First Aid team is famous for, a great review of a lot of your existing clinical knowledge, and First Aid’s classic easy-to-follow format – and that’s why First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK is one of our “Other Great Recommended” Review Books recommended for the USMLE Step 2 CK.

Blueprints Psychiatry is very short at 176 pages, and a concise review of psychiatry for the USMLE Step 2. This Blueprints book is not as long or as detailed as its Ob/Gyn and pediatrics counterparts, but it will serve as a good basis of knowledge for your clinical rotation and is definitely adequate for the amount of psychiatry information you will need for the USMLE Step 2. If you are looking for an easy read that is concise and covers applicable psychiatry information for the USMLE Step 2, look no further than Blueprints Psychiatry! And that’s why Blueprints Psychiatry is one of Apollo’s Best USMLE Step 2 Books “Other Great Recommended” books for the USMLE Step 2.

Step-Up to Surgery is a good review of surgery for the USMLE Step 2 that is not too long and not too short. It has sufficient detail to help you pass the USMLE Step 2 exam but not really enough detail for your clinical rotation. Additionally there are some typos that can be frustrating along the way. Our number one recommendation for USMLE Step 2 Surgery is Surgical Recall reviewed above in the “Highly Recommended” USMLE Step 2 Book Recommendations. However, if you are fan of the “Step-Up” Series and their writing style with useful tables and graphics, you may prefer to us this text as you USMLE Step 2 review. Ideally, you do your surgery rotation just before your USMLE Step 2 exam and study with Surgical Recall for both your rotation and the USMLE Step 2. If however, you do your surgical rotation early and either didn’t like Surgical Recall or just didn’t find it that useful, pick up a copy of Step-Up to Surgery and use it as your USMLE Step 2 review book instead. And that’s why Step-Up to Surgery is one of Apollo’s USMLE Step 2 Best Books “Other Great Recommended” Books for the USMLE Step 2.