best usmle step 3 prep book overall and best value
kaplan usmle step 3 lecture notes package, first edition review
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You are reading: Step 3 review books
kaplan is a trusted name in the world of medical studies. has been producing innovative solutions and guidance supplements for students for over four decades.
kaplan usmle step 3 package is a complete set of study notes and it will give you a great help to get good results in your exam. the pack is updated twice a year, which means you can always be on top of your game when it comes to the exam.
The set provides information on basic scientific correlation, patient management, patient safety, and population health. all content has been provided and then reviewed by medical experts from the kaplan team.
There are two volumes in the package, each focusing on different aspects of the exam:
1) internal medicine, neurology, psychiatry, ethics
2) pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, epidemiology, patient safety
what I liked about this set is that the content of the books is basically focused on case studies, with relevant definitions, explanations and summary boxes in each case. you can review everything quickly through the summary boxes in case you need to review some topics.
there are more than 250 cases discussed, in a total of 996 pages, to give you a comprehensive review of the possible situations raised in the exams and to keep you mentally prepared to tackle any case, during the foundations of independent practice (fip) and advanced clinical medicine (acm) components of the exam, with competence and confidence.
plus, with the books designed compactly, you can carry them with you, in your hand or in a bag, and study on the go.
Perhaps the only drawback of this package is that it is limited to only the css part of the usmle exam. for the other sections, you must purchase the step 1 and step 2 packages separately, which will add to the cost.
advantages
– detailed review of the concept, nothing is left out
– efficient for the learner: outline format with high performance summary boxes
– you can carry smaller books in the bag
cons
: only contains sections for the css part of the exam, other sections are covered in the lecture notes for step 1 and step 2
#2 best general prep book usmle step 3
usmle step 3 first aid 4th edition revision
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You are reading: Step 3 review books
first aid is a popular publisher of medical books. His USMLE Step 3 solutions are selected under the supervision of Dr. Tao Le, associated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Louisville.
what makes this usmle 3 series special is that it has been written by the residents themselves and then reviewed by the first aid medical school. Additionally, as First Aid indicates, the series is continually updated and revised to ensure students are better prepared for their exam session.
usmle step 3 first aid set includes:
1) 100 mini cases
2) bullet style “flashcards”
3) full color clinical images
what I like about this series is that it gives you information like a student would share with another student. In the total 544 pages of the series, you will discover some super effective and practical test-taking strategies, specially designed for the updated 2-day exam session.
See Also: Loren Estleman, author
The content of each topic is quite concise, but it covers all the important information and leaves you with a deep understanding of the topics at hand. There are 100 exam-style mini-cases discussed throughout the book, which will give you a clear insight into what to expect on the exams and allow you to learn how to give the perfect answer to such cases.
Flashcards are a great review tool and will give you time to assess your learning throughout the day.
my only gripe with this series is that first aid has made each set dependent on the other; therefore, for a complete understanding and comprehensive review, you will need to supplement this series with the First Aid Step 2 series.
advantages
– take ideas from former medical students and professors, so you know they’re relevant
– thorough and in-depth review
– the practice cases are similar to what you will see on the exam, leaving you confident and prepared
cons
– really needs to be supplemented with books from step 2
#3 best general prep book usmle step 3
master the boards usmle step 3 third edition review
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You are reading: Step 3 review books
the master the boards usmle series is relatively new and its popularity continues to grow among students. The content of the Step 3 book has been designed by Dr. Conrad Fischer, who is the Director of the Residency Program at Brookdale Hospital (NY).
The book comes on its own, unlike the aforementioned series which also had add-ons such as cards or volumes. it has 592 pages of content, which makes it quite desirable for those who don’t like to study in a long book. the moderate size of the book means that the content is quite concise, but you’ll still get good information out of it.
The book follows a step-by-step approach, which helps build your logic and gives you a better understanding of how the things you’ve learned are used in real cases. each chapter has been specially designed to reflect an exam style for diagnoses and tests.
You will also learn about certain techniques, such as elimination, that are aimed at usmle test-taking success and otherwise require quite a bit of experience to learn. this is greatly appreciated as other books often have a generic set of tips/strategies that most students already know.
The questions are formatted in a helpful and easy-to-remember format, which means you’ll remember the information and quickly click it into your mind during the exam. however, i strongly believe that this book is not enough for a comprehensive preparation for the usmle step 3 exam. other books on this list fare much better individually and should be preferred over this one.
advantages
– step-by-step logical approach
– provide a decent process of elimination techniques for test taking that not everyone may know, and also, some other generic test taking techniques that can help people with questions they are unsure about
– the question format makes it easy to remember all the essential information you need for the test
cons
– not as complete as others on our list
Budget selection usmle step 3 preparation book
usmle clinical trial step 3 review, 1st edition review
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You are reading: Step 3 review books
Clinical Judgment: Usmle Step 3 Review is another recently released book. It has been developed with the aim of developing clinical judgment skills in students and has a user-friendly approach to content.
The book starts with the basic science concepts and builds them up step by step, which is really helpful for the multiple choice section of the exam. Since it was recently published, the book is quite up to date with the modern style of the usmle exam.
The content of the book has been divided into different sections, with a total of 400 pages, which focus on various parts of the exam, such as diagnosis and patient management.
the book contains:
1) detailed details of diseases and clinical manifestations presented in an organized format from head to toe
2) dsm-5 alerts you should know about for psychiatry questions
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3) a section on pattern recognition that will help you develop your intuition about a disease, giving you more time to answer questions about long narrative blocks
Perhaps the best part of this book, in my opinion, is that the content is not altered. each concept is explained directly. there are keyword questions and reviews to keep your knowledge base tested and active.
There are also several tips included in each topic, which will definitely help you improve your computer-based case simulation (ccs) score.
The book also helps develop your instincts about a case through a pattern recognition section. there are detailed case examples and guidance on how to handle them, with a focus on exam-style formatting. this will definitely allow you to quickly assess a case and answer the long narrative questions without wasting much time.
However, keep in mind that this book is not as comprehensive as one would like it to be. You won’t find all the information you’d need to pass the usmle step 3 exam with this book alone!
advantages
– the succinct and summarized approach keeps “extra” material to a minimum, focusing on the core content you need to know
– all detailed examples have very strong reasoning
cons
– the review is not very complete
#5 best general prep book usmle step 3
usmle step 3 secrets review
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You are reading: Step 3 review books
USMLE Step 3 Secrets is produced by Dr. Ted O’Connell, who is a successful international educator. Part of the USMLE Secrets series, Step 3 Secrets have become very popular with students and are recommended as an aid to passing one of your most important medical exams.
I chose to add it to the list because of its fresh and engaging content style, written by former usmle candidates who excelled in their exams and are now successful in their chosen medical field.
The book has a total of 400 pages, which are divided into different sections on diagnosis, treatment and management of common disorders. there are summaries on each topic at the beginning and quite interesting questions at the end, which will refresh your memory and test your knowledge. this will help you get the most out of your reading, while still being efficient in time management.
Inside the book, you will find:
1) Pro tips and advice you won’t find anywhere else
2) figures, tables, and summary boxes that provide a concise visual overview of important content relevant to the board
One of the best things about this book is that it has been written with a simple style in mind. there are no catchy words or superfluous content used by the authors, which means the content is easier to understand and memorize.
There are various illustrations and tables in the sections to help you visualize the topic. In addition, it is always useful to take figures and tables into account.
Because the book is written by previously featured candidates, they have shared their proven strategies to excel on the exam. There are also helpful tips provided by Dr. O’Connell himself, which he has learned from his experience in the medical field.
The only negative I can think of in this book is that the reviews provided in each section are not too in depth and unless your concepts are already well developed you may not be able to benefit much from these reviews.
advantages
– short, concise and to the point, no wasted time, no superfluous content
– learn the tips that will help you beat the tricks of the test creators
cons
– the review is not very deep
our suggestions
Now that you’ve read through our shortlist, we’re sure you’ll be in a better frame of mind as to where to start usmle step 3 prep. Of course, you may still be wondering which book or series you should pick even on our list.
To be honest, we recommend that you focus on your weaknesses and then find one of the books on our list that best focuses on improving your weak areas. besides, you should at least go with a supplementary help apart from a main resource. why do you ask? This is because usmle step 3 is a comprehensive exam and no book can cover all the query possibilities that may arise on the exam.
Our overall favorite of the five study aids mentioned is the Kaplan Reading Notes Pack. Although the package is expensive, it is a fairly reliable source for studying and has been a student favorite for several years. Since Kaplan is a big brand in the world of medical books, you need to be sure that your book has content designed exactly to address the exam. With a thorough reading of the kaplan usmle step 3 set, you should be able to approach the exam with full confidence in your knowledge and skills.