Master the Boards USMLE Step 2 CK, 2nd Edition

I LOVE this book! Above all, it teaches to the test. It might not be great for performance on rotations, but it is phenomenal for board prep. It breaks down all the ways that the USMLE can ask about different topics, focuses on high yield material, and just overall really makes you feel more prepared for the TEST.If you're looking for a book to help you kick ass on your rotations and impress your attending, this might not be ideal. But if you want a book that will help you conquer the boards, This is great!It walks you through case scenarios, helps understand which is the next best step, what is the best initial treatments, and what are the most likely WRONG answers, and why they are wrong. It helps you UNDERSTAND every aspect of USMLE/COMLEX styled questions, and it's a quick, easy read.I also love that the information is given in paragraph form, instead of bulleted lists. At least with me, it helps comprehension, and I feel like it gave me a deeper understanding of all the topics discussed. (Not just what to look for, but WHY to look for it).100 times better than Step up to Step 2. (Unless you're the kind of person that LOVES bulleted lists.)

The best book for Step 2 CK.It does a great job of preparing you for the exam, focusing on the relevant symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatments for each disease, especially describing key words and what is DIFFERENT about each disease, which is how questions are written.This is the Step 2 equivalent of FA for Step 1, but not only that, I feel I am a better medical student for it, and have a better understanding of how to work patients up.The only con is that it is more focused on IM, so it may not be sufficient for other rotations (certainly not surgery for instance). It also, like most study aids, is not all inclusive, but I would say it covers 85% of the material required to ace the IM shelf exam/Step 2.Highly recommended, you will not regret buying this book.

I will start off by saying that I love Dr. FIscher's teaching style. The man is a shot of redbull and caffeine made flesh. He is hyper-kinetic, manic at times but no one will teach you medicine the way that he can. He makes it fun and memorable. That said, when beginning my CK prep, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of books on the market but after reading the reviews and leafing through various books at stores, I realized that there were no single comprehensive CK book on the market. I bought Step up to CK and felt that it wasn't conducive to my style of learning, so returned it.In the end, I used MTB CK and UWorld as my primary sources. I also used MTB step 3 for the peds, ob/gyn and surgery sections of the exam.Pros:- Great format, goes through best initial step, best initial med, most accurate test etc...this is what will net you points on the CK.- Every word on this book must be memorized, it's super-high yield and at the bare minimum you should know this like the back of your hand.- Fast read and much more interesting than reading straight bullet points.- Goes over what is MOST COMMON WRONG ANSWER (helps you avoid these land mines).Cons:- No Biostats/epi --> this was and is a major sticking point because I hate biostats and it's so high yield and heavily tested on CK, so it seems like a bad decision to leave this out. I had to whip out the biostats from FA Step I for this.- Ob/Gyn, Peds. Surg sections are grossly incomplete --> had to supplement with MTB Step 3. If you combine MTB 2 and 3 for these sections (along with UWorld, you will be fine), but still annoying to have to buy a second book.It's not a complete book by any stretch of the imagination but it is a damn good book to serve at the foundation for your CK prep. If you annotate what you learn from UWorld into this book you will have a killer CK prep book on your hands. And do questions, questions and more questions!In the end, this book, UWorld and The "Fisch" netted me a 240+ on CK. Thanks Dr. Fischer!

The information that people seem to feel is lacking is what was learned from Step 1 studying. If you did not learn that material well then, no, this book will not be enough for you. It was meant to pick up where step 1 left off (understanding basic science, mechanisms, disease processes) and show you how to use the information=> what is the best initial test, most accurate test, best initial treatment, most common clinical presentation, etc... That being said you will still need to use UWorld and annotate in the book, similar to what most people did in their First Aid book.Bottom line- if you know Step 1 information well this will be an excellent resource, if not I suggest looking over you annotated copy of FA (if you did this) to refresh your memory for the basics and using this for practical application of that knowledge.

It is a good book for medicine and that is all... Other specialties are not fully covered and have a few topics missing.Would be helpful when read at the start and end of preparation.Not many overwhelming facts. Liked the flow of information in contrast to bullet points in many other review books,pictures and tables are good but there is still room for a lot of improvement

Whoever says that this book does not have enough information for Step 2 either studied a different book than me or took a different test than me. This was the only book that I studied for Step 2. I also did every USMLE World question (if you don't, you are hurting yourself), I watch the Comprehensive Cases videos, and I studied the Most Likely Diagnosis flashcards. The end result was a 24 point improvement between Step 1 and Step 2.Furthermore, this is the easiest to read medical textbook that I have ever read. This book alternates between bullet points, paragraphs, tables, diagrams, and multiple choice questions. It never becomes monotonous to read, and the questions keep your attention. Aside from step 2, I also recommend this book to study for your internal medicine shelf.