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This book is the bible of basic medical science. It incorporates everything you need to know into a concise, systems-based format. It is easy to read, and is great to use as you go through the systems in your first two years. Don't wait until board prep to buy this book! Use it all along to see what information is truly "high-yield".

The great advantage of this book is the system-based approach. First Aid is merely a list of facts to memorize out of context, which will not help you on the vignettes in the actual test. Step up reviews the anatomy, embryology, physio, and path of each major system -- which will help you to see the big picture and be able to take a unified approach to each boards question instead of trying to remember individual pearls. It does, however, lack a great review in terms of Biochem, Behavioral Science, and Pharm, so I would supplement with the High Yield series.

Since i'm a relatively old IMG I was delighted when I discovered this book, so I bought it and I personally used it for my step 1 preparation, FORTUNATELY I discovered it late.....since if I'd have trusted just in this book (I mean without First Aid)..I'd have failed....so b VERY careful....if u use this book for specific clinical situations (their tables in anemia, different cancer types etc) its great...but eventhough u will need first aid as a guide for the remainder. In my exam physiology and pharmacology were heavily tested and these guys almost forgot these subjects, on the other hand their pathology is excellent. Their pharmacology is quite poor, they ignored mechanisms of action of the different drugs (quite HY in USMLE). So if u use this book being aware of these problems and especially as a quick review only before the exam it should be OK.