I used this as a review for Step 2 but truly, USMLE world is the best Qbank for preparing. I dont have ANY ties to USMLE world but Ive used it and the other company's Qbank...World is MUCH better. This book is similar to First Aid, which is what I used for Step 1, but I think it has a better lay out than this book.

I used Dr. Van Kleunen's "Step-Up to USMLE Step 2" book intensively last year. I love the approach, the amount of material covered. The fact that all the pediatric conditions are covered within the system chapters, so basically once you are through the Internal Medicine chapters, you only need to go over a few pages of Pediatrics, dealing with developmental milestones, vaccinations, etc. and you are ready for Peds questions as well. Dr. Van Kleunen uses very practical charts and diagnostic/treatment pathways. There were a few mistakes in the first edition, which were corrected in the second (I did go to the store and compared). There are a few pages with colored pictures, which appear on the actual exam and are very useful. One thing I did not like is the fact that the Color Plates are in the middle of the Dermatology chapter (don't know why, maybe publisher's slip-up). I personally think it would be better if the color picture followed the condition or if Color Plates had been at the very end of the book. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly NOT enough to just read through this book. I penciled-in aplenty of additional info/explanations to go over and used it in conjunction with "First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK (First Aid USMLE)." However, I love the style, even though information is succinct, this book covers enough material for a thorough review. If you feel completely lost on the topic you would have to do more reading from a text of your choice, but as a review book, it is excellent. The last, but certainly the most important is that you need to do at least 1000 questions after this or any other review.

I read quite a few books on the subject and this one was a worst of all (Kaplan, FA, Crush, Boards'n'Wards). Can't really compare with FA for Step 2 CK since FA has a different format and better organized and concise material. I am suspicious about 2nd editions coming out only a year after first. Seems to be a waste of money, but you may like it.

Let me preface by saying that I prefer the First Aid series in general over the Step Up books especially for the USMLE Step 1. However, this book is superior to that of First Aid for Step 2. The information presented in this book is not obvious and straightforward as in the First Aid book. The authors did a better job screening topics and clarifying areas while still maintaining as much detail as the First Aid for Step 2 book. They also do a better job discussing treatment and diagnosis. BUT...the page numbers are misleading. There might only be 300 pages but each page is fairly dense and offers smaller print than the First Aid Step 2 book so while it may contain 300 pages, it truly reads like a 500 to 600 page book. Don't purchase this book if you think it's a fast read because it isn't and you will spend just as much time (if not more time) reading this book than the First Aid for Step 2 book.

I chose this book initially because it was very concise (only 322 pages including index, etc etc) and with only a month to study for Step 2, I wanted concentrate on doing questions. The pros for this book: it is very concise and to the point. It explains each syndrome, basic pathyophys, h&p, and management. It also has some good algorithms and mneumonics. The bad: Many errors and typos. I've been careful not to completely rely on this book for factual data, but write notes in it according to my other references. Also, many syndromes that I thought should have been included are left out (i.e. not a word about hereditary spherocytosis that I could find). Furthermore, outside of the ones we already know about, most of the mneumonics are kind of random, long, and not very useful (i.e. there's a mneumonic to remember what symptoms occur for the flu) So, if you plan to use this book as a primary study tool, I would not advise it. But, I've found it useful for myself to write notes while doing study questions. Just be careful about the errors/typos.