Robbins and Cotran Review of Pathology

This terrific book contains more than 1,000 highest quality case(vignette)-based USMLE-style multiple choice questions, which will test your knowledge in all important (heavily board-tested) topics of pathology and will help you to assimilate and remember this high yield info. This way, i.e. solving board-like questions and reading answers with explanations, is much more efficient and effective form of reviewing than reading review text; as always, you can't review what you never knew; the problem here is that 'Robbins & Cotran Review of Pathology' refers to (i.e. answers are linked to) the main textbooks, 'Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease' and its shorter version, 'Robbins Basic Pathology', and it's supposed that you have already read one of them - but many students preparing for the USMLE Step 1 think that this outstanding textbooks are too big and too detailed and are using 'Robbins & Cotran Review of Pathology' in the combination with 'BRS Pathology' or 'Rapid Review Pathology' instead - as a result they find many questions to be too difficult in 'Robbins & Cotran Review of Pathology'. I recommend using 'Robbins & Cotran Review of Pathology' together with 'Pocket Companion to Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease' (superb review text but without illustrations in organ system pathology section) and new 'Robbins & Cotran Atlas of Pathology' - this 'triple Robbins' combination may be too much if you want to just (or, rather, barely) pass USMLE step 1; if your aim is to get 99, then it's just for you! Much kudos to Dr. Klatt and Dr. Kumar for creating such a great book!

This is the best question book for both path and Step I. There's a decent mix of questions based on long clinical vignettes along with shorter ones, much like Step I. Due to Step I's emphasis on pathology, I think this resource is almost just as valuable as the vaunted Kaplan Q bank (which is an inferior source for path questions but good on other subjects). The authors seem to do a better job of analyzing shelf exams and patterning their questions after them than other resouces such as Pretest or Appleton and Lange. Expect 40-60 questions per chapter of Robbins covering important as well as esoteric aspects of path. Certain diseases rarely appear in reality but show up as often as the common cold on exams- this book usually hits them. It also does a great job in asking second order questions (i.e. not just the diagnosis but things associated with a disease like ectopic hormones, associated symptoms, etc). These questions are both frustrating and difficult, but absolutely essential in doing well on exams. It also presents cases well, making you diagnose a disease based more on clinical presentation than definitive imaging or lab tests, which was huge on Step I. The key to standardized exams are the standardized scenarios consistently tested over the years- this book knows them. The closest to Step I and the Path shelf you can get. I almost recommend the 1st edition over the 2nd. The 2nd has more, newer questions, and elaborates more on the question stems. This is a double-edged sword, though; the longer stems tend to bog you down and make you spend more time without much more benefit in learning. The 2nd ed does have a decent final question review, though. Recommend doing questions as you take the path course, then one more time for the shelf/Step I; I used it conjunction with a good path review, which was Goljan's Rapid Review for me. I was having difficulty on my school's path exams but I credit this and the Goljan book for helping me get 98 percentile on the shelf and 258 on Step.

This is a very good test book. It is based on Robbins Pathology books. All pictures and slides are from Robbins books. It contains more than 1000 questions, mostly in clinical vignette format. Questions are very well prepared and reflect the clinical picture of each disease entity very well. Each chapter covers most of the needed items for USMLE Step 1. Answers are not exhaustive, but they are enough. I always recommend the combination of BRS Patholgy and this book as the best pathology source for Step 1.

Okay so this book was my primary review book for Path for the Boards I loved the questions and explanations. I used it with First Aid. It has like 1100 questions and in my opinion completely reviews the most impt points in path for you in question format. The questions are very similar to the board in layout with the clinical presentations. Kaplans questions are similar to it but in my opinion this book offers more questions for path and the material is organized for a complete review. Just do like one block/chapter in it per day and read the explanations. This book is your best path review for the exam because its in question format!! My other review books that I liked were. In the Made Ridiculously Series the: Neuroscience, The Anatomy, especially Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple. For pharm and biochem first aid has all you need to know. BRS Physio is also excellent. These were my books hope it helps you.

There are a tremendous amount of questions that encompass the content of Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. Helpful are the complete discussions of answers and why the wrong answers are wrong--along with references to the page number in Robbins, in case in don't believe them. The questions in this book tend to be from the challenging to ridiculous in terms of difficulty compared with USMLE Pathology questions; however, if you can master these questions, there is no doubt you will do very well on the USMLE or in your Pathology class. Well worth the [money].