Preparation Books

The book includes 3 full practice exams. I took one a year before the actual exam and made a 65, I took the second one a few months after starting to really study and got a 75. The last exam I took a month before the actual examination and got an 85 - which is the grade I received on the actual test. I found it so helpful to know which areas I needed to work on.

This book was very helpful in preparing for the IBCLE exam. The photos on the included CD were similar to those found in the exam. The questions and review sections were also very instrumental.

Whatever tools you use to prepare for the IBCLC exam, you can never challenge yourself enough. Each time you must think through a situation or analyze the facts presented, you are stengthening what you know. And, how can you go wrong with ANYTHING that Linda Smith writes! She is among the nation's most experienced lactation consultants, whose daily work involves handling lactation questions and concerns from around the globe. She has never responded to any of my questions with anything less than excellence!

This text and tests were very helpful in preparation for the lactation consultant exam. Very good practice exams helped those of us who haven't been in school for a while. The exams help with content and timing. CD Rom was helpful for the picture portion of the exam.

I think this book really did help me with the IBCLE exam! I would really recommend using this as a study guide!!

I can not say enough good things about Delaney's books, especially this one. Learning Criminal Law is an amazing tool by itself, but the thing that makes it really special is the way that it ties together all of the material in the previous two books in this series. Learning Criminal Law applies the concepts presented in Learning Legal Reasoning and How to Succeed on Law School Exams to substantive criminal law. Not only will this book help you learn criminal law, but it will also cement the Legal Reasoning and Examsmanship methods. The advocacy argument approach is also very engaging. I highly recommend this book!!!

This book did not just teach me criminal law by presenting legal arguments, which I find to be a more engaging way of learning. It also taught me how to answer law school exams. The author arranges questions so one starts with easier questions and progress to harder ones - the ones you may see on a real law school exams or the bar exam - with model answers given and explained. I can feel that the author wants the readers to understand his material and do well in law school. It is a very helpful book and I highly recommend it.

I really like the advocacy argument learning style. It's much more interactive and learning through advocacy arguments will definitely prep me for a good advocacy answer come exam time.

This book is essential to your first year criminal law course. As another reviewer, Childers, notes: you need to learn not only the substantive criminal law, but how to write like a lawyer.

The E&Es are close but they won't get you there. You need to practice advocacy argument from both sides for every issue. You need to know how to quickly drop in a comment about policy for extra points. You need to practice interweaving facts with their respective elements, and when to devote a lot of space to a problem and when not to.

This book goes well with studying/examsmanship methods noted in Planet Law School, Delany's examsmanship book, LEEWs or Flemmings. It presents each substantive area and goes from simpler fact patterns to the more complex. Every problem shows example student answers, sometimes one strong and one week, and critiques them to let you know what they are doing wrong and what they are doing right.

Use this every week for your hypo practice. You don't just "read" this book, but you make a copy of the fact pattern for you and your study buddies, practice it like an exam, and then compare to Delaney's model answers.

There are still some other books I'd recommend, AFTER buying this book, to supplement your selection for 1st year criminal law. Understanding Criminal Law by Joshua Dressler covers a lot more substantive ground. With this you won't need a commercial outline. Also Criminal Law: Model Penal Code by Markus Dubber goes into the substantive workings and policy behind MPC more thoroughly than any other source out there.

But turn to Delaney's Criminal Law first as an introduction to a topic. And then turn to it after going of the substantive law your class is covering (referring to the other books I mentioned), playing with the hypos and getting ready for the exam.

Every law student will recognize the series Examples & Explanations, Nutshells, Understanding and perhaps Blond's. I've worked with all of them. Delaney's "Learning Criminal Law" is superior to all of them!

To anyone who ever took LEEWS, Fleming's, or read Delaney's "How to Do Your Best On Law School Exams" and wished for more practice this is your answer! I liked many of the Example & Explanations series because they had hypos at the end of the chapters. I loved "Learning Criminal Law" because Delaney teaches with hypos on just about every page. Like the previous reviewer, I must have said to myself a thousand times, "I wish there were Delaney primers in my other subjects."

It really helped me with a lot of words. I still haven't taken the test, but my ability in practice tests has already improved a lot.

HEY I PURCHASED IT OVER ONE MONTH AGO AND IT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE DELIVERED THE 1TH OF FEBRUARY. NOW, CAN I PLS HAVE WHOT I BOUGHT AN IT'S MINE?

I was having so much trouble learning vocabulary before the GRE but this helped so much. I learned the words quickly thanks to how this book was set up and the next time I took the GRE I rocked the vocab section. This book is a must.

I'm an international student and this book helps me a lot. I remember all the word and understand how to use it. Even you don't take the test, it is good to know these words for graduate level. Thanks Barron.

The book is excellent,i learn't nearly 300 new words in a week or so,it would nice if they had more than 800 words but I guess there are other books for it

I loved the Thomas Flanagan trilogy.
By chance, I believe I came across the primary source books for each of the three.
The Year of the French seems quite obviously informed and inspired by Thomas Pakenham's Year of Liberty, a novelistic but dense nonfiction recounting of the western uprising in 1798.
The End of the Hunt takes much of its feel from "The Big Fellow", Frank O'Connor's beautiful account of Michael Collins' revolutionary career.
If these two are obvious the third is less so:
The Tenants of Time builds very effectively upon the foundations of Micheal Davitt's book, "The Fall of Feudalism in Ireland." This book, by an 1867 Fenian who became a leader of the Land League movement and an obstructionist member of the British parliament, is rich in detail about the Land League and the parliamentary struggle of the late 1800's that shows up in the Flanagan book.
I recommend these books to readers who have finished the trilogy, just as I would recommend the trilogy to all.

Though I have not a drop of Irish ancestry I have long been fascinated by nineteenth century Irish history. The Green Flag: The Turbulent History of the Irish National Movement, by Robert Kee, was the best book I read in 1972, and The Parnell Tragedy, by Jules Abels, was the best book I read in 1974 (even tho it is not the best book on Parnell--F.S.L. Lyons' book, Charles Stewart Parnell, which I read 20 May 1979, is equally good and Robert Kee's The Laurel and the Ivy: The Story of Charles SAtewart Parnell and Irish Nationalism [which I read May 1, 1996] is better). This novel by Thomas Flanagan is written with a most authentic-seeming Irish touch, and the story takes us through the Fenian and Parnell years with a better story line than The Year of the French, the first volume in the trilogy, had for its period, the rising of 1798. Anyone who likes to absorb history by reading fiction could scarcely do better than read this book as to late nineteenth century Irish history.

"Tenants" begins on the eve of the Fenian uprising of 1867. We meet four young men and their compatriots as they train to confront the British and the Irish Constabulary and free Ireland -- or so they hope. There is Robert Delaney, shopkeeper and politician to be, Ned Nolan, a returning Irish-American whose hardline sympathies presage the IRS, Vincent Tully, squireen and future brother-in-law of Delaney, and Hugh McMahon, schoolteacher of Kilpeder.

But the uprising is only the beginning of their travels. After serving their time after the failed rebellion, we follow Hugh, Robert, Ned and Vincent through their lives and the history of Ireland in the late 1800s; Parnell and the Land League and the boycotts which nearly succeeded in driving the British out altogether and succeeded in breaking the backs, largely, of the Ascendency. It ends with Parnell's disgrace and downfall, and the deaths of two old friends.

Flanagan's writing has a lovely Irish flavor; it may be this, as much as the story itself, which holds so much pleasure for me.

An earlier reviewer complained that the path of one character's life too closely paralleled the more famous events which occurred in history. But rather than a flaw, I see that as the author's intent, bringing the historical events close and helping you see them from the inside through smaller characters rather than trying to put words in the mouths (not that he didn't do that anyway, to some extent) of the historical characters they represented.

Bob paralleled Parnell, rise, disgrace and fall; Vincent, the Anglo-Irish landowners whose life was disrupted for all time by Parnell's boycotts; Ned, those who found Parnell and his non-violent approach at best wrongheaded and at worst traitorous to Ireland; and Hugh stood outside it all as everyone else did, having some of the picture but not all, seeing it for us.

I bought this in an airport because I wanted something to read. It has become one of my favorite books ever.

"Tenants of Time", Flanagan's book between "Year of the French" and "End of the Hunt", deals with the Parnell era in Irish politics. But it is much more than that. Three men bound together by an act of failed rebellion in their early years, remain tied to one another and their actions on that day while a young historian tries to understand "a single moment in history" represented by that doomed rebellion.

The characters are large and complex, the ideas even bigger and the setting so evocative that you won't want the book to end.

Great literature that is also a great read. I really can't do the book justice. Read the first fifty pages and I bet you can't stop.

One minor complaint: Delaney's circumstances too closely mirrored Parnell's in the O'Shea debacle.

Spanning four decades of tense Irish history after the Famine years, Flanagan's tour de force masterfully weaves the life stories of four boyhood friends from County Cork whose adult lives result in different and conflicting choices regarding their roles in Irish society and politics. Together, they join the Fenian brotherhood in 1865, but the revolution's failure pushes them on divergent paths for fuller meaning in their lives. In exploring these developments, Flanagan expertly combines the characters' life challenges with the dramatice course of Irish history in the late Victorian era, presenting vivid depiction of the Fenian assassins, the agrarian struggles of the Land League, the rise and fall of Parnell, and the inevitable growth of Ireland into the modern era. Yet this striking panorama of Irish history never overshadows the rich and complex dynamic of the relationship between Hugh, Robert, Ned and Edward, whose struggles to find fortune and meaning in their world thrusts them into tragic internecine conflict. This is a novel you will never forget, and I would rank it among the best historical novels ever written.

As a 3rd year medical student, I found this book very helpful to have in my pocket for studying dense information in short breaks. It helped me score very well on the Shelf exam.

This book offers an impressive amount of info in just 2 pages per syndrome/disease. Love it for boards & reading up on topics you'll find on the office, however it lacks some acute issues you may find in the hospital. For instance, Electrolyte imbalances...a book like Inpatient Pediatrics sheds a great deal of light on that subject, but the book itself is physically larger.

This book has the essentials of over 220 topics in Peds - in a single page it gives you etiology, epidemiology, differential, signs and symptoms, treatment, and prognosis. What more can you ask for? Excellent as a quick reference and for studying.

This is a fantastic reference for residents and medical students. I especially found it useful in preparing for attending rounds, but it's also great for exam review. I'm very happy with this purchase.

As a practicing pediatrician, I use this book to review a few items that I have long since forgotten. I also recommend it to the medical students and pediatric residents that rotate through my office. I love the fact that the material is written in an easy to understand format. It virtually jumps off the page at you. I also think its organization into to etiology, epidemiology, differential diagnosis etc. makes it idea for the medical student. Its format reflects how you will be "pimped" on rounds and the key stats and concepts that you will see on the USMLE. A great read!!!

Kelley's Textbook of Internal Medicine, now in its 4th edition continues to uphold the highest standards of excellence and is an acclaimed classic world-wide. It is unique among other medical books in that as a stand-alone one-volume reference guide, no other provides such an encyclopaedic breadth of coverage and utility in clinical practice. The founding editor, William N. Kelley has succeeded admirably in compiling a superior and formidable state-of-the-art medical reference which contains several written contributions from leading medical specialists and is a powerful teaching tool for both medical undergraduates and qualified practitioners. The text is compartmentalised into 11 major sections, each corresponding to the main branches of medicine. These include an opening part on Principles of Medical Practice which is followed by sections on Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Oncology and Haematology, Rheumatological, Allergic, and Dermatological Diseases, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism and Genetics, Neurology and finally Geriatrics. Each section is then further subdivided into chapters which discuss the procedural aspects of how to approach a patient with a common presenting complaint from tests to final diagnosis, a focus on the main disorders of each particular system, as well as an in-depth analysis of the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities pertaining to specific disease entities. In light of the growing importance of evidence-based medicine, a major new addition to the 4th edition is a series of "clinical decision guides". These are based on various gradations of scientific evidence which propel evidence-based medicine into the front-line of decision-making when considering the formulation of guidelines relating to differential diagnosis and management protocols for major problems. Also worthy of special mention is the inclusion of an extremely useful Rapid Access Guide which is alphabetically indexed by organ system and located at the beginning of the text. This allows fast and easy retrieval of the most important facts regarding common specific diseases or syndromes. In summary, at over 3000 pages long, Kelley's Textbook of Internal Medicine is a truly inspirational achievement and must surely rank amongst the most thoroughly comprehensive and authoritative medical textbooks currently available. Certainly, I can think of no book which encompasses such scope and captures the changing face of medicine today.

I have been using this book for many years. No new edition will ever come out. Dr. Humes, the chief editor, of this textbook in the reply to my email by one of his coworkers, he stated that " Dr. David Humes asked that I respond for him to your email of 5/8. He regrets to report that Kelley Textbook publisher, Lippincott Williams & WIlkins, is no longer publishing General Medicine textbooks and that he is unaware of any plans to publish a new edition of the Textbook. Dr. Humes appreciates, however, your kind and favorable comments regarding the Textbook.."

So no more new edition of Kelley's textbook of internal medicine in the market. What a great disppointment!!!!

An excellent reference text for the practicing primary care physicians. Concise, gives necessary info without a lot of minuta.Great bargain for the price. I trained using Cecil's and I feel this is as good for less money.

I whole-heartedly agree with other reviewers. This book is a treasure in the midst of competing texts that simply do not offer the quality of Kelley's textbook.

This book does what others simply fail to do. Provide comprehensive, *practical*, and evidence-based medical management guidelines. Whereas most standard texts may provide such information about disease entities, Kelley's also recognises that patients most often present with diagnostic problems (such as hematuria or tremors) and thus devotes much attention to these. Each of these presentations is examined in terms of differentials (not just a list - you are given perspective and told what to look for in different subpopulations that present with the same complaint), then workup, treatment options, and followup considerations are explored. Facts aren't simply printed for the purpose of memorization (as is often the case in other texts); they are contextualized and presented in a manner that is useful to your goal of providing thorough and effective management options to your patients. I would also recommend this texts to medical students, as it is far easier to absorb information that is clinically and practically relevant rather than memorize those lists and flow diagrams (which at first glance may look concise and easy to study, but in the long term are actually difficult to remember).

Dr A.M.

Although relatively new in the game, (when compared to veterans like the Cecil's and the Harrison's), Kelley's Textbook of Internal Medicine is in a class of its own. This 3,200 pages of sound medical gospel is an all-round platinum winner.
It is a pacesetter in outlook: covering all branches of medicine in a veridicous way that is worthy of emulation.
If the current pace established by the 4th edition is sustained in the future, Kelley's will completely douse competition from both the Cecil's and the Harrison's texts.
It is hard to find flaws in this book; and I believe that many people would like to see what its CD-ROM version will look like.

I purchased this book for the preparation of my exams and have found it to be very resourceful and informative. I highly recommend this book for studying.

I have to disagree with the reader who gave this book one star review. This is a REVIEW book, not a text book. It's true all the tables, diagrams and illustrations come from Kaplan lecture note(the note alone sell for $600, you may get them used from ebay for $300), but medessential picked out only the highest yield material from these notes to include in this comprehensive review book. I only studied Kaplan and Goljan patho and got 234(98)(I will try to upload my score sheet here). I didn't like FA myself, b/c it's too boring and it's just piles of disorganized facts, there is no comparison like Kaplan did.

I suggest you visit your local Barnes and noble to read this book first before making the purchase and see if it suit your style.

I graduated from medical school 13 years ago from another country, just passed my step 1 last year, Kaplan and Goljan definitely are critical to my success.

Good luck for your boards!

The book was wonderful for a quick Anatomy, Embryo, Histo, Phys and Biochem review. Basically it's good for everything but Path. And lets face it - most of us use Goljan Rapid Review for that. If you have used or like the Kaplan lecture series books, this will work for you. Its a high yield review of lecture material in Kaplan mainly in chart format. Its main advantage over FA is the use of pictures that help to illustrate the anatomy and embryology. I love it and have pushed FA2008 aside in favor of this book. In quick review - you WILL need a different Path review book, but this is more detailed and better as a high yield review of general info!

I find this book beats FA hands down. The material is orgnaized in logical manner and goes through each science for every system. It has more pictures and explanations than FA which I thought was a jumble of information. It also has a lot of COLOR images, which FA lacks. It has some information that FA doesn't have and vice-versa. Really, get it and FA both before the start of year 2 (or earlier) add notes in it as needed. If I had to choose just one of the two books, I would go with this one.

Medessentials is a great book. Slightly more detailed with better charts compared to First Aid. Both books though have information not contained in the other, while a large majority is in both. I would recommend any first years considering books for studying for Step 1 for their second year to consider buying this and using both First Aid and Medessentials together (annotating 1 or both of them) as you go through your courses/review throughout the year making the 4-8wks/study before boards easier.

This book is the best question book you will ever use third year. It was dead on for the NBME in IM. I used a review book, then case files, then did all these questions twice and honored the NBME (first in my class to do it because we only have 8 weeks of IM instead of 12 weeks). There is no reason to look anywhere else for IM questions prior to the test.

Most internal medicine clerkships have a shelf exam at the end of the rotation. There is no gold standard textbook for internal medicine that I have encountered due to the fact that there is such a breadth of knowledge found in the discipline. However, for the shelf exam, this book is essential. It has been updated past the 2nd edition to include questions and information about current guidelines for treatment. Also, an additional feature that is great is the cd-rom which contains the entirety of the book in a computer based exam which can be customized.

This book is a wonderful review! Internal Medicine Essentials is a great companion for this question book. I feel it covers the relevant topics, and points out the main take home message in a clear and concise manner. The Essentials book is sort of like a "Blueprints" except it is written by ACP. I haven't taken the boards yet, so I can't promise this is the best approach...I feel pretty confident however. Hope this helps!

This is an excellent preparation tool for the shelf exam.

I highly recommend using this book during your internal medicine rotation. The questions are shorter than those on the actual shelf exam, but they require the same thought process. On the shelf, the questions are less focused on "what disease does this patient have?" and instead involve choosing the appropriate diagnostic test or treatment. The same can be said of the questions in MKSAP 3. Another nice feature is that the book comes with a CD with all of the questions. This allows you to keep better track of your progress and to take the questions in a random mode, rather than just subject-based. Besides doing the questions themselves, it is also important to read through the answer explanations, which are excellent. Overall, a great investment!

As a college professor and long-time test-prep tutor, I've evaluated the gamut of test-prep resources. This is, hands-down, the best math SAT book I've seen: clear, articulate, and accessible without being condescending. I was so impressed that I researched (Googled) the author, and found out that he's won several teaching awards as a high school math and science teacher in New Jersey, which may explain this book's effectiveness: it's written by a teacher who can anticipate student questions and areas of confusion, not a desk jockey. After using it with a few kids, I have decided to make it the required math text for all my student clients. I'm wondering if there'll be one for the verbal section, too..

Keller is a great author whose done his work on trying to find out ways to help students. After reviewing this book, I felt that it helped me greatly, and prepared me well for the math section of the SAT's.

Keller knows what he's talking about. As a former physics student of his I can say with complete sincerity that he's the best teacher of my high school career. He goes above and beyond because he is passionate about what he does. It consequently makes sense that his SAT prep is not only effective but extremely efficient. In the four weeks that I learned his techniques and my proficiency rapidly excelled. It makes sense. Keller takes his time to research and understand the student experience. He's a man that is constantly challenging himself with new material. The learning experience is always fresh in his mind and in this way he is able to take on a dual ability: To effectively render understanding and understand exactly where understanding will be obscured. He knows when to pause for absorption of material and when to explain further. He's gifted at his trade and the academic community is fortunate to have him.

I discovered this little book on Amazon.com and bought it for my daughter who was about to take the SAT again in the hopes of bringing up her math score. I can tell you that it worked for her. She raised her math score by 110 points! The strategies in this book work -- at least they do for the old SAT. I can't vouch for the new SAT that starts this year, but I strongly suspect the ideas will still hold.

Thank you Philip Keller for making a huge difference in my daughter's math score and putting her in the running for admission to the highly competitive colleges to which she has applied.

I just took my SAT's a couple of weeks ago. I read the book and thought it was great. Keller introduces many interesting tactics and strategies for taking the SAT. He tells the reader which questions to answer and which ones to omit if you are low on time. He creates personal plans for students who want to get a specific score. The book also has a little humor in some places. I highly recommend this book!

The product arrived within given time range and was in excellent new condition. No complaints.

Good for telling your what your 1st step of action should be. It has simple cases that are very common in practice. The original cases are then expounded upon when one thing is changed. Good book.

I used five different review books on my clerkship and this was by far my favorite. Compared to Case Files, there are more topics and the format was definitely better.

I really like this book. The book is presented in a case-based question/answer format. The book is written in narrative form (no bullets, or choppy info). I like the design of the book and it's easy to read and understand. The cases presented are classic and in-depth. It's a long read though, and may be too much for boards when its crunch time. I used it mostly for reference and when I didn't understand something when I was studying for Step 2. It's a great book for 3rd year surgery rotation and the shelf exam. Good luck!!

I just finished my surgery rotation and took the shelf exam. I have to say that reading this book really prepared me for the shelf and also for the whole surgery rotation. I highly recommend this book. You may also want to have a question book such as pre-test surgery to do some practice questions.
Good luck in surgery.