Physiology Board Review Series

SHORT REVIEW: PROS: - very concise and easy to understand - high yield stuff here people. High yield stuff. - goes into perfect amount of depth for board study - great for use as a reference tool to complement first aid ~ (hint: some first aid chapters do a sucky job on phys - take notes in your FA copy from BRS in these chapters) - just as great for use as review tool when studying for classes - one thing that is over looked is the size - it's relatively small and very easy to tote around - organization is great ~ (both in terms of the actual way the material is presented and in terms of aesthetics - very visually pleasing) CONS: - if you're looking for a lot of depth and detailed mechanisms, not your book - could definitely use more figures. - the practice questions are mostly first order and do not reflect the difficulty of board questions ~ (but that's what UWorld or kaplan qbank is for) LONG REVIEW: I really like this book and use it a lot for studying, both for boards and for classes. I'm taking my step 1 (USMLE) in about 4 months, so as I do board study, I like to refer to BRS phys for topics that I need refreshing on. It's great as a quick reference for when you need a memory jog on certain phys subjects. For example, when you get a qbank/Uworld question about the difference between a ventricular action potential and an SA nodal action potential and your like "omg, I forgot everything I ever knew about how the heart works," you can pull this thing out and easily find this (pg 70-71 btw). I also find it very helpful for classes. I like to read through a new subject in BRS before we start that subject in class, or before I start studying for it. For example, we just started on the gastrointestinal system. We have a few hours of physiology, and before I started studying the power points and word docs for our lectures in class, I read through the relevant sections of the GI chapter. This really helps me understand the professors better when I listen to their lecture (especially bc for some reason, the majority of our phys profs have very thick Asian accents and if they say a word you aren't familiar with yet, it's very hard to understand them and then you get lost and end up having no idea what they're talking about and by the end of the lecture you feel like you've learned nothing). But if you have a backing of all the terminology, and a good generalized idea of all the neurotransmitters, hormones, nerves, vessels, etc. before hand, it makes it much easier. It's the same concept of reading ahead for class, but takes less time, makes more sense, and helps you familiarize yourself with board relevant, HIGH YIELD material. Then when it comes time for the test, it's the best way (in my opinion) to use for quick review and self quizzing, and again, takes much less time than reading through an unorganized power point that doesn't match up with the accompanied word or pdf document or whatever. IN SUMMARY - get this book. Best reference tool for physiology out there. If you buy it and find that you don't use it as much as you had in mind when you bought it, change your habits and fit it in. It's a must have in your med school arsenal

In my opinion this is the best "quick reference" text for physiology out there (and that's coming from an anesthesiology resident). I found this text invaluable in medical school for several reasons. First off, the content is in depth when it needs to be and brief when you want it to be. The goal here isn't to learn the barely-testable minutiae, but to learn the foundations of physiology. I would say this book covers 95-99% of what is testable on the boards for physiology. To get the rest you would have to spend a far longer amount of time reading a FAR bigger book. I STILL find myself reaching for this text when I need to clarify a lesser-known concept I'm wrestling with. Second, this book is REALLY easy to read. It's in bullet point with decent-sized text and ~1 picture per page clarifying some of the key concepts. It also has questions at the end of every chapter that really solidifies some of the core concepts and lesser-known facts. The questions also sprinkle in some simple pathology which is nice. I think this is a great reference book but it might be too detailed if you are just looking for high-yield facts (you know which book to go to for that). PROS: -Perfect amount of detail for a thorough understanding of physio -VERY easy to read and reference (bullet points, pictures) -Short questions to solidify understanding CONS: -Covers a little more than "high yield" material and less than a thorough text -No USMLE-style clinical vignettes (questions are short and straightforward)

I purchased this book after reading all the outstanding reviews on it, and here I am writing one myself. I was looking for a little supplemental assistance in my Physiology course, and this has been a great help so far. If you want something to walk you through concepts slowly, while holding your hand, then this probably isn't the book for you. This is a great book to have to supplement any detailed textbook, as it probably only takes 2-3 pages to sum up information that may be spread across a whole chapter. It's all bullet points, easy to understand figures, and flowcharts; couldn't be a better study guide, and it will be something I'll have on the bookshelf for awhile.

This book is a good review book. However, I have to stress that it's a REVIEW book. It's not a book that you can just read and learn the material. There are not a lot of explanations, so don't expect that this book will give you a greater depth or knowledge on something (that is why I only gave it 4 stars). The good thing about this book is that there are lots of tables and lists that will help you get the bigger picture. However, if you are in the market for a review book with great practice questions, then this is the book you want to buy. At the end of each chapter, there are 30-50 practice questions with great explanations. (The author of this book, Costanzo, helps write the Step 1 questions.... so this is really good practice!) Overall I think it's good investment, especially for the practice questions.

I'm a med student in love with Linda Costanzo's Physiology core book, and the BRS Review format just made me mad about this review book! The author has this touch in making it so easy to deliver physiology concepts! I really recommend if you didn't get any certain part from this review or need more details to refer back to her Physiology core book. Also, clear informative diagrams (in both core & BRS review book) make it easier to blend with the context and get through physiology! Totally recommended! This review book is a MUST HAVE!!!

5 stars for anyone who is thinking of using this book along with their studies or for USMLE prep. The book can teach you from scratch and does not include any extraneous information, only high yield stuff.

USMLEとは関係無しに生理学ハンドブックとして購入。 余計な記述がなく要点だけをきっちりまとめてあるので読み易く覚え易い。 これを最初に読んでから厚い教科書に移るというのも一つの勉強方法かもしれない。 web教材は単純に内容をデジタル化しただけなのでお粗末といえばお粗末だが、テストは使い易くて便利。

Beaucoup d'exemples qui se regroupent avec la matière du livre, c'est suffisamment concis la plupart du temps, mais quelques fois non. Pas d'anatomie, mais de bonnes explications!

very good