Rapid Review Behavioral Science: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access » (REV)

Get the most from your study time...and experience a realistic USMLE simulation! These new additions to the Rapid Review Series—highly rated in the First Aid rankings—make it easy for you to master all of the basic science material covered on the USMLE™ Step 1 Exam.

• Each title focuses on a particular basic science subject, providing an at-a-glance, outline-format review of all the information you need to know.
• A user-friendly 2-color layout, Hi-Yield Margin Notes, and Key Points make studying easy.
• 100 high-quality USMLE-style review questions inside each book allow you to practice for the USMLE, and include a full rationale that lets you know why every possible answer is right or wrong.
• Another 250 USMLE-style questions for each title are available at www.studentconsult.com—mirroring the look and feel of the actual exam, and providing detailed feedback on which areas you may need to study more.

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Reviewer:Christopher J. Graver, PhD(Madigan Army Medical Center)
Description:This book, part of a series of reviews that presents information in a high-yield manner to facilitate learning, covers behavioral science.
Purpose:The main purpose is to cover a topic in a concise and memorable manner to help medical students prepare for the USMLE.
Audience:Medical students are the targeted audience. The authors are faculty at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.
Features:The first noticeable feature is the lack of lengthy paragraphs. Each chapter contains more of an outline with usually one sentence describing the phenomenon of interest. The summary tables are helpful for quickly capturing information and there are practical examples to help put contextual learning to the rote facts. Important terms are in bold type and easy to find. Nevertheless, because some pages look like seas of black, it seems to defeat the purpose of putting any words in bold. The book ends with practice questions and there are additional test questions and other resources available online. The index is comprehensive, but references are absent. Unfortunately, the authors not infrequently provide misleading or incorrect information. It is clear that some areas are outside their realm of expertise or their knowledge is not current in these areas (e.g., dementia, malingering, suicide risk factors, psychometrics, and biostatics).
Assessment:Whereas the purpose of this book is to be concise and high-yield, one would think the accuracy of the information would still be paramount. With the inclusion of information from outdated popular psychology, rather than research-based knowledge, this book could easily lead students astray. Better choices might include BRS Behavioral Science, 4th Edition, Fadem (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004) or Behavioral Sciences: PreTest Self-Assessment and Review, Ebert (McGraw-Hill, 2001).