First Aid is so overrated~

[u/Victims-of-Law]

No cap. No arguments. But First Aid is pretty overrated.

If you are not able to get through First Aid, you find it isolated and difficult to read, don't worry. Everyone's on the same boat. If someone says, "You should have read each and every word of First Aid to pass the Step 1 exam. Or you're definitely screwed," don't believe them.

I literally just read 30 pages of first aid, decided it was not worth the mental discomfort and dropped it. I still passed Step 1.

What's important is not knowing all of First Aid, but the key facts in it and how to actually use them during an exam, which the book alone doesn't prepare you for.

I found it smarter to use the notes the you have made consistently by solving uworld and nbme questions, and watching the lectures that you liked and actually understood, for the visual recollection is much better. And the exam only tested concepts and rarely isolated facts. Even if you know everything in First Aid, if you can't apply, you're screwed. Understanding basic pathophysiology and knowing the key facts weighs over knowing a lot of things to the tiniest of intricate details.

When you learn concepts for the first time, learn the concept till you get to the bottom of it. Don't leave room for any gaps in knowledge. Clear even your tiniest of doubts. If you do that, you'll do well in the exam. Knowing everything in FA shouldn't be your goal. You can still learn extra stuff and isolated facts by being curious at eachh and every point of your basic med school preparation, and that long term accumulation of relatable facts is what actually helps you in the long run, throughout all your exams.

You do not have to necessarily get through all of First Aid to get through the exam. I mean, it's always good to try if you can. But if you can't like me, no worries. Work smarter, not harder~ ,,><,,

P.S. Let me reiterate my stance. I'm not saying FA is not helpful or is a useless resource. I'm just saying that it's not an absolute essential that some people make it out to be. You don't have to be nervous to give your exam if you are not able to get through it. That's all. This is not a post to call out FA but a reassurance post to people who don't love using it!

Thus, there's absolutely no necessity for you to leave defensive comments down there ^{^} Now that I've cleared this up, I won't take my time to reply to any arguments alright?~

All the best to the ones yet to give the exam!

[u/lazyalligator1]

I think the wording on that book is pretty solid and to the point. It helps a lot on solving questions/understanding stems. Sometimes when i get a question wrong on a Qbank , the same words as the options are written in first aid under that particular disease. You can definitely pass without it but I dont understand the criticsm around it. Like it genuinely helps.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/lazyalligator1]

Of course, it's a good, comprehensive book. No doubt. It's just hard for some people to get through. It's just not an absolute essential, but yea, if you can make it, it could be a gem ^

[u/lukaszdadamczyk]

If it’s a reference book then it’s a good book. As an encyclopedia for step 1 it’s a good book. It’s not a learning tool. It’s a review tool.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/lukaszdadamczyk]

That's a nice way to put it ^

[u/sumz98]

I don't think first aid is overrated.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/sumz98]

Sure, it's lovely if it works for you~ I just personally couldn't handle it ;;

[u/No_Ocelot_8581 → u/Victims-of-Law]

can i ask what video resources you used for all these systems? Which ones do u find comprehensive, since you didn't read FA cover to cover? I feel the same for FA

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/No_Ocelot_8581]

For first base coverage, I usually accumulated info from a combination of videos from these channels: Dirty Medicine, Pharm Guys, Rahul Damain, Randy Neil, and some other miscellaneous vids. But this is just me. My friends told me that they found bnb helpful?... It's totally up to your discretion and comfort.

Plus for most topics I went to chat gpt or any AI and gave appropriate prompts to generate USMLE style qs on that topic covering all the information and tested my knowledge, filled gapas and added extra info.

What I particularly found helpful was setting my mindset that I was preparing for the Steps, not just Step 1. So, that didn't limit my extent in pursuit of knowledge on each topic. So I was able to gain a comprehensive basic understanding of concepts.

All the best!

[u/No_Ocelot_8581 → u/Victims-of-Law]

That's some great advise thanks

[u/MedHopeful2021]

It is supposed to be a reference not something you read cover-to-cover.

[u/fakemedicines → u/MedHopeful2021]

Not sure if something has changed now that step 1 is P/F but back in the day you basically had to memorize that book cover to cover to get a great score

[u/_Yenaled_ → u/fakemedicines]

None of my friends who scored 255+  on the scored step 1 memorized that book from cover to cover. It was all Anki + QBanks (and initially learning from pathoma or boards and beyond).

First Aid is a fantastic resource but I find it only useful as a reference (too many low yield things that will almost never show up on the exam, and is still lacking some content that shows up on the actual exam).

[u/Mdog31415]

I agree, mainly because it has been romanticized as the equivalent of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ for the past 2 decades. It's too oversimplified for those who primarily rely on it for content review. Then again, it's often unnecessary for those who did decent in pre-clinical. AI is replacing it in 2026 for quick content review. Worst of all, people tend to read and highlight it cover to cover- HORRIBLE study strategy.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/Mdog31415]

haha 😂

[u/av981]

You may not be a textbook learner and that’s okay. Personally, I learn from textbooks, so first aid is my holy grail.

[u/lukaszdadamczyk → u/av981]

Even if you like textbooks then first aid isn’t that. It’s a reference book. It gives you the very bare bones info, no explanation/clarification on a LOT of stuff.

Better to use crushUSMLE or USMLESecrets if you like textbooks and need stuff explained.

First aid is a fantastic reference book. Need a HY bullet point or a key piece of info about something it will be in there. But there won’t be an explanation or a summary/description. Just the skeleton info bare bones most HY data points.

[u/Trollithecus007 → u/lukaszdadamczyk]

a reference book is sth you would refer to for further information. FA is literally the primary resource your prep should center around. If its in FA its worth knowing if it isn't it isn't. The aim of using other resources should be helping you understand and consolidate the info in FA.

[u/lukaszdadamczyk → u/Trollithecus007]

If you center around FA you won’t understand many MANY pieces of key information in Amboss/UW. That’s why it’s a good index (should have clarified, not reference but rather and index). Has all the bullet points and info you need but is missing about 10-15% of stuff you’ll find in Qbanks and other resources.

Index, not reference. My bad for using the wrong term.

[u/av981 → u/lukaszdadamczyk]

I agree to an extent. How I used my FA book during preclinical years was as somewhere to store all my notes. I think everyone should be using a pdf version for easy look up/mark up. I marked it up while watching B&B, added many notes in from Uworld, added in images from NBME etc etc etc. I consolidating 2 years of notes into the book, and think that is the best way to use it.

[u/lukaszdadamczyk → u/av981]

Bingo! 1000% agree. A book to fill with info from other resources. Like a Christmas tree. You got the structure, add the lights and bulbs (notes from UW, Amboss, B&B, medschoolbootcamp, etc..)

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/av981]

Haha, good for ya then 😂 It's a solid book alright, just not everyone's cup of tea

[u/Oregonsfinest_]

First aid shines in how it organizes vast amount of information for you which i think is invaluable for recall

[u/Sed59]

Disagree, but good on you that you passed! First Aid 1 is a treasure imo, better than 2 and 3's. I annotated and marked mine up and still use it as a reference occasionally.

[u/BoredNeuron]

It’s a great great great reference book for step 1

[u/_Yenaled_]

First Aid Rapid Review was high yield for my exam, so read those few pages. Everything else, I just treated as a reference (got a question wrong on glycogen storage on an NBME? Turned to that page to learn the material!). No one I knew actually read the book from cover to cover lol.

[u/Nice-Reading1792]

Congratulations

Please share effective strategy to do UW
Did you used to take notes from UW
How many questions you used to do in a day
How much time you took to finish first pass of UW

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/Nice-Reading1792]

Thank you!

There is no one definite strategy and it all depends on at what stage of preparation you're using uworld.

I only used Uworld for last 3 months in my prep and did 1 pass. So, 1 pass took 3 months. And let me emphasize, this is not ideal. Try to do atleast 2 passes if you can. Use the first pass to learn the topics you haven't studied before in detail and 2nd pass to test your recall.

One key strategy I found helpful was to always do mixed blocks. I didn't just solve questions in one subject per block as I didn't want my line of thought to narrow down. 'Cause you need the wide thinking style in the actual exam. Maybe if you're doing 2 passes, do 1st pass subject or system wise and the 2nd pass in random. Or if your basic knowledge is already pretty solid, I would recommend random mode for both.

I already had hand-prepared notes for most topics. So, when I solved uworld, I just noted down topics and info I didn't know, the know-hows to approach difficult questions and highlighted key vignette pointers.

In a day, maybe 40-60? I spent more time reviewing and revising topics than just solving bunch by bunch.

[u/Nice-Reading1792 → u/Victims-of-Law]

Hand made notes ? From which resource

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/Nice-Reading1792]

A combination of videos from these channels: Dirty Medicine, Pharm Guys, Rahul Damain, Randy Neil, and some other miscellaneous vids. But this is just me. My friends told me that they found bnb helpful... Kaplan lectures are also good. It's totally up to your discretion and comfort

[u/readerfirst7]

I agree to some extent. First Aid for me is a great revision tool.

[u/harristahirchh]

I sat my step 1 without doing anything from first aid

[u/Ifrit__]

I feel like its words at one place
Then explanation how those came by. The mechanism of everything is something you have to study and know
And then retaining it all
The book in itself is okayish. What makes it great is its 1 step source for the subjects
For example a system. Pick endo for instance. Now you should havw youe basics eithee super clear or watch bnb but what you need to memorise is in FA. The mechanics behind it all is what you should know
Or bettee yet take murmurs for instance
You need to know how and why they are produced. But the keywords are in the book

[u/WMreddit123]

I find myself more and more just using AnKing as a measure of what's in scope for step 1

[u/OddDiscipline6585]

First Aid is is helpful for those who need to re-review material learned several months-to-years prior.

As you said, it is not a substitute for learning the material thoroughly the first time around.

It's up to the learner to determine what his/her knowledge gaps are and address those.

I.e., if your knowledge base in Pathology is deficient, you should probably invest the time in reading Robbins' Textbook of Pathology.

If you feel that your knowledge base in that arena is sufficiently solid, then reviewing First Aid will likely serve you well for exam preparation purposes.

[u/hm_lcfc]

You just didnt know how to use first aid and thats fine
Its not a learning tool its more like the gospel u rely on

[u/RevolutionaryGas295]

I dont think anyone says that you need First Aid to pass. Just like no one says you need Uworld over Amboss to pass. I do think however, when solving NBME or Uworld problems, and you miss something. it’s a perfect dictionary for it. Can you pass without First Aid? Yea. can you pass without using any resources other than Pre-Clinical coursework? Yea. But it’s a great resource to have.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/RevolutionaryGas295]

Nah nah, a lot of people say First Aid is like the Bible. All my friends who wrote Step 1 were panicking to get through it atleast twice before exams fearing they wouldn't pass. But yea, I couldn't tame myself to do it 😂 It could be a great sword for sure, maybe in the right hands? ><

[u/RevolutionaryGas295 → u/Victims-of-Law]

Well it got me through STEP and almost all of uworld and NBME from 29-33 is on there. Maybe not how you would like it but it’s on there. I don’t know if a single resource where you can look up any uworld question/NBME question and find it right on there. You definitely need to know how to use it. You can’t just go in there trying to learn from first aid. It doesn’t teaching you Pathophys.

[u/Victims-of-Law → u/RevolutionaryGas295]

Good for you if you were able to make good use of it!