behavioral sciences

This is the Psychiatry section of the Underground Clinical Vignettes series. If you have trouble getting a general image of psychiatric disorders, or cannot associate important facts with clinical scenarios (keywords etc), this is the book you need. Because, as matter of fact, that is exactly what you need to do during the test. On the other hand, do not think you can get away by just working on this book. This book covers 54 major cases that you frequently see on the exam, but of course this is not enough. This can be a great "supplement", but not enough to use it as a "major source". I especially suggest this book as a good reinforcement if you are using "Blueprint Psychiatry".

In my experience, this book was not helpful for Step 1 preparation. Partly because Behavioral Sciences is not heavily tested in the exam and clinical vignettes are time consuming. Also, I felt that by studying a standard review book alone, I was able to remember the distinguishing aspects of each disease. However I am sure there are many people who would find this book useful.

This is the worst book of the series and is a waste of time. Pharmacology cannot be taught by clinical vignettes and the author himself recognizes this. In the book review section of First Aid, Dr. Bhushan admits that it is not an ideal review source. The problem is that within two lines of the clinical vignette, the drug is revealed, so there is no chance to guess the answer. There are less time consuming ways to learn the side effects of drugs.