USMLE & Board Review: Resources
About USMLE
The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination for medical licensure in the United States. The USMLE assesses the ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles, as well as demonstrate fundamental, patient-centered skills. The Office of Student Affairs at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides additional USMLE Learning and Preparation Resources.
Read more about the USMLE here:
USMLE Step 1 and 2, Shelf Exams
- Board Vitals This link opens in a new window
Board Vitals is board exam review tool for students, residents & fellows, nurses and nursing students, physician assistants and practicing physicians. Contains question banks and practice exams for specialty boards and maintenance of certification for many physician and advanced practice provider specialties.
NOTE: Access to the BoardVitals Nursing Specialties module ended on January 25th, 2025.
- Draw It to Know It This link opens in a new window
Master the medical sciences through this active learning approach to anatomy, biochemistry, biology, neuroanatomy, neuroscience, and physiology. Offers tutorials and rapid-fire quiz questions for any basic science or pre-clinical medicine education. Includes High Yield Tutorials for USMLE Step 1, 2 and 3.
- Access Medicine This link opens in a new window
Access Medicine is a collection of full text, searchable textbooks covering internal medicine, cardiology, genetics, emergency medicine, ob/gyn, surgery, and more. Textbook titles include Harrison's Online, Fuster and Hurst's the Heart, and Metabolic and Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease. Images from the textbooks may be saved, printed or downloaded for personal and educational use. AccessMedicine's mobile app content includes: Diagnosaurus DDX tool, Quick Medical DX and RX, Fitpatrick's Color Atlas of Dermatology, and Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests and more!
- Case Files® Collection This link opens in a new window
Access the complete collection of 23 AccessMedicine’s Case Files® books with basic science, clinical medicine, and post-graduate level cases in an interactive format.
- LWW Health Library Clerkship/Clinical Rotations This link opens in a new window
A collection of books and multimedia covering 6 clerkship rotations- Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery. Self-Assessment Question Banks available with free registration using your Mount Sinai email address.
- BMJ Case Reports This link opens in a new window
BMJ Case Reports contains thousands of peer-reviewed cases in many disciplines. It is the largest single collection of case reports online with more than 15,000 articles from over 70 countries.
The Levy Library provides access to electronic and print materials that help learners prepare for USMLE Step Exams. Learners have access to cases, illustrations, and questions that are commonly related to the exams. Below are select titles to assist in preparation for USMLE Step 1 and 2 exams. Visit the library catalog for more USMLE resources.
USMLE Step 1
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018, 28th Edition by ISBN: 9781260116120Publication Date: 2018Co-authored by medical students who recently took the boards, it provides a complete framework to help you prepare for the most stressful exam of your career.
*Written by students who excelled on their Step 1 exam and reviewed by top faculty for accuracy *1,300 must-know topics with mnemonics to focus your study *1,000+ color photos and illustrations - 100 new or revised -- help you visualize processes, disorders, and clinical findings
Brenner and Stevens' Pharmacology by ISBN: 9780323758987Publication Date: 2022This highly illustrated introductory text helps you learn and retain key information in pharmacology-taking you from course exams and the USMLE Step 1 right through to clinical practice. New and extensively revised content keeps you up to date with the latest pharmacologic mechanisms and applications.
High-Yield Q&a Review for USMLE Step 1: Biochemistry and Genetics by ISBN: 9781260474046Publication Date: 2022This full-color review offers a fast and effective way for you to prepare for regular course examinations in biochemistry and medical biochemistry, as well as medical board exams and the USMLE Step 1.
High-Yield Gross Anatomy by ISBN: 9781451190236Publication Date: 2014High-Yield Gross Anatomy, Fifth Edition provides a concise review of gross anatomy material tested on course and board exams. The streamlined outline format includes tables, diagrams, clinical photos, and radiographs for a concentrated, efficient review.
USMLE Step 2
Step-Up to Medicine by ISBN: 9781975192716Publication Date: 2023Make the most of your study time and confidently take the next step in your medical career with this bestselling review.! Ideal for preparing for clerkships or clinical rotations, shelf exams, and the USMLE Step 2, this bestselling volume in the popular Step-Up series provides a high-yield review of medicine in a concise, comprehensive approach. This 6th Edition is thoroughly updated and enhanced throughout. Clinical pearls, full-color illustrations, and "Quick Hits" provide essential information in an efficient, easy-to-remember manner to ensure excellence on exams and confidence in clinical settings, and a 100-question practice exam reinforces exam readiness and boosts test-taking confidence.
Test-Taking Strategies for the USMLE Step 2 Exam by ISBN: 9781264258758Publication Date: 2023Build the test-taking skills you need to ace your coursework and USMLE exams The very first resource of its kind, this innovative resource helps you build the skills specifically required to pass the first two years of coursework and the USMLE exams.
Step-Up to USMLE Step 2 CK by ISBN: 9781975106263Publication Date: 2019Current, concise, and easy to use, the updated fifth edition of Step-Up to USMLE Step 2 CK makes essential information engaging and retainable, delivering the perfect exam prep for today's busy medical student.
Boards and Wards for USMLE Step 2 by ISBN: 9781496349897Publication Date: 2017Boards and Wards for USMLE Step 2 is the solution! Updated to reflect the current USMLE Step 2 test blueprint, and organized to parallel the clerkships that all 3rd and 4th year medical students are required to take, this bestselling resource makes it easy for you to study only what you truly need to know for the USMLE as well as end-of-rotation exams.
USMLE Step 2 CK Lecture Notes 2018: Pediatrics by ISBN: 9781506220840Publication Date: 2017Organized in outline format with high-yield summary boxes for efficient study Bridges between specialties and basic science highlighted throughout Updated annually by Kaplan's all-star expert faculty
Family Medicine PreTest Self-Assessment and Review, Fourth Edition by ISBN: 9781260143584Publication Date: 2018The closest you can get to the Family Medicine clerkship shelf exam without actually taking it Family Medicine: PreTest Self-Assessment & Review, Fourth Edition is the perfect way to assess your knowledge of Family Medicine for the USMLE Step 2 CK and clerkship shelf exam. You'll find approximately 500 USMLE-style questions and answers that target the clerkship's core competencies, along with detailed explanations of both correct and incorrect answers.
Pediatrics PreTest Self-Assessment and Review, Fifteenth Edition by ISBN: 9781260440331Publication Date: 2019Filled with prep questions addressing the clerkship's core competencies, it explains both correct and incorrect answers--so you can focus your attention on areas of difficulty and make the very most of your study time. This unbeatable study resource includes updates on the latest treatments and therapies for infants, children, and adolescents, making it an ideal review tool for the pediatric shelf exam and the USMLE Step 2. Reviewed by top-tier students who passed the boards and completed their clerkship, the style and difficulty level of every question match those you'll see on exam day.
USMLE Step 3
- Board Vitals This link opens in a new window
Board Vitals is board exam review tool for students, residents & fellows, nurses and nursing students, physician assistants and practicing physicians. Contains question banks and practice exams for specialty boards and maintenance of certification for many physician and advanced practice provider specialties.
NOTE: Access to the BoardVitals Nursing Specialties module ended on January 25th, 2025.
- Draw It to Know It This link opens in a new window
Master the medical sciences through this active learning approach to anatomy, biochemistry, biology, neuroanatomy, neuroscience, and physiology. Offers tutorials and rapid-fire quiz questions for any basic science or pre-clinical medicine education. Includes High Yield Tutorials for USMLE Step 1, 2 and 3.
- Access Medicine This link opens in a new window
Access Medicine is a collection of full text, searchable textbooks covering internal medicine, cardiology, genetics, emergency medicine, ob/gyn, surgery, and more. Textbook titles include Harrison's Online, Fuster and Hurst's the Heart, and Metabolic and Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease. Images from the textbooks may be saved, printed or downloaded for personal and educational use. AccessMedicine's mobile app content includes: Diagnosaurus DDX tool, Quick Medical DX and RX, Fitpatrick's Color Atlas of Dermatology, and Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests and more!
- Case Files® Collection This link opens in a new window
Access the complete collection of 23 AccessMedicine’s Case Files® books with basic science, clinical medicine, and post-graduate level cases in an interactive format.
- LWW Health Library Clerkship/Clinical Rotations This link opens in a new window
A collection of books and multimedia covering 6 clerkship rotations- Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery. Self-Assessment Question Banks available with free registration using your Mount Sinai email address.
- BMJ Case Reports This link opens in a new window
BMJ Case Reports contains thousands of peer-reviewed cases in many disciplines. It is the largest single collection of case reports online with more than 15,000 articles from over 70 countries.
The Levy Library provides access to electronic and print materials that help learners prepare for USMLE Step Exams. Learners have access to cases, illustrations, and questions that are commonly related to the exams. Below are selected titles to assist in preparation for USMLE Step 3 exams. Visit the library catalog for more USMLE resources.
USMLE Step 3
International Medical Graduates in the United States by ISBN: 3030622487Publication Date: 2021Thousands of international medical graduates come to the United States to start their career as physicians. Many of them, however, are not aware of the challenges and problems that they may encounter along the way. Each chapter collects research evidence, interviews and surveys to gather information to work on each possible problem one by one and describes a solution in great detail. Comprised of thirty chapters, each chapter is broken down into smaller sub-sections to investigate the main theme in depth. Issues addressed include the different types of international medical graduates and their lives in the United States, differences in the education system and healthcare system, the triangle of residency, language and cultural barriers, lack of professional contacts, confidence, self-image and self-esteem issues, and restriction to specific fields and career paths.
