Thieme Test Prep for the USMLE®: Medical Biochemistry Q&A

by Joseph D. Fontes, Darla McCarthy

Overview

Ensure readiness for the USMLE® or any other high-stakes exam covering biochemistry!

Thieme Test Prep for the USMLE®: Biochemistry by Joseph D. Fontes and Darla L. McCarthy fills a void in the available board preparatory materials with its focus on biochemistry. Readers will learn to recall, analyze, integrate, and apply biochemical and molecular biological knowledge to solve clinical problems.

Key Highlights

• Over 325 USMLE®-style multiple choice questions on biochemistry, classified as easy, moderate, and difficult, include detailed explanations
• Questions begin with a clinical vignette, and approximately 25% are image-based, mirroring the USMLE®-format

This essential resource will help you assess your knowledge and fully prepare you for the USMLE® Step 1 or COMLEX Level 1 exam.

Be prepared for your board exam with the Thieme Test Prep for the USMLE® series!

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626234635
Publisher:	Thieme Publishers New York
Publication date:	12/26/2018
Series:	Thieme Test Prep for the USMLE®
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Section I Foundational Principles and Protein Function
1 Chemical Foundations: Acid-Base Chemistry, Buffers, and Bioenergetics
2 Chemistry of Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleotides
3 Biochemical Reactions and Catalysis
4 Protein Structure and Function
Section II Metabolism
5 The TCA Cycle and Oxidative Phosphorylation
6 Carbohydrate Digestion and Metabolism
7 Fatty Acid Metabolism and Lipid Digestion
8 Cholesterol and Steroid Metabolism
9 Protein, Amino Acid, and One Carbon Metabolism
10 Nucleotide, Heme, and Iron Metabolism
11 Nutrition and Integrated Metabolism
Section III Molecular Biology
12 Cellular Signaling and Posttranslational Modifications
13 DNA Replication and Cell Cycle
14 DNA Mutation and Repair
15 Gene Transcription and RNA Processing
16 Protein Translation
17 Cell Stress and Death
18 Biochemical and Molecular Techniques

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Peter J. Kennelly, PhD (Virginia Tech)
Description: Part of the Thieme Test Prep series devoted to providing students with access to batteries of questions modelled after those encountered in step 1 medical board examinations, this book contains more than 300 example questions on biochemistry and physiology. Students can use these sample questions either as an independent and realistic tool for monitoring the effectiveness of their exam preparation, or directly as vehicles for acquiring and reinforcing their knowledge. Purchasers of the book can sign up for a free trial of the publisher's MedOne online question and answer bank, which reportedly contains 4,200 entries.
Purpose: The goal is to assemble a collection of questions that faithfully reflect the "content and style" of the USMLE Step 1 or COMPLEX 1 board examinations. However, while many of the questions were selected "high value" learning objectives, as defined the Association of Biochemistry Educators, others focus on additional "foundational material" that may only be tested during coursework.
Audience: The book is designed as a tool for "early-stage medical students" seeking assistance with their coursework or with preparing for the USMLE Step 1 or COMLEX 1 board examination.
Features: The book is divided into 18 topic-specific chapters, such as "Chemistry of Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleotides" or "DNA Mutation and Repair." Each chapter starts with a list of five to eight learning objectives selected on the basis of the recommendations of the Association of Biochemistry Educators. The core of each chapter consists of a set of 10 to 24 multiple-choice sample questions, each of which is organized around a clinical vignette in USMLE style. Both the questions and the accompanying list of answers with explanations are written in a straightforward and easy to read declarative style. The text is supplemented by numerous figures and pictures, and roughly one-quarter of the questions are image-based. One of the more attractive features of the book is the use of color coding to indicate whether a particular question is considered to be easy, medium, or hard. Another helpful feature is the inclusion within the answers and explanations of analyses not just the correct responses, but the incorrect ones as well. The latter should prove helpful in diagnosing student misconceptions and highlighting key features of commonly encountered distractors. While there are a substantial number of illustrative figures and tables, they represent a disjointed menagerie rather than a stylistically coherent collection. Complicated figures taken from other publications have been shoehorned in to limited spaces while images of simple small molecules are magnified well beyond the resolution required. Consequently, many pages feature large areas of wasted white space that could be easily eliminated by simple changes in the scale and positioning of figures. It should also be noted that no legends are provided to assist readers in navigating them.
Assessment: This is a solid and economical addition to the library of available USMLE step 1 preparation books that could have been even better if greater attention had been paid to detail, particularly with regard to visual images.

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