I would expect that after several editions, First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 would have fewer errors (which are sometimes in previous editions as well) as well as have tons of minor editorial mistakes which make this a poor reference book. Don't get me wrong: if you are taking the USMLE Step 1, you need this book. It has excellent information and sums several big topics up nicely and concisely. While you are reading BRS Pathology for instance, you will notice that the material correlates really well, and First Aid focuses on the details you need to know. The catch: you need to know each and every word of first aid, as my friends and Q bank would have me believe. Here are the main reasons I am not completely satisfied with First Aid. In the Index, several of the topics listed reference the incorrect pages. Another reviewer noted that this isn't a big problem, but when you like to flip back and forth like I do, and look up terms that look novel or strange, it is more than irritating to have to flip forward or backward 1-2 pages to find what I'm looking for. There are also many cross-referencing problems on the inside-cover (don't worry too much, though; there's an underground cross-referencing page floating around your med schools to correct this). As I understand, these errors are limited to the 2005 edition. I also believe in an index having utility and being thorough. First Aid's index is not nearly thorough enough to be able to reference important terms. When tricky or odd-looking terms comes up, go to your Stedman's. Don't try to look for what First Aid has to say about a term because a term may be within the book, but it won't always be in the index (e.g. Fanconi syndrome). Also, many times you have to try to decipher where First Aid wants you to look (e.g. "acid-base chemistry" is indexed, but not "arterial blood gas"). There are also some minor errors and oversimplifications throughout the book. You will correct them with your own markings as you study, but don't necessarily trust First Aid entirely. Go to other source (mehndia)