Dominic Haigh, University of Birmingham

What separates medical students from doctors? Finals. Course structure between medical schools varies, but traditional “finals” covering the clinical syllabus are a constant, which is why a book titled Pass Finals can be written universally for medical students. These exams, usually sat over a short course of time are the verboten f-word that strikes fear into the hearts of final year students. Pass Finals is subtitled "A Companion to Kumar & Clark's Clinical Medicine", and it is written to tie-in with the celebrity of medical textbooks. The text is too small to attempt to cover topics as comprehensively, it is best introducing and giving an overview to topics which are more fleshed-out in its bigger brother (or sister?). The exception is the final chapter, which covers statistics and evidence-based medicine, which is not covered is this way. This chapter is one of the best, summarising some of the most commonly misunderstood information in medical courses into coherent bullet points. The main chapters take you through relevant medical specialties. The book’s strength is the concise and uncluttered way in which pertinent points are made. The radiology section includes example films of radiographs, ultrasound scans, CTs, MRIs as well as nuclear medicine with explanations; the cardiology chapter also includes example ECGs. Example self-assessment questions are provided with answers so you can test yourself as you progress through the book. Pass Finals is not geared towards winning honours points, but it will provide a foundation for a solid pass on which to build.

Posted 20th Apr 2010

Sarah Edwards, Peninsula Medical School

Excellent Book great for finals It is clearly written and easy to dip in and out of! Recommended highly!

Posted 27th Feb 2009

Donna Pilkington, University of Manchester

An excellent finals revision text book. Much improved on the previous edition with the introduction of colour. The book is well written and easy to read. It is a really excellent little book for revision or just as a quick refresher. It is nicely divided into topics and covers all the salient points that you need to know to get through exams.
The OSCE stations chapter is really useful and very thorough unlike some books on the market. The MCQ’s and EMQ’s are also really useful as they act as an aid for assessing your knowledge. The chapter on X-rays is also brilliant, and after reading that chapter I feel I have a better grip on radiology.
Generally an excellent book. Good for revision, examining your knowledge base and as a quick refresher when in a rush. A well written, well thought out and descriptive little book. I would recommend this to all medical students as a valued text as not only does it have all the information you need but it is quite compact as well which means you can take it to uni in your bag or on the wards without being laden down with a large hefty text book.

Posted 1st Jul 2008

Sherif Khalifas, Cardiff University

Medical Finals????? The dreaded final hurdle. Passing this one is going to be a (achievable) challenge but this book will be a well spent twenty quid in the quest for the holy grail, the title ‘doctor’.
This book has been based on Kumar & Clark’s Clinical Medicine and includes all relevant chapter and page references. It provides excellent tips on how to pass finals, the type of questions and about OSCEs, all written by three experienced examiners.
Contains excellent and concise chapters on the clinical sciences and radiology, followed by systems based chapters which follow a standard, consistent lay-out and approach. The relevant points of an examination and investigations of a system opens each chapter, followed by brief notes on key diseases. Throughout there are MCQ questions to allow self-assessment.
An excellent companion to finals — even if all you use it as is a guide of what to look up it will definitely be a good buy.

Posted 1st Jul 2008