radsourcephl

BI-RADs, 4 RADs

What is radsourcephl?

A curated collection of radiology residency resources compiled from real resident conversations and community recommendations. Every resource here has been vetted by residents who've actually used them — with honest sentiment about what works, what doesn't, and when to use each one.

Core Texts & Review Books

Resource Consensus / Best Use
Crack the Core (CTC) The Boards Bible. Essential for passing the Core Exam (R3), but heavily criticized for lacking images and including low-yield trivia. Not recommended for R1s trying to learn fundamentals.
Core Radiology R1 Fundamental Text. Highly recommended for beginners to get the basics down. Has good images and pairs well with basic Anki and beginner questions.
War Machine Core Physics Standard. The companion to CTC for physics. Considered by many as the only physics text you need, though the Non-Interpretive Skills (NIS) section is widely disliked.
Felson's Chest R1 Essential. The classic starter text for chest imaging. Short, image-heavy, and meant to be read straight through.
Mettler (Nucs) Nucs Gold Standard. Highly recommended for understanding Nuclear Medicine basics and high-yield charts.
Helms (MSK) MSK Basics. A common recommendation for skeletal radiology, though some residents find active learning (Anki + Qbank) higher yield than reading it straight.
Top 3 Differentials Reference/Reading. Considered "not bad" for reading, but actively doing Anki + Radprimer is often viewed as higher yield.
Learning Radiology Good Alternative. A decent alternative to Core Radiology for beginners (by Herring).

Question Banks & Review Series

Resource Consensus / Best Use
Core Review Series In-Depth QBank Books. Highly regarded, essentially acting as giant, detailed question banks. Nucs and Cardiac are the most frequently recommended volumes.
Radprimer High Yield with Anki / Polarizing. The beginner sections are decent for R1s. Residents note doing Radprimer + Anki is extremely high-yield. However, the intermediate questions are widely hated ("dog water") for being overly obscure.
BoardVitals Best Dedicated QBank. Widely considered the best and most representative question bank for the Core Exam. Most residents save this until 1-2 months before the exam.
Radexams (Recreate) Mixed / Extra Practice. Provided by programs. Explanations are often unhelpful, and image slices can be frustrating. Good for extra volume but not primary learning.
NIS App / Packet Non-Interpretive Skills Essential. The definitive source for the NIS portion of the boards. The standalone iOS app is highly rated.
Physics App Physics Question Standard. Used alongside War Machine to hammer home physics concepts.

Anki Decks

⚠️ A Note on Anki: Unlike medical school (Step 1/2), there is no universally perfect Anki deck in radiology. Decks are highly polarizing and often contain errors or bloat.
Resource Consensus / Best Use
Ranki Best for Boards. Smaller deck (~3k-5k cards). "Elite" for board prep, but requires a strong baseline foundation. Not digestible for a fresh R1 without prior reading.
Ankore Massive & Polarizing. A huge deck (~30k cards). Heavily criticized for bloat, "word association" learning, and poor cloze deletions. Lower barrier to entry than Ranki, but many residents strongly advise against it.
Ankioma Avoid. Generally disliked due to formatting issues and "monster cloze deletions."

Supplementary Apps, Sites, & Courses

Resource Consensus / Best Use
Radiopaedia Image Lookup & Courses. Essential for reference. The paid courses (especially the comic/graphic novel style ones) are highly recommended.
Radiographics Articles Supplemental Reading. Great supplemental resource with a reading list organized by year in training. Highly regarded by residents.
CaseStacks Call Prep & Cases. Highly and consistently recommended for cases and independent call preparation. Very comprehensive, especially for Neuro.
MRI Online Modality Deep Dives. Praised for educational courses, specifically in Breast and Ultrasound.
StatDx Image Reference. "Underrated" but essential for finding high-quality image examples across different modalities to supplement text-heavy books like CTC.

Pre-Residency / PGY-1 Prep

Resource Description / Best Use
UKY Intern Prep Program Bridging the Gap. Free online curriculum built specifically for PGY-1 interns. Features learning blocks with narrated modules, embedded questions, and downloadable Anki decks. Perfect for clinical interns building a foundation before R1.

YouTube Channels

Resource Consensus / Best Use
Radiology Tutorials Physics Lifesaver. Highly praised specifically for physics videos. A fantastic supplement if struggling with War Machine.
Dr. Sam's Imaging Ultrasound / Body. Mentioned as a good resource for ultrasound and body courses.

Summary Action Plan for an R1

Getting Started:
  1. Read for Fundamentals: Start with Felson's (Chest) and Core Radiology (General).
  2. Practice Basics: Use the Beginner questions on Radprimer, and use CaseStacks to prepare for call.
  3. Reference Images: Heavily utilize Radiopaedia and StatDx while reading.
  4. Hold off on Board Prep: Ignore Crack the Core, War Machine, Ranki, and BoardVitals until your R2/R3 years when preparing specifically for the Core Exam.