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.
| 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). |
| 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. |
| 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." |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |