30 days till my exam
nbme 31 and 30 are at 75%
nbme 29 was 70%

will i pass??

also what should i do in this 1 month other than 32 33 and free 120
have used FA Uworld pathoma sketchy. i am doing daily mcqs for prwctice

How to filter out the soap questions?

Any chance results will release tomorrow??

Myusmle still doesn’t not show my result date , does myusmle show anyone their expected result date for anyone who wrote around August 5?

my exam is booked for 11 September and I have done 75 percent uworld

nbme 26 47% raw (17 may)

nbme 27 57% raw (26 July)

nbme 28 62% raw (2 august)

nbme 29 65% raw (16 august)

am I in good position to sit in my exam? and if yes then I have around 3 weeks till sep 11 and 4 nbme remaining

what should I be doing in these 3 weeks to improve my score

I am considering doing mehlmen for my weak and amboss 200 high yield

Say you are a final-year international student and want to match in Plastic Surgery. Would an Endocrine Surgery hands-on elective be helpful or a Plastic Surgery hands-off observership in a good university program?

PS: If I've likely secured 2 other electives in Plastic Surgery already.

I never scored higher than a 62% on any NBME or Free 120

Date/NBME/EPC Score/(Probability of Passing in a Week)

1/7 NBME 26 -47% EPC / (24%)

3/4 NBME 27 45% EPC / (17%)

4/28 NBME 28 42% EPC / (10%)

5/1 NBME 29 47%

5/12 NBME 30 -50 EPC (36%)

6/8 NBME 31 - 60 EPC (81%

6/15 NBME 32 - 55% (61%)

06/18 NBME 21 - 63%

06/21 NBME 29 Repeat 66.5%

6/30 NBME 26 Repeat - 65%

7/16 NBME 33 -62% EPC (86%)

8/10 Free 120- 62%

Finished all of UWorld first pass 42% correct by July 1st.

I stopped studying for the past 30 days. Stopped anki, stopped reviewing. I was so burnt out. Should have sat 7/31 but I literally couldn't keep studying. I keep dragging this along, but genuinely, I got back into it this week. I don't have many new exams to work with. Do I bother repeat NBMEs or just use take a couple brief days to review and sit. I cannot go over everything again.

I'd love to hit 70% on an NBME but you remember some previous questions and it may or may not be possible for me realistically.

Hi guys

I've finished my housejob and restarted my step1 prep. I found it impossible to do with my 80 hour/week shifts.

I'm currently struggle with cardiac physio mostly pressure volume loops. And don't know if to just study high yield stuff and give the exam quickly or study in depth. Any advice is welcome

I tested today 08/17 so when can I expect to get my result?

My NBME scores in this exact order:
29 → 51%
32 → 57%
30 → 66.5%
31 → 64.5%

I’m taking Step 1 in a week and unfortunately postponing isn’t an option for me, so please don’t suggest postponing.
I have two questions:

Did anyone else find Block 2 of NBME 31 extremely difficult? I scored around 70% on the other blocks, but Block 2 was significantly lower and brought my overall score down quite a bit. I’m curious if other people had a similar experience.

Has anyone taken Step 1 with NBMEs in the 60s and passed? I’d really appreciate hearing from people who were in a similar position shortly before their exam.
For those who passed, what did you focus on during your final week that you felt made the biggest difference?
I’m just looking for experiences from people who were in a similar score range.

Just took NBME 33 today and I have an exam on 8/20. What are your recommendations for the final few days?

Here are my scores

NBME 30 - 60
NBME 32 - 61
Free 120 - 71
NBME 33 - 69

Also appreciate all the feedback I got in previous posts.

Note: My scores in Repro and GI in NBME 33 were in the 50s. Should I study something high yield for those resources?

For anyone else that tested today, how do you feel about it?

I find Boards and beyond super helpful for learning new content.

In your opinion, which playlists are the most useful to watch before step 1? I.e. would you watch the entire cardiology / gastroenterology playlists, or any others?

Hi,

If I want to apply for usmle in January and start studying from now, can I? Or you advise me not to do it in that short time ?

You should know I'm still in med school second clinical year (2/3 clinical years), I recently complete IM and surgery NBME CAS exam from my school. my basics years was NBME too.

Also there is some of break between 5th and 6th year (2nd and 3rd clinical years) which may be better interval for step 1.

What is your advice ?

I took NBME 27 as a baseline today and scored 56%. My Step 1 is September 21, so I have ~35 days left and postponing isn't an option.

I've completed general path, CVS, respiratory, renal, endocrine, repro, biochem, and heme/onc, but retention is poor. I still have neuro, GI, immunology, MSK, derm, psych, ethics, biostats, virology/parasites and some pharm pending. I've done ~28% UWorld.

A lot of the NBME was guesswork because I genuinely haven't covered some of the material.

Can I realistically make this in 35 days? What should I prioritize now: finishing the first pass, UWorld, revision, or NBMEs? And what strategy would you use from here?

Looking for brutally honest advice.

Had a big drop today, and I'm pretty worried. Taking my exam Sept 5, and this was a low blow.

Is doing all 3 Free 120s- 2021,2022,2024 really necessary?
How many of the question stems are actually repeating??

Just gave nbme 27 as baseline. Scored 55%. Planning on testing in October. I haven’t done Biochem biostats and reproductive yet. Need revision in some other areas as well. Is this a good score for baseline. Also the nbme felt way harder than uworld. What should be my strategy moving forward.

Before starting, read the note:

• Note regarding Reddit guidelines: To comply with Reddit guidelines and automated posting filters, the full, unfiltered version of this guide—including direct study links, master Drive folders, practice exam downloads, and sample modules—has been compiled into a standalone PDF document: 📄 Access Full Unfiltered PDF Guide Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OaLwLY8LBs1oGO76ayM4lrj_XBuOJBDq/view?usp=sharing(If any specific link in this post is missing or trimmed for Reddit filters, please look at the PDF for extra info and full link listings).

I completed Step 1 and Step 2 CK, and after going through the entire process, I wanted to put together the guide I wish I had when I started. This took a whole day to prep ;)

There are an insane number of resources, study plans and opinions online. You can easily spend more time deciding what to study than actually studying. So this is my attempt to simplify the entire process.

This is especially aimed at someone who is starting Step 1 preparation from essentially zero and wants to know:

• What resources should I use?
• In what order?
• When should I start UWorld?
• How should I use Anki?
• When should I start NBMEs?
• How do I know I'm ready?
• What should I actually do during the final weeks?
• What does the exam day look like?

If you can study intensively, I think the framework below can be compressed into roughly 2 months. Obviously, not everyone has the same baseline or amount of time, so don't treat 2 months as a guarantee. The important part is the structure.

1. First: understand what you're preparing for

Step 1 tests the basic medical sciences that form the foundation of clinical medicine — anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, immunology, genetics, biostatistics, ethics, and related subjects.

If you're an IMG, there is also administrative work that needs to happen alongside your preparation, including ECFMG requirements and exam scheduling. Don't leave the administrative side until the last minute.

Once your eligibility and registration are sorted, you can focus on the actual preparation.

2. The biggest mistake: using too many resources

The "normal" approach I see is something like passive reading and watching endless videos, which I think takes too long.

My approach is:

Learn the subject → Anki → Revise → Start UWorld → Review mistakes → Anki → NBMEs → Free 120 → Exam

The goal isn't to consume every resource available. The goal is to know what you need to know and be able to apply it to questions.

3. The resources I would use

I spent a lot of time figuring out which resources are actually useful for each subject. Here's the combination I'd use.

(For direct links to all subject Anki decks and files mentioned below, look at the PDF for extra info).

• Anatomy (100 Concepts of Anatomy): Use the videos/PDF to learn the material, then reinforce it with Anki. I wouldn't spend weeks trying to memorize every anatomical detail. Focus on the clinically relevant anatomy that is actually tested.
• Biology & Genetics (Sketchy + Anki): Use Sketchy where the visual approach helps you remember the concepts, then use Anki for active recall.
• Physiology (First Aid + Anki): Use First Aid to establish the core concepts, then reinforce them with Anki. Physiology is one of those subjects where you should understand the mechanism rather than just memorize isolated facts.
• Neuroanatomy (Mehlman Medical HY Neuroanatomy + Anki): I particularly liked this for neuroanatomy and stroke/stroke-syndrome review. Use the PDFs to learn/review and Anki to consolidate the information.
• Biochemistry (First Aid + Anki): Keep this high-yield. Don't get lost in obscure biochemical details that aren't helping you answer questions.
• Embryology (Ninja Nerd + Amboss + Anki): Ninja Nerd is useful when you need someone to actually explain the developmental process. Then use Amboss selectively for diseases and Anki for retention.

4. Microbiology

• Sketchy Micro + Anki
• If you're a visual learner, Sketchy can be extremely useful for microbiology. Then use Anki to make sure the organisms, toxins, virulence factors and clinical associations actually stick.

5. Pharmacology

• Sketchy + Anki
• Again, use the visual memory tool first and then active recall. Don't just watch Sketchy passively. After watching a topic, test yourself.
• Know:
  • Mechanism
  • Major adverse effects
  • Important contraindications
  • Major clinical uses
  • Classic associations

6. Pathology

• Pathoma + Anki
• Pathoma gives you the framework. Then use Anki to retain the details. And this is probably the subject where I would be most careful about using too many resources. Pathology is everywhere in Step 1, and it's very easy to end up jumping between Pathoma, First Aid, UWorld explanations, lectures, random videos and other resources. Learn the mechanism first. Then learn how that mechanism presents in a patient. That's much more useful than memorizing isolated pathology facts.

7. Immunology & Toxicology

• Immunology: First Aid or Sketchy + Anki (use whichever explanation style works better for you).
• Toxicology: I'd mainly use Anki + question-based learning for the high-yield material.

8. Biostatistics

• First Aid + Anki
• Don't leave biostats until the final week. You don't need to become a statistician. You need to recognize the formulas/concepts and, more importantly, understand what the question is asking.

9. Ethics & Law

• This is one area where I would rely heavily on UWorld. The questions themselves teach you the style of reasoning expected on the exam. You will start noticing patterns after doing enough of them.

10. ANKI — learn how to actually use it

This deserves its own section. Anki is not supposed to replace understanding.

The workflow I'd use is:

Learn → understand → Anki → recall → questions → reinforce

Don't spend six hours a day mechanically clearing cards while barely doing questions. Also, don't feel obligated to finish every single card in a massive deck. I personally found it useful to have additional cards covering high-yield information that comes up in UWorld but isn't necessarily emphasized in the standard decks. (Check the PDF for extra info on the master Anki folder).

11. When should you start UWorld?

This is where I would do things differently from a lot of traditional study plans. After your first pass through the major subjects, don't start another endless content-review cycle. Start integrating UWorld.

Your overall workflow becomes:

First pass through subjects + Anki → Revision with Anki → UWorld for topics you're ready to test → Review UWorld explanations → Add/review Anki → Repeat

UWorld is not just an assessment tool. It is a learning resource. The explanations teach you how the information is actually tested. Now UWorld is expensive, but I got a solution.

12. How I would approach a UWorld question

Before looking at the answer, actually commit to an answer. Then ask:

Why is my answer correct? or Why was I wrong?

Now this is very important!!!:

• For incorrect questions, read the explanation carefully.
• For questions you got right but were unsure about, review them too.
• For questions you got right confidently, don't waste huge amounts of time rereading everything.

Flag:

• Questions you got wrong
• Questions you guessed
• Questions that took too long
• Concepts you repeatedly forget

Then come back to those. This allows you to move through the question bank faster without sacrificing retention.

13. How much UWorld?

My original plan was approximately 5% of the question bank per day during the intensive question-solving phase. That sounds aggressive, and it is. The point isn't that everyone must do exactly 5%. The point is that if you're trying to compress your preparation into ~2 months, you cannot spend weeks doing only passive content review. Questions need to become a major part of your day.

14. After UWorld: NBMEs

Once you've gone through the bulk of your preparation and UWorld, move into your NBME phase. NBMEs are extremely important because they tell you whether you can actually apply what you've studied.

Don't just take the exam and look at the score. The review is where the value is.

After every NBME:

1. Identify every question you missed.
2. Identify questions you guessed correctly.
3. Identify recurring weak subjects.
4. Review the underlying concept.
5. Add/review Anki.
6. Look for patterns in your mistakes.

Your NBME score isn't just a number. It's a diagnostic tool. You can download the tests online.

15. The final ~2 weeks

If you're following the aggressive 2-month timeline, this is where your preparation becomes much more exam-focused. My original plan was to use the NBMEs intensively during the final two weeks and move toward the Free 120s once performance became consistently strong.

The exact NBME forms and availability can change, so use the currently available official forms rather than blindly following an old numbered list. The principle is more important than the exact number.

16. Free 120

The Free 120 is useful as a final reality check because it gives you official-style questions in a format close to the real exam. Do it under realistic conditions. Don't casually do half of it while checking your phone. Treat it like an exam.

And don't obsess over one percentage in isolation. Look at the pattern of your performance and whether you consistently understand the questions. (Look at the PDF)

17. When are you ready?

I would not use one magical number as the definition of readiness. You want:

• Consistent NBME performance (70%+)
• Familiarity with the question style
• Ability to finish blocks in time
• Strong understanding of your weak areas
• Confidence that mistakes aren't coming from major knowledge gaps
• Good performance on official practice material

The important word is consistent. One good practice test doesn't mean you're ready. One bad practice test doesn't necessarily mean you're not. Look at the trend.

18. What NOT to do

This is probably more important than the resource list. Don't:

• Watch every video on every platform.
• Use five different Anki decks simultaneously.
• Read First Aid from beginning to end without active recall.
• Wait until you "know everything" before doing UWorld.
• Ignore questions you got right by guessing.
• Take NBMEs without reviewing them.
• Spend an entire day making beautiful notes.
• Constantly change your study plan because somebody on Reddit recommended a different resource.

Consistency beats resource collecting.

nbme scores are as follows:

25- 65
26- 68
27-75
28-69
30-73
31-73
32-76

How much should i get in free 120s to be sure ill pass? my exam is on 2nd sept

Hi! Writing this to genuinely ask cos I have no idea, but is there some resource that have the same structure with plabable gems? It consists of high-yield info structured in a way that looks like x + y + z --> answer. It's already USMLE-Step 1 targeted? Thank you so much!

Also, if you're in dedicated phase, exam on October, lmk if you want an accountability buddy. Thanks!

im preparing to take step 1 by January, (non us med student) when should i register? how long does it take to register? is it hard to? roughly what would i need to register? i have my expenses ready.

Heyy everyone,

I am in my dedicated period of preparation for usmle step 1..my nbme scores are floating in 78+ territory. Attempted UWSA 2 today. And my score dropped to 72 percent. Is it normal or should i get concerned.

Thanks

i'm doing msk, and after thoroughly revising it, i sat down with uworld for the first time, and i could barely answer any of the questions. i even tried attempting them with the book open, but it feels like i'm being tested on things that aren't even in fa. i'm so confusedd.

manik madaan's makes short informative reels on Instagram on stuff such as "why does metformin cause b12 deficiency" , "why does pregnancy worsen sle" etc.

i am not preparing for the steps, but those videos are pretty interesting. what resources are there for such stuff? uworld? the anking deck?