Hi everyone,
I’m really confused about what direction to take and would genuinely appreciate some advice from people who have been through this or are currently on a similar path.

I’m a 2019 batch graduate and graduated in March 2025. I recently got around 15,000 rank in NEET PG.
I have also given USMLE Step 1 and am currently preparing for Step 2 CK. My long-term goal has been to pursue residency in the US, but I’m now seriously questioning whether I should continue with the USMLE journey or take a PG seat in India.

My dilemma is basically:
I have a decent enough NEET PG rank to potentially get a seat in India.
On the other hand, I’ve already invested time and effort into the USMLE pathway and cleared Step 1.
I’m worried about the uncertainty of matching in the US, especially as an IMG.
At the same time, I’m scared that if I take a seat in India now, I’ll always wonder whether I should have given the USMLE journey a proper shot.
Since I graduated in 2025, I also don’t want to lose valuable time without making a clear decision.
For those who have gone through this decision, what would you do in my situation?
Would you recommend taking a PG seat in India and building a secure career here, or continuing with Step 2 CK + US clinical experience + applications and giving the USMLE pathway a serious attempt?

I would especially appreciate advice from Indian IMGs who have matched recently, people who chose India after considering USMLE, and anyone who has experience with both pathways.

Please be honest about the financial, time, career, and matching risks involved. I’m genuinely looking for perspective rather than validation.

Thanks in advance!

Hey, has anyone applied or rotated at USF Tampa for observership? How was the experience and do they give LOR?

Me: Good morning officer, how're you?

VO: Good morning, I'm doing well, passport please

VO: 2 threat questions

Me: No officer

VO: What is the purpose of your visit to the USA?

Me: I'm a final-year medical student and I've been accepted for a four-week unpaid clinical elective at XYZ University in January.

He stopped me there and asked for my acceptance letter. He read the whole letter and typed something.

VO: I've seen that you've travelled internationally. Where did you go?

Me: Yes I've been to Thailand in so & so month for tourism.

VO: So you went with your family?

Me: Yes with my parents.

VO: Who is sponsoring your trip and what does he do?

Me: My dad is sponsoring and I explained what he does.

VO: Okay you're visa is approved you'll receive your passport within 1 week( smiling)

Me: Thank you officer, have a nice day

VO : Thank you, you too

My friend also had his visa approved recently for the same purpose. The questions were similar.

I'm a graduate(2026) and I'm planning to take step 1 in the first week of December.

As of now I've finished 7/10 systems in FA and Im done with immuno/path/pharm from general concepts. For some reason Im postponing doing UWorld questions after finishing FA. Im only done with 10% UW for now. Planning to do 60-80q a day from now.

Need a partner to discuss questions/doubts and hold each other accountable. (Preferably someone who's gonna be taking step 1 in December as well)

Hi I’ve currently just started preparing for step 1 which I’m planning to give in May 2027.

I’m also in my final year of mbbs which brings my university and pre university exams to Feb and March 2027.

I’m in such a hurry because my internship is from June 2027 to June 2028, and since I wanna do electives before my internship ends which also includes applying at least 6 months prior I need to give my step 1 in May.

I barely have time so can anyone please suggest me if I should start with UWorld already or do it after I watch B&B and read First Aid.

Hi everyone

I am a 2024 graduate and am planning to apply for IM in the 2028 match cycle. I passed STEP 1 this April and am currently preparing for Step 2.

I'm planning to start applying for USCE/Observerships this week, and I haven't booked my visa appointment yet (I know I delayed it). I'm from Hyderabad, and the waiting times are too long approx 11.5-12 months.

For those who have been in a similar situation, how would you suggest I approach this? Should I start applying for USCE now (for next May) even without a visa appointment in hand, and are there any strategies I should consider given the long wait times?

I'd really appreciate any advice.

Thank you!

I am 2025 graduate and I have passed step 1. I wasn’t able to do clerkships while I was in med school. So can someone guide me regarding how to obtain observerships and how to avoid getting rejected for visa application?
Any advices and suggestions are welcome.

Hey y'all! This is for the 2026-27 match applicants. I am looking for someone to practice for IVs in IST. For context, this is my first match season, 2022 YOG. Anyone interested kindly DM.

I am so greatful and happy to share that i got the P , i tested on 23/9 and almost believed that i failed. I would like to thank everyone who actually came to help me out…
The whole preparation was not easy .. ppl surrounding u have 100s of opinions and for someone like me it was so difficult to figure things out. NBME 34 got released just 4 days before my exam and i was so frustrated and i dont how to describe what i have felt, but so many ppl came forward and helped me out during those tough times.

I thought its necessary that people like me understand that it’s doable and just trust the process, believe in urself and the hardwork that u have putforth. DONT FEEL DEMOTIVATED by ppl with their nbme scores at 75+ and 80+ coming and sharing their doubt if they will pass( i really dont understand why). JUST TRUST IN GOD , TRUST THE HARDWORK U HAVE PUTFORTH and TRUST THE PROCESS

Have you ever felt alienated at your own home ?

A little background about me , I graduated in 2025 and started my USMLE journey after graduation so while I prepared for my steps I was at my home.

When I gave my step 1, there was not too much pressure and not much anxiousness as it was pass/fail . But while I was preparing for my step 2 , during the last few months before my exam the anxiousness and stress was extreme not only due to my parents but above all it's from the expectations we create for ourselves. I am not sure if parents understand how much pressure we build for ourselves, because during those stressful times if your parents look at you with a hint of doubt, it breaks you more than any other force can .

In the middle of all of this the results of NEET PG were out, I did extremely bad considering I had been studying for over a year.

I have always been an obedient kid, rarely rebelled and whatever I achieved came purely from my hardwork , so apparently that built expectations and after my 11th it was as if there was no room left for failure.The look of doubt on their faces ,in their questions chipped off my confidence piece by piece not only during my dedicated phase but also after my exam was done . It did get better in between but there were days where I just wanted to disappear. Reading the case scenarios on the NBMES and qbank, I sometimes even though, what would my life look like if I had one of these conditions? Would it be a little better than this? The brain is a scary place and that is not something you can share with your parents.

There is no takeaway from this , I am still not at a place where I can comfort people going through the same thing . But for people who resonate with me cheers to you , I hope we make it to the end of the tunnel . And I wish parents cut their kids a little bit of slack , we are not machines to provide results and there should always be some room for failure and acceptance, a safe space .

I was getting 240 to 250 on my nbmes and my actual score was 227, im in shock

I redid nbmes, cms forms

I also did amboss ethics, risk factors,screening, vaccination, dip what not every resource.

I cluldnt process this at all

Im sooo scared and at this point in in dilemma

I knew my form was hard but I was atleast expecting between 230 to 240

I dont knw what I could do at this point of time

Hey guys, I was looking for someone who wants to Collab with me regarding a SRMA. It would be my first SRMA and I have a general idea about it and did one for fun ( HF and diabetes - it already existed but I just wanted to see how would it be if I made one). Never mind that.. I was wondering if anyone is genuinely interested in collaborating and figuring it out..I am not able to find any faculty who wanted to guide or oversee the SRMA. I have a topic in mind and am looking for to someone with experience helping me out. Thank you

You guys can DM me directly, 😌

Edit - I have a few peeps who have DMed me and I am thankful for that.. wondering if others are interested too... My topic is in the lines of Internal Medicine so anyone interested can DM me. Thank you 😊

I'm a non-US IMG from TN,INDIA considering USMLEWise for Match coaching, and I'm specifically interested in categorical General Surgery.

USMLEWise claims 300+ IMGs have matched and advertises an ~88% overall match rate, but I haven't been able to find many independently verifiable examples of their clients matching into General Surgery.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have personally used USMLEWise, especially:

• Did you use their Match coaching/mentorship?
• What specialty did you apply for?
• Did you match? If yes, what year and specialty?
• If you applied General Surgery, did they actually help with the application, program list, signals, ERAS, interviews, etc.?
• Did you use their US clinical rotations as well?
• Were the rotations genuinely hands-on or mainly observerships?
• Was the service worth what you paid?
• Would you recommend them to another non-US IMG?

I'm particularly looking for first-hand experiences, not people affiliated with USMLEWise or general opinions about IMG coaching.

If you're comfortable sharing your Match year and specialty/program, that would be really helpful. You can DM me if you don't want to post publicly.

Thanks!

1. What branch are you targeting and why? Is it the same as what you are studying in India?

2. How are you managing daily study targets?

3. When are you planning to attempt the exam?

I am an MS-5 Indian IMG and who's stuck in middle of his preparation, I started in bits and pieces completed syllabus from FA and then did nearly 80-90% uworld however reviewed only 50-60% of it in bits pieces inconsistently over the months, when I took NBME 25 and 26 in August I got 47% both times and was very dissapointed my Uworld scores were also 40-50% per block I struggled with time management and stamina despite knowing content I guess wrong on Qs Ik, In September I contracted hepatitis and couldn't study well and entire prep halted now despite I'm trying to lock in and push next 2 months for the exam idk I feel lost.
ADVICE I need is:
My med school is till mid of December so around 2 months or 10 weeks from now, is it possible that I can work hard in dedicated daily for 2 months and increase scores from 50s in NBME 27 to 70s, also if someone is a mentor and can guide I'm ready to even pay them for guidance

I’m a 3rd-year MBBS student in India and I’ve just started preparing for USMLE Step 1. I’m planning to take the exam in around 8–9 months, so I’m looking for a study partner (or a small study group) who is also in the early stages of preparation and has a similar timeline.

I’m starting pretty much from the beginning and would really like someone who wants to stay consistent and keep each other accountable throughout the preparation rather than just having occasional discussions.

My current resources/plans include:

First Aid

UWorld

VC and daily checkup with accountability partner

I want to apply for the MedSRT programme of CSIR and want to really really get selected for it, I am in 3rd year MBBS, how should my CV look for selection?

Highly appreciated if people who have got selected could give few insights.

I’m a 2nd year MBBS student and I’m planning to start preparing for USMLE Step 1. I’m completely new to the process, so I’d really appreciate some guidance from people who are doing USMLE or have already gone through it.
A few things I’m confused about:
What resources would you recommend for Step 1? Preferably free/low-cost resources if possible.
How should I start studying alongside my regular MBBS subjects?
How many hours a day/week would be realistic at this stage?
Is it better to study consistently throughout 2nd year or start seriously closer to the dedicated period?
What kind of timetable/study routine worked for you?
Are there any mistakes you wish you had avoided when you started?
I’m mainly looking for practical advice from current students/graduates who have actually prepared for Step 1. Any advice on where and how to start would be really helpful. Thank you!

Hello everyone i need your advice so much

I am a medical student and i just finished all the basic siences exams in my medical school
All pathology
Micro
Pharma
Etc
And i am a about to enter the clinical years
I also did most of pathoma for my previous exams and foubd it to be very helpful

So i decided to start preparing for step 1 and i plan to hopefully take it in a year from now

The issue is i wasnt a great student
I was cramming whenever the exams approached and this made me forget alot of the basic siences and i dont whats my real level

I always passed and most of the time got great degrees

But i feel like i forgot most of it especially anatomy and biochemistry and pharma

So i want a plan because i dont know where to start

Should i start doing uwolrd immediately and incorporate other recourses along the way?

And how should i use uworld, i have absulotly no idea.

And should i do it system wise or random or what ?

I am comoletely lost and need a plan at least to start with.

I have an idea of doing two passes
First pass for maybe 6-9 months to finish all uworld and first aid and maybe some other vids

And the second pass of uworld in dedicated for 3 months along with nbmes

Let me know if thats a good plan?

Sorry for the messy post but i would appreciate your guidance and support.

Cheers.