USMLE STEP 1
- MedTutorHussain
- Dec 31, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 27
Omg it's the end of basic sciences and step 1 is coming up! This exam is unlike anything you have studied for before. Don't be nervous! I recommend to keep your resources simple and trust your practice exam scores.
FORMAT
8 hour exam divided up into 7 blocks (each block has 40 questions) with a 1 hour break (if you don't use the full 15 minute tutorial time at the beginning of your exam or end a block of questions early, it get's added to your break time).
STUDY RESOURCES
I used First Aid for Step 1 and UWorld as my 2 resources. I read my high-yield notes for repetition of important concepts. Having a concise set of notes is so helpful to refresh the high-yield information. I also watched some high-yield youtube videos to reinforce important concepts.The rapid review at the end of First Aid along with my notes was a good review before my exam day!
UWorld - https://www.uworld.com/
USMLE High-Yield Notes - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPC9D3HJ (Ebook) and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ5CCQFH (Hardcopy)
High yield images and buzzwords videos I watched - https://www.youtube.com/c/MedSchoolMoose?app=desktop - I watched the high yield images and buzzwords videos
Other random documents I looked through a week before my exam: https://www.medstudentsuccess.com/post/usmle-1-week-high-yield-review-resources
If you need another question bank prior to UWorld, True Learn is helpful! Here is a discount code: success25
Anatomy review I found online -
Image review I found online -
Graphics I created -
STUDY PLAN
Each day I would consistently do the following 3 things:
- CONTENT REVIEW (First Aid)
- PRACTICE QUESTIONS (UWorld)
- REPETITION (High-Yield Notes)
SCHEDULE
Have a timeline and target date for your exam. An organized study period will be very helpful for you to excel on this exam. I annotated a calendar that included the number or questions that needed to be completed each day, the number of pages of First Aid I had to read and weekly practice exams to track my progress. This helped me stay on track and finish going through the resources in a timely manner.
Organizational Tool/Daily Journal I used-
Detailed daily step 1 schedule - https://www.medstudentsuccess.com/post/usmle-step-1-detailed-study-schedule
ASSESSMENT
NBME exams are the best way to predict your readiness for the real exam!
4 weeks before my exam, I did an NBME each week to assess my progress. The more practice exams you do, the better! I recommend doing the Free 120 on the NBME website a few days before your exam as well. Some of the questions are very similar to the real exam.
NBME Practice Exams - https://www.mynbme.org/s/login/
Free 120 Questions - https://orientation.nbme.org/launch/usmle/stpf1
TEST DAY
Try to get a good night's sleep before your exam. Place ID and scheduling permit in your backpack in advance to ensure you don't forget anything. Bring water and snacks/food with you to the exam.
Have an idea of when you want to take breaks (I completed 2 blocks then took a snack break, another 2 blocks and had lunch, and took a quick stretch break between each of the remainder blocks. See what works for you!
Relax, trust your studying and hard work. Do not overthink the questions!
AFTER THE EXAM
Yay you made it!! Waiting for the results and thinking about the exam questions will be nerve racking. Take a break, do something fun! This is one of the most intense exams ever and you should be very proud of yourself for getting through this :)
It took me 2 weeks to get my exam results back, but it can vary. Results are released on Wednesday morning.
Please feel free to e-mail me or schedule a session for more information or questions!
Good luck studying,
Med Tutor Hussain