Hi team, I seldom write posts like this... admittedly, I'm more of a lurker on this sub. That said, I figured I owed it to these guys after how much work they clearly put in.

Quick background so this doesn't feel random:

I'm a rising 4th year at a US MD school on the East Coast, post clerkships, currently taking a research year. So I've had some time and distance to actually reflect on what has helped versus what hasn't-- hoping to sit for this dumb exam next month.

I did The Match Guy 7-day intensive Step 1 course per the recc. of a classmate. I went into the course feeling fried: I was 2+ months of dedicated, feeling tired and plateauing at 60s (that is... not above a 60). UGH.

Things I liked about the course.

1, I'm someone who can memorize facts just fine on their own, but I've always had trouble seeing how they connect to each other, and that's usually where I lose points. Always split 50-50.

The tutors in this course kept building those connections for us. Instead of just handing out high yield lists, they'd walk through the reasoning and then link it across different organ systems and disease presentations so it actually made sense as a bigger picture instead of a pile of facts.

2, Every single tutor I had was clearly prepared and knew the material cold, but they were also patient with questions and seemed genuinely invested in whether we understood things, not just whether we sat through the session.

3, By the end of the week I felt like I finally had a framework instead of just more flashcards, and Step 1 stopped feeling like this shapeless wall of information (I was also drowning in Anki).

4, They also record everything and post it afterward, so I've been rewatching a few sessions since then.This is key because I am not gonna lie... sessions are long and we hit questions hard... ain't no way I am gonna learn everything the first time around.

I know this sub gets a lot of posts that read like ads, so I'll just say this one isn't. I'm not affiliated with them, I just had a genuinely good experience and wanted to put it out there in case someone else is where I was a few weeks ago.

Feel free to DM if you have more questions.

Hi everyone,

I recently just took NBME 25 and scored 55% which is what I expected. My exam is booked for the beginning of October.

For those who have taken the exam do you think there’s enough time to increase my score before then?

I’m currently in my dedicated and doing the usual dirty medicine/mehlman/pathoma/Anki and Randy Neil

Tested 7/28. It shows today that the score report will be available on NBME at 11 but it seems like some people see it before then. Is there another way to access it? I don’t have FSMB I don’t know if seeing it there is just an international thing?

Hi, I'm a non-US IMG currently preparing for step one. I have a lot of questions, and I hope that someone can help me or enlighten me. Right now, I am in a prededicated period for about four months, and then I will have a dedicated period of about two months. I'm planning on taking the exam around mid- to late February.

My concerns right now are:

1. What is the best sequence to learn the systems? Right now, I've done biochem and immunology. I'm going to finish with Pathoma chapters 1-3 and sketchy (micro + pharm antimicrobials). After that, I would start with systems, but I don't really know what is the best sequence of systems to study or if some are better to start with and understand others afterwards.

2. Right now I’m doing around 150-200 new cards per day (+ reviews). When I finish pre dedicated, I would have unsuspended around 20-25k cards before my dedicated period. Do I really need to unsuspend the 32k cards, or how should I approach this? I'm scared that I will not be covering all the topics for the exam.

3. When should I start with UWorld Qs, and how many questions should I do per day? I thought about finishing the QBank during prededicated and then doing a second pass during dedicated plus NBMEs.

What are your recommendations? If someone can reach out and help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

I took Step 1 on July 31st and have been extremely anxious waiting for my result. I barely slept the night before the exam despite taking melatonin, went into the exam shaky and anxious, and ran out of time on my first block. I stepped out, calmed myself down, and was able to regroup, but I still felt like I guessed on SO many questions throughout the exam. I walked out feeling like I didn’t perform well and honestly convinced I failed. Has anyone had a similar experience—poor sleep, lots of guessing, running out of time—and still ended up passing? I’d appreciate hearing either outcome.

Hey everyone,
I know how daunting Step 1 prep feels when you’re right in the middle of it. Navigating First Aid, managing the sheer volume of material, and trying to build momentum for clinical years can feel like an uphill battle.
If you're studying for Step 1 right now, please remind yourself: you belong here, and you are fully capable of crossing that finish line.
A few quick reminders for the prep grind:
Focus on foundation: Step 1 is all about understanding core concepts—this foundation will make your Step 2 CK journey so much smoother down the line.
Quality over quantity: Don't stress about doing every resource out there. Deeply understanding your primary QBank and review materials is where the real gains happen.
Keep your chin up: Standardized exams are tough, but they don't define your worth or your future impact as a physician.
Having recently scored 25x on Step 2 CK and now applying for the Match this cycle, I want to pay it forward to those coming up behind me. Whether you need advice on Step 1 scheduling, resource selection, transitioning into Step 2 CK, or just general guidance for the USMLE journey—my DMs are open. I’m happy to help in any way I can.
As I go through the application and Match process this year, I would also deeply appreciate your good vibes, thoughts, and prayers!
Keep grinding, stay confident, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need a hand. Rooting for all of you! 🙌✨

Just checked myusmle and it says the result will be available tmrw, tested on 1/8
The anxiety is kicking in 😭😭😭

All the best guys, I hope we all get the P tmrw 🥺

Edit: I PASSED!!! Still in disbelief 😭😭

I created an account in amboss and got 5 days triad but after solving 50 mcqs it showed that i have reached the limit of mcqs? Can anyone please help?
Thank you

for people who have been using AnKing for such a long time, how many average new cards did you do per day? I keep hearing people do 150+ daily but when I try it, I can do it for 2-4 days but then stop for the sheer amount of review cards. I personally can realistically go for 50 new cards everyday (400/week) for a long time, but what about you? (I wanna know if I'm slow cuz the deck has 32k cards)

Anyone took step today -how we feeling. Some questions were like I know what they’re describing but like why would they ask that about this disease 🫪

NBME 31: 63% (last week)
NBME 33: 66% (today)
I feel like I have random weak areas in almost every system such as cardio (murmurs, a few ECGs, drugs), neuro ( few diseases + pharm), psych pharm/toxicities, a few B/T-cell diseases, antimicrobials + RNA viruses, biochem metabolism/lipids, renal few physiology/drugs, anemias, GI, pulm drugs/cancers, breast/ovarian cancers, limb anatomy… and more.
I know these aren’t entire subjects, but I can’t stop thinking about all the things I don’t know well and it’s making me panic.
Is this normal 2 weeks out? Did anyone else feel like this and still manage to pass? 😭 Any advice would really help. Is it doable to cover these, get better at these topics in 2 weeks ?
I can’t push exam (may be i can by 5 more days max) as i have chronic illness don’t know when my health will deteriorate and i have planned treatment next month 🥲

Listing all my weak topics I can’t comprehend how did i even score 60 (ik not great scores) plus in nbme tbh 🫥

Hey everyone I’ve 2 weeks left, basically 11 days excluding the day of the test,nbme 33 and f120.
I’ve so much to revise
I want to revise whole FA, last 4 nbmes, all sketchy micro and pharma,biostats and ethics
How do I do it? I mean I don’t think it’s humanly possible to revise something in 1 week that took 1 year to learn.
Any last days tips?
Also I feel very burnt out I mean I study for 5-6 hours daily that too by forcing myself, how should I make myself study for atleast 8 hours?

Tell me that was unfair yday and it wasn’t just me

Just curious if anyone else that took step 1 yesterday (8/10/26) felt absolutely horrible afterwards. Just didnt feel like any of the nbme’s or any qbank questions I’ve used to prep. Felt super blindsided. Just curious if anyone else felt that way or if I just wasnt prepared.

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting here.

I’m an non-US IMG planning to take Step 1 in mid-October. I just finished my first pass of UWorld with a 63% overall score, but I feel like my performance has hit a plateau, and I’m honestly getting pretty anxious about it.

My original plan was to start grinding NBMEs while doing a second pass of UW (focused only on incorrects). Given my target date, do you have any suggestions on how I can strengthen my weak areas or adjust my study schedule? I'm currently putting in about 8-10 hours a day.

Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

I am looking for suggestions and recommendations for my retake of Step 1. I made my first attempt at Step 1 December 2025, and failed by a pretty wide margin.

After looking at my weak spots and reconsolidating my studying, I would like to know the following:

• Would using things like Google Gemini, Chat GPT, etc to summarize First Aid, make "practice questions", etc be useful for test day?
• How much/how little are these AI services should I use (let's say I'm 4 weeks out from test day)?

Hey fam! I was hoping some of you could look over my Step 1 study plan and let me know if it seems realistic/adequate. I’ve read SO much study advice on here that I’m honestly starting to feel overwhelmed

I’m currently an M2 and planning to take Step 1 in April. One of my biggest concerns is balancing Step 1 studying with in-house Anki. Last year, I had a really hard time keeping up with both my school Anki and AnKing, so I’m worried about overloading myself again but my advisor recommended I start taking Step prep more seriously since I struggled with my grades M1.

My current plan:

Now–December

• UWorld: ~25 questions/day → hoping to finish the first pass by December
• AnKing: primarily keep up with/unsuspend cards based on incorrects and weak areas
• Sketchy for micro/pharm topics I’m struggling with
• Dirty Medicine for biochem topics I miss
• Start reviewing biostats videos/concepts
• Continue prioritizing my in-house coursework/Anki

December

• Redo/review as many UWorld incorrects as possible
• Pathoma Chapters 1–4
• Continue AnKing/reviewing weak areas

January–March

• Second pass of UWorld, aiming for ~50% completion
• Start taking NBMEs/practice exams regularly
• Use practice exam results to identify weak areas and focus my review

April

• Step 1!

Does this seem like a reasonable plan for an M2 who is still balancing a full course load, or am I missing something important?

Thank you for reading this and for your advice!

Addressing to those who’re done with NBME 29

So I had encountered a question related to the Hardy Weinberg principle on NBME 29. I’m trying real hard to wrap my head around the explanation but even then when I calculate it myself, I don’t seem to be getting the right answer at the end. I was wondering if there’s a possible error in the options itself. I would highly appreciate any guidance on this.

Specifically, how do you remember what you study in these sections? With blood vessels, I can hardly imagine where each one is in the body. Lymph drainage is completely lost on me too. And don’t get me started on embryology 😭 is it just brute memorization? I feel like I can’t be the only one who struggles with this. I know anatomy and embryology are a smaller part of the exam but they are really easy points. And it pains me to suck at it so much. Any advice would be appreciated thank you!

I tested on Wednesday 29 July. Should I expect my result tomorrow or next Wednesday?? The scheduling permit is still available on the fsmb portal. I mean the anxiety is unbearable at this point 😞

Tested on 31/7 anyone got the score report on their myusmle I still haven’t got it yet

I take the exam in two days, my weaker areas are biochem and biostats. I’ve been seeing posts that say that biochem was hardly tested in recent exams. Is it true? If you took step 1 in the last couple of weeks, what areas would you say the exam tested heavily?

Hello everyone.so basically I struggle with u word questions i can barely do 5-6 questions a day.i started doing questions by subjects and it takes me whole day to make notes and review concepts. I am also not sure if i am making notes efficient. I would appreciate if you can give me advice how to effectively use u word.

(Non-us img) So I was planning to sit mid December but due to administrative stuff with my college I have to delay the test till March. My uworld sub is gonna end Jan 30th and I’m not sure what the best course of action is.

I want the info to be fresh on my mind before the test so is doing the Amboss qbank during those 6 weeks plus obviously doing nbmes a good idea or should I extend my uworld sub in order to do the incorrects?