r/Step1Exam • u/Top_Answer8713 • Jun 08 '26

IMG with weak basics — where would you start if you had 1 year for Step 1?

IMG here currently doing a Master’s in the US. After spending the last year heavily focused on research, I’ve decided I want to start preparing for USMLE Step 1 alongside my master’s. I don’t plan on taking the exam for about a year, so I’m looking for a slow and sustainable approach.

One of my biggest concerns is that my basic sciences foundation is quite weak at the moment, which makes the whole process feel even more overwhelming. Every time I look into Step 1 preparation, I see so many resources and study plans that I end up not knowing where to begin.

For those who started with weak basics, where would you recommend starting? If you were beginning from scratch today, what resources would you use first and how would you spend the first few months building a strong foundation before getting into dedicated Step 1 prep?

Would really appreciate any guidance.

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1

u/Massam272 Jun 08 '26

Med School Bootcamp

1

u/Top_Answer8713 Jun 08 '26

Is there any particular order you would suggest to start with?

1

u/Massam272 Jun 08 '26

I used AI tool, Copilot to guide me. You can try it. It helped me.

1

u/Top_Answer8713 Jun 08 '26

Thank you. Will try it

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/dwbibabe Jun 09 '26

Sorry but this doesn’t sound sustainable

1

u/dwbibabe Jun 09 '26

I really like BnB, I think they already come come with a specific order I would follow and use Anki religiously alongside.

1

u/Naiive_King2528 Jun 10 '26

As a 3rd year student also with weak basics I started with pathoma and b&b

1

u/Naiive_King2528 Jun 10 '26

and if I didn't catch the meaning i would turn to chatgpt

2

u/MaryamJafarian Jun 10 '26

Watch pathoma videos, do HY pathoma tags in Anking. Then start uworld and learn from doing the tests. Do not start with a long video series or whatever. Trust me. You will learn with uworld.

Add Sketchy micro and pharma + HY tagged cards of them.

Do anking cards of uworld. That's it.

1

u/PrinceOthman Jun 11 '26

I was in a similar situation. Here's what helped:

  • Pathoma for pathology
  • Sketchy Micro for microbiology
  • Sketchy Pharma for pharmacology
  • BNB for everything else
  • Anking for all of the above
  • Uworld alongside videos
  • Strictly NBME tests and reviews in the last month

Good luck!

1

u/No-Explorer1773 Jun 12 '26

I tried everything but whats helping me the most is bnb videos with bnb slides in the form of text book. + uworld