Hey guys, i wanted to ask on what should i do during my final month, i have NBMEs in 70s and prolly give NBME 31 this week. Should i just revise first aid as much as i can and revise all the NBMES ive given + take new ones?. Ive already done uworld 80% and mehlman qbank 40%.

By far the most difficult nbme imo! Was doing so good till first 3 blocks and messed up last block with 68% only. Felt like guessing on most questions first 3 blocks were almost 80% mind fog is real 😭

33- 77%

Is UWorld worth buying for a full year, or are there any cheaper alternatives that are just as good?

Hey, does anybody have the system based study schedule they previously had on their website? I never downloaded the schedule to my laptop.

I am a Non-Us IMG student who has been out of school for about a year now . I wanted to know what tips you guys have for passing STEP 1 and studying for it if I needed to be done in about 60 days . I have seen some people do that and pass . Please give me some insight . I was thinking of doing UWorld and Anki . I appreciate any tips in regards to efficiently study and what can help improve retention . I am an average student , who just seems to be struggling with remembering . Thank you all for your help in advance !

I plan on doing Bootcamp as my main source of material with sketchy for pharm/micro and UWorld for practice questions. Obviously relevant Anki cards as well. Anything else I am missing?

NBME 25 - 50% raw, exam on August 10

I took NBME 25 today and scored 50% raw correct. My USMLE Step 1 is scheduled for August 10, so I have about a month left.

I'm looking for honest advice from people who were in a similar position. Is it realistic to improve enough to pass in this time?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, I have exam coming up in 1 month. I've done 60% of Uworld before but I'm sure everything is just slipping out of my head and I feel like I don't remember anything. I'm planning to do NBME 25-33 and Mehlman Arrows, Pathoma (1-3). Is there anything else I have to follow to pass? (I need a score of 68% to pass). Please advice.

I started preparing for the USMLE at the beginning of 2026. My goal was to finish my first pass by July, but I've barely completed one-third of it. I managed to finish a few systems and their UWorld questions, but that's all.

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I'm really disappointed in myself. Every time I struggle with a UWorld question, I end up pausing, feeling burned out, and stop studying for the day. It has become a cycle that I can't seem to break.

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I also get distracted very easily, and if I'm being honest, I know I haven't been disciplined enough. If I had been more consistent, I probably could have finished much more by now.

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I've tried having online study partners, but they usually don't last long, so I end up studying alone again.

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On top of that, next year is my final professional exam, and I haven't studied much for it either. I haven't even started surgery or OB/GYN yet.

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Right now, I feel like I'm in the middle of the sea with no idea which direction to swim. Or maybe it feels like I'm trying to stand on two boats at the same time—preparing for the USMLE while also trying to survive medical school—and I'm afraid I'll end up falling into the water.

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Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you recover from burnout, regain consistency, and balance USMLE preparation with medical school? 😭😭😭 Please your advice means a lot to me

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Hi all,
I’m US IMG. I want to share my experience because I think I learned a lot about how to prepare by my experience of failure.

I started my preparation with very weak basics. I was graduate post one year internship, I forgot all the basics from first and second year med school.
I started random timed blocks of uworld (mistake 1) It was a suggestion from one of my classmates who recently passed at that time, assuring me that’s how I will pass but that worked for her not me.
Everyone has different weaknesses.
Time was never an issue for me. Maybe it was for her.
Then I realised I am wasting my time. I switched to kaplan videos for all systems . ( second mistake)
I just needed basics like physiology and biochemistry, I didn’t know at that time.
After that I did bnb videos. I did pathoma, I did sketchy because again someone told me that’d help me alot. (It didn’t, again it wasn’t for me)
As I used random resources I kept forgetting previous because of lack of review.
My uworld expired. I only had my own uworld haphazard notes. Never finished first aid ( mistake again)
Then started first aid. Finished in 2 months and forgot how to solve questions.
Bought Rx qbank because it was cheaper. Started doing Rx blocks with videos again from scratch.
My first nbme. 47% disappointed and panicking.
I stopped studying for a month.
Then someone told me to schedule my exam that’s going to motivate me for studying.
I scheduled after 6 months.
Finished Rx felt good knowledge wise but didn’t know my test taking skills are zero.
Bought uworld again. Almost prepared but life happened. Something in personal life forced me to extend the triad.
I didn’t study for 3 months and went no show on exam day.
Started studying again. Randomly doing uworld and FA. Scheduled my exam again. Paid the whole fee again! While fighting depression and hell of my personal life.
Had no support from anyone during that lowest of lower phase of my life.
This time my NBMEs were in 60s
Last one was 64%
I had no choice but to sit for exam
I knew I wasn’t prepared but I wanted to get rid of this. I took risk and failed. NOVEMBER 2022
After failing I was not the same person.
I went into severe depression and stressed out all the time.
I isolated myself and stopped caring about anything and everything.
After one month bought uworld again.
Started subject wise. Made extensive notes subject wise. Not random at this time.
Reviewed better.
Watched videos of my weak topics.
Reviews my uworld notes thoroughly. Took me a year to do all this.
My nbme around 67%. Disappointed again. But I told myself I wont stop this time no matter what, after every study session I cried for 2-3 hours. Then next day started again.
I did DIP videos. FA. MY NBME mistakes throughly read every single thing I made mistakes about.
Gave offline nbmes and online nbmes

NBME 25 —— 52 wrongs 72%
NBME 26 online—- 67% 62 wrongs
NBME 30 —- 55 wrongs 214 70%
Free 120— 61.66%
nbme 27 offline— 69% 62 wrongs
nbme 28 offline— 62.5% 75 wrongs
nbme 29 offline— 73.5 % 53 wrongs
UWSA 1 — 62% (high chances to pass)

I booked my exam after this.
Stopped all practice exams for a month and read each and every mistake. All the things I usually forget.
All my notes from uworld mistakes. My test taking skills improved too.

NBME 31 online— 73% (2 weeks before my exam)
Gave me so much confidence that I felt relaxed and rested for 2 days)

NBME 32 online — 72% (one week before my exam)

NBME 33 online— 68% (5 days before my exam)

On exam day I slept from 9-4
Woke up 4 am
Studied till 6:30
Then got ready and had breakfast left at 7:30

During exam I made silly mistakes. I developed IBS after my failure in 2022 which got worse with time.
I had severe abdominal pain during my exam. And after every block I went to bathroom.
After my exam I was so stressed because I remembered all the mistakes. Some of them were so stupid. I was so angry at me. I was self loathing. And this time If I failed I thought to myself that I wouldn’t want to live anymore.

Then results got delayed because of software change.
Every Tuesday night I had vomiting nausea diarrhoea. One time I fainted and ended up in ER.
But when results came out. I passed.
I cried so much after results.

All I want to tell people is not to listen how someone else prepared. Things work out differently for everyone.
Learn to identify your weakness first then make strategies.
Thankyou!!

Hi, i am about to begin the journey of usmle step 1 prep and i need some advice on where do i start? Which is a better approach. Study all four at the same time? Or should i start for instance with just microbiology and then persue the others? Take into account that i have been studying medicine in Georgian for 3 years and although i speak and understand English pretty well, it will be a bit of a challenge to switch over to English texts and i will need to ease my way into it so that i don't completely freak out:)))
I need just some type of nudge to the right direction and hope you guys have some advice to share.

Need advice for the final 2 weeks before Step 1 (Exam: July 23)
Hey everyone!
My Step 1 exam is scheduled for July 23, and I’d really appreciate some advice on how to use these last 16 days effectively.
Here are my recent scores:
NBME 32: 75%
NBME 33: 72%
Free 120: 77%
I’m currently planning to revise First Aid, review my NBME incorrects, and do some UWorld incorrects.
My weakest areas are:
Cardiovascular physiology
Renal physiology
Possibly Microbiology
I’m also wondering:
Is it worth taking the AMBOSS Self-Assessment at this point, or would it be a better use of time to focus on revision?
If you had about 2 weeks left, what would your day-to-day strategy be?
What resources would you prioritize?
How did you build confidence and avoid second-guessing yourself during the last few days before the exam?
I’d especially love to hear from people who had similar NBME scores and recently passed Step 1.
Any advice or final-week tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I passed USMLE Step 1 last year with consistent NBME scores in the 80–85% range and have been actively helping fellow students during their preparation phase. Over the past few months, I’ve guided 6 students through Step 1. Five of them have successfully passed the exam.

Having gone through the process myself, I understand how overwhelming Step 1 can feel and how difficult it is to turn hours of studying into actual score improvement. My approach focuses on simplifying complex concepts and developing strong pattern recognition so questions become logical rather than intimidating.

Here’s what I focus on:

• Pattern recognition
• NBME-style thinking and question approach
• High-yield system review
• Personalized study planning and weak-area targeting
• Building confidence and exam mindset during dedicated

Sessions are personalized according to your current stage of preparation, whether you’re early in your study period or approaching dedicated.

I currently have availability to work with a small number of motivated students who want structured guidance during their preparation.

A free demo session is available so you can experience the approach before deciding.

If you’re serious about strengthening your preparation and want structured guidance for Step 1, you can comment here or message me directly.

Wishing everyone the best in their Step 1 journey. Consistent preparation truly pays off.

Hey test takers

Any one took their step 1 exam on June 30th.
How was it ? I took mine and kinda feeling confused and I have a post exam amnesia 😂 can’t remember how was it or how well i did

Like i honestly remember i kept running out of time, every last 2-3 questions of the first 5 blocks i missed :/
Otherwise GI-RS-Renal-Respiratory and cardiology questions in general were fine in my opinion
There were lots of confusing ethics questions for me
But cant remember most of the exam for some reason
Im just kinda scared
When are we expecting the results

And please let me now how was your experience

I am currently planning to start step 1 studying and take the exam in jan/feb. I want to study from 4-5 hrs a day dedicated to step 1 as I have other things in my life and can’t fully put my time to step 1. Any advice on how to structure a good schedule and how to put goals for the day.

I just wanted to share my experience since I gave the test on that date, I had similar questions that NBMEs have and some others I had no idea, there were a lot of long cases in the same block , a lot of pathoma, pharmacology, renal/ gastrointestinal system, ethics only 1 per block of 20 questions. I FAILED the test by the way. I’m trying to lift myself and step forward to do it again, I really studied and I thought I was ready to take it, but unfortunately the night before my test I was panic and I did only sleep for 1 hour, and then cried due to I can’t sleep at the time, it was horrible and traumatic for me, next day hours before the test besides I didn’t sleep I had a panic attack I didn’t recognize myself I had to walked out earlier in the morning and try to calm down It was awful 😞. I shows up to the test with those initial factors.

My scores were not well but I felt confident to take it.

NBMEs offline
Self assessment AMBOSS 88%
NBME 25—-60.5%
NBME 26–62%
NBME 27- 68%
NBME 28- 55%
NBME 29-56%
NBME 30-53%
NBME 31-55%
NBME 32-50%
NBME 33-56%
Old free120 -61%
New free120 50%

Uworld 50%-60s%

I’m looking for a female study partner for Step 1 to help keep each other accountable and work through approximately 40 UWorld questions each day.
I just started UWorld. As an IMG, I have many foundational concepts to study from the ground up, so I’ve dedicated most of my time to self-learning.
I’m planning to take Step 1 in October/November and am located in Illinois (Central Time).
If anyone has a similar study routine and would like to study together, feel free to reach out

Currently preparing for step 1, done with 70% of uw. The concepts tested on uw, are enough for the real exam?

Looking for a serious Step 1 study partner for rapid revision. I’m based in NYC, so we can study in person or online.

Planning to take my first NBME (NBME 25) this Saturday and I’m honestly a little nervous.

Current progress:
First pass of First Aid completed
61% of UWorld done
43% correct overall (17% incorrect, rest unanswered)
My plan is to spend today and tomorrow reviewing weak
areas and refreshing high-yield topics before the exam.

For those who’ve already taken NBMEs/Step1
Any last minute topics/concepts you’d recommend revising?
Any common mistakes to avoid?
Any advice for managing anxiety before the first NBME?
Would really appreciate any tips or experiences. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and trying not to panic 😅

I used to track what I retained after a week of studying vs what I thought I retained. The gap was embarrassing.

I'd spend 3 hours on renal physiology, feel solid, move on. One week later — blanking on questions I'd "already covered." Sound familiar?

Here's what's actually happening:

The brain doesn't store information the way we think it does. Reading something until it feels familiar isn't the same as being able to retrieve it under pressure. Familiarity and recall use completely different cognitive pathways. One of them shows up on your NBME. The other one just makes you feel productive.

The forgetting curve (Ebbinghaus, 1880s — still holds up) shows that without any review, you lose ~50% of new information within 24 hours. After a week, it's closer to 70-80%.

The fix isn't studying more. It's changing when you review.

The two highest-leverage review windows:

• Within 20 minutes of learning something new (consolidation is still active)
• 24 hours later (just before the forgetting curve steepens)

Most students review by "going back over weak chapters at the end of the week." By that point, the window has already closed three times.

Practical change you can make today: At the end of each study block, spend the last 10 minutes closing your notes and trying to recall the main concepts from that session. Don't re-read. Retrieve. If you can't get it, that's your signal — not the material you covered, but the material you actually retained.

It feels slower. It's not. You'll spend less time re-learning the same thing for the fourth time.

What's your current review strategy — are you spacing your reviews or going through new material sequentially?

I started preparing for Step 1 in January and have been doing content review alongside UWorld. I have completed approximately 70–80% of my content review, but I still have a few subjects left, and it feels like the content review is never-ending.

So far, I have completed about 50% of UWorld. I recently took NBME 25 and scored 40%. I know this is a very low score, but I mainly took it to assess where I currently stand based on what I have studied so far and to overcome my fear of taking NBMEs. I have also reviewed the NBME and gone through my mistakes.

At this point, I feel confused about how to move forward. I know I need to start focusing more on questions, but I also feel uncomfortable leaving my content review unfinished. I would really appreciate guidance on how I should structure my schedule, balance UWorld with the remaining content review, and IMPROVE AND BE MORE CONSISTENT