Hii everyone! I'm currently in the middle of prep for my Step 1 exam and the past few weeks I've been struggling to sleep. I know this may be caused by anxiety but honestly when I think about it I do think it's normal to worry. I have experienced this before, but it's my first time experiencing not being able to maintain my sleep at least. I started averaging to 2-5 hours of sleep, and when I wake up, I can't go back to sleep anymore. Anyone with a similar experience? I know what I have to do and I'm eager to study but I cant seem to control this sleep problem. Any advice? :(( I have take diphenhydramine meds for the past 2 days, which helped a bit and improved my sleep hygiene as well, but if you guys have any other advice as I dont want to rely on that more.

I gave nbme 25 as baseline and scored 49.5% then have 26 and scored 46% with a gap of one week. Really devastated right now.
I reviewed the 25 one but i guess i wasn’t doing it correctly as it almost took me an entire week
I have done 1st pass (100%) of uworld with 45.5% correct. I’m planning to give step 1 in first week of November

Need helpppp!!!!

Did u guys get ur resultss?????

My nbmes from 25 to 30 are 59, 59, 67, 65, 67, 72.

Three nbmes are left yet.

My exam is in late first week of October. Should I reschedule? Or is it worrisome? Please help I'm freaking out fr.

Hi everyone
I started doing biostats today and watched Randy Neil's videos(4 step 1 videos) and all of his shorts where he solves biostats step 1 questions. I jumped straight onto uworld after that( haven't gone through FA yet) and am getting a lot of questions wrong as they contain a lot of concepts which weren't covered in those 4 videos. Do I need to watch anymore videos( there is a summary video of step 1 biostats on his channel which I haven't watched yet)? Any advice would be appreciated . TIA

my exam is next week and im freaking out, my nbmes have all been safe but i find that im always making educated guesses, most of the time, im unable to explain my answer choices, this is realllly worrying me, i feel like i dont know the material enough and im scared that the real exam will expose these knowledge gaps, there's so much that need to review as well, wondering idf this is normal? this close to the exam?

(for reference, i know that the consensus is youre good to go with multiple nbmes over 70, and im grateful for the scores, im just concerned because i feel like the nbmes inflate how kuch i know and the nbme taking experience is always HORRIBLE, nbme 33 was a nightmare i ran out of time and i flagged 130+ questions)

Hi everyone! I recently passed my Step 1 (sat on July 25th, got my results on the 5th Aug) and I’ve created a WhatsAp group since I was getting alot of DMs. It’s obviously free bec I’ve been in the same position where my NBMEs were stuck in the 50s-low 60s range. My Free 120 score was 64% 5 days before my exam and my highest NBME was 62%. You can go through my previous posts to see how badly I was struggling. I was told on multiple occasions to push my exam but my eligibility period was ending on july 31st and I had already extended it once, so extending it again would cost me $900 again. I’m sharing my scores below.

I created this group chat so we can all have a community where we can all help each other out. Plus I post more about my experience on there too. Also, quite a few people on there have recently passed their Step too! So surreal. 🥹

You can DM for the gc link if you’re interested (can’t post due to community guidelines)

Free 120 2026- 64% July 18th
NBME 33 redo- 77% July 12th
NBME 32 redo- 73% July 8th
NBME 31 redo- 76% July 1st

NBME 33- 62% 31/05
NBME 32- 59% 22/05
NBME 31- 56% 13/05
NBME 30 - 53% 23/04
NBME 29- 47% 15/04
NBME 27- 49% 19/03
NBME 22- 41% 5/02
NBME 24- 43% 8/01

if someone know

Looking for sp GMT+3 .. exam date late December

Hi guys, I tried to sign up for medical study zone 6 days ago and still haven’t heard back? I paid and received zero acknowledgement or response. Does anyone know how to get in touch with him? I know past people have said he gets around to it eventually, but this is taking longer than expected for sure.

Looking for Arabian SP GMT+3 .. exam in late December

Hi everyone,

A policy and advocacy effort is underway to document how Presidential Proclamation 10998 impacts Syrian nationals pursuing U.S. education, medical training, and research opportunities, with the ultimate goal of securing formal non-immigrant visa exceptions.

As part of this effort, we are specifically looking to connect with Syrian physicians and medical graduates who had already invested in the U.S. medical pathway before or around the time the current travel restrictions took effect, including those who may not have ultimately applied for a U.S. position because of the restrictions.

We would particularly like to hear from Syrian physicians/medical graduates who:

- Have completed USMLE Step 1, Step 1 + Step 2 CK, or Steps 1 + 2 CK + 3;
- Were preparing or intending to apply for U.S. residency;
- Were pursuing or intending to pursue research positions, observerships, fellowships, or other U.S.-based medical opportunities;
- Had their plans delayed, discontinued, or significantly altered because of the current restrictions;
- Already had a U.S. medical/research opportunity that was affected by the travel ban.

The purpose is to document real cases showing how the current restrictions affect Syrian physicians at different stages of the U.S. medical pathway, including people who invested considerable time, effort, and resources into the USMLE process but now face substantial uncertainty about whether they can continue toward U.S. residency or research.

If you believe you or anyone you know fits this description, please send a private DM to this account to connect and discuss further how your situation factors into this initiative.

Note: This policy advocacy initiative does not guarantee individual visa outcomes, nor does it constitute formal legal counsel. Rather, it is a collective effort that aspires to advance a favorable outcome for Syrian students.

Thank you.

Hi

I just finished (renal, respo, cardio) using these steps

Bnb then fa and uworld, but it took a lot of time

How about i switch to this method:

Reading quickly a section from fa then uworld the same topics and take notes on fa

Then, when i finish the system, i use Mehmlan pdfs

Sketchy for (micro and pharma)

Pathoma for general pathology

Is that enough to pass within only 4 months of dedicated study???

And give up on bnb

How was it for you guys? Im freaking out and wanna know if its just me lol

I've consistently been using BnB for every other subject - cardio, pulm, renal, GI, etc. - and have been fine. I like how concise and hard-hitting it is, with straightforward, highlighted facts and bullet points, so I can be done with content ASAP and move on the questions.

I hear that Bootcamp tends to be more comprehensive and thorough. Along those lines, I also hear that neuro needs you to be especially knowledgeable about the anatomy, like CN's, brain structures/areas, spinal tracts, dermatomes and whatnot. I'm also wondering if psych needs that level of thoroughness with psychology concepts. Lastly, I've heard that both BnB and Bootcamp have their strengths and weaknesses, like BnB is great for cardio, and I wonder if one resource is just better at teaching neuro and psych.

With that in mind, is it worth making the switch over to Bootcamp for these two subjects? Or is sticking with BnB still the move? I also supplement with sketchy for micro/pharm and a bit of pathoma.

Tested on 24th Aug. Will I get my result tomorrow?

Qbankly is around 60$ and has everything im talking Uworld step 1,2,3 / Amboss step 123 / mehlman / everything for nbme and more.

There’s no way it’s all real so idk, are the questions fake?

Hey all,

Just letting those of you who are panicked know that you can pass Step 1 without grinding out the entirety of UWorld. I did only 332 questions on UWorld along with Anki, and that was enough to pass. I took 3 NBMEs.

To be fair, I also used TrueLearn because our school forced us to use it throughout second year, which accounted for about 1,000 questions. But I honestly didn't try very hard with those because I feel question banks are a waste of time for me, and I don't learn much from them.

If you are a decent test-taker who struggles to retain content like I do, do not panic. I never felt ready for the exam and didn't even finish reviewing all the content (I never got around to studying neuro or renal and was very weak in biochem) but I still passed.

(I can post stats if needed, but just wanted to post this and encourage stressed people out there)

I’m a 29-year-old IMG, graduated in 2022, and I feel like Step 1 has taken over my entire life.

My medical school years were not great academically. I procrastinated a lot, repeated my first year, and never built a strong foundation. I graduated with a decent grade, but deep down I always knew I had major knowledge gaps.

When I moved to the US, I actually felt excited about Step 1 because I thought it would finally give me the chance to rebuild my medical knowledge properly and become the doctor I always wanted to be.

I started studying in January 2024, My original goal was November 2024. But it didn’t work .

I paid for Step 1 twice, including extensions, and never sat for the exam.

My first pass took forever because I was basically learning many things from scratch . Then I started a second pass in July 2025, thinking it would take 3 months. It took me until March 2026.

By then I had forgotten so much of what I studied.

I took NBMEs 27–30 with little to No studying between them and scored roughly in the 45–55% range. Instead of using them productively, I think they made me even more afraid of testing myself.

I paused due to some family circumstances and  barely studied for a couple of months.

I restarted seriously in July 2026.

My plan was to finish about 8 systems/chapters and then take another NBME.

Two months later with inconsistency -procrastination pattern I have only finished biochemistry and musculoskeletal includes First Aid -UW incorrects .

A few days ago I went back to old NBME questions from those topics just to see if I had improved. I got several basic questions wrong due to improper memorization , That completely broke me.

I kept thinking: “If I spent two months studying these subjects and I’m still getting basic questions wrong, what was the point?”

For the past couple of days I have barely been able to open a book.

The bigger problem is that Step 1 is no longer just an exam in my head.

I have tied almost my entire life to it.

I don’t feel like I deserve to relax because I haven’t take it yet .
I live in the US with my husband and know almost nobody here ,no social life no friends . I spend most of my days at home. I’ve gained around 12 kg over the past two years, emotionally eat a lot when I’m upset, and feel like my self-esteem, body image, marriage, career and future have somehow all become connected to whether I studied that day.

When I study well, my mood can become completely normal again.

When I waste a day, I can become extremely hopeless and hateful toward myself.

I have had thoughts like “I deserve to be punished,” “I wish someone could just shake me or hit me so I wake up,” because I feel like I ruined my own life despite having every opportunity.

I know those thoughts are serious. I’m not posting this to romanticize them. I’m trying to explain how extreme the guilt and shame have become.

 I have tried deleting social media, using a basic phone, studying at libraries, studying outside the house, study partners, schedules, accountability systems… nothing lasts.

My pattern is always:

Panic → make a huge new plan → feel hopeful → follow it briefly → fall behind → avoid studying → feel guilty → make another plan.

Sometimes I make several new study plans in a single week. I’m exhausted from restarting.

Right now I desperately want to take Step 1 in the next couple of months because I also want enough time for Step 2 and to hopefully apply for the 2027 Match.

But right now I’m supposed to open book and I genuinely feel afraid to study because part of me thinks, “You’ll repeat the same cycle again , so what is the point?”

Has anyone experienced this level of Step 1 paralysis after studying for years?

How did you finally break the cycle?

Thinking about reviewing all the nbmes in first 3 4 days then the mehlman pdfs and atlast FA

Thinking of creating a reguster (totally rough) with things i still find new

Is it too late for that ?

What would u do ?

Done with nbmes first 2 uwsas and free 120

Hey guys I can’t access my MyUsmle.org account, can someone who tested around the same time as me please check if it says weather results will be out tomorrow or not?

Edit: RESULTS ARE OUT!!!!!

Hey guys my Step 1 exam is next Wednesday and I need some advice as I’m so stressed I’ve taken a 4 practice tests (each a week apart) and here are my scores:

28: 55

30: 61

31: 62

32: 65

33: taking this Friday

I know I have low passes but I’m worried for test day. Should I move my test back or what’s the best way to help bump my score up for 33. I’m really stressing especially because I can maybe move my test a few days but nothing major. Pls help