Step 1 Study Resources

Written by Alisa Malyavko

As we all know, USMLE Step 1 drastically changed in 2022. With Step 1 being pass/fail instead of a three-digit score it seems like passing the exam should be a breeze, right? Well, that’s not the case for everyone. 

Before starting the dedicated study period for Step 1, many schools have their students take a practice exam to get an idea of where they stand. If your school doesn’t offer a practice exam, I highly suggest taking an NBME practice exam to have a starting point.

If you did not do as well as you hoped on the practice exam, don’t panic! Sit down and tweak your study schedule according to what you think you need more of – content review versus practice questions. Despite the exam being pass/fail, it is still a lot of information, and it's an exhausting exam in and of itself. 

A lot of school advisors, online resources, and other medical students will tell you that to do well on Step 1 you have to review and re-review UWorld, Pathoma, and First Aid. First Aid is advertised as the holy grail for Step 1. While I’m not fully contradicting this statement, you have to take into account that the test writers know you’re reading First Aid and they know exactly which facts you memorized. Still, for most medical students, following UFAAPPS (UWorld, First Aid, Anki, Pathoma, Pixorize, and Sketchy) does work and gets them a PASS on the exam (see blog posts “How to Make a Step 1 Study Schedule” and “Step 1 UWorld Strategies”).

However, if you’re like me and don’t fall into this category, I have some additional tips and resources that may help!

Tips

#1: Stop looking at what everyone else is doing and ‘march to the beat of your own drum’. This is easier said than done, but remember – what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.

#2: Prioritize your time wisely. Although pass/fail seems easy, don’t overload yourself with other commitments during dedicated. Focusing all your time on studying will help with Step 1 as well as prepare you for clinical rotations. 

#3: If you need to take time off to study, do it. Take a leave of absence or take a research year – no one will look back at your year off as a negative. If you need more time to feel prepared, take it. Then spend the rest of the year gaining volunteer, clinical, or research experience in your area of interest. Medicine is an ever-growing field, there is always more to learn.

Resources

1. USMLE Step 1 Prep Courses

   1. Two big organizations offer prep courses for Step 1:

      1. Pass Program in Champaign, Illinois

• This program offers a big-picture review of all preclinical blocks using Pass Program-specific reading material and PowerPoints.

1. Kaplan in New York, New York

• This program offers detail-oriented lectures covering preclinical material and access to Kaplan’s question bank.

• Dirty Medicine

  1. This YouTube channel does a great job of reviewing high-yield topics (organ system-specific pathology, pharmacology, and microbiology). Most of the videos also include great mnemonics to remember difficult topics. Take advantage of Dirty Medicine’s High Yield Images videos as a quick review the night before the exam!

• MehlmanMedical PDFs

  1. Mehlman’s PDFs helped me win those extra points on exam day. The high-yield arrows PDF is one of the most popular PDFs, but be sure to browse the website for other high-yield PDFs covering various organ systems and preclinical units. The PDFs are repetitive at times, but repetition is good.

• USMLE Biostats Shorts

  1. Unlike many others, I excluded biostats questions from my UWorld blocks. I do believe that understanding biostats is crucial to correctly interpreting research studies and having the tools to design your study, but when it’s crunch time you have to focus on the higher-yield topics.

  2. Dr. Randy Neil has a great YouTube channel with short videos that go over practice questions. This is all the review I did for biostats and it was enough to answer the questions I encountered on my Step 1 exam!

• Reddit

  1. Although Reddit is not always the most reliable space, it is a community full of others who are struggling with this exam and medical school in general. I have found several threads that have been motivating and encouraging on this platform. I have also happened upon threads that contain helpful note packets from prior exam takers.

In the end, this one exam doesn’t define you. Just remember that being confident is half of the secret to successfully pass this exam! Good luck!