How I Passed Step 1 on My First Attempt (Exam Date: Oct 5)
I passed today, and I want to share what worked. This is my own experience, so take what's useful.

February to March: Starting at the Bottom
I started dedicated study in February and scored 32% on form 26. I expected it, because I started at the bottom for the MCAT too. I was told to do 80 questions a day, and I did that for a month, but I didn't retain much. After a month I was at 42% on form 27.
I decided my problem was content, so I switched to 40 UWorld questions a day plus content review for the rest of the day. I later realized I was doing that wrong too, and I was stuck at 48% by the end of March.
Many of my peers had already taken the exam and passed, and that got to me for a bit. Then I decided I was running my own race and wasn't competing with anyone. I delayed my rotations, which most people start in April.
April to May: Slow Progress
I went from 52% to 54% by the end of May. Improvement was painfully slow, but I stopped caring. I've never been the smartest or fastest learner, but I have endurance and mindset, and I knew I'd get there eventually.
June to August: The Key Change
My goal was the 60s, but I was stuck. So I asked myself what was tripping me up most. The answer was that I couldn't differentiate between similar pathologies, like placental abruption vs. accreta vs. previa, or measles vs. rubella vs. mumps.
I had been using the AnKing deck the whole time. What changed was that I started making my own cards with AI:
After missing a question (say, on breast pathology), I stopped unsuspending AnKing cards.
I asked the AI how Step might test that concept differently and what other pathologies they might use to trick me.
I had it build a high-yield clinical differentiator table.
I screenshotted the table and used image occlusion on multiple rows.
This way I was constantly seeing the differentiating details Step cares about. I did this consistently for every NBME and UWorld question I reviewed, and I hit a 60% by the end of July.
The second realization: I had taken forms 26 to 30 months earlier and never reviewed them properly. I had been so focused on finishing questions and Anki that I set them aside. When I redid forms 26 to 33 and actually reviewed them, I found that concepts repeat constantly. Form 26 might ask about rubella and form 27 about measles, so a deep review of 26 helps you get the next one right.
If you start this Anki + AI differentiator method from your very first NBME and take your time with review, the process will be much faster than it was for me. It seems simple, but it took me months to figure out.
September: Final Stretch
I scored 65% and 65% on my last redos, then 63% on the free 120 in the third week of September. I planned to test the first week of October. My tutor told me I was ready: I knew the content after eight months, and what remained was test-taking and pacing.
Then form 34 came out, I took it in the last week, and I got a 61%. I freaked out, cried, and had a rough episode. I called my support system, and they reminded me how far I'd come. I had a 63% on the free 120, a 97% on the AMBOSS SA, and two 65% scores on retakes of NBMEs I hadn't revised. I had proof I knew the content, so I treated the 61% as a chance to catch last-minute details.
Test Day (Oct 5)
I prayed throughout this process and asked for peace on test day, and I felt calm instead of anxious. Take the free 120 at the testing center if you can. It helps you control the controllables. I walked out thinking it was a 50/50, and the exam felt like a mix of the free 120 and form 32. Today I got the P.
Takeaways
Do a deep review of every NBME, including early ones, because concepts repeat.
Build differentiator tables with AI and add them to Anki with image occlusion.
If something isn't working, change it.
Mindset is huge. Pray, study hard, and trust yourself.

From you’re fellow 500 MCAT scorer to 1st time Step passer

Happy to answer any questions.

I promised myself that if I passed Step 1, I would share my experience, especially for those who are struggling with low NBME scores and feeling like passing is impossible.

I took Step 1 on September 17, 2026, and I PASSED!

My preparation was far from ideal. I didn't follow the traditional UFAP approach, didn't finish most of the resources I started, and honestly, I spent a good part of my preparation worrying that I was going to fail.

I'm an international medical student with a decent medical foundation, but when it came to Step 1-specific knowledge, I had a lot of gaps.

I had around 3–4 months to prepare, so I had to prioritize.

My NBME scores

- NBME 25: 47.5%

- NBME 26: 58%

- NBME 27: 58%

- NBME 28: 61%

- NBME 29: 58%

- NBME 33: 65%

- Free 120: 67%

- Real Deal (09/17/2026): PASS

As you can see, my scores weren't exactly reassuring.

I never scored above 65% on an NBME, and the fact that I kept getting scores in the 50s despite studying was incredibly frustrating.

The worst part was the fear of failing. Every time I took an NBME, I hoped to see a significant improvement, and most of the time, it just didn't happen.

But I kept going.

What I actually used

1. UWorld (~72% completed)

I completed approximately 72% of UWorld, using a mixture of tutor and timed modes.

I didn't finish the question bank, and I didn't do a second pass.

What mattered most to me was understanding why I got questions wrong, rather than just memorizing the correct answers.

1. Sketchy Micro (never finished it)

I started Sketchy Micro because everyone recommended it.

But I didn't even finish half of it.

It was useful, but with my limited time, I couldn't afford to spend too much time trying to finish every resource.

1. Mehlman Medical — probably one of my most useful resources

I used Mehlman's PDFs and watched his YouTube videos.

They really helped me understand how NBME questions are constructed, recognize recurring concepts, and focus on what is actually high yield.

I found his material particularly useful during the final phase of my preparation.

1. Dirty Medicine — A LOT of Dirty Medicine

I watched a ton of Dirty Medicine videos.

Whenever I struggled with a concept or needed a quick review, Dirty Medicine was one of my go-to resources.

His explanations and mnemonics helped me remember things that I kept forgetting.

1. ChatGPT — probably the most unconventional part of my preparation

This might sound strange, but ChatGPT genuinely played a huge role in my preparation.

I created a dedicated ChatGPT project specifically for Step 1.

I used it to:

- Analyze my NBME mistakes and identify recurring weaknesses.

- Explain questions I got wrong and why the other options were incorrect.

- Generate concise, high-yield reviews of topics I struggled with.

- Help me distinguish between similar diseases and concepts.

- Suggest potential ways the NBME might test a particular concept.

For example, whenever I got a question wrong about a particular disease, I wouldn't just review that disease. I'd ask ChatGPT to explain the related conditions, how to differentiate them, and what other questions could be asked about the same topic.

This helped me connect concepts instead of learning isolated facts.

Of course, ChatGPT can make mistakes, so I didn't treat every answer as automatically correct. I tried to verify important information against trusted resources.

1. My handwritten notebook — one of the best things I did

This was probably my favorite technique.

Every time I encountered something I couldn't memorize, kept forgetting, or repeatedly got wrong, I wrote it down in a notebook.

Not long explanations. Just short, high-yield facts, associations, mechanisms, and mnemonics.

As the exam approached, I reviewed this notebook every 2–3 days.

By the final days, I had repeatedly reviewed the exact concepts that I personally struggled with.

I think this made a huge difference in my retention.

The final weeks

My biggest problem wasn't necessarily a lack of studying. It was the fact that my NBME scores weren't improving the way I wanted.

Going from 61% on NBME 28 back down to 58% on NBME 29 was especially discouraging.

I started questioning whether I was actually ready.

But instead of trying to restart everything or finish every resource, I focused on my weaknesses, reviewed my handwritten notes, watched targeted videos, and continued practicing questions.

Eventually, I scored 65% on NBME 33 and 67% on the Free 120.

These were my best results, but I was still nervous going into the real exam.

I took it anyway, and thankfully, I passed.

What I learned

1. You don't have to finish every resource.

I didn't finish UWorld, Sketchy, or everything I originally planned. I had to accept that I couldn't do it all.

1. Identify YOUR weaknesses.

It's easy to spend hours reviewing things you already know because it feels productive. But targeting my weakest areas helped me much more.

1. Active recall and repetition are incredibly important.

My handwritten notebook was simple, but repeatedly reviewing the things I kept forgetting was one of my most useful strategies.

1. Don't underestimate free resources.

Dirty Medicine, Mehlman PDFs, and YouTube videos helped me tremendously.

1. Use AI intelligently.

ChatGPT wasn't a replacement for UWorld or NBME questions. It was a tool that helped me understand concepts, organize information, and make my studying more targeted.

1. Don't blindly copy someone else's study schedule.

Some people need six months. Others need less. Some finish UWorld twice, and others don't.

Find what works for you.

One important disclaimer

I'm NOT recommending that anyone take Step 1 with low NBME scores.

I knew I was taking a risk, and the uncertainty was extremely stressful. My eventual pass doesn't mean that these scores guarantee success for anyone else.

If you have the time to improve your practice scores and build a safer margin, absolutely do that.

I'm simply sharing my experience because I know how discouraging it can be to read posts from people scoring 75–85% while you're struggling to break 60%.

You can make progress even when your scores aren't improving as quickly as you'd hoped.

My preparation wasn't perfect. I made mistakes, wasted time on some things, and didn't finish everything I wanted.

But I kept adapting my strategy instead of giving up.

And in the end, I passed.

I hope this helps someone who's currently struggling with their NBMEs.

Feel free to ask me anything about my preparation, resources, or how I used ChatGPT for Step 1.

Good luck to everyone preparing. You've got this!

I got my PASS, and I just wanted to share my experience because I feel like there’s so much negativity on Reddit that sometimes does more harm than good.
If you’ve prepared well, understand the core concepts, and have been consistently doing well on your NBMEs, I really don’t think you should go into this exam expecting the worst.
Before my exam, I kept reading posts about how insanely difficult it was, how every question was extremely long, how timing was a nightmare, and how everyone walked out feeling like they failed.
But that wasn’t my experience.
Of course, there were difficult questions. Some were long, some were confusing, and I can remember about five questions that I genuinely had no idea how to answer. But honestly, I expected that.
I went into the exam knowing that there would be around 80 experimental questions spread throughout the blocks. I knew I was going to see things I had never seen before, and I was mentally prepared for that. Whenever I came across something that made absolutely no sense, I just reminded myself that it could be experimental and moved on. Obviously, there’s no way to know which questions are actually experimental.
My goal was to PASS, not to know every single answer.
I tried to focus on getting the questions I knew right first, and then I went back to the ones I had flagged because I wasn’t sure or didn’t know the answer.
And about timing, I honestly didn’t have a problem with it. I actually managed to go through every block twice. Yes, some questions were long, but many were straightforward once you recognized the concept being tested.
If you’re given 30 minutes for 20 questions, not every question is going to require the same amount of time. Some might take longer, but others can be answered pretty quickly if you know the concept.
What really bothers me is how much unnecessary anxiety these posts create.
I walked out of my exam feeling pretty good. I wasn’t thinking that I had failed or that the exam was impossible. But then I opened Reddit, started reading everyone’s experiences, and suddenly found myself questioning everything. I literally started worrying that maybe I should feel like I failed because apparently that’s how everyone is supposed to feel after Step 1.
And I think that’s ridiculous.
I’m not saying the exam is easy, and I’m definitely not saying everyone will have the same experience.
I just wish people would stop making it sound like having a terrible experience is the only normal experience.
You can have a difficult exam and still feel okay afterward. You can encounter questions you don’t know and still feel confident about the rest of your performance.
Please don’t let Reddit destroy the confidence you’ve spent months building.
Trust your preparation, trust your NBME scores, and remember that someone else’s exam experience doesn’t have to be yours.

Got my Results today and Alhamdulillah Passed Step 1 by God's Grace,

I'm Very happy to finally write my very own reddit post,

I have read so many reddit posts which helped me make my study strategy and also helped me navigate through step 1 and it's time I finally write mine and give it back to the people

Ill try to be short and precise in what I write so that it helps u and also doesn't confuse y'all and waste your time

But the basic rule is KEEP IT SIMPLE ,Don't overcomplicate things

STUDY MATERIAL

The holy triad of passing step 1 is

FA + U World + Nbme/Free 120

And use it with Chat GPT Or gemini to review the above stuff and simplify the concepts

I didn't use boards and beyond videos except for some neuro videos as I feel by basics were strong and i felt I was wasting my time by watching videos ,but if u are weak in your basics I would recommend watching them

I didn't use Anki at all as it was just not something I could do daily is what I felt,also didn't Do DIP,and mehlman used it only for one subject but if you are weak in neuro use neuroanatomy pdf as it is very good and also immunology pdf is also pretty nice ,but I didn't use them

Also Bnb And bootcamp for genetics is a must ,they help u understand complicated terms

Also my paper was very Ethics heavy like very heavy

So do that thoroughly 3-4 ethics qs per block ,I found a random Ethics pdf on reddit and omg it was super super helpful for me in understanding the important concepts and ethical scenarios

Anything apart from these three i mentioned is an add on to your knowledge and u can use it to supplement your content

And u can use it as a support or to supplement your weaker systems and make them stronger

But u have to use the above 3 things as the main study skeleton and Use AI like Gemini or Chatgpt to review the qs if u don't understand as Ai can simplify it very easily

DURATION

I started in late jan early Feb

And studied for 7-8 months with a full time House job and limited study hours with 4-5 months predicated and 1-2 months dedicated

I was going through a very low and rough patch in my life and I knew this exam was the one that would help me gain my long lost confidence and get myself up from this academic slump I was going through ,it was kind of me coming back from a period of consistent downfall

I studied dedicatedly and Felt somewhat ready by 6 months but went through severe burnout , and some depressive episodes so took an additional month and a half to feel better mentally

Tried to be consistent for most of the days and also made sure not to give up on the little social life I had ,went out ,met family friends ,some physical activity too ,the exam is doable with all this too dont let anyone else pull u down or make u think otherwise

STUDY METHOD

Coming to the Method and materials it was purely FA AND U WORLD and Gemini or Chat GPT

I am not the kind of person who can do questions on and on

So I decided that I'll do 50% qs of each system and move on ,i struggled to finish a complete pass of u world , so I couldn't even imagine to do two passes

I kept it simple do 50%- 60% so so well that u don't have to revisit that question logic again and I did that and wrote down the important points in FA so that when I revise I would remember ,didn't annotate a lot just the basic concept and differentiator,ended up doing 45% of Uworld ,ss attached up ,but made sure to read and understood full U world explanations and also why the right answer was right and the wrong was wrong

And when would the wrong answer be right ,used AI for all this

Did it on tutor mode as it helped me and did system wise only as I liked to understand one system to its fullest and not jumble things up

U can use whatever works for u

But i was doing only tutor mode and system wise till the end

And solved 10-20 qs daily of one system only not much and reviewed them properly so i picked one system for the day did 10-15 qs and revised that system

I didn't over burden myself

Also did Randy neil for biostats

Watched sketchy for micro out of Fomo and it was helpful too but revising micro again and again is more important

And Pathoma 1 st 3 chapters are Super Super High Yield

Finished 45% by 4 months

Gave my first nbme and from then on tried revising things in between by the same 10-15 qs and system each time

I am a book guy i understand more by reading and revising

Unlike people who tend to do more qs ,it's the opposite for me so I kept doing that and since I annotated u FA from u world i was basically revising the concepts only

Dont worry if u get bad scores in U World ,it a process and trust the process

Once u are done with 70-80% of portion/systems

Things will start coming together and u will start understanding everything little by little

So nbme analysis would take me a good 4-5 days used AI with it

I used to do nbme analysis to the depth and made sure I mark every important points or topics in first aid that showed in my nbme

Gave nbme 29,31,32 ,33 and

34 came out just before my exam

So didn't give it but just scanned through the questions and its topics from FA

NBME

My NBME scores were

29 -69.5 gave on 22 July

31 - 79.5 Gave on 20 august

32- 77. Gave on 30 August

33 -79 Gave it on 9 sept

34- couldn't give as it came right before my exam

After 33 fatigue and burnout and depressive episodes started to kick in ,but I had made 2-3 very good buddies in my journey who always motivated me and pushed me to the limit and out of that low phase mindset I'm grateful to them ,

So started again but my triad was about to expire ,paid the extension fee and booked the date immediately

Booking the date was the best thing because it gave me the final boost my mind wanted and then i pushed my self very hard

The only mistake that i made and i regret is not doing FREE 120 early

It sounds absurd but I gave free 120 one day before the exam date ,yes one day before

I know it was very very stupid but idk why did I delay it that much,I was under immense pressure while giving it one day before

Under that immense pressure flunked super hard and got a score drop

And got a 72-73 on Free 120

It made me super scared because of the massive drop

I didn't know what was going on in the first block of free 120 but anyways after the f120 ,I calculated my score and

I took it positively thinking

That if under this pressure my score fell then it means tomorrow on the exam day

If I feel pressurised then the score will fall like the free 120, it still would be above the passing percentage so all I have to do is calm my nerves and not mess up the hard work I had put in till now

So took it constructively and moved on

Last minute thing

One day before the exam apart from giving and going through F120 ,and previous 2-3 NBME quickly ,I revised the HY images pdf and it was super super useful ,Highly recommend u to do it ,it's the best 1-2 hours you'll spend one day before the exam

And slept for 4 hours as I had become a night owl during prep so couldn't adjust my sleep schedule before the exam

And EXAM DAY ARRIVED

Left everything on God,Walked in the exam ,calmed my nerves ,went in stress free because I knew more than the prep it's the mindset that will matter

First two blocks crushed me ,i didn't know what was happening took a break after first two blocks ,I knew such things had happened to people before me as I had read reddit reviews so calmed my self had a protein bar ,went back inside and gave the exam with a new mindset again

flagged 7-8 questions per block unsure about 4-5 qs per block so 12-13 qs didn't know what was going on and was sure about 6-7 questions per block that I got it right as they had 2-3 ethics question and i had done ethics well

I had done some calculation before the exam as i knew roughly 80 were experimental so even if blocks were tough I knew I had to get the easy ones right and maths would do the rest and get me over the line

There were questions I had no clue about at all so u just mark and moved on ,still the question stems being so long had to struggle to really finish some blocks last minute by just glancing and marking but didn't leave any questions unanswered

Made sure to take a break after every 2 blocks of 20 questions

Had taken some chicken salad and protein bar with me so had that in between breaks

My mindset was taking one block at a time ,and resetting the mentality after every block ,

some blocks in the middle were very easy

But the remaining ones were moderate and question stems varied from very long to short ones too

But overall they were long stems u spend a lot of time reading those long questions so work on your reading skills

One approach that helped me was reading the last 2-3 lines and finding key words in the patient's work up

Exam felt like Free 120 and since I gave it one day before the exam i remembered the concepts which showed up

POST EXAM STRESS

My reaction after exam was idk what happened ,I felt like I failed ,as I made very very silly mistakes which I shouldn't have made and realised them right in between my breaks ,but I didn't check anything in my breaks just eat and relax and walk or use the washroom

And I knew if I ever pass it would be due to ethics and some biostats because there were so many questions in my exam

Anyways moved on ,next day or two tried reconstructuring

the paper and realised it was useless as I didn't know what was experimental and some very hard questions and vague questions that it was impossible to remember them , I didn't know what was the question and what were they even asking

Tried calculating the corrects and wrongs from memory but it actually just increases your anxiety ,I felt like I became a full blown mathematician for 2 days and ultimately decided to give up and just waited as i couldn't do anything

The wait made me anxious My friend suggested me to distract my mind so joined a community helping clinic and did service there for 10 days post exam and all also prayed a lot

The anxiety post exam really killed me it was awful

2-3 days before the expected result day started feeling anxious with bad dreams but all I did was pray and ask God to please help me through

The result came today and I PASSED, Alhamdulillah

SUMMARY

For someone who didn't read the entire thing

The exam is just about

FA+ U World + Nbme/Free 120 and Using Ai to analyse

And Revise and Writing down the concepts u missed in FA or some book or will forget and again revise them

Do the Nbme and Free 120 analysis thoroughly even before the exam they are super super high yield and important

They are most tested concepts

Do HY Images pdf

And don't let anyone else pull u down your mindset matters a lot on exam day

U don't have to do a lot

U just have to do the same thing over and over again

Special mentions

To Pathoma chapter 1-3

Randy Neil Biostats

Sketchy Micro

And random Ethics pdf on reddit ,it helped me a lot in understanding ethics

Melhman for the selected HY points which I added to my FA but I didn't read melhman pdf completely

And the support system of a couple of friends who always motivated me

Lastly believe in yourself

You will get depressed and will fall ,you will get burnout but it's important for u to rise and get done with this exam

If u want any guidance or help feel free to reach out to me I will try to help u as much as I can and guide u if u want

And also you can ask me your doubts and we can create a small chat of interested people who want some guidance and can help and motivate each other

Now moving on to Step 2 Finally ❤️ Alhamdulillah

I need your advice.
I am preparing for step1 but haven’t taken any nbme yet.
I finished all the major systems (UWorld ONLY) except psych
I keep thinking that i am forgetting everything and that i don’t know anything. Whenever I solve a mixed block i get bw 65-90%. It really motivates me but at the same time i have almost 50% of questions flagged as i wasn’t sure or didn’t remember the concept and i was guessing.
A day after a day, i am feeling burnt out and less energized to finish my to do list.
What do you suggest i do? Should i do my first nbme?

took Step1 last week. Walking out, I felt pretty normal, not amazing, not terrible, just “I think it went okay” feeling.

But over the past few days, questions keep popping into my head and I’ve counted somewhere around 30–35 that I’m pretty sure I got wrong, including several easy ones I almost never missed on NBMEs. Not crazy hard stuff, the basic stuff I almost never got wrong on NBMEs. Every time I remember one i feel worse, and now I’m second-guessing the whole exam.

NBMEs were fine and I took them under test like conditions (timed, online, with short or no breaks between blocks).

For those who went through this, did you also remember a bunch of easy questions you got wrong after the test? Did you end up passing? Is the "trust the NBMEs scores" really true ?

NBME-28: 63%
NBME-30: 66%
NBME-31: 61%
NBME-32: 63%
NBME-33: 65%
NBME-34: 70%

Testing in 6 days,Should I go for it?
left with free 120

started prep in may and did 24% uworld
didnt use FA
ended up not studying for 2 months almost
had to begin housejob/internship in july and decided to study alongside my psych rotation
gave nbme 26 to check baseline knowledge on july 15 and scored 51%
then onwards stuck to a routine to giving nbme, reviewing it extensively through reference material and did mehlman HY pdfs
total dedicated period was completely filled with nbmes only and it was around 70 days from first nbme to exam day

nbmes
26: 51%
27: 53%
28: 60%
29: 61%
30: 64.5%
31: 69.5%
32: 71%
33: 73%
34: 74.5%

new free120: 70%

trust your nbmes
stupid thing to say
but i was extremely demotivated after exam and honestly was ready to not pass
lost all confidence after exam day
just stuck to doing internship and not thinking of anything else
but now i do understand why everyone says trust your nbmes

P.S i hate FA

My exam is in 4 days and I just feel like I not ready enough.

NBME 26 - 49%

NBME 27 - 66%

NBME 28 - 65%

NBME 29 - 64%

NBME 30 - 68%

NBME 31 - 70.5%

NBME 32 - 74.5%

NBME 33 - 67%

NBME 34 - 80.5%

Free 120 - 71%

Each time I gave the tests I felt like im gonna get below 65 percent (even in the one I got 80.5). Idk it normal to feel like I'm getting decent scores through luck? Im extremely nervous about my exam.

I cant postpone the exam

I was doing nbme 25 and 26 when i was still studying and had done half of the content. I got a score of 50%ish. My boyfriend told me to prep well and start doing the old nbmes so i woukd waste resources.

Last week I did nbme 20 - 84%. I did nbme 21 yesterday and mega score drop, 60% again.

Im sad af

As the title

Hi I recently took my school's CBSE and I was having a difficult time with time management. I had practiced for USMLE STEP 1 type of format 20 question 30 minutes and did okay on UWorld time at home and for NBMEs. If anyone has tips for time management or test taking strategies I would greatly appreciate it!

Nbme 26: 61% 27: 64%, 29: 68%, 25 : 70 % , 28: 70%, 30: 72.5, 31: 66.5, 32: 64.5 ( red flag i was hust burnt out made very silly mistakes) 33: 69.5,

Now nbme 34 free 120 left weakeat areas are ethics and biostats and pharm i used to be good in pharm so i didnt review it properly for long time now forgot abit

Im thinking of postponing it should i postpone or just aim for the stara panicking alot

I am roughly 74% done with uworld and wanted to take a self assessment. I was thinking about doing an older nbme but I've seen people make post stating the old nbmes shouldn't be focused on and that we should focus on the new ones. I haven't looked at the nbmes yet and I didn't want to spoil it for me so I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight as to :

1) are the old nbmes harder that the new ones

2) is taking the old ones still a good Idea

Tested 10/05 , did anyone awaiting their results today get them yet??

This wait is killing me😭

I took my first NBME which was NBME 28 in which I scored 68%. After 1 week I took NBME 29 and score dropped to 65%. I’m freaking out and don’t know what to do.
I have completed 100% of my UW and have passed first aid once and used it to review multiple topics alongside UW.
What should I do now!!!
Should I revise first aid again! should I do the wrongs of UW!
Please if anyone can guide me through.

Hey everyone!
I’m an orthopedic surgery resident preparing to take USMLE Step 1 on December 14, and I’d really appreciate some advice, especially from people who took the exam recently or were in a similar situation.

I graduated from medical school several years ago, so most of the basic sciences and preclinical material are pretty distant memories at this point. On top of that, working as a surgical resident leaves me with very limited time and energy to study.

Here’s where I currently stand:
Exam date: December 14 (just under 8 weeks away).
UWorld: 25% completed, averaging 53% correct.
NBME 29: 56% correct, taken about two weeks ago.
Study time so far: A little over a month.
Dedicated period: I’ll have approximately 2.5 weeks off work immediately before the exam.

One important detail: December 14 is essentially my deadline because I’m approaching the end of the 7-year window for completing the USMLE sequence. So postponing isn’t really an option.

My biggest challenge is figuring out how to spend my limited study time efficiently. There’s simply no way I can relearn everything from medical school, and I don’t want to waste valuable time passively watching hours of lectures that cover material I already know reasonably well.

I’d especially appreciate practical advice on a few things:

What gave you the biggest score improvement in the final 6–8 weeks? More UWorld, targeted content review, Sketchy, Pathoma, Dirty Medicine, or something else?

Which subjects are worth prioritizing? Are there any particularly high-yield areas that consistently show up on the real exam and offer a good return on study time?

What would you NOT spend time on? Any low-yield topics or resources you wish you’d skipped?

How did you approach UWorld? Did you focus on finishing as much of the question bank as possible, or spend more time thoroughly reviewing each block?

For those who started with NBME scores in the mid-50s, what helped you reach a comfortable passing range? How long did it take, and what did you change?
I’m not looking for a magic shortcut. I’m willing to put in the work, but with residency and a hard deadline, I need to be strategic rather than attempt to study everything.

I’d especially love to hear from older graduates, residents, or anyone who had to prepare while working full-time.

Thanks in advance! Any specific strategies, resources, or lessons learned would be incredibly helpful. 🙏

so im not exactly the best student in med school (have been lazy/violently humbled lol). my school made us take a CBSE at the end of M1, where I got a 36% lol. we are halfway through M2, and i took the CBSE and got a 48%.

By M1, we had studied: bugs & drugs, derm, msk, neuro, cardio, pulm.

By M2, we had studied: all of the above + endo/repro and a little GI and biochem. we have not covered heme/onc yet.

is this a good score for where i'm at right now? i've been slowly reviewing old concepts and stuff but nothing seriously yet. what would be a good study schedule for me to follow? or any recs on what to do before i go into dedicated in december?

How to study ethics rxam in 10 days i dont k oe ehat to do have solve 120 u world ethics questions in nbmes i get 7 out 10 qs of ethics right but i feel like im just guessing with no mental framework whatsoever is ethics like this?

Seeing people saying ethics was very difficult and was alot on exam how to counter thjs

Drop your scores! It might help someone.

Test date: 

US MD or US IMG or Non-US IMG status:

Pass or Fail: 

UWORLD % correct:

UWORLD % completed: 

AMBOSS Qbank %: 

AMBOSS SA Correct: 

NBME 25: (days out)

NBME 26: (days out)

NBME 27: (days out)

NBME 28: (days out)

NBME 29: (days out)

NMBE 30: (days out)

NBME 31: (days out)

NBME 32: (days out)

NBME 33: (days out)

NBME 34: (days out)

UWSA 1: (days out)

UWSA 2: (days out)

UWSA 3: (days out)

Free 120: (days out)

I sat the exam on 28/9 and reported an issues and got an email back that my score may be held up to 15 business days and got no news back to this day i feel like im slowly dying inside lol ik the 15 business days arent done yet but it feels like forever and everyones getting their reports back while im just silently losing my mind 🫠 anyone else here suffering with me?