In medical education, shelf exams evaluate students' knowledge and clinical reasoning during core clinical clerkships. Administered by medical schools, often written by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), these...
Featured Blogs
The Future of AI in Medical Education Imagine practicing...
Having scored above the 90th percentile on Step 2, students...
The USMLE Step exams are no joke. There are plenty...
Resources
With Step 1 transitioning to a pass/fail format, the importance of the Step 2 CK exam in medical school has become even more pronounced. It now stands as the primary...
Clinical rotations are a very important part of your medical school experience; the hands-on learning that you are exposed to is pivotal to creating a well-rounded approach to your clinical...
The rapid advancement of AI, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, has introduced new possibilities for medical and premedical students looking to optimize their study strategies. AI is now widely...
Latest Blogs
If you haven’t had the opportunity to take a course in neuroscience as an undergraduate, you may feel intimidated by the thought of the subject appearing on the MCAT. Neuroscience...
For first- and second-year medical students, analyzing complex research papers can sometimes feel like learning a new language. Between new methodologies, dense statistical analyses, and specialized terminology, comprehension can be...
Many medical students take NBME Clinical Science Subject Exams, or “shelf” exams after completing core clinical rotations in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, OBGYN, Family Medicine, Neurology, and Pediatrics....
USMLE STEP 1
If you’re a medical student or an International Medical Graduate (IMG) preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), one of the first steps is obtaining a USMLE scheduling permit. This document allows you to book your exam date and is essential for progressing in the licensure process. ...
The USMLE Step 1 is one of the most challenging milestones for medical students. With high stakes and a grueling preparation process, it often feels like an overwhelming task. Many students rely on traditional study methods such as long lectures, hours of reading dense textbooks, and marathon review sessions, but...
Almost all students preparing for the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 will take at least one (hopefully more!) practice test leading up to test day. While various practice tests are available to assess your performance, many students will turn directly to the NBME practice tests to estimate their chances...
USMLE STEP 2CK
With Step 1 transitioning to a pass/fail format, the importance of the Step 2 CK exam in medical school has become even more pronounced. It now stands as the primary scored exam that program directors scrutinize when determining which applicants to invite for an interview. Your Step 2 CK...
If you’re a medical student deep in clinical rotations, you’ve probably heard the constant chatter about shelf exams and USMLE Step 2 CK. Maybe you’ve even asked yourself: Are shelf exams harder than Step 2 CK? Does Step 2 feel like a bunch of shelf exams stitched together? Can I...
So You Failed Step 2 CK—Now What? Alright, take a deep breath. Failing Step 2 CK is not the end of your medical career. It’s a setback, sure, but setbacks happen. We all have them. The important thing is how you bounce back. Let’s go step by step to...
COMLEX LEVEL 1
When starting your medical school application, you will find that there are multiple paths you can choose, namely, MD vs DO. Should you apply to an Allopathic or an Osteopathic medical school? What’s the difference between them, and which path is right for you?
This is a common question that my osteopathic medical students ask me. The answer is not so straightforward because they are different exams. As a DO student, an important decision that you have to make is whether or not you should take the USMLE exams in addition to the required...
Historically, DO students were recommended to take both the COMLEX and USMLE Step exams (specifically Step 1 and Step 2 CK) in order to be competitive for residency applications. However, now that both COMLEX Level 1 and Step 1 have become pass/fail, DO students wonder if they should still take...
RESIDENCY ADVISING
This blog was originally published in 2023 by Dr. Alina Khil and updated for accuracy in February 2025 by Dr. Coco Stewart. The Hardest Medical Specialties to Match Into Choosing a medical specialty is a challenging task, especially when it comes to many of the more competitive specialties. Is it...
The last thing on most students’ minds going through the SOAP is, “how do I match into a competitive program?” The truth is, most SOAPing medical students just hope they Match into a residency program at all. But, the best applicants make the most of this tough situation. Sometimes, these...
I distinctly remember the day I first considered a career in orthopedics. Prior to medical school, I worked as a scribe in a small orthopedic clinic. While the other scribes grew tired of their days repeatedly evaluating arthritis, I was fascinated by the nuances and surgical options that orthopedics offered....
RESOURCE REVIEWS
As you prepare for the high-stakes USMLE Step 2 exam, practice exams are a crucial tool to gauge your progress and identify areas for improvement. While many students rely on NBME and UWorld self-assessments, the AMBOSS Step 2 CK self-assessment offers another valuable tool for gauging readiness and reviewing key...
If you are about to start your dedicated study period for the USMLE Step 2CK, you may be asking yourself, “what are the best study books I should use to prepare for this test?” Well, look no further! Here at EMP, we provide a comprehensive review of the best study books for Step 2CK!
This blog was originally posted on January 17, 2023, and updated in December 2024. Growing up, my studying always seemed to follow a natural sequence: learn new content, review that content, and then quiz yourself on that content with practice questions. The idea of beginning with the end, i.e.,...
HOW TO
The ABIM tests your knowledge on common and rare diagnoses expected from a board-certified internist according to American Board of Internal Medicine standards. To set yourself up for success, it is important to start early and practice often.
Having scored in the 270-280 range on Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3 of the USMLE, I am often asked by students questions like “What’s your secret?”, “How can I plan my study schedule to…
Just like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, at times medical students can feel like they are living the same day over and over again (especially now in the midst of coronavirus test cancellations). Between learning new content, spending long hours studying, and anxiously taking exams, many students feel stuck in a perpetual cycle of anxiety
ABIM
The ABIM tests your knowledge on common and rare diagnoses expected from a board-certified internist according to American Board of Internal Medicine standards. To set yourself up for success, it is important to start early and practice often.
Each year, as thousands of physicians begin studying for the internal medicine boards, an age-old question comes up: Which question bank (Qbank) should they choose? Today we are going to be reviewing the UWorld ABIM question bank to evaluate its quality as a study resource.
The ABIM tests your knowledge on common and rare diagnoses expected from a board-certified internist according to American Board of Internal Medicine standards. To set yourself up for success, it is important to start early and practice often.