To pass (and nail) USMLE Step 1, memorizing the facts is just not sufficient—you must be able to apply that knowledge. While you may feel accomplished reading 50 pages of First Aid in a day, the real concern is how much of that knowledge you can actually apply.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is a global pandemic. In this time of great uncertainty, many medical students may be wondering how to best prepare for their USMLE examinations– when they don’t know when they will be able to take their test.

Earlier today, the Invitational Conference on USMLE Scoring (InCUS) announced that the USMLE Step 1 is set to become pass/fail beginning January 1st, 2022. Here’s what that means for you.

The passing score for USMLE step 1 is 194. However, the average step score for an allopathic medical student in 2018 who matched into their preferred specialty was 232.8. A good step score is

Learning how to study for USMLE Step 1 begins long before your dedicated period if you want to score highly on your exam. Becoming familiar with and starting to use content dense resources such as First Aid, Sketchy, and Pathoma during MS2 gives you more time to learn content and ultimately a less intense study schedule when dedicated rolls around.

While 96% of USMLE test takers typically pass, if you’re someone who falls within that 4% and didn’t pass on your first try, you should know that each year over 20,000 people take USMLE Step 1. That means even within that 4%, there are at least 800 other students in your exact same situation. So, what do you do? We’ll tell you.

Having scored a 272 on Step 1 of the USMLE, I have often been asked “how in the world did you do THAT?!”. This post is an attempt to summarize what I believe were key steps in making that happen.

Flashcards are best used as a supplementary study aid, where they support knowledge retention from other core resources. For students preparing for USMLE Step 1, these core resources can vary, but often UWorld, First Aid and Pathoma are among the most widely used.

If you haven’t already heard of the Brosencephalon (Bros) deck, it’s time to get acquainted! Bros is one of several popular pre-made flashcard decks

Zanki (if you don't already know) is a very popular flashcard deck option for students studying for USMLE Step 1. If you're at the beginning of your dedicated study period and haven't selected a flashcard resource yet, we strongly advise you to check out our flashcard resource reviews to help you...