Internal Medicine Shelf Exam: Study Plan & Tips to Succeed
So you’ve got the internal medicine shelf exam ahead of you huh? Well, don’t stress! While shelf exams may seem stressful or intimidating at first, with proper preparation and planning, you’ll do just fine. Here are our tips on how to study for the IM shelf exam.
MD vs. DO Programs: Which Path to Medicine is Right for You?
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?
USMLE Step 2 CK 2025 Exam Dates and Costs
What is the USMLE Step 2 CK Exam? USMLE Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) is an examination conducted by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) in the United States. It is one of the steps required for medical licensure in...
USMLE Step 3 2025 Exam Dates and Costs
USMLE Step 3 is the final exam in the series for obtaining a medical license. In this blog, we'll discuss the USMLE Step 3 2025 exam dates, costs, registration, and required materials. USMLE Step 3 Format Unlike the prior two Step exams, Step 3 is administered over...
Creating a Personalized Study Schedule with AI
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 used in medical education, from generating personalized study schedules to assisting with active recall and spaced repetition. In the past,...
The Hardest Residency Specialties and What to Expect
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...
SOAPing Into a Competitive Residency Program
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...
2025 Guide to Interpreting NBME Practice Exams for Step 1 and Step 2
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...
Step 2 CK Percentiles: What You Need to Know
The USMLE Step 2 CK percentiles provide a benchmark to evaluate your performance compared to other test-takers. With Step 1 now pass/fail, Step 2 CK scores play an increasingly important role in residency applications, making a high percentile score critical for competitive specialties. This guide breaks down the latest percentile...
USMLE Step 1 2025 Exam Dates and Costs
The USMLE Step 1 exam is an important early step in the career of any aspiring US-licensed doctor. In this blog post we will review some frequently asked questions about the exam. This includes USMLE Step 1 2025 exam dates and costs, the scope and length of the exam and...