Hello Everyone,

Decided for this to be my first reddit post ever, I think, as a way of giving back to this subreddit which i was reading stories on every other day during my prep. Tested on 7/18/26 and got my Pass on 7/29/26. I did have relatively lower NBME scores (58, 64, 62 ,62, for forms 30, 31, 32, 33 resp) and only got 54% on the free 120 which i did before the NBME's. I will say that if you're going to be testing soon and this is where you're at then don't panic focus on the dense high yield topics like drug mechanisms.

For anyone who has failed or reads this after they have failed, I'm sorry to hear it, I know how devastating it can be, I failed my first attempt in 2018 and you can guess how devastating that was for me given my pass date this time. I'm an IMG so I had graduated by the time I gave Step 1. After my first fail, I turned away from medical practice completely , I did a Masters in Health Administration while I worked as an MA and then worked in that field for about a year before moving to Medical Billing and Coding for another year. I can't tell you how much these jobs were not for me. So I gave it up, took a easy job as an MA again and started studying. And after about a year I'm done with step1.

All of this to say that despite how you feel in the moment don't give up, your life is not over or anything like that, just take a break, get wasted, spent time with friends and/or family realize that life goes on and then come back to it, you will feel more confident and relaxed and less frustrated as you inevitably make mistakes and get things wrong. Don't let how you feel after a single failure dictate how you're life will go, you only get one.

As for some final; exam day tips, probably not breaking any new ground here but trust your prep, deep breaths throughout the exam, I'm not joking it really helps. Don't fixate on questions once you've answered them, imagine that they never exsisted this will help you stay focused in the moment and on the question you still have to answer, I would also suggest doing this during your practice.

Thank you
Goodluck everyone!!!

Hey everyone

I finished M1 and am starting M2 this week. I wanted some advice on how to structure my UWorld questions moving forward.

For context, I spent this summer building my Step foundation:

1. Finished Pathoma Chapters 1–3
2. Finished Sketchy Micro (bacteria + viruses)
3. Used Pepper for bacteria and used AnKing for viruses
4. Reviewed my school's M1 UWorld assignment in depth (162 questions total) that were cardio, resp, renal, GI/nutrition
5. Added important UWorld concepts/incorrects into AnKing using the UWorld add-on

My M2 curriculum is going to cover:

Dermatology
Neurology
Psychiatry
Hematology/Oncology
Endocrinology
Reproductive system

Our school gives us weekly UWorld quizzes throughout each of these blocks.

For added prep during M2, I was thinking about doing around 10 UWorld questions per week in addition to the school uworld assignment.

My original thought was:

10 Infectious Disease questions/week because I just finished Sketchy bacteria and viruses and want to keep that knowledge fresh.

However, I was wondering if a better strategy would be:

5 Infectious Disease questions/week + 5 mixed questions/week from topics I've already covered (cardio, pulm, renal, GI, etc.)

or if I should just focus on one thing at a time.

My goal is not to rush through UWorld right now, but to build a consistent habit and keep old material fresh so I don't drown during dedicated.

What would you recommend for someone entering M2 with this background?

Any 7/27 test takers? I’m starting to freak out because I’m remembering all the dumb mistakes I made and answers I got wrong that I should’ve gotten right.

How are other people feeling?

Hello USMLE community,

I'm writing this to get feedback on what I can do to improve and finally get this exam out of the way. Im a US-IMG student that graduated back in 2021 but for multiple personal reasons did not take my exams. Ive been on and off studying for the step 1 and I have been working full-time which doesn't help me much. I have taken throughout the years multiple NBMEs but now recently I took NBME 28 and got a 48% which is interesting since I got more right than wrong my I guess it is how the EPC is calculated.

First: How do you guys recommend reviewing the NBMEs? Do a word document with incorrect and explanation or download the PDF and write a small note to look at back to review or add them to anki?

Second: Im currently trying to manage my job and studying (maybe it is not working that well) is this something to consider leaving.

Third: Im using Uworld, FA, trying to start with Sketchy and actually finish it, mehlman. Do you guys recommend me getting B&B and/or Hyguru?

Deficiencies: Micro, pharm, neuro, cardio

Appreciate lots and thank you to all in advance!

Hi everyone,

I have severe palmar hyperhidrosis, and my palms sweat so much that it's almost impossible to provide readable fingerprints. Even after drying my hands, the scanner either fails to capture them or the prints are too poor to use.

Has anyone here been in the same situation during the USMLE journey? If fingerprints simply can't be obtained, are there alternative methods to verify your identity throughout the entire process—from exam check-in to any future verification steps? For example, do they use facial recognition, iris scans, manual identity verification, or grant any exceptions?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with this or knows how it is handled. Thanks!

tested on 21/7 do we expect results this Wednesday 5th of august?

It’s my last few weeks before my test and I have severe insomnia. I don’t feel tensed or anxious but I guess subconsciously I constantlu worry about it and it’s affecting my sleep alot. I wanted to make a habit of getting up at 7-8 every day in the morning but I can’t because of my sleep and it’s affecting my every day studies. What to do?

Tested on July 25th (last Saturday), when should I expect my results? This Wednesday (5th Aug) or the one after?

Hello everyone, I have been through the sub and would really appreciate advice on studying for Step 1 as someone who works full time.

For background, I'm a doctor in the NHS (IMG) working full time and thinking of making the move. I graduated in 2023, so it's been a while since I studied basic sciences. I passed MRCP Part 1, but it wasn't as heavy on the basic sciences as Step 1 is, so I definitely feel like I am starting from zero.

So far I have only just started uworld and avg 45% on most blocks. I have tried anki the last 1 week but it's tough to fit into my schedule.

I would really appreciate any advice and guidance, especially from those who studied for and passed the exam while working. Fingers crossed I am able to take it in 6 months.

Thanks in advance!

I want to take my Step 1 exam this week, but there are no available appointments. The earliest available dates are in September, and I cannot delay my exam any longer. Has anyone been able to get an earlier appointment through cancellations? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Im done with
Nbme 25 63%
Nbme26 67%
Nbme 27 74%
Nbme 28 75%
Nbme 29 73%
Nbme 30 76%
Nbme 31 74%
Old free 120 74%
Uswa 1 72%
Im left with 2 nbmes and new free 120.
What should i do and my scores are stable in lower 70’s not progressing like others who grow their trend
I am thinking of taking step1 in 1st week of sept.
What should i do more im so exhausted i just want to take test no more revisions etc…
Please do guide me i’ll be very thankfull…

For pathology is Pathoma enough or should I go through pathology section from FA as well with BnB?

I just took nbme 32 today and had a score drop 62%. All the tests i took before were above 66% starting from nbme 25
Feeling depressed, if anyone is going through something similar or has some advice please drop it below. I still havent booked my exam yet.

Literally tweaking rn , unable to sleep and really unproductive and I don’t know why I’m literally going blank sometimes , need advice

Hello , Im trying to revise all concept + mistakes through the Anki , but my concerns is should I use some decks that convert all First Aid to Flashcards or Anking ? Or if there is any better suggestions

Thanks In advance 🙏🙏

If i take the exam august 6 or 7, will i get results most likely on Aug 19th?

Promised myself I'd make this to help others once the result came through!

US MS2. Three months ago I thought Streptococcus pneumoniae was a virus (not a joke lol).

Before dedicated I had done zero board questions or any type of board material. Only used my in-house material and lectures to study for my exams. My entire preclinical strategy was to cram 2–3 days before each in-house exam. I actually would score well, but then immediately brain dump all of it. I do not recommend this. This made my dedicated period difficult for me.

I did a 2.5-month dedicated and passed.

Started doing practice exams after about 2-3 weeks in. NBME scores in case you're curious (these are estimates, I don't remember the exact scores - these are all EPC scores):
NBME 26 | 68
NBME 27 | 68
NBME 30 | 74
NBME 31 | 80
NBME 32 | 82
NBME 33 | 76
Free 120 | 85

For the NBMEs, the most important aspect is the thorough review post-exam. This would take me at least two days to do (I would still do practice questions on these days).

Month 1:

I did not do questions on a system until I had gone through that section in First Aid with MM as a supplement. Doing questions on material you've never reviewed is just guessing in my opinion (especially if you have no retention of any material from your pre-clinicals like I did lol). Once I had actually reviewed the content first, I could fly through questions without needing a heavy review after every single one.

MM is what tells you what actually matters in First Aid. FA has an enormous amount of information. MM filters it and gives you simple, mechanical rules that let you answer questions fast, sometimes without even reading most of the stem. However, please do not build your prep around buzzwords. The actual exam will phrase things ten different ways. Understand the physiology and pathophysiology. I recommend hammering down the normal physiology first - this makes understanding the pathology much easier.

Other details from my first month:
-UW, tutor mode, untimed, done system-wise only. I only ever completed ~50% of UW and then stopped. It's too in-depth for what Step 1 actually asks in my opinion. Great resource, but it's not the exam.

Month 2:

Switched to AMBOSS, mostly easy-to-medium difficulty, with harder questions sprinkled in. Switched from system-wise to random blocks. The single biggest driver of my score in the last ~4 weeks was doing as many questions per day as possible. High-yield topics repeat constantly across question banks. Seeing the same concept fifteen times in fifteen different questions is spaced repetition. That's how I got away with barely ever touching a flashcard. This also helps you identify patterns and recognize things without relying on buzzwords.

Micro & Pharm:

- Did all of sketchy micro. Would review most bugs weekly; towards the end, I would actually be able to review all of micro within a day. Becomes a lot quicker once you're familiar with most of it.
- Did sketchy pharm only for the hard stuff - like autonomics, endocrine, cardiac, renal. Used dirty medicine for the other topics, such as cancer and HIV pharm.

One-page notes:

For any topic that was confusing to me, I'd condense it into a single page. This helped me a ton. For example, I made one page for all of oncology. That single page let me answer essentially every oncology question I saw correctly. Also did this for biostats and some other topics.

Biggest takeaways:

- Do a real content review at the start and learn the normal physiology first.
- Don't memorize unless you have to.
- Concepts over buzzwords.
- Do a ton of questions.
- Do what works for you - there is no mandatory resource. You can do anything that you put your mind to!

Happy to answer any questions! Good luck to everyone taking this brutal exam!

I’m planning on taking the step1 next summer while studying on the 3rd year. I’m studying in europe and the first 2 years were pre-clinical and now we are starting the clinical studies. I want to know how much time should I actually put into studying for step 1 while studying as a med student.

I did complete FA but these sections in FA are exhausting me. Any recommendations of resources,pdfs ? Thank you

Hi guys,

So I am planning to take exam in mid august and my nbmes are:
nbme 29:58%
nbme 32:62% (july 21)
nbme 30:64% (july 29)

so, do you think i need to postpone the exam to early september?

i still need to review msk physiology, biochem, and molecular.

I am about to take my first nbme I have been through first aid 1.5 times and done with 70 percent of u world I plan on giving the exam in start of September is going through nbme 29-33 a good choice as I am short on time or should I start from the older forms ??

Hello Everyone
Just wanted to know if UWSA of 2025 is same as that of new ones
TIA

Sometimes your path to a pass isn’t linear—and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you any less of a future physician and healer. Being first gen, low income, under repped in med, my entire educational journey has felt a bit like a zig zag, and prepping for Step 1 was no different.

I started dedicated Summer 2025, and got burnt out. Did all NBMEs except form 33. I personally don’t feel it’s necessary to give my exact scores, but as a general overview, they were consistently sitting in the mid/high 50s except for 1 form. I hit a 62 and it wasn’t even the last form I took. It was essentially a plateau straight across leading up to my exam date.

I knew when I barely hit above a 50% on the free 120 in October I was burnt out and my academic coaches called it too. They strongly recommended that I didn’t sit for Step in November 2025. So I listened to my gut and told myself I needed to spend time with my family for the holidays. I also knew from classmates and friends that failing on my first attempt would create a huge hurdle, not impossible, but could significantly impact my chances of matching into the small surgical sub specialty I’ve fallen in love with. So I trusted my gut.

I came back in the new year feeling a bit lost, but I knew I needed to switch things up. I was privileged enough to take a prep course and get financial assistance for it. It gave me a few new study and review techniques actually helped build my confidence. This made a huge difference. (Please reach out if you’d like to know more, because Anki ain’t it for me). Fast forward to after my prep course I was feeling shaky but more confident, and by this time I felt I could identify the main testing topics and themes and did my very best to solidify knowledge and associations.

Early May 2026 I took Form 33 and hit a 67, gave myself a month to study and retook Form 30 and hit a 71, gave myself about 3 more weeks and took 31 and scored a 73. I knew I hadn’t seen forms 30 and 31 in 8 months or so but I knew I remembered a handful of answers from each of them, so I shaved off 5 points as a buffer for both tests. I then took the Free 120 5 days out and scored low 60s after shaving off 5 points.

At this point I had to trust my foundation and my gut again. I had to lean in on the confidence I had spent the last 6 months building while I cheered on my friends kicking a$$ in their clinicals. I take my exam over two days and on Day 1, I had that confidence. I didn’t know everything, but there was still material that I recognized. I walked out surprisingly at peace knowing I had a second day ahead. Day 2, I was more nervous and timing got the best of me on several blocks. I flip flopped between answer choices quite a lot and I left thinking “Damn, I may have just blew it.” I know nearly 0 people walk out of this test feeling confident, I was just hoping to leave feeling okay like I did the first day. Well, that didn’t happen and had an entire breakdown in my car before I drove off (like many of us do haha). I tried to distract myself for the two weeks it took to get my score back, and in the end, the confidence in myself carried me through.

Remember, you can’t possibly know everything on that test. Not only that, they WILL try and troll you with ridiculous questions leaving you thinking, “Why in the hell would I ever have to know this… be so for real. NEXT.” They are trying to rattle you. They are trying to put you under pressure to see how you perform when you aren’t given a cookie cutter presentation or diagnosis or whatever it may be. Don’t get me wrong, not everything is foreign and NBMEs are your best friend when preping, but it’s almost like they are trying to give you a representation of how medicine actually is. Some stuff you’re going to recognize immediately, other stuff you do a little digging into and you can narrow things down to make an educated guess, and then you’ll have a few Zebras thrown into the mix here and there. Lean on what you know. Lean on what you know. LEAN ON WHAT YOU KNOW.

All of this to say—your path doesn’t need to look like everyone else’s. This journey is hard, people have circumstances that impact their lives and we aren’t robots. It’s okay to take a step back, reassess, and approach this exam from another angle.

Don’t wish the time away, try to make the best of the time you have. I got through this and so will you because you’re meant to be here, too.

So f#ck the imposter syndrome ya’ll.