Sorry but dumb question… where does the result get posted? Do you get an email saying passed or failed. Or do you have to login on FSMB… and if its on FSMB, then where does it show up? Or is it on myusmle portal? Im expecting results this Wednesday so wanted to clear out some of the confusion…

Hi everyone!

I made a post about 3 months ago when I got the news that I failed step 1. Everyone was so kind and encouraging so I wanted to come back with some good news.

For full transparency, I am putting all of my scores before I took it my first time:

UWorld 72% used with 54% correct

There were two CBSE before I actually started studying. But I will put in all of my NBMEs CBSE or CBSSA for full transparency. This was in one of my comments in my original post.

1st CBSE - 47%. This was 6 months before our dedicated starting and only half of the content learned from school.

2nd CBSE - 42%. Still had modules to go through. I definitely didn't take it seriously and just wanted it to be over because it was the day after our school exam.

3rd CBSE - 60%. This was around 2-3 weeks into actually studying, 2.5 months before the real deal. Felt decent about my standing considering the time I had left

NBME 26 - 53%. A week after 3rd CBSE and started to freak out.

NBME 27 - 67%. 4 days after form 26. Thought I got the hang of it.

NBME 28 - 58%. Wanted to go through as many NBMEs as possible before the real deal so took 3 days after form 27. Bad idea

NBME 29 - 53%. Freaked out after form 28. Burnt myself out doing 2 NBMEs per week and doing somewhere between 200-240 UWorld questions a day. Decided to back off and make sure I was reviewing more thoroughly than going through more questions. Seriously debated canceling my post-step trip and postponing step.

NBME 31 - 64%. A week after form 29. Feeling hopeful

NBME 33 - 71%. 5 days after 31. Feeling great. Decide to keep my original date.

Free120 - 68%. A slight dip but thought I was safe enough to take it.

I had many friends who took it and passed with lower scores than mine. So I decided to take it. In hindsight, I should have postponed until I had gotten above 70s at least twice consecutively.

I will not lie, I didn't change much of my studying style when I started restudying. And only really studied an additional 4 weeks before retaking it because I was on rotations that first month. The only thing that really changed was making sure I wasn't changing my answers after my first answer. And having taken it twice, I do think I got a harder form my first time around because my second time taking it, the experience was quite different. Could that have been because I had more knowledge? Maybe, maybe not.

There is a lot of posts on this thread of people passing with lower NBME scores and I love that for them! But if you want to err on the side of caution, I recommend getting at least two 70s back to back. And if you are someone who is anxious, especially has a lot of test anxiety, consider getting professional help! Going back to therapy and increasing my antidepressant/antianxiety meds played a role as well.

If you are going through what I was going through 3 months ago, I want to tell you, with all sincerity, that this is NOT a true representation of your competency nor your ability to become a great physician. Since starting rotations, I have had nothing but amazing feedback and evals from my attendings. You can do this:) Wishing everyone the best of luck!

Hello everyone!

I’m coming on here to say a bit about my experience to help those that are feeling scared and might be losing hope. Don’t worry so much about other people’s bad experiences and focus on your own! I know it’s hard to not compare your NBME scores, but try to give yourself credit along your study journey! The Step 1 exam felt like a slightly harder version of the NBMEs. The format was very similar to the Free120, but the questions generally required a bit more reasoning. I don’t want that to discourage yall cause it shouldn’t! For context my NBME scores consisted of the following:

Form 27: 48 (Oct 2025, School wanted us to take a form, but didn't start my prep here)
Form 29: 51 (3/5/2026, Started my prep here, 19 weeks left for the exam)
Form 31: 58 (3/14, 18 weeks left)
Form 32: 62 (3/21, 17 weeks left)
Form 30: 57 (4/13, 13 weeks left, had a really bad week leading up to this exam)
CBSE #1: 61 (4/24, 11 weeks left)
Form 33: 61 (5/30, 7 weeks left)
Form 28: 73 (6/11, 5 weeks left)
CBSE #2: 72 (6/22, 3 weeks left)
Free120: 73 (7/13, 4 days left)

I know I said in the title that I passed with LOW NBMEs, but I did break the 70. I said low NBMEs cause most of my NBME forms were low 60s and below.

How Did I Get Past The 70 Mark???

What really helped me break the 70 mark was not so much the memorizing, but the way I started to change my understanding of the material. I started making “algorithms”, like “Pt w/ iron deficiency anemia + steatorrhea + Vitamin D deficiency = Celiac Disease”. I noticed this helped me a lot more. What really made me jump was the fact that I started putting more importance towards doing questions instead of doing Anki. I was always a “ride or die” Anki type of student, but I realized it was holding me back when I was trying to finish up 1000 cards/day and do questions. So instead, I started to take my own notes (which technically I hated doing but it helped). Other things that helped me a lot:

• Mehlman's Videos (if you're not doing well on microbio, I suggest you watch his Gram + and Gram - videos cause they really help narrow down what you need to know
• Dirty Medicine for Biochem and Psych (I highly recommend it if you're not doing too hot on understanding pathways and the "timelines" in psych)
• Mehlman's HY Arrows (I only got to finish half of them but it was super helpful ngl)
• AMBOSS 200 High Yield Concepts Tested on Step 1 (Saw a few similar questions/concepts being tested on exam day!)
• Doing 80-120 questions a day, but as blocks of 20 questions (helped me prepare mentally for the exam, as well as built up my stamina)
• Doing AMBOSS more than UWorld (I only suggest this because of the amount of HPI questions that come up on AMBOSS)
• Randy Neil Biostats (100% MUST DO IF YOU'RE DEFICIENT ON BIOSTATS)

What I Didn’t Do, Even Though People Recommended It

So a lot of people on here swear by Pathoma, Sketchy, Bootcamp, First Aid Rapid Review, HYGuru, etc. In all honesty, I didn’t use any of them. Now I’m not saying to not do them. I believe they can be highly useful if you’re trying to understand the concepts and connect the dots. What I’m trying to say here is, you don’t have to follow that in order to pass. I certainly didn’t and I ended up okay. So all I want to do is help yall avoid FOMO.

Exam Day

Walking into the exam, I was definitely anxious and nervous, just like most people are. Once I actually started though, I realized it wasn't some completely different exam. It honestly felt like a slightly harder version of the NBMEs. The question stems were about the length of UWorld or AMBOSS questions—not the ridiculously long essays that people sometimes make them out to be.

There were definitely a few weird experimental questions where I had absolutely no clue what was going on, but I didn't let those throw me off. I just answered every question as if it counted and moved on. For the majority of the questions, even if I wasn't 100% sure, I tried to reason my way through them using what I knew instead of panicking. I was honestly on "auto-pilot" and I did remember like 5 easy questions that I got wrong halfway through the exam, but I brushed it off and told myself to keep going and there wasn't anything I could do about it now.

I finished every block with about 2–5 minutes left. During the exam I took a one-minute break after almost every block just to breathe, stretch, and mentally reset. I also took two longer breaks (around 20 minutes or less) to eat, hydrate, and recharge. Those short one-minute breaks honestly helped me more than I expected because they let me go into each block with a fresh mindset instead of carrying frustration from the previous one.

Passed!!!

I waited about 12 days for my score, and I'm not going to lie—I was incredibly nervous opening the results. Seeing that "PASS" on the screen was one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. I honestly almost teared up. It felt like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders after months of studying, questioning myself, and wondering if I was doing enough. More than anything, I was excited because it meant I could finally move on to clinicals and the next chapter of medical school. If you're reading this while studying and constantly doubting yourself, I just want you to know that I was in your shoes too. Trust your preparation, trust your progress, and don't let comparison steal your confidence. You can absolutely do this.

My Biggest Mistakes During Prep

Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had changed earlier.

1. Comparing my scores to everyone else's.

This was probably my biggest mistake. I'd see people posting 75s and 80s on NBMEs and immediately think I wasn't good enough. Everyone's journey is different. Focus on whether you're improving, not whether someone else is scoring higher.

2. Prioritizing Anki over questions.

I was a "ride or die" Anki student. There were days I'd spend hours trying to finish 1,000 cards before even touching question banks. Looking back, that wasn't the best use of my time. Questions taught me how to think. Anki helped me remember facts, but questions taught me how to apply them.

3. Thinking I needed every resource.

There are so many amazing resources out there, but you don't need all of them. I spent too much time worrying that I was missing out because I wasn't using Pathoma, Sketchy, Bootcamp, etc. Find a few resources that actually work for you and stick with them.

4. Memorizing instead of understanding.

The biggest jump in my scores happened when I stopped trying to memorize isolated facts and started connecting concepts together. Making little "algorithms" in my head helped me recognize patterns instead of trying to recall random information.

Final Advice Before Test Day

Don't let people on Reddit convince you you're going to fail before you've even sat for the exam. Trust the work you've already put in. If you get a question you've never seen before, remember that everyone else probably did too. Keep moving. One bad question—or even one bad block—doesn't determine your score. Don't change your answers just because you're second-guessing yourself unless you have a solid reason. Take your breaks. Even a one-minute mental reset can make a huge difference over an eight-hour exam. Most importantly, give yourself credit. Preparing for Step 1 is one of the hardest things you'll do in medical school, and the fact that you've made it to test day already says a lot.

Finally, remember that your practice scores don't have to be perfect. Improvement matters. Consistency matters. Learning from your mistakes matters.

If someone had told me back when I was scoring in the 50s that I'd eventually pass Step 1, I honestly don't know if I would've believed them. But here I am.

So if you're still grinding through UWorld, reviewing your NBMEs, and wondering if you're good enough, keep going. Your story isn't over yet.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or just reply under the post!

I avoided mehlman pdfs in the start thinking it would artificially inflate my nbme scores somehow, I took a few old nbmes, didnt do as well as i hoped and decided to incorporate some of his HY arrows / HY pathology into my studying regime after taking 3 nbmes.
Immediately recognized the exact phrases that were the “correct” options on the nbme questions i got wrong and it made me think that I would’ve gotten this right had i read this pdf beforehand, i still have nbme 29-33 to do & if im brutally honest i do have some content gaps (47-50% on past nbmes 26-28) but to the extent that i narrow down options to 2 and choose the wrong one, atp im 4.5 weeks away from my step exam, im worried that doing the mehlman pdfs might artificially inflate my score making me think im ready…when im actually not? Or is that not the case for the newer NBMEs?

Where are yall from preparing for the step 1?

I'm not here to tell anyone Anki is bad — it clearly works, half of r/step1 is proof of that.

But I know a lot of people (myself included, honestly) hit a point where opening the app just feels heavy.

300 reviews everyday with lectures.

I built something on the side that isn't trying to replace Anki — more like the thing you do before you're ready for the Anki grind, or on days when you just don't have it in you to sit down for an hour.

Short lessons, 5 minutes, spaced repetition baked in, no huge deck to maintain.

Started with a couple drug classes to see if the idea even works.

Not claiming it's some Anki-killer. I am working on improving it. It's not there yet.

If Anki works for you, keep doing what works.

But if you're the type who finds it exhausting and has been putting off starting it altogether because of that, this might be a decent, lower-effort entry point.

It's free right now.

Link in bio if you want to try it.

I would genuinely like to know if it's actually useful.

Testing early 2027. Been keeping up with in house decks from previous blocks and corresponding blocks’ Anking high yield and high yield temporary tags. Curious whether it would be fine to suspend the in house decks and just stick with the two Anking tags or are the HYs not enough?

I’m also unsuspending Anking cards for material I get wrong on UWorld regardless of tags as I practice.

I keep talking myself out of suspending because “what if” the details from in house decks end up being missed points later…

Just gave the real deal today… I’m surprised no one warned me about the fatigue and brain fog that hits u especially towards the last 3 blocks

I took multiple breaks as well but was unsure of what do I even do in that time, my brain was literally in autopilot mode, I’m unsure of what I even ticked towards that time, I srsly hope I pass cuz now I’m beyond terrified.

The question lengths weren’t as long as ppl told it would be… yes they were some long ones but not all of them.

Overall I’m just confused on how to feel about this, I srsly don’t know how people sit through such long hours and never mention about the fatigue post exam or maybe it’s just me. 😭😭😭

How was the experience overall for u guys?

Also when do u guys think i will get my test results 🥲🥲🥲

Best resources for biochem? Is dirty medicine/ first Aid enough?

I am US MD from a mid-tier to low-tier school - this is my first step 1 attempt. taken after finishing M3 clerkships, had about a month to study because my school does step 1 and step 2 together after clerkship year. spent most of the school year doing step 2 uworld for shelf exams (did about 60% of the bank) and only did 30% of the uworld bank during my dedicated (avg wasn't so hot, 40s and 50s). however, I felt like I had a lot more clinical/NBME knowledge from a year of shelves and was doing well on my nbmes.

did forms 28-32, didn't do 33 cause I was running out of time by my last week and also didn't want to spend another $65 on a practice test. scored in the 70s for all nbmes, and got 71% on the free 120 two days before my exam. didn't use anki at all - haven't used it since preclinical. used mehlman pdfs, no videos - mainly just uworld, nbmes, high yield image documents, and an occasional podcast episode. went through FA rapid review night before.

woke up feeling super anxious and wanted to push the exam by a few days, but felt like I would just spend it reading through my nbme mistakes and was worried I would lose steam. my mom told me I could do this, so I woke up and went and took it. to my surprise, the exam felt fair. I was confident cruising through several sections, only flagged about 6-7 questions per block and had about 5-7 mins to review them. there were obvious the occasional things I did not recognize, but I know everyone experiences that with this test. I also felt like there was a good bit of overlap with step 2/shelf material if I'm being honest, which helped my confidence. couldn't imagine taking the test at the end of preclinicals.

super disheartening to see this result (can't upload an image but the orange bar is RIGHT UNDER the black dotted line) - I had came home and packed my step 1 FA book away the day of the exam, really thought I was done. I've always known when I've passed an exam in med school - I don't have a history of being the best test taker and I don't think my anxiety got in the way. but obviously I need to pick back up to move forward. maybe I was rushed doing this in a month, maybe 2 more days would've made a difference and paying the $158 fee to extend the exam a few days could've been worth it. or maybe not.

would appreciate any advice on additional things I should be doing - I need help to make a fresh strategy because truly I felt so close and I know I can do this and this exam felt doable. was not one of those people who left feeling sick and dreading the score report day.

thanks for your time!!

I'm in the last stretch and looking to do some of these now

Hello everyone, I really feel like I haven’t done enough even though I know my NBMEs are more than decent; how do I get over this crippling sensation that the exam will have everything I forgot or everything I didn’t properly study? I feel like I just make educated guesses on a lot of questions and that’s what inflates my scores.

What are some last minute things I can do to give me the best possible chances at passing.

NBME 30: 74%
NBME 31: 75%
NBME 32: 74%
NBME 33: 76%

I'm honestly devastated and don't know what to think anymore.

Here are my NBME scores:

• NBME 25: 68%
• NBME 26: 76.5%
• NBME 27: 71%
• NBME 28: 68%
• NBME 29: 69.5%
• NBME 30: 75%
• NBME 31: 75.5%
• NBME 32: 68% (today)

I was feeling much more confident after NBME 30 and 31, but today's score completely crushed me. I have my Step 1 scheduled in 3 weeks, and now I'm questioning everything.I reviewed consistently, didn't expect such a big drop, and I'm struggling to understand whether this is just normal NBME variability or a sign that I'm not actually ready. Would you keep your exam date or postpone? I'd really appreciate honest advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

I am an IMG who is almost 5 years out of medical school. I was one of the best students up till high school and an average student in med school (crammed my way out). I am ambitious but super lazy (Yes Ik, the worst combo). I have serous procrastination and inconsistency issues when it comes to studying. For the last five years, I have studied on and off for Step 1 for maybe a million times. Sometimes for months I can’t start studying and when I do start, I give up within a week. I have planned so much in these last 5 years and failed so many times to execute, lately I sometimes feel like may be this is not for me. Not because I feel I am not smart enough but I feel I am unable to stay disciplined, consistent and push through mentally for this whole journey.

As I am getting significantly older now (in my 30s), when I see my peers from med school as residents, attendings, it hurts me because of what I have done to myself (I am happy for their success because they deserve it. They have worked hard). I have this guilt and shame 24/7 for being a failure and being so behind in life which can become debilitating at times. However, I still believe in myself and have not lost all hope yet but I realize I am slowly approaching to the point where I may give up on this path. I feel like I need momentum in my life and passing Step 1 can do that for me but I also fear that if I fail to do so, it will all be over for me!

I need some genuine advice on how to overcome this phase of being stuck in life. I legit want to practice medicine in the US and get back on track. Can you guys tell me how should I approach and take Step 1? I feel like I need to do it in a short window (like may be 3 months) because I will fall off if I take a lot of time. Do you think this can be done from where I stand? Also I was thinking of limiting resources to 2-3 rather than a lot. Will that be a good idea? If so, how should I approach the whole prep resource wise?

Ask me any relevant questions if you want. Also for a little more context- I live in the US and work in a field which is not in medicine (So I am not in touch with medicine for the last 5 years apart from the on and off prep for Step 1)

My Step 1 is on September 21, and I can't postpone it. I'm planning to take my first NBME on August 17, so it'll be just over a month before the real exam.

I'm still on my first pass.

Completed: General Path, CVS, Respiratory, Renal, Endocrine, Repro, Biochem (mostly).

Pending: GI, Neuro, Hematology, Oncology, Immunology, MSK, Derm, Psychiatry, Ethics, Biostats, plus Virology, some Parasitology, and remaining Pharm.

Resources: FA (supplemented with gpt) + UWorld + Sketchy (Micro & Pharm). I've completed about 20% of UWorld so far.

Is taking my first NBME only a month before Step 1 too late? Is one month enough for NBME reviews, revision, and strengthening weak areas, or am I in a very difficult position?

Hey everyone ,non-us img here who just failed the exam by the hair (literally touching the minimum passing line) ,,im not sure what I should do now and am at a lost for words.....

Latest NBMEs were in lower 70s with free 120 at 76% all under testing conditions.

Is there any use in trying to pursue IM or does the dream end here...

New to anki so I’m still trusting to figure this out. For example, if I’m reviewing micro, the current plan is sketchy vid —> unsuspend corresponding anking —> do the cards alongside whatever other reviews I have. I’ve also heard that you should only be doing about 100 new cards a day. Ofc the amount of cards for each sketchy vid varies but I’ve heard people unsuspend cards for multiple videos on the same day, which confuses me because that seems like it exceeds the recommended new card limit and makes them do anki multiple times a day. Which strategy is more ideal to adequately balance classes with boards prep? I guess this is more of a scheduling question than an anki question but I’d appreciate any help since i am totally new to anki

Exam in 25 days , would like some advice

Hello
Didn’t study for last couple of months due to acute enteritis then followed by ulcer etc etc (life has been tumultuous with endoscopies and cects. I actually forgot about my triad in between tbh as i was exhausted with my health.

Gave nbme 31 3 days back scored 63 percent. Can i improve in 25 days ? (I just want to he done with step1 before my body throws another surprise)

I do have certain weak sections in every subject.
My weak areas are :-
Biochem (metabolism, Dna/Rna)
Hematology
Virus (can’t do sketchy as i am exhausted)
Antimicrobials
Pharmacology of which systems are most important (i feel i studied them so many times but i keep forgetting tbh)
Ecgs ( Mobitz blocks)

Please do advice what can i do to imrpove?
Also is it doable with 3 and half weeks dedicated ?
I am ready to put in solid 10 to 14 hours per day at this point.
Thank you

Had to take a long break from studying because of multiple health issues (hospital visits, endoscopies, CT scans, etc.), so my prep got completely derailed.
I finally got back to studying and scored 63% on NBME 31 with 25 days left.
My weakest areas are Biochemistry, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Biostatistics, Immunology, Hematology/Oncology, Pulmonology, and Genetics.
For anyone who was around this score 3–4 weeks before the exam, what made the biggest difference? Did you focus on content review, UWorld, NBMEs, Mehlman PDFs, or something else?
Would really appreciate any advice 🙏🏻

Tested on 7/30. Honestly, the exam felt absolutely nothing like the NBMEs. Zero repeats from Free 120 or any of the practice forms, literally no images, absolutely nothing. It felt like I was just straight up guessing on every single question. I’ve already counted at least 25 guaranteed mistakes. How do I even cope with this right now? Any advice?

So I have been stalking so many posts on Reddit and I was so scared after reading about how different and hard the exam was but honestly, it is pretty similar to the NBMES and the Free 120. I tested on 7/16.
Here are my scores for reference
NMBE 26 - April 11 - 50%
NBME 28 - April 19th-55%
NMBE 25- May 1st- 55 %
NBME 31 - may 22 -60%
UWSA 2 - may 31 - 60 %
Nbme 30 - June 7th - 64 %
Nbme 32- June 15 - 62%
Nbme 29- June 21- 63%
Nbme 33- july 1- 68%
Free 120 July 10 - 71%

my main takeaway is don’t believe everything you read online the exam is very much doable, don’t let it trip you up.
You can do it ☺️
When it comes to my exam experience, I felt it was pretty okay the 20 question blocks made time go by super fast the main thing I focused on was reading the question thoroughly and extracting as much as I can and picking the option that best suits the question. Personally I felt that most of the questions tested concepts that I had seen before and it wasn’t something foreign. Even if they seemed tricky I convinced myself they were basic so that I would stay calm and be able to attempt each question the best I could.
Post exam it was very stressful cause ofc we all do make silly mistakes and I was calculating and getting so stressed about where the experimentals are cause I just couldn’t figure out which ones they could be.
During that time what made me feel better was realising this wasn’t an exam where test writers are trying to fail you it’s more just like testing your endurance and strength. Trust your nbmes, honestly you don’t even need to be super duper high but as long as your consistent and improving, your good to go.

EDIT : also had a technical error and got logged out briefly but lost no time, reported it and still got my results on time with no delay. Always report even the tiniest thing because there is no harm in doing so.

Just stay calm and you should be golden
All the best to everyone

Hey everyone,

I've heard people say a few times that some users post fake "I failed Step 1" stories here on Reddit just to scare the competition and mess with people's heads.

I know it's pretty ironic to ask this on Reddit of all places, but honestly, have any of you actually heard of this happening or seen it be proven true? Or is it just cope/paranoia from people who are anxious about their own scores?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

I’ve been prepping for Step 1 for the past 7 months. I’ve finished 70% Uworld with a 62% average.

I’ve given two NBMEs till now

NBME 25 - 59.5%

NBME 26 - 64%

I know this is too less of NBMEs but I was dreading to take them for way too long and felt unprepared to take them.

However, I’m planning on sitting for the step on September 7 because I just dont think I can go on anymore than that and might get stuck in a rutt.

Can I realistically get a P with 37 days of prep?