Overview
I classified myself as under-prepared because I (regretfully) scarcely used third-party resources (i.e. Pathoma, Sketchy, Bootcamp, Anki) until Blocks 5 or 6. My Dedicated was 7 weeks, a little too long for my taste. If you find yourself in a similar boat, this one’s for you.
Firstly, you do NOT have to be a dedicated Anki lord going into Step. I was an intermittent user when I prepped for Block exams, but again, I hardly interacted with the Anking deck during the year and solely focused on in-house decks. Mid-Dedicated, I befriended Anki by using the UWorld add-on because this filters UWorld questions within the Anking deck. Since I was pressed for time, I curated “focused decks” for areas I was shaky in rather than ambitiously knocking out the 10k+ cards.
There are some haters, but I consumed 1-2 chapters of Pathoma a day. My routine: wake up, stretch, watch Pathoma + follow alongside First Aid, 40q UWorld block, review, lunch, 40q UWorld block, review, workout, self care, supplementary videos, sleep. During my breaks, I would Anki.
I likely studied around 12-14 hours/day, and included numerous small breaks. In the beginning, I spent almost all day reviewing my UWorld, so I strategized my time by focusing on explanations for the top 2-3 choices I was on edge about and read the “Educational Objective”. The week before my exam, I found myself consistently scoring 60-70+ on 40q blocks, which past students have mentioned this trend as well. I completed 77% of UWorld with an average ~50% (lol, hopefully you can do better). Fear not, even UWorld quotes,
“Historically, a 40% UWorld Step 1 Qbank score has been correlated with a passing score on the USMLE Step 1. With the exam’s recent transition to P/F scoring, we now consider a passing UWorld Qbank score to be 45-50%.” (see FAQ section)
~UWorld
Let’s discuss CBSSAs/CBSEs: Georgetown implemented CBSEs to simulate test-taking conditions, and unless there were cubicles mimicking the Prometric test site, I opted to take my CBSSAs at home. I never missed a week of CBSSAs and spent the following day reviewing its 200 questions. For my class, we had to score at least 85% probability of passing to sit for the exam. Aim as close or beyond 70% overall correct for your own comfort. I’ve heard success stories of former students scoring below “low pass” on their CBSSAs and passing overall on the test. It is doable, but you want to feel as confident going in. My test site was at Falls Church, VA due to the ease of parking, a popular location over DC’s K Street option. There will come a time to register for Step in the Fall; Dr. Terao will lead that mandatory meeting. If things haven’t changed, view instructions here.
Please remember that preparation for this exam is laborious and emotionally taxing, even my most successful friends were burning out near the end. The kindest thing you can do for yourself is find time for movement and/ora Step 1 mentor (M2028 Council is working on this) who can be a sound ear. Two days before your exam, watch DirtyMedicine’s biohacks video to optimize your physical and cognitive performance, simply a game…or shall I say test changer! Lastly, USMLE’s 2025 performance data cites the Step 1pass rate for first-time takers was 93%, and you are not the exception 😉