During the initial periods of dedicated study, students should be taking blocks of at least 20 questions, with at least 50 questions covered per day. Most students will do a block of 40 topic-specific questions focused on whatever topic they are reviewing at the time, and then a block of at least 10 mixed questions.
These mixed questions are extremely important — getting through mixed questions helps reinforce, recall, and mimics real test day conditions where the topic will not be pre-selected. Ideally, students will still complete 2 passes of UWorld prior to taking the exam. If the period of dedicated review is 2 months or more, this is often feasible with advanced planning. If a student has 60 days of dedicated studying, the student would need to get through 2 blocks of 50 questions per day to get through 2 passes of UWorld.
This is doable! Granted, getting through this number of questions will be challenging and time-consuming, so students in this position should limit their resource use to UWorld with First Aid annotation, and use a condensed video review platform like Osmosis when necessary. If a student has not had a chance to start UWorld prior to their dedicated study period which is 6 weeks or less, this is the rare case where it is advisable to focus on getting through UWorld just once.
Students should plan to get through 1 to 2 blocks of 40 questions per day, and if time remains, then getting through the incorrect questions closer to exam day can be helpful rather than doing a full UWorld reset. Enter your info to hear from a member of our team and discuss if 1-on-1 tutoring is right for you. Sign up to our newsletter and get the best of Elite Medical Prep , tailored for you.
Skip to content. UWorld should be started during the first year of medical school. Doing well on the USMLEs and Step 1 in particular involves having as much integrated, applied knowledge of the human body as possible. Furthermore, you must know how to apply it to clinical scenarios. Introducing a QBank into your studies early in your second year or even late in your first year is useful.
This might even be a waste of UWorld questions; see above. Rather I got really good at applying pathophysiologic principles to questions I had never seen before. By constantly applying knowledge to novel clinical scenarios, I vastly improved my Step 1 score. I repeated incorrect questions twice once by accident, and once by curiosity. Since I was using Anki, I knew the answer without reading the question.
I could also remember the flaw in my reasoning the first time. Yes, I may have improved my knowledge slightly by repeating the question. UWorld comes as close as any.
However, if I were to do only one question bank, I would still choose UWorld. They think repeating UWorld and First Aid are the best way to accumulate those facts. High-scorers recognize that memorization itself is insufficient.
They must learn how to apply that knowledge to interpret the test questions correctly. The latter group sees the QBank merely as a means to an end.
In my experience, this group does much better. Should you save UWorld for last? Again, like much of the dogma, the answer will depend on what you believe the test to be. If so, then doing UWorld right before your exam may or may not be as important.
You will likely want to use UWorld as the final question bank before you take your test. QBanks are a learning tool, not a repository of facts. Use them to learn critical information as well as how to apply it to novel situations. Focusing on this high-yield information will give you the biggest bang for your buck; however, I like to tell students that there is no detail too small for Step 1.
This is why having a variety of high-yield resources is advantageous. A guide from the AOA Honor Society at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson, answers this question well — your Step 1 study really starts on the first day of medical school, as the exam tests the knowledge that you accumulate in your first two years.
It is common practice for USMLE Step 1 candidates to take up to five or six weeks of dedicated study time — with hours of exam prep every day. It is advantageous to use a variety of resources, such as question banks and First Aid, to supplement your class content.
In doing so, you will synthesize information rather than just memorize it. It builds your foundational knowledge, pattern recognition and critical thinking skills, teaches you to think like a clinician, and prepares you to tackle exam-style questions much earlier than traditional study methods. Leading up to their dedicated study period, students typically work through a High-Yield USMLE Step 1 Question Bank — not only to refresh their knowledge of key exam concepts, but also to develop their exam technique.
The Step 1 exam is a marathon, not a sprint, and candidates need to be able to answer a question every 90 seconds just to get through the whole exam. You will need your SSN and medical school information for the online application. During the registration process, you will be asked to designate a three-month window, during which your registration permit will be valid.
You must schedule your test date within this three-month period. Note that additional fees may apply if you need to extend this period, or change your test date. As Prometric administers many exams in addition to the USMLE, test dates and preferred locations fill up quickly, so ensure that you secure your test date well ahead of time.
When your registration has been processed, NBME will then e-mail you with your scheduling permit to confirm the three-month window in which you can schedule your exam date. There are also additional fees — some quite high — for changing the date or location of your exam, as well as translation fees if translation is required.
There are also test centers in major cities in countries around the world. To find your nearest test center and schedule your examination, visit the Prometric website.
Wherever you are with your Step 1 study, check out our comprehensive resource which can assist you at every stage of your test preparation. Take a free trial today , and find out how we can help you achieve an amazing score in the Step 1 exam. More Blogs Share this post 7 comments. What is a good Step 1 score?
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