Required Time: (4-6 months of study time)

Objectives:

  • 2 Full Passes of Uworld question bank

  • 1 pass of First AID for USMLE Step I

  • Complete 2 Uworld Self Assessments 

Time commitment: 3-5 hours per day

N.B. that a Uworld “block” refers to a set of 40 questions.

Daily schedule

Week 1-16

Daily Plan:

  • Do 1-2 blocks of Uworld questions per day for the first pass 

Doing 1-2 blocks of 40 questions per day would allow you to complete the first pass in 3-4 months, provided that you do a 6 day study week. Initially doing too many questions may be overwhelming but you want to build stamina. Use questions as a learning tool more so than a test of knowledge. 

  • 1-3 hours of block review (Each Uworld  block would take 1-2 hours to review) 

Review questions by taking notes of anything you got wrong or misunderstood in a notebook. Review this notebook regularly.

N.B. Timing is important, a Uworld block can take you 2 hours of focused effort to review, or it can take you all day. I am a big advocate on setting time limits on your questions and reviews. It will force you to focus for that time period and get more done in that day.

  • 30 mins of reading from First AID for USMLE STEP I. Minimum 5 pages per day.

  • 30 mins of Sketchy Pharm/Micro

Weeks 17-24 

Daily Plan:

  • Do 2-3 blocks per day for the second pass of Uworld

The second pass should be faster to do as you have seen the questions already. 

Doing 2-3 blocks per day would allow you to complete the second pass in 6-8 weeks, provided that you do a 6 day study week. Pay attention to the questions you repeatedly get wrong and take notes in a notebook specific for Uworld Review.

  • 1-3 hours of block review per day (Each Uworld  block should now take 45 to 60 mins to review)

  • 30 mins of reading from First AID for USMLE STEP I, with boards and beyond videos. Minimum 5 pages per day.

  • 30 mins of Sketchy Pharm/Micro

  • On the Saturday of week 19 take Uworld self assessment I

This would give you a good gauge of your progress.

  • On the Saturday of week 22 take Uworld self assessment II

This score would most closely match your projected step score +/- 10 points. This would determine if you are truly ready to take the exam in 2 weeks or if you need more time. If you do not score well on Self Assessment II then consider postponing the exam.

Proceed to next steps…

Weekly Study Plan