Study Resources Guide

First AID for USMLE step I

What is it?

First AID contains a summarized overview of all topics needed to know for the STEP I exam

Link to purchase book:

Cost: $58.50 + shipping

How to use: 

First Aid contains a brief overview of all the topics you would need to know for the exam. Use it like a textbook that you annotate with more details from videos you look at from boards and beyond etc. You can also annotate information from Uworld into their topic sections.

By the end of it, you want all the key information to be in First Aid, so you would have one place with most of the information you will need to review. Note that first aid alone is not sufficient for the exam, hence we also add notes from boards and beyond, and Uworld.  

Uworld for Step I

What is it?

Question bank for Step I exam

Link to purchase:

Cost:

• 30 Day access $319 USD (time too short, not recommended) 

• 90 Day access with one self assessment $439 USD

• 90 Day access with 2 self assessments and one reset $479 USD (recommended)

How to use:

You need to at least do all questions in Uworld twice. When you do questions, use the explanations to study how they can ask the same question differently. Do not just study the correct answer, but also know why the other answers are wrong. USMLE will trick you by giving questions that seem as though they have multiple correct answers, but you must pick the most correct answer. So study subtle differences between answer choices.

Keep a notebook and write down important information on questions that you get wrong. Review these daily.

After you have done all the questions in the bank once, do the questions that you have gotten wrong.

Then, reset all questions and do them all again. Take note of things you repeatedly get wrong and review these topics. When you are done with the 2nd pass, do all the questions you got wrong again.

Then do the self assessment 1, this would give you a reasonable gauge of how prepared you are for the exam. Your score is usually within a 10 point range of what you would get on the actual STEP exam. 

Review weak areas and within 1-2 weeks of exam take the 2nd self assessment. This usually gives the most accurate gauge of how you would do on the exam. 

Sketchy Medical (Microbiology and Pharmacology)

What is it:

Cartoon sketches of microbiology and pharmacology concepts to make studying and remembering easier. 

Link to purchase:

Cost:  

• For 6 month access: $300 USD (initial fee) + $50 USD per month

• For 12 month access: $400 USD (initial fee) + $33.33 USD per month 

• For 24 month access: $600 USD (initial fee) + $25 USD per month 

How to use:

Sketchy gives you an easy way to remember microbiology and pharmacology. Gives you a visual way of remembering Mechanisms of action, treatments, side effects etc. 

Boards and Beyond

What is it?

Video explanations of topics in pathology and pathophysiology. 

Link to purchase:

Cost: 

• $399.00 - 2 Years

• $349.00 - 18 Months

• $249.00 - 1 Year

• $199.00 - 6 Months

• $149.00 - 3 Months

• $89.00 - 1 Month

• $24.00 - 1 Week

How to use?

Boards and beyond would give in-depth explanations of topics. It is a great tool for understanding and then annotating the First Aid textbook. Great tool for pathophysiology especially. 

Pathoma

What is it?

Great tool for understanding pathology for the STEP I exam.

Link to purchase:

Cost:

*Can access 1 month free trial 

3 month access: $84.95

NBME exams

What is it?

Practice exams put out by NBME for the STEP I exam.

Link to purchase:

Cost: $60 per self assessment

How to use:

Can be used on weekends for full practice exams to get in the habit of taking long tests. We would do a practice exam every Saturday at least 2 months leading up to the exam.