Maybe you’ve read Blueprint articles about Anki cards like “What is Anki?” and “Which USMLE Subjects Are Best for Anki?” but still have questions about this popular study resource. If so, no worries—we’ve got you covered! In this article we’ll go over some FAQs medical students have about Anki cards. I’ll show you how to get the full benefit of them and what research has been published that supports incorporating them into a comprehensive study plan ..read more

You can hardly set foot in any United States medical school without hearing about the popular flashcard tool called “Anki.” Anki is loved (and feared) by many, but is it a good fit for you? Compare these strengths and weaknesses of using Anki for your USMLE prep! What is Anki? Let’s start with the basics: Anki is an app/online platform that utilizes the age-old study tool of flashcards in a more clever and efficient way ..read more

For a period of time during your medical training, USMLE scores seem to be the only thing that matters. You’ve heard it before: study hard, score well. Devote your life to your dedicated study period, score high, and you can pick whatever residency you please. Your score, it seems, is absolutely everything. And then all of a sudden, after medical school, the paradigm built around achieving high USMLE scores fades into nothing ..read more

The equation is simple: solid preparation = successful exam performance. Whether you’re getting ready to take the USMLE or COMLEX, dedicating a large chunk of time exclusively to test prep is how to ensure you’ll crush it on exam day. If you don’t put the time in, you’re going to be disappointed—period. So do yourself a favor, and put some serious prep work in for that upcoming big exam! Of course, you probably already knew you had to take preparation seriously ..read more

As a third-year medical student, you no doubt spend a lot of time going through your Step 2 & Shelf Exams Qbank getting ready for your M3 exams. At some point during your study period, you’ve probably asked yourself how your Qbank provider came up with the questions. Who is making sure the content and format is similar to the questions you’ll see on exam day? How are the topics chosen? And how do you know the information in your Qbank is current ..read more

USMLE preparation is no small task, and it’s easily the most crucial step in any medical student’s future. When you’re preparing for the USMLE Step 1, it’s important to have a strong study plan. This helps you organize your time better, so you can cover all the material on which you will be tested and become familiar with the test format. Here are 10 essential steps for creating an effective USMLE study plan that will help you achieve success ..read more

Finally, you’re done! You spent hours on Excel creating a study plan, and you’re letting out a sigh of relief. But your joy is short-lived: your professor adds another suggested book to your reviewing list, a friend insists a lecture series is a must-have based on their experiences prepping for Step, or you get an additional research project, become sick, or have to take your cat to the vet. Bam – your study plan doesn’t work anymore ..read more

Wait, so Step 2 CK matters? Yes, yes it does! I think by now, most medical students know USMLE Step 1 is a pass/fail exam. Thus, the primary objective measure on our application for residency is the USMLE Step 2 CK score. It wasn’t always this way, of course. I remember many of my attendings saying, “One month for Step 1, one week for Step 2, and one day for Step 3.” This statement applies to a very different time and a completely different environment for medical students, especially when it comes to Step 2 ..read more

The exams you take during medical school are designed to test your knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ability to apply medical concepts in various clinical scenarios. During these exams, it’s inevitable that you’ll encounter difficult questions, and it’s important to have some tricks up your sleeve for how to deal with them. To maximize your performance on exam day, in this post we’ll explore seven strategies that can help you handle hard questions. Put them to good use, and you’ll be sure to improve your performance ..read more

That drive home after the USMLE Step 1 was a wonderful cocktail of emotions. I felt light, free, breezy, and unburdened. There was a theme of, “Thank goodness, I never have to go through this again.” While that was true to some extent, exam prepping was far from over. While there was never another Step 1 dedicated study period, or 7-hour exam covering the Krebs cycle and histology stains, there were shelf exams and then, of course, USMLE Step 2 CK ..read more