By Michael Zobel, MD There’s no doubt that preparing for the USMLE requires medical students to navigate a confusing maze of question banks (QBanks), practice tests, flashcards, and other study resources. For that reason, it’s normal for any medical student to wonder, “Am I doing this right?”  In addition to the usual challenges, international medical graduates (IMGs) often have their own unique concerns, including curriculum differences and non-native English skills. As someone who tutors IMGs during their USMLE preparation, I’ve found some important tips and tricks that have helped many ..read more

By: Eric Lai, Current M3 The USMLE Step 1 exam is a daunting prospect that no one really likes to talk about, but not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. Instead of avoiding thoughts of Step 1, I chose to face Step 1 preparation early and started using UWorld’s question bank (QBank) near the beginning of my second preclinical year. Not only did UWorld prove invaluable for my study preparation, but it also helped me significantly with my M2 curriculum. Because I had such a good experience with UWorld, I’d like to share my tips for navigating the UWorld QBank with you. Getting Started Earl ..read more

By: Chris Bassil, MD/PhD “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” These words come from a statistics and business management guru, but they’re equally relevant to medical students. As a professional medical school exam tutor, I help medical students prepare for some of the most important tests of their lives, and my students rely on me to be more than “just another person with an opinion.” They depend on me to be an expert. And for that reason, I must rely on data. When it comes to the USMLE® exams, specifically, there are many data sources. In this blog post, I discuss one ..read more

By: Eric Lai, Current M3 The USMLE Step 1 exam is a daunting prospect that no one really likes to talk about, but not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. Instead of avoiding thoughts of Step 1, I chose to face Step 1 preparation early and started using UWorld’s question bank (QBank) near the beginning of my second preclinical year. Not only did UWorld prove invaluable for my study preparation, but it also helped me significantly with my M2 curriculum. Because I had such a good experience with UWorld, I’d like to share my tips for navigating the UWorld QBank with you. Getting Started Earl ..read more

By: Chris Bassil, MD/PhD “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” These words come from a statistics and business management guru, but they’re equally relevant to medical students. As a professional medical school exam tutor, I help medical students prepare for some of the most important tests of their lives, and my students rely on me to be more than “just another person with an opinion.” They depend on me to be an expert. And for that reason, I must rely on data. When it comes to the USMLE® exams, specifically, there are many data sources. In this blog post, I discuss one ..read more

We’ve paired all 3,900+ of our USMLE® Step 2 CK and shelf exam questions with 125+ new COMLEX® Level 2 OMT questions to give you the ultimate COMLEX Level 2 study experience! Our new OMT questions are based on the latest NBOME® blueprint, feature COMLEX-style vignettes, and are accompanied by UWorld’s signature explanations, high-yield tables, flowcharts, and illustrations. USMLE® Step 2/COMLEX® Level 2 Enhanced QBank What’s New? You now have access to 125+ brand new OMT-specific questions to aid you in your COMLEX Level 2 study efforts. Select “Create Test” in the “Step 2 + OMT” tab of yo ..read more

By: Abi Felsted, M3 That first year zooms by, followed by a summer to relax before digging deeper into the sciences as a second-year medical student. Then it’s time for USMLE Step 1 Exam. The culmination of thousands of study hours, dozens of exams, and all your organ-system blocks tested in 280 questions.  At my school, it’s standard to finish second year in April, then spend four to eight weeks in a dedicated study period (which we call “dedicated” for short) to take Step 1 before third-year clerkships begin in June. In this article, I share how I used my resources before and during ded ..read more

By: Jarett Castel, DO One of the most common questions for osteopathic medical students planning to take the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) is how to best allocate their time between studying for the USMLE and COMLEX (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination). Although there is a considerable amount ofcontent overlap between the two examinations (fortunately!), the COMLEX competency “Osteopathic Principles, Practice, and Manipulative Treatment” has substantially different content and, according to the COMLEX Level 1 blueprint, comprises a minimum of 11% of t ..read more

By: Karolina Woroniecka & Martin Bauknight Why Flashcards Work Did you know that flashcards have been around since the 1800s when paper became readily available to the average student? Since then, thousands (maybe millions) have used flashcards as a memory aid at some point in their educational careers. Over the last 30-40 years, researchers have taken a closer look at the effectiveness of flashcards and other learning techniques. The important concepts of “active learning” and “spaced repetition” were born through this research. Active learning refers to any learning activity in which the ..read more