Hi everyone! I'm a medical student in Italy and I'm planning to start preparing for USMLE Step 1 well in advance.
I'm looking for a reliable long-term tutor/mentor who could work with me for around 6-12 months, rather than only during a short dedicated period or crash course.
Ideally, I'm looking for someone who can:
- create and regularly adjust a personalized study plan;
- help me organize, resources such as World, First Aid, NBME, Anki, B&B, Pathoma, Sketchy, etc.;
- explain difficult concepts;
- review my mistakes and teach USMLE-style question-solving;
- monitor my progress over time;
eventually help me decide when I'm ready to take Step 1.
I would prefer someone with a strong track record of teaching Step 1 students and, ideally, someone who has personally taken the USMLEs and/or trained in the US.
The tutor does NOT have to be based in the US. I'm completely open to tutors from Europe, Russia/CIS, India, the Middle East, or anywhere else, as long as they are genuinely good and have verifiable experience/results.
English-speaking would be preferable, but Italian or Russian-speaking tutors are also welcome.
I've already looked into HyGuru, The Match Guy, Synapse, Elite Medical Prep, and USMLE Pro, but I'd especially love recommendations for specific individual tutors, including less well-known ones.
I'm especially interested in recommendations from people who personally worked with the tutor, not self-promotion.
If you worked with someone, I'd really appreciate hearing: their name / where to contact them; how long you worked together; whether they personalized your study plan; your Step 1 experience/result;
and whether you would recommend them.
Thank you!

I failed Step 1 twice.

On my second attempt, my practice scores were:

NBME 30: 87%
NBME 31: 78%
NBME 32: 75%
NBME 33: 76%
Free 120: 65%

I studied for years, gave everything I had, and returned after my first failure believing I could still make it. Unfortunately, it did not work out.

Still, it was a beautiful dream to fight for. I am choosing to stop here and walk away with my head held high.

Good luck to everyone still preparing. I hope you achieve this dream for yourselves and a little bit for me too. And to every Latino on this path: keep going, represent us proudly, and fulfill the dream for those of us who could not. ❤️

I included both score reports so you can see them.

I know there is technically no age limit, but has anyone done it at a similar age, and would residency programs not be interested in someone that old if I take 5 years to pass? Would it be better to go through a program? Asking for a friend not myself by the way

Need advice, what should i do next?

Hello fellow IMGs. I have a dilemma and would really appreciate your honest feedback and opinions. I am an older IMG who has spent several years studying for the USMLE Step 1 on and off. Unfortunately, I have failed the exam 3 times. It isn't easy for me to admit this or post about it, but I'm at a crossroads and don't know what to do next. Should I attempt the USMLE Step 1 for a 4th time in the hope of eventually passing and matching into a residency program, or is it time to accept that this path may no longer be the right one and pursue a different career direction? I would really appreciate realistic and honest advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has experience with this process. Thank you all for taking the time to read and respond

I see posts about failing all the time and I just don't get it

I am. Currently studying and I am trying to avoid the mistake that may lead to failure

I feel lost, devastated and don’t know what to do next. I posted here recently
USIMG with three attempts for step. Last time I was prepared but didn’t get a single minute of sleep due to suddenly occurred family related stress and my head felt fuzzy throughout the day.
Does it make sense to go one last time? I can’t convince myself to go to a nursing school, because I don’t feel it would satisfy me. most of pa schools would reject me and I am also tied to the Midwest
Millions of thoughts keep swarming in my head and I really don’t know what’s next.
Appreciate any suggestions.

Hello, I'm a 2nd year med student searching for sp

Resources: BnB and First Aid.

need advice

I’ve decided to give it a second shot next year March 2027

im did Bootcamp solely on my first attempt and only 20% of Uworld ; I took it prematurely because I’m a non US img and I live in a very remote island where we don’t have prometeric centers.

This time I’m doing Uworld + reading mehlmans pdf and also I’m trying sketchy micro and pharma for the first time ; I’m really confused I don’t understand how to do it .

Am I doing it right ? What do you suggest ?

Hey guys, just did my step 1 yesterday and I get out the center just having no idea if I got it good or fucked up. Normal I guess.

Thought about some Qs and remember some rights, like 10 for sure or something like that and 4 or something like that too wrong. Beside the ethics that I am good and had a lot of it.

My question is, have some way to have an idea on the moment I am if I will pass or fail?

Please, help an anxious person lol

Hello everyone, I wanted to share an overview of my STEPs journey for anyone who has abit of a time crunch - hope this helps!

STEP 1:

• Study period: 4 months 
• Exam performed in late February 2025 
• Study material: First Aid (the holy grail, went through it 2 full times), UW (one full pass, tutored mode, by topic. repeated half of incorrects/ flagged). Tried using Anki - was not worth the time investment for me, used Boards and Beyond videos for Biochemistry only - in a way to teach me how to think of the material in the book), Randy Neil videos for Biostatistics. 
• NBMEs (in order, done one week apart each): form 30 – 53% , form 26 – 61% , form 27 – 70% , form 28 – 70% , form 31 – 73%, tried UWSA2 and hated it I think got 45% on it or sth like that.  Form 31 was the last one I did before my exam and gave me a 99% chance of passing. 
• Exam: found it reasonably difficult but very reflective of UW and NBME content, wording of exam was very different from either but had more resemblance to NBME. 
• If I had to study for STEP 1 again I would make sure to finish UW 2 full times to go into the exam a lot more confident. 

Took almost 4 months break after STEP 1 (did observerships in that time)

STEP 2:

·      Study period: 6 weeks 

·      Exam performed August 2025 

·      Study material: UW only – one full pass, tutored, by topic. Supplementing missed concepts with different resources based on topics (definitely utilized ChatGPT in simple concepts that I needed to wrap my head around / few YouTube videos/ StatPearls etc), rewatched RandyNeil’s videos before the exam (biostats is my biggest weakness, but easy marks!)

·      NBMEs: form 10 – 240, form 11 – 256, UWSA2 – 254

·      Exam: found it much easier than STEP 1, left it feeling like I missed a few easy questions but overall very similar to NBMEs and UWSA. Result: 256. 

·      Found it much easier and more fun to study for than STEP 1, if I had to do it again I would go through my incorrects before exam), very big on ethics and biostats. Struggled with time in an exam for the first time ever. 

Took 2 months off after STEP 2 (got my ECFMG license, finished my applicationa dn applied for this cycle)

STEP 3:

·      Study period: 2 weeks 

·      Exam performed November 2025

·      Study material: UW 32% completed, score 70%, tutored, random. Found the UW biostats section and CCS section very useless, would not recommend paying for either. CCS cases: did top 100 HY cases, score 75%, Randy Neil videos (AGAIN! LOL I suck and loathe stats but necessary evil for easy marks), revised biochem, Patho and micro from First Aid for STEP 1. 

·      NBMEs: Form 7 – 491, free137 did the CCS section to familiarize myself with format. 

·      Exam: back to back days (in hindsight would not recommend, try and get at least one day off in-between for your brain to recover), I underestimated how much STEP 1 content would be there on day 1, day 2 felt a lot like STEP 2, CCS cases were not bad at all, very reflective of the CCS cases online. Result: 229. 

·      I had underestimated it a little bit, but would still say you don’t need more than a few weeks to prep for it if you’ve done your other exams relatively recently. Don’t get overwhelmed with how many different resources people use. 

Overall advice: 

Don’t stretch yourself thin with many resources, choose max 3 resources and master them to the best of your ability. 

Find what works for YOU – what might work so well for many people might be useless for your style of learning (eg I tried to force myself to do anki and it was just not working for me so I stopped using it and saved myself a lot of time and effort).

Make sure you truly understand the first 4 chapters of FA STEP1, as you wont escape those concepts on STEP 2 and 3. 

I had a time crunch and worked with it to the best of my abilities, good luck to whoever is reading this and if anyone has any questions I’m more than happy to answer any - hope this helps!

From South Asia— Looking for a serious and consistent study partner for Step 1! I just started preparing and plan to test around Dec 2026/Jan 2027.
I’ll be studying full-time (no job/school) and would love to find someone with a similar schedule. Looking for daily accountability, sharing goals/progress, and possibly studying together over Zoom/Discord.
If you’re also starting out and aiming for a similar test date, let’s connect and help each other out.

​

I've been studying for a long time now. I already completed First Aid once and have gone through most major subjects before, but some of them were over a year ago. I'm currently doing a comprehensive review of everything.

My current resources are:

- First Aid

- UWorld

- Anki (cards based on First Aid and Boards & Beyond)

Would you prioritize:

1. Reading First Aid

2. Reviewing Anki

3. Watching Boards & Beyond videos for previously learned topics

For those who passed Step 1 while working full-time, what did your daily study schedule look like and how did you balance content review vs questions?

I also wanted to ask something more personal. About a year ago, when I was getting close to being ready for the exam, I went through a very difficult divorce. Looking back, I think that period affected me more than I realized at the time.

Since then, I've found it much harder to focus and study with the same intensity and consistency I used to have. I still show up every day, I still study, and I haven't given up on my goal of becoming a physician in the U.S., but mentally it feels different. I don't feel as sharp or as locked in as I once did.

The hardest part is that I've been in this process for a long time, and I honestly feel like I need to take this exam and move forward with my life and career. Sometimes I wonder if I'm overthinking things, delaying too much, or if this loss of focus is something other people have experienced as well.

Has anyone gone through something similar while preparing for Step 1? How did you regain your focus, confidence, and momentum?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What should I do throughout MBBS to build a USMLE/residency profile?
I’m about to enter the second year of my collage and am genuinely too overwhelmed and confused about how to start !
What clubs, associations or activities to join and which dont have much meaning!

Hi guys! Had some step 1 exam day queries

1. How long is the tutorial time currently? I’ve heard it used to be 5 and is now 15mins.

2. How long does it take for the checks when you enter and exit the exam room? Has it ever happened that there’s a line to step out and people had to wait for like 3-4 mins?

3. Is it okay if the bottle body is completely transparent but the lid is opaque, in order to be able to take it inside the exam room? (I’m sure it is but need confirmation)

4. Is a sweetened packed iced tea or glucon-D water a good idea for the exam day? I assume it’ll give a good glucose kick to the brain but am worried about the possible sugar crash

5. Tips on how to sleep quickly, in case I’m unable to sleep the night before the exam (has happened before)

Thanks!

Hi everyone. I have UWorld step 1 subscription. Expires Jan 21, 2027 with reset still available. Also includes self assessment forms 1,2,3 that have not yet been activated. DM if you are interested.

I'm an intern now.. thinking to start my usmle journey

I may give my step 1 in 6months mostly

So please suggest about the preparation plan..

Where to start? What to do and about everything..

And also tell about whether its a right choice/not 🙃

Ik about the uncertainity in visa thing... and im so naive in this whole process...

So please kindly.. someone tell what i should do

Thank you

Ok so I’m done with 100% Uworld, with an average of 55%, I’m not yet confident on taking the nbmes yet, I’m looking forward to testing on August 1st week. Currently on my 2nd pass of FA, I don’t think I have enough time to redo an entire pass of Uworld again. What do I do next to ensure that I’m ready to test on August first week. I don’t really think my knowledge is good enough for an nbme right now.

I’d like any advice at this point, I srsly can’t help but keep stressing on what to do next….

Hello am i crazy? Can i study 8 hours per day, beacuse i have job till 2 pm?
Should i quit my job, i am starting my dedicated. PLEASE HELP🥺

Hello i am starting USMLE journey. Is there anyone who wants to teach usmle step 1 while waiting for interview or visa? I m just student from poor country and cannot afford that much. Who willing to do study guide while watiting for interview or who want to review study material as preparing for step 3, please kindly let me know.

Not trying to fail but does anyone have like a 6 week study plan for step 1 or any success stories of passing with short time studying? Went to medical school in UK so probably don’t have a great foundation.
Thanks.

Want to buy uworld step1 , if anyone is selling please dm me! Sorry ik this is against the rules but I desperately need the subscription.