Here is an example of a 4 week study schedule for USMLE Step 1. This is the study schedule I used to review for Step 1 and ended up doing very well. This study schedule uses First Aid and UWorld Step 1 Qbank. I recommend these review books to supplement your First Aid reading.
Notice that the primary focus in this example is doing practice questions, as they are the most effective study tool. The reading material is less important and you will be moving very quickly through First Aid.
This is assuming that all the First Aid content is a review for you as you should have already learned it in medical school. If you did not do well in your first two years of medical school, especially in pathology and physiology, you may need to spend some extra time in First Aid and the review books.
If you feel that 4 weeks is not enough time to prepare, anywhere from 4-6 weeks may be better for you. Simply adjust the number of questions and reading accordingly, but keep this basic schedule, doing at least 3-4 full practice tests using UWorld questions prior to your exam.
Week 1:
- Monday through Thursday:
- Read approximately 50 pages of First Aid per day.
- Supplement your First Aid reading with review books if you feel weak in certain areas or do not understand concepts as they are presented in First Aid.
- Do about 50 Q-bank questions per day, making sure to completely review the explanations of missed questions.
- Friday – Do full length practice test on UWorld. Do 7 timed 60 minute blocks of 46 questions with 1 hour of break time.
- Saturday – Review missed questions from Friday’s practice test.
- Sunday – Rest and relax.
Week 2:
- Monday through Thursday:
- Read approximately 50 pages of First Aid per day.
- Supplement your First Aid reading with review books if you feel weak in certain areas or do not understand concepts as they are presented in First Aid.
- Do about 50 Q-bank questions per day, making sure to completely review the explanations of missed questions.
- Friday – Do full length practice test on UWorld. Do 7 timed 60 minute blocks of 46 questions with 1 hour of break time.
- Saturday – Review missed questions from Friday’s practice test.
- Sunday – Rest and relax.
Week 3:
- Monday through Thursday:
- Read approximately 50+ pages of First Aid per day – if you are able try to finish it this week.
- Supplement your First Aid reading with review books if you feel weak in certain areas or do not understand concepts as they are presented in First Aid.
- Do about 50-75 Q-bank questions per day, making sure to completely review the explanations of missed questions.
- Friday – Do full length practice test on UWorld. Do 7 timed 60 minute blocks of 46 questions with 1 hour of break time.
- Saturday – Review missed questions from Friday’s practice test.
- Sunday – Rest and relax.
Week 4:
- Monday through Thursday:
- If you haven’t already, finish First Aid early in the week.
- Do about 100+ Q-bank questions per day in order to finish all the questions this week, making sure to completely review the explanations of missed questions.
- Study any problem areas using First Aid, review books, or online.
- Friday – Rest and relax.
- Saturday – Take the USMLE Step 1 Exam!