How I Studied for Step 1 ❤ — Advice for Today’s IMGs

Updated October 2, 2026 ❤ Step 1 is pass/fail. Since May 14, 2026, it uses fourteen 30-minute blocks in an eight-hour session, with no more than 20 questions per block. Practise with the current official interface and use your progress to guide preparation.

📚 Two more resources I recommend for your Step 1 journey ❤

I also recommend checking out XmedPro, especially if you are watching your budget ❤ To me, it combines the feel of NBME-style practice with UWorld-style learning at an attractive price. Try the questions and explanations to see how they fit YOUR preparation. I am a co-founder of XmedPro and the founder of Project IMG.

Explore XmedPro and check current plans →

For Spanish-speaking IMGs who want structure and support, I recommend PIMG Academy ❤ Its six-month Step 1 preparation includes two-hour sessions Monday through Friday, tutoring and mentorship as you work through the Step 1 content. You do not have to walk this journey alone!

Before enrolling, ask about the next Spanish-language cohort, its timetable, price and tutoring. Choose a schedule you can sustain, and leave time for independent question practice too ❤

Explore PIMG Academy and ask about the next Spanish-language cohort →

See the current Spanish-language Advanced Classes listing →

This post includes:

1. How to study for Step 1?

2. Study material

3. How to memorize everything?

4. How did I study after being out of school for more than 2 years?

5. How much time does it take to prepare the exam?

My core approach 🙌 Understand the concepts, practise questions, review your mistakes, and use spaced repetition when it helps you. UWorld, First Aid, Pathoma, and Anki were part of my recommendations; you do not need a fixed number of repetitions or every commercial resource to prepare well.

• 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐅 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆: •Kaplan and Board & Beyond VIDEOS for subjects that you don’t understand •100 cases Anatmy shelf notes •Sketchy medical (If you memorize with photos/ stories this might work for you. They sketch a story for every microbe, pathology, drug, etc. it’s impressive how they do it. I didn’t do it on my preparation, but a lot of people recommend it.) •Golijan Audios are very outdated (like 20 years old) but is so funny to listen to this guy, you can find his audios for free online. And listening to him while your are walking/ exercising is very fun, he makes tons of jokes, it's like listening a Stand up comedian, but you are learning USMLE! lol

• 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐐𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄: •Amboss Qbank •Kaplan Qbank •USMLE-Rx Qbank

• 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋: •Use USMLE material to study for your classes •Make sure that you always review the material in First Aid while you are studying that unit in class.

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄:
•It’s VERY important to understand every concepts, do tons of questions, discuss the topics, take notes.
•Once you start doing question after questions you will see that most of the concepts are repeated, so please UNDERSTAND them all!

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐝?

First Aid can organize a review of important topics. Treat it as a review tool, not a guarantee that a particular percentage of the exam will come from one book. Connect the facts to their underlying mechanisms.

Review difficult topics as often as you need. The number of times you finish a book is less useful than whether you can explain and apply the concepts.

•I assure you that every time that you read it, YOU WILL SEE NEW CONCEPTS, that you never saw before, new things will appear like magic every time your read it! And make Ankis about it!

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐔𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃?

•Uworld is not just a qbank, it EXPLAINS almost EVERY USMLE concept.

Start question practice early enough to guide your learning. Review why the correct answer is right and why your choice was wrong; choose repetitions according to your gaps.

Use question-bank performance to identify weaknesses, while remembering that a learning-mode percentage does not itself prove exam readiness. Your preparation time depends on your background, available hours, and progress.

A dedicated period should fit your needs and circumstances. Avoid cramming repeated questions simply to reach a completion count; include unfamiliar practice, revision, breaks, and an honest readiness check.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬?

•Dr. Sattar explains everything exceptionally good!!

Use current editions and corrections from the provider. Check explanations you are unsure about against reliable references.

•His book is good, yes. But his videos are FABULOUS!!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈?

•Anki is a platform that you can make your own flashcard.

Check the official Anki website and app listing for the current platform options and price. You can make effective cards without buying every study tool.

•You can put photos into your flashcard, different colors, and even audios.

•You can also download other’s people flashcards, but I highly recommend to make your own cards!!

I made more than 2,000 flashcards during my own preparation. They helped me review when life interrupted my plan. Build cards around concepts YOU need to understand and revisit.

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃?

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗢 𝗜 𝗗𝗢 𝗜𝗙 𝗜 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧

1. Watch videos

(Kaplan, Bnb, etc, even Youtube has a lot of great explanations!

2. Grab the book and read it from there! (Eg, Kaplan books, High-yield books)

3. Discuss everythig new that you learned with your friends.

4. Make/ join Whatsapp group.

Discuss concepts and questions you are permitted to share. Do not circulate recalled exam content or copy a paid question bank into group chats.

I would call some friends at like 1 am after I finished my studies, while walking back home from the library, just to talk about the topics that we learned during that day. 

•I can’t stress this enough, it’s SO IMPORTANT to discuss concepts and share questions with your friends!!

•There are tons of people studying for step 1 that can become your virtual friends!!

•I actually made a lot of friends during my preparation, with some of them we even met in person and became my best friends.

•What you are doing is not just STEP 1, it’s a journey, the USMLE JOURNEY. You will meet a lot of friends that will accompany you all along your journey! 🙂

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝟏?

Preparation time varies widely. Your starting point, responsibilities, study hours, and progress matter more than another person’s timeline. You do not need to judge someone else’s story to build an honest plan of your own.

𝑾𝒆𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤

Difficult situations happen during preparation. When you can, keep a small manageable study habit; when you need rest, treatment, or support, take it. Returning with a realistic plan matters more than forcing yourself through every day.

•That’s why I recommend also making your own Ankis. I had a lot of problems/ situations during my USMLE journey. I had to stop a couple of times. But I felt like even if I forgot a topic, I had it on my Anki cards, and it was easy to review and remember it again.

•You can read some of the problems that I faced during my USMLE journey and how I overcame them on 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 post

Important ❤ This is my experience, not the only way to prepare. Step 1 is already pass/fail. Study deeply, use current materials, and choose a test date based on readiness rather than pressure.

The foundation you build helps with Step 2 CK, Step 3, and clinical reasoning. Step 2 CS was permanently discontinued.

𝘼𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙎𝙊 𝙈𝙐𝘾𝙃, specially if you graduated a couple of years ago from medical school. 

How did I start my Steps preparation?

•I started my USMLE preparation after 2 years after finishing medical school. And 5-6 away after I took my basic science subjects at Med School. Eg, Histology, biochem, etc.

•I felt like I was starting from CERO, literally from CERO. But after reading, studying, discussing topics, watching videos, things will start to sound familiar, and you will start to memorize and improve more and more everything.

•I recommend to start from the subject that you like the most, you will get more into it from the beginning and stay motivated! Eg, I started from pathology.

(Most people would leave patho for the end, I would just tell you as I mentioned, start from your most favorite subject!)

𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆!! 🙂

For your next step, use the current Step 2 CK materials and the updated IMG guide on this blog.

Good luck everyone, keep studying hard and pursing your dreams!! 😀

𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘙𝘖𝘈𝘋 𝘔𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛 𝘉𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘕𝘎,

𝘍𝘜𝘓𝘓 𝘖𝘍 𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘓𝘌𝘚 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘊𝘜𝘙𝘝𝘌𝘚, 𝘜𝘗𝘚 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘋𝘖𝘞𝘕𝘚,

𝘉𝘜𝘛 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘑𝘖𝘜𝘙𝘕𝘌𝘠 𝘐𝘚 𝘊𝘖𝘔𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘛𝘌𝘓𝘠 𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘛𝘏 𝘐𝘛 !!

My idea about creating www.doctorsebas.com is to put everything that you need for USMLE together in just one place, so you don't waste precious time going crazy trying to find something, and instead use that time to study, work or do more productive things :)

Love you all,

Sebastian Arruarana, MD Fb: Doctor Sebas Instagram: @doctor.sebas

A practical next step 🙌

Choose one topic, learn it actively, practise questions, and review your reasoning. Track recurring mistakes. Plan rest and revision. Before choosing a test date, use appropriate current assessments and get help if you are unsure about your readiness. A repeated question-bank percentage alone is not enough.

USMLE — official Step 1 materials and practice interface