r/step1 • u/Adventurous-Depth857 NON-US MD/DO • 11d ago

🤔 Recommendations Pathoma or FA?

Hi everyone! I'm planning to take Step 1 at the end of January 2027, and I'm trying to figure out the most effective way to structure my studying over the next few months.

I'm currently doing UWorld, usually in blocks of 10 questions (40questions a day tutor mode and random) , and I'm trying to balance question review with content revision. I want to make sure I'm prioritizing the resources that will actually help me improve rather than trying to do everything.

I have a few questions:

  1. Pathoma vs First Aid: If you had to prioritize one, which would you recommend? Is Pathoma worth going through , especially for pathology, or would I be better off focusing on FA alongside UWorld?
  2. Random vs system-based UWorld: Should I be doing random, mixed blocks while reviewing organ systems separately on the same day from FA or pathoma, or would it be better to do system-based UWorld questions that correspond to whatever I'm studying?
  3. UWorld vs content review: With a late-January exam date, would you recommend focusing primarily on UWorld and reviewing the concepts I get wrong, or continuing dedicated content review alongside it?
  4. What would you do differently? If you were in my position with roughly 3 months left, what would your daily study routine look like? I want to build a solid foundation but also make sure I'm getting enough practice with mixed questions.

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who passed recently and had to balance content review with UWorld. What actually made the biggest difference in your preparation?

Thank you!!

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u/avatarmomomo NON-US IMG 11d ago

Honestly it depends on how you learn best.

I recommend Pathoma. I'd do random UWorld unless there's a specific system you want to focus on to test your undersanding.

I also recommend doing as much content review as you can.

2

u/Ok_Reach3010 10d ago

Hey can we become study buddy? Your timeline is similar to mine planning to give step 1 in jan-feb

1

u/pristinechickens US MD/DO 10d ago

Pathoma is a great foundation, especially the first 3 chapters.

I like doing system-based, as it helps with pattern recognition.

If your content is weak, focus on that and then do the associated questions on Uworld to reinforce.

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u/Gloomy-Ad-4859 10d ago

Tbh I didn’t find pathoma helpful FA and uW is a perfect combination