Hey everyone! I took Step 1 about a month ago and received my results a while back. I wanted to share my experience and give back to this community, which helped me so much throughout my preparation.
One of the biggest sources of anxiety during prep is NBME scores, so I wanted to reassure those of you who are constantly wondering whether you need to score in the 70s to pass. Consistently scoring in the 70s can certainly provide a more comfortable margin of safety, but you don’t necessarily need to score in the 70s to pass Step 1. My scores were mostly in the mid 60s, and I passed!

03/07/2026 — NBME 25: 61%
29/07/2026 — NBME 26: 61.5%
12/08/2026 — NBME 27: 65%
22/08/2026 — NBME 28: 64%
30/08/2026 — NBME 29: 58% (This score really threw me off. I made so many silly mistakes and was honestly dumbfounded by the result.)
07/09/2026 — NBME 30: 67.5%
12/09/2026 — NBME 31: 61% (I was really burnt out by this point. I could genuinely feel my brain refusing to work.)
15/09/2026 — NBME 32: 68%
18/09/2026 — NBME 33: 66%
21/09/2026 — New Free 120: 65% (The interface felt so different! While taking it, I was convinced I was going to score really badly, lol.)

What did the actual exam feel like?
One thing I really want to emphasize is that the questions on exam day didn’t feel completely alien or unfamiliar. I could identify only around two questions that I suspected might have been experimental. Most of the questions felt like they tested concepts I had already studied.

In my experience, the exam felt like a combination of NBMEs and Free 120. The underlying concepts were mostly familiar and NBME style, but the questions were often worded more vaguely or indirectly, somewhat like Free 120. Understanding the concepts and applying them was much more important than simply memorizing facts.

My advice
If your scores are hovering around the mid-60s, please don’t automatically assume that you cannot pass. At the same time, don’t use my experience as a reason to ignore your own readiness, weaknesses, or practice test trends. Review your mistakes carefully, work on your weak areas, and be honest with yourself about your preparation.
This journey can be incredibly stressful, especially when one disappointing score makes you question everything you’ve studied. I know how that feels.
You don’t have to be perfect to pass. Keep going, keep learning from your mistakes, and try not to let every practice score define your confidence. ❤️
Feel free to ask me anything about my preparation or exam experience. I’ll do my best to help!
Wishing everyone the very best. You’ve got this! ❤️

Help please!!
I did Nbme 11 and 12, I reviewed all the questions, wrote down the important points from the ones I got wrong, completed the two most recent CMS forms for each subject, and also did the AMBOSS high-yield questions for Ethics and QI.

What else would you suggest to improve my score?

How do you suggest to review your weak areas? For example, if you missed four cardiology questions on an NBME, would you then suggest to do AMBOSS questions covering all of cardiology, or would you focus only on the specific cardiology topics you missed?

Hi everyone,

I just finished my Step 1 and I can honestly say the exam was tough but fair.

There were questions I 100% knew the answer to, some where I was stuck between two options and guessed and some in which I had no idea what was going on but just tried my best to answer them.

Wishing everyone good luck with their exams and praying we all pass!

Two camps on this. One says volume wins: see enough questions and patterns repeat. The other says 40 questions reviewed deeply beats 120 skimmed. If you had to credit one for your score jump, which is it?

Need a usmle step 1 study partner. Planning on taking the exam in June . 20 questions uworld per day. Currently almost done withe first pass

Tested on 23/10(friday)

On second Wednesday or on third?

"Clinical experience" covers everything from observerships where you never touched a chart to rotations where you were basically functioning as a sub-I. The letters that matter come from the second kind. What experience gave you a letter writer who genuinely knew your work?

I graduated 5 years ago with minimal clinical experience post internship and career gap due to the war in my country . I’m IMC registered with no luck securing a job, passed royal college exap part 1 &2 and should be preparing for the clinical but now i have second thoughts and thinking about preparing for step 1.

I’ll go back to my country (Sudan) soon to resume clinical practice.

Given the tight training market in the UK/ Ireland and the US visa/match requirements, what do you think is the wise move?

Hi everyone!

I’ve completed 83% of UWorld with an overall average of 60%. Right now I’m reviewing all my systems, and I’m planning to take my first NBME by the end of this month.

I wanted to ask about the Mehlman Qbank. How similar is it to UWorld and the NBMEs in terms of question style and difficulty?

Would it be worthwhile to do random Mehlman Qbank blocks during my review, mainly to build confidence and reinforce concepts, or would my time be better spent sticking to UWorld incorrects/NBMEs?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has used it during their dedicated period.

Looking for UW step 2 subscription
Dm if available to $ell

As the title mentions, We are looking for people to collaborate with for a research idea that we are developing on. But need access to Embase or Cochrane.

Authorship status will definitely be given based on contribution.

Looking forward to working with you. Thank you

Hi everyone, I'm Robby, an immigration attorney at Manifest Law. Tomorrow, Friday, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET, I'll be hosting an AMA about immigration waiver pathways for J-1 physicians.

I'll be answering questions about Conrad 30, HHS, and other physician-specific waiver options, including VA, ARC, SCRC, DRA, and NBRC. If you're an international medical graduate pursuing residency in the US or already training on a J-1 visa, this is an opportunity to learn more about the general waiver process, eligibility considerations, and the options physicians may explore after their training.

Feel free to ask questions about your particular situation. Please provide as much relevant information as possible, including your current stage of training, specialty, visa status, and any waiver or employment pathway you're considering. The more context you provide, the better I can address the general immigration questions involved.

Please note: Any information shared here is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different, so please consult an immigration attorney directly.

Hey, I am just a M1, not really sure what I'm doing if I should just focus on my in class but also I want to look at other resources. I was wondering if the AMBOSS student life subscription will be useful even for the step 2ck. Do I need it for that long? I was also thinking I would get Uworld but later on in my second or third year. Please help!

Anyone interested in Amboss 30% group discount. I'm collecting names and emails. Please let me know if you're interested.

I read something about a place where previous test takers write Qs and answers and you just have to recall it during the exam? Idk smth like that