Hi guys!
I am a European medical student looking to prepare the USMLE. In my country there are academies to prepare the equivalent exam. What academies are there in the US to prepare the USMLE? Are there options online?
Thank you very much!
I'd recommend 3 resources:
1) USMLE World, a question bank
2) First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, a book
3) Pathoma, a video series on pathology
If you know these resources back to front, then you can do really well on Step 1. If you have a limited background in the basic sciences, it doesn't matter. It might take you longer to master these 3 resources and you might need to do some more outside studying (e.g., using Google and Wikipedia PRN, using other online resources that are freely available like Osmosis is good for the basics from what I have seen). But as long as you eventually know these 3 resources, then you can do well on Step 1. Collectively, these 3 resources are known as UFAP.
There are places like Kaplan, Becker, Doctors in Training and others that you can sign up to take classes with (I presume similar to European "academies"), but I really don't think they're necessary. I think they're too much and you can learn things on your own better and faster, in my opinion. If you really feel like you need something more than UFAP, then from what I have seen Boards and Beyond is a great online video series and not that expensive. Good luck!
