Passed step 1 using unconventional method
How I Passed Step 1: A Non-UWorld Journey
I am sharing my journey for those who might be feeling overwhelmed or looking for alternative approaches to USMLE Step 1 preparation.
Background and Initial Struggle
My preparation journey was non-traditional. During my housejob in 2025, I only completed about 17% of UWorld before pausing my studies entirely to focus on my job. When the need to take Step 1 arose, I jumped back in, but I found the process of reading *First Aid* from February to March 25 to be incredibly dry and boring.
After finishing the book, I took an Amboss self-assessment and scored 55%. It shattered my confidence, especially since I had felt quite prepared after reading *First Aid*. My subsequent initial NBME attempts reflected this struggle:
NBME 25: 56%
NBME 26: Still in the 50s
I struggled to find the energy to start UWorld from scratch, as I couldn't concentrate properly using that method.
The Turning Point
Thanks to insights from Reddit, I discovered the value of Pathoma (Dr. Sattar).
I watched the chapters 1–3 videos and utilized UWorld specifically for general pathology questions. However, my score remained in the 50s on NBME 28.
I decided to pivot my strategy entirely:
Dirty Medicine: I watched all the videos and created detailed notes.
Pathoma: I watched all chapters.(i think 3times all videos )Dr sattar is absolute genius I can’t stress that enough.
Micro(sketchy):
For micro please watch the videos , not read from flashcards there’s lot of info that imp and not in cards also watching takes less time than reading.
Result: Following this, I took NBME 30 and scored 70%.
Refining the Strategy
For my final preparation phase, I focused on high-yield targeting:
Mehlman Qbank:
I used this specifically for my weak topics (e.g., if I got questions wrong from fungi ,I would complete 60–70% of the fungus questions ). I covered about 50% of the total qbank this way in the last month.
Content Review:Before taking NBME 31, I revised my Dirty Medicine notes (supplemented with *First Aid*) and re-watched major systems from Pathoma.
Score Progression:
NBME 31: 77%
NBME 32: 76%
NBME 33 (7 days out):74% (a slight drop due to lack of revision).
In the final days, I focused on ethics (Amboss), biostatistics (Mehlman), and high-yield topics like neuroanatomy, ophthalmology, and genetics pedigrees using Mehlman PDFs.
Test Day Experience
I went for the exam on May 20, 2026, feeling confident. The real exam felt much easier than NBME 33. The question stems were organized and clean, which saved me time. I was completing 20 questions in about 20 minutes as with new blocks . By the 10th block, I had over an hour of time remaining, allowing me to take long breaks and pace myself.
Coming out of the exam hall, I knew I had made it. To those still studying: don't let the environment around you make you feel like this is undoable; it is absolutely possible.
From low 50s to high 70s i made it
I waited the whole 7weeks to post my journey
I am pretty sure if it’s a score based report i scored above 97th percentile.