Got the P today and honestly, I’m still shaking. The relief is unreal because the stress during this whole process was through the roof. I wanted to share my experience because I used a combo that I don’t see mentioned enough, and it really saved my sanity while balancing life.

Practice Scores

NBME 27: 63%

NBME 28: 66%

NBME 29: 68%

NBME 30: 72%

NBME 31: 75%

Free 120: 74%

UWorld: 58% average (100% completed)

AMBOSS (200 HY): 70% (briefly tested, then dropped)

The Prep (8 Months Total)

My total journey took about 8 months. I didn't want to burn out, so I took my time building a foundation before hitting the hard stuff.

Phase 1: The Foundation (Medizzy USMLE): For the first few months, I used the Medizzy USMLE mobile app. Honestly, this is a seriously slept-on resource. Since it was on my phone, I could study whenever I had a spare moment at the hospital or on the bus. It made the core concepts click so I wasn't just memorizing words.

Phase 2: The Heavy Lifting (UWorld): Once I felt solid, I moved to UWorld on my PC. The transition was actually pretty smooth because Medizzy gave me the context I needed to not get absolutely crushed by the UWorld learning curve.

The Routine: For the last 4 months, I stayed super consistent with 2-3 hours of study per day. It wasn't about pulling 12-hour shifts in the library; it was about making those 2-3 hours count.

The AMBOSS Experiment: I tried testing out AMBOSS for a bit because of the hype, but I ended up dropping it. It didn’t really fit my flow and it just added extra stress that I didn't need.

Exam Day

I was a nervous wreck and barely slept, but the adrenaline really does carry you through all 7 blocks.

Strategy: I did UWorld on my PC to simulate the exam feel, which helped. On the day, I took a break after every block—even if just for 5 minutes—to reset.

Fuel: Protein shakes and bars. Don't eat a heavy lunch or you'll tank in the afternoon.

Difficulty: It felt like a mix of UWorld's long stems and NBME's directness. Very doable if you don't panic.

Post-Exam & Result

The two-week wait for the result was legit psychological torture. I kept remembering random questions I definitely got wrong and spiraling. When I finally opened that PDF and saw the PASS, it was the best feeling in the world.

Final word: Trust your prep. If you’re consistent with those 2-3 hours a day and build a good foundation early on, you can definitely do this.

Onto Step 2! Adios.

Patient is a 34 year old male with no past medical history who was brought into the trauma bay after this extensive and complete degloving injury.
Patient was working at the airport when the signal was given for a Boeing 737 to move, unfortunately the patient was still underneath the plane as it rolled over his foot.

Degloving injuries are usually a result of high energy traumas that involve separation of the layers of skin with the underlying soft tissue. This is usually a surgical emergency that requires a formal washout and debridement as well as coverage for the exposed structures.

For this patient specifically, a below knee amputation was offered as it would provide the best functional outcome with a recovery period as little as 4-8 weeks. However, patient was adamant about keeping his leg, understanding fully that at any point in the reconstruction it can turn gangrenous and become life threatening. Ultimately half of the foot was salvaged as soft tissue coverage and vascular supply to each of the toes, was not feasible. Today the patient ambulates with a shoe filler and minimal discomfort.

u/Medicus1011

Step 1 PASSED - 8 Month Journey

Practice Scores

The Prep (8 Months Total)

Exam Day

Post-Exam & Result

A tranquil gardening session amidst the flowers took an unexpected turn for this nanny. As she moved to hang her gardening fork, it slipped from her grip and accidentally lodged itself into her hand.