Can someone please share what are the must listen to list of divine intervention podcast episodes for step2? Ichecked the podcasts and there are hundreds of episodes and I’m a bit lost.
I just got my Step 1 PASS today, and I wanted to share my experience in the hope that it helps someone else.
First, if you’re currently preparing for this exam, I want you to know this: it is hard, but it is absolutely doable. It was a long journey for me, and there were many moments when I questioned myself, but if I can do it, so can you. The biggest ingredients are consistency, dedication, and not giving up.
For some context, I’m an older IMG, and it took me about 8 months to prepare.
Resources I Used
These were my primary resources:
Boards & Beyond – This was my main learning resource. I highly recommend it because it explains concepts clearly instead of expecting you to memorize facts.
First Aid – I know it’s considered the gold standard, but personally, I didn’t use it as my primary study source. The style didn’t work well for me. Instead, I used it near the end of my preparation as a quick review and reference.
UWorld – Absolutely essential. This was probably the single most important resource for learning how to think through questions.
Anki – I used it lightly rather than extensively, but it was still very helpful for reinforcing concepts.
My NBME Scores
During the final two months, I focused heavily on practice exams.
I completed NBME 25 through NBME 33, followed by both the Old Free 120 and the New Free 120.
My scores started at 54% on NBME 25 and gradually improved into the 73% range by NBME 33.
One thing I want to emphasize is that reviewing the NBMEs was more valuable than simply taking them.
I carefully reviewed every single question, including the ones I answered correctly. Understanding why each answer was correct or incorrect taught me far more than simply looking at my score.
One Resource That Helped Me More Than I Expected
One of the biggest surprises during my preparation was ChatGPT.
Whenever I got a question wrong or couldn’t fully understand a concept, I took a screenshot and asked ChatGPT to explain it in simple terms. I also asked it to create quick cheat sheets, high-yield summaries, comparison tables, and memory tricks for difficult topics.
Then I took screenshots of those explanations and added them to my own Anki deck, which I reviewed every night.
That became one of the most effective ways for me to reinforce weak areas.
My Exam Experience
The biggest thing I want to tell future test takers is this:
The real exam felt very similar to the newer NBMEs (especially NBME 31–33) and the Free 120.
I know you’ll hear people say things like:
“The real exam is nothing like the NBMEs.”
That honestly was not my experience.
Of course, the exact questions are different, but the style of thinking, the concepts being tested, and the overall feeling of the exam were very similar.
Walking into the exam, I never felt like I was seeing a completely different test.
The New 20-Question Block Format
Personally, I loved the new format.
Having around 20 questions per block made the exam feel much more manageable.
Because the blocks were shorter, I could take small breaks more frequently, reset mentally, and return with better focus.
As someone with ADHD, this made a huge difference for my attention and stamina.
The Best Thing I Did Before Exam Day
Probably the single best decision I made was simulating the real exam environment during every NBME.
I treated every practice test exactly like the real exam.
I:
Wore the same clothes.
Ate the same snacks.
Used the same timing for breaks.
Practiced with the same timer.
Even lowered the room temperature because I knew the testing center would be cold.
By exam day, nothing felt unfamiliar.
It simply felt like I was taking another practice exam.
I cannot recommend this enough.
During the Exam
Remember that this is almost an 8-hour exam.
Your biggest challenge is not just answering questions—it’s maintaining your focus and confidence for the entire day.
The most important advice I can give is:
Do not panic.
You will absolutely see questions that seem impossible.
Everyone does.
If you don’t know the answer:
Make your best educated guess.
Flag it if you think it’s worth revisiting.
Move on immediately.
Once you finish a question, leave it behind mentally.
Don’t spend the next five questions worrying about whether you got the previous one right.
That only hurts your performance.
During Breaks
Your breaks are for recovering—not for studying.
Don’t open First Aid.
Don’t review notes.
Don’t look up answers.
Instead:
Go to the bathroom.
Drink some water.
Eat a small snack.
Take a few deep breaths.
Relax your mind for a minute or two.
Then walk back in ready for the next block.
Final Thoughts
This exam is challenging.
It is mentally exhausting.
But it is absolutely passable.
Trust your preparation.
Practice as much as you can.
Review your mistakes thoroughly.
Simulate the real exam environment.
And most importantly, don’t let panic take over on exam day.
If someone like me—an older IMG who needed about eight months of preparation—could pass Step 1, then you absolutely can too.
I truly wish every one of you the very best.
You’ve got this.
Well, I finally am done with the exam. I took it this Friday. Happy that I’m done with it. I’ll share my feedback here.
First: my scores in the last MBMEs were 66, 71, 73 and 72.
The exam felt so much like the newer versions of NBMEs and free NBMEs. Guys, it’s very doable. The key is to practice practice practice. Practice NBMEs in the exact same setting as the real exam. Wear the same clothes, take the same breaks, eat the same snacks. I did that and my exam experience felt familiar and not scary at all.
That being said, the test itself is brutal, doable but brutal. It’s long, but time pass quickly. Some of the questions are quite long, like you have to scroll the page down to complete reading, but if you are trained on reading the last sentence of the question and then skimming through the text to look for buzz words, that would be fine.
There were a lot of questions that I narrowed down to 2 choices but was impossible to favor one over the other. A lot of these questions.
All subjects were tested fairly. May be one subject or two were tested heavier than the rest, but may be that was my test.
It’s impossible to guess if I will pass or not. I honestly have no clue but I want to trust my NBME scores as everyone is telling me and hope for a pass.
My final thoughts, practice a lot of tests in the same exam settings and you will be fine. Time is not bad and breaks are enough if you practice how to manage your time smartly.
All the best to all of us!