u/TurbulentRise1061

Hi! I’m a Pakistani female looking for a dedicated Step 1 study partner. I’ve finished my first pass of First Aid and UWorld, and I’m planning a rapid First Aid review from now until 30th August, with my exam booked for 8th September. I already have a study schedule and units planned, so I’m looking for someone who can review with me daily for about 3 hours (6–9 PM PKT). If you’re at a similar stage in your prep and are serious about staying consistent, feel free to message me!

Hi! I’m a Pakistani female looking for a dedicated Step 1 study partner. I’ve finished my first pass of First Aid and UWorld, and I’m planning a rapid First Aid review from now until 30th August, with my exam booked for 8th September. I already have a study schedule and units planned, so I’m looking for someone who can review with me daily for about 3 hours (6–9 PM PKT). If you’re at a similar stage in your prep and are serious about staying consistent, feel free to message me!

Need some advice regarding mentorship at this stage of Step 1 prep.
I started studying for Step 1 in March and have completed around 80% of my preparation so far. I’ve finished all organ systems, and the only major areas I have left are microbiology, along with completing the basics of general pharmacology, biostatistics, and ethics. I’m aiming to finish all of this by the first week of July.
I’ve completed about 70% of UWorld and recently took NBME 26 as my first baseline assessment, scoring 56%. I’m not thrilled with the score, but I’m also not devastated since it was my first NBME and I still have content left to cover.

My current plan is to finish the remaining material, take NBME 27 in early July, and see whether there’s meaningful improvement before deciding on any major changes to my study strategy.

I’m currently targeting an exam date of August 31st, although I’m willing to push it to September 15th if my NBME scores are not where they need to be.
My question is about mentorship. For those who have already passed Step 1, do you think paid mentorship is worth it at this stage? I’m not working at the moment and am dedicating all of my time to Step 1 preparation. Part of me feels that mentorship could help identify weaknesses, keep me accountable, and optimize my study plan. On the other hand, I wonder if I should continue with my current approach, monitor my NBME progress, and reassess later.

For those who used paid mentors, did it genuinely improve your performance, or was self-assessment through NBMEs and UWorld enough?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who were in a similar position.

Title: 2023 IMG — 57% UWorld done, exam planned for August. Am I on track?

Hi everyone,

I’m a 2023 graduate and started dedicated Step 1 prep in Feb 2026 after working in the UK as an SHO for around 7 months. USMLE was always my long-term goal, so I left my job to focus fully on prep.

Current status:
- ~57% UWorld completed (system-wise)
- Finished all organ systems
- Using UWorld, Bootcamp, FA, some BnB + Dirty Medicine
- Planning to finish Micro, Immunology, Biostats, General Path/Pharm, and Ethics in June
- NBMEs + revision planned for July/August
- Target exam date: end of August

One thing worrying me is my UWorld average. Earlier it was around 64%, but after doing Renal/Resp quickly it dropped to 52%.

I also feel like I forget older systems unless I actively review them, although concepts come back once I see questions again.

For people who already passed:
- Is this normal at this stage?
- Does my timeline sound realistic?
- Should I focus mainly on finishing UWorld + NBMEs now?
- Is getting a tutor actually worth it?

Would really appreciate honest advice from people who were in a similar situation.