Do not make this mistake! Medical school lectures, First Aid, and even very detailed video review platforms like Boards and Beyond will not cover all the material that is presented and tested in UWorld. This frustration leads students to push off taking questions until later in their studies, because they assume that they will learn the material later.
Some students become frustrated with UWorld because they find that they haven’t learned all the material that is tested in the question. Observations and Trends After the Switch to USMLE Step 1 Pass/Fail: What Learning Specialists Are Saying Then, some students will do a second pass of the topical questions prior to their topical school exam, and get through 2 or 3 blocks of 40Q in the days leading up to their pre-clinical exam. A great strategy that some students find helpful is to start a limited number of UWorld questions at the very beginning of the topic covered – prior to actually getting through all the material required – because it can help narrow the focus of their studies as they go through the material. If your school starts off with biochemistry, prepare for the topical exam using the UWorld biochemistry questions prior to your exam. The ability to select individual question topics is key to this approach. Furthermore, it can help students ace their pre-clinical exams as the breadth and depth of knowledge tested are often on-par with what is expected from each individual medical school. UWorld is a great resource for the pre-clinical years of medical school because it allows you to focus your studies on material that will be tested on the USMLE. You should begin using UWorld as a supplemental learning tool in preparation for the basic science exams during your first year of medical school. UWorld should be started during the first year of medical school. Through our experience with high-scoring students, we have determined the most effective ways to get through this high-yield resource. How and when to start using UWorld are often a matter of debate. This underscores the fact that UWorld is effective only if used properly. There are also students, however, who have gone through the question bank 3 or more times, and can’t seem to get a passing score on the exam. Students have been known to score 270+ on USMLE Step 1 just by using UWorld and First Aid.
UWorld is unquestionably the best resource for the USMLE.