Blueprint Med School Blog (formerly Cram Fighter & Med School Tutors)

The blog for Blueprint Medical, supporting your MedEd journey with our exam study planner, tutoring, residency consulting, and advanced boards.

Help, My USMLE Study Plan Isn’t Working! How to Get Back on Track

If you have gotten to the point in your medical training journey to be preparing for your medical licensing exams, the USMLEs, congratulations! You are on a path that many have found immensely rewarding as well as terribly stressful. Being a medical student, you are used to exams whether it be the SAT, ACT, MCAT,

Dec 05, 2022

Changes Coming to Step 2 CK Practice Exams (CCSE and CCSSA) in 2023

Beginning December 5, 2022, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) will update score reports for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 2 CK practice exams. Remember that, while the USMLE Step 1 is a “pass/fail” exam, Step 2 CK still provides a three-digit score that may be weighed in the residency application

Dec 02, 2022

Quiz: Do You Need a Tutor in Med School?

Medical school is difficult, and it’s helpful to lean on friends and a support system during the tough rotations. Remind yourself how smart and capable you are—after all, not everyone is admitted into medical school! Even if you breezed through your college classes without breaking a sweat, it is unrealistic to think that you won’t

Nov 30, 2022

How to Stop Procrastinating: Med Student Edition

Raise your hand if you were the type of college student who procrastinated on your assignments and put off studying for tests. Both my hands are raised! While this approach may have served us well in the undergraduate setting, it is not ideal in medical school. The sheer volume of material in medical school is

Nov 21, 2022

What Is Anki? How to Use Anki for USMLE

If you’re studying for a USMLE exam, you may have heard of Anki and wondered what it is. At its core, Anki is a free, online flashcard service. However, if you’re used to handwritten flashcards or other online flashcard applications, Anki can feel different—so, if you’re going to use Anki, you should make sure you’re

Nov 17, 2022

Best Shelf Exam Study Resources: A Comparison & Breakdown

Balancing your clinical responsibilities with studying for shelf exams can be daunting. What’s more, there are so many resources it can be equally intimidating to figure out how to study. However, your shelf exams are crucial for setting yourself up for success on Step 2 (especially important now that Step 1 is pass/fail), so it’s

Nov 10, 2022

Medical School: Expectation vs Reality

I don’t know about you, but before starting medical school, I was excited. Having not grown up with a medical background (no one in my immediate or extended family worked in medicine in the U.S.), I gained all of my initial perceptions about the medical field through media. It may sound silly, but my first

Nov 03, 2022

What’s the Best Med School Study Planner?

Matriculating into medical school is an exceptional feat, and all who manage it should feel an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment. Once you enter those hallowed halls of preclinical lectures, small group sessions, physical exam essentials, and patient interactions, many students wonder one thing: “How do I succeed on Step 1 and Step 2?”

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