The blog for Blueprint Medical, supporting your MedEd journey with our exam study planner, tutoring, residency consulting, and advanced boards.
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
“Your Step 1 score is the most important part of your application.” For many medical students, this was the message we heard throughout our preclinical years. According to a 2021 NRMP survey, residency program directors cited USMLE Step 1 scores…
As you adapt to being an intern, it’s easy to push Step 3 out of your mind. Some residencies don’t require you to take it until your third year, which can be tempting, but not the best idea! Your upper-level…
Ask anyone in medical school, and they’ll tell you that it isn’t the actual content that’s hard. “Then what’s hard?” you might ask. It’s the sheer amount of information that you are expected to retain. Luckily, we have three effective…