The blog for Blueprint Medical, supporting your MedEd journey with our exam study planner, tutoring, residency consulting, and advanced boards.
History is filled with great nappers: Eleanor Roosevelt took naps before speaking engagements so she could face the audience with a refreshed mind. Thomas Edison used to nap sitting up with a ball in his hand, so that when he…
You may have heard that the Step 2 passing score just increased from 214 to 218 starting July 1, 2025. So as a medical student preparing for the exam, what does this mean for you? With Step 1 changing to…
There are a fortunate few who graduate medical school without incurring any debt. They manage to do this through a combination of financial aid, academic or merit-based scholarship, military service, dual degree or specialty programs, or even parental assistance. However…
So, it’s your final week of Step 1 preparation. Congratulations! Are you wondering what you should do during the last week of studying? One resource I tell my students to use in the final week of Step 1 studying is…
In the new age of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)—we’re talking new logo and everything—the question on medical students’ minds is just how hard is Step 1 now? It’s still difficult, despite being pass And in fact, the…
Can you believe it? It’s already that time of the year. ERAS residency applications are just around the corner! That means it’s important to get familiar with the residency application timeline, so you don’t fall behind. We’re going to share…
It’s late in the afternoon on a Saturday in September. You’ve been at this coffee shop since it opened and the employees are starting to give you a strange look. You need to finish writing your Electronic Residency Application Service…
A residency application is a key step on your way to practicing medicine in the US. It determines the first impression you make on program directors (PDs) and inevitably affects your chances to match. We’ve made a list of 10…
Navigating the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) as an International Medical Graduate (IMG) is a challenge and can be daunting initially. This is particularly true when it comes to one of the most important parts of the application, your letters…
[Dr. Mike Ren and Paige Mauriello also contributed to this post] Originally published January 2021, updated July 2025 For a moment, let’s imagine it’s a beautiful sunlit day somewhere very far from your computer screen. You decide to engage in…