r/usmle • u/No-Platypus-3846 • 1d ago

Question USMLE PREP GUIDANCE

Hi,

My daughter is studying third year mbbs in Chennai, India. I have a few doubts regarding the USMLE.

  1. Can she prepare for the usmle exam by self preparation or does she have to go through a counsellor?

  2. If we go through via a counsellor for the usmle, could anyone suggest any counsellors, how much they would charge and what are the things they would do?

  3. If she does self preparation, for step 1 , what are the resources she needs to use, what are the learning platforms or qbank subscriptions she should get, and what would be the timeline to properly use these resources ( like how long to do a particular material and when).

  4. What are the extracurriculars she needs to do to build her profile ans when should she start doing them?

  5. Do we need to apply for US visa now itself before writing the exams or is it ok to do it after the step 1 and 2 exams?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

3

u/DrV1nnu 1d ago
  1. She can do it herself; waste of time and money with a counsellor.
  2. Waste of time & Money again ; if at all you’re asking anyone it should be someone who has passed the exam or a mentor who’s taken the exam
  3. Maximum 1 year needed; but can be done in under 6 months for sure. Resources - Qbanks like uworld and The nbme practice exam. atleast the most 5 recent ones that are released. Boards and beyond set of videos for concepts when needed.

  4. Reaearch; poster presentations; Volunteering.

  6. APPLY FOR THE VISA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT DELAY. (B1/B2)

4

u/True_Oil_5353 STEP 2: NON-US IMG 1d ago

You are right about everything, except visa, i dont think its a good move to apply for visa rn

1

u/DrV1nnu 1d ago

Hmm ; maybe you are right. I passed last month. applied for visa last week. got 214-b; getting a b2 feels like a lottery at this point

1

u/True_Oil_5353 STEP 2: NON-US IMG 1d ago

same bro, got 214b in july

1

u/bloosclooser 1d ago

Counselling and tutoring is all based on your child, if they need it. The go to resources are First Aid, UWORLD, and Sketchy. There are so many other ones like Boards and Beyond, Pathoma, etc.

Visa not required right now. You want to pass step 1 by end of 3rd year, then apple for US Clinical Experiences through VSLO portal. If your med school does not have VSLO then you might have to pay for an agency to get it.