A concrete, reverse-timeline plan - from AnKing setup through NBMEs - with daily flashcard targets and subject blocking across 10 weeks of dedicated study.
This is a 10-week dedicated study schedule designed for students who have completed their pre-clinical coursework. Count back 10 weeks from your test date. Week 1 starts on that Monday. All daily estimates assume ~10 hours of study per day with appropriate breaks.
If you have 3 months, add 2–3 weeks of lighter subject review before Week 1 begins. If you have 6–8 weeks, compress the subject blocks in Weeks 3–7.
| Week | Focus | Primary Resources | Daily Anki Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Setup + Biochemistry/Genetics | AnKing setup, FA Biochem, BRS Biochem | 50–100 new + reviews |
| Week 2 | Immunology + Microbiology Part 1 | FA Immuno/Micro, Sketchy Micro | 100–150 new + reviews |
| Week 3 | Microbiology Part 2 + Pharmacology Part 1 | Sketchy Pharm, FA Pharm, UWorld Pharm block | 150–200 new + reviews |
| Week 4 | Pharmacology Part 2 + Pathology Part 1 | Pathoma Ch. 1–4, FA Path, UWorld mixed | 150–200 new + reviews |
| Week 5 | Cardiology + Pulmonology | Pathoma, FA, UWorld organ blocks | 150–200 new + reviews |
| Week 6 | GI + Renal + Endocrine | Pathoma, FA, UWorld organ blocks | 150–200 new + reviews |
| Week 7 | Neurology + Psychiatry + MSK | FA, UWorld, Sketchy for psych pharm | 100–150 new + reviews |
| Week 8 | NBME practice + rapid review | NBME 20–25, UWorld timed, Anki reviews only | Reviews only (200–400) |
| Week 9 | Full-lengths + weak area targeting | NBME 26–30, UWorld incorrect cards, targeted Anki | Reviews only (200–400) |
| Week 10 | Final review only - no new material | Anki due cards, quick FA pass, rest | Reviews only - clear your queue |
Your first task is getting your Anki infrastructure right. Download AnKing v12 (or the latest version), configure your daily new card limit (start at 50/day and increase gradually), and spend the first two days just understanding the deck structure before adding cards.
Simultaneously, do a first pass of First Aid - not to memorise everything, but to understand what's there. Think of it as building a mental map that your AnKing reviews will fill in. For every topic in AnKing that you're learning, simultaneously locate it in First Aid and read the surrounding context.
See also: best Anki decks for Step 1 comparison and the full USMLE flashcards guide.
The subject block weeks follow the same daily structure:
No new material in Weeks 8–9. You should have completed the AnKing deck or be close to it. Now your job is:
This is the week before your exam. The goal is to stay sharp without burning out.
The most common reason dedicated study schedules fail is falling behind on Anki reviews. When your review queue grows to 500+ due cards, it feels overwhelming and students start skipping sessions - which makes the queue even bigger.
The solution is to treat Anki reviews as the non-negotiable first task of every day, before opening any other resource. Clear the queue every morning, even if it means spending less time on new content. A 200-card review session takes about 45 minutes and is the highest-return activity in your schedule. For supplemental custom cards, see the pharmacology flashcards guide.
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This schedule is a framework, not a prescription. Adjust subject block ordering based on your pre-clinical curriculum coverage. Students who are weaker in certain subjects should front-load those subjects (earlier = more time for review). The most important constant is the daily Anki habit.
Most students use 8–12 weeks of dedicated study, with 10 weeks being the most common. Students with strong pre-clinical foundations or fewer weak subjects may manage in 8 weeks; those with significant gaps often benefit from extending to 12 weeks by adding lighter subject review before the main 10-week block begins.
AnKing is a comprehensive, community-maintained Anki deck covering all major Step 1 content with over 30,000 cards aligned to First Aid, Pathoma, and Sketchy. It should be used as the primary flashcard resource, with students unsuspending cards subject by subject as they work through each content block rather than opening the entire deck at once.
Stop adding new AnKing cards at the start of Week 8. From that point, only add custom cards created from NBME and UWorld wrong answers targeting specific knowledge gaps. Your daily priority becomes clearing the due review queue - 200–400 cards per morning - which represents the highest-return study activity in the final two weeks.
The recommended daily structure during subject blocks is: clear Anki reviews first (7–8am), study Pathoma and First Aid (8–11am), complete 40 UWorld questions in tutor mode (11am–1pm), review UWorld explanations and add custom Anki cards for identified gaps (2–5pm), then watch Sketchy and unsuspend new AnKing cards for the subject (5–7pm).
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