Free USMLE guides
🫀 Study a system
First Aid, micro, pharm and every system, start to finish. 16 guides.
By Dr. Marish Asudani · Published · Updated
How do I study a Step 1 system from start to finish?
Start with How to Actually Complete First Aid: How to complete First Aid: 4 readings per system (Guide, UWorld apply, review in FA, Foundation Anki), 4-5 days/system, whole book ~8 weeks. Then Sketchy Micro in 6 Days and Complete Pharmacology in 48 Hours.
Start here · Method · 8 weeks
How to Actually Complete First Aid
How to complete First Aid: 4 readings per system (Guide, UWorld apply, review in FA, Foundation Anki), 4-5 days/system, whole book ~8 weeks
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System plan · 6 days
Sketchy Micro in 6 Days
Day-by-day 6-day Sketchy Micro plan with the WRWRT method, organism lists per day and First Aid pages for same-night MCQs
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Method · 48-72 hours
Complete Pharmacology in 48 Hours
FWRT method to finish all Step 1 high-yield pharmacology in 48-72 hours, with a system-by-system drug-to-resource map and HY Pharm PDF
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System plan
Biochemistry, The Complete Playbook (Step 1)
Biochemistry playbook: split into 7 pieces placed before the systems that need them, a 2-3 day final pass, then repeated revision
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System plan · 6 days
Renal, Start to Finish, in 6 Days
Day-by-day 6-day renal plan: micro/pharm, FA pp. 596-628 active reading, Mehlman, Foundation Anki, UWorld renal with RPSR; renal is free on Vault
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Method
Biostatistics and Ethics
5-step order for biostats and ethics: decode FA pages, FA Guide + HY Biostats PDF, AMBOSS not UWorld, Neil Randy playlists, NBME Anki in revision
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Review
USMLE High-Yield Nutrition Review
High-yield nutrition content review: GI absorption, fat/water-soluble vitamins, minerals, drug-nutrient interactions, refeeding, archetypes, traps, counseling
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Method
Microbiology by System
Microbiology split into 9 system lists with organism counts, and the WRWRT method per organism, tested with First Aid Guide MCQs
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Inside the Vault
System Guides: Micro + Pharm
Hub of per-system micro and pharm guides: 11 systems plus antimicrobials and anaesthesia, with WRWRT/FWRT methods and SystemWise Micro chart
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Method
When Is a System Actually Finished?
5-point checklist for when a Step 1 system is truly finished: all UWorld done, misses traced to First Aid, last 2 blocks >65%, Anki cleared
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Method · 4 days per system
The RPSR Method — How to Solve UWorld
The RPSR method for UWorld: 4 prep days per system (FA Guide, MCQs, Mehlman, Anki), exact UWorld settings, per-question protocol, review in First Aid
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Inside the Vault
What Is the First Aid Guide
Explains the Vault First Aid Guide: every one of 646 pages decoded with Focus On, ELI5, Test Yourself MCQs, walkthroughs, and the page-to-Anki-to-UWorld loop
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Inside the Vault
Inside a First Aid Guide Page
Walkthrough of one real First Aid Guide page (p. 596): Focus On, Concept Walkthrough, How is this tested?, 5-second search, page MCQs
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Inside the Vault
ELI5, Test Yourself and the Rule-Out Button — How Every First Aid Page Teaches
Explains the First Aid Guide's ELI5 explanations (2,849, now in page order with topic tabs) and Test Yourself MCQs with the Rule-out elimination button
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Inside the Vault
The AI Tutor — A Teacher on Every Page of First Aid
Explains the Vault AI tutor (Gemini Pro) on every First Aid Guide page and Anki screen: 3-step answers, 30 questions/day, how to ask well
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Review
First Aid 2025 → 2026: Every Change, System by System
Sample of the 367 First Aid 2025-to-2026 changes, 4-5 per system with page numbers, corrections to overwrite and why each matters
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Every guide here runs on one app
First Aid guide, Anki, NBME booster and assessments, in USMLE Vault.
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