# The 30-Day Plan: 6 Step 1 Systems, Day by Day

> Renal, GI, reproductive, MSK, dermatology and psychiatry for Step 1, day by day: micro and pharm, active reading on the First Aid Guide, Mehlman, FA Foundation Anki, then UWorld system by system with the RPSR method. Every day lists its tasks and its First Aid pages.

URL: https://drmarishasudani.com/30-day-plan
Canonical: https://drmarishasudani.com/30-day-plan

## Questions this guide answers

- **What is the 30-day plan for Step 1 systems?** Days 1 to 30 cover all 6 systems: renal (Days 1 to 6), GI with 1 evening of biochem nutrition (Days 7 to 12), reproductive (Days 13 to 17), MSK (Days 18 to 22), dermatology (Days 23 to 25) and psychiatry (Days 26 to 30). Every system runs in the same order: micro and pharm, active reading of First Aid on the First Aid Guide, Mehlman videos, FA Foundation Anki, then UWorld for that system only, in tutor mode, untimed, in blocks of 20, until the last 2 blocks hold above 65%.

## Page text

USMLE Vault · Step 1 · The 30-day plan
The 30-Day Plan: 6 Step 1 Systems, Day by Day
Renal GI Reproductive MSK Derm Psych . You asked for the exact plan. This is it: every day, every task, every First Aid page .
By Dr. Marish Asudani · Published 25 October 2026
What is the 30-day plan for Step 1 systems?
All 6 systems in 30 days: renal (Days 1–6), GI with 1 evening of biochem nutrition (Days 7–12), reproductive (Days 13–17), MSK (Days 18–22), dermatology (Days 23–25) and psychiatry (Days 26–30). Every system runs in the same order : micro and pharm, active reading on the First Aid Guide, Mehlman, FA Foundation Anki, then UWorld for that system only, until your last 2 blocks hold above 65%.
Read this first. This plan is only for you if you have roughly 10–12 hours a day for studying, and you're either an intern or a graduate. Working, with 5–8 hours a day? Keep the same order and stretch the days: Step 1 while working →
Why I dare you to do it for 30 days.
Dr. S always struggled with renal. He told me so himself. On this method he sent me 2 UWorld renal blocks.
85%
Block 1 · average on that block 64%
95%
Block 2 · average on that block 62%
"I've always struggled with renal, so I'm really happy that it's becoming much clearer and easier for me to recall, and I'm seeing better scores. Your method really works and I will keep moving forward."
You only stay consistent once you see results. Scores give you the dopamine, and the dopamine keeps you studying. That's why this plan starts with renal: the easy system gets you the first scores .
Students who did this
Real students, in their own words, on the exact tools in this guide. Tap to play.
Dr. N · Passed Step 1 An honest review of USMLE Vault
Dr. Rana · Passed Step 1 An honest review of USMLE Vault
Try a free 3-day trial → usmlevault.com · no card needed
IMGs who have done these systems back to back.
Dr. SJ, Dr. U, Dr. KVS and Dr. SP (a radiologist) have all run these systems 1 after the other, in this order, with this method.
Dr. SJ, working, started on 19 August 2026. GI, renal, respiratory, MSK and psych were done by 11 September: 5 systems in 24 days , with his UWorld blocks between 65% and 92%.
Dr. KVS passed Step 1 on 29 June 2026, 12 weeks after he started, working full time.
The rules · all 30 days
Every system, the same 5 steps
Each system attacks the same First Aid pages from 5 angles, in 1 fixed order. Every step uses the one before it.
Micro + pharm of that system , from the Micro and Pharm pills in the First Aid Guide.
Active reading. For every page: Focus On → Concept Walkthrough and ELI5 → How is this tested? (the common confusions and the trap) → the First Aid page → the Test Yourself MCQs . 10–12 minutes a page.
Active application. The Mehlman videos for that system, in order. Psych is the 1 exception: the Neil Randy playlist.
Active recall. FA Foundation Anki for that system, with the First Aid page number on every card.
UWorld for that system. Unused · that system only · tutor · untimed · blocks of 20 , reviewed with RPSR. Every question of the system.
UWorld pace: a minimum of 2 blocks of 20 a day . On a full UWorld day of this plan it's 5–6 blocks. A system is done when every question is attempted, every bookmark is traced to its First Aid line, and your last 2 blocks hold above 65% . Not when a date passes.
No NBME inside these days. Your first NBME comes only after every system is done , at the end of your content, never in week 3.
How to study any system → The 5 steps, explained once, with the why behind each
The RPSR method → Read, Pre-solve, Solve, Review: how to solve and review every block
When is a system actually finished? → The checks before you move on
The order, and why
Renal first. Never cardio or biochem first.
99% of IMGs begin with biochemistry and quit, and the ones who skip biochem start with cardio. Don't. Renal first, because it's the easy one and it builds momentum. The rest of the order is the Vault schedule's order for these 6 systems.
1 Renal · Days 1–6 6 days · the easy one, start here Guide →
Day 7, evening: biochem nutrition, right before the GI reading · nutrition
2 GI · Days 7–12 6 days + Day 13 morning · 1 of the 3 easy systems Guide →
3 Reproductive · Days 13–17 5 days · comes right after GI on the schedule Guide →
4 MSK · Days 18–22 5 days + Day 23 morning, no derm Guide →
5 Dermatology · Days 23–25 3 days · its own block, after MSK Guide →
Day 25, evening: psych pharm, the day before psych · psych pharm
6 Psychiatry · Days 26–30 5 days · MSK → psych is a fixed order Guide →
Respiratory, endocrine, immunology, heme-onc and neuro come between these on the full schedule, and cardio is always last . This plan takes 6 of them in their schedule order. The full order: the 4 Step 1 hacks →
The 30 days at a glance
Days System First Aid UWorld
1–6 Renal · 11 organisms, 3 drug groups pp. 596–628 about 240 Qs, 12 blocks
7 (evening) Biochem nutrition pp. 63–70 none
7–12, 13 AM GI · 24 organisms pp. 364–408 about 320 Qs, 16 blocks
13–17 Reproductive · 14 organisms pp. 630–676 about 160 Qs, 8 blocks
18–22, 23 AM MSK · 7 organisms pp. 450–480, 495–498 about 280 Qs, 14 blocks
23–25 Dermatology · 7 organisms pp. 481–494 about 100 Qs, 5 blocks
25 (evening) Psych pharm · 4 drug groups Osmosis none
26–30 Psychiatry pp. 570–594 about 200 Qs, 10 blocks
UWorld counts are the Vault schedule's. Clock times assume an 11-hour day: 9 AM–1 PM, 2–6 PM and 7–10 PM, with lunch and dinner in the gaps. Shift the clock to your day. Keep the order.
How 6 systems fit in 30 days. The system guides give GI 7 days, repro 7 and MSK 6. Here, at 10–12 hours a day, the light days are merged, not the steps : nutrition takes GI's first evening, GI's and MSK's last 2 UWorld blocks take the next morning, repro's micro day is the afternoon after GI, the Anki and its hesitation check share 1 session, and psych pharm takes derm's last evening. Every step of every system is still here, in the same order.
Days 1–6
Renal · 6 days
33 pages 11 organisms 3 drug groups 158 MCQs about 140 Anki cards . Every renal page is free on USMLE Vault. Full guide: Renal in 6 days .
▶ How to Do the Renal System 15 minutes. Watch it once, before Day 1.
Day 1 · Renal micro + pharm The organisms and the drugs, from the 2 pills
9 AM–1 PM Micro: the 11 renal organisms, WRWRT . Watch, recall, watch the gaps, read the Sketchy PDF. Renal micro →
2–6 PM Pharm: loop diuretics, thiazides, spironolactone and the K-sparing diuretics (Sketchy). Each video twice, back to back. Renal pharm →
7–9 PM Read the renal drugs in the High-Yield Pharmacology PDF. Then test: the First Aid Guide MCQs for the 11 organisms and the renal pharmacology.
Day 2 · Active reading First Aid Guide, page by page, MCQs on every page
9 AM–1 PM pp. 596–602 · embryology, Potter sequence, anatomy, fluid compartments, filtration barrier, clearance, GFR, FeNa
2–6 PM pp. 603–611 · nephron transport, tubular defects, RAAS, kidney hormones, potassium shifts, electrolytes, acid-base, RTA
7–10 PM pp. 612–619 · casts, nephritic vs nephrotic, each glomerular disease, stones, hydronephrosis, cystitis, pyelonephritis
Day 3 · Reading, then Mehlman
9 AM–1 PM pp. 620–628 · AKI, ATN, renal failure, cysts, renovascular disease, renal tumours, then the diuretics, ACE inhibitors and ARBs
2–6 PM Watch How to watch Mehlman Medical videos (10 minutes), then the Mehlman renal playlist from the top, in order. Playlist →
7–10 PM Mehlman, continued. Pause before he answers and answer it yourself.
Day 4 · Mehlman, then Anki
9 AM–1 PM Finish the Mehlman renal playlist. Any gap → that First Aid Guide page , the same day.
2–6 PM FA Foundation Anki · Renal , about 140 cards. Answer before you flip.
7–9 PM Open the First Aid page of every card you hesitated on . Read the line and a couple above and below.
Day 5 · UWorld renal Unused · renal only · tutor mode · untimed · 20 questions a block
9–9:30 AM Clear today's due Anki cards first.
9:30 AM–1 PM Blocks 1–2 (Qs 1–40): solve, log each score, then review every bookmark in First Aid.
2–6 PM Blocks 3–4 (Qs 41–80): solve, log, review every bookmark in First Aid.
7–10 PM Blocks 5–6 (Qs 81–120): solve, log, review every bookmark in First Aid.
Day 6 · UWorld renal + the finish check
9–9:30 AM Clear today's due Anki cards first.
9:30 AM–1 PM Blocks 7–8 (Qs 121–160): solve, log, review every bookmark in First Aid.
2–6 PM Blocks 9–10 (Qs 161–200): solve, log, review every bookmark in First Aid.
7–10 PM Blocks 11–12 (Qs 201–240). Then the finish check: last 2 blocks above 65% ?
Days 7–12 · + Day 13 morning
GI · 6 days, with nutrition on the first evening
45 pages 24 organisms 246 MCQs 194 Anki cards . GI has no Pharm pill, so its pharm is a check of the High-Yield Pharmacology PDF on its first day and the drug pages (pp. 405–408). The last 2 UWorld blocks take the morning of Day 13. Full guide: GI in 7 days .
Biochem nutrition goes on the evening of Day 7. GI keeps coming back to vitamins and absorption, from B12 and the terminal ileum to the fat-soluble vitamins you lose in malabsorption. Do nutrition right before the GI reading and the absorption page (p. 381) and the malabsorption page (p. 388) read like a review. Full guide: High-yield nutrition .
Day 7 · GI micro + the pharm check, then nutrition
9–9:15 AM Watch How to do the GIT system , the University walkthrough.
9:15 AM–1 PM Micro: the 14 GI bacteria, WRWRT . GI micro →
2–4:30 PM Micro: the 7 viruses and 3 parasites .
4:30–5:30 PM Test: the First Aid Guide MCQs for all 24 organisms .
5:30–6 PM Pharm: open the High-Yield Pharmacology PDF and find any GI drugs . Any notes there, you do next to pp. 405–408 on Day 9.
7–10 PM Nutrition: pp. 63–70 , active reading on the First Aid Guide with the MCQs on each page · the vitamins, B12, folate, zinc, protein-energy malnutrition, ethanol metabolism. Then the nutrition guide 's absorption map.
Day 8 · Active reading First Aid Guide, page by page, MCQs on every page
9 AM–1 PM pp. 364–373 · GI embryology, wall defects, TEF, pyloric stenosis, retroperitoneal structures, ligaments, histology, blood supply, portosystemic anastomoses
2–6 PM pp. 374–387 · liver and biliary structures, hernias, GI hormones, secretions, absorption, bilirubin, oesophagus, Barrett, gastritis, gastric cancer, peptic ulcer
7–10 PM pp. 388–395 · malabsorption, IBD, IBS, appendicitis, diverticula, Meckel, Hirschsprung, volvulus, polyps, Lynch syndrome, colorectal cancer
Day 9 · Reading, then Mehlman
9 AM–1 PM pp. 396–408 · cirrhosis, liver disease and tumours, jaundice, Wilson, haemochromatosis, gallstones, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, the GI drugs
2–6 PM The Mehlman GI playlist from the top, in order. Playlist →
7–10 PM Mehlman, continued. Pause before he answers and answer it yourself.
Day 10 · Mehlman, Anki, then the first UWorld blocks
9 AM–1 PM Finish the Mehlman GI playlist. Any gap → that First Aid Guide page , the same day.
2–6 PM FA Foundation Anki · GI & Liver , all 194 cards . Answer before you flip, and open the First Aid page of every card you hesitate on.
7–10 PM UWorld GI blocks 1–2 (Qs 1–40). Unused · GI only · tutor mode · untimed · 20 questions a block. Solve, log, review every bookmark in First Aid.
Day 11 · UWorld GI
9–9:30 AM Clear today's due Anki cards first.
9:30 AM–1 PM Blocks 3–4 (Qs 41–80): solve, log, review.
2–6 PM Blocks 5–6 (Qs 81–120): solve, log, review.
7–10 PM Blocks 7–8 (Qs 121–160): solve, log, review.
Day 12 · UWorld GI Blocks 15–16 go to the next morning
9–9:30 AM Clear today's due Anki cards first.
9:30 AM–1 PM Blocks 9–10 (Qs 161–200): solve, log, review.
2–6 PM Blocks 11–12 (Qs 201–240): solve, log, review.
7–10 PM Blocks 13–14 (Qs 241–280): solve, log, review.
Days 13–17
Reproductive · 5 days
47 pages 14 organisms 235 MCQs 205 Anki cards . Repro has no Pharm pill, so its pharm is a check of the High-Yield Pharmacology PDF and the drug pages (pp. 673–676). Its micro day is a short one, so GI's last 2 blocks take its morning . Full guide: Reproductive in 7 days .
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## Source

USMLE Vault — https://usmlevault.com
Author: Dr. Marish Asudani

Updated: 2026-10-25