# The Step 1 Resources Tier List

> Step 1 resources tier list for 2026: First Aid, UWorld, USMLE Vault, the NBMEs, Mehlman, Neil Randy and Sketchy at the top, Kaplan at the bottom, with the reason for every placement and a button that opens each one.

URL: https://drmarishasudani.com/tier-list-step-1-resources
Canonical: https://drmarishasudani.com/tier-list-step-1-resources

## Questions this guide answers

- **Which Step 1 resources are worth it in 2026?** S tier: First Aid, UWorld, USMLE Vault, the NBMEs, Mehlman and Neil Randy, and Sketchy. AMBOSS is A, for biostats and ethics. Pathoma is B. Boards & Beyond, USMLE Rx and Bootcamp are C. Pixorize is D. Kaplan is F tier: extremely long videos, not built around First Aid.

## Page text

USMLE Vault · Step 1 · Tier list 1 of 6
The Step 1 resources tier list: Kaplan to UWorld
For IMGs who keep asking "is this resource worth it?" One answer per resource, and every name opens it.
By Dr. Marish Asudani · Published 26 October 2026
Which Step 1 resources are worth it in 2026?
S tier: First Aid, UWorld, USMLE Vault, the NBMEs, Mehlman and Neil Randy, and Sketchy. AMBOSS is A, for biostats and ethics. Pathoma is B. Boards & Beyond, USMLE Rx and Bootcamp are C. Pixorize is D. Kaplan is F tier : extremely long videos, not built around First Aid.
Read this first Every week someone sends me a resource and asks, "Is this worth it?" One filter decides every placement below, and it's the only filter I use now: if it doesn't move your UWorld score, it isn't a Step 1 resource . Not "the explanation was good". Did the number go up?
We begin at the bottom and work up. Every name on this page is a button: tap it and it opens. Here is how to read the tiers:
S In my stack. Use it fully.
A The best for a specific job.
B Useful in one situation.
C Good in places, but the wrong anchor, or a slot that's already filled.
D A bad trade for your hours.
F Skip it.
Students who did this
Real students, in their own words, on the exact tools in this guide. Tap to play.
Dr. K · Passed Step 1 An honest review of USMLE Vault
Roshni · Passed Step 1 An honest review of USMLE Vault
Try a free 3-day trial → usmlevault.com · no card needed
1
Tier list 1 of 6 Step 1 resources
The resources everyone argues about: Kaplan, UWorld, AMBOSS, First Aid, USMLE Vault, and a couple more. Most of the internet's stack drops off once you apply the UWorld test honestly. Tap any name to open it.
S
First Aid UWorld USMLE Vault The NBMEs Mehlman Neil Randy Sketchy
A
AMBOSS (biostats + ethics)
B
Pathoma
C
Boards & Beyond USMLE Rx Bootcamp
D
Pixorize
F
Kaplan
F
The bottom Kaplan
F If you use Kaplan videos for Step 1 in 2026, you are choosing to lose weeks. They are extremely long, they are not built around First Aid, and students who watch them don't see their UWorld numbers move . Hours in, no score out.
Use instead: the book, taught page by page with a question after every page: the First Aid Guide . Then UWorld on that system. 4 resources I'd never use again →
↑
Bottom to top The rest of the Step 1 list, and why
Mnemonics D Pixorize
Why: "Poor ROI … the picture-mnemonic slot in your plan is already filled by better." That slot belongs to Sketchy . pixorize.com ↗
Course C Bootcamp
Why: "Kaplan, Boards & Beyond and Bootcamp are not on the list, and that is deliberate." None of them is anchored to First Aid.
Qbank C USMLE Rx
Why: too expensive for not even being your primary Qbank. It's topic-by-topic and doesn't cover every page of First Aid. Before I built the Vault, I used to recommend Rx. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, so I built the page-by-page MCQs myself: the USMLE Vault MCQs . The qbanks tier list →
usmle-rx.com ↗
Course C Boards & Beyond
Why: "Redundant now … nothing he teaches is anchored to First Aid." On the "never use again" list. boardsbeyond.com ↗
Pathology B Pathoma
Why: I used it in 2nd year for pathology, system by system, annotated straight into First Aid. Useful in that one situation. pathoma.com ↗
Second qbank A AMBOSS
Why: "AMBOSS, not UWorld — for biostats and ethics." On Step 1 it has 1 job: biostats and ethics. For everything else, UWorld. What AMBOSS does better than UWorld → · amboss.com ↗
Micro + pharm S Sketchy
Why: "A necessity, not an option" for micro and pharm. sketchy.com ↗ · The micro tier list → · The pharm tier list →
Video layer S Mehlman + Neil Randy
Why: "the only 2 video resources that earn their hours." Mehlman for the system, Neil Randy before an NBME. Mehlman on YouTube ↗ · The YouTube tier list →
Measurement S The NBMEs
Why: "the only honest measurement." Ready means 68%+ on NBME 31, 32 and 33. Take every one offline, in blocks of 20, the way the real exam runs: the online version inflates your score by 4 to 6%. NBME self-assessments ↗ · Why offline →
Before you take the next form, revise every form you've already taken. That's the NBME Booster Anki : I did that revision before every NBME, on every Step, and built the deck out of it.
Revise every NBME you've taken before the next one The NBME Booster Anki: NBME 20 to 34 and the Free 120, sorted by system. Opens straight into the deck.
Open the Booster →
Question engine S UWorld
Why: "the question engine … a learning and assessment tool, not a first-pass resource." Opened cold, it returns 40%. System by system, in blocks of 20, at least 2 blocks a day. uworld.com ↗
The aggregator S USMLE Vault
Why: "the one that absorbs the rest": the First Aid Guide with 2,938 page-mapped MCQs, the FA Foundation Anki and the NBME Booster Anki , the free PDFs , the assessment and the schedule . If you open 1 link on this page, open this one. Open usmlevault.com ↗
Start with renal: it's free The First Aid Guide teaches First Aid page by page, with MCQs under every page. Opens on the renal system.
Open renal →
The book S First Aid
Why: "the spine. Everything else on this page either explains it, tests it or repairs it." · "the bible". Read it with the First Aid Guide , page by page. Open the First Aid Guide ↗
The whole Step 1 stack in one place: Five resources, not forty → · 4 resources, not 40 → · The resource stack →
The top of every list, on a schedule
Want a day-by-day schedule that tells you exactly what to study next? The Vault builds it around your exam date.
Build my schedule on usmlevault.com/schedule →
The top of every list, already in one place.
The First Aid Guide , both Anki decks ( FA Foundation and NBME Booster ), the free PDFs and your schedule . Renal is free.
Open usmlevault.com →
usmlevault.com/schedule · free for your first 3 days
Read next
Five resources, not forty — the whole Step 1 stack.
4 resources I would never use again — and what replaces each.
The qbanks tier list — UWorld, AMBOSS, the Vault MCQs and Rx.
The resource stack — Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3.
USMLE Vault · The Step 1 Resources Tier List · Created 2026-10-26
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## Source

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

Updated: 2026-10-26