Free USMLE Step 1 questions and practice tests

The 280-question United States Medical Licencing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 is a rigorous undertaking, and while candidates are given the chance to re-take if they fail, it’s not possible to re-take it if you pass – even if your score is low. This means you’re going to want to get it right the first time, which is why practice questions and tests are absolutely essential.

There are many reputable online institutions that offer USMLE Step 1 questions and practice tests, but these do come at a cost, depending on how long you want to subscribe. Fortunately, some of the online institutions offer free trials that give you access to free resources, as well as a sneak preview of what you can get if you decide to sign up.

5 Free USMLE Step 1 questions websites

Here are 5 online institutions that offer free USMLE Step 1 trial questions:

1. Pastest (www.pastest.com)

This company boasts an average score rate of 242, 12 above the national average, and provides users with a 48-hour free trial. Using this trial window, users are given unlimited access to the site’s many resources. These include:

• The USMLE Step 1 Qbank with more than 2 100 test format questions and explanations.
• NBME-style interface which gives the feel of a real exam.
• First aid references and contextual clues.
• Bite-sized videos from Yale and Harvard physicians.
• A performance dashboard so you remain on track with peers.

The site also offers free self-assessment exams that allow you to evaluate your test performance and benchmark yourself for future progress.

2. Medical School Companion (www.medicalschoolcompanion.org)

This site gives you a comprehensive five-day free trial of its entire USMLE Step 1 platform with the added benefit of engaging with its internationally-recognised faculty members. Included in the Medical School Companion’s free USMLE Step 1 trial are:

• Extensive online review courses for the USMLE Step 1. These are taught by the renowned faculty members using an integrated curriculum that teaches you to organise your knowledge as a way to improve your scores.
• Access to the latest 2020 Step Review Book Series written by award-winning authors; Dr Ruebush, Dr Wilson, and Dr Tisdall.
• A high-yield question bank which allows you to practice hundreds of USMLE-style multiple choice questions written by the experienced faculty members, as well as detailed explanations.
• Live faculty webinars which cover a range of topics.
• 1-on-1 online coaching / tutoring sessions that get to grips with the study material and format.

Medical School Companion seeks to develop medical reasoning and test-taking strategies rather than relying on rote learning. There are also clinical vignettes which develop the user’s approach to a clinical scenarios and patient care. 

3. Kaplan (www.kaptest.com)

Through the online Kaplan site, you’re able to choose the category you’d like to try as a free trial. This is divided into the:

• Qbank free trial which has real, exam-like interface for an authentic experience.
• On-demand prep free trial with access to the best videos as well as warm-up and post-test questions.
• Free Step 1 diagnostic exams which are three hours and provide detailed feedback on how you performed in each discipline.
• Free 20-minutes session with advisors for useful insights.
• Qbank integrated plan free trial with more than 70 hours of online instruction, two full-length simulated exams and 26 mastery assessments.

4. Online MedEd (www.onlinemeded.org)

Instead of providing free trials for each section, Online MedEd includes a free course as part of its offerings. However, this is obviously limited in comparison to the paid-for content. Users have access to:

• Unlimited videos, although there are ad breaks.
• Access to a range of study schedules and resources.

5. PassMedicine (www.passmedicine.com)

This is an extensive six-month account which anyone can sign up for free of charge. It includes a range of USMLE Step 1 resources, including:

• Flashcard-style facts organised according to how high-yield they are for the exam.
• Spaced repetition learning.
• A flexible and highly customisable interface.
• A histogram based on other candidate scores updated daily for benchmarking.

Because PassMedicine is seeking to be a valuable component of the USMLE preparation, they’re simply seeking feedback to see where they compare.

Free trials of the USMLE Step 1 questions and practice tests are a great way to discover which company will meet your particular needs in terms of study methods and content. Once you’ve tried the free trial, you’re given the option of signing up, often for a monthly or annual subscription.