The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a mandatory examination for doctors who want to practice medicine in the United States.
A doctor must pass the USMLE to obtain a practice license in the US.
The USMLE is a joint program between the Federation of the State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners.
The USMLE is a 3-step examination, with each step examining a different area of medical knowledge.
The USMLE Step 1 exam tests how well you know the basic sciences behind medicine, including how diseases work, how to diagnose them, and how to treat patients.
The USMLE Step 2 tests how well a candidate can apply medical and clinical knowledge to patient care.
The USMLE Step 3 is the final licensing examination that assesses a physician's ability to practice medicine safely and independently. This two-day test focuses heavily on clinical patient management and can only be taken within the United States.
According to the reports, the pass percentage for USMLE is 50-60 per cent.
There are various platforms for candidates to prepare for USMLE:
UWorld was founded by Dr. Chandra Pemmasani in 2003. Dr Chandra noticed a lack of high-quality question banks and resource materials while he was studying for the USMLE during his medical residency. Initially, he created a booklet of 250 questions and posted it online.
When he received a good response from other candidates who were preparing for the exam, he decided to launch it as a platform along with his wife.
UWorld is known for providing question banks on its platform, which helps students to practice USMLE-style questions and get explanations for questions.
UWorld subscription-based platform.
The platform offers preparation material and question banks for all three steps of the USMLE.
AMBOSS was founded in 2012 by a group of physicians, including co-founders Madjid Salimi, Benedikt Hochkirchen, and Nawid Salimi.
The idea behind creating AMBOSS was for students to find a more integrated platform for USMLE preparation rather than fragmented resource materials that are found online.
AMBOSS offers a medical knowledge library and Q Banks, which can be accessed once the student has learned a concept and is ready to test their knowledge.
They offer various study plans, performance analytics and other learning tools.
AMBOSS is a subscription based platform, their plans start from 330 dollars for 6 months and can range up to 480 dollars per year.
AMBOSS also offers materials and Q banks for all three steps of the USMLE.
Boards and Beyond was founded by Dr. Jason Ryan, who is a cardiologist and a medical educator. In 2014, Dr. Ryan started by creating tutorials and medical education videos for students and later developed it into an online education platform.
What sets Boards and Beyond apart from other USMLE preparation platforms is that it focuses on teaching basic medical concepts initially and eventually leads on to other specific topics so that the students have clear knowledge of the medical world rather than just memorising scientific concepts.
The platform is best for students who want to strengthen their clinical science foundations.
Boards and Beyond is a subscription based platform. Students have to pay according to each Step of the exam and the cost for a month is around 89 dollars.
In 2023, Boards and Beyond was acquired by McGraw Hill.
Sketchy was founded by a few medical students in 2013. The co-founders are Dr. Saud Siddiqui and Dr. Andrew Berg. Both doctors were looking for better ways to understand and learn lengthy topics while they were studying medicine.
Their invention, Sketchy, was the solution to their own problem. Sketchy offers visual stories, illustrations and memorable characters that make learning fun and interesting.
It initially got famous for its content in microbiology; however, the platform now offers pharmacology, pathology and other medical subjects.
For USMLE aspirants, Sketchy is useful as a visual learning tool that makes understanding complex content easy.
Sketchy is a subscription based platform and the prices for the courses can start from 250 dollars and go up to 350 dollars for a year.
Kaplan was started in 1938 as a tutoring and test preparation business by Stanley Kaplan. It later expanded into a global education business that offers a preparation platform to candidates who are appearing for varied examinations, including medical licensing.
Kaplan Medical offers structured courses and study materials to help students review medical concepts. These resources are designed to make it easier to prepare and practice for the USMLE exam.
Kaplan offers more than just resource material and Question Banks. On the platform, an aspirant can learn through instructor-led videos and other supporting digital learning resources.
Kaplan is also a subscription-based platform; prices can start as low as $ 99 for the question bank and go up to $ 899 for the full course.
Kaplan’s long history in the test preparation market has made it a prominent name in the USMLE preparation industry.
Anking is a very unique platform in the USMLE preparation industry.
The learning platform is based on a spaced-repetition flashcard system. It is a medical flashcard resource built around the idea of Anki.
Anking doesn’t use basic resources such as QBank and study material to prepare for USMLE; rather, it takes an unconventional approach where it offers pre-made flashcards with short information that can help a USMLE aspirant learn concepts for longer retention.
The Anking team comprises medical students, educators and physicians who have come up with specially curated card decks with medical concepts that are required for USMLE preparation.
The Anking starts from a range of 10 dollars per month and 450 dollars for a lifetime subscription.
In a 2025 MedBound Times interview, Dr. Narendra Nath Ravi, who qualified for the USMLE in 2021, said he used UWorld, Boards & Beyond, and Kaplan during his preparation. He also said that he did not take coaching and considered study materials and dedication important factors in his preparation.
In an another MedBound Times interview, Dr. Saloni Haldule, an MBBS graduate who pursued the USMLE pathway, and is currently a Resident Physcian at The University of Connecticut Health Center, said that one of her challenges during Step 1 preparation was the large number of available resources. She chose to simplify her preparation by sticking to one or two resources and followed a similar approach for Step 2.
Dr. Haldule said she used UWorld to practice question blocks and reviewed every answer option, rather than only the correct answer, during her preparation. She also said that practicing under test-like conditions helped her build focus and stamina for the long exam sessions.
USMLE preparation does not necessarily mean using every available resource or studying without breaks. Dr. Narendra Nath Ravi told MedBound Times that he typically studied for five to six hours without distractions while maintaining time for other activities. Dr. Saloni Haldule similarly emphasized simplifying resources and focusing on strong medical concepts rather than trying to use every available preparation material.