USMLE STEP1

Step 1 assesses whether you understand and can apply important concepts of the sciences basic to the practice of medicine, with special emphasis on principles and mechanisms underlying health, disease, and modes of therapy. Step 1 ensures mastery of not only the sciences that provide a foundation for the safe and competent practice of medicine in the present, but also the scientific principles required for maintenance of competence through lifelong learning. Step 1 is constructed according to an integrated content outline that organizes basic science material along two dimensions: system and process.
It covers the following subjects, in both systemic (general and individual anatomical characteristics) and procedural (functional, therapeutic, environmental, and abnormality) themes:

• Anatomy,
• Physiology,
• Biochemistry,
• Pharmacology,
• Pathology,
• Microbiology,
• Behavioral sciences,
• Interdisciplinary topics, such as nutrition, genetics, and aging.

It is an eight-hour computer-based exam consisting of 336 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) divided into seven blocks each consisting of 48 questions.
Some questions also include audio and videos. Each block must be finished within an hour. The remaining hour is break time.

While not recommended by the creators of the USMLE, the Step 1 score is frequently used in medical residency as one of many factors considered by residency programs in selecting applicants.
More competitive residency programs such as Radiology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesiology, and Dermatology usually only accept applicants with high Step 1 scores.
As of January 1, 2010, the passing score has been raised to 188.

If you pass a Step, you are not allowed to retake it.