# Dr. E's Exact Schedule: 59% Baseline NBME to a Step 1 Pass in 34 Days

> The exact schedule a US MD student (MS3), with clinical rotations already started, used to go from a 59.5% baseline NBME to a USMLE Step 1 PASS in 34 days: the FA Foundation Anki deck, the Pepper Micro Sketchy deck, NBME 28–30 as 20-question blocks, and the NBME Booster deck system by system.

URL: https://vault-guides.vercel.app/dr-e-schedule.html
Canonical: https://vault-guides.vercel.app/dr-e-schedule.html

## Summary

Dr. E is a US MD student (MS3) whose clinical rotations had already started; he took a short break to get Step 1 done. His baseline NBME on Aug 25, 2026 was 59.5% (blocks 31/50, 27/50, 24/50, 37/50). An audit by Dr. Marish Asudani found he had never reviewed all the systems properly, nor gone through First Aid properly. Over the next 8–9 days he ran the FA Foundation Anki deck (the same deck as the General Series Anki; about 2,400 cards tying every First Aid page to 2–3 question-style cards) and the Pepper Micro Sketchy deck in about 8 days. On Sep 6 he scored 74.5% on NBME 31. NBME 28, 29 and 30 were taken as timed 20-question blocks, 2 at a time, rather than full forms. He then revised system by system with the NBME Booster Anki deck (high-yield topics from NBME 20 to 33, divided by system), doing forms 20 through 31 because NBME 32 was next. On Sep 14 he scored 78% on NBME 32: 59% to 78% in 20 days. He took Step 1 on Sep 28 and the result on Oct 15 was PASS: 59% to a pass in 34 days, in the middle of rotations.

## Key facts

- Aug 25, 2026: baseline NBME 59.5% (31/50, 27/50, 24/50, 37/50)
- Audit: systems never properly reviewed; First Aid never properly gone through
- Next 8–9 days: FA Foundation Anki deck, about 2,400 cards; Pepper Micro Sketchy deck in about 8 days
- Sep 6: NBME 31, 74.5%
- NBME 28, 29, 30: timed 20-question blocks, 2 at a time, not full forms
- NBME Booster Anki, system-wise, forms 20 through 31
- Sep 14: NBME 32, 78% (8 days after 74.5%; 20 days after the baseline)
- Sep 28: took Step 1; Oct 15: PASS (34 days after the baseline)
- In his words: "You can just shut your brain off and trust someone." "It felt like I wasn't taking the test alone."

## Related

- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/anki-decks.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nbme-booster.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/assessment.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nbme-order.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nbme-review-protocol.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/nbme-stuck-scores.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/fa-guide.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/sketchy-micro.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/final-14-days.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/exam-day.html
- https://vault-guides.vercel.app/step-1-2027-video-guide.html

## Source

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