Board Exam Prep

Clinical Use Cases

• Step 1 Dedicated Study Period: A second-year medical student with 8 weeks until Step 1 generates a study plan. The tool recommends the "Intensive Review" phase: organ system-based review with 40+ questions per day, 8 hours daily, structured as morning content review, midday question blocks, afternoon review of incorrect questions, and evening spaced repetition
• Identifying Knowledge Gaps Mid-Study: After 200 practice questions, a student reviews their performance analytics. The tool identifies pharmacology (52%) and renal physiology (48%) as weak areas below the 60% threshold, and pathology (85%) and behavioral science (82%) as strong areas. The recommendation: "Solid foundation. Target specific weak areas to push into the high-performance range. Priority review areas: pharmacology, renal."
• Optimizing Retention with Spaced Repetition: A student reviews a pharmacology flashcard on autonomic drugs and rates their recall as 3 (correct with difficulty). The SM-2 algorithm adjusts the ease factor downward and schedules the next review in 1 day rather than the 6-day interval a perfect response would yield, ensuring the difficult material is revisited sooner
• COMLEX-Specific Preparation: An osteopathic medical student targets COMLEX Level 1 and receives a study plan that includes OMM (osteopathic manipulative medicine) integration alongside the standard basic science disciplines

Safety & Evidence

• Safety Classification: Safe -- This is an educational tool for exam preparation. Question content is illustrative and does not represent actual NBME or NBOME examination material
• Evidence Level: Moderate -- Spaced repetition efficacy supported by Deng F, et al. "Spaced Repetition in Medical Education" (Medical Education 2015;49(3):286-298), demonstrating 200-400% improvement in long-term retention compared to massed study. SM-2 algorithm from Wozniak PA (SuperMemo 1990). Study structure recommendations aligned with NBME content outlines

Example Usage

Generating a study plan:

Create a USMLE Step 1 study plan with 8 weeks until exam

Returns: Phase "Intensive Review," strategy "Organ system-based review with heavy question practice (40+ questions/day)," 8 hours/day recommended, priority topics (First Aid Rapid Review, Pathoma Fundamentals, Sketchy Antimicrobials, Biostatistics Study Design, Autonomic Pharmacology, Renal Physiology, Cardiac Pathology, Immunology Hypersensitivity Reactions), and a daily structure (morning: content review 2-3 hours, midday: question blocks 2-3 hours, afternoon: review incorrects 1-2 hours, evening: spaced repetition 1 hour).

Reviewing performance analytics:

Analyze my board prep performance: 150 questions attempted, 98 correct, pharmacology 12/25, pathology 35/40, renal 8/20, cardiology 25/30

Returns: Overall 65.3%, weak areas (renal 40.0%, pharmacology 48.0%), strong areas (cardiology 83.3%, pathology 87.5%), recommendation "Solid foundation. Target specific weak areas. Priority: renal, pharmacology."

Technical Details

• Category: Education
• Author: Open Medical Skills Community
• License: MIT
• Version: 1.0.0
• Script Language: Python
• Specialty: Medical Education
• Supported Exams: USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, Step 3, COMLEX Level 1, COMLEX Level 2-CE

References

• Deng F, et al. "Spaced Repetition in Medical Education: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Applications." Medical Education. 2015;49(3):286-298.
• Augustin M. "How to Learn Effectively in Medical School: Testing and Spaced Repetition." Yale J Biol Med. 2014;87(2):207-212.
• Wozniak PA. "SuperMemo 2 Algorithm." 1990.
• NBME. "Content Classification for USMLE Step Examinations."