CORE RESOURCE STACK
| Resource | Category | Best use | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official blueprints & sample software | USMLE + NBOME | Always start here. Defines current content, format and practice experience. | Open → |
| External readiness assessment | NBME | CBSSA for Step 1; CCSSA for Step 2; CSMS for clerkship subject exams. | Open → |
| Primary question bank | UWorld | Deep answer explanations + exam-like clinical vignettes. Use longitudinally and during dedicated. | Open → |
| Integrated library + Qbank | AMBOSS | Useful for school blocks, clerkships, quick clinical reference and targeted questions. | Open → |
| Osteopathic question bank | TrueLearn / COMBANK | COMLEX/COMAT-specific questions and OMM emphasis; useful for DO students. | Open → |
| Pathology video core | Pathoma | Mechanism-focused pathology review; 35+ hours of videos covering the text. | Open → |
| Clinical video core | OnlineMedEd | Clinical reasoning and rotation/Step 2 content across IM, Surgery, Peds, OB/GYN, Psych, Neuro and OMM. | Open → |
| Bedside exam video core | Stanford Medicine 25 | Physical-exam demonstrations and bedside technique. | Open → |
| Deep foundational videos | Ninja Nerd | Long-form explanatory teaching. Use selectively for difficult mechanisms rather than trying to watch everything. | Open → |
| Spaced repetition | Anki / school deck | Use after understanding; prioritize cards tied to current block/Qbank misses. Avoid flashcard volume becoming the goal. | |
| Review index | First Aid for USMLE Step 1 | Use as a concise index/checklist during systems blocks and dedicated; not as a standalone teaching source. |
RESOURCE PRINCIPLE
One strong explanatory source + one primary Qbank + official assessments beats collecting five overlapping resources. Add a second source only to solve a specific weakness.
NEW RESOURCE STANDARD - VIDEO FIRST, EXAM EVIDENCE SECOND
- Student-facing teaching links must be direct videos or true video libraries - not university syllabi, curriculum descriptions, webinars or course-registration pages.
- University curricula (UW, Stanford, Harvard, Hopkins, PNWU, etc.) are benchmark evidence only; they define coverage, not the learner's teaching resource.
- Each course now separates DEEP CONCEPT videos from HIGH-YIELD EXAM REVIEW videos and from QBANK/OFFICIAL ASSESSMENT tools.
- Step 1 is pass/fail, so there is no current Step 1 percentile to copy. For scored exams such as Step 2 CK, we use recurring patterns from recent 270+ public score reports as community evidence - never as a guarantee.