Step 1 form guide Medium

Step 1 NBME 17: what's on it and how hard it is

NBME 17 has 74 questions in our copy. The average question is 70 words long and 78% take two or more steps to answer. It leans most on blood and immune system, heart and vessels and GI and liver.

Difficulty (0–100): 57
Average question: 70 words
Take 2+ steps: 78%
Have an image: 19%

When to take it

Extra practice early on. It is an older form: shorter questions and more straight recall than today's exam, so don't read much into the score.

Students say it feels about as hard as it is.

Our original practice exams

Systems it tests most

Share of the questions in each system.

Blood and immune system14%
Heart and vessels11%
GI and liver11%
Reproductive10%

The full breakdown

Every system and subject, what the questions ask, and what changed from older forms.