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Step 1 form guide Medium
Step 1 NBME 18: what's on it and how hard it is
NBME 18 has 55 questions in our copy. The average question is 71 words long and 72% take two or more steps to answer. It leans most on reproductive, heart and vessels and brain and nerves.
We only have part of this form, so treat these numbers as rough.
- Difficulty (0–100)
- 67
- Average question
- 71 words
- Take 2+ steps
- 72%
- Have an image
- 11%
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 harder than the questions really are.
Our original practice examsSystems it tests most
Share of the questions in each system.
- Reproductive15%
- Heart and vessels13%
- Brain and nerves13%
- Kidneys and urinary9%
The full breakdown
Every system and subject, what the questions ask, and what changed from older forms.