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Step 1 form guide Medium
Step 1 NBME 21: what's on it and how hard it is
NBME 21 has 139 questions in our copy. The average question is 67 words long and 83% take two or more steps to answer. It leans most on blood and immune system, brain and nerves and general principles.
- Difficulty (0–100)
- 68
- Average question
- 67 words
- Take 2+ steps
- 83%
- Have an image
- 7%
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 examsSystems it tests most
Share of the questions in each system.
- Blood and immune system13%
- Brain and nerves12%
- General principles12%
- Heart and vessels9%
The full breakdown
Every system and subject, what the questions ask, and what changed from older forms.