This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Paul Bolin, M.D. (physician) A2A. If you include IMGs who take USMLE Step 1, there is considerable variation built in to the average time taken for preparation. Some people take a year or more. At U.S. medical schools, the USMLE Step 1 is taken at some point in the period after second and before third year. I went to a U.S. medical school — we finished our second-year lectures towards the end of May and started our third-year rotations in the first week of July. Most of us took our exams during the third or final week of June, which meant we had around 3-4 weeks to study for the exam. I believe 3–4 weeks of dedicated full-time studying would be fairly typical for most U.S. medical students, so it may be considered to be “average” although, as I said, there’s a lot of variation especially among IMGs. Given that the curriculum in U.S. medical schools is specifically tailored towards the USMLE, a U.S. student may not need as much time to study as a student from elsewhere. But, if you have the opportunity, I would strongly suggest taking more than a few weeks. As far as “absolutely” ready — you will never feel “absolutely” ready. Most people — even those who end up performing well — feel like there’s at least some chance they failed the test when they finish it. Unlike the exams you take in medical school, the USMLE is designed so that it’s virtually impossible to get every single question correct. Medical students aren’t used to this, so they often feel flustered when they leave. Hope that helps to answer your question. Dr. Paul Source
