Myndaq is an AI-powered preparation platform for USMLE Step 1, the integrated basic-science examination of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Step 1 is a computer-based, pass/fail exam delivered at Prometric test centres in one 8-hour session — fourteen 30-minute blocks and no more than 280 single-best-answer items for administrations on or after 14 May 2026 — with content organised along system and process. Myndaq trains the reasoning it actually rewards: clinical vignettes read the way an examiner writes them, an explanation for the answer and for each of the four options that fail, weakness-first analytics across the whole system-by-process map, and a Myndaq AI Tutor that walks the mechanism with you — on any device, right in your browser. Myndaq is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the NBME, the FSMB, ECFMG or the USMLE program.
Taken from the 2,115-item USMLE Step 1 bank on Myndaq. Work them here; sign in (Google or email link, no card) to check each answer and have the AI tutor explain why the other options are wrong.
A 45-year-old woman with chronic alcohol use is admitted with confusion and receives intravenous dextrose before any vitamin supplementation. She acutely develops nystagmus, ophthalmoplegia, and gait ataxia. The deficient cofactor is required by transketolase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Administering the glucose load before this vitamin worsened her state primarily by which mechanism?
A 30-year-old woman at 8 weeks' gestation has a rising serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Her physician notes hCG maintains progesterone secretion at this stage. Through which receptor does hCG act to sustain the corpus luteum?
A 5-year-old boy develops a rapidly spreading skin infection with honey-colored crusts. A gram-positive coccus in clusters is isolated. Some strains of this organism cause a widespread blistering disease in which the superficial epidermis separates at the granular layer. The toxin responsible cleaves which of the following host structures?
A 34-year-old woman is studied after eating a fatty meal. Investigators observe that her gallbladder contracts vigorously and the sphincter of Oddi relaxes, delivering bile into the duodenum. This response is triggered by a hormone released from duodenal I cells in response to fatty acids and amino acids in chyme. Which hormone is chiefly responsible for gallbladder contraction in this scenario?
A 27-year-old woman presents with amenorrhea and a positive pregnancy test. Ultrasound shows no intrauterine gestational sac but an adnexal mass with a tubal ring, and serum beta-hCG is lower than expected for gestational age with an abnormally slow rise. She has a history of chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease. Which pathophysiologic factor most directly predisposed her to this condition?
USMLE Step 1 is the first of the United States Medical Licensing Examination steps, open to students and graduates of US MD and DO schools and of international medical schools listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements. From 14 May 2026 it runs as fourteen 30-minute blocks at Prometric centres.
Facts below were read on Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)'s own pages on . Dates and fees change between cycles — the official page linked on each row is authoritative.
Step 1 is now fourteen 30-minute blocks in one eight-hour day, with no more than 20 questions per block, a five-minute optional tutorial and at least 55 minutes of break time. Before 14 May 2026 it was seven 60-minute blocks of up to 40 questions. The total item count still does not exceed 280.
The 2026 and 2027 application fee is US$695. Testing outside the United States and Canada adds a US$210 region fee, and tests taken in India attract 18 per cent GST on top. Budget roughly US$1,070 for the exam before ECFMG certification costs, whose application fee is US$580.
Since 12 January 2026 all USMLE Step exam services for international medical graduates are handled by FSMB through its USMLE portal rather than ECFMG's MyIntealth. US MD and DO students continue through NBME's MyUSMLE. ECFMG certification itself is still required for the Match and for Step 3.
Students or graduates of LCME-accredited US MD schools, COCA-accredited DO schools, or any medical school outside the United States listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements. Indian MBBS students from listed colleges can therefore apply while still enrolled.
Up to 280 single-best-answer questions. With no more than 20 questions in each 30-minute block you have about 90 seconds per item, the same pace as the old format but with twice as many block boundaries, so time lost at transitions matters more than it used to.
At Prometric test centres worldwide, including centres in India. You choose a three-month eligibility period during application and then schedule a specific date with Prometric within that period; dates are available year-round rather than in fixed windows.
Yes. Myndaq's free mock gives 280 questions across fourteen timed 30-minute sections on a server-controlled clock, mirroring the post-May-2026 structure, one attempt per account and no card. Results come back as a per-section breakdown with an AI tutor explanation for every vignette. See free mock tests →
Practice across Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Microbiology & Immunology, Pathology & Pharmacology, Physiology by organ system, Behavioral Science with an AI tutor that explains every answer, plus progress analytics.
Myndaq runs a free mock test programme. Availability varies by exam and publication status — check the free mock tests page. One attempt per account, for one eligible exam; sign in with Google or an email link, no payment card required. See free mock tests →