In February, the exam’s two sponsors - the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Federation of State Medical Boards - announced that Step 1 would become a pass-fail exam no earlier than 2022. One of the key stressors is residency programs’ reliance on scores from the USMLE Step 1 exam, the first of three required exams for medical licensure, which program directors admittedly use to differentiate between the thousands of students who apply for residency slots.
Students must choose a specialty, then apply to residency programs, interview, and go through a matching process. Let’s be honest: The transition from medical school to residency is stressful.