Īs a part of our interview series with individuals and organizations positively contributing to the medical education space, we had the pleasure to interview Ben White, MD. For more information on that topic please refer to our blog page which has several comprehensive posts on the announcement, and the implications for IMGs, DO students, and medical school curricula. *Please note, that this interview was conducted prior to the NBME’s announcement that the USMLE Step 1 will go to pass/fail starting as early as 2022. White (we are both neuroradiologists) about his work on the Free 120 and his website and career. Many months ago, we had a chance to speak with Dr. White has been posting these questions on his own website, along with lots of fascinating self-written articles and commentary about medicine, finance, and law. Ben White, a practicing neuroradiologist. Fortunately, there are people who provide explanations for these questions that are freely accessible to all students. So, there is not too much utility in digging through older copies of the exam if one can find them.Īlthough the NBME provides an answer key to the ‘Free 120’ questions, there are no answer explanations. Each time that the new Free 120 question set is released, a small portion of the questions are changed from the prior year. The actual length of the test varies from year to year between 115 and 120 questions, but because we like round numbers ‘Free 120’ has stuck. The USMLE Free 120 questions are largely retired USMLE Step 1 questions that can be taken at home via the PDF form or in a simulated practice test at a Prometric testing center. Importantly, every year students report that several questions from the Free 120 are used verbatim on their actual USMLE Step 1 exam. There are algorithms and many opinions regarding the predictability of these questions for one’s actual test, and the consensus is that this set of questions should be considered an additional practice exam. Additionally, this set of questions offers another chance to get accustomed to the writing style of the actual test writers. This question set provides an additional practice test with which students can gauge their performance on the USMLE Step 1. These questions are in fact called the ‘USMLE Sample Test Questions’ and they are posted in PDF form on the official USMLE site. Meet the Master Behind the NBME Free 120 ExplanationsĮvery year the NBME releases a set of practice questions colloquially known as the “USMLE Free 120” or the “NBME Free 120”.
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