There are many benefits of our lessons and advising, and some of them depend on the needs and goals of the individual student. In general, some of the common benefits of our test-prep lessons, from what our students have told us, are: 1. Personalized explanations for practice test questions, including the Free 120. In our opinion, the sample questions offered by the NBME are one of the most important resources to prepare for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, but unfortunately, they do not come with explanations. Students often spend countless hours trying to find explanations scattered across forums or less reputable sites and cannot be sure if this information is accurate. Furthermore, explanations provided by the NBME and UWorld for practice tests and questions are not personalized to why you got the question wrong, and often do not outline the best reasoning to get similar questions correct in the future. 2. Unique techniques for content retention and NBME-specific multiple choice question strategy, which helped our founder score a 281 on Step 2 CK. We often recommend a flashcard creation strategy (and analyze cards made by students to teach them how to make the most useful cards possible) that allows for rapid memorization and long-term retention of large amounts of content. As experienced test prep tutors with thousands of hours of experience, we know how the NBME “likes” to ask about certain subjects, and can teach students how to strategically answer questions based on test-taking psychology principles and NBME-specific tendencies. 3. A personalized schedule that your tutor monitors for your progress and adjusts appropriately. We provide each student with a detailed and truly custom schedule, so that you know you are using each day efficiently and staying on track for test day. Our schedules are adaptive and personalized, not the cookie-cutter schedules used by other companies. We specialize in efficient studying, and help students achieve their goals without overworking themselves, by building in strategic breaks and rest days. Moreover, your tutor is responsible for assessing when you're ready to take your exam, so you will no longer have to worry or guess at your test day readiness.

We use a video conferencing program that allows for annotation of shared screens and whiteboard capabilities. Our online lessons are very similar to in-person private tutoring, but allow for greater scheduling flexibility and convenience for both the student and pro. As shelf exams and the USMLE are computerized exams, we believe online private lessons are superior to in-person tutoring for these exams, given what is known about the effects of context on recall. Our test prep services are highly personalized and include custom study schedule creation and help with content mastery, test-taking skills, proper resource selection, development of effective studying techniques, and much more. You can learn more details about our process of helping our students reach their goals by visiting the "About" page.

During your free phone consult, our founder Dr. Missant will ask about your learning style, test-taking history, exam goals, and timeline to develop a "short list" of pros who are the best fit for you. This personalized match-making process considers a range of factors to ensure a great fit—not just the first tutor available, but the tutor who is best aligned with how you learn and what you’re working toward. After you sign up, we confirm availability with the most compatible pro and connect you with them via email within two business days. While purchasing a package doesn’t lock you into one tutor, the vast majority of students stick with the pro initially recommended—and many go on to work with that same tutor throughout Step 1, shelf exams, Step 2 CK, Step 3, and even residency applications. Prefer to choose your own tutor? You’re welcome to browse our “Pros” page and let us know who you’d like to work with. If that tutor is accepting new students, we’ll pair you directly; if not, we’re happy to suggest a similar option or add you to their waitlist. Our founder, Dr. Missant, also works with a limited number of students. If you're interested in working with her directly, just ask during your consult.

Most students meet with their tutors once or twice a week for one or two hours, with once-weekly sessions during the pre-dedicated period and twice-weekly sessions during the dedicated study period being the most common option for USMLE students. Our 20-hour package is our most popular option, but students looking to make very large score improvements, those with prior failures, or those looking for longitudinal tutoring for multiple exams are more likely to choose our 40-hour package. Overall, we have a very flexible attitude towards tutoring schedules and continuously evaluate our students' progress towards their goals. The discrepancy between a student's baseline score and goal score is the largest factor that determines which package is most appropriate to start with. We keep an open dialogue with students to communicate how many sessions we think will be in their best interest, in terms of helping them achieve their test-taking goals.

Our standard hourly rate is $195 per hour, with significant additional discounts for packages of multiple hours. Our detailed rate information is available on the "package options" page, which can be found under "pricing." You may also be eligible for additional discounts through our need-based pricing program, which you can apply for on the "need-based pricing" page, also under the "pricing" tab.

We accept all major credit cards and PayPal. If you would like to pay for your package over time and are based in the US or Canada, you can opt to use PayPal PayLater or Affirm. PayLater and Affirm allow you to pay over time, often with no added fees (subject to approval by PayPal and Affirm, respectively). If you are not based in the US, you can buy multiple 5-hour packages in order to split payments up over time.

Due to high demand, we are unable to offer free trial tutoring sessions. We do offer free 15-minute phone consultations, during which time one of our experts will provide personalized advice on your study plan and help determine if tutoring is right for you. We will also advise you on the most appropriate tutoring package for your goals, test-taking history, timeline, and learning style. You can click the "free consult" option in our menu to schedule your free phone consult. You can opt to purchase a single session at the hourly rate prior to purchasing the tutoring package that best meets your needs.

We only offer online lessons, as both our students and pros find this to be much more and convenient and effecient (given that almost all study resources students use are digital or can be used as a PDF). Additionally, because the exams we help students prepare for are computerized, online lessons better take advantage of the fact that context can improve recall. For online lessons, we use a video conferencing application that allows us to share and annotate our screen, greatly enhancing your learning experience.

The best way to learn more is to schedule a free consultation call with Dr. Missant; just click on any of the "Free Consult" buttons to book. During your call, Dr. Missant can answer any of your questions, as well as provide personalized advice. On the site, you can explore the "Our Method" page of our site (under the "About" menu) to learn about the exams we specialize in and how we help students succeed. Get to know our Pros on the "Our Pros" page (also under the "About" menu) and explore our package options on the "Package Options" page (under the "Pricing Menu". You can also send us questions by email at info@usmlepro.com.

Yes! We are one of the fastest-growing medical education companies, and we are currently looking to add more highly-qualified tutors to our team of independent contractors. Applicants should have USMLE Step 2 CK scores of 260 or higher, and significant prior teaching experience, and a passion for education and helping students succeed. To apply, please fill out the form at: www.usmlepro.com/apply