The best way to revise for USMLE Step 1, and how Ebb Deck works

The most evidence-backed approach combines active recall (testing yourself with practice questions instead of re-reading) with spaced repetition (reviewing material at increasing intervals so it moves into long-term memory). In practice that means doing board-style questions every day, reviewing the ones you got wrong or felt unsure about, and spacing those reviews out rather than cramming. Ebb Deck is built around exactly this: it schedules each of its 1,500 questions to resurface right before you would forget it. Our USMLE Step 1 guide has a full study plan.

Yes. Spaced repetition is one of the most robust findings in memory research, going back to Hermann Ebbinghaus and the forgetting curve in 1885. Step 1 covers an enormous volume of material over many weeks, so reviewing on a schedule keeps facts retrievable on exam day. Ebb Deck applies an SM-2 spaced-repetition scheduler to every question, and your confidence rating on each answer decides how soon it comes back.

Most students aim for somewhere between 40 and 120 questions a day depending on how far out their exam is, alongside reviewing every explanation. Consistency matters more than volume. Ebb Deck lets you set a daily goal, caps reviews at 100 a day so the workload stays sustainable, and tracks a streak to keep you showing up.

Forgetting is normal: Ebbinghaus showed we lose most of what we learn within days unless we review it. The fix is to review at the right moments, just as a memory is about to fade, and to test yourself rather than re-read. Ebb Deck automates that timing and brings each question back when it is at risk of slipping.

Many students build a foundation during pre-clinical coursework, then run a dedicated study period of roughly four to eight weeks. Starting question practice early, even a handful a day, gives spaced repetition time to work. Ebb Deck keeps an exam-date countdown on your home screen so every study day points at your test date.

Your first 100 questions are free, on the web app and the iPhone app, with spaced repetition, weak-spot drills and a balanced set across every system. No card and no trial countdown. A pass unlocks all 1,500 questions. There is also a free question of the day.

Yes, and most students do. Use your main question bank for long timed blocks, and Ebb Deck for short daily sessions that keep high-yield material from fading. The iPhone app works offline, so it fits into commutes and gaps between lectures, and everything you answer syncs to the web app when you are back online.

Yes. Sign in with the same account on the web app and the iPhone app. Your answers, review schedule, flags and streak sync both ways, and the app works offline. See Ebb Deck on the web and iPhone.

No. One pass unlocks both, whichever one you bought it on. A pass bought on the website unlocks the iPhone app, and a pass bought in the app unlocks the website.

1,500 board-style single best answer questions across the 11 USMLE systems, from Cardiovascular to Biostatistics and Social Sciences. Each has an explanation and a First Aid reference, and many include a lab table with reference ranges. See the counts by system in the Step 1 guide.

The iPhone app does. The whole question bank is stored on your phone, so you can study on the subway or in a library basement with no signal. Your answers are saved on the phone and sync the next time you are online. The web app needs an internet connection.

For the web app, yes: a free account holds your progress. In the iPhone app you can start without one, and sign in or create an account when you want your progress to sync with the web app.

No. A pass bought on the website is a one-off payment for 1, 3 or 6 months, and buying another pass adds its time to the end. Passes bought in the iPhone app are one-off App Store purchases too: they don't renew. If you subscribed in an earlier version of the app, your subscription keeps working until Apple says it has ended.

[YOUR WORDING ABOUT AUTHORS AND REVIEW]

Yes. You can be logged in to the web app on two browsers at once, and signed in to the iPhone app on two iPhones as well. Logging in on one more signs out the oldest.

Use Report a problem under any question, on the web app or in the iPhone app. Each report goes to the editors with the question number.

For a pass bought on the website: yes, if you ask within 14 days of buying and have answered fewer than 100 questions since, we'll refund you in full. See the refund policy. App Store purchases are refunded by Apple; you can ask for one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

No. Ebb Deck is an independent study aid. USMLE is a registered trademark of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), which do not endorse it. All questions are original.