USMLE Step 1 Tutor

The Boards Professor is led by Dr. Shauhin “Sean” Moazezi, DO, a board-certified internist. Our USMLE Step 1 tutors teach one-on-one, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet), with a study schedule built around your test date.

By Dr. Sahith Valluru. For The Boards Professor, founded by Dr. Sean Moazezi, DO. Published October 5, 2026, updated October 28, 2026.

What Step 1 tutoring looks like

Your first session is a working session, not a sales call. We look at where you are right now: your test date, your practice exam scores, your question bank percentages and how you are using Anki. Then we map out your study priorities and next steps.

• A Step 1 schedule built around your dedicated period, your weakest systems and the rest of your life, with check-ins that keep you on it.
• Your Anki deck rebuilt around evidence-based spaced repetition, with no thousand-cards-a-day grind.
• Every NBME and Free 120 score logged, so the plan changes the week your numbers do.
• One dashboard holding your scores, trends, resources and recorded sessions.
• A dedicated line to your tutor team 24/7 for a tough question, a next step or a pep talk.

In our USMLE tutoring sessions we work through practice questions together. We focus on your weak areas and the high-yield concepts behind them, and build test-taking strategies for the question types that slow you down. Sessions adapt to your learning style.

Students in our reviews often mention test-taking strategies, complex concepts broken down into clear steps, and the confidence they built before test day.

What Step 1 tutoring costs

One-on-one USMLE Step 1 tutoring costs $349 per 50-minute session, online by live video (Zoom or Google Meet). The first conversation is a free 20-minute intro call, so you can talk through your test date and practice scores before you pay for anything. Book the free intro call or read the full plans and pricing.

What the hour covers: live question work with your tutor, a study schedule rebuilt as your practice scores come in, and messaging between sessions. There is no separate fee for building the schedule or reviewing your practice exams.

Who tutors Step 1

Five members of the team teach Step 1. You are matched on your timeline, your weak areas and how you like to learn:

• Dr. Shauhin “Sean” Moazezi, DO, founder and lead professor. He sat every USMLE and COMLEX exam he teaches and runs The Boards Professor full time.
• Dr. Sahith Valluru, a graduate of NTR University of Health Sciences with radiology research experience at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Chelsi Flippo, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist and assistant professor of pediatrics in Washington, DC.
• Alexandra Llovet, an MD/PhD student at Emory University pursuing a PhD in epidemiology.
• Dante Magdici, who specializes in Step 1 and Step 2 CK and has tutored USMLE students since 2024.

USMLE Step 1 is pass/fail

USMLE reports Step 1 as pass/fail only for exams taken on or after January 26, 2022 (USMLE announcement).

Pass/fail does not mean easy. On USMLE’s three-digit scale the passing standard is 196, and the 2026 Bulletin says examinees typically need to answer about 60% of questions correctly to pass (USMLE results and scoring). The official first-attempt results show how wide the gap is between groups:

USMLE Step 1 first-time results. Source: USMLE performance data, checked October 28, 2026. From 2025, Canadian schools are counted with non-US schools.

Group (first-time takers)	Passed	Tested
US MD schools, 2025	93%	23,028
US DO schools, 2025	89%	4,623
Non-US schools (IMGs), 2025	75%	22,066
US and Canadian MD schools, 2024	91%	23,280

If you are an international graduate, a DO student taking Step 1 alongside COMLEX Level 1, or coming back after a fail, the margin for an unplanned test date is thinner. That is the case for deciding your date from practice scores rather than from the calendar.

How Step 1 is set up

For exams taken on or after May 14, 2026, USMLE describes Step 1 as a one-day examination divided into fourteen 30-minute blocks and administered in one 8-hour testing session, with no more than 20 questions per block. Details change, so confirm them on the official USMLE Step 1 page.

Attempt limits to know before you sit the exam

• Within any 12-month window, USMLE caps you at three attempts on the same Step.
• A fourth try has two waiting periods: 12 months from your first attempt and six months from your latest one.
• Four or more unsuccessful attempts at one Step, incomplete ones included, end your eligibility for every Step.
• If you pass a Step, you are not allowed to retake it, except to comply with a time limit imposed by a U.S. medical licensing authority.

Source: the USMLE eligibility requirements. Before you book a date, read the latest USMLE Bulletin of Information, since these policies get revised. Already failed an attempt? Read what happens after a failed Step 1.

Who we tutor

• Medical students preparing for USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK, including during clinical rotations
• International medical graduates preparing for the USMLE Steps
• Students who did not pass a Step or Level and need a different approach

Dr. Sean Moazezi speaks French, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish and Telugu, which many international medical graduates find helpful. We work extensively with repeat test takers.

What Step 1 covers

USMLE publishes the Step 1 content outline as percentage ranges, in three views: by system, by physician task and by discipline. USMLE notes that Step 1 items are deliberately integrative, that many items are classified to more than one discipline, and that the totals add up to more than 100% (USMLE Step 1 content outline).

By system

System	Range
Reproductive & Endocrine Systems	12–16
Respiratory & Renal/Urinary Systems	11–15
Behavioral Health & Nervous Systems/Special Senses	10–14
Blood & Lymphoreticular/Immune Systems	9–13
Musculoskeletal, Skin & Subcutaneous Tissue	8–12
Multisystem Processes & Disorders	8–12
Cardiovascular System	7–11
Gastrointestinal System	6–10
Social Sciences: Communication and Interpersonal Skills	6–9
Biostatistics & Epidemiology/Population Health	4–6
Human Development	1–3

By physician task or competency

Competency	Range
Medical Knowledge: Applying Foundational Science Concepts	60–70
Patient Care: Diagnosis	20–25
Communication and Interpersonal Skills	6–9
Practice-based Learning & Improvement	4–6

By discipline

Discipline	Range
Pathology	45–55
Physiology	30–40
Nutrition	15–20
Gross Anatomy & Embryology	10–20
Microbiology	10–20
Pharmacology	10–20
Behavioral Sciences	10–15
Biochemistry	5–15
Histology & Cell Biology	5–15
Immunology	5–15
Genetics	5–10

Read together, the outline puts the most weight on applying foundational science concepts (60–70% of the physician-task view) and, by discipline, on pathology (45–55%) and physiology (30–40%). By system, the largest ranges are Reproductive & Endocrine (12–16%) and Respiratory & Renal/Urinary (11–15%). Because the ranges overlap, treat the outline as a guide to weighting, not a checklist of separate topics, and check the USMLE page for the current version.

USMLE Step 1 attempt limits and retakes

The USMLE program limits attempts. You may not take the same Step more than three times within a 12-month period, a fourth attempt must be at least 12 months after your first attempt and at least six months after your most recent one, and incomplete attempts count. If you have attempted a Step four or more times without passing, you are ineligible to apply for any Step (USMLE, eligibility).

Once you pass a Step you generally cannot retake it. Step 1 has been reported as pass/fail for exams taken on or after January 26, 2022, and USMLE says the passing standard on its three-digit scale is 196 (USMLE, results and scoring). Results are typically available two to four weeks after the test date.

Because each attempt counts, we treat readiness as a decision: your practice exam results decide whether to keep or move your test date. If you have already failed, see what happens after a failed Step 1.