Understand the whole USMLE route in one free Sunday session
Sixty minutes for MBBS students and graduates: what the exams are, what the route really costs, when to start, and whether the Match is realistic for you — in plain language, with your own questions answered at the end.
Sundays · 11:00 AM IST
Register for the next session
Zoom emails your personal joining link to the address you enter.
Join the students who matched at 15 US programs across 11 states.
15 Next Steps students, the Match years 2025 and 2026, the hospitals they are training at now.
Institution names and logos are the trademarks of their owners, shown to state where our students matched; no endorsement is implied.
Eight stages, four phases — the whole process on one line
This is the map the session walks. Exams are only the first three stops.
Eligibility
Before anything else
- Can start in 2nd year MBBS
- WFME-listed college
Step 1
6–12 months of prep
- $905
- Pass / fail
Step 2 CK
3–6 months after Step 1
- $930
- 3-digit score
ECFMG + OET
Runs alongside the Steps
- ~$1,855 + OET
- Pathways
US clinical experience
Before your application year
- $14–15k typical
- Letters come from here
CV, research, LORs
12–18 months before Match
- Publications
- Letters that carry weight
ERAS + interviews
September → January
- Program list
- Mock interviews
Match day
March
- Rank list
- SOAP plan ready
Eligibility
Before anything else
- Can start in 2nd year MBBS
- WFME-listed college
Step 1
6–12 months of prep
- $905
- Pass / fail
Step 2 CK
3–6 months after Step 1
- $930
- 3-digit score
ECFMG + OET
Runs alongside the Steps
- ~$1,855 + OET
- Pathways
US clinical experience
Before your application year
- $14–15k typical
- Letters come from here
CV, research, LORs
12–18 months before Match
- Publications
- Letters that carry weight
ERAS + interviews
September → January
- Program list
- Mock interviews
Match day
March
- Rank list
- SOAP plan ready
Fees are the current published figures for candidates testing outside the US, mirrored from our itemised cost guide.
Six questions that stop most MBBS students before they start
Every one of them gets a straight answer in the session.
Seven things you'll leave knowing
One hour, in this order. Bring a notebook.
The exams, decoded
Step 1 (now pass/fail), Step 2 CK (the score programs filter on) and Step 3 — what each one tests and why the order matters.
Eligibility and timing
WFME accreditation, year of graduation, and why an Indian MBBS student can begin in second year rather than after internship.
The real cost, itemised
Every fee from Step 1 to ERAS, so you can plan the money instead of fearing it.
A timeline that survives MBBS
How students prepare around university exams and internship postings without losing a year.
The Match, with 2026 numbers
What the NRMP data actually says for non-US IMGs, and what visa status does to it.
Rotations, letters and the CV
Why most IMGs who miss out on interviews do not have a score problem.
Your questions, live
Bring your own situation — your college, your year, your gap. The last part of the session is Q&A.
Every worry on the left has a concrete answer on the right
You will not leave with motivation. You will leave with a plan.
“I don't know where to start”
A step order and a resource shortlist. You leave knowing which exam you sit first, which few resources matter at your stage, and what to ignore.
Starting from 1st year MBBS“Is it too late for me?”
The actual eligibility rules. There is no USMLE age limit and NRMP publishes no year-of-graduation cut-off — and the deadlines that are real, so you can stop arguing with rumours.
Age and YOG rules, explained“What will it actually cost?”
The full bill, line by line. Step 1 $905 and Step 2 CK $930 from outside the US, ECFMG around $1,855, rotations often the biggest item at $14,000–15,000 — and what a realistic total looks like spread over the years.
Every fee, itemised“Can I do this alongside MBBS?”
A stage-by-stage plan. What second year, final year, internship and post-graduation each allow, and how students align college subjects with Step 1 instead of studying everything twice.
USMLE straight after MBBS“Will I even match?”
The 2026 data, honestly. 56.4% of non-US-citizen IMGs who submitted a rank list matched; visa sponsorship is the single biggest gap in the dataset. You leave knowing which levers are yours to move.
The 2026 NRMP numbers“Too many resources, no plan”
A sequence, not a list. What to use in which month, how to review a QBank block so it actually teaches you something, and why adding resources usually lowers scores.
How to review a QBank blockBecause your situation is not generic
- Ask about your college, your year, your gap
The Q&A at the end is for your own case, not a scripted FAQ.
- Run by the faculty who teach the material
The people on the call run our mentorship batches and have watched 700+ students go through this route.
- Free means free
No card, no trial. If you want the mentorship program afterwards, that is a separate conversation you start.
- Your seat comes with the 100 Cases: Step 1 PDF
The download is on your confirmation page the moment you register.
Run by the faculty who teach it, not a sales team
The same people who run the mentorship batches.
“Nextsteps has played a very important role in achieving the dreams of USMLE. The process isn't tedious anymore and NEXTSTEPS is highly recommendable”
“The personalized guidance at NextSteps has truly transformed my approach to studying. The well-structured curriculum and the mentor team made me feel supported every step of the way”
“Next steps was excellent choice for usmle. With the help of online lectures, doubt clearance session and mentore session i cracked my step 1 in 5 months and going ahead with step2. It was one of my best decisions.”
Before you register
Yes. There is no fee, no card and no trial. Register, receive the link, attend.
Every Sunday at 11:00 AM IST (India Standard Time), live on Zoom, for about sixty minutes plus questions. The countdown on this page shows the next session in your own local time.
A phone or laptop with Zoom, and your questions. There is nothing to read in advance.
No. The cheapest time to start the USMLE is while you are studying the same subjects for college, and the session explains how that alignment works in practice.
Yes. The cost, timeline and Match sections apply whatever stage you are at, and the Q&A is where mid-preparation questions get answered.
The session runs every Sunday. Register for the one you can make; if plans change, register again for the following week — there is no limit.
We will explain what the mentorship program is if you ask. The session is the content, and it is the same whether you ever enrol or not.
Zoom emails you a confirmation with your personal joining link straight away — look for a message from Zoom, and check your spam folder if it is not in your inbox. Our team may also call or WhatsApp you before the session.
Sixty minutes now saves a year of guessing later
Register, get the link, bring your questions.