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United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Syllabus
Three-step examination sequence for medical licensure of MD physicians in the United States.. The complete United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) outline — 7 subjects, 34 chapters and 161 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
6 chapters · 31 topics · 55 sub-topics
Organ Systems: Structure, Function, and Disease6 chapters · 30 topics · 41 sub-topics
Internal Medicine and Clinical Knowledge (Step 2 CK)6 chapters · 30 topics · 5 sub-topics
Surgery, Emergency, and Acute Care4 chapters · 17 topics · 3 sub-topics
Women's and Children's Health4 chapters · 18 topics · 4 sub-topics
Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, and Population Health4 chapters · 18 topics · 10 sub-topics
Medical Ethics, Communication, and Clinical Skills4 chapters · 17 topics · 4 sub-topics
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) flashcard decks
410 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Foundational Biomedical Sciences (Step 1 Core) — 76 cards
- Organ Systems: Structure, Function, and Disease — 51 cards
- Internal Medicine and Clinical Knowledge (Step 2 CK) — 67 cards
- Surgery, Emergency, and Acute Care — 55 cards
- Women's and Children's Health — 59 cards
- Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, and Population Health — 51 cards
- Medical Ethics, Communication, and Clinical Skills — 51 cards
How to work through the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Foundational Biomedical Sciences (Step 1 Core) carries 31 topics while Medical Ethics, Communication, and Clinical Skills carries 17. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
The ~145 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus?
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) covers 7 subjects: Foundational Biomedical Sciences (Step 1 Core), Organ Systems: Structure, Function, and Disease, Internal Medicine and Clinical Knowledge (Step 2 CK), Surgery, Emergency, and Acute Care, Women's and Children's Health, Behavioral Science, Psychiatry, and Population Health and Medical Ethics, Communication, and Clinical Skills. Together they contain 34 chapters and 161 named topics.
How much do you have to study for United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)?
The full United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) outline breaks down into 34 chapters, 161 topics and 122 sub-topics. Foundational Biomedical Sciences (Step 1 Core) is the largest single subject with 31 topics across 6 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus?
Roughly 145 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 7 weeks.
Are there United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) flashcards?
Yes — 410 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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