Kaplan Medical

A partnership for USMLE success

UMHS has partnered with Kaplan Medical to provide our students with full access to all of their USMLE test prep resources for Steps 1 and 2. UMHS is the only offshore medical school that provides students access to Step 1 preparation resources throughout the Basic Science Program and then culminates their Step 1 prep with a semester-long live USMLE review at our Portland, Maine campus. Upon transitioning into the sixth semester, students are automatically enrolled in Kaplan’s Step 2 CK exam preparation. This collaboration contributes to the amazing success our students have had on the USMLE.  

Basic Science, St. Kitts (Step 1 preparation)

Through our partnership with Kaplan, we incorporate state-of-the-art eLearning experiences to complement the classroom and lab training in the Basic Science curriculum. Kaplan has years of experience and proven success in helping medical students prepare for the USMLE Step exams. In close collaboration, the vast array of Kaplan Medical online eLearning resources has been aligned to the UMHS curriculum. Starting from the very first semester, students will have access to Kaplan Medical Step 1 Prep On-Demand and QBank Integrated Plan resources. Both programs help guide students to master the Basic Science concepts necessary to becoming knowledgeable physicians and to succeed on the USMLE Step 1 exam. These programs monitor students’ progress and performance and provide important feedback helping students and faculty identify areas of strength and weakness for further improvement.

The Kaplan Medical Step 1 On-Demand program is a comprehensive library of over 220 hours of instructional videos. It also includes a collection of quizzes to enable students to gauge their mastery of the material covered in the videos. The program has a database of approximately 3,000 quiz and assessment questions. In addition to the question bank and library of videos, students will also have access to Kaplan’s USMLE Step 1 Lecture Notes eBook series. This series includes volumes dedicated to high-yield concepts in Anatomy, Behavioral Sciences, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Immunology and Microbiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology.

The Step 1 QBank Integrated Plan consists of a focused set of instructional videos to help students truly master the highest-yield material. It also has an extensive question bank of over 2,000 assessment questions. These questions provide interactive feedback with detailed explanations and sources students can review to better understand the concepts tested.

To help optimize the students’ experience, access to Kaplan resources has been embedded into the UMHS learning management system to seamlessly integrate the appropriate videos into the material being taught in a course. This enables students to focus on powerful eLearning resources directly linked to what they are learning in the classroom. Furthermore, students can conveniently access Kaplan content on their mobile devices. The integration of Kaplan resources into the curriculum, with ease of use and continuous feedback, ensures that our faculty can partner together with our students through curricular success in direct preparation for the USMLE Step exams.

5th semester, Maine (Step 1 preparation)

Once students complete the Basic Science portion of medical school on St. Kitts, they transition to our Portland, Maine pre-clinical campus for their 5th semester and participate in a Maine Integrated Semester consisting of Introduction to Clinical Medicine integrated with Biological Basis of Clinical Medicine (i.e., the Kaplan Review Course). This approach emphasizes the relationship between the basic sciences and clinical medicine, improving both understanding and preparation for USMLE Step 1.

The purpose of the Biological Basis of Clinical Medicine [MICM 1020; The Kaplan Course] is to prepare students to approach the NBME-USMLE Step 1 questions with the skills and competence necessary to pass the USMLE Step 1. The majority of Step 1 questions include clinical scenarios directly related to the UMHS Basic Science Program and this integrated curriculum approaches this basic science material to help the development of knowledge and skills from the perspective of clinical relevance and application.

The integrated approach to the material allows for visiting professors from the Kaplan Medical Review program to lecture on topics including Biochemistry, Immunology, Microbiology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Genetics, and Pathology. There are also scheduled integrated system-based lectures taught by Kaplan Medical Review faculty focused on the intersection of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Pathology of the body system which coincides with the body systems covered in Introduction to Clinical Medicine [MICM 1010] each week.  Each system-focused week will also be completed by an integrated question-based session allowing students to work with each other to problem-solve USMLE Step 1-style questions in preparation for summative assessments.

During the course, students complete assessments that consist of a Kaplan 8‐hour Step 1 Simulated, “Kaplan Diagnostic” assessment, ten weekly formative quizzes, and two mid‐term exams and the course is completed by achieving the qualifying score on the 8‐hour Step 1 post‐Kaplan Qualifying/Exit Exam. Throughout the course and the following months in preparation for the USMLE Step 1 exam, students are supported in their studies with Kaplan resources and UMHS faculty and learning specialists.

Clinical rotations (Step 2 preparation)

 Upon passing USMLE Step 1, all students are automatically enrolled in Kaplan online review programs for USMLE Step 2 CK. These programs are ideal for when the student transitions into clinical rotations, and their busy, sometimes unpredictable schedules make a traditional review course impractical. The CK review is also beneficial for students preparing for their Clinical Shelf Examinations as well as the Comprehensive Clinical Science Examination (CCSE). 

Please note that our first-time pass rate on USMLE Step 2 CK is 95% with an average score of 230 (as of April 2023)

Step 2 CK On-Demand: On-demand Internet access to over 115 hours of online video lectures delivered by Kaplan's expert faculty. This online course includes 24/7 access to Kaplan’s full Step 2 CK video library with a menu that allows you to create a personalized study plan to customize your prep. Includes Kaplan’s new Lecture Notes, and Assessment Tests as well as Ebook lecture notes.

Step 2 CK Qbank:  Over 2,000 exam-like practice questions. Includes 1 diagnostic test, and 2 full-length simulated exams, all written by master faculty and reviewed by high-scorers. Detailed explanations and ReKap summaries, plus expert support from Kaplan’s academic team via email.