120 retired questions in the real exam software, from the people who write the test. The most honest practice you can get.

The catch: There is only one form, so save it as a late predictor. The online version is free; the in-person Prometric session costs money.

The community-standard flashcard deck almost everyone uses. The deck itself is free.

The catch: The free deck is a plain Anki download; only AnkiHub's auto-sync and updates are paid, and you do not need them to start. Never buy it from a reseller.

Official sample questions in the real interface, from the bodies that own the exam. The most predictive free set there is.

The catch: One-time exposure, no score conversion. Use the version that matches your exam date.

Worked explanations for the official Free 120, which the USMLE itself does not explain. It fills a real gap.

The catch: It is run by a paid consulting group, so later blocks are email-gated and the page is full of upsells. Take the free explanations, skip the rest.

A US physician educator's free Step 3 episodes: CCS frameworks, biostats, ethics, last-minute reviews. An IMG staple, fully free.

The catch: Audio only and dense. The paid tutoring is separate and does not gate the episodes.

The official free sample questions plus the real Primum CCS software, straight from the test makers. Irreplaceable for the CCS interface.

The catch: Few cases and no score. Confirm the live CCS software link before you rely on it.

Full-length Medicine sample tests from the organization that writes and scores the exam ECFMG requires.

The catch: A limited number of sets, so pace yourself. The email box does not gate the tests.

Free lessons and writing and speaking demos from the exam creators, showing exactly what the scorers want.

The catch: Video only, no graded feedback. Pair it with the sample tests.

The actual rules for proving your clinical skills, on ECFMG's own site. This overrides any third-party guidance someone wants to sell you.

The catch: Date windows shift every year. Confirm you are reading your match-year page.

Check your school carries an ECFMG sponsor note before anything else. No note, not eligible, and this is the one source ECFMG uses.

The catch: Basic lookup is free. The subscription menu is bulk data access you do not need.

The legit, non-commercial how-to: what a real observership is, how to find a faculty sponsor, and templates to hand them. Nobody is selling you a thing.

The catch: It teaches you to set one up and cold-contact departments yourself. There is no list of open slots here.

A free, filterable index of 200+ programs with a cost filter that surfaces the genuinely free ones. The closest thing to an honest directory, and browsing is free. A kindred free, no-ads project doing this well.

The catch: Many listed programs still charge up to $4,500. Treat it as leads to vet one by one, not an endorsement.

The certifying body's rules on which experience counts (hands-on vs observe-only). Read this before you pay for anything.

The catch: Dense and regulatory. It defines requirements, it does not place you.

Official guidance on who to ask, when, and how the waiver works, from the body that runs ERAS.

The catch: The IMG-specific nuance is light. Pair it with the ECFMG pages.

The one-page rulebook for the writer: the portal, format, and limits. Forward it to a non-US attending who has never touched ERAS.

The catch: Written for the writer, not you. That is the point: hand it off.

The system-of-record rules: the character limit, plain text, and the AI and plagiarism policy. Get this right here.

The catch: Rules, not craft. Pair it with a writing guide.

An open-access, peer-reviewed framework that covers the IMG-hard parts: explaining gaps, low scores, and non-traditional paths.

The catch: Written through an emergency-medicine and academic lens. Pull the framework, ignore the tone.

About 40 real interview questions you can practice against, free, from ERAS itself. The version other sites put behind a wall.

The catch: Questions only, no model answers. Find a practice partner.

Rare IMG-specific advice: how to raise visa sponsorship and own your international training without apologizing for it.

The catch: A short article. A login prompt appears but does not gate the content.

The authority on J-1 sponsorship, because ECFMG is the sole designated sponsor for IMG physicians. Visas start here.

The catch: Actual applications need a portal account and fees. All the guidance is free.

The clearest plain-language bridge across the dense J-1 waiver and Conrad 30 rules. Federally funded, no funnel.

The catch: Framed around rural and underserved placement, which is in fact where most waiver jobs are.

A checklist to vet a journal before you submit, run by the bodies that define publishing integrity. This is how you avoid wasting a case report.

The catch: It teaches you to evaluate, it does not hand you a yes or no. Pair it with DOAJ.

A searchable whitelist of 20,000+ vetted open-access journals, the standard library screen since 2003.

The catch: Absence is not proof a journal is predatory. Cross-check in PubMed.

Compare yourself against matched applicants at specific programs, with invite rates broken out for IMGs. Built by the nine bodies that run the match, and the only tool that exposes this.

The catch: Needs a free AAMC account, shows prior-cycle data, and hides programs with fewer than 10 interviewed applicants.

NRMP's own breakdown of the scores, ranks, and research that separated IMGs who matched, by specialty. The strongest benchmark you can get.

The catch: Published every two years, so the latest edition may lag your cycle.

The authoritative rules for SOAP: eligibility, the offer rounds, and the Match Week calendar, first-party from NRMP.

The catch: Dense and procedural. Pair it with strategy reads.

Concrete next-cycle moves (stay close to your dean, get clinically employed, take Step 3) instead of panic. Free and practical.

The catch: Written broadly. Layer the ECFMG requirements on top for your situation.

A donation-funded nonprofit that assigns you a volunteer physician mentor in your specialty. The one genuinely free 1-on-1 IMG mentorship we found, with no course to buy.

The catch: Mentor assignment depends on volunteer availability, so depth varies and there may be a wait.

The largest live IMG community for current-cycle intel: which programs interview IMGs, signal strategy, visa friendliness. Free and active.

The catch: Anonymous and unvetted, with the odd disguised ad. Triangulate against ECFMG and NRMP, and ignore the paid-service self-promoters.