Free resources we trust

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.

The pathology course almost everyone leans on, and the first chapters (general pathology, the highest-yield foundation) are free with an account.

The catch: Only the early chapters are free; the full course is paid. Start here and decide if you need the rest.

Years of real score reports, study schedules, and IMG timelines from people who just sat the exam.

The catch: Anonymous, so verify any logistics against the official ECFMG and USMLE pages.

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.

The IMG-specific reason to schedule Step 3 early: passing it is what lets a program sponsor your H-1B. The strategy generic guides skip.

The catch: Strategy, not study material.

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.

Official answers to the edge cases applicants get wrong: OET, the Pathway 6 Mini-CEX, fees, and J-1 timing.

The catch: FAQ format, so pair it with the full requirement pages.

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.

Eighteen practical answers on cold-contacting departments, finding a faculty sponsor, and timing, with zero upsell to a paid placement.

The catch: Procedural, you still do the outreach yourself.

Free IMG guides and recorded webinars from a century-old physician org that links to official bodies instead of selling placements.

The catch: The observership workbook is members-only; the main guides and webinars are free.

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 IMG-hard part nobody else spells out: the certified-English-translation rule for non-English letters, from the office that processes them.

The catch: Policy and logistics; the translation rule is the gold here.

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.

Free MyERAS worksheets, a checklist, and a timeline so you can draft every field offline before the portal opens.

The catch: Organizes your work, doesn't judge the writing. Pair it with the craft guides.

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.

A resident-sourced list of what to ask a program to judge fit and spot red flags, the half of the interview you actually control.

The catch: Generic, so tailor each question to the program.

The official playbook for the now-dominant virtual format: setup, on-camera technique, and asynchronous interviews.

The catch: Logistics-focused, no visa angle. Pair it with the IMG do's and don'ts.

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.

The main route to waive the two-year home requirement: serve three years in an underserved area. Primary federal source, no interpretation layer.

The catch: Federal mechanics only; applications go through each state's health department.

The full J-1 rulebook ECFMG calls required reading: the Statement of Need, maintaining status, moonlighting, and the home-residency rule.

The catch: A dense PDF. Pair it with the plain-language rural-health overview.

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.

A maintained list of cloned 'hijacked' journals that target inexperienced authors, exactly the trap set for IMGs.

The catch: Covers hijacked clones specifically. Use it alongside DOAJ and Think. Check. Submit.

Free literature search, and the fastest predatory-journal screen there is: check whether a target journal is actually MEDLINE-indexed.

The catch: PMC indexing isn't MEDLINE indexing, so confirm in the NLM Catalog.

Every major reporting guideline (CARE, PRISMA, STROBE) in one place, the standards journal editors expect. Start with CARE for a case report.

The catch: A reference library, so you pick the guideline that fits your study.

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.

Search 13,000+ ACGME programs with the filters that matter to IMGs: visa sponsorship and year-of-graduation cutoffs. The core search is free.

The catch: The compare/rank dashboard needs cheap paid membership; the search and filters don't.

The authoritative annual report of positions offered and filled by specialty and applicant type, the source every other site quotes.

The catch: National aggregates, not program-level. Pair it with FREIDA for a program list.

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 step-by-step walk through the compressed SOAP timeline, eligibility, and the offer rounds, free from the body that runs it.

The catch: Year-specific, so confirm you're reading your cycle's guide.

A searchable list of ACGME positions that opened off-cycle, filterable by specialty, state, and PGY, the formal cousin of our jobs board.

The catch: Distinct from the SOAP unfilled list; only advanced features need a free account.

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.

The gatekeeper's own hub: IMG ERAS and J-1 guidance, the free ECFMG Reporter newsletter, and direct links to MyERAS, NRMP, and Residency Explorer.

The catch: Official and dry, so you still need peer sources for strategy.

Twenty years of threaded IMG match strategy, ECFMG, and SOAP discussion from a long-running nonprofit.

The catch: A general site, so filter to the IMG threads; older posts can be dated.