USMLE Step 1 Key Vocabulary
Essential terms and definitions you must know before exam day.
Key Vocabulary
Sensitivity
Proportion of actual positives correctly identified. SNOUT: high Sensitivity rules OUT disease when negative.
Specificity
Proportion of actual negatives correctly identified. SPIN: high Specificity rules IN disease when positive.
Positive predictive value
Probability that a positive test result is a true positive. Depends on disease prevalence.
Number needed to treat
1 / absolute risk reduction. How many patients must be treated to prevent one bad outcome.
Hardy-Weinberg
pĀ² + 2pq + qĀ² = 1 for allele frequencies in a stable population.
Vocabulary Study Tips
- 1.Start with a dedicated Qbank like UWorld ā it's the gold standard.
- 2.Read First Aid 2ā3 times, annotating with Qbank insights.
- 3.Do practice questions daily, even during coursework.
- 4.Focus on high-yield topics: pathology, pharmacology, physiology, microbiology.