1-on-1 Shelf Exam Private Tutoring

With over 150,000 hours of tutoring experience under our belt, you’ll get the expert support you need to pass your Shelf Exams. The numbers don’t lie, among our tutoring students:

RECOMMEND
THEIR TUTOR

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

Expert Tutors

Our tutors are passionate educators and scholastically accomplished med students, residents, and attendings averaging USMLE scores of 250 or higher.

Weekly 1:1 Meetings

On average, students meet with their tutors 1x/week during clerkships and 2x/week during their dedicated Step 2 CK study periods.

Curated Resources

We place a heightened emphasis on resource guidance for Step 2 CK, and will recommend the resources right for your specific needs.

Customized to You

Your Blueprint tutoring is all about you: from matching you with the perfect tutor to customizing your resources and working around your schedule, this is the most personalized way to prep for your Step 2 CK exam.

Comprehensive Qbank

Every Step 2 CK tutoring package also gives you access to our new Step 2 & Shelf Exams Qbank, which contains 1,500 practice questions written specifically for Step 2.

Online Study Planner

Easily access your sessions and assignments within our Med School Study Planner tool, where your personal tutor will manage, set, and optimize your tutoring plan for your busy schedule.

Expert Med School Tutors

Anyone can say they’re a tutor, but successful tutoring requires more than just high scores and content review. Our medical tutors undergo an extensive vetting and training process to ensure you receive the best, high-quality instruction. And all our tutors have previous teaching/tutoring experience before joining Blueprint.

MEET OUR TUTORS

Reviews

Loved by thousands of medical students!

4512 Reviews

06/27/24

USMLE Step 1 Tutoring with Emily Xu

In less than one month, Emily was able to help me improve my test scores and build my confidence so that I felt ready enough to sit for the USMLE Step 1 Exam. I couldn't have passed the exam without her help & support!

Daniela D.

06/21/24

Step 1 Tutor Review

Emma was a wonderful tutor to work with for Step 1. Before meeting her, I struggled with a score stagnancy that was not in passing range. After meeting with her, my scores immediately increased. Her kind attitude and ability to explain things cleverly and efficiently made all the difference for me. She pushed me to understand, rather than just memorize. I enjoyed how personalized our sessions were to my needs. I will definitely be using her services for Step 2 as well.

Anonymous

06/21/24

Step 1 Tutor Review

Emma is a wonderful tutor who met me where I was at and boosted my confidence in order to pass Step 1. Before meeting with her, I struggled a with a score plateau that was not in passing range. After meeting with her, my scores immediately increased. Her kind/cheerleader attitude coupled with her amazing ways to help me remember things made all the difference for me. I appreciate her services and will definitely be meeting her to prepare for Step 2 as well.

Priya

06/20/24

Group Session

Attending a USMLE Step 1 prep group session was incredibly beneficial. Brandon's clear teaching style made complex concepts easy to understand. The session integrated practice questions while explaining various topics. Highly recommend!

Gabriela M.

06/19/24

Tutoring

Srini was an amazing tutor! I will recommend working with him! He was really organized, always willing to help and go the extra mile for me to understand concepts. Thanks to him, I was able to pass my test and build confidence as a test taker. I am r...Read More

Alejandra F.

06/16/24

USMLE tutoring - Lauren Valentine

Lauren was an incredible tutor! She was extremely encouraging and cultivated an environment where I always felt comfortable asking for questions and advice. She knew the material very well and presented it in a way that was concise yet thorough. She additionally helped me to build a study schedule tailored to my strengths and helped me modify it throughout the process. She was very flexible with her schedule and would quickly respond to all questions I sent outside of meetings. Perhaps most importantly, Lauren made me feel like she really believed in me and helped me build confidence in my own abilities that allowed me to succeed. I’m so grateful I got to work with her!!

Alessandra

06/10/24

Step 1

Working with Brandon has been the best thing I could have done to prepare for Step 1. As someone who was out of class for quite some time, I needed a lot of help with my foundation. Brandon has simplified everything for me and has made the learning process enjoyable. Even though I have a lot to learn, he doesn't make me feel dumb or "too far gone" which I greatly appreciate. He programs our study plan based off how I learn best, and it has made the learning process a lot smoother. It also helps a lot having someone hold you accountable and plan your schedule out for you, which takes out half the work. Highly recommend!

Sukhmani D.

06/10/24

REVIEW

Blueprint has been an enriching experience for me. Through personalized schedules, group meetings, and individual sessions with the tutor, I achieved my goal of passing Step 1. This program helped me consolidate my knowledge and organize my studies effectively. Through the sessions with the tutor, I could clarify my doubts and learn to address the questions optimally. In addition, the tutor guided me through the entire path. I especially thank my tutor, Brandon Smith, for his dedication, effort, and patience. Excellent tutor, highly recommended!!!

Jose

06/07/24

Step-1

Dr. Vyas was very helpful in providing insight regarding practice exams, timing strategy with a compressed schedule, and readiness to sit for the exam.

Josh K.

06/06/24

Review Sessions

The review sessions are super helpful especially during dedicated, help me focus on the most important topics for each system and know what to focus on when seeing questions!

Paola

Pricing

TRIAL
SESSION*

*Limit 1 per student for your
first tutoring session only.

TOTAL
$299

BUY NOW

10 HOURS
$249/hr

TOTAL
$2,490

BUY NOW

Monthly payments available with . Learn more

Not sure how many hours you’ll need?

Schedule a free consultation with one of our tutoring experts to get a recommendation.

How It Works

Choose a tutoring package Request a free consultation with a knowledgeable Senior Advisor from our Student Success Team, who will discuss your specific needs and goals to determine the best tutoring program for you.
Tell us about yourself After enrolling, you will receive an email questionnaire from your Senior Advisor. Here you can provide more details about your background, goals, and preferred study style.
Match with an expert tutor Based on the information you provide, your dedicated Senior Advisor will carefully pair you with an expert med tutor within just 2-3 days.
Follow your custom study plan With our Study Planner tool, you can join tutoring sessions, see your customized study plan, and review session notes all in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect for Shelf exams?

Shelf exams are created and administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), the very same organization which makes the USMLE. Shelf exams play a very crucial role in your major clinical grades, which will be a focus of residency programs reviewing your application. Even if you receive sterling reviews and comments from interns and attendings, you will not be able to earn high marks in each rotation without excelling on your Shelf exams. Most students take at least 4 NBME Shelf exams during their major clinical year: internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, and surgery. Some schools also require Shelf exams for family medicine, psychiatry, neurology, and emergency medicine. Shelf exams are administered on paper or online. They last for 2 hours and 30 minutes, and consist of 100 questions each. Scoring for each exam is on a scale of 0 – 100. Your score reports will include important information about your percentile rank in your school’s class as well as compared with test-takers nationally. Many residency programs will be especially interested in your Shelf exam score in the discipline you apply for.

Is there a set curriculum for tutoring?

At Blueprint, we understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to prepping for Shelf exams. Our tutors are trained to assess and cater to each student's unique study requirements. Instead of adhering to a rigid curriculum, our private tutors develop personalized plans tailored to individual needs. They can assist with specific sections, question types, or concepts, identify your strengths and weaknesses on the exam, create an effective study plan, and guide you in practicing with different problem sets.

Can I request to work with a specific tutor?

We understand that sometimes students have specific preferences when it comes to choosing a tutor. If you have a specific tutor in mind, whether it's due to a recommendation from a friend or reading a positive review about a tutor's expertise, you can request to work with that tutor in your initial meeting with one of our dedicated Enrollment Advisors. This meeting is also a great opportunity to mention any other factors that may be important to you in finding your perfect tutor like time zone, specific content expertise, background, ESL experience, gender, and/or accommodations experience. Your Enrollment Advisor will make every effort to accommodate your request and pair you with your preferred MCAT tutor.

However, in the event that it is not feasible to match you with your requested tutor, please rest assured that we will still assign you a highly qualified Step 2 expert who possesses similar strengths and traits. All of our Med School tutors are extensively trained and experienced in Step 2 preparation, ensuring that they are fully equipped to help you achieve your goal score.

What are the policies for tutoring sessions?

We have comprehensive policies in place to ensure a smooth and successful tutoring experience. To learn more about our tutoring policies, including information on homework, cancellations, code of conduct, and adding additional hours, we recommend reviewing our help article on Tutoring & Admissions Consulting Policies. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding our policies, feel free to reach out to our Student Success Team for assistance.

How do I access my tutoring hours?

After you purchase, you will see a “Enter Study Planner” button on your Blueprint Account, which is where all your tutoring hours are housed.

SHELF EXAM TUTORING

Expert Med School Tutors

Reviews

Pricing

Not sure how many hours you’ll need?

How It Works

Free Consultation

Frequently Asked Questions

SHELF EXAM TUTORING

Expert Med School Tutors

Reviews

Pricing

Not sure how many hours you’ll need?

How It Works

Free Consultation

Frequently Asked Questions

Leave site?

Free Consultation