Step 1
Five weeks rebuilding the basic-science foundation, taught top-down. Built for students carrying an unsuccessful attempt, a gap since the preclinical years, or training outside the US system.
Houston, Texas Est. 1996
Board preparation that starts with normal.
Five-week live courses, weekly tutoring and student support for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK, and COMLEX-USA Level 1 and Level 2-CE. Physiology is taught before pathology, so disease becomes something a student can reason toward.
- In person, Houston
- Live online
- Self-paced OnDemand
- Tutoring & support
- 30
- years preparing students for board examinations
- 12k+
- students have come through PASS
- 20+
- schools currently referring students
- 80%
- see a 5–10 point NBME gain in the first four weeks
Choosing a format
The same curriculum, delivered three ways
Students on the two live courses are assigned a tutor who follows their progress across the five weeks; OnDemand is self-paced, with tutoring available separately. The difference between the three is how you attend — not what you are taught.
In person, Houston
Five weeks on site with direct faculty contact and a cohort around you. Test-taking strategy workshops and optional evening drills. The OMM drills, where the osteopathic teaching happens, run as an online session the whole cohort joins. Housing and travel resources are provided for the stay.
A day inside the cohort
2027 session formatAlso available
- One-on-one tutoring, 45–50 minutes a session, on site or online, open to extending students
- Online Morning Questions, a subscription service where our instructors walk through exam-style questions and strategy
- The PASS Program Course Book and PP Clues, high-yield reference materials available electronically
Courses
Four examinations, one system
Board readiness is rarely only a content problem. Students arrive carrying foundational gaps, ineffective study methods, test anxiety, or an unsuccessful attempt. Instruction, tutoring and performance support run under one system, in cohorts kept small enough that students apply concepts rather than memorize them.
Step 2 CK
Full lecture coverage of the material Step 2 CK draws on, taught the way the examination asks it, with two focused management and application sessions each week on top of the main lecture. For first-time takers and for students changing approach after shelf difficulty or a flat practice score.
Level 1
Runs in tandem with the USMLE curriculum. The OMM drills are where the osteopathic teaching happens — there is no separate lecture track — and they run as an online session that the whole cohort joins, whether attending in Houston or from home. Many DO students prepare for both examinations out of one course.
Level 2-CE
For DO students in the clinical years, sitting for the first time or returning after an unsuccessful attempt, with the same weekly tutoring and accountability as Level 1.
Normal first
Physiology is established before pathology, so disease becomes something a student reasons toward rather than a list to be memorized.
Concept mapping
Concepts mapped across organ systems, with mnemonics holding detail in place instead of carrying the whole load.
Physician-led
Taught under Dr. Francis Ihejirika, in the way the examinations are actually written rather than the way textbooks are organized.
Curriculum
What the course covers
Eighteen topic areas across three groups. Open a group to see what sits inside it.
- Biochemistry and metabolism
- Vitamins, minerals and trace elements
- Amino acids and protein structure
- Enzymes and catabolic pathways
- Anabolic pathways
- Cellular and membrane physiology
- Cardiac and vascular
- Pulmonary
- Renal, electrolyte and EKG
- Gastrointestinal
- Endocrine and reproductive
- Neurophysiology and neuromuscular
- Immunology and immunodeficiencies
- The four hypersensitivities
- Normal flora, gram positives and negatives
- Atypicals, fungi, parasites, mycobacteria
- Anemias, clotting and oncology
- Behavioral science, psychiatry, biostatistics
Students this tends to fit
- Did not pass a previous USMLE or COMLEX attempt
- Repeated shelf-exam difficulty
- Flagged at risk by internal or standardized assessment
- Completed another review course without the result
- Returning after a leave or a gap in the basic sciences
- Struggling with test anxiety or low academic confidence
There is no fixed definition of an at-risk student here. Advisors recommend a format based on the individual student's history and timeline.
Student support
When it is not the content
Some students know the material and still struggle with anxiety, confidence, consistency or performance under pressure. Two parts of the program address that directly.
Killing Gremlins
Student support appNot another question bank or lecture platform. Killing Gremlins helps a student work out what is getting in the way of studying and exam performance, and what to do next — before studying, during a stressful moment, after a difficult practice exam, and in the run-up to test day.
What it addresses
- Test anxiety and stress
- Self-doubt and negative self-talk
- Avoidance and procrastination
- Study habits and consistency
- Focus and follow-through
- Confidence after setbacks
What is in it
- Assessments and guided tools
- Daily missions
- Performance strategies
- Calming exercises
- Progress tracking
- Personalized recommendations
Weekly wellness, on site
Students attending in Houston have a class set aside each week to step away from the material and settle the nervous system before returning to it.
- Tai chi
- Sound bowl meditation
- Yoga and gentle movement
- Mindfulness and grounding exercises
Tutoring and accountability
Larger cohorts are divided into smaller tutoring groups so interaction and accountability hold up.
- Study-plan development
- Targeted review of weak content areas
- Practice-exam guidance
- Scheduled performance check-ins
These services complement — they do not replace — the counseling, disability, wellness and academic support resources a student already has on campus.
Enrollment
What enrolling looks like
Five steps from choosing a format to keeping your recordings. Step through them.
Published start dates
- Oct 192026
- Nov 302026 · 2-Week Program
- Jan 112027
- Feb 152027
- Mar 292027
- May 102027
These are the cohorts currently open for enrolment. Confirm the start date for a specific cohort before enrolling — formats are reviewed each year.
Questions about the program
Our advisors can walk through course content, session dates, formats and enrollment for an individual student or a group. Volume-based pricing is available for institutional enrollments.
- Contact
- (281) 331-0833
- support@passprogram.net
- 4646 Wild Indigo Street, Suite #230
Houston, TX 77027
No educational program can guarantee an examination outcome. PASS Program provides instruction, materials, tutoring and performance support; results also depend on attendance, engagement, independent study and adherence to the recommended plan. USMLE is a registered trademark of the NBME and FSMB; COMLEX-USA is a registered trademark of the NBOME.
