How I Manage USMLE Anxiety as a 5th-Year Medical Student

Raghad Tarabieh
20 hours ago
3 min read

I’m Raghad Tarabieh, a 5th-year medical student at UWM Olsztyn, Poland. Like many of my peers, I struggled with USMLE anxiety, not because I didn’t want to study, but because I didn’t know how to organize everything. Between medical school exams, clinical rotations, and trying to figure out my future, USMLE prep often felt like just another impossible task on a never-ending to-do list.

In this blog, I want to share what truly helped me reduce anxiety, stay focused, and study more effectively for the USMLE.

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Why USMLE Anxiety Is So Common

USMLE anxiety isn’t just about the exam.It’s about everything around it.

As a 5th-year student, I was dealing with:

For me, in my 5th year, it was:

Juggling med school exams
Doing clinical rotations
Thinking about my future
And somehow trying to squeeze USMLE prep in between

The real stress wasn’t the studying، it was the chaos. Too many resources, too many opinions, and that constant feeling that I might be wasting my time. I kept asking myself: Am I studying the right thing? Am I behind?

My Struggle: Studying for USMLE While Still in Med School

I’ll be honest—I haven’t taken the USMLE yet. But here’s the thing: most of the anxiety starts during prep, not on exam day.

My challenge was huge: how do I prepare for a major board exam while keeping up with med school? I didn’t have hours and hours to dedicate every day. Random, unplanned studying was just adding fuel to the fire.

That’s when it hit me! Motivation wasn’t enough. I needed structure.

How I Controlled USMLE Anxiety by Structuring My Study

Once I started following a clear, structured plan, things started to shift. My anxiety didn’t disappear overnight, but it became manageable. I felt like I had control again.

Before, I would wake up panicked, not knowing what to study first. Now, every morning, I knew exactly:

What topic I’m covering today
Why it matters for the USMLE
How it fits into my bigger prep plan

Suddenly, studying didn’t feel overwhelming anymore, it felt doable, even with my busy schedule.

How Brocali Became My Guide

And here’s where Brocali really changed everything for me. It’s an all-in-one platform for Arab med students, covering both university courses and board exams like the USMLE. Honestly, it’s like having a mentor, a guide, and a roadmap all in one.

What made the biggest difference? The personalized roadmap. With Brocali, I had:

A study plan customized to my schedule and level
Daily and weekly goals that were realistic, not overwhelming
Clear guidance so I wasn’t guessing anymore

It wasn’t just a plan, it was a structure I could actually follow. And that alone took away a huge part of my anxiety.

Another thing I love about Brocali is how they teach. They don’t just throw facts at you, they help you really understand the material:

Step by step, without rushing
Connecting mechanisms instead of memorizing lists
Building real clinical reasoning

Once I started truly understanding the topics, panic slowly faded. I trusted my knowledge more, stopped relying on memorization, and finally felt like I was studying the right way.

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Questions and Flashcards

If there’s one thing that used to scare me, it was the questions, especially the tricky USMLE-style ones.

Brocali’s question bank completely changed the game for me:

Thousands of questions with different difficulty levels
Questions that test understanding, not just recall
Flashcards for quick, high-yield review

Practicing consistently helped me spot my weak areas, track my progress, and get used to the exam style. Over time, what used to scare me turned into a source of confidence.

And honestly? The team behind Brocali is amazing. You can reach out to Dr. Amin and the team in seconds. No searching, no waiting, the guidance is always there, supporting you every step of the way.

If you want to create a personalized study plan, I recommend starting with a call with Dr. Amin, the CEO of Brocali. You can reach him by clicking here.

One Platform, Everything in One Place

Watch this video to learn more about how Brocali works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=160T8969oGQ

Here’s the honest truth.. jumping between too many resources will drive you crazy. I learned that the hard way.

With Brocali, everything is in one place: study plans, materials, explanations, questions, flashcards. I didn’t have to hunt for anything else. My prep became organized from A to Z, and it made a huge difference in reducing stress.

For more details, you can reach out to the Brocali team: