# USMLE Step 1 Mastery — user reviews > 60 indexed App Store user reviews of USMLE Step 1 Mastery by Higher Learning Technologies, rated 4.60/5 from 216 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/usmle-step-1-mastery/id964613157/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/usmle-step-1-mastery/id964613157.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 177 · 4★ 18 · 3★ 12 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 7 ## What do users think of USMLE Step 1 Mastery? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 👍 Great explanations for answers - 👍 Convenient for on-the-go studying - 👍 Good breadth of material covered - 👍 Detailed feedback on questions - 👍 Useful mnemonics provided - 👍 Easy to use interface - 👍 Helpful for reviewing facts - 👍 Good customer service - 👍 Well-written questions - 👍 Great Q bank for USMLE prep **Cons** - 👎 Charged for unwanted renewals - 👎 Unable to unlock purchased app - 👎 App crashes and freezes - 👎 Questions can be too easy/basic - 👎 False sense of mastery from questions - 👎 High price point for full version - 👎 Low quality questions with incorrect info - 👎 Steep price for unlock **Commonly reported bugs** - App freezes and crashes during account creation - App crashes while trying to create an account **Most requested features** - Add more Q-bank questions - Include a way to make notes - Corrections on writing and punctuation - Updates available? ## Newest reviews (13 of 60) ### 5/5 — So far so good! *2016-12-15, version 3.19.1* Just started using, so far it's been a great resource. ### 5/5 — USMLE *2016-12-10* Perfect in everyway ### 5/5 — Great Q Bank *2016-11-25, version 3.19.1* I'm not too deep in 2nd yr material but the anatomy Q's are great so far. Comes with usually well-explained rationale for the keyed/wrong answers. ### 5/5 — Review *2016-09-09, version 3.18.4* Need, more q-bank, If you have, yo buy. Could be 3000? ### 5/5 — Great app *2016-08-21, version 3.18.4* Very useful tool when studying for the USMLE. Thanks! ### 5/5 — Dr *2016-08-20, version 3.18.4* Awesome app ### 5/5 — Great Pocket-Quick Review *2016-06-09* Great way to utilize time on a quick review. My wife cuts my hair, I do questions on this app. I'm between classes, I do questions. Taking time during a bowel movement? Do questions 😆 ### 5/5 — So far so good! *2016-06-05, version 3.17* No complaints. It would be cool if it had a way to make notes! ### 4/5 — Any updates? *2016-05-25, version 3.17* This app is a great review. Nevertheless, It needs some corrections on the writing and punctuation marks to make it more understandable. Are there any updates available? ### 5/5 — Great *2016-04-19, version 3.15* Great material!! ### 5/5 — Awesome *2016-04-16, version 3.15* Great help ### 5/5 — This app is awesome for boards studying! *2016-03-19, version 3.14.1* Great app! ### 3/5 — MD *2016-03-15, version 3.14.1* Great app for people like me preparing for step 1. It's like reading high yield notes.. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Got charged for renewal *2021-11-03* Never signed up for renewal and got charged for it. Shady in-app purchase tactics. ### 1/5 — Unable to unlock purchased app *2020-11-14* I have purchased the 1yr subscription but only the free trial opens. Very very frustrating **Developer response:** Sorry to see you’re having trouble with this app! Please reach out to our Customer Success Team at support@hltcorp.com or 319-246-5271 for immediate assistance. ### 1/5 — Very Dishonest and Frustrating App company *2020-01-31* I had purchased full amount of several HLT apps, just because I like to learn from different sources, Just seeing Usmle step 1 app ( paid full amount price) just not opening, crushing and I am gonna go after my rights, My lawyer friend already created a case toward it. If You cannot promise Your word, why taken my money away in a trade of total frustrations? Another apps of the company started subscription based charges, so my account is not opening in my own paid apps of this company.... What the heck I have to deal with this crappy apps of HLT? ### 1/5 — Low quality questions *2017-04-29, version 4.2.4* Poor quality with incorrect info. ### 1/5 — Unusable *2016-09-28, version 3.18.7* The app freezes and crashes while trying to create an account. ### 1/5 — Not worth the price! *2016-01-04, version 3.12.3* Stick to other resources that are available. ### 1/5 — 40 bucks for the upgrade really?! *2015-12-06, version 3.12.3* Before I hesitated to purchase this when the price was only .99ct now they want more than 40 bucks for it! Such a rip off ### 2/5 — Great interface extremely overpriced *2015-08-01, version 3.10* Sorry but i dont think itdeserves 50dollars The content is easy to use but the asking price is way toohigh for it ### 3/5 — Too Easy - False Sense of Mastery *2017-08-25* Gives you false sense of material mastery. The answer are often the most popular disease. I'm an undergrad and am hitting 50% pass by picking the answer (out of 4 choices) that "sounds" like the related diseases based on the name or picking the disease I know is related. The last question I under answered (physiology/ nervous system section) that prompted me to write this review: Q: Which is part of somatic system? A: answer choices included skeletal, glands, smooth muscle (things like that) It'd be different if that section had hundreds of questions with an occasional high school level question like this, but it only has 40 for the whole subcategory. That's not good use of study time.... Social sciences example: Drunk patient comes into ER. Do you expect sedation, dilated pupils, bradycardia, or tachypnea? Obviously sedation. If you throw in a "sure answer" everyone's gonna pick it and the person studying never gets to solidify knowledge and realize what he doesn't know. I imagine an actual USMLE question would gives choices like tachypnea, tachycardia, bradycardia, or dilated pupils. THAT would make you actually have to think between the choices and test what you really know and alert you to deficiencies of you got it wrong on the app! Of course there are harder questions, too, from my undergrad perspective . But it makes me wonder if those would be considered easy also by an actual med student... It does cover a good breadth of material though and gives nice explanations. Very convenient to use while waiting in line, on the us, etc. **Developer response:** Hi there! Thank you for your honest review, we really appreciate it! I will make sure our Medical Subject Matter Experts see this. If you want to reach out to us with any other feedback, we would love to hear from you! You can reach us at feedback@hltcorp.com ### 3/5 — Great app to review *2016-04-09, version 3.15* It helps me review a lot of HY materials. You can rank the questions and note cards. Bunch of useful mnemonics as well. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great App *2018-05-26* In depth amount of questions from each subject to be covered on step1, in depth detailed explanation on why a certain question was right or wrong, great study tool ### 5/5 — Great Question Feedback *2018-04-29* I really like the detailed feedback given for each question. ### 5/5 — Easy access to practice! *2017-07-15* A friend told me about this app and I'm so glad he did! I'm using the USMLE First Aid book too, but that thing is a brick to carry around. This way I have practice readily available. When I'm waking up and wanna stay in the blankets a bit longer, at long traffic lights, in line, wherever! I feel like I can always learn something. The explanations are to the point and clarifying. They've even got the ability to improve a question with a quick email link that puts the question and everything in there for you. I haven't had to use it yet, but awesome feature! I also really like being able to rate my answers "don't know", "somewhat know", or "know". And then be able to review the question in each category separately or all together. Helps me really hone in on the things I need to be reminded of. Pricy, but no worse than any other worthwhile study tool for boards. ### 5/5 — Great app *2017-04-18, version 4.2.4* Awesome.. this is one of the best USMLE step 1 Q bank that I've ever seen before.. 100% recommended ### 5/5 — Awesome !! *2017-03-10, version 3.24.2* Its too good .... beautifully explained answers 👌 concept clearing app 👍 ### 5/5 — 👍🏻 *2017-02-25* Muito bom, vale a pena. ### 5/5 — Excellent app for Med students taking the USMLE steps *2017-02-06, version 3.22.1* This is one of the best resources for preparing in questions for the usmle steps. Highly recommended ### 5/5 — Usmle *2017-01-19* Ótimo ! Sensacional! Valeu a pena pagar ! ### 5/5 — MDO *2017-01-17, version 3.21* Great app!!! Very useful information ### 5/5 — RN_MD *2017-01-13, version 3.21* Great app👌 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*