Physician-led · 1-on-1 · Live video online
Online, one-on-one board prep for students at Elk Grove, Colton, and Los Angeles and beyond, built around California's licensing rules.
$349 per 50-minute session
California has thirteen MD schools and three DO colleges, and the MD list is still growing: five of the thirteen were founded in 2008 or later, UC Riverside (2008), California Northstate in Elk Grove (2011), California University of Science and Medicine in Colton (2015), Kaiser Permanente's Tyson school in Pasadena (2019) and Charles R. Drew University's college of medicine in Los Angeles (2022) (school list). Drew still holds provisional LCME accreditation, the step a new school takes before full accreditation (LCME).
Most seats go to Californians. California University of Science and Medicine (97.7%), UC Davis (97.1%) and UC Riverside (96.7%) filled almost their whole 2025-26 entering classes from the state, against 40% at Stanford and 44.3% at Loma Linda (AAMC FACTS). The classes range from 49 first-year places at Kaiser Permanente's school, which drew 6,596 applications, to 177 at UCSF; UCLA's Geffen school drew the most applications, 12,474 for 175 places.
| School | City | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Northstate University College of Medicine | Elk Grove | MD | 2011 | Private | USMLE |
| California University of Science and Medicine | Colton | MD | 2015 | Private | USMLE |
| Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine | Los Angeles | MD | 2022 | Private | USMLE |
| Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Pasadena | MD | 2019 | Private | USMLE |
| University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine | Los Angeles | MD | 1885 | Private | USMLE |
| Loma Linda University School of Medicine | Loma Linda | MD | 1909 | Private | USMLE |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Stanford | MD | 1908 | Private | USMLE |
| University of California, Davis School of Medicine | Sacramento | MD | 1968 | Public | USMLE |
| University of California, Irvine School of Medicine | Irvine | MD | 1965 | Public | USMLE |
| University of California, Riverside School of Medicine | Riverside | MD | 2008 | Public | USMLE |
| University of California, San Diego School of Medicine | San Diego | MD | 1968 | Public | USMLE |
| University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine | San Francisco | MD | 1864 | Public | USMLE |
| University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine | Los Angeles | MD | 1950 | Public | USMLE |
| California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine | Clovis | DO | 2016 | Private | COMLEX-USA |
| Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine | Vallejo | DO | 1997 | Private | COMLEX-USA |
| Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific | Pomona | DO | 1977 | Private | COMLEX-USA |
Several of these schools teach students at more than one site: University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine also lists Fresno, California; Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific also lists Lebanon, Oregon.
School list: LCME and COCA accreditation lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
Plus 67 more California cities on the same CMS list.
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey | 2025-26 applications | First-year places | Entering class from California |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Northstate University College of Medicine | Elk Grove | Full, since 2015 | 2029-30 | 3,412 | 118 | 93.2% |
| California University of Science and Medicine - School of Medicine | Colton | Full, since 2018 | 2030-31 | 4,630 | 130 | 97.7% |
| Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine | Los Angeles | Provisional (2022) | 2026-27 | 6,639 | 60 | 71.7% |
| David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA | Los Angeles | Full, since 1951 | 2028-29 | 12,474 | 175 | 59.4% |
| Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Pasadena | Full, since 2019 | 2028-29 | 6,596 | 49 | 71.4% |
| Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Full, since 1949 | 2033-34 | 9,612 | 120 | 80.8% |
| Loma Linda University School of Medicine | Loma Linda | Full, since before 1942 | 2031-32 | 5,642 | 176 | 44.3% |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Palo Alto | Full, since before 1942 | 2029-30 | 9,793 | 90 | 40% |
| University of California, Davis School of Medicine | Davis | Full, since 1967 | 2029-30 | 8,294 | 139 | 97.1% |
| University of California, Irvine School of Medicine | Irvine | Full, since 1961 | 2032-33 | 7,440 | 114 | 88.6% |
| University of California, Riverside School of Medicine | Riverside | Full, since 2012 | 2029-30 | 6,508 | 90 | 96.7% |
| University of California, San Diego School of Medicine | San Diego | Full, since 1968 | 2025-26 | 10,400 | 140 | 74.3% |
| University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine | San Francisco | Full, since before 1942 | 2026-27 | 10,372 | 177 | 71.8% |
Accreditation: LCME directory; applications, places and in-state share: AAMC FACTS, Table A-1.
| City | Internal medicine residency program | First-time takers, 2023-2025 | Passed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program | 178 | 90% |
| Los Angeles | UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 13 | 92% |
| Los Angeles | University of Southern California/Los Angeles General Medical Center (USC/LA General) Program | 162 | 89% |
| Los Angeles | University of Southern California/Los Angeles General Medical Center (USC/LA General) Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 16 | 94% |
| Los Angeles | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Program | 92 | 92% |
| Los Angeles | Kaiser Permanente Southern California (Los Angeles) Program | 35 | 94% |
| Los Angeles | Adventist Health White Memorial Program | 18 | 94% |
| San Francisco | University of California (San Francisco) Program | 181 | 91% |
| San Francisco | Sutter Health/California Pacific Medical Center | 42 | 98% |
| San Francisco | Kaiser Permanente Northern California (San Francisco) Program | 31 | 100% |
| San Diego | University of California (San Diego) Medical Center Program | 119 | 97% |
| San Diego | University of California (San Diego) Medical Center Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 12 | 100% |
| San Diego | Scripps Mercy Hospital Program | 41 | 98% |
| San Diego | Naval Medical Center (San Diego) Program | 28 | 89% |
| San Diego | San Ysidro Health Program | 17 | 88% |
| Fresno | University of California (San Francisco)/Fresno Program | 67 | 94% |
| Fresno | St. Agnes Medical Center (Fresno) Program | 49 | 80% |
| Stanford | Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University Program | 109 | 96% |
| Oakland | Alameda Health System-Highland Hospital Program | 59 | 86% |
| Oakland | Kaiser Permanente Northern California (Oakland) Program | 39 | 92% |
| Loma Linda | Loma Linda University Health Education Consortium Program | 92 | 82% |
| Loma Linda | Loma Linda University Health Education Consortium Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 15 | 93% |
| Sacramento | University of California Davis Health Program | 88 | 90% |
| Orange | University of California (Irvine) Program | 78 | 94% |
| Sylmar | Olive View/UCLA Medical Center Program | 63 | 94% |
| Rancho Mirage | Eisenhower Medical Center Program | 61 | 90% |
| San Jose | Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Program | 52 | 83% |
| Torrance | Los Angeles County-Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Program | 51 | 88% |
| Colton | Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Program | 48 | 92% |
| Santa Clara | Kaiser Permanente Northern California (Santa Clara) Program | 47 | 83% |
| Riverside | HCA Healthcare Riverside Program | 46 | 89% |
| La Jolla | Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green Hospital Program | 45 | 93% |
| San Bernardino | University of California Riverside School of Medicine/St. Bernardine Medical Center – Dignity Health Program | 38 | 84% |
| Bakersfield | Kern Medical Center Program | 33 | 82% |
| Thousand Oaks | HCA Healthcare/Los Robles Regional Medical Center Program | 30 | 87% |
| Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Program | 30 | 90% |
| Long Beach | St Mary Medical Center Program | 30 | 80% |
| Moreno Valley | Riverside University Health System Program | 25 | 88% |
| Ventura | Community Memorial Health System Program | 22 | 86% |
| Pasadena | Huntington Memorial Hospital Program | 22 | 82% |
| Fontana | Kaiser Permanente Southern California (Inland Empire) Program | 14 | 93% |
| Roseville | Sutter Health/Sutter Roseville Medical Center Program | 11 | 82% |
ABIM internal medicine certification exam by residency program: ABIM residency program pass rates; ABIM says to read rates from under 25 takers with caution.
Sources, checked October 29, 2026: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs; AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026; NRMP, 2025 Main Residency Match by state and specialty; ABIM, residency program pass rates 2023-2025.
California's 2025 Match had 4,111 residency positions on offer across 35 specialties. Internal medicine led with 1,195, then family medicine (616), pediatrics (313), emergency medicine (295), psychiatry (239) and surgery (232) (NRMP).
Internal medicine training is spread from San Diego to Sacramento. The programs with the most ABIM first-time takers in 2023-2025 were UC San Francisco (181), UCLA (178) and USC/LA General (162), and smaller programs reach Fresno, Rancho Mirage, Bakersfield and Santa Barbara (ABIM). Residents in any of them later sit the ABIM internal medicine exam, which we also tutor.
All thirteen MD schools lead to the USMLE: Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3. The three DO colleges, Western University's College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona (1977, with a second campus in Lebanon, Oregon), Touro University California in Vallejo (1997) and California Health Sciences University in Clovis (2016), lead to COMLEX-USA; DO students deciding whether to add the USMLE can use our Level 2 vs Step 2 CK guide (school list).
UCSF also lists a campus in Fresno, besides San Francisco. Wherever a California student rotates, each core clerkship closes with an NBME shelf exam, and we tutor all of them (school list).
California's medical board caps attempts at one exam only: 4 attempts at USMLE Step 3. For Step 1 and Step 2 CK the limit that applies is the USMLE program's own, four attempts per Step (FSMB; USMLE eligibility rules).
Instead of a deadline for the whole sequence, the board says passing scores on a written or computerized exam are valid for 10 years from the month of the exam. It asks for 1 year of postgraduate training before a first license, 2 years for international graduates. DOs licensed by California's osteopathic board need 1 postgraduate year and face no COMLEX attempt or time limit (FSMB).
| Rule | What California requires |
|---|---|
| Training before first license | 1 year; 2 years IMG |
| Exam attempts | 4 attempts at USMLE Step 3 |
| Time limit | Passing scores on a written/computerized exam shall be valid for a period of 10 years from the month of the examination |
| Rule | What California requires |
|---|---|
| Training before first license | 1 year |
| Exam attempts | No limit on COMLEX |
| Time limit | No limit on COMLEX |
Source: FSMB state licensure requirements, checked October 2026; confirm with the board before relying on them.
Many California students rotate, interview or match next door. California's neighbors on our list: Arizona (2 MD, 2 DO), Nevada (3 MD, 1 DO), Oregon (1 MD, 0 DO).
Over five years California ranks 22nd of 51 for “USMLE” searches and 31st for “COMLEX”; its best showing of the five terms is USMLE Step 1, 21st (Google Trends, retrieved October 2026). Trends measures each term's share of all searches in a state, so a state as large as California, with 151 hospitals on the CMS teaching hospital list (15 in Los Angeles, 9 in San Francisco), can sit mid-table (CMS teaching hospital list).
| Search term | California rank of 51 |
|---|---|
| USMLE | 22 |
| USMLE Step 1 | 21 |
| USMLE Step 2 | 32 |
| COMLEX | 31 |
| Shelf exam | 31 |
Source: Google Trends, United States, past 5 years, retrieved October 2026; ranks show relative interest, not student numbers.
Daniel is a fourth-year medical student at UCSF. Every California student works with the same team online.
Daniel Theng
Dr. Shauhin “Sean” Moazezi, DO
Dante Magdici
Alexandra LlovetOne-on-one by live video (Zoom or Google Meet) with our USMLE tutor team; prices and plans, our NBME practice exams guide, free intro call.
Northeast (9 states)
Midwest (12 states)
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Quoted word for word from our student reviews, with the source of each one.
Sean and Sahith are prime boards tutors. They really helped me work through the logic of the questions and prioritize my thinking which has helped both with boards and in rotations! Special shputout to Sahith who put in a lot of time helping me through these things. Highly recommend them to anyone who is wanting to sure up their scores to crush exam day!
Sixteen: thirteen MD schools, five of them founded since 2008, and three DO colleges, Western University's COMP in Pomona, Touro University California in Vallejo and California Health Sciences University in Clovis.
Only at Step 3, which its medical board caps at 4 attempts (FSMB). Step 1 and Step 2 CK fall under the USMLE program's own rule of four attempts per Step.
California's board says passing scores on a written or computerized exam are valid for 10 years from the month of the exam, per FSMB.
Yes. FSMB lists two postgraduate years for international graduates against one for US graduates.
Yes. We tutor students at every California MD and DO school, including the newest, one-on-one by live video (Zoom or Google Meet) for the USMLE, COMLEX-USA and shelf exams.
Shelf exams
Boards and MCAT
Twenty minutes on the phone about your test date and practice scores. Sessions after that are $349 per 50-minute session.
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