Physician-led · 1-on-1 · Live video online
Online, one-on-one board prep for Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine students.
$349 per 50-minute session
Miami's MD schools differ in age, ownership and where their students come from. Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU) is public and was founded in 2006; the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine is private and dates to 1951 (school list). LCME dates FIU's accreditation to 2007 and the Miller School's to 1955 (LCME).
In 2025-26 FIU had 6,013 applications for 121 first-year places and 90.9% of its entering class came from Florida; the Miller School had 9,912 applications for 202 places and 37.1% came from Florida (AAMC FACTS). The CMS teaching hospital list gives Miami 13 entries, from Jackson Memorial and the University of Miami hospitals to Nicklaus Children's and the two Kendall hospitals (CMS teaching hospital list).
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey | 2025-26 applications | First-year places | Entering class from Florida |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Miami | Full, since 2007 | 2033-34 | 6,013 | 121 | 90.9% |
| University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine | Miami | Full, since 1955 | 2032-33 | 9,912 | 202 | 37.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program | 112 | 87% |
| Miami | University of Miami/Jackson Health System Program (combined medicine-pediatrics) | 14 | 86% |
| Miami | HCA Florida Healthcare/Kendall Hospital Program | 40 | 88% |
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: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); University of Miami Academic Bulletin, MD Program (checked November 1, 2026); FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine and Curriculum (checked November 1, 2026); FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, NeighborhoodHELP (checked November 1, 2026); ABIM, residency program pass rates 2023-2025 (checked October 29, 2026).
FIU follows the familiar order: its handbook sets Step 1 at the end of Academic Year 2, before clerkships (HWCOM Medical Student Handbook). The Miller School reverses it. Its NextGenMD Phase 1 lasts 14 months, the 12-month clerkship year comes next, and only at the end of Phase 2 does the school give students dedicated time to prepare for and take USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK (University of Miami bulletin).
So two Miami students can sit Step 1 at about the same point, roughly two years in, yet one comes straight out of the organ-system courses and the other has six clerkships behind them. A Step 1 plan copied from a friend at the other school is built for a different exam experience, even if the date looks the same.
For a Miller student the basic science is a year further back by test day, but it never fully stops: the bulletin says anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology and physiology are taught inside each clerkship block, alongside oncology, genetics, radiology and pathology (University of Miami bulletin). We use that. During the clerkships we keep a small daily question-bank habit going, matched to the block the student is on, so the dedicated period starts from review rather than from a cold restart.
The bigger decision is the order inside the dedicated period. Step 1 has been reported pass/fail since January 26, 2022, so Step 2 CK is the scored exam on a residency application (USMLE). We look at the student's clerkship results and a first practice exam for each Step, then decide together whether to sit them back to back or give Step 1 the first stretch alone.
Students on the three-year Accelerated Pathway to Residency have the least room: Phase 3 shrinks to five months, so both scores need to be in before the application season, and we plan both Steps inside the end-of-Phase-2 window from the start.
FIU's rule has a hard edge. A student who does not pass Step 1 on the first attempt has entry to Academic Year 3 delayed until the retake (HWCOM Medical Student Handbook). Clerkships start late, and everything after them shifts with it.
That is why an FIU plan has checkpoints, not just a test date. We set practice-exam checkpoints through the second year and book the test only when recent practice scores sit clearly above the passing line. FIU students also have clinical training from the first year and home visits with Miami-Dade families through NeighborhoodHELP, so we fit sessions around those commitments rather than asking students to drop them (FIU curriculum).
| School | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series | In Miami |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | MD | 2006 | Public | USMLE | Main campus |
| University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | MD | 1951 | Private | USMLE | Main campus |
School list: LCME and COCA lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
On the CMS teaching hospital list (October 2026):
The same CMS list has two more teaching hospitals in the Miami ZIP region, useful for electives and away rotations: Mount Sinai Medical Center of Florida (Miami Beach); Doctors Hospital (Coral Gables).
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine states: “Students are required to take and pass Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) at the end of Academic Year 2... If a student fails to pass USMLE Step 1 on their first attempt, their entry to Academic Year 3 will be delayed until they retake the exam.” (HWCOM Medical Student Handbook, p.11, 2026-2027).
Both schools grant the MD, so Miami students take the USMLE. FIU students sit Step 1 at the end of year two and then begin clerkships; Miller students finish their clerkships first and take Step 1 and Step 2 CK in the dedicated time at the end of Phase 2. At either school we tutor the NBME shelf exams students meet on rotations, and Step 3 waits for residency.
Miami's internal medicine residents then face the ABIM internal medicine exam; the program table above gives 2023-2025 first-time pass rates for the Jackson and Kendall programs.
Florida's medical board sets no cap of its own on USMLE attempts, according to FSMB's summary checked October 2026 (FSMB). A Miami graduate who stays in Florida therefore meets one ceiling, the USMLE program's four attempts per Step (USMLE eligibility rules).
Florida asks for 1 year of postgraduate training before a first license for US graduates and 2 years for international graduates (FSMB). With no state cap to plan around, the sharpest deadline in a Miami study plan is the school's own, as in FIU's year-two rule. The full Florida picture is on our Florida tutoring page.
Miami ranks 8th among US metro areas for “USMLE” (the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro, score 65 of 100), 9th for “Shelf exam” (score 50) and 11th for “USMLE Step 2” (score 54) (Google Trends, five years to October 2026). All three sit inside the top 11. Scores are relative, not counts of students.
1,200+ trainees are registered in Miami under the NPPES training-program taxonomy; by core clerkship specialty, largest first:
| Specialty (NPPES taxonomy match) | Miami registrations | Shelf exam |
|---|---|---|
| Internal medicine | 1,200+ | medicine shelf |
| Family medicine | 1,200+ | family medicine shelf |
| Emergency medicine | 573 | emergency medicine shelf |
| Surgery | 437 | surgery shelf |
| Psychiatry and neurology | 325 | psychiatry shelf |
| Pediatrics | 301 | pediatrics shelf |
| OB/GYN | 124 | OB/GYN shelf |
Source: NPPES NPI Registry (CMS), October 2026; includes subspecialists; the API stops at 1,200.
Miami students work with the same team as everyone else, online, led by Sean.
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.
Quoted word for word from our student reviews, with the source of each one.
reviewKnowledgeable, Insightful, and Patient! My session was Sean was one of the best I've had with a tutor on this site. He was able to break down test questions in ways I never considered before. He offered multiple tools and strategies that were tailored to my weakness and pitfalls. I scored 15 points higher on my first practice test after studying with Sean than any of my previous attempts. I highly recommend him and can't wait for my next lesson.
At the end of Phase 2, after the 12-month clerkship year. The Miller School's bulletin gives students dedicated time there to prepare for and take both Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
At the end of Academic Year 2, before clerkships. FIU's handbook says a student who does not pass on the first attempt has entry to Academic Year 3 delayed until the retake.
It depends on clerkship results and a first practice exam for each Step. Back to back uses one dedicated period while the clerkship material is fresh; splitting gives Step 1 its own stretch. We help Miami students decide from their own numbers.
Florida's medical board lists no limit of its own, per FSMB. The USMLE program's rule still applies: four attempts at a Step without passing ends eligibility for every Step.
Yes. Sessions are by live video (Zoom or Google Meet), so they fit around rotations at Jackson, the University of Miami hospitals and the other Miami teaching sites, for the shelf exams as well as the Steps.
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.
