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Lightyear — Step 1 Coverage Audit

The Lightyear Step 1 deck covers 648 of 901 subtopics in our USMLE Step 1 content outline — a 71.9% coverage rate. Is the Lightyear deck enough for Step 1? No. With 253 subtopics receiving zero cards and 43 more receiving only 1–3 cards, Lightyear leaves gaps across every organ system that will show up on exam day. It is a strong primary deck, but not a standalone resource.

Lightyear is a video-based Anki deck built to follow Boards & Beyond lectures. Its 14,073 cards are structured to reinforce concepts as you watch, making it ideal for students who prefer a lecture-first workflow over pure Anki grinding. The deck's strongest domains are Biochemistry (94.5% coverage, 2,807 cards), Public Health Sciences (90.0%), and General Pathology (88.9%) — areas where Lightyear outperforms most competing decks. The weaknesses are significant: Microbiology covers only 17 of 60 subtopics (28.3%), General Pharmacology hits just 20 of 36 (55.6%), and Musculoskeletal/Skin lands at 61.1%. High-yield gaps include Hemodynamic Profiles of Shock, Antihypertensives Overview, and ACS Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapy — all zero-card subtopics with guaranteed Step 1 representation.

This page presents the only independent coverage audit of the Lightyear deck mapped against all 901 canonical USMLE Step 1 subtopics. The data below shows where Lightyear is strong, where it is thin, and what you need to supplement before test day.

13,931 Step 1 cards
648/901 subtopics covered
71.9% coverage
388/481 high-yield (80.7%)

Step 1 cards = cards that mapped to our 901-subtopic Step 1 content outline. Cards covering other material are excluded.

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Coverage by area

AreaCoverageCards
Biochemistry52/55 (94.5%)2,807
Public Health Sciences27/30 (90.0%)573
General Pathology24/27 (88.9%)1,139
Immunology28/33 (84.8%)2,561
Gastrointestinal62/74 (83.8%)3,705
Hematology and Oncology51/61 (83.6%)2,351
Renal46/57 (80.7%)2,352
Neurology and Special Senses47/59 (79.7%)2,673
Cardiovascular48/64 (75.0%)2,337
Respiratory48/65 (73.8%)2,321
Reproductive52/80 (65.0%)2,555
Endocrine34/53 (64.2%)3,240
Psychiatry48/75 (64.0%)1,573
Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue44/72 (61.1%)2,448
General Pharmacology20/36 (55.6%)542
Microbiology17/60 (28.3%)187
Total648/901 (71.9%)13,931 mapped

Gaps — zero cards (253 subtopics)

High-yield gaps

Other gaps

Thin spots — 1 to 3 cards (43 subtopics)

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How to pair Lightyear with other resources

Lightyear is built as a companion to Boards & Beyond, and that pairing is where it performs best. B&B lectures directly address many of the conceptual gaps Lightyear's cards leave behind — particularly in Cardiovascular pharmacology, where the deck has zero cards on Antihypertensives Overview, Vasopressors and Inotropes, and Antiplatelets and Anticoagulants. Treat B&B video content as primary and use Lightyear cards for active recall on top of those lectures, not as a substitute for them. For Microbiology — the deck's weakest area at just 28.3% coverage (17/60 subtopics) — supplement with a dedicated microbiology resource or add Anki cards from Sketchy Micro to fill the 43 uncovered subtopics.

First Aid is a high-value supplement for flagging Lightyear's thin spots. Cross-referencing First Aid chapters against the gap list above — especially in Psychiatry (64.0% coverage), Endocrine (64.2%), and General Pharmacology (55.6%) — identifies which First Aid pages need active card creation or targeted reading. Building even a small set of custom cards for the 253 zero-coverage subtopics, prioritizing high-yield gaps like Carcinoid Syndrome (Endocrine) and Fermentation/NAD+ Regeneration, closes the most dangerous blind spots across the full exam blueprint.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lightyear enough for Step 1?

Lightyear covers 648 of 901 subtopics in our USMLE Step 1 content outline (71.9%), which makes it a strong primary deck but not a standalone resource. It has 253 subtopics with zero cards, including high-yield areas like Antihypertensives Overview and Hemodynamic Profiles of Shock. Pair it with Boards & Beyond videos and targeted First Aid review to close the gaps.

How many cards are in Lightyear?

The Lightyear Anki deck contains 14,073 total cards, with 13,931 mapped to USMLE Step 1 subtopics. The deck is structured to follow Boards & Beyond lectures, with cards organized by B&B video topic for a lecture-first active recall workflow.

What does Lightyear not cover for Step 1?

Lightyear's biggest gap is Microbiology, which covers only 17 of 60 Step 1 subtopics (28.3%) with just 187 cards. General Pharmacology (55.6%) and Musculoskeletal/Skin (61.1%) are also significantly underrepresented. Specific zero-card gaps include Antihypertensives Overview, ACS Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapy, Vasopressors and Inotropes, and Osteoporosis.

What is the weakest subject in the Lightyear Anki deck for Step 1?

Microbiology is Lightyear's weakest subject by a wide margin, covering only 17 of 60 Step 1 subtopics (28.3%) with 187 cards — leaving 43 subtopics completely uncovered. General Pharmacology (20/36 subtopics, 55.6%) and Psychiatry (48/75 subtopics, 64.0%) are the next weakest areas. Supplement Microbiology with Sketchy Micro or a dedicated deck before your exam.

This analysis maps every card in the deck against Lacunos's independently authored content outline — not an official exam blueprint. Coverage percentages reflect how many of our cataloged subtopics have at least one card. Gaps and thin spots indicate areas where the deck has zero or few cards relative to our outline, not necessarily topics the exam will test.

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