Mnemosyne — Step 1 Coverage Audit
Mnemosyne covers 891 of 898 USMLE Step 1 subtopics (99.2%) — the highest coverage of any deck we've audited. Worth understanding why: it's built from USMLE-Rx Flash Facts, which track First Aid closely, and our subtopic outline is itself anchored to First Aid — so a First Aid–faithful deck like this maps almost perfectly. That makes it exceptionally complete for First Aid–driven prep. If you're searching for 'mnemosyne anki step 1' comparisons, the short answer is: yes, this deck is enough for the vast majority of students, with only 7 true gaps and 60 thin spots across the entire content outline. That's a remarkably tight profile for a free deck — about 13,900 First Aid cards (matching the documented v3.0 release) plus roughly 1,000 clinical-vignette and audio cards.
Mnemosyne is a First Aid–structured Step 1 deck — built from USMLE-Rx Flash Facts — distributed via the creator's Google Drive and shared in the r/medicalschoolanki community. It maps 14,402 of its cards to testable Step 1 content — zero cards are off-topic filler. Its strongest areas are Biochemistry (55/55 subtopics, 1,872 cards), Microbiology (60/60, 2,089 cards), Immunology (33/33, 833 cards), General Pathology (27/27, 587 cards), and General Pharmacology (36/36, 715 cards) — all at 100% subtopic coverage. If your exam block is heavy on these disciplines, Mnemosyne alone carries serious weight.
The weakest areas are Cardiovascular (61/63 subtopics, 96.8%) and Public Health Sciences (29/30, 96.7%). One high-yield subtopic has zero cards: Right Ventricular Infarction. That's not a dealbreaker — but it's a blind spot you need to know about before exam day. This page is the only independent audit of Mnemosyne against the full 898-subtopic Step 1 content outline, so you can see exactly where to supplement and where to trust the deck.
Step 1 cards = cards whose content maps to our 898-subtopic Step 1 content outline. Cards covering other material are excluded. High-yield designations are calibrated against First Aid, UWorld, Pathoma, Boards & Beyond, AMBOSS, and community deck tags. Methodology →
Coverage by area
| Area | Coverage | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | 55/55 (100.0%) | 1,872 |
| Immunology | 33/33 (100.0%) | 833 |
| Microbiology | 60/60 (100.0%) | 2,089 |
| General Pathology | 27/27 (100.0%) | 587 |
| General Pharmacology | 36/36 (100.0%) | 715 |
| Endocrine | 53/53 (100.0%) | 829 |
| Gastrointestinal | 73/73 (100.0%) | 1,278 |
| Neurology and Special Senses | 59/59 (100.0%) | 1,866 |
| Renal | 57/57 (100.0%) | 1,060 |
| Psychiatry | 74/75 (98.7%) | 740 |
| Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue | 70/71 (98.6%) | 942 |
| Respiratory | 64/65 (98.5%) | 890 |
| Hematology and Oncology | 61/61 (100.0%) | 1,081 |
| Reproductive | 79/80 (98.8%) | 1,059 |
| Cardiovascular | 61/63 (96.8%) | 1,622 |
| Public Health Sciences | 29/30 (96.7%) | 341 |
| Total | 891/898 (99.2%) | 14,402 mapped |
Coverage by official USMLE system
The same coverage, re-grouped against the official NBME content outline (organ systems) rather than our study-resource areas. Every subtopic is mapped to its NBME system.
| NBME system | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Multisystem (foundational) | 150/150 (100%) |
| Biostatistics & Epidemiology | 20/20 (100%) |
| Immune | 34/34 (100%) |
| Gastrointestinal | 77/77 (100%) |
| Nervous & Special Senses | 67/67 (100%) |
| Endocrine | 49/49 (100%) |
| Renal & Urinary | 57/57 (100%) |
| Skin & Subcutaneous | 19/19 (100%) |
| Male Repro | 20/20 (100%) |
| Respiratory | 72/73 (99%) |
| Behavioral Health | 74/75 (99%) |
| Blood & Lymphoreticular | 61/62 (98%) |
| Musculoskeletal | 56/57 (98%) |
| Cardiovascular | 65/67 (97%) |
| Female Repro & Breast | 37/38 (97%) |
| Pregnancy & Childbirth | 20/21 (95%) |
| Social Sciences | 10/11 (91%) |
Omitted (too few mapped subtopics for a meaningful %): Human Development (1).
Gaps — zero cards (7 subtopics)
High-yield gaps
- HYRight Ventricular InfarctionCardiovascular
Other gaps
- Acute Limb IschemiaCardiovascular
- ScoliosisMusculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue
- CatatoniaPsychiatry
- Social Determinants of HealthPublic Health Sciences
- ChorioamnionitisReproductive
- Mucolytics and Oxygen TherapyRespiratory
Thin spots — 1 to 3 cards (60 subtopics)
- 1MODY (Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young)Endocrine
- 1Carcinoid Tumor and SyndromeGastrointestinal
- 1Primary vs Secondary Intention HealingGeneral Pathology
- 1Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)Hematology and Oncology
- 1Ichthyosis VulgarisMusculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue
- 1Caffeine Intoxication and WithdrawalPsychiatry
- 1Intermittent Explosive DisorderPsychiatry
- 1Hepatorenal SyndromeRenal
- 1Breast Anatomy and Lymphatic DrainageReproductive
- 1Hyperemesis GravidarumReproductive
- … and 50 more
How to pair Mnemosyne with other resources
For most students, Mnemosyne pairs best with First Aid as a reading companion — use First Aid to give context to the cards, and flag any First Aid sections that feel thin in the deck. The deck's 60 thin spots (1–3 cards per subtopic) are scattered across Cardiovascular, Reproductive, and Public Health Sciences; for these, a focused First Aid read-through covers the conceptual gaps that flashcards alone can't fill. Cardiovascular in particular has 2 missing subtopics and 1,622 cards spread unevenly — high-density areas like arrhythmias are well-represented, but Right Ventricular Infarction needs explicit First Aid or UWorld reinforcement.
For students who want flash-card coverage of the gaps rather than reading, USMLE-Rx Flash Facts is the natural supplement. It provides structured, exam-mapped cards that directly target the subtopics Mnemosyne misses — particularly the thin Reproductive and Public Health subtopics. The combination of Mnemosyne's ~14,900-card depth plus targeted USMLE-Rx fills the 7 zero-card gaps and shores up the 60 thin spots without forcing you to build your own cards from scratch.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mnemosyne enough for Step 1?
Mnemosyne covers 891 of 898 USMLE Step 1 subtopics (99.2%), with only 7 subtopics at zero cards and 60 with fewer than 4 cards. For most students it is sufficient as a primary deck, but you should supplement the high-yield zero-card gap — Right Ventricular Infarction — with First Aid or USMLE-Rx.
How many cards are in Mnemosyne?
The build we audited contains about 14,950 cards — roughly 13,900 First Aid cards (matching the documented v3.0 release) plus ~1,000 clinical-vignette and audio cards. Of those, 14,402 map directly to USMLE Step 1 subtopics and zero are out of scope, meaning essentially every card is testing relevant Step 1 material.
What does Mnemosyne not cover for Step 1?
Mnemosyne has 7 subtopics with zero cards and 60 subtopics with only 1–3 cards across the 898-subtopic Step 1 outline. The most notable high-yield gap is Right Ventricular Infarction (Cardiovascular), which has no cards in the deck.
What is the weakest subject area in Mnemosyne for Step 1?
Cardiovascular is Mnemosyne's weakest subject by subtopic coverage, hitting 61 of 63 subtopics (96.8%) despite having 1,622 cards — the second-highest card count of any subject. Public Health Sciences is the weakest by coverage rate at 96.7% (29/30 subtopics).
This page shows what the deck covers. Upload yours to see what you've actually reviewed — and where you're slipping.
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