Soze Step 1 — Step 1 Coverage Audit
Soze's Step 1 Master Deck covers 76.8% of the USMLE Step 1 content outline — 692 out of 901 canonical subtopics — making it a strong but incomplete standalone resource. If you're searching for an honest breakdown of the Soze Step 1 Anki deck, this is the only independent audit that maps all 3,519 cards against the full Step 1 outline. Short answer: Soze is not enough on its own, but it's one of the most efficient decks available if you know where to supplement.
Soze's Step 1 Master Deck is a 3,519-card Anki deck built around high-yield Step 1 content. It's designed for medical students in their dedicated study period who want a leaner alternative to Anki's largest decks. The deck is strongest in Biochemistry (98.2% coverage, 589 cards), Endocrine (96.2%, 311 cards), Neurology (94.9%, 527 cards), and Hematology/Oncology (93.4%, 355 cards). These are areas where Soze can genuinely carry your studying. Microbiology also holds up well at 91.7% coverage across 286 cards.
The weaknesses are real and high-yield. Reproductive sits at just 28.7% coverage — the single biggest gap in the deck. Respiratory covers only 53.8% of its subtopics (35/65), and Public Health Sciences hits exactly 50.0% (15/30). General Pathology is dangerously thin at 55.6%, with zero cards on Apoptosis Pathways, Cell Adaptations, and Chronic Inflammation — topics that appear on virtually every Step 1 exam. This page publishes the complete gap list: 209 subtopics with zero Soze cards, and 312 more with only 1–3 cards. No other site has run this analysis.
Step 1 cards = cards that mapped to our 901-subtopic Step 1 content outline. Cards covering other material are excluded.
Coverage by area
| Area | Coverage | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | 54/55 (98.2%) | 589 |
| Endocrine | 51/53 (96.2%) | 311 |
| Neurology and Special Senses | 56/59 (94.9%) | 527 |
| Hematology and Oncology | 57/61 (93.4%) | 355 |
| Microbiology | 55/60 (91.7%) | 286 |
| Immunology | 30/33 (90.9%) | 192 |
| Renal | 49/57 (86.0%) | 170 |
| Cardiovascular | 55/64 (85.9%) | 510 |
| Gastrointestinal | 59/74 (79.7%) | 218 |
| General Pharmacology | 28/36 (77.8%) | 128 |
| Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue | 54/72 (75.0%) | 1,685 |
| Psychiatry | 56/75 (74.7%) | 214 |
| General Pathology | 15/27 (55.6%) | 75 |
| Respiratory | 35/65 (53.8%) | 78 |
| Public Health Sciences | 15/30 (50.0%) | 47 |
| Reproductive | 23/80 (28.7%) | 1,823 |
| Total | 692/901 (76.8%) | 3,472 mapped |
Gaps — zero cards (209 subtopics)
High-yield gaps
- HYFrank-Starling RelationshipCardiovascular
- HYPressure-Volume LoopsCardiovascular
- HYNSTEMI Risk Stratification and TimingCardiovascular
- HYCongenital Hypertrophic Pyloric StenosisGastrointestinal
- HYMesenteric IschemiaGastrointestinal
- HYAppendicitisGastrointestinal
- HYHBV Serology PatternsGastrointestinal
- HYApoptosis (Intrinsic and Extrinsic Pathways)General Pathology
- HYCell Adaptations (Atrophy, Hypertrophy, Hyperplasia, Metaplasia, Dysplasia)General Pathology
- HYChronic InflammationGeneral Pathology
- HYPhases of Wound HealingGeneral Pathology
- HYBenign vs Malignant NeoplasiaGeneral Pathology
- HYHypersensitivity Overview and DiscriminationImmunology
- HYHIV ImmunologyImmunology
- HYHelicobacter pyloriMicrobiology
- HYHuman PapillomavirusMicrobiology
- HYGeneralized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)Psychiatry
- HYOpioid Use — Intoxication, Withdrawal, MaintenancePsychiatry
- HYPrevention Levels and Screening CriteriaPublic Health Sciences
- HYFour Core Principles (Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Justice)Public Health Sciences
- HYCapacity vs CompetencePublic Health Sciences
- HYInformed Consent (Elements and Exceptions)Public Health Sciences
- HYConfidentiality and HIPAAPublic Health Sciences
- HYEnd-of-Life — Advance Directives, DNR, Palliative/Hospice, Double EffectPublic Health Sciences
- HYRenal Vasculature (Afferent / Efferent / Vasa Recta)Renal
- HYLoop of Henle TransportRenal
- HYDistal Convoluted Tubule TransportRenal
- HYPotassium Handling and RegulationRenal
- HYComplete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS)Reproductive
- HYMaternal Physiologic Adaptations to PregnancyReproductive
- HYHPV and Cervical Dysplasia (CIN)Reproductive
- HYEndometriosisReproductive
- HYLeiomyoma (Uterine Fibroid)Reproductive
- HYPolycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)Reproductive
- HYEctopic PregnancyReproductive
- HYPelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)Reproductive
- HYMolar Pregnancy (Complete vs Partial)Reproductive
- HYPlacenta PreviaReproductive
- HYPostpartum Hemorrhage and EndometritisReproductive
- HYTesticular TorsionReproductive
- HYHPV (Condyloma and Cancer)Reproductive
- HYChlamydia trachomatisReproductive
- HYNeisseria gonorrhoeaeReproductive
- HYSyphilis (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Congenital)Reproductive
- HYAlveolar Cells — Type I and Type II PneumocytesRespiratory
- HYPulmonary Vasculature and Hypoxic VasoconstrictionRespiratory
- HYLung Volumes and CapacitiesRespiratory
- HYFive Causes of HypoxemiaRespiratory
- HYCOPD — Chronic BronchitisRespiratory
- HYCOPD — Acute ExacerbationRespiratory
- HYCOPD — Chronic ManagementRespiratory
- HYAcute Respiratory Distress SyndromeRespiratory
- HYPulmonary Hypertension (Detail)Respiratory
- HYPneumothorax (Primary, Secondary, Tension)Respiratory
- HYβ2-Agonists (SABA / LABA)Respiratory
- HYInhaled and Systemic CorticosteroidsRespiratory
Other gaps
- CRISPR and Gene Therapy ConceptsBiochemistry
- Heart Development and LoopingCardiovascular
- Fetal Circulation and TransitionCardiovascular
- Cocaine-Induced Chest Pain / MICardiovascular
- Aortic AneurysmsCardiovascular
- Acute Limb IschemiaCardiovascular
- Syncope (Cardiac, Vasovagal, Orthostatic)Cardiovascular
- Osteomalacia and RicketsEndocrine
- Paget Disease of BoneEndocrine
- Midgut Rotation and Anomalies (Malrotation/Volvulus)Gastrointestinal
- … and 143 more
Thin spots — 1 to 3 cards (312 subtopics)
- 1Nucleotide and Nucleic Acid StructureBiochemistry
- 1DNA ReplicationBiochemistry
- 1Genetic Code PropertiesBiochemistry
- 1Karyotyping and FISHBiochemistry
- 1Hardy-Weinberg PrincipleBiochemistry
- 1Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu)Biochemistry
- 1Carbohydrate Structure and DigestionBiochemistry
- 1Post-MI Arrhythmia and ICD IndicationsCardiovascular
- 1Dressler SyndromeCardiovascular
- 1Takotsubo (Stress) CardiomyopathyCardiovascular
- … and 302 more
How to pair Soze Step 1 with other resources
The audit data makes the pairing strategy obvious. Reproductive is Soze's biggest blind spot at 28.7% coverage, so supplement it aggressively — First Aid's Reproductive chapter plus dedicated Sketchy coverage for embryology and gynecologic pathology fills most of what Soze misses. For Respiratory (53.8%) and Public Health Sciences (50.0%), First Aid is your primary reference; build or add standalone Anki cards for the specific subtopics Soze skips. Pathoma is non-negotiable for General Pathology: Soze has zero cards on Cell Adaptations, Apoptosis, and Chronic Inflammation — three of the most tested concepts in all of pathology. Pathoma chapters 1–3 directly address this gap and should be reviewed before you encounter those questions on practice exams.
For Cardiovascular, the gaps are targeted but dangerous: Frank-Starling, Pressure-Volume Loops, and NSTEMI Risk Stratification all show zero Soze cards. These are quantitative, diagram-heavy concepts that First Aid covers well in its Cardiovascular chapter. Students on r/medicalschoolanki commonly pair Soze with the AnKing deck's Cardiovascular subdeck or add Boards and Beyond video cards for these specific topics. The strategy is simple: use Soze as your daily driver in its strong areas, and treat First Aid plus Pathoma as the mandatory patch for the 209 gaps this audit identified.
Frequently asked questions
Is Soze enough for Step 1?
Soze's Step 1 Master Deck covers 76.8% of the USMLE Step 1 content outline (692/901 subtopics), which makes it insufficient as a standalone resource. It has 209 subtopics with zero cards and critical gaps in Reproductive (28.7% coverage), Respiratory (53.8%), and General Pathology (55.6%). Most students who use Soze pair it with First Aid and Pathoma to cover the missing high-yield content.
How many cards are in Soze?
Soze's Step 1 Master Deck contains 3,519 total cards, of which 3,472 map directly to USMLE Step 1 exam subtopics. None of the cards are considered out of scope for Step 1, meaning every mapped card has a direct exam application. By comparison, the full AnKing Step 1 deck contains over 20,000 cards — Soze trades breadth for a leaner, faster daily review load.
What does Soze not cover for Step 1?
Soze has zero cards on 209 USMLE Step 1 subtopics, including high-yield topics like Frank-Starling Relationship, Pressure-Volume Loops, Apoptosis Pathways, Cell Adaptations, Appendicitis, HBV Serology Patterns, and Mesenteric Ischemia. The weakest subject areas are Reproductive (only 28.7% of subtopics covered), Public Health Sciences (50.0%), and Respiratory (53.8%). Students should use Pathoma for General Pathology gaps and First Aid for Reproductive and Respiratory.
What is the weakest subject area in Soze's Step 1 deck?
Reproductive is by far the weakest area in Soze's Step 1 Master Deck, covering only 23 out of 80 subtopics (28.7%) despite containing 1,823 cards — indicating the existing cards are concentrated on a narrow slice of reproductive content. General Pathology (55.6%) and Public Health Sciences (50.0%) are the next most under-covered subjects. These three areas account for a disproportionate share of the 209 zero-card gaps identified in this audit.