Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect during my first session
Your first session with PGY Insiders is designed to be both diagnostic and strategic. We begin by understanding your exam timeline, target score, prior attempts (if any), study resources, and current practice performance. Your Insider tutor will assess how you approach questions, identify gaps in knowledge versus reasoning, and evaluate whether your challenges stem from content retention, test-taking strategy, or exam-writer logic. From there, the session transitions into a high-yield, structured teaching block tailored to your needs—introducing our framework for thinking like the exam writers while covering immediately actionable material. By the end of the session, you will leave with a clear preparation roadmap, defined goals for subsequent sessions, and specific guidance on how to study more efficiently between meetings. This ensures that every future hour of tutoring is focused, intentional, and results-driven.
How do I get started?Visit our contact page or email us at info@pgyinsiders.org to get started
Is PGY Insiders a lecture-based test preparation course?No. PGY Insiders is not a traditional lecture-based test preparation course. While our sessions are highly organized and structured, tutoring is personalized, interactive, and strategy-driven, rather than passive lectures. Each session is tailored to your specific weaknesses, exam timeline, and learning style, focusing on how to think like the exam writersrather than simply reviewing slides or memorizing content. Our Insider tutors actively engage students through question-based teaching, real-time reasoning, and high-yield concept integration—ensuring that every hour addresses what will most impact your score. This individualized approach allows students to gain clarity, confidence, and measurable improvement in practice performance.
Do you provide students with a test-prep schedule?
Yes. PGY Insiders provides students with a personalized test-prep schedule tailored to their exam date, baseline performance, and availability. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all calendar, your Insider tutor helps design a realistic, structured plan that integrates tutoring sessions, independent study, practice questions, and assessments. The schedule is adjusted as you progress, allowing flexibility while maintaining accountability. Our goal is to ensure that your preparation is organized, efficient, and aligned with high-yield priorities—so that every week of studying moves you closer to your target score.
What sets us apart?
PGY Insiders is built around one core principle: USMLE depends on how you think, not how much you memorize. Unlike traditional tutoring companies or lecture-based prep courses, our tutors are physicians and experienced residents who have navigated the exams themselves and understand the logic behind how questions are written and graded. We don’t recycle slides or generic content—instead, we teach students how exam writers prioritize information, structure distractors, and test clinical reasoning.
Every student receives personalized, strategy-driven tutoring, beginning with a consultation and careful matching to an Insider tutor. Sessions are structured, high-yield, and interactive, focusing on question interpretation, pattern recognition, and efficient decision-making under exam conditions. As students commit to the process, they consistently see meaningful improvements in practice scores, confidence, and exam readiness.
PGY Insiders also emphasizes early, organized preparation. We help students build realistic schedules, target weaknesses, and refine their approach over time—rather than relying on last-minute cramming. Our goal is not just to help you pass, but to help you perform at your highest potential with clarity and confidence.
In short, PGY Insiders doesn’t just teach content—we teach you to think like an Insider.
I am an IMG, do I qualify for tutoring?
es. We successfully tutor IMGs and Non US IMGs