I have to say, Dr Francis truly breaks it down. He really teaches you how to approach a question, which other major reviews don't. He trains you to think physiology and biochemistry, which is the basis of medicine. I cannot stand reviews courses that swear by First Aid or just recite any major book without actually doing a thinking process to get to an answer. That's why I like Dr Francis' approach. In terms of the tutors... much is left to be desired. I only dealt with 2 of them. One of them shouldn't be a tutor. He's just not there to truly guide you, his approach is so tepid and confusing, and I feel he got annoyed with any student who actually showed progress. (That was my perception). I wish the course delved a little bit more on anatomy and diagnostic testings though. Which honestly is part memorization for anatomy. Also, I think it's useful that courses are "mixed" for the various steps. I think it's comical when students complain "but this is step 1 stuff"... mmm no, every topic is all steps. You need a solid base to approach the other tests beyond step 1. One thing I must say, the book has poor binding. In less than a month it started to come apart, and I treated it very gingerly. They seriously need to upgrade the binding of it. read more

I was enrolled PASS PROGRAM in the 5 week course for step 1 and step2ck via zoom and possibly the worst experience. The prof is rude, takes a min or two to answer questions if he wants to, otherwise just restates the question or just explains something completely different. Then will come back later and answer the question like he knew all along what the answer was. My guess is that he takes time and looks up the answer then comes back pretending like he's saying everything from memory. very monotone and robotic, Nicer to the female students and will them more attention compared to the male students. only useful if you're taking CBSE otherwise completely useless. he has actual screenhots of the questions for CBSE because you can see it's past exams that he's accumulated from previous students or from schools he's affiliated with. he's affiliated with my school too that's why I know. extremely rude and does not know how to talk to people. read more

Home away from home very professional " caring setting awesome preparation to release you the medical world....

Can't believe Dr Frances is making a ton of money off of gullible medical students. I attended their Urbana campus, which was a complete waste of time and money. Eight hours of lecture every day for a month won't help you pass the USMLE. Half the lectures weren't even delivered by him. Their 'workbook' is a joke. It's a stripped version of First Aid. Worst of all, they have one workbook for all the USMLEs. I sold mine on eBay for $30. My friend's very expensive camera was stolen from the classroom. They have thieves loitering around the campus. Also, their housing services need to be reported for bed bugs. Furthermore, all our neighbors were junkies who smoked weed and played loud music all night long. While Dr Francis is a great teacher, all the information in his lectures is readily available in Kaplan Lecture Notes and UpToDate. He's more of a motivational speaker than a USMLE instructor. So instead of wasting time on 'review courses,' sit in a quiet room and do practice questions. The program deserves one star. I added a star for Dr Francis' fiery motivational pump-up speeches. read more

Just updating for whoever was hurt because I left an honest review. Just matched into a competitive radiology residency, and I promise you it had NOTHING to do with this program. read more

I failed my step2ck exam after taking Pass program coaching from Mr Francis, the guy is inadequate and takes tangents without focusing on the material.. I memorized his anemic notes and didnt help me much. Dont recommend this scam program. The online videos were a total waste you had to sit through all the nonsense tangents and his material is badly outdated. He double charged my card and refused to refund my money back. He has no business teaching any medical student in 2023 he should be ashamed of his nasty self. When I called about advise of what i should do he started yelling at me on the phone didnt have time for me and hung up, just wanted to warn you all to stay away from PASS program its a scam and waste of time. read more

Over more than 20 years, Dr. Francis has proven his success as both Physician and gifted educational innovator. In researching why such an intelligent clinician would focus on teaching, I discovered a practitioner who overcame a daunting health compromise during his career.  A challenge which would sideline most Doctors became an opportunity to become a leader as an academician, making the PASS Program the premier boards review program for the USMLE and COMLEX exams. From my perspective , the Dr. Francis technique is based on training how to think, so learning becomes more efficient, unforgettable, impactful.   His remarkable rate of success is based on Mastery- Not Memory, training in testing strategies, immersive class time, extensive tutoring along with excellent written materials. The established quality of the PASS Program is proven by its continued growth, competition with national brands, promotion by Med Schools, and an unending diverse gallery of future Physicians. read more

I worked really hard to save the money for the 8wk course. Had to quit my 2 jobs and ask for a loan. It took me years due to my economic situation. I was expecting to receive the course I had heard about years ago. Them being with you every step of the way. However, this is no longer the case. 1st day is just a session of vainglory to the program and their abilities to help you pass and that they care about our success. WRONG!!!! Also claims that they have the best passing % but this is according to who? They don't keep in contact in order to find out who passes or who fails. As soon as your out that's it. Dr. Francis might have cared back in the day when it started but that time is long long gone. If you're lucky enough to be one of his favorites it might be different. That was not my case. Also, Dr. F does not give all the classes anymore. One of the tutors' that gave 2-3 of the classes did not care one bit and since he made the slides, they were utter rubbish. Would define things as "Oh, this is crap" could not answer the questions or would say he didn't know about that. These classes were missed by Dr F because he was out promoting his course instead of committing the time to us for our hard earned money! The book given is not well made, grammar issues and now falling apart. The tutors he has there and specially the one I got did not give a damn! (don't get me wrong, there were some great ones which actually helped and got me out of some horrible ruts). Pretended to care but would send the same emails of hope to everyone but would just change the name. Sometimes gender was the same. 1st day we met, explained her exam coming up was more important and do not think about knocking on her door if it's closed. (tried to tell Dr F but as soon as he knew who it was he changed the subject and just asked what I needed).. I know quite a bit of people that became friends that have taken the exam and have not passed. Following exactly as we were taught.. Of course that % does not get factored in and neither do they care. These courses should be regulated and if we are not happy should get our money back like any US product that is sold. Do your research!!! Can't emphasis enough!!!! read more

There are definite "favorites" in the program, which is incredibly frustrating given that each student has paid a damn near exorbitant amount of money to be there. You'll notice the same names are called during morning questions AND class. You might even begin to wonder if someone's thrown an invisibility cloak over you. However, Dr. Francis does clear up knowledge gaps for those in need (like myself). Be weary of correcting him, though. There are some pretty flagrant mistakes in the book and he seems to become defensive when some of them are pointed out (unless, of course, you're one of his favorites.) You'll see what I mean if you attend the course. read more

This program is all that it claims to be but unfortunately very misunderstood by a few. The program not only gives you a clear blueprint on how to study but also on how to tackle questions and how to actually think for yourself by making connections. The program gives the students a place where everybody has the same goals and plenty of staff that can explain and answer questions. The problem is that people think that by attending this prep course, they will magically retain all of the information and score very high on their exams. However, nothing can be mastered without practice. You cannot just attend the classes and not read the book on your own again a couple of times and expect to make the connections. You cannot just read the book and not practice by applying it via daily questions. You cannot skip morning questions and expect for your test taking skills to improve. I took this course for my Step 1 and it did wonders for me once I understood that hard work must be applied alongside of the blueprint. I have returned for my step 2 exam and even now when I read the book I make new connections. The combination of the pass book and uworld is really all you need to master the high yield concepts and pass your exams, but again you must practice and put in the work. The Pass Program has not only strengthened my general knowledge and foundation of medicine, it has also helped me to think for myself and assess questions in a clinical manner which has boosted my confidence. This program not only teaches medical students but also teaches current residence and physicians who need to brush up on certain subjects. I personally met one current resident that needed help with step 3, and one current doctor who needed help with their exam (they kept in touch and they both passed without any issues). Take the course if you want but you must apply yourself to the book and the blueprint to be successful. The tutors range from passed step 1 to passed step 3 and you are assigned to tutors that pertain to your current step and all of them have changed from my step 1 experience at the Pass Program. The tutors for my step 2 are MD 4 student or graduates who have successfully passed most or all of their board exams and are in the process of interviews or who have matched and be leaving soon. As far as correcting Dr Francis goes, he will welcome your correction if you can back it up with facts, but unfortunately the ego of the naive medical student is not trained to be accepting with being wrong or making a mistake. When you are so consumed with not being wrong you assume that you are being dismissed when in reality I have seen for myself the amount of times Dr Francis has graciously accepted a mistake he has made or acknowledged a students invalid point and explained the correct answer again. I do not benefit from writing this review in any shape or form and pay the same fees just like every student does. It's just frustrating to see reviews of only dissatisfied students because the successful ones are practicing doctors with busy schedules. read more