# The Whole of First Aid, in Six Days

> ~2,400 page-mapped Anki cards at ~400 a day revises all 646 First Aid pages in five to six days — the protocol, and the only two moments to run it.

URL: https://usmlevault.com/blog/six-day-revision.html
Canonical: https://usmlevault.com/blog/six-day-revision.html

## Summary

A protocol for revising the whole of First Aid in five to six days using the Foundation Anki deck rather than rereading. The deck is about 2,400 cards built page by page off First Aid, one high-yield point per card, with the First Aid page number printed on every card so a hesitation sends you straight to the source page. Run system by system in First Aid order at roughly 400 cards a day. There are exactly two moments to use it: mid-system when UWorld will not clear 65%, and as a full reset before an NBME.

## Key facts

- Foundation Anki is ~2,400 cards covering First Aid page by page, one high-yield point per card
- At ~400 cards a day that is a complete pass of all 646 First Aid pages in 5-6 days
- The First Aid page number is printed on every card; hesitate on a card and you open that exact page and read a couple of lines either side
- Organised system by system in First Aid order; finish a system before moving on
- Keep First Aid physically open beside you while running the deck
- Use 1: mid-system, when UWorld will not clear 65% — Mehlman playlist for that system, then the deck for that system, about 2 days, then back to UWorld
- Use 2: the pre-NBME reset, when UWorld is finished and the whole book needs to be back in your head before a form
- Rereading is passive; active recall is what the exam actually asks for
- This is not a first pass and cannot teach an unstudied system; read the pages first with the First Aid Guide
- It is not the NBME Booster, which is a separate 4,174-card deck from retired forms 20-33

## Covers

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## Source

USMLE Vault — https://usmlevault.com
Author: Dr. Marish Asudani

Updated: 2026-09-02