USMLE Step 1 Question of the Day
One free board-style Step 1 question, new every day at midnight UTC. Pick an answer, check it, and read the bottom line here. The full step-by-step visual explanation — and a saved attempt that counts toward your stats — is in the StepGenie app.
Monday, October 19, 2026
A 2-month-old girl is brought to the clinic by her father for a routine well-child visit. As part of her scheduled immunizations, she receives a vaccine that contains polyribosylribitol phosphate conjugated to a toxoid carrier. This vaccine is most likely to provide protection against which of the following pathogens?
Want this question by email?
The Step 1 question email goes out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and it goes to StepGenie accounts. A free account turns it on from the start; you can switch it off on the question-of-the-day page in the app, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.
Create a free accountWhat you get here versus in the app
| Feature | This page (no account) | StepGenie app (free account) |
|---|---|---|
| Today's question | Yes | Yes |
| Instant answer check and bottom line | Yes | Yes |
| Step-by-step visual explanation | No | Yes |
| Attempt saved to your performance stats | No | Yes |
| Reminder email (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) | No | On by default |
| Previous questions | Last 14 days | Full question bank |
How the question of the day works
Every question on this page is a real item from the StepGenie question bank, shown here exactly as students see it in the app.
A scheduled job fills the calendar a couple of days ahead. It picks one active question per step that has a structured explanation and has not been used in the previous 30 days. A reviewer can set a particular question for a date instead, and the job leaves a date alone once something is on it. This page applies two more filters before showing a pick publicly: the question has to be model-verified with no open error report, and its stem cannot depend on an image, because the stem images in the bank are third-party copies this page does not publish. When a day's pick does not clear that bar, the page shows the most recent one that does and says so above the stem.
Your answer is checked on the server after you commit to a choice. The page itself never contains the correct option, the explanation or the explanation images, so reading the page source does not reveal the answer.
StepGenie has published a Step 1 question of the day since October 4, 2025 — 360 so far, counting today's.
Source: StepGenie question_of_the_day table, counted at render on October 29, 2026 (UTC); refreshed every 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the USMLE Step 1 question of the day free?
Yes. The question, the answer check and the bottom-line summary on this page are free and need no account. The step-by-step visual explanation and the saved attempt live in the StepGenie app, which also has a free plan.
How is the question of the day chosen?
Most days a scheduled job picks it: one active Step 1 question from the StepGenie bank, filled in a couple of days ahead. Automatic picks require a structured explanation and skip anything used in the last 30 days. A reviewer can also set a specific question for a date instead, and the job leaves a date alone once it is filled. This page holds whatever is picked to a stricter public bar as well (model-verified, no open error reports, and nothing whose stem depends on an image this page cannot show); when a day's pick misses that bar you see the most recent one that passes, with its date shown.
When does a new question appear?
At midnight UTC. Questions are keyed to the UTC date, so depending on your time zone the new one lands in the evening or the early morning. The page refreshes within ten minutes of the change.
Does answering here count toward my StepGenie stats?
No. Nothing is saved for anonymous visitors. Sign in and answer the same question on your Step 1 question-of-the-day page in the app and the attempt is recorded and counts toward your performance data.
Can I see yesterday's question?
Yes. The last 14 days are linked under the question, one day at a time. Older questions are not archived on this page; the full question bank is in the app.
How do I get the question of the day by email?
That email goes to StepGenie accounts. Make a free account, pick your step, and the Monday, Wednesday and Friday email is on from the start — every one carries a one-click unsubscribe link, and there is a switch on the question-of-the-day page in the app. There is no email capture on this page.
One question a day is a start. The bank is the rest.
Every StepGenie question ends the way this one does — a bottom line — and then keeps going: the stem decoded, the reasoning drawn step by step, each distractor explained. Start free and pick up today's Step 1 question where you left it.
You are viewing the question for October 19, 2026. Go to today's question.