USMLE Step 1 · 10–14% of the exam
USMLE Step 1 neurology questions
Behavioral Health & Nervous Systems/Special Senses makes up 10–14% of Step 1 on the official content outline. Argonaut has 104 Step 1 nervous system and special senses questions, written as full clinical vignettes.
Free to try
Free Step 1 neurology questions
Full explanations, no account. Each opens on its own page.
- Viral encephalitisA 13-year-old boy is brought to the physician because of worsening school performance and personality changes over the past 8 months.AQ-1056
- Disorders of the earAn 18-month-old boy is brought to the clinic because of fever and right ear pain for 2 days.AQ-1107
- Viral encephalitis Daily #24A 29-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department after 2 days of fever and headache, followed by abrupt confusion, irritability, and difficulty naming familiar objects.29 Oct 2026
- Seizures and epilepsy Daily #34A 46-year-old hospitalist has twice been observed to stop speaking abruptly during patient care, stare, and make repetitive chewing movements for about 1 minute.8 Nov 2026
What to expect
What Step 1 asks in neurology questions
General guidance from the content outline and how questions on this subject are usually built.
- Localizing a lesion from the examination: spinal cord syndromes, brainstem strokes and cranial nerves.
- Stroke and intracranial hemorrhage, by vessel and by imaging.
- Seizures, headache and movement disorders, with the drugs that treat them.
- Demyelinating disease, neuromuscular junction disorders and hereditary neuropathies.
- Brain tumors and neurocutaneous syndromes.
- The eye and ear: glaucoma, visual field defects, hearing loss and vertigo.
Share from the official USMLE Step 1 content outline, checked 11 October 2026.
Coverage
Topics in the bank
34 topics, with the number of Step 1 questions on each. Topics with a chapter link to the Library.
- Disorders of the earFree21
- Disorders of the eyeFree16
- Brain tumors6
- Seizures and epilepsy5
- Ischemic stroke4
- Complex regional pain syndrome3
- Glaucoma3
- Meningitis3
- Multiple sclerosis3
- Neuromuscular junction disordersFree3
- Sleep disorders3
- Spinal cord syndromes3
- Viral encephalitisFree3
- Delirium2
- Hepatic encephalopathy2
- Horner syndrome2
- Intracranial hemorrhageFree2
- Neurocutaneous syndromes2
- Parkinson disease2
- Traumatic hyphema2
- Alzheimer disease1
- Brainstem stroke syndromes1
- Dementia1
- Demyelinating diseases1
- Frontal lobe syndromes1
- Headache1
- Hereditary neuropathies1
- Leukodystrophies1
- Movement disorders1
- Neural tube defects1
- Refractive errors1
- Retinal detachment1
- Spinocerebellar degenerations1
- Traumatic brain injury1
Keep going
Read, then practice
- Disorders of the earUse otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem responses to distinguish outer hair cell function from synchronized auditory neural transmission. Preserved emissions with an absent or abnormal brainstem response and disproportionately poor speech discrimination indicate dysfunction in inner hair cell–auditory nerve signaling.Free chapter
- Disorders of the eyePostlaminar optic nerve invasion is a high-risk feature of retinoblastoma associated with increased metastatic risk and a worse prognosis than disease confined to the globe.Free chapter
- Intracranial hemorrhageProgressive neurologic symptoms after minor head trauma in an older adult, together with a crescent-shaped collection crossing cranial sutures, indicate a subdural hematoma. Subdural hematomas result from tearing of bridging veins and accumulate beneath the dura.Free chapter
- Neuromuscular junction disordersUse activity-related facilitation and an incremental muscle response to identify presynaptic neuromuscular-junction dysfunction. Presynaptic voltage-gated calcium-channel antibodies reduce acetylcholine release, and repeated activity transiently increases release.Free chapter
- Viral encephalitisRecognize that SSPE results from persistent measles virus infection of the CNS and can cause progressive neurobehavioral decline years after the initial infection. Relate myoclonus, periodic EEG complexes, and measles-specific CSF antibody to this delayed encephalopathy.Free chapter
- Step 1 cardiology questions7–11% of Step 1
- Step 1 gastrointestinal questions6–10% of Step 1
- Step 1 renal questions11–15% of Step 1
- Step 1 biostatistics questions4–6% of Step 1
Neurology questions, answered.
01How many Step 1 neurology questions does Argonaut have?
104 in the bank today, each a full clinical vignette with every answer choice explained. 4 of them are free to try on this page.
02How much of Step 1 is neurology content?
The official Step 1 content outline puts Behavioral Health & Nervous Systems/Special Senses at 10–14% of the exam. Shares are ranges because items can count toward more than one area. Read the outline.
03Are these neurology questions free?
The questions listed here are free, with full explanations and no account. The rest of the Step 1 bank comes with Full access: $48 once, which also covers Step 2 CK. See pricing.
04What's the best way to practice neurology questions?
Do a mixed block first to find your weak topics, then drill them, and read every explanation, not only the ones you missed. Our guide on reviewing USMLE questions shows how. In Full access, ARGO picks those topics for you.
All 104 neurology questions, for $48.
Full access unlocks the whole Step 1 bank and the Step 2 CK bank, with ARGO drilling your weakest topics.
$48 · once · Step 1 + Step 2 CK