Dr Najeeb Lectures is a resource I have been using since my second year in medical school. It’s also one I recommend fairly often to students looking for help tackling harder subjects.
But not everybody likes it and it does have something of a questionable reputation.
This article takes a deeper dive into the resource. Is it worth the hype?
DISCLAIMER: I am not paid by Dr Najeeb neither is their any affiliate link used in this article. The following is result of personal research only.
Is Dr Najeeb Lectures Worth It? Key Points
| About: | A medical education resource and learning platform for medical and nursing students |
| Price: | $299 standard access |
| Discount: | $5 lifetime access (subject to “milestones”) |
| Pros: | Good value. Tons of videos. Useful explanations. |
| Cons: | Videos are long. Some are difficult to understand. Lack of additional features (question banks etc.) Questionable marketing. Problematic refund policy. |
| Best For: | Preclinical students looking for extra help with hard-to-grasp concepts. |
| Verdict: | Could be worth having due to the amazing discount but definitely make sure you read the terms and conditions. |
| Overall Rating: | 2/5 |
What Are The Best Resources For Med School?
I’m on a mission to review all the top resources students can use during their medical education. My goal is to be transparent, honest and say with clarity what’s worth spending money on or not. You can find all my reviews and current scores on my recommendations page.
What Is Dr Najeeb Lectures?
Dr Najeeb Lectures is a video lecture series focused on teaching medical sciences to dental, nursing, pharmacology and medical students.
It is owned and operated by Dr Najeeb.
It has a mobile app available in both Google play and Apple appstores. Both require in-app purchases to get access to 100% of the content.
Lectures cover:
- Basic medical sciences and clinical medicine
- 800+ videos on Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology
Here’s how the main website looks…
The paid product is an extension of his YouTube channel which has over 1m subscribers.
This was the first video ever released there in June, 2009.
The channel continues to release new uploads on a monthly basis. These videos are usually shorter uploads and not full content.
The YouTube channel has over 300 uploads.
Who is Dr Najeeb?
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dr Syed Najeeb is an Internal Medicine specialist who was born and brought up in Lahore, Pakistan.
He completed his undergraduate studies at King Edward Medical College in 1984. He later relocated to the US to complete his post-graduate training. It’s there he began teaching medical students core science subjects and Dr Najeeb Lectures began.
He later moved back to Pakistan.
How Does Dr Najeeb Lectures Work?
Users of the paid product can login and begin viewing content via the main website or app.
The content is divided into courses:
- Medical school
- Biology
- USMLE Step 1
Additionally you can browse for specific content via the video library. Use the search function there to find topic-related videos.
Each lecture is taught by Dr Najeeb himself.
Subjects are broken down into a series of lectures. Because some tend to run long, they are titled into “parts” (part 1/7 etc)
The average run-time of a single lecture video is between 30-40 minutes.
Is Dr Najeeb Legit?
I’d say Dr Najeeb Lectures is legit. I’ve been using it myself since the second year of med school and haven’t experienced any major problems.
According to his sales material, his lectures are trusted by “80% of students.”
It’s unclear where this data actually comes from. Or how the data was measured and collected.
According to review aggregator TrustPilot, his product has a strong 4.9 rating.
While Google Play users give Dr Najeeb Lectures a 4.75 average score on mobile.
Is Dr Najeeb Lectures A Scam?
There have been reports that Dr Najeeb is “misleading” or a “scam”.
This Reddit user details paying $5 for unlimited access only to then be charged $49 on a credit card statement.
When requesting a refund they were then told they had to complete certain “milestones”. This included watching 8 hours of videos within 24 hours of purchase (more on this later).
Another Reddit user, intending to use Dr Najeeb Lectures for USMLE Step 1, had similar complaints about being overcharged.
In both cases someone from the “Dr Najeeb Lecture team” responded.
Here’s what they had to say….
Yes, we do offer lifetime access at $5 but that is in accordance with our terms and conditions clearly mentioned on our sign up page and terms and conditions page. Even on the checkout page we clearly mention that you get charged the standard amount which is $299 however you can pay just $5 and get the remaining as refund “IF” you complete our milestones as mentioned on our terms and conditions page.
This is no different then any other customer loyalty program offered by thousands of other companies in form of reward points or cash backs.
To keep it short and simple we are not here to take your payment if you don’t wish to be our customer. Kindly share with us your email and we will issue you a 100% no question asked refund right away even though we will still keep your account active free of charge just as a courtesy for the mental agony and frustration this may have caused you.
My best advice here is to read the terms and conditions of Dr Najeeb Lectures carefully.
What Is Dr Najeeb Lectures Milestone Policy?
Dr Najeeb Lectures’ refund policy is based on something called “milestones”.
To get a 95% money back refund there are several steps you have to take.
These include:
- Completing your entire profile
- Subscribing to YouTube and liking them on Facebook
- Watching 8 hours of videos within 24 hours of sign up
Does Dr Najeeb Lectures Offer Full Refunds?
Yes, but only if you meet the “milestones” described above.
Here’s what the website itself says under its terms and conditions page…
Personally, I feel this makes the $5 “lifetime access” sound a little misleading.
No other medical student resource seems to operate with this kind of policy.
Update: After publishing this article I have read several reports of students experiencing difficulties getting a full refund.
One important recommendation is to contact and complete this form from BlueSnap, the company who takes payment for Dr Najeeb Lectures.
SOURCE: abdullah malik, medical student, medical university plovdiv
What Is Dr Najeeb Lectures Lifetime Access?
Dr Najeeb Lectures lifetime access is a pay one-time option that gives you access to all existing and future content.
This gives access to:
- New videos every week (HD quality)
- Fast video playback (0.5 to 2.0X speed)
- Download options on videos
- Responsive customer support
And there’s a couple of more features, described by the site itself…
How Much Do Dr Najeeb Lectures Cost?
Dr Najeeb Lectures standard price is $299 for lifetime access.
At the moment it is promoting a 95% discount. This means you get access for $5 (provided you meet the “milestones”).
Here’s how the site itself describes it…
The “only for today” promise is questionable. I’ve seen this discount (and similar) offered for several months.
If you do plan on using Dr Najeeb Lectures however, and are confident you’ll meet the “milestones”, this price does provide exceptional value.
Does Dr Najeeb Lectures Offer Institutional Access?
Yes, there is an option to purchase institutional access for your school, college, library or organization.
Here’s what the website itself says…
To get an idea of pricing you’ll have to enquire and recieve a quote. You can do that here.
One institution that has institutional access to Dr Najeeb Lectures and has left a review is Qatar University.
Here’s what they say…
How Do You Sign Up For Dr Najeeb Lectures?
You can gain full access to the Dr Najeeb Lectures video library by signing up here.
Once you add your payment details you’ll be given a unique login ID and password.
Is Dr Najeeb Lectures Free?
The site is home to over forty accessible free lectures for students undecided on buying. They can be accessed at the Free Medical Video section here.
Here’s what you’ll have access to…
You also can access free videos at Dr Najeeb Lectures YouTube channel.
What Are Other Students Saying About Dr Najeeb Lectures?
Most students appear to like Dr Najeeb Lectures and are happy to recommend it as a resource.
Here’s UK-based Dr. Sarah Clifford (who gets a mention in this article; 10 Business Ideas For Medical Students) reviewing the product…
While the students on Dr Najeeb Lectures’ own review page say a lot of positive things also:
There are more student reviews available on this page.
As for what I think about Dr Najeeb Lectures…
Criticism of Dr Najeeb Lectures
- Time: Dr Najeeb can sometimes labor on points or take a long time to explain things
- Lecture format: some concepts/syllabus points run across multiple lectures which makes it difficult finding specific content
- Accent: non-native English speakers may have trouble understanding lectures (especially on double-speed)
- Lack of extra features: community forums, written materials, practice questions etc
- Questionable marketing and pricing strategy: turns out if you don’t like the platform and don’t intend on using it you will be charged a lot more than $5!
Praise of Dr Najeeb Lectures
- Unique explanations: helps make ‘difficult’ concepts easy to understand
- Passion: the teaching is infectious, it’s hard not to enjoy his teaching style
- Comprehensive: 800+ videos: lectures covering biochemistry, pathology, physiology, anatomy, histology and more
- Price: lifetime access is very inexpensive with the discount (but be careful to meet the “milestones”)
Are Dr Najeeb Lectures Good for USMLE?
Dr Najeeb Lectures claims its suitable for USMLE Step 1, COMLEX, NBDE, NCLEX and PANCE exams.
I feel it’s true that it has some use as the lectures do cover all pre-clinical subjects needed in preparation for USMLE Step 1.
According to the site’s USMLE page, Dr Najeeb Lectures boasts a “98% pass rate at the first attempt” for USMLE Step 1 students….
But it’s not clear how that’s measured.
How To Best Use Dr Najeeb Lectures?
These tips are taken from my use of the resource throughout medical school.
Here’s how I’d best recommend using the video library:
- Identify the areas you need clarification in first before heading to the lectures
- Watch the videos on 1.5X or 2X speed to save time
- Draw the visual representations alongside Dr Najeeb while he explains
- Note down key questions you can use to answer later on review
Alternatives to Dr Najeeb Lectures
- Picmonic (see my review)
- Boards and Beyond
- Lecturio (see my review)
- Kenhub (see my review)
- Marrow
- Kaplan
Final Thoughts On Dr Najeeb Lectures
Overall Dr Najeeb Lectures scores 2/5 on my personal recommendations on the best materials for med students to use.
It would score higher if it wasn’t for the marketing and refund policy. Or the many reports of students upset after not recieving a full refund.
Still, if you do plan on using it – or are a fan of the free content on YouTube – $5 lifetime access is an exceptional deal.
If you like this review, you might like these articles:
- Pathoma Vs Boards And Beyond: What’s Best To Use In Med School?
- Should You Make Med School Notes? 5 Big Things To Consider
Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more.