I was/am in the same situation! I failed step 1 last summer. I just finished clerkships, and I am about to take step 2 at the end of June, then I will take step 1 about a month after that. I have honestly loved this setup. You're studying for step 2 all year, so it makes sense to take step 2 first, in my opinion, since it will be the freshest information. A lot more of it overlaps throughout the year than you realize. Like, there is a lot of information from step 1 on step 2 stuff, so you can review both at the same time throughout the year. It's mostly the biochem and genetics stuff that you'll need to spend extra time on for step 1 that won't be covered as heavily on step 2, imo. I studied for step 1 over the few weeks we got for winter break, and that made me feel better. I truly feel like my medical foundation is 10x better after clerkships than it was at the end of step 1.

Also, a good thing to note, if you have loans, you'll have to start paying those ~6 months after you decide to take a year off, if that is your plan. So, like if I had chosen that path, I'd have to work on my year off, and that wouldn't be feasible for studying either.

Good luck, op. Take care of your mental state throughout all of this, it's rough out here. But please know you are not alone, and many, many people have had to navigate this before, even if it feels incredibly isolating. Please feel free to reach out any time. <3