I take step 1 tomorrow. I have only done about 30% of Q-banks questions but have noticed that they seem pretty easy for the most part because of the buzzwords contained in them. Just curious if anyone knows whether Step 1 usually has these "buzzwords" in their vignettes (sp) like Kaplan Q-bank does. If so, I wish I would have done more questions but I thought that Step 1 didn't have the buzzwords we are used to looking for in questions like Q-bank has. Plus it seemed like after only doing 30% of Q-bank I got just repeats of questions over the same topics like pheochromocytoma or glioblastomas and nothing really new and enlightening.

From what I have heard, NBME is moving away from buzzwords

I take step 1 tomorrow. I have only done about 30% of Q-banks questions but have noticed that they seem pretty easy for the most part because of the buzzwords contained in them. Just curious if anyone knows whether Step 1 usually has these "buzzwords" in their vignettes (sp) like Kaplan Q-bank does. If so, I wish I would have done more questions but I thought that Step 1 didn't have the buzzwords we are used to looking for in questions like Q-bank has. Plus it seemed like after only doing 30% of Q-bank I got just repeats of questions over the same topics like pheochromocytoma or glioblastomas and nothing really new and enlightening.

Do more questions. I agree though that when you get tired, just scan the passage for a couple of key words and go directly to the answer choices...can't do that on the real baby.

So if Step 1 is moving away from these buzzwords then the NBME practice tests were pretty poor representations of the real thing too since they were loaded with these. I wonder why the NBME (who should have a good idea of what the real test is like) people post such poor questions for their practice tests as they give the test taker a false sense of security. :thumbdown

I had exactly 1 buzzword on my exam.

I took Step I two years ago and was surprised by how few buzzwords there were.