UWorld Advice

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Hi all,

So I've been doing UWorld as I'm in my dedicated study time and I'm stuck a bit. I've been getting about ~73% on my blocks for the past 5 or so blocks. I got an 83% or so in there and then today I get a 63%. I know people may say that's great and stop complaining, but I'm shooting for a really high score and it's sort of discerning. Any thoughts or ideas? I haven't done a solid pass through FA yet (just dabbled here and there) although I've gone through pretty much the whole thing once chopped up throughout the year. Btw, I'm ~50% through UWorld and I did ~50% of Kaplan throughout MS2. Should I just sit down and power through FA before going through any more questions? I've got ~5 weeks left. Thanks for any help.

I'm not sure what people could tell you to do besides look through FA a few times. Specifically, check your weak areas on your UWorld performance tab and focus on your weak areas first...

Also, not sure if you've been doing this, but I would approach your qbanks more as learning tools. Read all the answer explanations (all of them) and take notes on anything you didn't already know cold for *all* answer choices, not just the right answer choice. I know it's frustrating to get percentages lower than you'd like, but try thinking of it in a different way: because you got it wrong now, and because it was upsetting to you, you'll probably be more likely to remember it when it counts on test day. All questions, especially the ones you get wrong, are learning opportunities!

Originally Posted by kaleerkalut

Hi all,

So I've been doing UWorld as I'm in my dedicated study time and I'm stuck a bit. I've been getting about ~73% on my blocks for the past 5 or so blocks. I got an 83% or so in there and then today I get a 63%. I know people may say that's great and stop complaining, but I'm shooting for a really high score and it's sort of discerning. Any thoughts or ideas? I haven't done a solid pass through FA yet (just dabbled here and there) although I've gone through pretty much the whole thing once chopped up throughout the year. Btw, I'm ~50% through UWorld and I did ~50% of Kaplan throughout MS2. Should I just sit down and power through FA before going through any more questions? I've got ~5 weeks left. Thanks for any help.

People freak out about the percentage too much. Why can't you just look at UWorld as a learning experience?

Originally Posted by auburnO5

Why can't you just look at UWorld as a learning experience?

Why would you ask a question to which you already know the answer?




To the OP - a 10% variance between sections isn't particularly unusual. I don't think it should be any cause for concern.

Personally, I've felt that doing a lot of UW questions has helped me as I go through FA... when I come across a topic that I've seen in a few questions before, it helps to know how people like to ask that question so that I can decide how to think about the concept.

And if you're averaging 73% with 5+ weeks to go, I think you're on pace for a 250-260 score if you keep at it.

Originally Posted by shan564

Why would you ask a question to which you already know the answer?

Why would you ask a question to which you already know the answer?

Originally Posted by auburnO5

Why would you ask a question to which you already know the answer?

I was wondering if you'd pick up on that...

Originally Posted by kaleerkalut

Hi all,

I haven't done a solid pass through FA yet (just dabbled here and there) although I've gone through pretty much the whole thing once chopped up throughout the year. Should I just sit down and power through FA before going through any more questions? I've got ~5 weeks left. Thanks for any help.

Five weeks isn't much time. To be honest, I would have recommended already having done a minimal cover-to-cover first-pass on FA before having even started questions.

Considering you're already five weeks out, continue to do as many UWorld questions as you can (or USMLE Rx, etc., but finish on UWorld). In fact, I would do essentially just questions until you're two weeks out. Do them as timed blocks. Read the explanations quickly but attentively and move on.

When you're two weeks out, just memorize FA, especially the HY stuff. Considering you haven't done a legitimate cover-to-cover pass on it yet, do that in the closing two weeks. If you finish your first cover-to-cover pass early, let's say 4 days out, re-review all of the HY stuff.

So furthermore, do as many questions as you can up until the 2-week mark, using FA as a reference. Then in the remaining time cram FA like your life depends on it (because it does).

~Phloston

Originally Posted by Phloston

Five weeks isn't much time. To be honest, I would have recommended already having done a minimal cover-to-cover first-pass on FA before having even started questions.

Considering you're already five weeks out, continue to do as many UWorld questions as you can (or USMLE Rx, etc., but finish on UWorld). In fact, I would do essentially just questions until you're two weeks out. Do them as timed blocks. Read the explanations quickly but attentively and move on.

When you're two weeks out, just memorize FA, especially the HY stuff. Considering you haven't done a legitimate cover-to-cover pass on it yet, do that in the closing two weeks. If you finish your first cover-to-cover pass early, let's say 4 days out, re-review all of the HY stuff.

So furthermore, do as many questions as you can up until the 2-week mark, using FA as a reference. Then in the remaining time cram FA like your life depends on it (because it does).

~Phloston

Yeah, memorizing FA is pretty easy.......

But seriously, what is considered the HY stuff in FA?

Originally Posted by auburnO5

Yeah, memorizing FA is pretty easy.......

But seriously, what is considered the HY stuff in FA?

There's two types of HY:

1) There's the stuff that will get you easy bulk-points if you study it rather than something else (i.e. if you were to devote one hour to study, it would get you more points to memorize all of the pure factual info from the embryo section vs studying renal tubular mechanics and the ion channels from the renal section; both are important, as is everything else, but per unit time, the factual info bares more weight than the conceptual stuff, especially in the closing days).

2) There's the stuff that repeatedly shows up in questions over and over again. This is stuff that you subjectively realize is HY. It's something that you only know by having completed thousands of practice questions. FA cannot give you a definitive grasp on this. For example, I've repeatedly seen questions asking about the mechanisms of the 30 vs 50S anti-ribosomal anti-microbials, but I am still yet to have seen a single question asking about suramin and melarsoprol as the Tx for African Sleeping Sickness. It doesn't mean the latter won't show up, but the former will for sure get asked, if not twice, on the exam.

Originally Posted by ipizzy

I'm not sure what people could tell you to do besides look through FA a few times. Specifically, check your weak areas on your UWorld performance tab and focus on your weak areas first...

Also, not sure if you've been doing this, but I would approach your qbanks more as learning tools. Read all the answer explanations (all of them) and take notes on anything you didn't already know cold for *all* answer choices, not just the right answer choice. I know it's frustrating to get percentages lower than you'd like, but try thinking of it in a different way: because you got it wrong now, and because it was upsetting to you, you'll probably be more likely to remember it when it counts on test day. All questions, especially the ones you get wrong, are learning opportunities!

Originally Posted by shan564

Why would you ask a question to which you already know the answer?




To the OP - a 10% variance between sections isn't particularly unusual. I don't think it should be any cause for concern.

Personally, I've felt that doing a lot of UW questions has helped me as I go through FA... when I come across a topic that I've seen in a few questions before, it helps to know how people like to ask that question so that I can decide how to think about the concept.

And if you're averaging 73% with 5+ weeks to go, I think you're on pace for a 250-260 score if you keep at it.

Thanks! Yeah I just plan to do UWorld 2x, and do at least 4 NBMEs + 2 UWSAs. Also need to read FA at least 2-3x in there. I already know that viruses, female path, cardio, and pharm in general are my weaknesses. I already went through the Kaplan stuff but its still not sticking well. I think I need to spend a few days and re-read the whole Kaplan Pharm stuff. Keep the advice coming everyone and thanks