EM NBME Exam

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

Hey everyone,

did a quick search function and couldn't find anything on the topic. I was wondering what you guys would recommend for studying for the EM NBME exam. I have it coming up in a couple of weeks and I am conflicted on what resources to use, especially with my clinical responsibilities. I have heard that the exam is challenging. Should I use Rosh review? SAEM Qbank? Or Casefiles? Or a combination of those?

Thanks!

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[mega_colon]

I used Rosh Review and I wouldnt recommend it if you can find better options, it didnt seem like the questions were representative. This was was the most difficult shelf I took and the questions are very vague and subjective.

 

[doggydog]

I've been told Rosh Review.

 

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

I've been told Rosh Review.

Have you taken the exam or used the Rosh Review Qbank?

 

[doggydog]

Have you taken the exam or used the Rosh Review Qbank?

Using it now. Test is in 24 days. I've heard that it's not the best, but it's certainly better than anything else out there. This test is just hard.

 

[deleted720339]

I thought case files was great preparation. But, yeah, test is tough because it is so broad and vague.

 

[racerwad]

I took the exam (did ok, I think) and used Rosh Review. I didn't think the exam was terrible, but the Rosh Review questions are nothing like Uworld, so if you are expecting questions of that caliber, you will be disappointed.

 

[mega_colon]

If Rosh is considered the best i guess go with that. I thought the questions were nothing like Rosh though. A lot of what would you do next questions where the options are basically things you would do all at once, super annoying.

 

[racerwad]

If Rosh is considered the best i guess go with that. I thought the questions were nothing like Rosh though. A lot of what would you do next questions where the options are basically things you would do all at once, super annoying.

Totally agree here. I think what they want to hear is out of the options available, which is the best option in a time limited context. Eg - a cath may be the gold standard diagnostic test for CAD, but EKG is probably the best on first contact (this is an exaggeration to emphasize the point). And while we'd be getting troponins, CXR, and other labs, EKG is cheap, fast, and almost totally harmless so it probably beats out the others, too.

Tl; dr - don't over think the options.

 

[doggydog]

Apparently the national average on this monster is a 70. They don't scale the nbmes so that the average is always 70 if I remember correctly.

How have people done on this test lately?

 

[SpacemanSpifff]

Apparently the national average on this monster is a 70. They don't scale the nbmes so that the average is always 70 if I remember correctly.

How have people done on this test lately?

Took it about a month ago, used EM case files and did some supplemental reading from various clinical texts, mostly Rosen's. Scaled score 82, with the mean being 70 and SD 8. After the IM shelf I felt this was a fairly straight forward exam.

 

[doggydog]

Took it about a month ago, used EM case files and did some supplemental reading from various clinical texts, mostly Rosen's. Scaled score 82, with the mean being 70 and SD 8. After the IM shelf I felt this was a fairly straight forward exam.

Nice, that's apparently like 95th percentile. Congrats.

 

[normtheniner]

Took it in fall 2014 (pgy-2 now), thought it was hard. Think I got a 74 (2 points shy of honoring ) I used pre-test for it, didn't think it was that good for the test. A buddy used EM cases files later in the year and thought it worked much better. I'd also suggest using the EMRAP C3 podcast series, they go through a lot of the basic management of common ED things... that may be something worth working through as well.

 

[LaceyMD]

Bumping this thread, has anyone taken it recently? What is considered a good score? I'll be taking it end of month.

I took it earlier this summer. No idea what a "good" score is, as according to my clerkship director they recently adjusted how they are scaling them (and as a result, people are scoring higher, he said). I found PreTest to be the most helpful; according to several of last years' M4s, the most recent version of EM CaseFiles has some outdated/inaccurate information that threw some people off both on the test and during the rotation in general. There is a practice NBME available now, which also I highly recommend taking prior to the exam.

 

[mymembernames]

Anyone recently take it and know which is better: Pretest or Rosh Review?