Official 2013 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[Phloston]

I figure now is a good time to jump-start this thread.

Even though some of us who had taken the exam in late-2012 are still awaiting our scores (amid the holiday delays) and could technically still post within last year's thread, it is after all mid-January now, so it's probably apposite that we move forward and hope for a great year.

Cheers to 2013

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[g8orlife]

I keep checking this thread everyday to see if anyone posted recent experiences. Where are you, 2013 step takers. Come forth and proclaim your victorious passage back to sanity.

Yeah. Where is everyone?

 

[Phloston]

I have a personal friend that said that both UWSA's were within 2 points of her actual score, and that NBME 7 was also within 1 point of her actual score. So, I think at worst, it's just not very consistent (for other people).

UWSA1: 262 (~1.5 months-out)
UWSA2: 264 (~1.5 months-out)

NBME6: 252 (12 days-out)
NBME7: 254 (11 days-out)

Real deal: 262

My NBME 13 underestimated me by about 13 pts. UWSA #2 was within 4 pts.

NBME11: 264 (4 days-out)
NBME13: 264 (8 days-out)
NBME12: 266 (6 days-out)

...all overshot me by 2-4 points.

----------

Everyone's exam varies. The whole system is totally cracked up.

Ijn got a 269 btw, which means he got 256 on NBME13.

So 6+7 undershot me considerably. 13 undershot him but 11, 12 and 13 all overshot me.

I'm not sure when ijn took form 13 though.

 

[Jorje286]

Can somebody comment about the uses of anti-cancer drugs? There's quite a bit of detail about them in First Aid, but nothing in USMLE World. Should I bother?

 

[thecalccobra]

UWSA1: 262 (~1.5 months-out)
UWSA2: 264 (~1.5 months-out)

NBME6: 252 (12 days-out)
NBME7: 254 (11 days-out)

Real deal: 262




NBME11: 264 (4 days-out)
NBME13: 264 (8 days-out)
NBME12: 266 (6 days-out)

...all overshot me by 2-4 points.

----------

Everyone's exam varies. The whole system is totally cracked up.

Ijn got a 269 btw, which means he got 256 on NBME13.

So 6+7 undershot me considerably. 13 undershot him but 11, 12 and 13 all overshot me.

I'm not sure when ijn took form 13 though.

If I remember correctly, you took form 6 and 7 while jetlagged upon arriving to NY. Add 8-10 points and I think form 7 was on the money.

 

[withrye]

Real deal: 262

NBME11: 264 (4 days-out)
NBME13: 264 (8 days-out)
NBME12: 266 (6 days-out)

...all overshot me by 2-4 points.

----------

Everyone's exam varies. The whole system is totally cracked up.

Ijn got a 269 btw, which means he got 256 on NBME13.

So 6+7 undershot me considerably. 13 undershot him but 11, 12 and 13 all overshot me.

I'm not sure when ijn took form 13 though.

I don't think 2-4 points difference is anything of a real overshoot. Three exams taken within a week of each other are within 2 points of each other and 2-4 points of your real score: I think that's a pretty good prediction right there. I can't imagine any single one of these exams giving you a 95% CI smaller than 5 points, and 11-13 were right in that space.

 

[iamcool]

Taking my test in 9 days. Got 265 on UWSA2. I was shocked. Then I took NBME today and got 235. I personally think NBME 6 actually represents my true score. Can you guys make sense of this?

At this point, I have gone through U world almost twice. I don't really know what the hell to do besides stare at first aid. I am lazy and I haven't really annotated anything in first aid from UW. Can someone please suggest something productive I can do in short time I have? I want 240 +. Thanks!!!

Took NBME 7 got 248. Go figure. Seven days left. Any tips on what to do?

 

[rubicsphere]

I just took the real deal today. I go to school at UNM School of Medicine and we have to be done by March 3rd. It's a verrrryyy looooong test. By block 7 I felt really un-focused, but I conquered the beast.

Prep:

-DIT
-1x through Uworld very slowly and thoroughly: Scored ~ 66%
-NBME Form 12: 231

My goal: Anything >225

Glad that's over with!

 

[Phloston]

Can somebody comment about the uses of anti-cancer drugs? There's quite a bit of detail about them in First Aid, but nothing in USMLE World. Should I bother?

You should make a new thread with your question, and people will reply to you there.

If I remember correctly, you took form 6 and 7 while jetlagged upon arriving to NY. Add 8-10 points and I think form 7 was on the money.

Good memory. I was extremely jetlagged, so it was hard to gauge 6+7.

I don't think 2-4 points difference is anything of a real overshoot. Three exams taken within a week of each other are within 2 points of each other and 2-4 points of your real score: I think that's a pretty good prediction right there. I can't imagine any single one of these exams giving you a 95% CI smaller than 5 points, and 11-13 were right in that space.

I think part of it is the fact that it's exceedingly difficult to perfectly time your study peak right at the day of your exam. I had probably hit my actual peak the week before my exam and had oscillated slightly under the day of. Once again, it's very hard to time things perfectly. Or it may have just been a few of the ******ed errors I made on the real deal. I know for the 266 I had had on NBME12, I hadn't made any errors. It really is just dependent on how meticulous you are on the actual day.

Took NBME 7 got 248. Go figure. Seven days left. Any tips on what to do?

Spend a day memorizing all of the biochem from FA. Then a day just on embryo and immuno. Then a day just on micro. Then a day just on pharm (at the end of each chapter and the pharm chapter itself). The days in between make sure you know your NBME questions cold and analyze which types of questions you're getting wrong. Your mistakes on the NBMEs will be comparable to those you make on the real deal.

 

[blaqmamba]

I just took the real deal today. I go to school at UNM School of Medicine and we have to be done by March 3rd. It's a verrrryyy looooong test. By block 7 I felt really un-focused, but I conquered the beast.

Prep:

-DIT
-1x through Uworld very slowly and thoroughly: Scored ~ 66%
-NBME Form 12: 231

My goal: Anything >225

Glad that's over with!

How long did it take you to get through UW?


Also, was there anything you would do differently?

 

[Medicine123]

Step 1, My experience:

-Kaplan course

-Kaplan Qbanks

-Uworld

-three NBME forms

-Score in final Exam: 245

 

[KinasePro]

Got my score back last week, finally getting around to posting.

NBME 11 (pre- 7 week study period): 207
NBME 12 & 13 (1 week out): 254 on both
Free 150 (1 week out): 94%
Step 1: 262

Study materials: Completed both Kaplan Q bank & Uworld one time each, FA 3x, Goljan RR (blue text and images + black text as needed), Goljan audio 2x, Microcards 2x (crucial). I tried gunner training during M1 and hated it, decided to focus on coursework instead.

The only real advice I can give is to take your coursework seriously, even if it seems ****ty and low yield. In my opinion, the difference between a 230 and 250+ on the NBME's depends almost exclusively on how well you know First Aid and Goljan (or Pathoma), but the real deal is significantly different. The difference between 230 and 250+ on the real deal is how deeply you understand the material from M1 & M2 and can apply that knowledge to new situations. This test will definitely push you out of your comfort zone, but try to trust your instincts.

I felt pretty terrible coming out of my exam, and would have been truly happy with anything above 230 -- so don't let the post-exam jitters get you down. Good luck, everyone!

 

[Ary Lall]

Got my score back last week, finally getting around to posting.

NBME 11 (pre- 7 week study period): 207
NBME 12 & 13 (1 week out): 254 on both
Free 150 (1 week out): 94%
Step 1: 262

Study materials: Completed both Kaplan Q bank & Uworld one time each, FA 3x, Goljan RR (blue text and images + black text as needed), Goljan audio 2x, Microcards 2x (crucial). I tried gunner training during M1 and hated it, decided to focus on coursework instead.

The only real advice I can give is to take your coursework seriously, even if it seems ****ty and low yield. In my opinion, the difference between a 230 and 250+ on the NBME's depends almost exclusively on how well you know First Aid and Goljan (or Pathoma), but the real deal is significantly different. The difference between 230 and 250+ on the real deal is how deeply you understand the material from M1 & M2 and can apply that knowledge to new situations. This test will definitely push you out of your comfort zone, but try to trust your instincts.

I felt pretty terrible coming out of my exam, and would have been truly happy with anything above 230 -- so don't let the post-exam jitters get you down. Good luck, everyone!

How many NBMEs are there and which ones do you recommend doing? I know theres 2 for sure since all I here people talking about is NBME 7 and 11. Also, where do you purchase them from and do you get to see the correct answers? Also, what is the free 150 people keep talking about?

Thanks

 

[KinasePro]

How many NBMEs are there and which ones do you recommend doing? I know theres 2 for sure since all I here people talking about is NBME 7 and 11. Also, where do you purchase them from and do you get to see the correct answers? Also, what is the free 150 people keep talking about?

Thanks

Not sure how many there are in total, but i would definitely recommend 11,12, & 13. None of them were quite like the real thing, but 13 was probably the most realistic IMO. You can buy them on the nbme's website, but unfortunately you have to find the correct answers on your own (google and SDN usually do the trick).

Free 150: http://usmle.org/practice-materials/

 

[Zzmed]

Microcards 2x (crucial).

Why is that? Could you elaborate?

 

[KinasePro]

Why is that? Could you elaborate?

I guess I just really liked those cards and think they helped micro become one of my strong points. A lot of people avoid them because they are so info-dense, but I think they're a great resource to work through along side FA. You absolutely do NOT need to know every detail verbatim, but the cards are really well done and hammer the important factoids about each bug. They provide nice explanations of the infectious pathophys for each and every bug on the back of the cards... this was really helpful for remembering the virulence factors and toxins, which are super high yield.

Also, the classification cards that organize the viruses into trees were awesome. I was mentally referencing those classifications throughout the entire study session, and it really helped solidify the pesky details. The tables in FA & clinical micro made ridic simple (didn't like this book) just didn't do it for me.

An example of how I'd use them: went through the RNA virus cards the RNA virus section in FA simultaneously, and when there was overlap I would highlight that information on the notecard. Once I finished this section in first aid & the notecards, I'd go through the cards again but more quickly than the first time (maybe spend only 1-2 mins per card) and set aside the difficult ones to drill separately.

 

[JShephard]

I guess I just really liked those cards and think they helped micro become one of my strong points. A lot of people avoid them because they are so info-dense, but I think they're a great resource to work through along side FA. You absolutely do NOT need to know every detail verbatim, but the cards are really well done and hammer the important factoids about each bug. They provide nice explanations of the infectious pathophys for each and every bug on the back of the cards... this was really helpful for remembering the virulence factors and toxins, which are super high yield.

Also, the classification cards that organize the viruses into trees were awesome. I was mentally referencing those classifications throughout the entire study session, and it really helped solidify the pesky details. The tables in FA & clinical micro made ridic simple (didn't like this book) just didn't do it for me.

An example of how I'd use them: went through the RNA virus cards the RNA virus section in FA simultaneously, and when there was overlap I would highlight that information on the notecard. Once I finished this section in first aid & the notecards, I'd go through the cards again but more quickly than the first time (maybe spend only 1-2 mins per card) and set aside the difficult ones to drill separately.

I also have and use those cards. I think they are great also.

Like he says though, they are pretty dense. I.e. sometimes first aid has 3 sentences on a bug and the card will have 3 paragraphs of info.

Got my score back last week, finally getting around to posting.

NBME 11 (pre- 7 week study period): 207
NBME 12 & 13 (1 week out): 254 on both
Free 150 (1 week out): 94%
Step 1: 262

Study materials: Completed both Kaplan Q bank & Uworld one time each, FA 3x, Goljan RR (blue text and images + black text as needed), Goljan audio 2x, Microcards 2x (crucial). I tried gunner training during M1 and hated it, decided to focus on coursework instead.

The only real advice I can give is to take your coursework seriously, even if it seems ****ty and low yield. In my opinion, the difference between a 230 and 250+ on the NBME's depends almost exclusively on how well you know First Aid and Goljan (or Pathoma), but the real deal is significantly different. The difference between 230 and 250+ on the real deal is how deeply you understand the material from M1 & M2 and can apply that knowledge to new situations. This test will definitely push you out of your comfort zone, but try to trust your instincts.

I felt pretty terrible coming out of my exam, and would have been truly happy with anything above 230 -- so don't let the post-exam jitters get you down. Good luck, everyone!

Can you comment on repeating qbanks (i.e. if you wouldn't of found it helpful and why). I've seen some people swear by it and then others not - and do just as well. It seems like there is a saturation point - where you've done ENOUGH questions and then it's just application/memory of the material.

 

[rubicsphere]

How long did it take you to get through UW?


Also, was there anything you would do differently?

I sat down and did 120 Q's per day and tried to understand the explanations while working out the reasonings in my head and annotating FA. It took about 18 days. Some 46 Q blocks would literally take 3 hrs or more to go through.

The only thing I would have changed is how I used FA. I didn't start using FA until my 4th block in Phase I, but that would have been an early change. I only studied hard for 5 weeks because I did DIT through our Infectious Disease block at only 4 videos per day. I'm not looking for an uber high score just anything above average is fine with me.

I can relate with what KinasePro is saying. My 5th block was a nightmare!! It felt like I was guessing on every other question. Now in retrospect every question that I can remember I got right so I'm not as nervous as I was right after, but he's right you will definitely have to think on your toes in some very awkward situations. Also some of the questions word things very "weird" and knowing alternative names for common molecules is key.

 

[KinasePro]

Can you comment on repeating qbanks (i.e. if you wouldn't of found it helpful and why). I've seen some people swear by it and then others not - and do just as well. It seems like there is a saturation point - where you've done ENOUGH questions and then it's just application/memory of the material.

I went about this in a weird way that might not work for everyone, but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Every q bank question can essentially be boiled down to a few sentences of information that is being tested, and those facts are really what we're trying to capture when we do all these thousands of questions (IMO, at least). So I basically made a document of these 1-2 sentence learning objectives for every question I got wrong in each of the testbanks. When going through explanations for q's I got wrong, I would immediately write a 1-2 sentence summary in this document and organize it by system. So near the end of my session, I had a bullet-point, condensed document that had the learning objectives for every question I got wrong in both Q banks.

I had initially intended to re-do my wrongs and marked questions in both banks, but I tried it for a few blocks and didn't find it very helpful. I usually remembered the really "WTF?!?"-type questions and generally just found it to be an inefficient use of my time in comparison to going through my "wrongs document". I could cover an entire organ system using the document in a fraction of the time it took me to get through a block of q bank wrongs.

That's just my $0.02 though, some of my classmates found a second pass through the q banks to be pretty helpful.

 

[JShephard]

I went about this in a weird way that might not work for everyone, but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Every q bank question can essentially be boiled down to a few sentences of information that is being tested, and those facts are really what we're trying to capture when we do all these thousands of questions (IMO, at least). So I basically made a document of these 1-2 sentence learning objectives for every question I got wrong in each of the testbanks. When going through explanations for q's I got wrong, I would immediately write a 1-2 sentence summary in this document and organize it by system. So near the end of my session, I had a bullet-point, condensed document that had the learning objectives for every question I got wrong in both Q banks.

I had initially intended to re-do my wrongs and marked questions in both banks, but I tried it for a few blocks and didn't find it very helpful. I usually remembered the really "WTF?!?"-type questions and generally just found it to be an inefficient use of my time in comparison to going through my "wrongs document". I could cover an entire organ system using the document in a fraction of the time it took me to get through a block of q bank wrongs.

That's just my $0.02 though, some of my classmates found a second pass through the q banks to be pretty helpful.

Thanks for the advice.

Congratulations on an excellent job.

 

[tarsuc]

Also some of the questions word things very "weird" and knowing alternative names for common molecules is key.

Thanks a lot for the advice.

Could you elaborate a bit on this. I dont think i quite follow.

Thanks

 

[cage92]

I went about this in a weird way that might not work for everyone, but I'll throw it out there anyway.

Every q bank question can essentially be boiled down to a few sentences of information that is being tested, and those facts are really what we're trying to capture when we do all these thousands of questions (IMO, at least). So I basically made a document of these 1-2 sentence learning objectives for every question I got wrong in each of the testbanks. When going through explanations for q's I got wrong, I would immediately write a 1-2 sentence summary in this document and organize it by system. So near the end of my session, I had a bullet-point, condensed document that had the learning objectives for every question I got wrong in both Q banks.

I had initially intended to re-do my wrongs and marked questions in both banks, but I tried it for a few blocks and didn't find it very helpful. I usually remembered the really "WTF?!?"-type questions and generally just found it to be an inefficient use of my time in comparison to going through my "wrongs document". I could cover an entire organ system using the document in a fraction of the time it took me to get through a block of q bank wrongs.

That's just my $0.02 though, some of my classmates found a second pass through the q banks to be pretty helpful.

what are you re score of q banks when you begin solving ?

 

[KinasePro]

what are you re score of q banks when you begin solving ?

For UWorld, I started out around 55-60% per block and was hitting 85-95% at the end (average was 75% for the entire bank). I started Kaplan during classes, and was hitting ~50% per block initially, averaged ~85% toward the end (73% average for the entire bank).

 

[Charlie Hustle]

I have a question for those of you who have recently taken the exam: roughly what percentage of your questions were "auto-clicks"? In other words, how many times throughout the exam did you read the stem, instantly know what the question was trying to ask, click the correct answer, and then move on to the next question without second guessing?

I have a feeling the number is awfully low. The reason I ask is that (after having completed ~2,500 Kaplan/USMLERx questions so far) I feel like these questions aren't really challenging me the way I'll be challenged on the real deal. Some questions are more challenging than others, obviously, but there are some questions that just seem very elementary and/or give the answer away with buzzwords. I feel like I've learned a great deal by doing these practice questions and I've still got UWorld to complete, but I guess I'm just trying to get a feel for the raw difficulty of the exam.

 

[12thMan]

UWSA1: 262 (~1.5 months-out)
UWSA2: 264 (~1.5 months-out)

NBME6: 252 (12 days-out)
NBME7: 254 (11 days-out)

Real deal: 262




NBME11: 264 (4 days-out)
NBME13: 264 (8 days-out)
NBME12: 266 (6 days-out)

...all overshot me by 2-4 points.

----------

Everyone's exam varies. The whole system is totally cracked up.

Ijn got a 269 btw, which means he got 256 on NBME13.

So 6+7 undershot me considerably. 13 undershot him but 11, 12 and 13 all overshot me.

I'm not sure when ijn took form 13 though.

What were your Uworld SA percentages to get to 262-264?

And did you find the actual Step 1 to be harder than Uworld?

Note: I thought the UW SA questions were far more straightforward than their Qbank. Do you agree?

 

[Medicine123]

What were your Uworld SA percentages to get to 262-264?

And did you find the actual Step 1 to be harder than Uworld?

Note: I thought the UW SA questions were far more straightforward than their Qbank. Do you agree?

Although this q wasn't meant for me but I'm going to answer it anyways just to help out
Uworld is difficult than Kaplan. And real exam is almost like Uworld. But, real exam asks you the most basic things. I mean even if you have a scenario of a rarest disease,at the end you would b asked a simplest question! So I would suggest that you should master general pathology and the basic concepts of all subjects rather than memorizing rare and mind twisting things. (At least that's what I found out on my exam)

 

[Phloston]

Got my score back last week, finally getting around to posting.

NBME 11 (pre- 7 week study period): 207
NBME 12 & 13 (1 week out): 254 on both
Free 150 (1 week out): 94%
Step 1: 262

Nice. Welcome to the 262 club. If you come to Australia we can grab a beer to celebrate.

What were your Uworld SA percentages to get to 262-264?

And did you find the actual Step 1 to be harder than Uworld?

Note: I thought the UW SA questions were far more straightforward than their Qbank. Do you agree?

I finished UWorld at 85% cum in timed, random-mode.

For me, perceived hardest to easiest: UWSAs > UWorld = real deal

 

[KinasePro]

I have a question for those of you who have recently taken the exam: roughly what percentage of your questions were "auto-clicks"? [...]

For me, about 1/2 of the exam was straightforward "auto-clicks." The other 1/2 required a lot of educated guessing.

This definitely varies from person to person though and depends on your mindset going into the exam. I think hammering the popular resources should safely get you to ~230, but beyond that a deeper understanding & good instincts are needed. Recognizing buzzwords and classic presentations is very important for those "auto-click" questions, but knowing mechanisms and pathophysiology were more important for the challenging questions. (This is why I liked Goljan RR so much... he gives mechanisms for practically every disorder presented in his text)

For difficulty, I'd rank them: real deal ~= UWorld > UWSA's > NBME's ~= Free 150.

Nice. Welcome to the 262 club. If you come to Australia we can grab a beer to celebrate.

 

[blaqmamba]

For difficulty, I'd rank them: real deal ~= UWorld > UWSA's > NBME's ~= Free 150.

Is free150 the same practice test offered at prometric test centers?

Is free150 the same practice test offered at prometric test centers? I wouldn't want to do the questions and then waste time with the same practice test.

Also, when do people generally do the Free 150 questions?

 

[KinasePro]

Is free150 the same practice test offered at prometric test centers?

There's some debate about this, but the SDN consensus is that they are not exactly the same. They're very similar in style and difficulty, but not 100% identical.

Also, when do people generally do the Free 150 questions?

I'd recommend saving it for your last week. The question style (stem length, types of distractors, images, etc...) is very similar to the real thing, but they're not quite as difficult IMO. It provides a decent confidence boost, while allowing you to get used to the software and exact question style.

 

[CDI]

There's some debate about this, but the SDN consensus is that they are not exactly the same. They're very similar in style and difficulty, but not 100% identical.

I'd recommend saving it for your last week. The question style (stem length, types of distractors, images, etc...) is very similar to the real thing, but they're not quite as difficult IMO. It provides a decent confidence boost, while allowing you to get used to the software and exact question style.

There are 150 questions in both. However, they are not all counted on the practice 150. I think around 138 were counted towards the correct % on mine. Tossed the print-out, so I don't remember exactly.

There are a few questions, I'd say 5-7, that were in the free 150 but not on my practice 150. I came home to check back and noticed there were some different.

 

[CDI]

Just something I've noticed. Feel free to chime in cause I could be way off here.

Based on people I've talked to, and what I'm seeing in the forums, it seems that people who do well 250-260+ say that UWorld = real deal.

Yet people who do closer to average 220-230 say UWorld > real deal.

I'm guessing this is because on UWorld, auto-clicks are way less than 50%. (That seems to be the consensus.) All those real-deal auto-clicks for the average 220-230 exam taker who's been using UWorld exclusively would make it seem easier. This is obviously with the assumption that the majority of average scorers haven't done multiple Qbanks.

Majority of those scoring 250-260's seem to go through Qbank and/or Rx as well. Chances are they've seen a lot of these auto-clicks already. So their only real battle is those UWorld type questions, so thats what they feel its equal to.

This raises a question about how crucial those extra Qbanks really are for prep.

 

[blaqmamba]

There are 150 questions in both. However, they are not all counted on the practice 150. I think around 138 were counted towards the correct % on mine. Tossed the print-out, so I don't remember exactly.

There are a few questions, I'd say 5-7, that were in the free 150 but not on my practice 150. I came home to check back and noticed there were some different.

I guess I would rather lose out on the 5-7 Qs and take it at the center. That way, at least I get some experience taking it at a test center

 

[Bnad]

Yeah. Where is everyone?

More people will be taking towards Spring and Summer after M2 right?

 

[CDI]

I guess I would rather lose out on the 5-7 Qs and take it at the center. That way, at least I get some experience taking it at a test center

Right. When you get home and go through the Free 150, you'll be able to see those other questions anyways.

 

[Sir Gillies]

Hi guys,

Sorry to jump in. Are you saying that 5-7qs from your free 150 were in the actual exam? Is that a common thing?

I have just done UWSA2 that has given me a good boost in confidence, that I am concerned of losing in case I do badly in another self-assessment (free 150 or NBME). Am I being silly? What do you guys recommend.

Thanks in advance!

 

[blaqmamba]

Hi guys,

Sorry to jump in. Are you saying that 5-7qs from your free 150 were in the actual exam? Is that a common thing?

I have just done UWSA2 that has given me a good boost in confidence, that I am concerned of losing in case I do badly in another self-assessment (free 150 or NBME). Am I being silly? What do you guys recommend.

Thanks in advance!

No, rather that there was only a mild difference (5-7Qs) between Free 150 and a practice test at Prometric

When is your test? I was under the impression people do UWSA towards the end of their studying as well. Either way, if there is still time between now and your test, I would keep doing questions/practice tests (at least if I were you)

 

[Sir Gillies]

Thanks for the clarification. My test is in 6 days and after finishing Rx, UW, NBME11 and UWSA2, I still feel that I am getting some questions wrong because I don't know FA 100%. That's why I am debating whether to: a) focus mainly on my weak areas on FA and maybe do repeats of marked UW qs (NO other tests to ensure I don't lose my confidence) or b) do more NBMEs and free 150 and less FA (and risk of bringing down my confidence).

Thanks a lot for your input! Any advice is truly appreciated : )

 

[CDI]

Thanks for the clarification. My test is in 6 days and after finishing Rx, UW, NBME11 and UWSA2, I still feel that I am getting some questions wrong because I don't know FA 100%. That's why I am debating whether to: a) focus mainly on my weak areas on FA and maybe do repeats of marked UW qs (NO other tests to ensure I don't lose my confidence) or b) do more NBMEs and free 150 and less FA (and risk of bringing down my confidence).

Thanks a lot for your input! Any advice is truly appreciated : )

I think Phloston had earlier suggested doing certain volatile topics out of FA in the last week. I'd think that would be a solid bet.

If you're going to do NBMEs (any time) you have to ask yourself what you're looking to get out of them. There's no point in looking at progress the final week unless you are willing to push your test further back if something goes wrong. I think the high performers (250+) who take it in the final week are just doing it to get another set of questions under their belt and they are literally searching for questions to get wrong at that point. You'll have to determine where you stand.

Otherwise just work through them offline, or do the Free 150 for that confidence boost. (If you bomb that at the end of your prep, then you really have something to worry about.) Also, many have reported actually seeing a question or two from there on their actual exam.

 

[Sir Gillies]

Thanks a lot for your reply. I truly wish I had Phloston's knowledge : ) I am a big fan of his!

I scored 247 on UWSA2 (which I am super happy about) and it would be a dream to gain an extra few marks between now and the test.

How many questions (% wise) does someone need to get wrong to get a 250? 30%?

Thanks a lot for your advice and please keep it coming : )

 

[Phloston]

During the final week, really reading into the topics of the NBME questions you get wrong is essential.

On the real deal, the questions you get wrong will be comparable to those you're getting wrong on the NBMEs. Fact.

We all like to believe that we'll magically snap into ultra-human mode on the real USMLE and get everything right.

The truth is, three of the "stupid errors" I had on my real USMLE were on topics I'd gotten wrong on the latter NBMEs (11-13). One question that I almost got wrong on the real deal was in a topic I had also struggled with on the NBMEs.

If you get a question wrong on one of the NBMEs regarding tropical diseases, for instance, spend a true 20 minutes thinking about the highest-yield ideas in that category and ask yourself whether you know those concepts 1000%. Don't just think about doing this. Actually do it. If you want those few extra points in the end, you need to close the gaps in your knowledge. Your incorrect NBME questions are your ideal bridge through which to accomplish this.

Similarly, if you've noticed that you're getting some neuroanatomy or drug overdose/withdrawal questions wrong on the NBMEs, out of the small handful of questions you get wrong on the real deal, one or two of the questions will be in at least one of those categories.

--------

For me, I had been getting neuroanatomy, tropical disease and illicit drug-use questions wrong on my NBMEs (I noticed this pattern over all ten NBMEs = 2000 questions), and on the real deal, I got a question wrong in each of these respective categories.

 

[WonderBoy]

During the final week, really reading into the topics of the NBME questions you get wrong is essential.

On the real deal, the questions you get wrong will be comparable to those you're getting wrong on the NBMEs. Fact.

We all like to believe that we'll magically snap into ultra-human mode on the real USMLE and get everything right.

The truth is, three of the "stupid errors" I had on my real USMLE were on topics I'd gotten wrong on the latter NBMEs (11-13). One question that I almost got wrong on the real deal was in a topic I had also struggled with on the NBMEs.

If you get a question wrong on one of the NBMEs regarding tropical diseases, for instance, spend a true 20 minutes thinking about the highest-yield ideas in that category and ask yourself whether you know those concepts 1000%. Don't just think about doing this. Actually do it. If you want those few extra points in the end, you need to close the gaps in your knowledge. Your incorrect NBME questions are your ideal bridge through which to accomplish this.

Similarly, if you've noticed that you're getting some neuroanatomy or drug overdose/withdrawal questions wrong on the NBMEs, out of the small handful of questions you get wrong on the real deal, one or two of the questions will be in at least one of those categories.

--------

For me, I had been getting neuroanatomy, tropical disease and illicit drug-use questions wrong on my NBMEs (I noticed this pattern over all ten NBMEs = 2000 questions), and on the real deal, I got a question wrong in each of these respective categories.

Excellent advice, glad you still post here. My test is coming up soon and I will be following this.

 

[Sir Gillies]

THANK YOU SO MUCH PHLOSTON!!!! Your input as usual is invaluable! I'll let you know how I get on.

I've been following your posts from the very beginning and they have helped me a great deal. Congrats on the great score.

Thanks a million!

 

[rocketbooster]

haha Phloston, still ruling over your minions I see. Your test was a few months ago. You already left ppl plenty of posts with great advice. Move on and forget this thing!

 

[Phloston]

Lol. I've actually just started USMLE lectures here at my school for the MS2s. Funny enough, the reinforcement will continue through this year as well. I'm excited.

 

[Guyton Killah]

haha Phloston, still ruling over your minions I see. Your test was a few months ago. You already left ppl plenty of posts with great advice. Move on and forget this thing!

Phloston hater Hahahaha!

 

[Zzmed]

Lol. I've actually just started USMLE lectures here at my school for the MS2s. Funny enough, the reinforcement will continue through this year as well. I'm excited.

That's great man! You started tutoring for real! So nice of you!
Keep up the good work and help people out.

 

[stronghold]

For UWorld, I started out around 55-60% per block and was hitting 85-95% at the end (average was 75% for the entire bank). I started Kaplan during classes, and was hitting ~50% per block initially, averaged ~85% toward the end (73% average for the entire bank).

Congrats for the high score! Did you do UW tutor untimed mode, or timed? I heard thr best way to learn UW is by doing tutor mode in order to learn from it.

 

[jenniferleigh]

So I am 50 days out from Step now.

I took my first NBME (5) 1 month ago and got 191.
I took my second NBME (13) this weekend and got 228.
I am 99% done with Kaplan at 55% (but started this last August)
60% done with USMLErx at 68%
And 6% on Uworld with 66%
I have finished first aid but have been watching some DIT and just trying to fill in my weak areas. My last class test is Friday and at that point I think I'll just do qbanks. I really hope I can score above 240 by April 15!

 

[CDI]

So I am 50 days out from Step now.

I took my first NBME (5) 1 month ago and got 191.
I took my second NBME (13) this weekend and got 228.
I am 99% done with Kaplan at 55% (but started this last August)
60% done with USMLErx at 68%
And 6% on Uworld with 66%
I have finished first aid but have been watching some DIT and just trying to fill in my weak areas. My last class test is Friday and at that point I think I'll just do qbanks. I really hope I can score above 240 by April 15!

Thats solid progress! I'd bet getting through UWorld will really bump your score up.

What'd you think of USMLERx? Did you feel the improvement was from getting through that, or mostly just getting through FA?

 

[jenniferleigh]

Rx really helped me review for classes as well as get through first aid. I was pleasantly surprised because I heard mixed reviews. I plan to finish it.