Official 2014 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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900829

900829

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Too early? Pff nah it's not.
It's our time to shine bright like a diamond!
It's our time to make step 1 our Goliath.

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MilkIsGood said:
Just took UWSA 1 today.

Any ideas on how to go about improving with approx 3 weeks left to study? Based on their bar graphs that Ive attached to this post, Im inconsistent in most subjects but renal. Still have 40% of UWorld to finish.
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What has your strategy been thus for for micro/immuno? Do you have an idea of where you're running into trouble?
 
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Fatalis said:
girl in my class got her results back today, she wrote it exactly one week before me. so I can expect it next wednesday....oh boy!
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Oh man, the nerves must be kicking in huh. I'm sure u did great (based on ur NBME scores).
 
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For those that have started doing NBMEs, how much into your studies were you when you took the first one? I haven't reviewed half of the material yet, so I was wondering if it was even worth it to take one this week just to see where I am in relation to how much I have left. Which ones did you start with? Thanks in advance.
 
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Do people find UWSA 1 and 2 helpful? I know they over predict, but do the concepts/explanations offer anything additional to vanilla Uworld? (I'm specifically wondering about assessment 2)
 
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jayareus said:
Do people find UWSA 1 and 2 helpful? I know they over predict, but do the concepts/explanations offer anything additional to vanilla Uworld? (I'm specifically wondering about assessment 2)
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I just did 1 but it seemed like doing 4 blocks of UW in a row, maybe with a little more focus and anxiety since youre taking a practice test. Again they over predict, so imo it may be good for when you need that extra motivation in the end to plow through more questions in one sitting. If you want a more accurate prediction of your score, NBMEs are prob the way to go. If you have a sense of where you are from prior NBMEs, i think that more UW qs (Self assessment or otherwise) are probably higher yield if you are getting closer to the date, since you get the answers and explanations, whereas NBMEs take up a good chunk of time to take then you need to go search for answers to learn anything substantial from your mistakes.
Just my opinion. Others may say NBMEs are inherently worth doing bc of the potential repeats or near repeats. Still I dont think you learn all that much from them compared to UW. id exhaust all UW sources before going to NBMEs as a learnin tool compared to an assessment tool. At the end of the day, the more qs the better from any reputable source, so ideally you ll have time for both (easier said than done)
 
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NeuroLAX said:
For those that have started doing NBMEs, how much into your studies were you when you took the first one? I haven't reviewed half of the material yet, so I was wondering if it was even worth it to take one this week just to see where I am in relation to how much I have left. Which ones did you start with? Thanks in advance.
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I took a UWSA as a diagnostic in the beginning. And then started using NBMEs after my first pass, it was very tempting to do them earlier - but I figured it would be much more useful after completing everything for the first time. As for NBMEs - I think few would argue that, as a general rule, the newer the NBME the more representative it is.

On that note - what do you guys think of NBME 7, it's getting a little old? Trying to decided whether to incorporate it into my schedule, doing all the others.
 
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MilkIsGood said:
Just took UWSA 1 today.

Any ideas on how to go about improving with approx 3 weeks left to study? Based on their bar graphs that Ive attached to this post, Im inconsistent in most subjects but renal. Still have 40% of UWorld to finish.
Click to expand...

lol did you just ask for "any ideas" on how to improve from a 260??
 
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Either way, you're in a good position. Look over the areas that are bad, and review that part of FA. And obviously finish UWorld... you're going to be fine.
 
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MilkIsGood said:
Just took UWSA 1 today.

Any ideas on how to go about improving with approx 3 weeks left to study? Based on their bar graphs that Ive attached to this post, Im inconsistent in most subjects but renal. Still have 40% of UWorld to finish.
Click to expand...


considering how UWSA over predicts, i think that focusing on weaknesses would be the most important. Another run through first aid would also be of benefit once you finish up uworld.
 
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NeuroLAX said:
For those that have started doing NBMEs, how much into your studies were you when you took the first one? I haven't reviewed half of the material yet, so I was wondering if it was even worth it to take one this week just to see where I am in relation to how much I have left. Which ones did you start with? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

First one I took was form 15, on February 15th. I was curious to know how much I retained so far. Go for it.
 
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MilkIsGood said:
Ive just been using FA and UWorld for micro. Missing some details here and there that I need to relook at in FA.
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If you haven't already done so, drill the mnemonics at the beginning of the micro chapter into your head. Know the bugs with similar toxin actions, know how to identify bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and protozoan infections by descriptions and pictures alone, know HBV and HIV/AIDS inside and out (with HIV know your CD counts for opportunistics), know "most commons" by age groups, and categorize the pharm stuff into groups. Sorry if this sounds like "duh" to you, just I've stuck to this plan and have been doing very well in micro. Good luck.
 
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900829 said:
First one I took was form 15, on February 15th. I was curious to know how much I retained so far. Go for it.
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Do you think it helped your prioritize, or do you feel that it wasn't representative because it was early in prep?
 
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NeuroLAX said:
If you haven't already done so, drill the mnemonics at the beginning of the micro chapter into your head. Know the bugs with similar toxin actions, know how to identify bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and protozoan infections by descriptions and pictures alone, know HBV and HIV/AIDS inside and out (with HIV know your CD counts for opportunistics), know "most commons" by age groups, and categorize the pharm stuff into groups. Sorry if this sounds like "duh" to you, just I've stuck to this plan and have been doing very well in micro. Good luck.
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This is gold man, thanks. going through micro again right now (our school's micro course is atrocious) and constantly wondering how much of this sh** I really need to commit to memory. Real helpful
 
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periaqueductal said:
This is gold man, thanks. going through micro again right now (our school's micro course is atrocious) and constantly wondering how much of this sh** I really need to commit to memory. Real helpful
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One caveat: I haven't taken Step 1 yet, so I will yield to veterans. The above were common themes in Rx and UWorld.
 
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NeuroLAX said:
If you haven't already done so, drill the mnemonics at the beginning of the micro chapter into your head. Know the bugs with similar toxin actions, know how to identify bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and protozoan infections by descriptions and pictures alone, know HBV and HIV/AIDS inside and out (with HIV know your CD counts for opportunistics), know "most commons" by age groups, and categorize the pharm stuff into groups. Sorry if this sounds like "duh" to you, just I've stuck to this plan and have been doing very well in micro. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Ugh, doing micro now in M1 and reading this makes me die a little bit inside. I guess it's time to dive back into the flash cards.
 
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mcloaf said:
Ugh, doing micro now in M1 and reading this makes me die a little bit inside. I guess it's time to dive back into the flash cards.
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dyspareunia said:
Same :-( FC helps a lot.
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Mnemonics saved me in micro, and they are proving to be incredibly HY for boards, especially for the viruses. Damn those viruses! Those are perhaps the trickiest Qbank questions for micro. We learned so many extra bugs, viruses, fungi, parasites, and protozoans in my micro class. Thank God those extra ones are not at all HY now.
 
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Butterball007 said:
Congrats! I saw another post by you that you were planning on taking nbme 12. Did you end up taking it? How was your exam experience?
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I did end up taking it a week before my test and it was my worst NBME. It killed my confidence but I knew if I postponed then I would probably do even worse. I made sure to do a full 8 hours testing a few days before my test to make sure I knew I could handle it fine (NBME12 and 3 Uworld blocks). Try to come up witha good plan for breaks during the test. I took 20 min after 3 blocks, then 20 min after 2 more blocks, then 20 min after one block (3 blocks, break, 2 blocks, break, 1 block, break, 1 block). This work perfectly for me and I made sure to have lots of snacks and an energy drink to sip on. Overall the exam was tough. I walked out feeling just OK. I knew i did poorly on some blocks and better on others. Try to make sure u have round 5-10 min at the end of the block to go over questions as I was able to change about 8 to the correct answer by thinking through it.
 
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tallman24 said:
I did end up taking it a week before my test and it was my worst NBME. It killed my confidence but I knew if I postponed then I would probably do even worse. I made sure to do a full 8 hours testing a few days before my test to make sure I knew I could handle it fine (NBME12 and 3 Uworld blocks). Try to come up witha good plan for breaks during the test. I took 20 min after 3 blocks, then 20 min after 2 more blocks, then 20 min after one block (3 blocks, break, 2 blocks, break, 1 block, break, 1 block). This work perfectly for me and I made sure to have lots of snacks and an energy drink to sip on. Overall the exam was tough. I walked out feeling just OK. I knew i did poorly on some blocks and better on others. Try to make sure u have round 5-10 min at the end of the block to go over questions as I was able to change about 8 to the correct answer by thinking through it.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the replying and for the tips! & Congrats once again :)
 
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NeuroLAX said:
Do you think it helped your prioritize, or do you feel that it wasn't representative because it was early in prep?
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Yeah, it definitely helped me prioritize, even though I took it a little early.
 
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So I know that there are obviously always going to be questions from left field that you can't answer, but any tips on maybe getting an idea of some of the newer drugs that are tested but don't show up in first aid or Uworld? I watched a friend's old Kaplan videos, and the lecturers mentioned brand new (from back then) drugs showing up, and I believe the same thing happens now. Is there any way to prepare for this sort of thing, or is it really you're just lucky enough to have read a certain journal article or not?
 
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jayareus said:
So I know that there are obviously always going to be questions from left field that you can't answer, but any tips on maybe getting an idea of some of the newer drugs that are tested but don't show up in first aid or Uworld? I watched a friend's old Kaplan videos, and the lecturers mentioned brand new (from back then) drugs showing up, and I believe the same thing happens now. Is there any way to prepare for this sort of thing, or is it really you're just lucky enough to have read a certain journal article or not?
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You mean like rivaroxaban? I just remember that it has an X in it like apixaban, so it is a Factor Xa inhibitor. Hopefully the new ones are easily identified by their suffix, but obviously that's not always helpful in some class of drugs. If you watch any TV at all you're bound to see some of them. There's a new OAB drug called mirabegron that is the first and only FDA approved drug in its class (beta-3 agonists).
 
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just becauser its fda approved does not mean its within the scope of the test. and conversely, just because a drug is not fda approved for an indication does not mean it wouldnt be tested, but is probably much less likely to be tested.
 
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Yeah that's sort of what I'm getting at - does anyone have a good strategy of figuring out what new drugs ARE in the scope of the test? I know this is super low yield sort of thing, but I was just wondering if people had a system of going about this or if you really can do nothing but throw your hands up and resign to the fact that some things aren't going to be in First Aid/UWorld/Goljan/etc. and you might get asked them.

In the same vein, has anyone found a good resource of compiled "low yield" facts, either as a list or flashcards or something? Something sort of like the tidbits in pholston's powerpoints from before - just random interesting testable concepts that could (rarely) show up.
 
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I remember people mentioning Pholstons ppts earlier. I was wondering if someone who has access to them could send me a link. Thanks
 
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Can anyone comment on their experience with Step 1 Secrets (small blue book)? I know it's probably too dense for dedicated prep, but what about during MS1 and early MS2?
 
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dyspareunia said:
Can anyone comment on their experience with Step 1 Secrets (small blue book)? I know it's probably too dense for dedicated prep, but what about during MS1 and early MS2?
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I like it. It has helped clear a few things up in each section of FA that I've reviewed thus far. I wouldn't say it's essential, but it covers HY topics and is case-based which I find helpful.
 
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dyspareunia said:
Can anyone comment on their experience with Step 1 Secrets (small blue book)? I know it's probably too dense for dedicated prep, but what about during MS1 and early MS2?
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Great book to use along side course-work. I personally wouldn't recommend it for Step 1 studying though - it's not comprehensive enough to be a reference resource, but not concise enough to be a primary review.
 
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Been creeping this thread for some time - y'all have been so helpful.

I was hoping to yield a few comments/thoughts. My goal is a 255. I'm writing on June 9th.

Practice scores thus far:
NBME #5 (Jan. 25th): 207
NBME #6 (March 1st): 240
UWSA1 (April 4th): 252
NBME #7 (April 12th): 245

I've just finished UW (72%) random timed. I'm working through my incorrect questions before resetting. I'm also working through Rx as well (banked about 2000 Q's). Currently, I'm on my second pass of FA, and I'm reading Pathoma daily. Should I be doing anything else to drive my scores upwards or should I just let this prep take its course and hope for bigger gains as I get closer to test date?

Thanks so much!
 
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Papist said:
Been creeping this thread for some time - y'all have been so helpful.

I was hoping to yield a few comments/thoughts. My goal is a 255. I'm writing on June 9th.

Practice scores thus far:
NBME #5 (Jan. 25th): 207
NBME #6 (March 1st): 240
UWSA1 (April 4th): 252
NBME #7 (April 12th): 245

I've just finished UW (72%) random timed. I'm working through my incorrect questions before resetting. I'm also working through Rx as well (banked about 2000 Q's). Currently, I'm on my second pass of FA, and I'm reading Pathoma daily. Should I be doing anything else to drive my scores upwards or should I just let this prep take its course and hope for bigger gains as I get closer to test date?

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...

Keep doing what you're doing - it seems to be working!
 
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How uncomfortable are the Prometric headsets for noise reduction? I'm wondering if I should get into the habit now of using foam ear plugs, but that may become an issue considering that there will be media questions.
 
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What's the deal with the unhappy triad? Which meniscus would be torn if a question stem had, say a football player being hit? Are we supposed to go with what FA calls the "classic" unhappy triad, or the the more common tears? Can anyone give a good explanation of this?

Also bancrofti - in my experience they are not very great - loose fitting and kind of grimy. I would bring ear plugs, but YMMV.
 
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Matteo said:
hey all - thought I'd join in the fun/neuroticism.
t-minus 3 weeks till the big day.

Goal: 250+

beginning of dedicated study time (4 weeks ago): UWSA/230
NBME 13- 245 (1.5 weeks ago)
UWSA - 260 (1 week ago)
NBME 11- 251

Any thoughts on NBME 7? Thinking about doing it next...but it seems like it might be a bit 'dated'
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Took NBME 12 - 262, pretty happy with the improvement. 2.5 weeks to go!

Papist said:
the score conversion with NBME is brutal, eh? 90% correct equated to a 580 (245).

does this seem right? i know they changed the scale up a bit in January.
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That seems about right. I got 89% on NBME 13 which turned out to be a 245.
 
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Unfortunately my school's voucher doesn't provide for extended feedback... Figured what the hell, and am taking the regular version. You can't beat free.
 
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