Official 2016 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[Transposony]

Let's continue the tradition for a very useful thread which has helped many.
Title says it all.
Good luck !

Must read thread:

Just took Step 1! It was a tornado of integration!!

My USMLE Step1 Thoughts and Experience, by Phloston

Official 2015 Step 1 Planning and Strategy Thread

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[rdk322]

What are some ways for me to understand and remember the Respiratory embryology (mainly page 606 in FA 2016)? Is it very high yield, has anyone had concepts tested on their exam from this page?

Embryo isn't terribly high yield based on my experience and from what I've read/heard. Probably important embryo would be the ones associated with anatomy (i.e. testes/ovaries drainage to para-aortical lymph nodes because they originated from the abdomen) and maybe pharyngeal arches, clefts, etc. If you have other weak areas that are higher yield and don't have much time left, you may be better off studying those instead. If you have a lot of time, you can always watch some YouTube vids on embryology, etc.

 

[MelMcT2009]

Embryo isn't terribly high yield based on my experience and from what I've read/heard. Probably important embryo would be the ones associated with anatomy (i.e. testes/ovaries drainage to para-aortical lymph nodes because they originated from the abdomen) and maybe pharyngeal arches, clefts, etc. If you have other weak areas that are higher yield and don't have much time left, you may be better off studying those instead. If you have a lot of time, you can always watch some YouTube vids on embryology, etc.

Agreed. Embryology that is related to pathology is HY. (I.e.: Pharyngeal clefts associated with DiGeorge, patent processus vaginalis ass with hydrocele and indirect hernia, etc). Random crap on the resp embryo page that you're referring to is low yield. Didn't see a single practice question on anything like that.

 

[Crazyredfox]

i gave the exam on 24th of august and had one of the resp embryo questions. disgusting. since i was using fa 2015 i did not even have it in my book, i knew it existed since i had gone through my friends 2016 edition. Hoping its a trial.

 

[risud87]

Embryo isn't terribly high yield based on my experience and from what I've read/heard. Probably important embryo would be the ones associated with anatomy (i.e. testes/ovaries drainage to para-aortical lymph nodes because they originated from the abdomen) and maybe pharyngeal arches, clefts, etc. If you have other weak areas that are higher yield and don't have much time left, you may be better off studying those instead. If you have a lot of time, you can always watch some YouTube vids on embryology, etc.

Thank you

 

[risud87]

This was the one page in the book that I just refused to learn haha. Didn't see a single practice question on it, so was willing to take the hit if for some odd


Agreed. Embryology that is related to pathology is HY. (I.e.: Pharyngeal arches associated with DiGeorge, patent processus vaginalis ass with hydrocele and indirect hernia, etc). Random crap on the resp embryo page that you're referring to is low yield. Didn't see a single practice question on anything like that.

Thank you

 

[risud87]

i gave the exam on 24th of august and had one of the resp embryo questions. disgusting. since i was using fa 2015 i did not even have it in my book, i knew it existed since i had gone through my friends 2016 edition. Hoping its a trial.

Thank you I guess I will briefly review it, and focus my attention on more highly tested concepts I hope you score well Looking forward to reading your Step 1 experience!

 

[risud87]

Quick Question: in FA 2016, it says to use octreotide to treat (symptom control) somatostatinomas. If octreotide itself is a somatostatin analog, how does it (mechanism/pathophysiology) control the symptoms of a somatostatinoma? Would it not also produce the same symptoms as somatostatinoma? Is it through negative feedback? If so, why can't the somatostatinoma negatively feedback itself?

 

[Redpancreas]

It's an honor to be able to post here and I never thought I'd be one of the people with a score decent enough to post. The intent of my post is not arrogantly state that NBMEs are useless. Based on overwhelming anecdotal evidence, they're right on the dot in terms of predicting results. One thing I would say though is that maybe UWSA doesn't over predict as much as some may say (15-20 points).

NBME 17 10 weeks out: 220
9 weeks out, decided to delay
8.5 weeks out: NBME 16: 226
7 weeks out: inefficient for a few days due to M3 orientation, family stuff, etc.
UWSA 4 weeks out: 241
NBME 15 3 weeks out: 224 ()
NBME 18 10 days out: 226
Real thing: 252

Study method:

In one phrase "a complete mess"...oh and also I delayed...

I'm not sure how this worked out. The one thing that I think may have significantly helped was USMLE Express a week before the exam. Before you all go out and buy it thinking its some kind of secret weapon, hear me out. I really struggled to just read first aid and get something from it. The series helped because they basically not only read it to me but interrupted and asked questions I couldn't answer, I never paused but let them give the answer and this may have been my first true pass of FA. Also between the NBMEs I DIT'ed stuff in addition to doing UWorld and FA and that definitely helped too.

I did UWorld 1.6-7times. I was done with it 6-7 weeks out and then went ahead and did more. I did not really start learning well from it until I started doing timed isolated Biostats/Pathology/Pathophysiology blocks (hardest ones for me). When I slowed down, I think my comprehension improved.

Pathoma: I don't really feel it deserves to be the "P" in UFAP. It was incredibly helpful when I used it concurrently with classes but after that it was very low yield to use during dedicated. What's more is that I feel Pathoma is wrong about pathogenesis and explanations he gives (which were what i would actually remembered) and instead definitions and minutiae he gave (like CIN or laryngeal polyps) were what was actually helpful. To be fair, he does acknowledge this oftentimes in videos but still...he spends a long time on these pseudo-explanations. Still an awesome resource nonetheless.

Other: (PLEASE DO NOT BE ME AND USE ALL OF THESE...this is why I had to delay)

SketchyMicro: one pass; did microbes during second semester 2nd year, never really did much viruses, did fungi, and did parasites a few days before the exam.

SketchyPharm: helped for weird drugs like Cyclophosphamide but not so much for antimuscarinic drugs. I felt like those latter videos were way to basic.

Lange Flashcards: not sure how much this helped but during the school year I'd have fun highlighting all over them. Used the Pathology and Pharm ones.

Sanjeev Cards: Did concurrently with micro. Helped a bit with the harder details.

DIT: watched the reproductive and neurology videos because those were my weakest subjects.

First Aid Express: watched all the general principles, repro, neurology, GI, and hematology.

Before the exam on the drive there I listened to an acid/base YouTube video and i think it got me 1-2 questions on the exam. (I thought MUDPILES was a useless acronym until I realized it wasn't all just acids)

Lastly I ran a lot (like an hour a day) and lifted sometimes as well. This helped a lot with mood and well being.

Hope that helped. If any of ya'll have questions, I'll be happy to relive this happy moment !





Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[FORWOL]

Hello everyone!
I wanted to inquire regarding how to get the score report. My friend and I are both IMGs and both studied together for this thing. He took his on the 22nd of august (Moday) and I took mine on the 27th of august (Saturday). For him according to the rule its 3 wednesdays but its been longer and no email. For me I'm assuming it should be this coming wednesday? Where exactly should we be looking for the scores? The ECFMG Oasis? And why is it delayed? Has anyone taken it on the 22nd?

And also a friend of mine suggested that we're supposed to get the score report physically mailed to us (as in via postal service) and I was under the imporession that they stopped doing this..Please shed some light - we're both very anxious!!

 

[AnalisCanalis]

Hello everyone!
I wanted to inquire regarding how to get the score report. My friend and I are both IMGs and both studied together for this thing. He took his on the 22nd of august (Moday) and I took mine on the 27th of august (Saturday). For him according to the rule its 3 wednesdays but its been longer and no email. For me I'm assuming it should be this coming wednesday? Where exactly should we be looking for the scores? The ECFMG Oasis? And why is it delayed? Has anyone taken it on the 22nd?

And also a friend of mine suggested that we're supposed to get the score report physically mailed to us (as in via postal service) and I was under the imporession that they stopped doing this..Please shed some light - we're both very anxious!!

You will receive an email when your score report is made available on Oasis. Mine took 4 wednesdays. Make sure that there is no issue with the reverification of your enrollment status. My school apparently had to verify twice.

 

[FORWOL]

You will receive an email when your score report is made available on Oasis. Mine took 4 wednesdays. Make sure that there is no issue with the reverification of your enrollment status. My school apparently had to verify twice.

Thank you for the answer! What do you mean by reverification? The form 186?

 

[haFaithve]

I'm sure it depends on the school you're attending, but some people do a research/gap year and do it on the front end of that since there's no rush to start clerkships. Other people may take LOA, and some schools have vacation time that you can schedule into your 3rd and 4th year wherever you wish, so that's another thing people who are taking it in september might be doing.

Alright thanks!

 

[AnalisCanalis]

Thank you for the answer! What do you mean by reverification? The form 186?

If you are a student currently enrolled in a foreign medical school, the people at ECFMG reserve themselves the right to reverify with your school that you are in fact enrolled during the time of your chosen eligibility period. You don't need to sign any document, this should be handled by your school. If your school official has not dealt with the paperwork, your score report won't be released. Obviously, if you have already graduated this does not apply.

 

[Snake89]

Sorry for posting here but I guess most of the posters in this thread had taken the exam recently. I'm looking to buy expiring UW subscription from any of you. It's because UW renewal costs much less than a new subscription.

Those interested in selling their expiring account, I'm able to offer good price, kindly PM me.

 

[yasah]

Hi all,
I am studying for step 1 and taking it in 5 days. i am super confused cause of my scores. NBME 17: 228 (sep11th) NBME 18:207 (sep 19th) USWA 2 :245
I really don't know which one to trust. Which score would be more predictive of my actual score? I have my exam in a week. What would you suggest to do, studying FA or doing more questions? Thanks

 

[tarsuc]

DIT: watched the reproductive and neurology videos because those were my weakest subjects.

First Aid Express: watched all the general principles, repro, neurology, GI, and hematology.







Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

why FA express videos instead of DIT ? Arent DIT more highly rated. any particular reason?

 

[Brorthopedic]

For those that used USMLE-Rx during the school year, could someone please give me some feedback.

We just finished our first block and I did pretty well on the subjects. However, I've been taking simulated block tests (44Qs) on the 3-4 organ systems that we just covered and have been hitting 50-60% on them. Is this a bad sign if I'm aiming for 245+? I'm taking the test in July so I still have a long way to go but I see people posting on here that their 1st pass with USMLE-Rx was like ~80% so it's discouraging.

 

[lymphocyte]

For those that used USMLE-Rx during the school year, could someone please give me some feedback.

We just finished our first block and I did pretty well on the subjects. However, I've been taking simulated block tests (44Qs) on the 3-4 organ systems that we just covered and have been hitting 50-60% on them. Is this a bad sign if I'm aiming for 245+? I'm taking the test in July so I still have a long way to go but I see people posting on here that their 1st pass with USMLE-Rx was like ~80% so it's discouraging.

There's no reason to be discouraged, even if you feel discouraged, which sucks.

1) You're 9 months out. There's simply a lot of learning left to do.

2) Qbanks should not be used as prognostic tools. They're learning tools and nothing more, preferably as guides for what to learn in greater depth, not just factoid engines. The only meaningful tool for prognosis is a recent NBME.

I guarantee if you were scoring 50-60% and then learned about what you missed (or guessed)--to the point where you could correctly and confidently answer a bunch of related questions--your percentage would not only steadily increase, you'd be in a fantastic position to start UWorld.

The biggest problem with using Qbanks as prognostic tools is that they become discouraging, like you currently feel. As dumb as it sounds, I used to force myself to say something positive about missed questions--"Hey! I learned something new"! or "Wow, what a great question"! I would literally say those words, until I internalised the emotion and stopped feeling badly about doing what the whole point of a Qbank is--which is to make mistakes and learn from them. IMHO, half the battle with Step 1 is maintaining a dogged and diligent mental attitude while keeping your anxiety in check. SDN is a great community, but it doesn't always help with that.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...d-scores-thread.1104788/page-16#post-16313455

 

[Brorthopedic]

There's no reason to be discouraged, even if you feel discouraged, which sucks.

1) You're 9 months out. There's simply a lot of learning left to do.

2) Qbanks should not be used as prognostics tools. They're learning tools and nothing more, preferably as guides for what to learn in greater depth, not just factoid engines. The only meaningful tool for prognosis is an NBME.

I guarantee if you were scoring 50-60% and then learned about what you missed (or guessed)--to the point where you could correctly and confidently answer a bunch of related questions--your percentage would not only steadily increase, you'd be in a fantastic position to start UWorld.

The biggest problem with using Qbanks as prognostics tools is that they become immensely discouraging. As dumb as it sounds, I used to force myself to say something positive about missed questions--"Hey! I learned something new"! or "Wow, what a great question"! I would literally say those words, until I internalised the emotion and stopped feeling badly about doing what the whole point of a Qbank is--which is to make mistakes and learn from them. IMHO, half the battle with Step 1 is maintaining a dogged and diligent mental attitude and keeping your anxiety in check. SDN is a great community, but it doesn't always help with that.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...d-scores-thread.1104788/page-16#post-16313455

I appreciate the thorough response. It's mostly little tiny details that make me think to myself "Damn, I literally just learned this how did I already forget it?!" haha but I suppose all I can do is stick to the study plan and remain optimistic. I am enjoying the process though and learning as I go along, so hopefully that's a good thing. This test really makes you check your ego at the door.

 

[lymphocyte]

I appreciate the thorough response. It's mostly little tiny details that make me think to myself "Damn, I literally just learned this how did I already forget it?!" haha but I suppose all I can do is stick to the study plan and remain optimistic. I am enjoying the process though and learning as I go along, so hopefully that's a good thing. This test really makes you check your ego at the door.

Make sure to distinguish two kinds of errors: 1) I truly forgot, or 2) all I knew was a factoid, and not the concept behind the factoid, so of course I forgot.

Both kinds of errors really should go into some kind of learning journal or flash cards. I either typed them up or hand-wrote things I didn't understand (as below), and then reviewed them in a spaced fashion.

Step 1 is hard, no doubt. But a massive chunk of it is: no stupid mistakes. The details really do need to be confidently committed to memory, just make sure "details" aren't the only things being committed to memory.

 

[Brorthopedic]

Make sure to distinguish two kinds of errors: 1) I truly forget, or 2) all I knew was a factoid, and not the concept behind the factoid, so of course I forget.

Both kinds of errors really should go into some kind of learning journal or flash cards. I either typed up them up or hand-wrote things I didn't understand (as below), and then reviewed them in a spaced fashion.

Step 1 is hard, no doubt. But a massive chunk of it is: no stupid mistakes. The details really do need to be confidently committed to memory, just make sure "details" aren't the only thing being committed to memory.

View attachment 209401

Good call. Would you recommend starting one now for Rx or wait until UW in mid Jan?

 

[lymphocyte]

Good call. Would you recommend starting one now for Rx or wait until UW in mid Jan?

Now. The goal is to hit UWorld with a solid foundation of facts and continue onward in a crescendo. Build your own personalized Step 1 Anki (or whatever). Use spaced repetition to make gains in USMLERx now, and you can always hit Anki harder as you get closer to UWorld (and cross things out that you really have committed to memory).

If the above isn't working for you, try something else. Just keep experimenting. You have time.

Edit: I should say I'm not a fan of Anki. I mostly used lame paper and pen, but Anki seems like what all the cool kids are doing these days. Do what works for you--that's the only thing that matters.

 

[Usmlerulz]

Now. The goal is to hit UWorld with a solid foundation of facts and continue onward in a crescendo. Build your own personalized Step 1 Anki (or whatever). Use spaced repetition to make gains in USMLERx now, and you can always hit Anki harder as you get closer to UWorld (and cross things out that you really have committed to memory).

If the above isn't working for you, try something else. Just keep experimenting. You have time.

Edit: I should say I'm not a fan of Anki. I mostly used lame paper and pen, but Anki seems like what all the cool kids are doing these days. Do what works for you--that's the only thing that matters.

You will receive an email when your score report is made available on Oasis. Mine took 4 wednesdays. Make sure that there is no issue with the reverification of your enrollment status. My school apparently had to verify twice.

Hey guys! I took my step 1 on 26 th of September and this wait is killing me. I alrady can count 35 questions tht I got wrong and am sure will be a lot more. Is there any body else in my situation. Plz say something encouaging coz the questions I got wrong are haunting me

 

[doyouhaveaflag]

Hey guys! I took my step 1 on 26 th of September and this wait is killing me. I alrady can count 35 questions tht I got wrong and am sure will be a lot more. Is there any body else in my situation. Plz say something encouaging coz the questions I got wrong are haunting me

Step 1: Read through thread in May/June posts to see how EVERYONE felt this way after taking it

Step 2: Read later in thread to see how the vast majority of us ended up with a score close to (or above) our NBME practice exams despite remembering missing a bunch of questions and feeling terrible afterwards

Step 3: Try to feel good about knowing it's over and done with. Profit.

 

[Usmlerulz]

Step 1: Read through thread in May/June posts to see how EVERYONE felt this way after taking it

Step 2: Read later in thread to see how the vast majority of us ended up with a score close to (or above) our NBME practice exams despite remembering missing a bunch of questions and feeling terrible afterwards

Step 3: Try to feel good about knowing it's over and done with. Profit.

Thanks a bunch

 

[jw3600]

It's an honor to be able to post here and I never thought I'd be one of the people with a score decent enough to post. The intent of my post is not arrogantly state that NBMEs are useless. Based on overwhelming anecdotal evidence, they're right on the dot in terms of predicting results. One thing I would say though is that maybe UWSA doesn't over predict as much as some may say (15-20 points).

NBME 17 10 weeks out: 220
9 weeks out, decided to delay
8.5 weeks out: NBME 16: 226
7 weeks out: inefficient for a few days due to M3 orientation, family stuff, etc.
UWSA 4 weeks out: 241
NBME 15 3 weeks out: 224 ()
NBME 18 10 days out: 226
Real thing: 252

Study method:

In one phrase "a complete mess"...oh and also I delayed...

I'm not sure how this worked out. The one thing that I think may have significantly helped was USMLE Express a week before the exam. Before you all go out and buy it thinking its some kind of secret weapon, hear me out. I really struggled to just read first aid and get something from it. The series helped because they basically not only read it to me but interrupted and asked questions I couldn't answer, I never paused but let them give the answer and this may have been my first true pass of FA. Also between the NBMEs I DIT'ed stuff in addition to doing UWorld and FA and that definitely helped too.

I did UWorld 1.6-7times. I was done with it 6-7 weeks out and then went ahead and did more. I did not really start learning well from it until I started doing timed isolated Biostats/Pathology/Pathophysiology blocks (hardest ones for me). When I slowed down, I think my comprehension improved.

Pathoma: I don't really feel it deserves to be the "P" in UFAP. It was incredibly helpful when I used it concurrently with classes but after that it was very low yield to use during dedicated. What's more is that I feel Pathoma is wrong about pathogenesis and explanations he gives (which were what i would actually remembered) and instead definitions and minutiae he gave (like CIN or laryngeal polyps) were what was actually helpful. To be fair, he does acknowledge this oftentimes in videos but still...he spends a long time on these pseudo-explanations. Still an awesome resource nonetheless.

Other: (PLEASE DO NOT BE ME AND USE ALL OF THESE...this is why I had to delay)

SketchyMicro: one pass; did microbes during second semester 2nd year, never really did much viruses, did fungi, and did parasites a few days before the exam.

SketchyPharm: helped for weird drugs like Cyclophosphamide but not so much for antimuscarinic drugs. I felt like those latter videos were way to basic.

Lange Flashcards: not sure how much this helped but during the school year I'd have fun highlighting all over them. Used the Pathology and Pharm ones.

Sanjeev Cards: Did concurrently with micro. Helped a bit with the harder details.

DIT: watched the reproductive and neurology videos because those were my weakest subjects.

First Aid Express: watched all the general principles, repro, neurology, GI, and hematology.

Before the exam on the drive there I listened to an acid/base YouTube video and i think it got me 1-2 questions on the exam. (I thought MUDPILES was a useless acronym until I realized it wasn't all just acids)

Lastly I ran a lot (like an hour a day) and lifted sometimes as well. This helped a lot with mood and well being.

Hope that helped. If any of ya'll have questions, I'll be happy to relive this happy moment !





Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Great score but I think you're off your rocker about Pathoma. Do you have an example of how you felt it was wrong or not helpful?

 

[Redpancreas]

Great score but I think you're off your rocker about Pathoma. Do you have an example of how you felt it was wrong or not helpful?

I mean, it's great. I used it during classes concurrently and it helped loads. I even re-streamed and re-read it. My statement refers mostly to dedicated prep where the amount I spent with FA and UW were like 99% and Pathoma was like 1-2%. It just didn't feel like I was learning anything from it anymore and like everything in the book seemed obvious.

The section where I did refer back to it during dedicated was the entire Heme section.
Other than that, Resp, Cardio, etc. were already learnt.

My main gripe with Pathoma is that while he stresses understanding, a lot of his explanations are like pseudo-explanations and instead of remembering the snippets and tid-bits which were high yield, I would remember his weird explanations.

So to maybe rephrase Pathoma is very useful, it's just that during dedicated, I didn't feel like it was helpful to look back at it too much.

 

[Usmlerulz]

I mean, it's great. I used it during classes concurrently and it helped loads. I even re-streamed and re-read it. My statement refers mostly to dedicated prep where the amount I spent with FA and UW were like 99% and Pathoma was like 1-2%. It just didn't feel like I was learning anything from it anymore and like everything in the book seemed obvious.

The section where I did refer back to it during dedicated was the entire Heme section.
Other than that, Resp, Cardio, etc. were already learnt.

My main gripe with Pathoma is that while he stresses understanding, a lot of his explanations are like pseudo-explanations and instead of remembering the snippets and tid-bits which were high yield, I would remember his weird explanations.

So to maybe rephrase Pathoma is very useful, it's just that during dedicated, I didn't feel like it was helpful to look back at it too much.

Hey guys based on your scores any correlation bw no of wrong questions and real score. I remember more wrong questions with each passing day and its killing me

 

[Usmlerulz]

I mean, it's great. I used it during classes concurrently and it helped loads. I even re-streamed and re-read it. My statement refers mostly to dedicated prep where the amount I spent with FA and UW were like 99% and Pathoma was like 1-2%. It just didn't feel like I was learning anything from it anymore and like everything in the book seemed obvious.

The section where I did refer back to it during dedicated was the entire Heme section.
Other than that, Resp, Cardio, etc. were already learnt.

My main gripe with Pathoma is that while he stresses understanding, a lot of his explanations are like pseudo-explanations and instead of remembering the snippets and tid-bits which were high yield, I would remember his weird explanations.

So to maybe rephrase Pathoma is very useful, it's just that during dedicated, I didn't feel like it was helpful to look back at it too much.

 

[Usmlerulz]

Hey guys based on your scores any correlation bw no of wrong questions and real score. I remember more wrong questions with each passing day and its killing me

 

[Usmlerulz]

I mean, it's great. I used it during classes concurrently and it helped loads. I even re-streamed and re-read it. My statement refers mostly to dedicated prep where the amount I spent with FA and UW were like 99% and Pathoma was like 1-2%. It just didn't feel like I was learning anything from it anymore and like everything in the book seemed obvious.

The section where I did refer back to it during dedicated was the entire Heme section.
Other than that, Resp, Cardio, etc. were already learnt.

My main gripe with Pathoma is that while he stresses understanding, a lot of his explanations are like pseudo-explanations and instead of remembering the snippets and tid-bits which were high yield, I would remember his weird explanations.

So to maybe rephrase Pathoma is very useful, it's just that during dedicated, I didn't feel like it was helpful to look back at it too much.

 

[Usmlerulz]

Hey guys based on your scores any correlation bw no of wrong questions and real score. I remember more wrong questions with each passing day and its killing me

 

[AnalisCanalis]

Hey guys based on your scores any correlation bw no of wrong questions and real score. I remember more wrong questions with each passing day and its killing me

Well obviously there's a correlation, but based on my experience with this thread there's also a quite strong correlation between post exam neuroticism and high scores.

 

[PowerDan]

Hey guys based on your scores any correlation bw no of wrong questions and real score. I remember more wrong questions with each passing day and its killing me

Yes, definitely. I felt the same way after my exam - each passing day I would remember additional questions that I had missed.

 

[Usmlerulz]

Yes, definitely. I felt the same way after my exam - each passing day I would remember additional questions that I had missed.

I recall goofing up on a few questions on the real deal that I definitely shouldn't have missed and I did end up scoring lower than most of my NBMEs.

Hw many points was it lower for you?

 

[Usmlerulz]

Well obviously there's a correlation, but based on my experience with this thread there's also a quite strong correlation between post exam neuroticism and high scores.

The last part of your statement is actually encouraging ! May it happen tht way.

 

[PowerDan]

Hw many points was it lower for you?

Around my NBME average.

 

[tarsuc]

FA express videos or DIT?

 

[Reperfused]

You guys would have probably heard this thing a trillion times before but seriously......
I just started Uworld and oh Gosh, it's taking me ages to do it properly (with taking proper hand written notes). I don't wanna give up on taking proper notes cuz this is how I learn best.
I thought I had kept enough time for UW (I planned on doing it over a period of 3 months along with revision of FA & pathoma and maybe Goljan audio). But the speed I'm doing it at, 20 qs a day (even that takes me like 8 hrs a day, just can't do any more than this), is way too slow. This way I won't be able to finish it in any lesser than 4 months. Plus at the end of the day I don't even have time left to revise other stuff.
Is this normal?
I know people keep saying to just go at your pace and eventually you'll pick speed.
How can I speed up this process? Advice please!

 

[Worldsick]

You guys would have probably heard this thing a trillion times before but seriously......
I just started Uworld and oh Gosh, it's taking me ages to do it properly (with taking proper hand written notes). I don't wanna give up on taking proper notes cuz this is how I learn best.
I thought I had kept enough time for UW (I planned on doing it over a period of 3 months along with revision of FA & pathoma and maybe Goljan audio). But the speed I'm doing it at, 20 qs a day (even that takes me like 8 hrs a day, just can't do any more than this), is way too slow. This way I won't be able to finish it in any lesser than 4 months. Plus at the end of the day I don't even have time left to revise other stuff.
Is this normal?
I know people keep saying to just go at your pace and eventually you'll pick speed.
How can I speed up this process? Advice please!

When I started UW. I had the same issue, just did 20 q per day, but after 1 week I did 1 bank per day, writing my notes in the FA. And finished doing 2 banks in a day. I took almost 3 month to finished UW then did my wrongs (2 h per bank) and read again FA with my notes
Try to focus in learn the concepts. There gonna be a lot of questions asking the same but in different ways. Do pathoma. And I listened goljan when I was driving or going to somwhere. Sketchy is an other excellent tool

 

[ortnakas]

Well obviously there's a correlation, but based on my experience with this thread there's also a quite strong correlation between post exam neuroticism and high scores.

This. And recall bias-- you're going to perseverate on the questions you weren't sure about and got wrong, but you're not spending any time thinking about the questions you got right. Everyone does this. And in the end, almost everyone scores around their NBME average.

 

[intheworkings]

What is the best order to do the major three qbanks? Or is it better to put all the time on just Uworld? TIA

 

[Brorthopedic]

What is the best order to do the major three qbanks? Or is it better to put all the time on just Uworld? TIA

I believe the consensus is Rx -> Kaplan -> Uworld

 

[yoyohomieg5432]

i did kaplan throughout the school year at the end of each block as a review before the exam in that block. i then did RX from Feb-April and then started UW from April-June. I felt this was best.. kaplan had a lot of physiology and good explanations on things to help solidify udnerstanding while on that unit. then RX cited pages in first aid, so as i was going through and reviewing everything Feb-April it correlated every qeustion to pages in the book which made it easier and faster to review as the information I had already thoroughly reviewed and it just served to refresh things

 

[Usmlerulz]

This. And recall bias-- you're going to perseverate on the questions you weren't sure about and got wrong, but you're not spending any time thinking about the questions you got right. Everyone does this. And in the end, almost everyone scores around their NBME average.

Keeping my fingers crossed. 11 more days of waiting.!

 

[Medballeb]

Hey guys! I just did my nbme 18 and got a score of 245
I was aiming for 250+
Anyone did this self assessment and what was the correlation

2 weeks to go

 

[PowerDan]

Hey guys! I just did my nbme 18 and got a score of 245
I was aiming for 250+
Anyone did this self assessment and what was the correlation

2 weeks to go

NBME 18 overpredicts, in my experience.

 

[anon1268]

Hey guys! I just did my nbme 18 and got a score of 245
I was aiming for 250+
Anyone did this self assessment and what was the correlation

2 weeks to go

With three weeks to go I got a 262 on NBME 18.
264 on the real deal

 

[Medballeb]

With three weeks to go I got a 262 on NBME 18.
264 on the real deal

Wooww congrats
What nbme do you think is more predictive 15 or 17?

 

[DrPicard]

Do/did you guys memorize all the muscle attachments in UW for anatomy? The clinically relevant nerve pathways etc are fine (and not that many), but I'm not sure if I should invest the time memorizing muscle attachments. Does the exam really test these?