poor nmbe score

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Joker88

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Hi guys,

I took a diagnostic practice NMBE last week and scored really poorly. I have been studying since Jan-Feb and still only scored a 166. Im not sure what I am doing wrong. Im guessing this isnt very common. My main sources are uworld (more than half through) and first aid mainly. Does anyone have an advice?

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Do pathoma. 166 means you dont know your fundamentals of pathology
I have been using pathoma but have no been committing everything to memory. I have been going through things as a first pass to understand it until my 6 weeks. My goal was a 240 but is it even possible with such a low starting score?
 
I have been using pathoma but have no been committing everything to memory. I have been going through things as a first pass to understand it until my 6 weeks. My goal was a 240 but is it even possible with such a low starting score?

Which Nbme did you take?
 
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There are people here who have had massive raises in their score. However, what's troubling is that you are so far into Uworld, FA, and pathoma and your score is still so low.

How have you been using Uworld? How has your performance on it been?
 
There are people here who have had massive raises in their score. However, what's troubling is that you are so far into Uworld, FA, and pathoma and your score is still so low.

How have you been using Uworld? How has your performance on it been?
I usually do uworld on tutor mode subject by subject. When I start a subject in first aid, I start questions despite finishing the chapter and do the corresponding pathoma for that FA chapter. I havent been through about 4 sections (heme/onc, biochem, psych, pharm) and havent committed many things to memory as I was just trying to do a first pass. I annotate uworld into my first aid and pathoma. Im not sure what I am doing wrong. I usually hit in the 50s on uworld doing this style of studying

Which Nbme did you take?
I took NMBE 12
 
So, I know that 50s on Uworld supposedly correlates to around low 200's, but I think this can only be considered accurate if you are doing it on random, timed mode. It is not the same to have just gone over a topic in FA and pathoma and then do questions on that specific topic. Even if you haven't just done corresponding chapters, doing qbanks on subject mode gives you an advantage you won't have in random. But, regardless of whether your Uworld is an accurate assessment, the NBME is the most valuable predictor.

The problems I'm feeling with your methods right now are:

1) You are taking too long to do things/you haven't done much. I know you haven't been in dedicated mode yet, but when you said you had been studying since January, I was worried. Now it sounds more like you haven't done a whole lot of board studying, and at such a slow pace over such a long time it is hard to build up momentum. It is likely you haven't retained much of what you did 3 months ago.

2) You need to start memorizing things. A quick first pass of FA where you don't try and drill every little detail in is ok--but a "quick" first pass of uworld, FA, and pathoma won't be quick or productive. You need to be learning as you are going. I use anki to drill in the discrete facts I miss in qbanks, and I can tell it is working because my scores are improving, and now I'll get questions over topics I've drilled into my head that I would've gotten wrong 2 months ago. Learn as you go, drill things in as necessary; don't just expect to learn by osmosis.

3) Maybe you should think about doing timed, random mode on Uworld. I know there are people who use tutor mode almost exclusively and they do just fine. I personally give a lot more thought to the question when I'm not going to get an immediate answer. I have a chance to flag things I'm not sure of and go back in my last 5 minutes and rack my brain over it, because I don't want to see a below average percentage on that block, and when I get something wrong I labored over in my head it sticks with me a lot better and helps identify weaknesses. Also, by the time I sit for the boards I will have done around 150 46question/hour blocks. Hopefully it won't feel like anything new on the real thing. I especially recommend this if you had any issues with timing on your NBME.
 
I usually do uworld on tutor mode subject by subject. When I start a subject in first aid, I start questions despite finishing the chapter and do the corresponding pathoma for that FA chapter. I havent been through about 4 sections (heme/onc, biochem, psych, pharm) and havent committed many things to memory as I was just trying to do a first pass. I annotate uworld into my first aid and pathoma. Im not sure what I am doing wrong. I usually hit in the 50s on uworld doing this style of studying


I took NMBE 12
Yeah I think I need to start randomizing and timing on uworld. I have not spent much time memorizing but the questions I have gotten have helped me solidify some knowledge from FA but I dont maintain that knowledge over time. My goal was to go through FA/Pathoma to get familiar with the topics in a different form other than class notes during these last few months and start hard memorization. Unfortunately, I have been able to get through of all of first aid yet and Subjects that I did in Jan I vaguely remember so I see what you are saying. Thanks for all your help and Ill try a new approach!
 
Since youre not at your 6 week crunch/review time... I'd try laying a basis if you can. I know that I can't just sit there and read first aid (its just a big fact book --> no big picture ideas there)
- so if you can do kaplan videos or something that wouldn't be a bad start to give you somewhere to start and it makes all the little facts in FA easier to remember in my opinion
- I listen to just enough of them to get a concept and try to fill in the actual FA material

And as far as class notes go--> I wouldn't bother with them in any class besides path really bc FA and Pathoma don't cover nearly as much detail as your class would

Best of luck!!
 
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