10 days to go...any tips?

[darkmansaad]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey just wanted some advice from any high scorers...I take the test next saturday and wanted to know exactly how to finish up as I think i've exhausted most of my resources. I finished Uworld last week, 68% correct, annotated my Crush with notes from all the stuff I got wrong/didnt understand. Took nbme 1 5 weeks ago got a 230, took NBME 2 last friday got a 252. Am aiming for at least another 10 point jump. Since the last nbme i've been reading Crush as well as redoing all the wrong questions in Uworld but at this rate I will finish that by this weekend.

Basically any advice on what I should be doing, anything to add or take away from any previous test takers who also did well? Im aiming for a pretty competitive specialty and will need to break 260 I think (got 248 on step 1). Advice always appreciated.....peace

 

[Antoni B]

Darkman,

As someone who did very well on both Steps, the only thing I did in addition to what you've done is reading quickly through the review books I had on hand for various specialties (like Blueprints/Case Files/BRS). But I don't know how high yield that would be. I also, like you, redid all the questions I got wrong in UWorld, which I thought really helped.

Here's one thing that might help (and I apologize if it sounds too basic or patronizing): I think a significant difference between very high scorers and others is test-taking skills, not necessarily knowledge base. I've got a decent knowledge base and studied hard, but I've also always been good at multiple choice exams. As you go through the questions you missed, you might ask yourself whether you missed them because you had no idea of the answer, or whether your reasoning was off. Were you led astray by a red herring, or did you miss a telltale phrase? I thought the material on the exam was pretty fair, not full of zebras that I would have caught had I memorized more stuff.

 

[lankysudanese]

note: my advice stems more from what i did wrong (or at least what i think lowered my score).

sounds like you have dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's. from personal experience, i would recommend on coming with a strategy to reduce fatigue and improve stamina on your test day. the long question stems and the extra 8th section (compared to 7 in step 1) actually made a huge difference to me. towards the second half of my 7th section i was all out of fuel. i could barely stay focused to read an entire stem. even the proctors noticed (i had a slouched posture, blinking a stretching a lot). as a result, i ended up missing some 'basic' questions just do you lack of concentration (like remembering the association between G6PD deficiency and bactrim).

so my advice: make sure you have a good night sleep. schedule ur breaks to maximize energy in each section. limit your food/beverage intake to prevent a postpandrial coma. and (this might be difficult [since you are already done with UW and a couple of NBMEs), you could try to simulate an actual test experience so that you can arrive at the optimal test/break schedule.

best of luck

Lanky