2007 USMLE Step I Experiences

[missmod]

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I think I'll start the thread, since I just finished Step I today! Boy does it feel good to have it over with. In case you guys are wondering, my med school is on a different schedule, so we do basic sciences in 1.5 years, do one year of clerkships, and then take the boards.

So I started a 6 week study schedule (started after new years). The first five weeks, I studied for about 9-10 hours with a lot of breaks and took weekends off to either have fun or catch up/review. The last week I saved just for review and as many questions as I could fit into my 10 hour day. I have to say, this last week was the worst. Not in the no-sleep-cram-for-a-test kind of way, but in the huge-weight-on-your-shoulders kind of way.

Now for a breakdown of the subjects...

Biochem: There was not a lot of biochem on my exam. A few key enzyme deficiency ones (Lesch Nyhan, Maple Syrup Disease) but all of the questions were very obvious and did not require you to put much thought into it. Don't blow off porphyria and lead poisoning-- for some reason I got so many questions on that!

Molecular Bio: This was a big one! I think the NBME is moving away from the biochem towards questions on molecular bio. Many questions about DNA regulation, transcription, translation, bacterial plasmids, etc. Sometimes these questions look very scary -- they are always so long and use long names for molecules or restriction enzymes that you have never heard of. You need to get used to the question style and realize that what they are asking is very simple. The NBME forms have questions very similar to the molecular bio ones I saw on the exam.

Pharm: Another one I thought would be difficult but not. Big drugs you should know a lot about (like antihypertensives, drugs for hyperlipidemias, cardic drugs, etc.) However, I wouldn't worry too much about the side effects for every tiny drug -- especially the chemo and immunosupressant drugs that kept on tripping me up so much.

Micro/Immuno: I had not a single question on parasites! That huge chart of worms and helminths in First Aid had me worried for a while, but it was not a big part of my exam. If anything, just know the key phrases because if they do test you on it, it would be a really obvious scenario. Mostly bacterial processes and what you would use to treat them... or what was their mechanism of disease (i.e. endotoxn, exotoxin, etc.) Know immunology and cytokines well, as well as the functions of all the cells. Different immune deficiencies were all asked on my exam (there is one page in First Aid that sums them up very well).

Anatomy/Neuroanatomy: Always combined with a pathology question or an imagine. I had a few branchial plexus/lumbar plexus questions. Many questions would give you a clinical scenario, then ask you to identiy the artery/nerve/organ on a CT scan/MRI/angiogram/brain cross section. Again, I think Qbank does not help you much at all because there aren't that many images. All i can say is look through some atlases quickly as you are studying anatomy -- not Netters bc that won't help much, but books that will give you real radiographic images.

Physio: This was almost always combined with Pathology--they would ask the physiology behind some path process. I had so many questions where the question asked "what would be the levels of x, y, and z enzymes/hormones?", answer choices being "increased, decreased, etc"

Pathology: Not as detailed orientated as Kaplan. Very little histology related pathology -- most of the questions though, required you to make a diagnosis and then know something about the pathophys of the disease or the treatment of the disease. There were also a lot of images -- MANY more than Qbank's representation.

All in all, I think the test more manageable than Kaplan's Qbank. Don't let Qbank discourage you -- ! Doing the questions help you to learn, so if you were getting them all right then the questions are too easy and not really helping you much. I do remember many questions that I knew only because I got the question wrong on Kaplan's Qbank. Also, the NBME tests are VERY good and very representative of the real thing. They also help you get used to the wording of the Q's, which can be a LITTLE different from what Qbank is like. I did forms 2, 3, and 4 and I thought 2 and 3 were the best. A few images on those practice exams were repeated on my actual exam.

Goljan's book and lectures were great. He pointed out lots of things that wound up being on the exam and presents them in a way that really sticks. Also, his images are a great resource.

I've been lurking for a while and haven't really posted since applying to med school, but I have to say you guys have really helped me out during my boards studying. Good luck to everyone else getting ready to take this monster.

 

[SkylineMD]

I had only taken a few but I felt like it was a mix between them all. I know most people said that #3 or #4 most resembled their exams but mine felt like a combination of them all -- with #1, it was either you know it or don't which is where the knee jerk ones come from. with #2-4, you have to reason through some while just not know the answer to others.

I did however feel the questions were VERY similar in style/format to USMLEWORLD and i only regret not using it from the beginning. I even did a quick 10 question block to get my mind going before the exam and felt it was right on par... a few easy ones, a few harder ones, a few you had to think through but definitely use UW if you can

With the amount of studying put into this exam, i dont know if it really measured in the amount of detail i thought it was going to. Also, i felt that at least 1/2 of the answers came from what i had learned in classes so unfortunately ill chime in and say that the stronger your base of knowledge, the easier answers will come to you.

 

[Schooner]

I took it on may 16th. How long has it taken to get your scores back? They say 3-6 weeks, but I was curious what your experiences have been. I'm hoping its earlier rather than later! Also, is it still mailed to you or have they changed to email yet? Good luck to everyone!

 

[vtucci]

What'd you get on your last NBME? Go +/- 5 points from there and that's where your score will be, bottom line. Unless you, like, had a stroke mid-exam.

Everyone feels like crap - keep your head up and have a drink or two.👍

Hope so. I'll let you know if that works out.

 

[GOGETA]

Ok this is going to be very long so please undress yourself, grab a Pepsi and enjoy.

Last night I was not able to go to sleep, then finally I go to sleep at I don’t know forgot what time was, then I wake up at 6am, try to go back to sleep but cant and the test is at
2 pm.

Well I dress like a Doctor, because if I’m going to try at least I will try with style, and also helps the confidence (big tip). I have my nice jacket on, with my nice pants, and ready to go.

I read something in the morning, went over the pictures of FA, then go to take the test, I arrive at 1230, it’s the same guy(read my journal) and he says welcome, Im still a nice guy I told you. Then protocol of passport and papers and he give me the number of my locker and guess what was the # yeap that is #1.
The he says you have to wait, theres a guy from India preparing for his test that is at 5pm about something with the stock market, we start talking very nice guy, we talk about religion and USA and all crazy stuff, nice guy. That at least calm me down a little then I start reviewing and the guy calls my name so this is it. I go they take my picture they go by the protocol and then I am sitting in front of the computer and I say to myself, all this sacrifice for this moment, I pray(it works) and I start my test:

Block #1

The test says to me hello gogeta, how are you doing, I have been expecting you. And the first block was like NBME1 you knew it or you did not knew it. There were a couple of EASY questions that I miss haaaa, but the first block went ok.

There were about 12 questions per block that was USMLE WORLD concept, and no I don’t work for them or Im getting paid for this.

I took a break, why because I wanted to, OOO Im the one taking the test so shhhhh

Came back and I go for the second block
Block #2

The test says to me hey, I was easy on you on the first block, but now lets get into business
It was a little harder than #1 but duable, then I did right there
Block 3 and it was about how mercury will become the next big space tourist attraction
OMG, It had like 20 questions related to inmuno and like 15 related to molecular biology.

After that block, I take a break and then went back and the exam says to me, Im just getting starter with you this block #4 was really crazy it was like an IQ test, for example what will happened if Jupiter the planet didn’t exist or what will happened if you could go to Pluto, no Im not over speculating.

Then I decide to run down stairs and buy a grill ham and cheese sandwich with a coke fries and coffee, and fast buddy Im taking a test.

And I was ready to go after that food

Block #5 was like hard and some easy, so If I ask you what is the real middle name of nnl and ask you 6 questions in a row like that and when I was going to start crying they ask, what edition of FA you have, what class Goljan teach, and then the computer says ok don’t get to happy back to business.

Took a break and back to the test

Block 6 was ½ and ½ took my last break and block 7 I think it was fair.

Now the traditional questions that I myself always ask, I will answer it for you.

1- about time I had 3 blocks that I was able to finish everything and got spare 7-10 minutes, and 4 blocks that I finish with everything and then times up, not time to review the mark questions or maybe only one or two.
2- Start simulating the test so on the day of the test you are not tired.
3- USMLE WORLD is the best stuff ever, the feel of the test its like UW, so you actually think you are doing USMLE WORLD so less anxiety, also the difficulty of UW is about the same as the test, the only difference is that the test feels sorry for you and gives you a couple of really easy questions. I had 4 blocks that had at least 12 questions that were really close to UW concepts, that if you understood the concept from UW, you could answer it, and I don’t think there were another way possible to get those questions.
4- Some questions are so easy, and you don’t know the answer or just don’t remember the answer and you are haaaaa
5- I feel 70% I don’t know how I did and 30% I fail the test, and I think it my get reverse in the following days.


Any question please ask away, and I will try to answer with the best of my abilities

 

[domer621]

I didn't understand most of your post, but sounds like you did ok!

 

[smalley]

all the best gogeta.
now after giving ur exam.what u think helped u most..an what things u wish u had read/prepared more...?
also how was the %distribution among the various subjects emphasised on the test?
gl🙂

 

[GOGETA]

all the best gogeta.
now after giving ur exam.what u think helped u most..an what things u wish u had read/prepared more...? also how was the %distribution among the various subjects emphasised on the test?gl🙂

They tried to balanced the test entirely, but because I was weak in Inmuno, those were the questions that I remember 😀, and thats why people say the entire test was of one subject, not it wasnt. but I had at least 12 questions of inmuno perblock with the exception of one block.

FA has some really easy questions that you can get right just but memorizing that. I wish I had go more tru FA.

UW the best, there were questions that my head was telling me UW UWUW
and because of that I got them right

 

[TheEleventhReel]

Congrats on being finished. You put in a lot of work for it and I'm sure it'll pay off. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[myershurt]

congrats gogeta - thanks for posting your experience - now enjoy your new free time!

 

[barmay]

Just got my grade back, 233

I took two practice exams

NBME 1 I got 226, 3 weeks before I took it
NBME 2 I got 216, 2 weeks before I took it

my average on Q-bank was ~ 64%

I studied path using Goljan, and I read first aid 4 or 5 times. And that was it!

Coming out of the test I thought I did fine, but when I went over it, I thought for sure I failed it. There was at least 20 mistakes I knew that I circled wrong. So I was depressed for the last three weeks. I seriously don't know how I scored this high, it was way above my expectations.

My advice is to never get stressed out by what other people tell you. I didn't study off USMLE world one bit, and I did just fine. Also, pharm and microbio wasn't as bad as Q-bank at all. First AID covers everything you need to know. My only regret is not studying anatomy and neuroanatomy a little bit more. In my opinion first aid was not enough and you need something else to supplement it with. Well at least if you want to do better then what I got. Oh yeah, and study molecular hard, I was just lucky to major in molecular bio in undergrad, so I didn't worry about it that much, but if you don't have the background, my test at least was really heavy in that subject. For example, know transcription, translation, ..........

Good luck to everyone, if anyone has questions I will love to help

 

[hyperorchidism]

Just got my grade back, 233

I took two practice exams

NBME 1 I got 226, 3 weeks before I took it
NBME 2 I got 216, 2 weeks before I took it

my average on Q-bank was ~ 64%

I studied path using Goljan, and I read first aid 4 or 5 times. And that was it!

Coming out of the test I thought I did fine, but when I went over it, I thought for sure I failed it. There was at least 20 mistakes I knew that I circled wrong. So I was depressed for the last three weeks. I seriously don't know how I scored this high, it was way above my expectations.

My advice is to never get stressed out by what other people tell you. I didn't study off USMLE world one bit, and I did just fine. Also, pharm and microbio wasn't as bad as Q-bank at all. First AID covers everything you need to know. My only regret is not studying anatomy and neuroanatomy a little bit more. In my opinion first aid was not enough and you need something else to supplement it with. Well at least if you want to do better then what I got. Oh yeah, and study molecular hard, I was just lucky to major in molecular bio in undergrad, so I didn't worry about it that much, but if you don't have the background, my test at least was really heavy in that subject. For example, know transcription, translation, ..........

Good luck to everyone, if anyone has questions I will love to help

Hey congrats on the nice score! I'm kind of where you were after your second NBME and I was wondering what you did to study the two weeks before the test. Thats a pretty big improvement!

Thanks!

 

[barmay]

This was my study schedule

First week : read all of first aid
Second week : listened to Goljan audio, it got very annoying in the end, his voice really bothered me for some reason, but he beats any professor who taught in my school. He actually made pathology interesting.

took NBME 1

Third week : read the rapid review book. I don't know if this patho book is better then any other path book out there. There were questions on the exam that was not covered in this book, but it was alright in my opinion

took NBME 2, I think my score went down here because I forgot all the stuff I read from first aid. I have a horrible long term memory

Fourth - fifth week : read first aid about 3 times. A friend of mine told me to do this, and it worked. The boards won't ask you direct questions from this book, but if you understand it, you will do great. I also did Q-bank questions, and read only the answers to the questions I got wrong or guessed on. My only regret was wasting my time memorizing detalied stuff from Q-bank that had nothing to do with the test.


My test was also heavy on clinical medicine. I had so many easy biostats questions and ethics. know your specificity and sensitivity, and know patient confidentiality and when the rules could be broken. They are easy questions, but if you don't study them you will lose a lot of points.

 

[Teejay]

This was my study schedule

First week : read all of first aid
Second week : listened to Goljan audio, it got very annoying in the end, his voice really bothered me for some reason, but he beats any professor who taught in my school. He actually made pathology interesting.

took NBME 1

Third week : read the rapid review book. I don't know if this patho book is better then any other path book out there. There were questions on the exam that was not covered in this book, but it was alright in my opinion

took NBME 2, I think my score went down here because I forgot all the stuff I read from first aid. I have a horrible long term memory

Fourth - fifth week : read first aid about 3 times. A friend of mine told me to do this, and it worked. The boards won't ask you direct questions from this book, but if you understand it, you will do great. I also did Q-bank questions, and read only the answers to the questions I got wrong or guessed on. My only regret was wasting my time memorizing detalied stuff from Q-bank that had nothing to do with the test.


My test was also heavy on clinical medicine. I had so many easy biostats questions and ethics. know your specificity and sensitivity, and know patient confidentiality and when the rules could be broken. They are easy questions, but if you don't study them you will lose a lot of points.

Hey barmay, congratulations on your performance. Atleast now you get to take a break. I know this thread is for step 1 experiences but figured this is the best place to ask this question. I took My first NBME today. Didn't do as i expected but i had some problems. I could not figure out the difference between pause and end. I ended up doing 3 sections in a role which i believe affected my score because i was very tired. So my question is- how do you stop at the end of every section to take a break? Do you click on pause or end. Whenever i clicked end, the next section began immediately. So for the real exam, how do i end a section without going to the next section in order to take a break?
Thanks.

 

[myershurt]

during the real exam it is very self-explanatory / user friendly...

if i remember correctly you click end to submit a block that you completed - then get a box that pops us and tells you - click here to go to the next section - or click here to take a break...

for break a completely separate screen will pop up while you go take a break

the test is very informative with the pop-up boxes and even has a box pop up if you are idle too long (scared me when i was doing math on the scratch paper) it tells you you have been idle, and to either move the mouse or click some box or something...

 

[doctorp82]

during the real exam it is very self-explanatory / user friendly...

if i remember correctly you click end to submit a block that you completed - then get a box that pops us and tells you - click here to go to the next section - or click here to take a break...

for break a completely separate screen will pop up while you go take a break

the test is very informative with the pop-up boxes and even has a box pop up if you are idle too long (scared me when i was doing math on the scratch paper) it tells you you have been idle, and to either move the mouse or click some box or something...

Is is similar/same as the practice 150 program (with the exception of answers to everything at the end)? Plus, when you do a break, will it show a clock with your total break time available?

I'm probably most interested in how much time anyone takes for lunch/snacks. By FA's intro, you get 45 mins for the whole day, so if I break a couple minutes between blocks, one of those breaks is going to be like a 10 min lunch time.

 

[myershurt]

don't know about the 150 released - taking those tomorrow - but i'd assume it is identical..the 150 released questions are designed to be exactly like the real thing and familiarize us with the format of the exam...

you get 45 mins of break time - and an additional 15 if you skip the tutorial in the morning (it is before everything) - any time you don't spend on the tutorial is added to breaks...

I took the maximum amount of time for each block, and then a couple of minutes - 3-5 between each block and had about 15 minutes for a lunch - i know some people who took two blocks together and structured their time so that they had a longer - about 25 min lunch with much shorter breaks between blocks - really how you do it is up to you...most testing centers are good about letting USMLE test takers sign in and out rapidly so that your "break" time is actually a break and not standing in a line to sign out to go to the bathroom - as we are all pretty much on edge - and the second you enter your code at the beginning of the exam, an 8-hour clock starts counting down - pretty intimidating...

if your question is still unanswered by tomorrow afternoon i'll let you know if the time blocks are the same on the 150 released questions...

 

[Roy7]

don't know about the 150 released - taking those tomorrow - but i'd assume it is identical..the 150 released questions are designed to be exactly like the real thing and familiarize us with the format of the exam...

you get 45 mins of break time - and an additional 15 if you skip the tutorial in the morning (it is before everything) - any time you don't spend on the tutorial is added to breaks...

I took the maximum amount of time for each block, and then a couple of minutes - 3-5 between each block and had about 15 minutes for a lunch - i know some people who took two blocks together and structured their time so that they had a longer - about 25 min lunch with much shorter breaks between blocks - really how you do it is up to you...most testing centers are good about letting USMLE test takers sign in and out rapidly so that your "break" time is actually a break and not standing in a line to sign out to go to the bathroom - as we are all pretty much on edge - and the second you enter your code at the beginning of the exam, an 8-hour clock starts counting down - pretty intimidating...

if your question is still unanswered by tomorrow afternoon i'll let you know if the time blocks are the same on the 150 released questions...

According to Dr. Daugherty from Kaplan skipping the 15 minute intro no longer buys you 15 minutes of extra time (they changed this recently). But I dont know anyone that can or cant confirm this.

 

[SkylineMD]

its not true... you can still add the 15 minutes to your total break time of 45min giving you the full hour. I would recommend getting familiar with the interface from the downloadable free USMLE exam because it is almost the same tutorial as the one used at the center

 

[barmay]

I swear I remember having an hour break,, but I didn't use more then 30 minutes so I am not a 100% sure

but yeah, the test is pretty much self explanatory like everyone else said. you won't start the next block until you are ready

 

[doctorp82]

I swear I remember having an hour break,, but I didn't use more then 30 minutes so I am not a 100% sure

but yeah, the test is pretty much self explanatory like everyone else said. you won't start the next block until you are ready

And time remaining at the end of the block goes towards break time, correct? I generally finish a randon block of 50 questions from UW with 15+ minutes to spare, and have done well still, so I am hoping that to my advantage will mean less rushing to get a bite to eat in here and there.

 

[cdql]

And time remaining at the end of the block goes towards break time, correct? I generally finish a randon block of 50 questions from UW with 15+ minutes to spare, and have done well still, so I am hoping that to my advantage will mean less rushing to get a bite to eat in here and there.

Yup although I'm sure the recommendation is to look over your block of questions and perhaps take just 5-10 minutes off your block to put towards lunch.

 

[GOGETA]

And time remaining at the end of the block goes towards break time, correct? I generally finish a randon block of 50 questions from UW with 15+ minutes to spare, and have done well still, so I am hoping that to my advantage will mean less rushing to get a bite to eat in here and there.

1- You get the extra 15 minutes break if you skip the tutorial.
2- The time you had extra in a block, its added to your break time.👍

 

[predodoc]

Took my test today.
the first 2 blocks were about as hard as they get. Yes, most harder that even the USMLEWORLD. a few easier ones mixed in but hard over all.
The third and 4th blocks were like a different test all together. they were more 1-2 liners with easy questions.
the last three blocks were all med. hard.

Overall, my test hit a few specific diseases or topics but was mixed well.
My stats were
nbme3-224 about 6 wks before. I was still in school and had been studying when I could for the past few months so I knew a little. plus lots of lucky guessing got me that score.

NBME 2- 4 days before my test- 236. I thought alot of this test was easy. Simular in difficulty level of my 3rd and 4th blocks but wayyy easier than my
first 2 blocks on the real thing

Now I dont feel as confident about my test today as I did on the nbme's. So Im going to guess my score at about 215. Although, the test was pretty hard and maybe the curve will be steep.

I only had 20 days to study since my classes got out so late. But I went hardcore, and hopfully Ill suprise myself when I get my score. I will give more details about how I did it when I get my score. People are more likely to care if you do good and not read what you write if not, so why waste alot of time If I only end up getting a 210 or so.
Im a D.O. student and have only 2 days to cram for the comlex before I go to the beach, so I wont be able to answer many questions but when I get my score( esp. if its good) I will type up a long and detailed description of how I did it and the many people I want to thank.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE.

 

[beastmaster]

Took the exam yesterday, but was too drained to post. It was a full moon and my head began to hurt from the day's events. So, here's what happened.

I woke up all sweaty from a nightmare. Somehow, my warm blanket which I had pushed aside made its way back over me, and my overheated body conceived a wake up dream. In it, I was standing in line to begin my first block, but my time had started and I couldn't get into the exam room until there was 20 minutes left in the block. Reality could not have been further from the truth, the test center was excellent and more on that below. I got up, and after some quick breakfast I went to catch my train to the test center. Here it got interesting, because my bowels decided to spring into action. I guess they thought I was sitting on the toilet, but I suppose the concave subways seats are not far off. Fortunately, my sphincter conjured up 20 minutes of magic, the longest 20 minutes of my life, before I destroyed the bathroom of my undergraduate alma mater several blocks from the test site. I only add this story to insist that you do not change your routines. I tried some new foods the night before and that morning, and I should have known better. I then took a 5 minute walk over to prometric, which was one of hundreds of offices/suites, on the 11th of 24 floors, in a huge skyrise.

I arrived at 7:45 for an 8:30 start time. As advised here, there are no uniform start times, so if you come early you're usually offered the option to start right away. They sign you in, and then ask if you're ready to go. If not, you're welcome to sit there and read magazines or watch the TV. But nothing was on, so I said "ready." There were 2 sizes of lockers, large and small. I was given a large, as were several other guys who were taking the USMLE. Smaller ones were probably for the shorter exams, for which you're obviously expected to bring fewer personal items. The lockers are to store everything you've got. Bookbag, food, water, watches, wallets, tissues, etc. The only thing in your pockets at this point are the locker key and your photo ID. You're then reminded that "if you have first aid or any other books" you are ALLOWED to look at them during the break. I didn't have any books, nor the urge to look at them. As you proceed into the next room, they take a headshot photograph, and one by one expain the sign in process. It's unambiguous. Basically, you sign in and out before and after every break, presenting your photo ID each time. But it's very efficient and only takes a few seconds. There were 2-3 ladies there at all time to make sure that your break time is not wasted while waiting to sign in or out. I found it very helpful because they give you the time to write down, so it helps you keep track of your break time consumption throughout the day. During the exam, these ladies take turns walking through the room every 15-20 minutes to press their finger on a touch sensor at each of the 2 most distal ends of the exam room to bioelectronically confirm that they've made the rounds every X amount of minutes (this is probably standard to every prometric site).

You are provided 3 thin laminated boards, 2 markers, and an eraser. They write down for you, on your laminated boards, your long passcode, which you enter to start every new block. This avoids something or someone hitting your keyboard accidentally, and at 15 characters long there's enough for them to run over and tackle an imposter (since you leave the scrap board at your station while on break). Clearly, it's there to avoid a false start (ie, my time-ticking nightmare), and it's truly there for your benefit. Also at the station were 2 sets of headphones, one for noise and one for sound/audio (which we don't need yet). I tried out the noise and they were nice, but it was quiet in the room so I chose not to use them (only half the test takers appeared to be using them). Entered password, pressed enter, and the clock began: 7:59:59... 7:59:58... 7:59:57... I did the tutorial the night before, so I skipped it for the extra break time.

Subjective rating:
Blocks 1 and 2 = easy
Blocks 3 and 4 = harder
Block 5 = the heaviest
Blocks 6 and 7 = closer to blocks 3 and 4

I usually make a first pass through the blocks in about 35 minutes, skipping and/or marking about 10 questions which I'd saved for the end. Sometimes this included simple biostats or genetics calculations, because I felt more comfortable doing the math at the end of the block when I had a clear time surplus (which I always had). The majority of questions were knee-jerk "high-yield" associations. Most were cloaked in pomp -- "Two sets of fibroblasts, cultured from rat tails, were labeled with a fluorescent dye, blah blah" only to ask something very basic. This becomes more of an issue towards the end of the test day, when you're tired of playing code-breaker and just want to go home. In this sense, the exam felt like an even mix of usmleworld and nbme. I found that rather amazing, how well they've managed to simulate the actual experience, even down the hand drawn aortic tracings.

I actually read every question backwards, so many times the last 2 sentences will give the pathognomonic findings with the lead-in question that obviate the need to read the preceding paragraph of them describing, in unnecessary detail, how the anemia and fatigue are causing this poor woman various obstacles in her daily life. It's B12 for crying out loud, moving on... The pictures were also pathognomonic, so you can save plenty of time by just quickly scanning the question to confirm your suspicion before moving on. There were also radiographs of disease states, which was a new touch. But again, every picture was so specific to the diagnosis that it was a relief to see one when it came up. Anyone who tells you not to study pictures it deliberately trying to sabotage your score, end of discussion.

Time was never an issue. With block 5, I had the least amount of free time. But I also took a very short break between 4 and 5 and fatigue set in. I took longer breaks for the last 2 blocks. Still though, with every block, I finished in under 60 minutes and added the remainer to my break time. I probably accrued over 30 minutes of break time from finishing blocks early. That wasn't my plan, but when you've reviewed and feel comfortable with every answer that you've selected, you can either sit at your station or go take a walk. The worst part of the test center, for me, had to be the chairs. They were made with very comfortable fabric, but they do not recline. So I couldn't get into an ergonomic position and by mid-exam my back started to feel it. Also to consider, do you want to agonize over 2-3 questions, knowing that you probably won't change the answer anyway, or just go take a break and save some mental energy for future blocks.

A quick note on the so-called "WTF" questions. Maybe it's my defense mechanisms kicking in, but I didn't have any that I would group as such. There were maybe 5 questions that didn't "fit in" with the other 345. The very detail-oriented recall type questions -- you don't know the answer but you'd know exactly where to look it up. As you can see I'm trying to avoid spoiling content, but to give a fictional example that did not appear on my test, imagine being asked -- no case, just straight up "What's the level of the celiac artery?" and the choices given are T9, T10, T11, T12, L1, L2. Of course the exam had it's share of one-liners, but the choices are typically so far spaced that if you're solid conceptually you're in good shape. But a handful did look like they were transported from the 1993 USMLE exam.

The content was molecular and behavioral heavy. Thanks to lange's clinical ethics book I don't think I got a single behavioral question wrong, except for 1 that had a gross typo. If you cover that book you'll never get a single doctor-patient relationship/ethics question wrong in your life. I've also been pushing molecular very hard for the last few months, so I'm glad that payed off as well.

Overall, I felt very good at the end of the day. But against my better judgment, I've been looking up questions that I had. Some right, some wrong, a couple I even changed from right to wrong. So that part is starting to make me feel worse. But still, I felt like the exam played to most of my strengths, and I was very happy with my performance. And now, to do this all over again. Next week, the COMLEX.

I hope my post-exam rambling will help some of you get comfortable with the exam environment. Best of luck to everyone.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Thanks to lange's clinical ethics book I don't think I got a single behavioral question wrong, except for 1 that had a gross typo. If you cover that book you'll never get a single doctor-patient relationship/ethics question wrong in your life.

And now, to do this all over again. Next week, the COMLEX.

What's the ISBN of the Lange book?

Seems like you used your time wisely in 2nd year since you are going to have a big break between boards and 3rd year. Good luck.

 

[beastmaster]

http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=90
This is the clinical ethics book. It's not a snooze fest. The format is case presentation followed by "recommendation." So many books take a middle ground and talk around the answer, this book really hits the mark in my opinion. I actually used the entire AccessMedicine library. Since not every school has a subscription, it pays to have trustworthy friends at schools that do. The details of my preparation are beyond my current energetic capacity at the moment. Plus its a bit premature. I'll judge my preparation when my scores come.

 

[Vitamin_Ng]

hey beastmaster--

"study your molecular bio" seems to be a common theme coming from recent test-takers. how did you prepare for that subject? i've gone through most of the new (and ridiculously thick) HY cell & molecular bio-- and i'm not too happy w/ the cell/signalling transduction section. do you have any suggestions?

thanks!

 

[beastmaster]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=Books
"human molecular genetics 2" was my favorite in the group, but I usually searched the entire book database for specific topics and then read what was most relevant to what I was interested in.

 

[myershurt]

thanks for the post beastmaster -

you mentioned that the test seemed like a cross btw UWolrd and NBME - do you think that doing large numbers of UW questions (repeats) the week before your exam would have been more beneficial, or a week of reading and rereading FA?

and congrats on being finished!

 

[drguy22]

sorry for posting in here...but...did any one of you who have their results get a survey in the mail bout step 1??????

 

[bjackrian]

WoooHooo! I'm done! Ahem.

I took the exam today. It really wasn't that bad (he says, hoping that his score will back him up). The test seemed very similar to NBMEs that I'd taken. There were some questions that seemed more Kaplan style (not the nitpicky, but shorter and with knee-jerk associations) and others that were more UWorld style (longer, more subtle clues, and multi-step reasoning). I think doing both qbanks is probably a good idea.

As far as content by subject area, I was surprised by how little pharm there was on the test. I had some antimicrobial questions, and a couple other random things, but not too much at all. Lots of path, pathophys, and micro. A pretty good amount of behavioral science which was harder than uworld but easier than Kaplan. I can't remember any embryo questions on my test, which shocked me. I was terrified there would be a lot of very difficult micro, but there didn't seem to be too much. Lots and lots of pictures, so know both gross pictures and histo well. Also imaging studies, come to think of it.

The center I took the test at was fine except that it was a little warm in the testing room. The check in people were very helpful and professional. The men's room smelled like crap (which was surprising considering the building was pretty nice). The monitor on the computer was a little dark which made a couple of the images hard to see, but I managed to adjust the brightness and contrast to make it clearer.

Overall, I'm just glad to be done. I took the exam before most people in my class, and when I swung by our library to return some books, there was a mix of shock that I took the exam already and envy that I'm done. I'm very glad that I limited my studying to four weeks. I did not feel that I would have gotten more questions right if I'd taken longer to study.

I started the process with a goal of 230. I went into the test itself telling myself that the most important thing was to pass and everything else was just gravy. I would guess that my score will end up somewhere between 220 and 240, but I don't know how on earth I could tell for sure.


Timeline:
Pre-April 15: Did UWorld qbank on random from January to April just to get in the mood.
April 15-29: Studied for finals, which included path shelf.
April 30-May 5: finals
May 6-now: Review as below + Kaplan QBank

Resources:
General
Kaplan QBank: Wasn't bad. Some questions were definitely too nitpicky, but overall, it was a good way to hammer information into my head.

USMLE World QBank: Also not bad. Lots of multistep reasoning, but lacking on pounding details. Probably slightly more similar to the exam, but not dramatically so.

Pretest: Clinical Vignettes for the USMLE Step One: I used this in the last week before the test and thought that it was very helpful. Highly recommend.

Kaplan QBook: I didn't really like it. Too detailed and nitpicky. Path and Micro sections weren't bad. Anatomy was terrible.

Path
BRS Path--went through twice while studying for path shelf (which was the path final at my school). I thought it was great: it went through things in a logical order for me, and I thought the questions were helpful to see how well I understood things.

RR Path--went through once during the review period. Wasn't bad, but I preferred the BRS format. It stuck in my head better and was more logical.
Did not use Goljan audio. Don't know what I missed. 🙂

1st Aid Path: Went through three times. Some useful mnemonics. Good review for the last week, but doesn't have enough information for thorough review.
Path & Pathophys Pretest: Very useful for me. I learned the most from questions, so these were great.

Robbins Review QBook: Much harder than the actual test, but a good review. If you can do these questions, you can do the path on the test.

Pharm
Baby Lange: Used it with questions. Way too detailed. The high yield section of drugs at the end was useful--I made my own flash cards from them.

First Aid: Great. I wish they had a more comprehensive list of drugs to study from instead of scattering by system.

Micro
Micro Made Simple: Fantastic. Buy this book. Absolutely worth it.

First Aid: Also quite good. Arguable more thorough than MMS. These two together were plenty.

Immuno
First Aid: Not very useful.
I never found a immuno source that I really liked. That said, understanding the immuno path chapters in RR Path and BRS path seemed like enough for the test.

Anat/Embryo/Histo
Pretest: Too detailed. I liked this series but not this book.

First Aid: Great. Well laid out and lots of good mnemonics.

Biochem/MoBio
Kaplan Notes: Very good. Maybe a little too detailed but a good foundation.

First Aid: A very strong section. Saved my butt on a lot of questions. If you have a reasonably strong biochem background, first aid is probably enough. I didn't, so Kaplan helped fill in the gaps.

Physio
Big Costanzo: This book isn't that long, so I reread it. Might have helped a little but probably not necessary.

Little Costanzo: Good summary. If you know your phys, this would be enough (I wish I'd only used little Costanzo).

Scores:
USMLE World (before classes were done): Started in the 40s, ended in the 50s
QBank (after classes, while studying): Started in low 60s, ended in mid 70s
NBME #2 (right after finals): 520/228
NBME #3 (one week ago): 580/234



Good luck to everyone still studying! Boo to waiting to the end of July.

 

[y2janitor]

Hey bjackrian congrats on being done. Have a few beers for me, I take mine july 2nd. I'm wondering, how was the neuro and what did you do to prepare for it?

 

[winsicle]

Any recent takers find any duplicate questions from NBME practice tests?

 

[bjackrian]

Hey bjackrian congrats on being done. Have a few beers for me, I take mine july 2nd. I'm wondering, how was the neuro and what did you do to prepare for it?

There wasn't a ton of neuro on mine...mostly neuropath. I used Kaplan, FA, and HY Neuro, and it seemed to be enough. I do wish I'd spent some more time on neuro pictures and image studies. I thought I knew the answers, but wasn't as sure as I'd have liked.

As for NBMEs,
No questions repeated, but similar concepts and level of difficulty.

 

[GOGETA]

Wao, TV on the prometric station, wao, I wish I had that on mine.
In my prometric site the lockers where small, and they said put anyhting valuable inside the locker.

And no that will not influince the grade.

 

[doctorp82]

Hopefully this is useful to someone/some people and not an utter bore. I kept getting questions from people as PM's so I tried to make the post able to answer all of the things I was getting asked. It's amazing how having your life back can keep you from wanting to sit down and type stuff like this out. I had my exam Saturday.

I have to drive about 30-40 minutes to the next town to take it, so I was up at 6 am and leaving by 7 am. I got to the Prometrics site around 7:40, and was able to get in and actually started the test a few minutes before 8 am. I was the second of several classmates who were taking it that day.

When I signed in and presented my testing permit, I received a code to unlock my exam, and was let in to the testing area. I found out that earplugs are not allowed; they provide sound dampening earmuffs for you to use at the Prometrics site.

There was no way for me to skip the 15 minute tutorial, but having done the free 150 questions you can download at http://www.usmle.org , I quickly moved through it without spending too much time. The tutorial will explain how breaks are taken, which is the one thing I was most interested in 😎👍.

Each block, to summarize:
Block 1 - This was a challenge, but not unreasonably so. It seemed on par with USMLEWorld, but maybe a little bit easier at times.
Blocks 2 - 4 - This was easily the hardest section of my exam, and had the most make-me-go-wide-eyed questions in them. I marked for review every question that wasn't a knee-jerk answer or that I was less than 75% sure I had correct. These blocks had the most of those. Most of those challenging questions were of the cell bio/biochem/kinetics-type questions, and these I felt were the toughest subjects overall.
Block 5 - Still challenging, but a bit easier perhaps than the last few.
Blocks 6 - 7 - Not completely letting up in difficulty, and perhaps a combination of trying to be more confident/wanting to get done and get out, but I marked much less through these blocks to review.

Subjects tested:
Behavioral Science - I thought that the scenario questions, where it asks for the most appropriate respose/action were rather straightforward. If you've used QBank or UW, these (at least my test) seemed easy. Never had a challenging situation. Know how to calculate PPV and NPV, sensitivity and specificity, and the answer to "which of these is affected by prevalence of disease?" Knowing the definitions of defense mechanisms, and definitions of things like type 1 and type 2 error, and definitions of study types will help you pick up some easy points. These are straightforward, you know it or not.

Biochem - Vitamin deficiencies are straightforward. If you know what the vitamin does, you're fine. The hardest questions of this type deal with enzyme kinetics plots, of the Michaelis-Menton type plot. Know all the enzymes mentioned in FA, from rate limiting steps to storage diseases to lead-heme-pophyrin stuff. Anything related to an enzyme will be something from FA. There were some questions on amino acids, but maybe 1-2 total the whole test. The sections of FA dealing with different genetic diseases is useful, as is knowing Southern, Northern, and Western blotting and what they do. You should know DNA and RNA replication, transcription, and translation mechanics too; this will also help with some microbiology questions related to viral genetics, so there's good carryover with that.

Embryology - I definately didnt' study this very hard, but I don't think that it was all that important to the test. I would try to briefly review embryology of each organ system as you study it, and then know some of the common things in FA such as pharyngeal arches and pouches, and how the face is formed. That's all.


Microbiology - Micro Ridiculously Simple and QBank were sufficient for this. QBank is more detailed than is needed. The way they make these questions difficult is by asking something about viral genetic replication, or bacterial virulence or resistance factors, which again heralds to molecular bio. Any questions that require you to deduce the infectious organism and then answer a question on it will give you classic lab findings, such as lactose +/-, catalase +/-, etc. Simple perhaps to me, since I've had microbio in undergrad, last year, and reviewed again this year.

Immunology - Kinda straightforward. Know cytokines and what they activate/signal. Know the surface proteins used in signal transduction (B7, CD20/CD20L, etc.), and the surface proteins of the leukocytes. I had a few questions only dealing with immunodeficiency, and that was covered well by FA and BRS/RR. Basic stuff like cytokines.

Pharmacology First Aid is sufficient for specific drugs, for the most part. I thought there were only a couple that weren't well covered by FA, and I answered many of these alright based on previous studying for school anyways. Beyond specific drugs, know receptors. Know alpha, beta, muscarinic, histamine, etc. and where they function. Questions from Kaplan QBank and UW were good for these. There were also some kinetics and inhibition questions on my test. I think one question with a graph actually dealt with a receptor and was worded in the context of receptor activity…still dealing with efficacy and potency and whatever.

Organ Systems
Lumping this altogether mostly because I've already been rather long, but also because it's easily generalized. First Aid covers the basics well. Fill in with Rapid Review and/or BRS and you should be fine. I think it was a good strategy to study the system's physiology, pathology, and pharmacology as the core, and pick up the anatomy and embryology as more fine points.

How I prepared:
Back in February during classes I started making my studying more Step-1 focused. I did lower than I could have on the block exam, but felt that I knew what was important for boards, and didn't' care about anything but passing. I used Rapid Review Pathology from when it came out during the year to study. I didn't really start studying until April 2 or 4th, and hadn't a very rigid schedule since I was also required to go to class and write my objectives. I did all of Kaplan's QBank, and I think I had a 66% average finishing. I only really did it subject based, not random 50 timed from the start. I got about 20-something% of UW in during the last week as I was reviewing weak spots and just to see what the hoopla was about. UW is definitely better than Kaplan, and if I could redo how I did questions over I might have done USMLERx subject based until I knew First Aid cold, then UW randomized. Still, I read all the Kaplan explainations and I did learn from it. Doing about 3,000 questions was very helpful, but I would have really liked to have finished more. After class was over I tried to do an organ system per day, starting at cardiovascular. I broke from my organ system routine in the evening to hit topics like biochem, pharm, and the general principles topics like the first few RR or BRS chapters. I did questions in the morning, starting around 7-8 and going to noon. I could do perhaps 150 questions in that time with reading and reviewing. I did that for two weeks, took form 4 at the beginning of my last week, then spent a couple days going heavy on biochem and pharm, then read FA once over fast like lightning. Didn't study Friday evening, and that's a good choice.

Books I used:
First Aid 2007 – Know it cold, and know it, don't just memorize it. Understand the meaning behind every word.
Rapid Review Pathology 2nd ed. – I used this more during the year than in the last couple weeks, but it is great. Once you buy it, keep it. It's really good for integrating subjects, but not everyone may like the brevity of the outline format. Quite a few of the tables are worth their weight in gold. Tables like the polycythemias, or male and female genital cancers, etc., are very worth going over.
BRS Pathology– A very good book regardless of how many people try to convert you to RR. It's a good source, and some things are in here that aren't in RR, athough the things each has that the other doesn't are usually minutiae that I don't recall seeing anything of on the exam.
BRS Physiology – Absolutely know your physiology. Know it as strong as your pathology, because the integration between path and physio is too important to not know. It was a massive help to study both the path and phys of an organ system at the same time, because it helps you see why certain things happen in certain disease states.
High Yield Neuroanatomy I read this so many times during my neuro block, that I only read it once over in about two days during board review. Very good book, but boards neuron is a bit simpler. Knowing the pathways and where cranial nerves have their nuclei in the spinal cord is important. A good deal of neuro was partially musculoskeletal, with all the different peripheral nerve lesions and injuries.
Micro Made Rediculously Simple – I read this cover to cover, then did all the micro questions in Kaplan at once. If you know this book and the salient details from First Aid, you're good. If you don't have a strong background in this as I did, I think Lange's Micro and Immuno Review is a stellar book.
Step Up for Step 1 – I didn't use this in the last three weeks of studying, but during the 4 or so weeks before classes ended I read the whole thing once over. It's a really good book to get an overview with, and works as a really good complement to reading First Aid to "warm up" to a system. I have the second edition, but a friend of mine who I know was pulling 260+'s on his NBME had the newest edition, and he mentioned a couple of times he really thought it was worth looking at. I think it's a good book to add early if you have time for another full-coverage source, otherwise don't stray from First Aid.

NBME Form 2 – April 8th – 204 (440)
NBME Form 4 – May 27th – 228 (540)

QBank 100% complete – 66% subject-based. Often would start questions before having fully covered a subject, and started using it in mid-February along with studying for class in renal, GI, and endocrine. I was pulling mid to high 70's toward the end until all that was left was "general principles", which always managed to trip me up.

USMLEWorld 400 questions – 65%, would have been higher but was compelled to try to do two blocks of 50 late at night and scored both in the 50's. Mostly was in the mid-60's to 70's

Hoping that I brought a 230+ effort on Saturday. I actually feel confident in having done well, based on my NBME's and having so many questions done, but I definitely got kicked around for a few hours.

 

[myershurt]

thanks for the post - nbme-wise we have nearly identical numbers - and my test is friday - so your post helps me sculpt which tables/ other things to quickly glance at int he next few days....

much appreciated

 

[ANCAdoc]

I'm a morning person so I requested to take it at 7am. Got there ~6:20 and by 6:30 I was taking the test. Got done ~12:45.

I started the test with 1hr in breaks (I skipped the 15 min intro) and ended with 1hr 50min in break time.

The test was downright hard. I didn't expect the level of detail in the Biochem/Molecular Bio q's.

 

[nasdr]

I'm a morning person so I requested to take it at 7am. Got there ~6:20 and by 6:30 I was taking the test. Got done ~12:45.

I started the test with 1hr in breaks (I skipped the 15 min intro) and ended with 1hr 50min in break time.

The test was downright hard. I didn't expect the level of detail in the Biochem/Molecular Bio q's.

here's hoping the crazy molec bio q's were experimental. ps: what did u use to prepare for this section? if the old edition of HY CMB isnt enough anymore, i'm screwed. anyway, try not to think too much about it and enjoy your few days before rotations.

 

[myershurt]

same question as above for the recent takers - any noticed repeats from UWorld, QBank, NBME's, or released 150 items?

 

[tygrwds]

Just took the test yesterday (6/5). Right now, I'm just glad it's over and done with.

For those of you wondering about repeat questions from the 150 USMLE free Q's or from NBME, I actually did recognize two from my exam. However, I won't discuss the specific questions here.

Now for what's left of my memory about my Step 1 experience:

High-Yield Systems: My exam happened to emphasize the GI (especially GI Path), heme/onc, neuro/psych endocrine and reproductive systems. Surprisingly, it was very light on cardio and pulm. Renal and musculoskeletal were intermediate in emphasis.

High-Yield Subjects: I was quite surprised to find that behavioral science and biostatistics were tested almost as heavily as pharm. In fact, I think that the number of behavioral and biostats questions, when combined, outnumbered the pharm questions by a comfortable margin. Biochemistry, molecular bio, genetics, and micro were fairly high-yield too - and the questions weren't exactly easy, either. I'll discuss the types of questions that stood out for me in each subject below:

Behavioral/Psych: Gender identity disorders in adolescents!! The two questions came in consecutive blocks, and caught me by surprise. It's not in FA '06, and I would doubt it's in '07, so you might want to brush up on it with something else. Other topics included the various personality disorders, mood disorders, and a fair share of psychopharmacology.

Biostats: Mostly the bread-and-butter variety - sensitivity vs. specificity, understanding the normal distribution, and biases. I also had a long-a$$ vignette that tested the concept of statistical power, as well as recognition of various study designs.

Biochem: I had to recognize what was (I hope) a urea cycle disorder, although I didn't have to recall any specific intermediates. Basic vitamin deficiencies (folate, B12) were tested, too. The most difficult questions IMO were those that required delineation between the various inborn errors of metabolism (including the aforementioned urea cycle question), although the consecutive MSUD questions I got were straightforward.

Genetics: Most of my questions seemed to fall along the line of, "what's the likelihood of fetus IV-3 in the pedigree inheriting this disorder?" Penetrance and variable expressivity showed up, too.

Molecular Biology: Those sexy, 20-step questions were found in two areas: Biostats and molecular biology. Although most of the molecular bio questions were very do-able, I had to fight through some long, esoteric mumbo-jumbo to arrive at the answer on several of them. The concepts were fairly basic, as they mainly related to mechanisms of transcription and translation. Several questions integrated molecular bio with biochem, microbiology, and/or genetics - those were actually pretty interesting.

Microbiology and Immunology: In contrast to some previous posters' experiences, I actually had parasites on my exam, as well as fungi and protozoa. However, bacteria and viruses were still the highest-yield areas in micro. You might want to review the type of patient most susceptible to a particular infection (e.g. diabetics, immunosuppressed). HIV(+) patients came up a lot on my exam, as did TB. Congenital immunodeficiencies were also there, sometimes tied in with embryology (e.g. DiGeorge). The "HOT T-BONE stEAk" mnemonic from FA came handy on a few cytokine questions, too. Also remember that you'll likely have questions that will integrate micro/immuno with imaging studies, too (e.g. recognizing reactivation TB on a cross-section CT scan).

Pathology: Easily the highest-yield topic on my exam - especially for GI, heme/onc, and CNS. Renal disease questions also showed up fairly often (glomerular and tubular diseases, cancers, etc.). The few cardiac path questions I had were short and sweet. I don't think I have enough space or time to discuss all the pathology I had here. However, I thought BRS Path and the Goljan lectures were both very helpful.

Physiology and Pathophysiology Most of the phys questions I can remember were nephron-based, I'm glad that I studied my transport mechanisms repeatedly. Furthermore, RAAS was everywhere. There were also questions that tested my recall and understanding of nephrotoxic drugs. Also had a few questions regarding GI physiology

Pharmacology I don't remember getting a lot of questions in this area, but I do recall that several questions about RAAS drugs, diuretics, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, psychotherapeutics, and antineoplastics showed up on the test. The questions covered MOA, clinical use (make the diagnosis, then select the treatment), and side effects. Especially, side effects. Toxidromes and antidotes were also high-yield. It may also pay to study up on your cytochromes as well.

Degree of Difficulty About 1/2 of the test consisted of easier questions, comparable in difficulty to QBank questions that >65% of Kaplan QBank subscribers would correctly answer. Another 1/3 of the exam had multi-step, "thinker" questions; the "QBank user" average on these questions may be 45-55%. The remaining questions fell along the lines of, "WTF?" "I've never heard of that," "I knew this once in my life," and, "That's gotta be an experimental question."

Final impressions: I found both USMLE World, Kaplan QBank, and all the question books I've used over the last several months to be very, very helpful. I was nervous going into the exam room, but knowing that I completed 6500 questions before this day helped to calm my nerves. As for the question sources themselves, the concise, yet complex vignettes in USMLE World most closely approximated the real thing. Furthermore, you can't beat it's answer explanations. However, I'm also really glad that I made it through all of QBank (and 62% of UW), because it still helped me to reinforce what I've read. I went into the exam feeling well prepared, even if nervous. Although I found the exam to be very difficult, I think that I'll end up OK. I likely won't get the 250 that the NBME says I'm capable of earning, but I should at least pass!

 

[myershurt]

thanks for the post - congrats on being done!

 

[OddNath]

Any recent takers find any duplicate questions from NBME practice tests?

Yes-- that I cell disease question (I forgot which form) was like word for word on my actual test yesterday.

 

[DocMizzle]

Can someone elaborate as to how much detail we need to know to answer the molecular bio questions? FA spends devotes like 2 pages to this subject.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Can someone elaborate as to how much detail we need to know to answer the molecular bio questions? FA spends devotes like 2 pages to this subject.

A lot more than you'll find in FA.

The leaner, older edition of HY Cell & Molecular should be sufficient.

 

[surfgirl2]

not to hijack the thread but what about the molecular in RR biochemistry?

 

[cpb80]

not to hijack the thread but what about the molecular in RR biochemistry?

good question, anyone think that ch's 10 and 11 are sufficient for molec.?

 

[goodies]

what about neuroanatomy? was there a lot of it on your test?

 

[FotoFusion]

Dupe.

 

[FotoFusion]

YES! feels soooo good to finally post here. I took it today and here are my thoughts on it. Please note, you'll see below I'm a very very average student and I'm looking to get between a 200-210, so if you're shooting for a 250, don't jump down my throat for giving all this advice that doesn't apply to you. Thanks.

Since this seems to be the trend here...
MCAT 34R
Small state school in the south
CBSE(end of school year, no studying) 200
150 released items 66% - 3 days into studying.
NBME Form 1 211 (5 days into studying.)
Usmleworld - 58% on 40% of the questions; Kaplan QB - 200 questions, gettin 65%.
I studied for 2.5 weeks, 5-6 hours a day(did little bits here and there, but mostly the past 2.5 weeks). I used FA, goljan, UW, HY cell molec bio(old one, hated the new one).

Coming from a blatantly (below?) average student, it was a fair test. Every subject was well represented.
Anatomy - 4 xrays, a VERY strange CT reconstruction image, and some brain stem cross sections, and 3 MRI's. There were maybe 25-30 questions total on anatomy. Embryology actually had surprising represntation - know teratogens, congenital defects for sure. FA sufficed, I think.

Pharm - know pharm from FA. Know the diagrams on autonomic before and afters - I had at least 10 questions giving experimental situations, drug x, drug y combinations, stuff like that. You know the ones. Know side effects. Know mechanisms of actions of the different classes of drugs.
I really wish I had spent more time studying pharm, I was guessing on a lot of basic questions that I should have known. Very disappointed in that.

Genetics/Cell/Molec bio
A fair amount of these questions. FA was actually NOT enough for the cell biology questions - I highly recommend HY Cell/Molec bio(the old edition, I returned the new one...shoot).
If you know the first 5-6 chapters, you're money.I think people freak out over these questions because they're asking new questions you've never seen before, but it becomes really obvious what they're asking for. HY Cell/molec bio the first few chapters should cover you here.

Biochemistry - First Aid. Seriously, FA has got all you need here. I really liked RR biochem, but didn't do all of it. I "planned" on doing all of RR because this is a weak area, but the test didn't ask anything too loopy.

Micro - oh man. This was my demise, without a doubt. Know FA really well. They threw in path along with micro for almost every question, but it was very obvious what they wanted. It's just a matter of knowing the details, heh. Bacteria > Viruses >Fungi. I think FA would have been enough, if I had spent more time with it. Damnit. At least 8-10 questions PER block of micro+pathology combined.

Behavioral - Ignore this at your own peril. I was delighted by how many questions there were on this subject (I want to be a psychiatrist!!). Know biostats - lots of sensitivity, specificit, RR, OR questions. Not many NNT/NNH(none on my entire test). Know the different behavioral disorders(schizo, borderline, etc). What else...oh yeah, the side effects of the psych drugs - important. FA is good for this.

Path/Phys - I'm going to get shot for this - FA is enough for these 2 subjects. I planned on doing a lot of Goljan/RR reviewing. I listed to his audio over the 2 years and I really wish I had listened to all of it during my prep perior(forgot everything from earlier, heh). That plus gone thru what notes I took in RR during my first 2 years. Nothing loopy here, either. Lots of 2 step and 3 step questions here, but they laid it out for you. They basically told you how to get from step 1 to 2 to 3, you just had to know the details of each step(again...lol, see a trend?)

By the time I got done, I was really surprised by how fair the questions were. They weren't out to trick you, if you know the basics and don't freak out at seeing things worded strangely, you'd really kill this thing. Sadly, I didn't know my stuff and I don't think I did that great. My best guess is I'll score between a 200 and a 210-ish. I really hope I didn't fail, I'll eat my words above, hehe.

The questions were more like UW than Kaplan. NBME form 1 was the most representative of the real thing, of all the questions I did.

Um, so that's it! An average students view of the thing. Know FA and listen to goljan and HY Cell/mol bio, do the released items, and you would kill this thing. I'll let you all know my score when I get it(yes, I'll tell you even if I failed it )

Good luck if you're taking it soon! Hope this helps a little at least(ESPECIALLY for those of us at the other side of the bell curve 😀 ) take care!



Edit: Got my score. 224/93.