270/91 Step 1 experience

[RectalProlapse]

For those who are not usmle-forum members I thought I would share this here as well, fell free to ask any additional questions

so to begin with during my 2 years of basic sciences at Saba i probably did on the order of 12,00+ questions. rubins, robbins and coltran, lippincotts, brs, pre test, web path, u world, pretty much anything I could get my hands on.

During the last 2 semesters I did Uworld questions with my course work along with kaplan videos one time through. Finished Uworld with a 89% the 1st time.

when I came home in Dec i took a 2 week break before beginning studying which commensed about dec 27th. my method was by organ system spending around 4 days on each.

For example- Mon- Cardio anatomy and embryo- with UsmleRx and Kaplan questions. Tues-wed Physio Path w/ ?s Thur- Pharm and finish all Rx and Kaplan ?s. I did all the way up to Feb 3rd, which left me about 3 weeks till the exam, and what I viewed to be the most crucial period.

During the last 3 weeks my schedule was repetitive and strutured
630 a.m breakfast and random 46 ? uworld timed exam
First aid step 1 subject chapter ex. renal
random 46 ? uworld timed exam
First aid step 2 ck 8th ed subject chapter ex. renal
and so on until 8 pm at which point i went to the gym, ate dinner, watched an episode of The Wire, and drank a glass of wine, asleep by 11:30-12 most nights

SLEEP IS KEY- IF YOU IGNORE THIS STEP YOURE SCORE WILL SUFFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

Got through all of Uworld in 3 weeks with a 98%
as for NBME and UWSA scores
NBME 13- IN DEC BEFORE STUDYING- 257
NBME 12 MID JAN- 268
UWSA 1 END OF JAN- 265+
FEB 8TH - NBME6- 258- GOT FRUSTRATED AND DID 11 RIGHT AFTER AND GOT 266
5 DAYS BEFORE EXAM DID NBME 7- 264 FOLLOWED BY UWSA 2 265+

Got through first aid step 1 3x between jan- and my exam and step 2 ck 2x

step 2 ck was an amazing adjuvant for clinical presentations, and x rays. dont focus to much on diagnostic and treatments in that book, that is more appropriate for clinicals.

Books
-Neuro- High Yield- fosuc on lesions- tracts, and scans, dont bother with crazy disease names (ex. foster kennedy syndrome),
-anatomy- the step ?s were pretty knowledge based and not that out of the order- kaplan and I used high yield just for some extra x rays and CT scans
- Pharm- first aid was enough, but I had 2 of the most amazing pharm professors so my preparation was very little for this subject, but if you're weak here, Kaplan is amazing. but you really want to know the molecular changes of EVERY RECEPTOR, that is KEY, ex B1 vs B2 ............
- Behavorial science- kaplan is fine
- Biochem/Genetics- dont stray from first aid
- Micro/Immuno- this was another high yield subject that I had great teachers for- but first aid covered 95% of the info in this area, if you need som e extra help in the biotechnology areas such as flow cytometry- kaplan is a solid resource.
- Physio- brs or kaplan- both are good - stratight up physio ?s were few and far between- know you basic concepts of water compartments- ex add hypertonic saline infusion- what happens to intra/extra cellular compartment size- arrow ?'s
- Pathphysio- GOLJAN RAPID REVIEW IS GOD
- PATH- PATHOMA VIDEOS- ESSENTIAL

as for tips the day before- NO NEW MATERIAL- if you don't know it by then count it as a loss. I woke up sped through first aid micro- drove down to my hotel which was right scores from the testing center. got some food, gym, hot tub- went to my room took an ambien at 8pm and read conrad ficher pharm flash cards until i fell asleep. woke up at 5:30 am- stretched for 20 mins, showered, hotel breakfast, went to the campus an hour early, psyched myself up, and got to it. as for time on the test READ THESE WORDS- READ THE QUESTION BEFORE THE PARAGRAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!- If they are asking for a bacteria and you are spending precious time absorbing ABG values that are thrown in as EXTRA INFORMATION (WHICH THEY DO PUT THERE ON PURPOSE)- you will not be using time efficiently. I finished every section with 15+ mins left- some with 26 mins, which gave me plenty of time to go back to those questions with 2 graphs, 3 paragraphs, ect.... and spend the time needed on them.

p.s forgive my spelling and grammar, I've never been much of a proofreader. plus my MAC is busted so I am doing this from an ipad.. If i missed any of your ?s or concerns please ask again, hope this was some help to you all. As a recap of my 3 best tips- SLEEP, PRACTICE ?S, READ THE QUESTION BEFORE THE VINGETTE!!

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[Goober11]

I'd love to know the thought process behind creating your SDN account name.

 

[Checcles]

I'd love to know the thought process behind creating your SDN account name.

Shhh....he's giving us one of the current answers on the exam.

 

[CassieBagley]

nothing

 

[JP2740]

 

[Chirurg]

For those who are not usmle-forum members I thought I would share this here as well, fell free to ask any additional questions

so to begin with during my 2 years of basic sciences at Saba i probably did on the order of 12,00+ questions. rubins, robbins and coltran, lippincotts, brs, pre test, web path, u world, pretty much anything I could get my hands on.

12,000 questions? damn.

 

[JShephard]

98% on uworld = wow

 

[Leonidis I]

you went through first aid step 2 ck twice before taking step 1? why? and how much do you think that helped?

congrats on the score btw

 

[docnotsopc]

98% on uworld = wow

ya....... im 10 weeks out (but no studying April due to **** schedule), and getting 40% often enough with the odd 60% sprinkled in

98% is so boss . Seriously I would be happy ecstatic with 70% on UWorld and incredibly happy with consistent mid 60s (230-240)

 

[Jamiu22]

98% on uworld = wow

I think he meant 89%... he said it earlier in this thread.... but still DAMN!!

 

[JShephard]

I think he meant 89%... he said it earlier in this thread.... but still DAMN!!

No. His 1st time was 89%.

I'm always crunched for time to study boards. This prep plan is amazingly thorough.

 

[Jamiu22]

No. His 1st time was 89%.

I'm always crunched for time to study boards. This prep plan is amazingly thorough.

Yups...I didn't see that... it surely is impressive...

...in my case, I procrastinate too much for a schedule that rigid to be meaningful... I'm just really hoping to crack 240.... although 270 would be nice.

 

[JShephard]

Yups...I didn't see that... it surely is impressive...

...in my case, I procrastinate too much for a schedule that rigid to be meaningful... I'm just really hoping to crack 240.... although 270 would be nice.

Agreed. SDN makes me feel like a slacker.

 

[coreytayloris]

tbh this reeks of BS.

 

[tortuga87]

beast... amazing work ethic

Amazing that you had it all figured out as an MS1 too

 

[madchemist89]

tbh this reeks of BS.

I am not trying to be a hater here, but something feels off about this post. It was cross posted to multiple forums, the OP created an acocunt just to post, and then he included his name at the bottom. None of these behaviors are typical.

 

[addy]

What did you think of the Essentials of Rubbin's Pathology question book?

 

[madchemist89]

It all adds up now.

 

[rodmichael82]

What do I use to study for the plant biology section on UMLE 1?

 

[Jamiu22]

no matter how high a score, some people just dont have what it takes

You know you really can't judge someone by one quote... for as much as we know.. it might have been a joke....

Regardless, attaining 270 is still a beast!!! grats to him and what he did to achieve that score.

 

[RectalProlapse]

tbh this reeks of BS.

for the ones who doubt, you have better things to do with your time, for those who believe and still want proof I will upload my score sheet scanned tonmorrow

 

[RectalProlapse]

no matter how high a score, some people just dont have what it takes

you judged something I wrote when I was 18, that is a true test of my character

 

[jughead00]

lol...i looked him up on facebook...apparently he's got the reputation of being quite an intelligent fellow...

he actually has several albums as well of his time on Saba...appears to be legit

He's good looking, and SUPER smart with such great scores? I am so jealous!!!

 

[coreytayloris]

for the ones who doubt, you have better things to do with your time, for those who believe and still want proof I will upload my score sheet scanned tonmorrow

It's just a bit odd bro. Nobody signs up purely to wave their proverbial balls around the air.
And I have never heard of anyone using step 2 ck materials to prep for step 1.
The above post honestly read to me like a foreign national, I was shocked when it was revealed you are American.
Congrats nonetheless.

 

[Jonari]

It's just a bit odd bro. Nobody signs up purely to wave their proverbial balls around the air.
And I have never heard of anyone using step 2 ck materials to prep for step 1.
The above post honestly read to me like a foreign national, I was shocked when it was revealed you are American.
Congrats nonetheless.

Not true. Buddy of mine used it as well, and got a 248 on his step. I made a thread a long time ago, if others recommended it, but didn't get many responses. Friends that are in rotations and using it to study, have said, they wished they had used it. Has some good amount of information, that would've come in handy.

 

[iansarria]

You know you really can't judge someone by one quote... for as much as we know.. it might have been a joke....

Regardless, attaining 270 is still a beast!!! grats to him and what he did to achieve that score.

Your right

 

[CassieBagley]

Congrats

 

[suji0]

im sure the quote was a sarcastic joke of some sort (giving benefit of the doubt)

i am less interested in RectalProlapses personal quotes and more interested in how much going through the step 2 book felt like it helped him?

can you give a little more detail on this, please? if it made a significant impact on answering questions, or was moreso just better for overall understanding? because if it makes a big difference im sure its something many people wouldn't mind doing (skim through a section of first aid for step 2 while going through a corresponding organ system, etc)

great job and great prep, i wish I had begun doing questions like that from so early on like you (instead, i remained relatively clueless)

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Everyone that is zeroing in on his use of a Step 2CK book should probably take a step back and realize it probably has a lot more to do with polishing of 12000 questions

 

[SOML]

step 2 ck was an amazing adjuvant for clinical presentations, and x rays. dont focus to much on diagnostic and treatments in that book, that is more appropriate for clinicals.

Clinical presentations and x rays.. would probably help with case presentation format in actual Step 1 maybe ?! Thanks for this I appreciate it

 

[RectalProlapse]

It's just a bit odd bro. Nobody signs up purely to wave their proverbial balls around the air.
And I have never heard of anyone using step 2 ck materials to prep for step 1.
The above post honestly read to me like a foreign national, I was shocked when it was revealed you are American.
Congrats nonetheless.

Well just to clear the air and be done with this, I created my account before test day so I could send Pholston and a few other who received amazing scores a message for some last minute tips/inspiration. and as for the grammar and spelling, you try typing something that long on an ipad, it's quite frustrating to say the least, not to mention I was never an English major

Peace easy friend

 

[RectalProlapse]

Clinical presentations and x rays.. would probably help with case presentation format in actual Step 1 maybe ?! Thanks for this I appreciate it

as for step 2 ck- i found it great to read along with FA step 1- the majority of the ?'s on the step were clinical cases with the exact bold symptoms found in FA step 2. also in the side margins are great mnemonics for a DDx as well as like you said more CT, X Rays as well as endoscopic views and other helpful stuff. but it is true that having done 12000 questions before even starting my 2 month review was a big help for sure

 

[RectalProlapse]

im sure the quote was a sarcastic joke of some sort (giving benefit of the doubt)

i am less interested in RectalProlapses personal quotes and more interested in how much going through the step 2 book felt like it helped him?

can you give a little more detail on this, please? if it made a significant impact on answering questions, or was moreso just better for overall understanding? because if it makes a big difference im sure its something many people wouldn't mind doing (skim through a section of first aid for step 2 while going through a corresponding organ system, etc)

great job and great prep, i wish I had begun doing questions like that from so early on like you (instead, i remained relatively clueless)

sorry I was answering out of order, but see reply below. and yes FA step 2 should be scanned for images, major symptoms, and side margin notes, and you have to have the new 8th ed, it shreds the older versions

 

[JShephard]

sorry I was answering out of order, but see reply below. and yes FA step 2 should be scanned for images, major symptoms, and side margin notes, and you have to have the new 8th ed, it shreds the older versions

Good job + Thanks for advice. Funny that people are creeping you on the web but I'm glad they did in this case. Everyone is so quick to be skeptical on this site and say it's bs when people do a great job.

Can anyone comment on FA step 2 vs step up to medicine step 2? Do they have equivalent images? I've heard the step up to step 2 is better.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

This is all rather interesting but of course it begs the question...if you're able to get a 89% on Uworld first pass, 98% second pass and get a 270 Step 1 what is the OP doing at Saba in the first place? The kind of person that can get a 258 NBME score before dedicated study time should have been able to rock the MCAT.

 

[JShephard]

This is all rather interesting but of course it begs the question...if you're able to get a 89% on Uworld first pass, 98% second pass and get a 270 Step 1 what is the OP doing at Saba in the first place? The kind of person that can get a 258 NBME score before dedicated study time should have been able to rock the MCAT.

Lol, well who knows. Does it matter? I go to a pretty good school, I think school rankings beyond top 10 are overrated. Beyond having exceptional faculty (I.e. mentors) there are few advantages to these good schools (research obviously is an advantage). Most of the time the school gets in the way.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

The 98% UWorld also kind of strains belief...that means you get like 40 questions wrong out of the whole qbank. Although I suppose if you got a 270 it would be believable. I don't know I'd call BS on this story too if there wasn't this whole facebook profile and everything but it seems to be pretty backed up. Maybe there is a secret genius at Saba.

 

[ijn]

This is all rather interesting but of course it begs the question...if you're able to get a 89% on Uworld first pass, 98% second pass and get a 270 Step 1 what is the OP doing at Saba in the first place? The kind of person that can get a 258 NBME score before dedicated study time should have been able to rock the MCAT.

269/AOA/3rd year honors/blahblahbalh here and I go to a bottom 10 US school.

Some of us slacked off in college. I certainly did. My MCAT and GPA were unimpressive (28, 3.5). I only really started to try (and care) once I got into medical school.

I can totally understand how someone could end up at a Carribean school and reevaluate their life path. 270 takes luck and innate test taking skills but also 2 years of dedication.

 

[RectalProlapse]

The 98% UWorld also kind of strains belief...that means you get like 40 questions wrong out of the whole qbank. Although I suppose if you got a 270 it would be believable. I don't know I'd call BS on this story too if there wasn't this whole facebook profile and everything but it seems to be pretty backed up. Maybe there is a secret genius at Saba.

saba has a lot to offer, and my classmate got 267,259, and other 250+ scores. i was a psych major in undergrad, not premed until I was a jr, so only left FSU with a 3.1 GPA. but i enjoyed the college experience and if I could go back I would do it all over again. and I was not dedicated to mcat studying in the least bit, i would pull all nighters and just try to cram information in my head, left me with a 29, which isn't a horrible score but with the other factors it left me only getting into a few D.O schools and i wanted M.D after my name. However I must say going to saba was one of the best experiences I ever had, and for a former party boy like me it was the perfect environment. The professors at saba our tough and half of my class didn't make it through with me , hence out97%ish step 1 pass rate, but you come away with so much knowledge from there its unbelievable. and as for 98% uworld the 2nd time through, understand I have a descent photographic memory so some answers I remembered just bc they had been done in my last semester so that percentage is kind of skewed. but I've worked hard over the last 2 years, the only B i received in med school was genetics, only bc I loathe the subject, oh and ethics but come on.........................

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Hey I mean that's great and that's actually insane that you scored so well on both the practice exams and the real thing. Like I said, there well may be a secret genius at Saba (or not so secret anymore).

 

[JShephard]

269/AOA/3rd year honors/blahblahbalh here and I go to a bottom 10 US school.

Some of us slacked off in college. I certainly did. My MCAT and GPA were unimpressive (28, 3.5). I only really started to try (and care) once I got into medical school.

I can totally understand how someone could end up at a Carribean school and reevaluate their life path. 270 takes luck and innate test taking skills but also 2 years of dedication.

Great story, didn't know you had such a huge turn around.

 

[Jamiu22]

This is all rather interesting but of course it begs the question...if you're able to get a 89% on Uworld first pass, 98% second pass and get a 270 Step 1 what is the OP doing at Saba in the first place? The kind of person that can get a 258 NBME score before dedicated study time should have been able to rock the MCAT.

You'd be surprised that there are so many of us that didn't figure stuff out until medical school.... by stroke of luck managed to crawl our way into 1 school that would accept us out of 40-50 applications.....

 

[Morsetlis]

You'd be surprised that there are so many of us that didn't figure stuff out until medical school.... by stroke of luck managed to crawl our way into 1 school that would accept us out of 40-50 applications.....

Yeah!

 

[kb0275]

Did you start studyinf for the exam start of first year?