6/29/11 testday freakout thread

[cyberer]

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What did everyone think? I just got back and I don't know what I've been studying for the past 5 weeks- I felt like nothing I studied was really on there, there were easily 30 images on my exam, including bizarre anatomy CT and MRI, skin diagrams, and other goodies.

I didn't get asked one CF question, nothing on the kidney path, nothing on the different types of lymphomas and leukemias- seriously what did I study?

I had no less than 25 female repro questions on my exam. WTF?!

Did anyone else have this experience? I really think I only got like a 60% correct, and I have no idea what that translates to...

 

[fahimaz7]

Every test is different.

 

[tco]

Every test is different.

But it's still standardized!

 

[fahimaz7]

But it's still standardized!

....

 

[cyberer]

I always question the "Standardization"- NBME sends mixed messages:

-Your score is curved based on who takes it! Oh, but it's standardized.
-The content of your exam varies significantly with everyone else taking it! Oh, but it's standardized.
etc,etc

 

[Step1Hash]

I always question the "Standardization"- NBME sends mixed messages:

-Your score is curved based on who takes it! Oh, but it's standardized.
-The content of your exam varies significantly with everyone else taking it! Oh, but it's standardized.
etc,etc

someone else posted (i think today) about having alot of Micro/Anatomy/Immuno... was yours similar? They said they barely had any organ system path.

Is it possible that test takers of the same day get a similar set of questions? I feel like iv'e noticed on the experiences thread that ppl who took it the same day the majority said it was "good/just know FA/uworld" or the majority said it was "bad/ pelvic anatomy" lol.

 

[cyberer]

someone else posted (i think today) about having alot of Micro/Anatomy/Immuno... was yours similar? They said they barely had any organ system path.

Yes, that was my experience as well I would say, and lots of female repro- like gestational stuff.

 

[fahimaz7]

someone else posted (i think today) about having alot of Micro/Anatomy/Immuno... was yours similar? They said they barely had any organ system path.

Is it possible that test takers of the same day get a similar set of questions? I feel like iv'e noticed on the experiences thread that ppl who took it the same day the majority said it was "good/just know FA/uworld" or the majority said it was "bad/ pelvic anatomy" lol.

I took it with 4 buddies at two different sites. Our test composition varied greatly.

 

[Step1Hash]

I took it with 4 buddies at two different sites. Our test composition varied greatly.

shyeet nvm

 

[richse]

What did everyone think? I just got back and I don't know what I've been studying for the past 5 weeks- I felt like nothing I studied was really on there, there were easily 30 images on my exam, including bizarre anatomy CT and MRI, skin diagrams, and other goodies.

I didn't get asked one CF question, nothing on the kidney path, nothing on the different types of lymphomas and leukemias- seriously what did I study?

I had no less than 25 female repro questions on my exam. WTF?!

Did anyone else have this experience? I really think I only got like a 60% correct, and I have no idea what that translates to...

+1 I took it 6/23 and had sooooooo much repro. One of my worst subjects 🙁

 

[bruinhd]

I took it with 4 buddies at two different sites. Our test composition varied greatly.

+1. This was the same for my friends and I. We had different topic focuses, however overall our test difficulty seemed to be similar.

 

[useatoothbrush]

i can definitely vouch that the test composition is different, at least for people taking it the same site, on the same day (there is obvious reason for that). however, regarding difficulty i think most of the time it has more to do with your strengths and weaknesses; i don't believe the nbme strives to make a much harder or much easier exam, it's just that some topics you know better than others. however though i think there probably are slight differences in the level of difficulty

 

[IvyHopeful20]

My guess is that it's like any other standardized test where the curve is different on each version of the test based on it's difficulty (same as tests like the mcat).

 

[tco]

My guess is that it's like any other standardized test where the curve is different on each version of the test based on it's difficulty (same as tests like the mcat).

So how is that standardized?

 

[Step1Hash]

My guess is that it's like any other standardized test where the curve is different on each version of the test based on it's difficulty (same as tests like the mcat).

I'm thinking its basically how uworld does it. Each questions has a %of ppl who got it right. Then they average out all the questions in the set you got and have an average score for that test and then compare your score to that predicted average.

 

[tco]

I'm thinking its basically how uworld does it. Each questions has a %of ppl who got it right. Then they average out all the questions in the set you got and have an average score for that test and then compare your score to that predicted average.

So if you get a "hard test," and miss 1/4 of the questions, you can score the same as someone with an, "easy test," that misses 1/10 of the questions?

Again, how is this standardized? I'm good at neuro and cardio, but suck at kidney...EVERYTHING kidney path related...If I get a test light on cardio questions, which many people find very difficult, but heavy on renal path, which many people find easy, I'm boned.

Also, I had no fewer than 4 people on each side of me (8 people total) switch in and out taking other exams that involved a tremendous amount of typing for the entire day. Did everyone else that took the exam have the same circumstances? If not, it's not a standardized exam.

I just hate this exam with all of my soul. I'm so glad to be done with it.

 

[Step1Hash]

So if you get a "hard test," and miss 1/4 of the questions, you can score the same as someone with an, "easy test," that misses 1/10 of the questions?

Again, how is this standardized? I'm good at neuro and cardio, but suck at kidney...EVERYTHING kidney path related...If I get a test light on cardio questions, which many people find very difficult, but heavy on renal path, which many people find easy, I'm boned.

Also, I had no fewer than 4 people on each side of me (8 people total) switch in and out taking other exams that involved a tremendous amount of typing for the entire day. Did everyone else that took the exam have the same circumstances? If not, it's not a standardized exam.

I just hate this exam with all of my soul. I'm so glad to be done with it.

I agree with you. The test SHOULD be 1/7 boichem, 1/7 phys, 1/7 pharm...etc. for everyone. Sure make it different questions so no one cheats but still the ratio should be the same. I really don't understand why this test needs to short change some subjects over others.

and yea...I had ALOT of ppl typing in my testing center. Luckily i prefer noise over silence.

 

[tco]

I agree with you. The test SHOULD be 1/7 boichem, 1/7 phys, 1/7 pharm...etc. for everyone. Sure make it different questions so no one cheats but still the ratio should be the same. I really don't understand why this test needs to short change some subjects over others.

and yea...I had ALOT of ppl typing in my testing center. Luckily i prefer noise over silence.

Exactly. If you're going to have heart sounds in the exam, make it the same number of heart sounds for everyone (thank god I didn't have many because I could seriously barely hear them over everyone typing...), same number of neuro, biochem, etc. There's so much to cover, there's no reason you can't have 12 "easy" questions in biochem all with different subject matter! The way you put it is perfect...Plus, those subjects are going to overlap and bleed into the organ system content, so it's not like you're not covering everything.