80% on qBank but barely passing NBME?

[ISABELLE22]

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I am getting about 80% correct on qBank but am barely passing NBME. I have taken Forms 1-3 and got about 200 on all of them. I am scheduled to take my test in 3 days, and am thinking of delaying it - why is there such a discrepancy in my scores? Should I reschedule my exam or just get it over with?

Thanks

 

[UCLAstudent]

Were you doing the QBank questions randomly instead of subject-based?

 

[Pascal8]

I am getting about 80% correct on qBank but am barely passing NBME. I have taken Forms 1-3 and got about 200 on all of them. I am scheduled to take my test in 3 days, and am thinking of delaying it - why is there such a discrepancy in my scores? Should I reschedule my exam or just get it over with?

Thanks

200 is not a barely passing score . It is a decent score . Do not believe the hype of so many 99's . If that was the case , then the mean score would be a 225 . A 200 is decent . Depends on what residency you want - and even then , the score is not the only factor . In a recent survey , PDs have said that they look at Step 2 scores more favourably ..clinical grades also matter .

The question about extending is up to u ...how much more of this torture can you take ..😡

 

[HIJay]

i guess this again shows how lacking the kaplan qbank is

 

[lankysudanese]

how far into qBank are you? what did the breakdown of your subject performance on the NBMEs look like? did you consistently perform poorly on certain topics which you hadn't encountered in qBank (yet)? how did do your qbank tests (random Vs subject-based, timed Vs tutor mode)?

 

[ISABELLE22]

On qBank, I have been doing timed random samples and am doing fine. I have gone through all the questions once. If I didn't take the NBME tests, I would happily be taking the test on Thrus.

With the NBME, I do fine on all subjects and very well on one or two. There is not one area where I am very weak where I could focus my attention. Also, as I go through the tests, I feel ok. This is also confusing to me. Right now, I don't know where to focus. I do know and appreciate that 200 is a good score as well, but I'd like to do a little better.

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[Pascal8]

i guess this again shows how lacking the kaplan qbank is

not neccesarily . Some of the 3rd years I ahve spoken to were only getting about 55 % to 65 % and they scored between 200 - 220 ..

It is VERY hard to get an 80% on qbank based on the numerous people that I have spoken to ..

 

[ISABELLE22]

Is it possible that I'm only doing so well on qBank because I've memorized the questions?

 

[lankysudanese]

On qBank, I have been doing timed random samples and am doing fine. I have gone through all the questions once. If I didn't take the NBME tests, I would happily be taking the test on Thrus.

With the NBME, I do fine on all subjects and very well on one or two. There is not one area where I am very weak where I could focus my attention. Also, as I go through the tests, I feel ok. This is also confusing to me. Right now, I don't know where to focus. I do know and appreciate that 200 is a good score as well, but I'd like to do a little better.

Thanks for all your advice.

shooting for a higher score is perfectly reasonable. if i were you, i would focus on the subjects that you performed "weakest" in, on your NBMEs.
not a lot of people could boast about consistenly getting 80% in kaplan qbank (especially if they have been doing random questions), so i would advise that you postpone your test date for 1-2wks and do 1 final review.

Good Luck

 

[Pascal8]

No offense , but It just does NOT make sense .. with 80% qbank..

I do wish you the BEST of Luck and I will pray for you ..

 

[Pascal8]

Hey be realistic also ...you can raise your score but be realistic

remeber too this is SDN where everyone gets a 99 🙄

 

[HIJay]

sdn is a bias. only ppl who gets like 250+/99 has the balls to post their result.

so 200 is repectable score. many ppl would love to get a 200

 

[osli]

I have gone through all the questions once....

Is it possible that I'm only doing so well on qBank because I've memorized the questions?

Putting these two statements together, it seems that you have done Qbank once through already and are now doing timed random samples a second time? If so, I think it is entirely possible that you are remembering questions and thus performing better for that reason. The fact is that there are way more potential questions than can be covered in 2000 sample questions. If your foundation of knowledge is solid, you'll perform about the same on any sampling of questions, whether Qbank, NBME, or USMLE. If your foundation is weaker but you have gone through the questions once, then you'll only perform stronly on questions you have already seen.

i.e., your knowledge is solid for a piece of the pie. Qbank only covers that piece of the pie, and going over it again only tells you that you already learned those questions. The NBME and USMLE will cover only a little of that piece and a lot of the rest of the pie.

You need to expand your studying to the whole pie!


p.s. - maybe I misunderstood you?

 

[MedLover25]

I wouldn't postpone your test. The more you wait, the more you will forget. Even if you learn new material from here to that new date, you may forget other material.


Take your test. Get a good night of sleep the day before and just relax.

 

[Law2Doc]

Is it possible that I'm only doing so well on qBank because I've memorized the questions?

Absolutely. For this reason a lot of folks do World once they've finished qbank or vice versa.

The one troubling part of this story though is that Kaplan and world both have incorporated all of the material found in released questions such as the NBME. So if you tend to do better on questions you have already seen, I would think that having gone through either of these question banks should make any of the NBME tests seem fairly familiar.

 

[ISABELLE22]

I just spent hours checking every single answer on Form 3. I believe that I missed 55 out of 200. This is about 75% correct. Could this really be equivalent to a 206 on Step 1? Is it possible that there was a computer glitch(the website was crashing when I took the test), or am I just holding on to false hopes?

I'm also continually getting 75% on qBank IV questions which are totally new to me. This doesn't make sense.

I've contacted NBME. My test is tomorrow in theory. Should I try Form 4 to see if my score is different?

 

[temmie]

I just spent hours checking every single answer on Form 3. I believe that I missed 55 out of 200. This is about 75% correct. Could this really be equivalent to a 206 on Step 1? Is it possible that there was a computer glitch(the website was crashing when I took the test), or am I just holding on to false hopes?

I'm also continually getting 75% on qBank IV questions which are totally new to me. This doesn't make sense.

I've contacted NBME. My test is tomorrow in theory. Should I try Form 4 to see if my score is different?

Isabelle, i have not taken this boards yet but mine is in 3 weeks. I think you should take a look at the 55 questions you got wrong and see if there is any specific organ/system or sections that you were mostly deficit on, Also honestly look at some of the 200 that you got right and see if you were completely sure or just guessed a bunch of times.

If you do this honestly, and you feel that you had the material down,i would say go ahead, dont do any more practise and do your last minute memorizations. On the real exam,i have heard that there are some "experimental" questions. If you are set on taking it tomorrow, i think the best thing you can do today is make yourself stop freaking out, print out your pass, and know that you studied as best as you could.

If you are getting 75% consistently on new materials, and this is also roughly the same as you got on the practise, i would say take the exam, get it over with, and get a good break.

All the best

 

[ISABELLE22]

So, I figured out what my problem is. I spoke with NBME and I did, in fact, score about 75% correct on Form 3. This is, however, equivalent to a scaled score of 450 and a Step 1 score of 206.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[It'sElectric]

200 is not a barely passing score . It is a decent score . Do not believe the hype of so many 99's . If that was the case , then the mean score would be a 225 . A 200 is decent . Depends on what residency you want - and even then , the score is not the only factor . In a recent survey , PDs have said that they look at Step 2 scores more favourably ..clinical grades also matter .

The question about extending is up to u ...how much more of this torture can you take ..😡

Wait, wasn't last year's mean score roughly 220??

 

[Pascal8]

Wait, wasn't last year's mean score roughly 220??

dunno . My point was that with the plethora of 99s posted on the various forums .seems like everyone gets a 99 , the average would be > 225

 

[Pascal8]

So, I figured out what my problem is. I spoke with NBME and I did, in fact, score about 75% correct on Form 3. This is, however, equivalent to a scaled score of 450 and a Step 1 score of 206.

Thanks for all your help.

yo, 75% is a GREAT score . 👍 If anything your score shows us REALITY . You are answering 3/4 questions correct ..

206 sounds small ...but is a great score too...

BTW - Don't believe all these 99 percentilers

If 75 % correct equal 206 , Then for those who claim above 230 ( many many on this forum ...they must have gotten 95 % and more correct ...yah ok ..Thats like getting almost ALL the questions correct ...yah ok ..😀

anyway good luck to u ..wahtevcer u decide to do ..

 

[lankysudanese]

If 75 % correct equal 206 , Then for those who claim above 230 ( many many on this forum ...they must have gotten 95 % and more correct ...yah ok ..Thats like getting almost ALL the questions correct ...yah ok ..😀

doesn't quite work like that pascal8. a 95% on the NBMEs is closer to 250-255 you will find. so the scale is not a linear one...thats for sure.

 

[HIJay]

yea the grading scale def plateaus. forgot where i saw it but there was a grap representation of what % equal to pass and how the more questions u get right, the score go up exponentially after a certain %.

it looks something like a Hb dissociation curve (ok too much studying)