advice badly needed

[care bear]

---

Members don't see this ad.

hi guys!
at the risk of losing anonymity. . .i need some help/advice.

i am going into my 3rd year and still haven't taken step 1. i used my school's option of a July vacation month in order to study more.

i am taking the Step on the 28th and starting OB on the 31st, so no more time to postpone.

my problem is my scores. i feel like i've learned so much during this time of studying and that i know so much more than i used to. . .but still so much less than average!!

i guess during the school year, i realize now that i mostly crammed for my tests. i did ok, but i really forgot EVERYTHING i learned until i started studying for the boards.

so when i started studying in May, my qbank scores were in the 30s and 40s.(terrible, i know.)
now, they are in the 60s.
on the NBME i took, it only predicted a score around 200. and the 150 free questions- same thing using the medfriends correlation.

i only have 2 weeks. i have been going through First Aid mostly for the past 2 months. writing things in a notebook, reading, looking up things i don't understand and reading the accompanying chapters in BRS path, BRS phys, CMMRS, etc.

i'm just frustrated. i've always been a 'good test-taker' and would really like to get a 230! (i know, it sounds crazy)- but especially since i have been studying so long. . .
i just don't know what my problem is.

or why my scores haven't improved too much in the last week.

bottom line, what do you think i should do in the next 2 weeks to make as drastic a score jump as possible? i am willing to do just
about anything!!



or maybe this is a time i need to just pass and be happy with passing. . .but that would be so hard to accept.
any advice?
thanks so much--

 

[deleted9493]

Go out and buy Goljan's Rapid Review Pathology and get your hands on his audio lectures. If you can listen through his audio and follow along in the book in 1-1.5 week's time and then spend the rest of your time re-reading the book, I think you could easily raise your score that much. He'll nail down more than just pathology...a lot of physiology, microbiology, and pharmacology, too. That, in my opinion, would be the best way to spend your next two weeks. Know and understand as much of that book as possible and your scores can only go up!

hi guys!
at the risk of losing anonymity. . .i need some help/advice.

i am going into my 3rd year and still haven't taken step 1. i used my school's option of a July vacation month in order to study more.

i am taking the Step on the 28th and starting OB on the 31st, so no more time to postpone.

my problem is my scores. i feel like i've learned so much during this time of studying and that i know so much more than i used to. . .but still so much less than average!!

i guess during the school year, i realize now that i mostly crammed for my tests. i did ok, but i really forgot EVERYTHING i learned until i started studying for the boards.

so when i started studying in May, my qbank scores were in the 30s and 40s.(terrible, i know.)
now, they are in the 60s.
on the NBME i took, it only predicted a score around 200. and the 150 free questions- same thing using the medfriends correlation.

i only have 2 weeks. i have been going through First Aid mostly for the past 2 months. writing things in a notebook, reading, looking up things i don't understand and reading the accompanying chapters in BRS path, BRS phys, CMMRS, etc.

i'm just frustrated. i've always been a 'good test-taker' and would really like to get a 230! (i know, it sounds crazy)- but especially since i have been studying so long. . .
i just don't know what my problem is.

or why my scores haven't improved too much in the last week.

bottom line, what do you think i should do in the next 2 weeks to make as drastic a score jump as possible? i am willing to do just
about anything!!



or maybe this is a time i need to just pass and be happy with passing. . .but that would be so hard to accept.
any advice?
thanks so much--

 

[Haku]

I feel like I forgot everything ive been studying too, so i'm taking a day (or half a day dep. on the subject) to go through the books as fast as possible (i used kaplan), maybe that'll help you too. Then again, i'm in the same boat, but my only goal is to pass, and go in feeling like I will. Good luck! Goljan is great, but I dont know if the audios will help you this late since you probably know most of what he's talking about, it may be better to focus on what your weaker points are. Never underestimate the power of Prayer!

 

[erin682]

There is still plenty of hope. I took practice form 2 and got a 204 10 days before my test. My actual score was 227. Just try to focus and don't freak out because that won't help you at all.

 

[kito]

Yes, do NBME and Goljan audio and notes, and you will not be sorry. I realize you have a couple of weeks left, but since you have nothing to lose at this point you will be pleasantly suprised by how much better off you will be.

I disagree that it is too late to learn new things, and I don't agree that you won't get anything out of Goljan at this point. You may know most of what he talks about, but the way he presents it, and the context in which he presents it, juxtaposed with the relevant pharmacology, microbiology, physiology and anatomy, you'll be doing more than just pathology.

 

[Tone2002]

I have heard a lot of my friends say add at most add ten points to the score you get on NBME. They were pleasantly surprised for the most part unless you were already in the 220's. Keep the faith.

 

[care bear]

i can't thank you enough for all your quick and uniformly helpful responses! it's great to have this board around.
i think i will try the rapid review book- and i'm set to do another NBME tommorrow; ive only done 1 so far and the 150 free questions.
that score report should also help me focus my efforts, i think.

and yes- prayer is what keeps me in perspective about this whole process! 🙂

thanks again.

 

[care bear]

question:
is golgan audio ethical? i get the impression that it is officially black market, but sooo widely used that it seems he doesn't care or he'd do more to stop it. . .which is frustrating. i don't want to do use anything even the least bit questionable. . .thoughts?

 

[kito]

Perhaps you can worry about the ethics of it post Step 1?