Boards part 1 done

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Nothing to brag really. Just relieved!!!
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New Yorks class size is only 75? Wow, did they get restricted by the accrediting institution or what?
 
The official number from NYCPM is actually 76 out of 77 passed. :)
 
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Once again, lets see some links.
 
The bottom line is that only "1" person failed and it was a student not from the original September class of 2012 ... the student is bound to pass in October however. Links should come very soon! so hang tight .... I wanted to say that this is the second year that NYCPM continues to produce top of the line numbers ... and hopefully it keeps going in this direction!
 
for those that passed and have fellow classmates that did well . What books did you guys use?
 
Yeah, what books are you glad you used, and which ones do you wish you hadnt? Our bookstore is having 25% off board review books. Would it be a good idea to pick up a few now, like the ones that don't change much?
 
I used First Aid for the USMLE, and after taking the test, I didn't think it was worth it. I did like using the PI Manual for LEA. The first chapter is a nice review, and it was nice to carry that around instead of carrying around a big packet of notes or an atlas. That plus my McMinns Lower Extremity Atlas were the most helpful, although LEA was the easiest part of the test, IMO.
 
With all these great pass rates, I guess Barry is left. Maybe we had a 60% pass rate to balance the others down to 80%. We will wait and see. Hopefully soon. I've got ants in my pants
 
did any student actually get their scores in the mail yet? or is this hearsay from the administration?
 
FYI....just got my scores in the mail in miami.
 
Congratulations to everyone that passed. I for one am relieved....I honestly felt like I was guessing on 40% of the questions.

Unofficial word from Scholl for class of 2012: 88% pass rate (National average 79%)
 
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PodunkUDPM said:
New Yorks class size is only 75? Wow, did they get restricted by the accrediting institution or what?
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I don't think it has anything to do with being restricted. We started off with quite a few more, I don't recall the exact number but believe it was near 100. To state the obvious those that didn't make the cut are people who probably should not have been accepted to begin with but in the end attrition always takes care of things.
 
JackedUp said:
Congratulations to everyone that passed. I for one am relieved....I honestly felt like I was guessing on 40% of the questions.

Unofficial word from Scholl for class of 2012: 88% pass rate (National average 79%)
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I'm interested to see the other numbers. If NY had 99%, AZ 100% and Scholl 88%, and the national average is 79%, that means some of the schools did pretty bad.
 
My question for NY is how many current students are there? Are there 76 total students and they all took it? Or are there more students and they only let 76 take it?
 
i would like to be the first to represent for DMU
 
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nydpm said:
Nothing to brag really. Just relieved!!!
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I feel the same way. Temple just got ours today.

If there is one thing that is ridiculous about this entire bonanza, aside from the exam itself, it was how the scores were sent out. Some schools getting the results days before others?! If my bank account can be online, why can't the scores be online and all released at the same time?

If the NBPME still wants to live in 1856, then they should have sent the results to all the schools on the same day with a release date to ensure the students got them all at once.

I could understand delay if there were as many pod schools as MD schools, but there are 8 schools to deal with, some with small class sizes. They aren't dealing with thousands of us...
 
Yup , i dont know how they mail these things. Only one personal from Barry has received his result. Other 49 are still waiting. .... :mad:
 
Given that AZ = 100% NY = 99% Scholl = 88% National avg = 79%
This means Scholl, Iowa, Barry, and California would have to be pulling high to low 70% pass rates. Hard to believe. We will wait and see. Receiving the scores at the same time would be nice. Now I am more anxious to find out.
 
Remember that AZPOD's 100% isn't weighted as heavily as any of the other programs. If you say AZPOD had 100% and Scholl had 88% so they average 94%...you'd be wrong.

Also, Ohio, and Temple are the two largest programs and 70% pass rates from those programs would have a failry large effect on the national average.

[Edit]: Scholl is also a large program. ie If you say Scholl has around 80 students left in their class of 2012, then 70 passed. When you add the 30 AZPOD students who passed (to the Scholl-ers) the percentage only creeps up to 90%. I know the numbers aren't exact but it may be a good hypothetical for you visual learners.
 
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My class (2012) this year at Ohio is at 105 students I believe. Our registrar received our scores via a secure email, and he was able to tell us all individually if we passed or failed. He does this every year.

Our school dean does not believe the scores need to be posted, thus we will never have exact numbers, it is all hearsay from other classmates and then doing the math. I have heard thus far of about 10 people that failed. I would not doubt if there were a few more, but it's not like people are just going to come out and say they failed. I know that the class of 2011 had a passing rate of about 80% and I would not be surprised if my class was similar.
 
All schools should post their admission stats and board passing rates. I might see if my class is interested in figuring out our own numbers because our office wont post them either.
 
longstech said:
Our school dean does not believe the scores need to be posted...
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Unless you're a prospective student, it doesn't really matter. Even if you're a prospective student, the exam is so basic that unless you are sub 20 MCAT sub 3.0 GPA you don't have to worry about not passing.

We know what schools accept sub-par students, and those are the ones with the low pass rates.
 
UNVME2 said:
Unless you're a prospective student, it doesn't really matter.
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It may not matter, but I can't think of a good reason to keep this data private.

Below is info from the dean at NYCPM, sounds like the national average pass rate may be significantly higher than years past at 87.9%.

"For the most recent Part I administration this past July our first time taker students (class of 2012) achieved a pass rate of 98.7%. This is bench marked against a national first time taker pass rate of 87.9% where 476 out of 541 takers achieved a passing score."
 
I used first aid (read through 3 times all sections except embryology and behavioral Med)

Used Buzz words (did not have enough time to go though the entire book)

Used online USMLE test bank for about 3 months (useless a waste of time)

Used lower anatomy notes (glad did not spend too much time here since the LEA questions were basic)

was able to answer some of the questions from what I remember from undergrad
so it helps to be a science major.

Was convinced that I failed the test, still cant believed I passed. Thanks to the scaled score, I am sure I did not get 75% of the questions right.

IMHO study all the lower qtns from old board test exams
focus/spend most of your time reviewing Micro, Pharm., and Path
 
It is a bit of a stretch to call the Part I examinations basic in any sense of the word. Unless some of us are privy to details denied to the lot of us. I am sure there are statistics indicating a correlation between student's marks/MCAT scores and an epic win or the counterpart. Does anyone know the number play behind determining a passing or failing mark? I would like to see how the statistics were calculated and why the numbers took so long to crunch.Regardless, I still feel the exam was more of a coin-toss than a test of minimal competency.
 
Zimmel said:
It is a bit of a stretch to call the Part I examinations basic in any sense of the word. Unless some of us are privy to details denied to the lot of us. I am sure there are statistics indicating a correlation between student's marks/MCAT scores and an epic win or the counterpart. Does anyone know the number play behind determining a passing or failing mark? I would like to see how the statistics were calculated and why the numbers took so long to crunch.Regardless, I still feel the exam was more of a coin-toss than a test of minimal competency.
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Agreed. NBPME are just stealing money from students.
 
Responding to the previous question of what did you use to study:

I used First Aid almost exclusively and went back to old school notes when I needed more detail. All in all, I would say it was pretty useless and if I had to do it over again, I have no idea how I would prepare for the exam. Don't waste a lot of time studying LL anatomy unless you didn't learn it the first time. I think the thing that helped me prepare the most was studying hard during the school year. Other than that, I don't have a lot of advice.
 
g squared 23 said:
Responding to the previous question of what did you use to study:

I used First Aid almost exclusively and went back to old school notes when I needed more detail. All in all, I would say it was pretty useless and if I had to do it over again, I have no idea how I would prepare for the exam. Don't waste a lot of time studying LL anatomy unless you didn't learn it the first time. I think the thing that helped me prepare the most was studying hard during the school year. Other than that, I don't have a lot of advice.
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One thing I have found interesting from talking to students at other schools is when we take LLA. DMU takes it right before boards. I heard OCPM takes it first year. Is that correct? When do other schools take LLA?
 
air bud said:
One thing I have found interesting from talking to students at other schools is when we take LLA. DMU takes it right before boards. I heard OCPM takes it first year. Is that correct? When do other schools take LLA?
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we take it right before boards
 
Yahooooo I passed boards! Some of my guesses must have been right. Barry takes lower extermity the first year and then another one the semester right before the boards. It was the first year they did that though. The Lower anatomy was basic though so I don't think it matters when you take it. Now what to do with the $900 I had saved for the retake? Probably pay down the balance on the minivan I just puchased. Swagger wagon.
 
To the previous question of what did you use to study:

I used First Aid but found it to be too general and wasnt in-depth enough from me on how I learn. So i used the book refernce guide in the back of First Aid to supplement my reading. What I chose from there was Biochemistry made easy- a waste of a read, it was more confusing and waste of time with the theme park references. So for biochem i went in cold for the exam. Another was Pathology by Goldbergs, i think that is the spelling. Excellent book, great for tissue repair and inflammatory respone and stuff like that and it was a light read compared to "Robbins." For physiology i used Costanzo Basic Physiology- good as long as you can not fall behind with the reading and be done with it in a week. Lastly for LEA i used hand out notes from DMU, they were fantastic, only read through them once over the course of two days and that was enough prep i thought imo. All of this was done within the month before the exam, just be prepared on how you are gonna study and know how you want to study so you are not scrambling.
 
AZPod takes Lower Extremity Anatomy the summer in between first and second year, basically a year before boards. You use what you learn in that class over the following year and then a good review just before boards is enough, from what I have seen. I liked having it a year before boards because it made some of the other classes make more sense like biomechanics and radiology. Ok, so biomechanics still didn't make that much sense... :D
 
It seems like an overwhelming number of pod students that just took part 1 basically thinks the exam was a crapshoot. After the exam, many students thought that they were gonna fail...at least before the overall curve on the exam. Therefore, what would you recommend students spend their time doing/not doing? My impression from the forum:

1)Seems like USMLE first aid was useless (too general)
2)Study LE anatomy...but don't focus too much time on it b/c it was very basic
3)Study alot of path and pharmacology

Any other advice?
 
ucd said:
It seems like an overwhelming number of pod students that just took part 1 basically thinks the exam was a crapshoot. After the exam, many students thought that they were gonna fail...at least before the overall curve on the exam. Therefore, what would you recommend students spend their time doing/not doing? My impression from the forum:

1)Seems like USMLE first aid was useless (too general)
2)Study LE anatomy...but don't focus too much time on it b/c it was very basic
3)Study alot of path and pharmacology

Any other advice?
Click to expand...


The exam was a crap shoot. I passed but felt it was due more to educated guesswork. I studied pretty hard, and most of my classmates felt the same way . . . the axe falls where it chooses at random, but that being said, there are ways you increase the percentage of questions you get right.

LEA notes, no brainer

USMLE First Aid is the gold standard no matter what ppl say, but I had to refer to other sources multiple times since some of my knowledge base needed gap filling (ex: cardio phys/neuro/renal phys). I think almost everyone uses this since its concise, and you can choose what you find useful, so go ahead and get it. I literally remember multiple questions that covered high yield material from first aid including path/pharm/micro.

I think I would have been better prepared if I had spent more time on micro, but even with this subject-- first aid did an OK job.
 
85/105 (including me) passed from OCPM this year. Up just one percentage point from last year's class.

I also concur that it was a total crapshoot. My study aids helped me VERY minimally. Most of the time... I would say around 70% of the time I was totally guessing just based on info accumulated from undergrad tests and 2 years of pod school exams. So in the end I probably just got luckier than some did. I personally know people with high GPAs not inflated by cheating that failed this year. LE anatomy was brutally simple but the rest was just impossibly difficult IMO.

I know it sounds really stupid but best advice I would give next years crop (or whoever) is to try and relax a bit more than just trying to shovel down material all day every day. If you got a B or higher on Lower you will SAIL through that part of the boards no problem. Most of those questions you will get correct in 2 seconds time they are so dumb almost insulting.

Pharm... Hope you just happen to study the right drugs. Major luck factor here.
Path... again hope you luck out and study the diseases they pop up. Just skimming everything won't do you any good here. They get detailed and anything is fair game.
Micro... Clinical scenarios about stuff you probably didn't study enough to answer. Once again luck guessing becomes a factor. Your studies might help you eliminate a answer choice choice or two though.
Neuro/Gross... LOL don't even try. They hit this harder than they said they would too.
Histo: Straight forward term/slide image recall. Studying helps but not enough questions to really boost you much.
Biochemistry/Physio... I'm sure people will disagree but I think unless you aced these classes and still feel VERY comfortable with the material after all this time has passed you don't have a prayer here either. Hope you get luckier than I did as I was a B student here and this section = HEAD IMPLOSION for me during boards.

Bottom line.... start pointing your finger into random pages of your mountain of class notes. If you pointed at something you don't know. Well... Just get use to that feeling.
 
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Thanks for the insight! It's kinda disturbing that the test is so random and that no everyone walks out feeling like they failed the exam. A couple more questions?

1)Is the anatomy section strictly lower limb....nothing in head&neck, thorax, upper limb, etc??

2) What study material would you guys use 2nd time around?

3) which subjects were more heavily emphasized then others?
 
this exam is a joke. It is designed to weed out people who dicked off during their first two years of class. When they say it is a minimal competence exam, boy do they mean it.

Students I wouldnt trust babysitting my goldfish for half a day passed this exam(i dont have a goldfish).


--> follow the subject guideline NBPME gives out using USMLE and other review books only. BRS path, BRS phys, pharm review etcetc. Class notes will likely be to indepth.
 
My formal study technique: I started studying ~45 days in advance with a strict study schedule (about a good 5-7 hrs a day and I took off one day a week with no studying). I think I was borderline getting hemorrhoids. I used USMLE First Aid (a Vision 2015 approach), Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple, and 2 of my professor's LEA books as my primary source, as well as some class notes and the internet ofcourse. I knew these 4 resources like the back of my hand. I also did a couple thousand practice questions including the 1000 USMLE Made Ridiculously Simple questions, all NBPME practice exams on the NBPME site (which were a joke), and any old questions professors and friends gave me. I worked hard during my first 2 years as well.

Numerous questions seemed irrelevant to what a doctor "should know." But what do I know I'm just a measly student. There were many questions I said "what the ****?" to myself because of the difficulty and other's where I laughed at how easy they were. Overall, about half the questions were easy and the other half difficult. The % break down of the test listed on the NBPME site seemed off as well and there was more Neuro and a few other subjects then stated. The "choose 2" or "choose 3" questions were by far the most difficult. LEA was relatively easy.

The worst part about this exam is waiting for your results. I haven't felt this kind of anxiety since my ex-girlfriend told me she thought she might be pregnant. Most Barry students got their results yesterday and I am glad I don't have to retake it because I already feel like I forgot most of the stuff and I would have no clue how to study for it anyways. Here's the kicker: knowing what I do now I still wouldn't have changed the way I studied. I came into the original test feeling confident and felt I had a good grasp on the basic sciences and came out feeling like maybe I didn't deserve a white coat. But in the end they have a way of scoring and grading this thing which tends to work out for most.
 
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ucd said:
Thanks for the insight! It's kinda disturbing that the test is so random and that no everyone walks out feeling like they failed the exam. A couple more questions?

1)Is the anatomy section strictly lower limb....nothing in head&neck, thorax, upper limb, etc??

2) What study material would you guys use 2nd time around?

3) which subjects were more heavily emphasized then others?
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There are both: a section just lower extremity and a section of gross anatomy. I definitely had questions that involved head, neck, abdomen, etc. Like others have said, even though I felt like my USMLE First Aid book was pretty worthless, I probably wouldn't change just because I would have no idea what to change it to. I thought that Neuro was fairly heavily tested, biochem as well. But that is from my memory bank of something that happened 5 weeks ago. I have tried to lock that memory in a deep dark closet, somewhere in an obscure corner or my mind.:D
 
malleolusman said:
USMLE First Aid is the gold standard no matter what ppl say
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I'm not sure why people say this, then complain about how the exam was a "crap shoot" after using it to "study hard". USMLE and the NBPME questions are totally different, and are tailored to a specific student. USMLE questions are passage based, the NBPME are stand alone questions.

FA teaches you to recognize patterns, buzz words, etc., to narrow down your answer choices when you're given a passage and 5 answer choices so that the correct answer can be deduced. They leave the minute details to you to study, which is good if you're taking the USMLE, but 99% of the NBPME were basic, stand alone question/answer you couldn't answer if you studied FA alone because the stems aren't giving you the info you need to pick the right answer.

malleoulusman said:
but I had to refer to other sources multiple times since some of my knowledge base needed gap filling (ex: cardio phys/neuro/renal phys).
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Which is the position what I'd say a majority of students are in, but realize this is a majority of what you're going to see on the exam.

Ever wonder why, after studying FA and taking the test, people come here to complain about how "random" and "specific" the test was? Chances are if you asked how they prepared they will say FA; the whole time they were studying from a book that does not emphasize the specifics (even the basic stuff).

I'm glad you passed, but when your best advice is "randomly" pick a place to start studying and use a review book that doesn't emphasize the basics of what you're being tested on, you can begin to see where the problem lies.

My advice to 2nd years now would be to use FA as a reference, as it has some good mneumonics for micro/pharm but DO NOT use it as your main source. NBPME reads more like a class exam, so use your class notes and BRS.

Note: I did pass step 1 in July and in the top 20% of my class, just so you know I'm not talking out my butt.
 
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I agree mostly with the previous post. I thought If I somehow failed the July boards (which I passed phewww!) and had to take it again in October, I would probably stick to class notes and BRS. I would also breeze through some "made ridiculously simple" books for micro, pharm, neurology, and usmle. When I was burnt out studying for the boards, which was often, I would pull out the "made ridiculously simple" books to change pace and give me a good laugh.
 
Thanks for everyone's input. Too bad there's no "one stop shop" review book strictly for NBPME yet. Kaplan or Princeton review should totally branch out into this untapped market
 
ucd said:
Thanks for everyone's input. Too bad there's no "one stop shop" review book strictly for NBPME yet. Kaplan or Princeton review should totally branch out into this untapped market
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I wish they would, but I don't think that the money is there. If you figure that out of the ~600-700 students taking Part I each year, not all of them are going to buy their book or they would get a used copy, you are only talking a few hundred copies sold each year. Unfortunately I think we are going to be without a good NBPME-specific review book for Part I. I think there are some specifically for Part II, though.
 
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