CBSE Progress Feels Stalled

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

Hey everyone,
I’m a D2 and took the CBSE for the first time in February 2025 after about three months of studying. I scored a 44. I just took NBME-26 last weekend and got a 51.


I go to a dental school that’s not very well-known, and unfortunately, the teaching hasn’t been the strongest. But I had a 25 AA on the DAT and a 3.9 GPA in undergrad, and I felt confident when I began studying. Even though my school doesn’t provide the best medical foundation, I believed I could learn the material on my own with discipline and consistent effort. I’ve been using UFAPS, waking up at 5 AM, studying about 5 hours on weekdays and 8–10 hours on weekends. I’m currently in the top 10% of my class, both academically and clinically.


That said, after five months of dedicated studying, I’m feeling a little stuck. My scores haven’t improved as much as I hoped, and I’m trying to figure out what I might need to adjust. I’m still motivated and determined, but I’d really appreciate some insight or advice from anyone who’s been through this process.


I’m planning to retake the CBSE on July 19. Do you think it’s realistic to make meaningful progress over the next 2.5 months? Should I keep pushing for that date or consider postponing?


For those who’ve taken the CBSE — how did your score change over time? What was your starting point, and how long did it take to see improvement? What made the biggest difference for you?


Thanks in advance for sharing your experience — it really helps to hear from others who understand what this journey feels like.

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[ferfax]

Hey man I was in your shoes about 2 years ago. Im a graduating D4 going into residency.

I took the CBSE twice, scoring a 55 on attempt one and 68 on attempt two. My biggest piece of advice is to stick to one resource (BnB or bootcamp) as your main learning hub and then hammer a **** ton of U-World questions. Write down or make flashcards of your mistakes, review often.

Honestly the older NBME's were nothing like the real deal for me, both my CBSE attempts were harder than any available NBME. NBME's 29, 30, 31 are most likely similar to the real deal.

 

[Tutling]

Im currently in residency at a southern program and I scored a 75 on the CBSE. I also went to a school with a curriculum designed for general dentist and so I had to learn most of the material on my own. I think you have to have a different mentality when studying for the CBSE. You aren’t going to be able jam in two years of medical school into a couple of months and expect to score well. You really need to understand the material so that you can remember it long term.

Best material IMO are;

Bootcamp videos: These are incredibly high yield videos and teach you in a way that you can really understand the underlying physiology. The other thing you gain is that they do practice questions. Something I dont think a lot of applicant understand is that the vignettes are designed to presented in a very classic manner. If you understand this and know the common presentations you will see a big point increase. This is how i honored most of my shelf exams. The biochem portion is the best out here as it simplifies the material to the presentation and you wont be spending time memorizing cycles.

Sketchy: Pharm and micro are unparalleled here. I still get questions right from sketchy because of this. I used ANKI to solidify my understanding and memory here. I wouldn’t use other source for these two subjects.

Uworld questions: This is the gold standard. This is what the vast majority of medical students use. I would do this at least once start to finish. If you have time then do it again. Take the time to understand the presentation and review the questions you are missing. Don’t get frustrated when your scores suck because this isn’t meant to be used as a measurement but rather a learning tool.

Nmbe exams: This is the last thing you will do before the exam. I didnt do this and I regretted it. I heard several friends say that on occasion they saw the exact same question and had an easy increase in points. Even if not you will be able to see the presentations of the pathology and see similar vignettes. I started using this for my shelf and Step 2 exams and I felt it was very helpful.

Other helpful things: Anki is pretty good and is essentially first world. I think it can be good if there are particular sections you struggle on. Just make sure you have the settings in a way that you aren’t spending all day on it.

There is a biostatistics guy on YouTube who just pratice questions. Breaks all the questions down and makes it very easy. There is a genetic guy as well but i cant remember their names.

Sounds like you are taking the time but you probably just need to improve how you are studying. You are just as smart as the medical students and if they can do it then so can you.