USMLE Failed Step 1, and I don't know what to do

[ground control]

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Hello everyone,

Just a bit of info about myself: I'm a non-US IMG from the Philippines, 2 years off of graduation year, and I just took my USMLE last August. And as mentioned in the title, I failed Step 1 and got 170. I studied for over 6 months (on and off due to family issues, burning out, etc) and used Kaplan books and vids, and the UFAP after that. I also used UWorld and NBMEs.

Now, I a few days after learning the results, I am at a loss as to what to do. I'm actually on vacation right now and I can't even enjoy it. It's as if my whole world collapsed right in front of me. All the time, money, and effort was for nothing. I honestly do want to try again, but having read through various forums, I know the odds are severely stacked considering all factors, I am hesitating to do so. I'm not considering doing residency or practising in the home country due to personal and external reasons.

So with that being said, I'd like to please ask for advice regarding the next steps from this mess I've made for myself.

 

[MdRoboto]

How did you do on your NBME's?

You need to identify why you got a 170. Either lack of knowledge or anxiety/external factors on test day.

 

[ground control]

How did you do on your NBME's?

You need to identify why you got a 170. Either lack of knowledge or anxiety/external factors on test day.

I honestly didn't look at the step 1 feedback out of frustration on the score. I'll have get back to you on that one, as the website is down for maintenance until tomorrow afternoon. As far as I can remember, the last nbme I took was a 180 or a 190, but I took the risk of taking the exam because I felt like I was going to burn out, and also because of my UWorld scores which were quite good. And now it's come back to haunt me.

 

[PowerDan]

You can't genuinely be shocked about a failure on the Step when you didn't even get a passing score on the NBMEs. Its common knowledge that while UWorld is an excellent learning tool, its predictive potential for scores is nil.

Do you have any strong contacts? That is the only viable window open for you to get a residency spot in the US, at this point.

 

[ground control]

You can't genuinely be shocked about a failure on the Step when you didn't even get a passing score on the NBMEs. Its common knowledge that while UWorld is an excellent learning tool, its predictive potential for scores is nil.

Do you have any strong contacts? That is the only viable window open for you to get a residency spot in the US, at this point.

I haven't talked to my former attendings and others regarding that as I was too focused on trying to study. With that being said, should I sit down and write another test? Would having a good/competitive score be able to somehow ease the red flag of a failed step?

 

[PowerDan]

I haven't talked to my former attendings and others regarding that as I was too focused on trying to study. With that being said, should I sit down and write another test? Would having a good/competitive score be able to somehow ease the red flag of a failed step?

Yes, only if you have strong contacts, imo.