Feeling like I failed step....again

[beatrice36]

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I just took step 1 for the second time, felt like I was way more prepared this time than the last. Nbme scores were pretty decent:

NBME 16 (1.5 months out):500
NBME 11 (1 month out): 500
NBME 13 (2 weeks out):480
NBME 15 (1 week out):430 ( I didn't sleep the night before and kept dozing off while i was trying to take it and just wanted to get it over with so rushed it as well).

I get into the pro metric centre and I feel calm and collectively (not like last time). I start the test and feel ok with the first 3 blocks but once block 4 hit, i felt it go downhill a little. I marked almost half the block, as I did for block 5-7. I didn't feel rushed so I did have a little bit of time to go back and try to figure the marked one that I was unsure about. Walking out of the test I felt like crap, pretty sure I failed it even worse. I am starting to recall questions and can't believe I put the wrong answers down or the stupid mistakes I made. I seems like the name's don't correlate for me, which I have heard from people that can happen. Don't really want to be the special case 🙁

 

[iki4life]

from what i think, you said your first 3 blocks were ok, which is almost half the darn test. And i bet you're being a bit harsh on yourself for blocks 4-7. As long as you even get half of those right, not only will you be fine, you will be above average.

 

[beatrice36]

A day after it, I realized that there are at least 12 questions that I could have gotten right but I made stupid mistakes. Its bothering me! With a previous attempt unsuccessful, I am way more worried and panicking this time, which I don't think is a good thing (the last attempt I walked out with a feeling that I did pass but maybe not a great score, but that was far from the case once the score report came out). I don't know if any one feels this way after taking the test, it's just what I feel, getting worse with each passing minute.

 

[BlueJay25]

I know it is difficult to stop panicking after the exam. I am getting ready to write myself and have had classmates who've written it. Many have freaked out after the exam and have recalled many questions they got wrong after discussing them. For now all I can say is that the exam is over. At this point there is nothing you can do about the questions you have answered. All you can do is have faith in the hard work you've put in while studying for this exam and hope that it pays off. I feel like you will be just fine, try to keep your mind off of the exam until you get your results back. Meet up with friends, spend time with family and keep yourself distracted.
I hope you are pleasantly surprised with your score 🙂

 

[IMdoc2015]

I think feeling like you failed (quite frankly feeling like crap) is a normal part of taking the step exams. I can tell you that I was certain I failed step 1, 2 CK and CS and i only got more certain with every passing day. It's really easy to focus on the few questions you might have gotten wrong and forget all the ones you got right. If I were you I would just relax because it sounds like you were well prepared and i bet in a few weeks you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

[determined1.]

I hope you did well. Let us know how it went for you.

 

[beatrice36]

So I got my score report and I got another failing score (176). I am very much confused as what to do. I want to take it again but I want this time to be it, finally pass this sucker. Any advice would be great

 

[NEEDTOPASS123]

What resources did you use?
I recommend MASTERING the following:
1) First Aid (It's the Medical Bible)
2) Usmle World Qbank (it'll solidify your concepts)
3) Pathoma (master your path)
4) USMLE RX Qbank (It'll get you better acquainted with First Aid)

 

[FA2014]

You were getting scores above 200 especially on 15-16, how did you end up with 176? What went wrong on the test day?

 

[beatrice36]

I went through first aid 2X, Uworld once, pathoma once as well as PASS. Based on the NBME's, I felt prepared enough (much more than the first attempt). I don't know what happened, felt more calm and didn't freak out come test day but I did mark a fair bit of questions per block.I really need to pass the step this time (with a decent score) but I can't seem to understand where I am going wrong in my prep

 

[Transposony]

I went through first aid 2X, Uworld once, pathoma once as well as PASS. Based on the NBME's, I felt prepared enough (much more than the first attempt). I don't know what happened, felt more calm and didn't freak out come test day but I did mark a fair bit of questions per block.I really need to pass the step this time (with a decent score) but I can't seem to understand where I am going wrong in my prep

You need a study partner to discuss and clarify concepts.

 

[FutureDO2016]

Sorry OP, I know how you feel being in the same boat....I'm wondering if I should do the PASS or PASS South (WolfPacc now) program? Because obviously self-study is not working...

 

[ERDoc2b2014]

I second what Transposony said - I went through exactly what you did and spent nearly 5 years trying to pass (score well) on step 1. What helped me the most, and took me from a ~175 to a 220+ was studying with a partner or a tutor. For some people, self studying can lead to a little bit of complacency, but keeping yourself accountable and studying with someone who will constantly challenge you makes a big difference in the way you understand concepts. The exam requires stamina, rapid recall, presence of mind to make 3-5 jumps in any given question, as well as self confidence, all while you are pressed for time. All of these skills, and more, I was able to sharpen while talking out loud to someone who was able to point out exactly where I was wrong in my thought process, where I was weak in my knowledge base, or go through questions with me step by step in order to show me the right test taking skills that are required for some of the wtf type questions. If you don't have a study buddy readily available, there are dozens of tutoring companies that are constantly being advertised here and there on SDN. Good luck!