How do most people feel when they finish the test?

[BushBaby]

How do you know you did well on the steps?

I left feeling terrible, physically, mentally and emotionally. I was crying during my break from (between blocks 4-5).I had the worst migraine probably because I was using the stupid @ss headset they gave me which was squeezing my brain to death. After a while my eyes were just tired and my neck was killing me.

I mean I struggled thru it but I just felt bad when I left. When the lady gave me my confirmation slip I was thinking "maybe I should just go ahead and sign up for my re-take while I'm already here?".

How badly do most "normal" people feel when they are done? (Notice the word "normal"...if you are a 290 baller/scorer please refrain from telling me how you "thought" you did bad but u got a 290...but if u want to add something nice/soothing, then go ahead)

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[njbmd]

Hi there,
I left the test center feeling pretty depressed and tired. All of that review and anticipation and the test had come and gone. Even though I had finished the test in 6 hours, I was still tired after spending six hours reading a computer screen. I didn't cry and I didn't use earphones or earplugs. (I learned a long time ago that I can easily tune out noise when I am studying).

As for the test, some questions, I could answer right off the bat; some questions were difficult to figure out and some took some thought but I could narrow down and get them done. I just felt that no matter what the score, I gave it my best shot and I hoped that it was enough.

In the end, I did very well (much better than I predicted as I came out of the test). The very next day, I started a very busy medical student summer fellowship in the DC Medical Examiners office with loads of new challenges and experiences.

The good thing is that you are done with the exam. Get some rest and relax. You have done everything that you could have done so put the test behind you and concentrate on starting third year.

njbmd

 

[oudoc08]

Hi there,
I left the test center feeling pretty depressed and tired. All of that review and anticipation and the test had come and gone. Even though I had finished the test in 6 hours, I was still tired after spending six hours reading a computer screen. I didn't cry and I didn't use earphones or earplugs. (I learned a long time ago that I can easily tune out noise when I am studying).

As for the test, some questions, I could answer right off the bat; some questions were difficult to figure out and some took some thought but I could narrow down and get them done. I just felt that no matter what the score, I gave it my best shot and I hoped that it was enough.

In the end, I did very well (much better than I predicted as I came out of the test). The very next day, I started a very busy medical student summer fellowship in the DC Medical Examiners office with loads of new challenges and experiences.

The good thing is that you are done with the exam. Get some rest and relax. You have done everything that you could have done so put the test behind you and concentrate on starting third year.

njbmd

What noise is there? I assumed since it was a prometrics center that they'd make a relatively noise free environment.

 

[DarlynVMD]

Other test takers are taking exams at the same time you are. Some people are taking different exams, not necessarily the Step 1 or Comlex. Some of my friends have complained that they had people taking typing exams of some sort, that all they heard was the loud clicking of the keyboard.

So, it's not totally noise free.

What noise is there? I assumed since it was a prometrics center that they'd make a relatively noise free environment.

 

[oudoc08]

Other test takers are taking exams at the same time you are. Some people are taking different exams, not necessarily the Step 1 or Comlex. Some of my friends have complained that they had people taking typing exams of some sort, that all they heard was the loud clicking of the keyboard.

So, it's not totally noise free.

If I hear any noise during my test, I'll probably be like Jack Nicholson from "The Shining":

Jack Torrance: Wendy, let me explain something to you. Whenever you come in here and interrupt me, you're breaking my concentration. You're distracting me. And it will then take me time to get back to where I was. You understand?
Wendy Torrance: Yeah.
Jack Torrance: Now, we're going to make a new rule. When you come in here and you hear me typing
[types]
Jack Torrance: or whether you DON'T hear me typing, or whatever the FU*K you hear me doing; when I'm in here, it means that I am working, THAT means don't come in. Now, do you think you can handle that?
Wendy Torrance: Yeah.
Jack Torrance: Good. Now why don't you start right now and get the fu*k out of here? Hm?

 

[lotanna]

How do you know you did well on the steps?

I left feeling terrible, physically, mentally and emotionally. I was crying during my break from (between blocks 4-5).I had the worst migraine probably because I was using the stupid @ss headset they gave me which was squeezing my brain to death. After a while my eyes were just tired and my neck was killing me.

I mean I struggled thru it but I just felt bad when I left. When the lady gave me my confirmation slip I was thinking "maybe I should just go ahead and sign up for my re-take while I'm already here?".

How badly do most "normal" people feel when they are done? (Notice the word "normal"...if you are a 290 baller/scorer please refrain from telling me how you "thought" you did bad but u got a 290...but if u want to add something nice/soothing, then go ahead)

Girl, congrats on getting done! I'll give u a call!

 

[BushBaby]

Some of my friends have complained that they had people taking typing exams of some sort, that all they heard was the loud clicking of the keyboard.

So, it's not totally noise free.

OMG...there was this dude across from me who was CLICKING/TYPING very LOUDLY. Seriously, he had to have been playing a video game because there is no reason on this green earth for him to be making such a distraction. I even thought his mouse wasn't working and maybe he was getting frustrated but if that was the case he would have reported it.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I was just going to post a thread exactly like this one! I noticed that the test seemed a lot harder as the day went on and I got more tired.

Ok, indulge me a bit here. Towards the end I was getting concerned so I counted the number of questions I was either unsure about or thought was very strange in each 50-question section. For the last 3 sections, I had between 10-15 questions that I was unsure of. (I'm not saying that I am certain that I got the remainder right, they simply weren't as puzzling to me.) Does this seem like a reasonable number? Does anyone else have any estimates like that?

I thought it would be happier that it is over. Instead I am just shell-shocked and tired...

 

[BushBaby]

Ok, indulge me a bit here. Towards the end I was getting concerned so I counted the number of questions I was either unsure about or thought was very strange in each 50-question section. For the last 3 sections, I had between 10-15 questions that I was unsure of. (I'm not saying that I am certain that I got the remainder right, they simply weren't as puzzling to me.) Does this seem like a reasonable number? Does anyone else have any estimates like that?

Yup I feel eggzzactly the same way!

First- UNLIKE Qbank where I had like 10-15mins left after each block...with the real test I had like 5mins left to go over my checked items which was frustrating. I couldn't believe it, especially when Qbank questions were like a paragraph long I thought I would certainly be banking the same frame on the real exam.

Second- As I answered questions I would mark the ones I was unsure about so I could go back to them. I had about 10-15 also in each section and this is not to say I got the UNMARKED ones right.

I've been trying to work some crazy math here...if I got 10-15 wrong in each section...that's not shaping out to be very good.

What's the deal with the test questions? Are they jumbled up into each block or was there an ENTIRE block that was just a test? That might have been the section I rocked...which sucks!

 

[mikedc813]

I felt unsure about a lot of questions and had to make a "best guess". I could narrow it down to about 2 choices on a lot of them, but there were a few where I had no idea at all.

 

[bolisol007]

(Notice the word "normal"...if you are a 290 baller/scorer please refrain from telling me how you "thought" you did bad but u got a 290...but if u want to add something nice/soothing, then go ahead)

LOL, you could end up being one of those "290-ballers" that initially thought they did bad. From what i've heard, most people don't feel great about the way they did after taking the test. So AT LEAST statistically, there's a good chance that you did great. Just wait it out, and try to enjoy your time off before third year starts. You don't want to waste it worrying. I can't wait till the test is history for me too!

 

[pal7718]

Guys and Gals,
For me it's somewhat comforting to know that 1 out every 7 questions (on average) on this test doesn't end up counting towards our score. So I think this argues for not spending too much time on any one question. Also, I don't think it's good to mark more than a couple of questions per section--the likelihood of changing from right to wrong, especially in a pressure situation, is very high.

 

[ToPa55]

Excuse my lack of knowledge about this subject, but do MCAT scores correlate with Board scores? I scored average on the MCAT (29), so does that mean I'll probably do about average on Step 1? What are your personal experiences?

Also what is considered average, hi, and low scores?

 

[USMELL]

I felt the same way, as the day progressed it seems the test got harder and my number of marked questions trippled, at some point my eyes started watering, between block 4 and 5 were the hardest, at the end of block 7, I panicked and felt I had missed a section, lol, but I know I didn't take an hour break, so I am sure I completed all sections. Yes, I was shocked because I usually finished the kaplan and NBME blocks within 30 minutes, so having to rush toward the end of some blocks was weird for me.

 

[TommyGunn04]

I left with an unbelievably bad migraine and having absolutely no clue whether I did well or totally bombed. It's a pretty demoralizing experience. I didn't even come close to using all of my break time, so I finished a decent bit early. Ultimately, I was just excited to have it over and done with!

 

[superoxide]

I took sleeping pills the night before my test because I used to go to bed at 2 am all the time. Ofcourse, the pills didnt work and I fell asleep at my usual time. I woke up at 6am with a throbbing headache. Started my test at 8:30 am. It was only during the 3rd or 4th block that those pills started to have their effect and my headache just got worse as the day progressed. It didnt help that the first two blocks were the hardest. I finished the test by 3:30 pm. I was convinced I had skipped an entire block! I wasn't confident at all that I would pass this test. I drove home hungry, sick, tired and feeling like a complete failure. Definately one of the worst experiences of my life. I'm glad I dont have to go through that test EVER AGAIN.

 

[TheEleventhReel]

Super, what did you do different/made the most difference b/t 1st and 2nd attempt? Also, are from Morganton or doing a rotation there? My parents live in Hickory.

 

[superoxide]

Super, what did you do different/made the most difference b/t 1st and 2nd attempt? Also, are from Morganton or doing a rotation there? My parents live in Hickory.

I thought repitition was the key for me. I am one of those students who needs to read stuff 5 times, before I "get" even 50% of it. I went over material as many times I could. I did the whole Robbins Review question book twice, goljan audio lectures over 10 times, for the usmleRx question bank I re-did all the ones I got wrong the first time around. I annotated my FA with explanations with qbank and qbook and went over that over 10 times as well. I listened to Kaplan lecture notes for Physiology and biochemistry twice. I also did all 4 nbme forms, as opposed to just doing nbme 1 (which I barely passed) for my first attempt. I think I must have done over 7000 questions in total for preparation as opposed to around 3000 for my first attempt.

I'm actually in Toronto right now. I'm heading off to Morganton at the end of the month to start my first clerkship in psychiatry at Broughton Hospital.

 

[godschosenone]

OMG...there was this dude across from me who was CLICKING/TYPING very LOUDLY. Seriously, he had to have been playing a video game because there is no reason on this green earth for him to be making such a distraction. I even thought his mouse wasn't working and maybe he was getting frustrated but if that was the case he would have reported it.

That's when I'd get up and complain. A 5 minute break may prevent another type of break. That truly sucks, and I am sorry you had to deal with that. Remember, the squeaking wheel gets the grease.