How hard is it to get a 240/99 on Step 1 ???

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socrates89

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Ok So I just wanted to know exactly how hard is it to get a 240+??

Is that getting like an equivalent of a 37 on the MCAT's can it be compared to the MCAT's?

Can some tell me (who got a 240+) their study plan/schedule/time and all the books used?

I'm having trouble finding it please post the link here


Thank You.
 
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socrates89 said:
Ok So I just wanted to know exactly how hard is it to get a 240+??

Is that getting like an equivalent of a 37 on the MCAT's can it be compared to the MCAT's?

Can some tell me (who got a 240+) their study plan/schedule/time and all the books used?

I'm having trouble finding it please post the link here


Thank You.
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Here is my 2 cents

I'm taking it in June, but from what I've heard/read:

1) It is no cake walk, but doable if you have prepared well enough in years 1 & 2, and are focused enough to review for 4-6 weeks prior to taking the test

2) Its nothing like getting 37 on MCAT. Although there is a correlation between MCAT and USMLE it isnt always reliable. Also, much different material tested in a much different way.

3) If you do a search a look for the 2007 usmle experiences thread you will find your answers, at least all that can be given to you, concerning books, plans, etc. It seems (and its logical) that plans and resources are HIGHLY individualized, although there are some standards like First Aid and Q bank of your choice --but other than that, its up to you.

I'd say take one entire day (over break), sit down and really research these topics and come up with something that will fit YOU. Not the MENSA inductee that reviewed for 2 weeks using only FA and got 270.
 
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Inadvertent or not, thats a pretty low blow there Penguinhead.

I don't know why you brought up that particular thread, since it has little to do with this one. That OP is just trying to pass boards, not crack 240.
 
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I was trying to point out that you can't just say if you got a 37 on MCAT you'll make a 240 on the step. Or, that if you study long hours, do xyz review course, you'll make a 240.

I'm just saying some people work really, really hard and still struggle with the test. I wasn't trying to tear down the OP of the other thread. I absolutely respect his/her commitment and drive. Sorry if it came out wrong.
 
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PenguinHead said:
I was trying to point out that you can't just say if you got a 37 on MCAT you'll make a 240 on the step. Or, that if you study long hours, do xyz review course, you'll make a 240.

I'm just saying some people work really, really hard and still struggle with the test. I wasn't trying to tear down the OP of the other thread. I absolutely respect his/her commitment and drive. Sorry if it came out wrong.
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Study hard. If it takes you past 240 super. But don't think that everyone who studies hard for 4-6 weeks is going to even get close to that. The majority of people who take the USMLE study harder for that test than any other in their life. Generally much harder than the MCAT, which is a test you can theoretically retake. Yet the national average is about a 218 and the average of those who match is in the 220 range. And the average at even the top schools is reportedly generally well below 240 (although this data is not officially published). So it probably pays to shoot high, but temper your expectations by reality.
 
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It isn't easy, and please don't think about it in comparison to the MCAT. I understand you're trying to make an comparison about the difficulty, not the content, but the content and difficulty of Step 1 are definitely linked. It's a completely different *kind* of difficult than the MCAT. I did well on the MCAT by studying a couple hours a day for maybe a week. I did well on Step 1 by first learning the information well in the first 2 years of med school, then studying 8 hours a day for 3 weeks before the exam. In other words, the MCAT in my opinion was mostly a test of your test taking ability with only basic background knowledge required. Step 1 requires a TON of knowledge about human physiology and pathophysiology, as well as requiring good test taking strategies.

If your goal is a 240+, you should definitely be prepared to work hard. Everyone does it a different way - you'll definitely see this if you page through the link Pinkertinkle posted. It depends entirely on what your strengths and weaknesses are.
 
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i think its a lot more doable for the average joe to get a 240 than for them to get a 37 on the mcat.
 
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I think that this whole thread/discussion is a waste of time. At no point during your preparation should u worry about "how hard it is to attain a certain score", because that would be nothing more than a major distraction from the one thing that is most likely to make u score higher: studying.
More importantly, the responses that you will get on this thread are totally dependent on what the final score for each respondant. Someone who scored above 240 might consider it an achievable goal for everyone else, while somebody who did not will consider it a tougher goal to achieve. Hindsight is a privilege/benefit that we seldom have while going through such experiences.
 
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lankysudanese said:
I think that this whole thread/discussion is a waste of time. At no point during your preparation should u worry about "how hard it is to attain a certain score", because that would be nothing more than a major distraction from the one thing that is most likely to make u score higher: studying.
More importantly, the responses that you will get on this thread are totally dependent on what the final score for each respondant. Someone who scored above 240 might consider it an achievable goal for everyone else, while somebody who did not will consider it a tougher goal to achieve. Hindsight is a privilege/benefit that we seldom have while going through such experiences.
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I think it would be a waste of time if it was May and we were having this discussion as opposed to studying... but it's December, and the majority of us won't be starting to study for a least a couple months, if not longer.

Your screen name made me chuckle BTW. Believe it or not there is a sizeable Sudanese population here in IA.
 
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lankysudanese said:
More importantly, the responses that you will get on this thread are totally dependent on what the final score for each respondant. Someone who scored above 240 might consider it an achievable goal for everyone else, while somebody who did not will consider it a tougher goal to achieve.
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Psychology is obviously not your thing. This thread, and your above statement probably tells a lot more about you, rather than about the other responders, actually.🙂 You have layed out how you look at things, and assume everyone does the same. However many people who score over a certain threshold view it as a bigger accomplishment and less achievable for everyone else -- they know what kind of mountain got moved and the actual level of difficulty. If it comes easy to you, you might feel it easy for everyone. If it doesn't, you might not. Doesn't really give you a good sense of the other respondent's scores. All you can really know if the hard data-- how the average takers did.
 
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I pretty much second everything pocketknife said above. I would also add that you really need to learn your second year material cold, and during second year-not trying to cram it all in at the last second. I know I will catch hell for it, but I will say it again, get big Robbins and use it all second semester and make notes in your BRS path book. I also highly recommend Lippincott pharmacology. If you want to do well, you have to understand the mechanisms behind things, not just memorize gobs of stuff. Yes, there is memorizing involved, but if you have a true understanding of the mechanisms behind pharm drugs, pathologic basis of diseases, and other topics along with a smattering of memorized important facts, you will do well- on Step 1 and medical school.
 
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I forgot to add, Qbank is excellent. It will have a few questions you will see again on Step 1, but more importantly it prepares you for the format of questions asked and difficulty. Don't do it by systems or anything like that, start out with a few blocks of 20 and then 30 questions, and then do only blocks of 50 random questions timed to be limited to an hour. It will prepare you well for timing-I was done almost 3 hours early. One more thing, you can't correlate mcat to Step 1 performance. You can do pretty well on the mcat (meaning not higher than 36 or so) but not be the hot shot 43 and still outscore the person with the 43 mcat by a good 20 points on step 1.
 
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I have taken step1 three times without success, and have also attempted step2 ending with the same fate.Should i keep on trying, or there are better options out there for me?I need you assistance in deciding.Thank you
 
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ManMe said:
I have taken step1 three times without success, and have also attempted step2 ending with the same fate.Should i keep on trying, or there are better options out there for me?I need you assistance in deciding.Thank you
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What is your approach and what scores did you get in your various attempts. And are you coming from a foreign med school? Not to pry, but it's hard to give you advice with no info. There were a couple of threads of folks who failed multiple times on here pretty recently -- you might find those helpful.
 
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ManMe said:
I have taken step1 three times without success, and have also attempted step2 ending with the same fate.Should i keep on trying, or there are better options out there for me?I need you assistance in deciding.Thank you
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Well, as long as your medical school will let you re-take the exam... of course you should keep on trying. Are you going to tell me that you invested several hundred grand to train to be a PA? (no offense to the PA's, btw 😀 )

Since this is your first post, I assume you aren't too familiar with SDN (either that or you made a new account to stay extra-anonymous on an already anonymous forum 😉)

There are several threads of folks that tanked their first few attempts at the exam and subsequently passed. Almost all of them did so through making a dramatic change in their approach preparing for the test. I suggest searching through the forum for a couple of these threads (along with the usual suspects like the 2007 USMLE Step 1 experiences thread) and write out your plan here. Then have a couple people critique your plan (just start a quick thread in here), and then get to work on making it happen. 👍
 
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A 240 on Step 1 is relative. I have a friend who was very much an average medical student the most of the first two years, but became interested in a competitive field and realized he needed to make himself stronger. So he slaved very hard and got in the 240's and was infinitely pleased. Then again, I know one of those ultra geniuses who's interested in a non competitive field and pulled a 240+ with a quarter of the studying the first guy did.

So, it's relative.
 
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On my May 2007 score report, a mean of 217 and standard deviation of 23 were reported. 240 was therefore only one standard deviation above average (~85th percentile), and a 263 was required to score in the top 2.5%. In terms of percentiles, MCAT scores of 32 of 37 are thus approximately equal to a Step 1 scores of 240 and 263, respectively (at least when I took each exam). But keep in mind that the vast majority of students sitting for Step 1 did well on the MCAT and successfully navigated two years of medical school, while many students who took the MCAT were not even admitted to medical school. So, when comparing percentiles on these exams, you're not comparing apples to apples. Hope this helps.
 
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DrDarwin said:
On my May 2007 score report, a mean of 217 and standard deviation of 23 were reported. 240 was therefore only one standard deviation above average (~85th percentile), and a 263 was required to score in the top 2.5%. .
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FYI: Step 1 data are not thought to conform to a normal distribution. Check out the following 2 posts from JOE6102:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=5718239#post5718239

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=5735812#post5735812
 
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I would place a 263 on the same level as 41 on the MCAT, and once you hit 270s it would probably be like knocking on the door of a 43 or 44.
 
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I got the 263 from the posts above me. I was just saying what I thought a 263 might correspond to on the MCAT in my opinion based on what other students I know scored on each exam, not trying to compare based on distributions.
 
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Just throwing it out there...

I'm pretty sure that the 99 represents the 99th percentile of everyone that has taken the exam...
 
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A "99" two digit score does not equate to 99th percentile. Each score report will have a listing of the average score along with standard deviation, at which point you can figure out the 99th percentile for your exam. 99th percentile ends up being quite high, at least 255 but probably higher (the above discussion is on the right track). I took mine a long time ago, so I can't remember exactly. But you can figure it out. Think of it this way - a two digit score of 50 is not the 50th percentile. The passing two digit score is more like 72 or something (again, don't remember exactly).

The two digit score I think is a vestige of the past when people couldn't handle the complexity of a three digit score and needed things categorized more simply. 90 + = A! 80-90 = B!

FYI, to respond to the initial question in the thread, studying strategies vary. I got a very high score on Step I and all I did was practice questions. When I got one wrong I would review the material if I didn't understand it. I also went through first aid but not as extensively. I didn't use any other books. I did, however, attend lectures regularly and stayed on top of all the material. If you're looking for a good way to do well, i would recommend that. Shortcuts and shotgunning information in the hopes that it all sticks is less helpful.
 
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LJDHC05 said:
Just throwing it out there...

I'm pretty sure that the 99 represents the 99th percentile of everyone that has taken the exam...
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No --- people with, say, a 240 will have a 99, and people with 265 or 270 will have a 99. Not every score within that broad range will equate to the 99th percentile.
 
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i got a low mcat score b/c i really didn't study too much. i feel like my undergrad was a horrible period in my life and want to just forget it. has anyone scored below a 30 on the MCAT and managed to get a killer board score? im starting in the fall (US school) and feel like i'll get raped.
 
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well i got a 240+ on the boards....undergrad gpa of considerably below 3.0 and MCAT score of probably at or below the national average....btw ended up goin to a carib school with those grades haha guess it all works out
 
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