How is Step 1 Scored?

[Thaitanium]

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Hi-

I was curious about how Step 1 is scored. Is it curved based on those that took the test that particular day? So, if you took the test on the same day as tens of thousands of other geniuses, then you are going to be in some deep shiznit?

Thanks

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Anyone know the answer?

 

[north2southOMFS]

I'd kinda like to know as well.......Please respond........some smart person who knows it all......



....is it better to take it later like in august so you can take it with all the people who like to procrastinate and don't study much so the test curve will be "dumbed down" somewhat.....b/c i'm taking it in May (1st) and am a little worried that is when the actual smart people take it.

 

[mpp]

The exact answer to your question is not public knowledge. It is likely that every person gets a different set of questions from a question bank. The whole thing would then be graded against everyone that has taken similar sets of questions over the last year or so. It definitely is not curved by which day you take it.

 

[Ramoray]

I remember this same sort of thing for mcat-some poeple told me its better to take it in august cause the poeple that take it in august are the people who didnt get in or are the slacker people but some told me poeple in april is better cause teh people in august have all summer to study. I think when your dealing with that many poeple that take a step 1 and the fact that there are so many randomized questions, if you think of the chance of every single person getting a set of totally random questions, some of which they dont know and some which they do, times the huge number of people they will curve you against, i am saying no matter when you take it has gotta be the same but ihave heard otherwise. I keep hearing take it has early as possible but that made no sense to me as every school takes it at a different time. who knwos.. take it as soon as you can get ready i guess.

 

[kaos]

Don't forget the 10% of nongraded, inconsequential sample questions that they're just tossing at u for the heck of it!

 

[NIQ]

Step 1 is random in that your mark could be off by as much as 10 marks from exam to exam if you get the wrong questions :/ I think that makes it much more relevant fact than how its scaled on a particular day.

 

[Idiopathic]

Its scled based on a large sample size of PREVIOUS test takers (i.e. the last twelve months worth or so). It doesnt matter when you take it, except for when they usually change the test around, and I have no idea when that is. I believe the blocks are set up the same, and then you randomly get 7 blocks out of 25 or 30.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

A group of people at the NBME headquarters going through a list of test takers and randomly pulling a piece of paper out of a hat with 2 digit and 3 digit scores on it, then assigning you that score.

 

[north2southOMFS]

A group of people at the NBME headquarters going through a list of test takers and randomly pulling a piece of paper out of a hat with 2 digit and 3 digit scores on it, then assigning you that score.

I Knew it!