low usmle world scores

[chiefMD]

So I have been getting 43-55% on USMLE world and I am 8 weeks out. I have already gone over first aid once. I'm halfway through World for the first time and plan to do it a second as well as two more rounds of first aid and DIT before my test.

Any reason I would be getting so low on world? I know there have to be other people out there with this problem. I'm also reading goljan and BRS phys. Anything I can do to help bump up my score or should I just chalk it up to being a person who has to learn by repeating information a lot.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[RedSoxSuck]

So I have been getting 43-55% on USMLE world and I am 8 weeks out. I have already gone over first aid once. I'm halfway through World for the first time and plan to do it a second as well as two more rounds of first aid and DIT before my test.

Any reason I would be getting so low on world? I know there have to be other people out there with this problem. I'm also reading goljan and BRS phys. Anything I can do to help bump up my score or should I just chalk it up to being a person who has to learn by repeating information a lot.

Which section is your weakest? I would look into pathoma. I did DIT but not a huge fan because it's not for Learning/understanding. It's for recapping.

 

[chiefMD]

Biochem. I am wondering if it's my test taking strategies. I'm going over some of the questions now and I keep saying "damn I knew that"

 

[tfc]

Biochem. I am wondering if it's my test taking strategies. I'm going over some of the questions now and I keep saying "damn I knew that"

Can you give an example of what you miss.

 

[mdeast]

So I have been getting 43-55% on USMLE world and I am 8 weeks out. I have already gone over first aid once. I'm halfway through World for the first time and plan to do it a second as well as two more rounds of first aid and DIT before my test.

Any reason I would be getting so low on world? I know there have to be other people out there with this problem. I'm also reading goljan and BRS phys. Anything I can do to help bump up my score or should I just chalk it up to being a person who has to learn by repeating information a lot.

8 weeks is a long time to improve your score. That's 50-50% is a barely passing USMLE score and I know plenty of students who start off like this and go way way up. Make sure you review the questions well (i.e. learn why you got things wrong).

You should be constantly going back through First Aid (it's your Bible, know as much of it as you can).

Most of what I've been told though, is questions, questions, questions. You'll learn the most just by doing massive amounts of them.

 

[mdeast]

Which section is your weakest? I would look into pathoma. I did DIT but not a huge fan because it's not for Learning/understanding. It's for recapping.

Would you suggest DIT near the middle of studying (i.e. 3 weeks in, once you've reviewed and re-learned stuff you're not good at?). Trying to plan the rest of my own 7 weeks.

 

[chiefMD]

Thanks for the info. I take about 2-3 hours to go over a block of questions. I go over every single wrong AND right answer. So I'm remembering stuff AFTER I take the test which is what i think people mean by using world as a learning tool.

I know you weren't asking me but as for DIT my thinking is using it right before the test as they state on their website. So I will be doing the 15 or 19 day plan and finishing it 4 days before my test so recap everything and do the final pass through first aid.

 

[RedSoxSuck]

Would you suggest DIT near the middle of studying (i.e. 3 weeks in, once you've reviewed and re-learned stuff you're not good at?). Trying to plan the rest of my own 7 weeks.

Yea, i would suggest doing DIT towards the end of your studying as a recapping. I have already done DIT once but am planning to go through it once more when i am sick and tired of reading FA. DIT is a review/recap course. All he does is points out the HY stuff and explains here and there. But you can always try it out for day or two to see how it works for you.

 

[mdeast]

What are your opinions on DIT? Helpful? Not helpful? I'm averaging 60% on Kaplan QBank and 85% on USMLE World right now and want to be solid for the exam.

 

[chiefMD]

I'm interested to know why there is such a huge gap between your kaplan and your world scores. You think your world score would be lower than your kaplan score if anything because its assumed to be more difficult. Especially if you are still doing them both simultaneously.

 

[buccsmf1]

i had a tough time with biochem too (around 40-45% uworld). After a long search I fould the kaplan lecture notes to be the best. very concise and very board related. finding an actual hard copy can be hard but the pdf can be found all over the web.

Go through FA biochem and if you dont truly UNDERSTAND what is going on, read the corresponding chapter in kaplan. I spent about 3 days really pounding through biochem and started getting 60-70% per seciton.

And I would agree with the guy that mentioned pathoma. if you understand that book, there is absolutely no possible way that you could fail step 1. But either way, take a breather, 8 weeks is a long time. (and take everything you read here with a grain of salt, the average on uworld is about a 57% or so, yet everybody on here claims they're getting 80% on first pass randoms.... lol)