nbme 3 and 4

[dude]

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how good of a measure is nbme 3 and 4 to the real thing? i took mine and received a 330 / 190 and 340 / 193. the passing is 196. should i postpone if taking step 2 ck in less than a week?

 

[HopeTo99]

Postpone dude.

 

[Transposony]

Yes dude, postpone.
It's too close a call.

 

[dude]

I don't think it will get any better even if I postpone. I have been studying for about a monthbusing us dit and su2ck. Should I just go ahead and squeak out a pass while the material is still fresh?

 

[dude]

I'd really appreciate more thoughts

 

[Transposony]

Do you really want to risk a failure?
Have you done UW inside out?

 

[dude]

I do not want to risk a failure and I hve done uw inside out. I am not sure how or what else I can do. Any suggestions?

 

[Transposony]

I do not want to risk a failure and I hve done uw inside out. I am not sure how or what else I can do. Any suggestions?

What about your UWSA ?
What was your UW average on first pass timed random mode ?
How many revisions have you done for UW ?
Have you done the incorrect UW questions so many times that you remember them like back of your hand ?
If you have done all that then I suggest you change your strategy. Since DIT & SU2CK has not worked for you. If you have time then do Kaplan Lecture notes and if not then do MTB 2 CK with MTB 3 (for Obgyn & Peds). or maybe Secrets whichever suits you best.

 

[Branson1231]

So you're saying you got a 330 and 340 on the 3-point grading scale? (passing is 196...)

 

[dude]

so i did uwsa today and got a 198.

 

[Transposony]

so i did uwsa today and got a 198.

To be brutally honest, you don't have any room to maneuver.
You need to go through the wrong questions and work on your weak areas.
Do a quick revision using mainly MTB2 (& MTB 3 for Obgyn, Peds) . These book(s) are very easy to read and don't take much time. You will be done in a week or less. Then do the UW blocks in timed random mode and see if your % improves.
Have a look at the new First Aid For The Usmle Step 2 CK 8th Ed if you want to be thorough but MTBs are sufficient to pass and more.

 

[dude]

allirght i postponed for a month and i am going to take the exam next week, but here were my practice scores
209 on uwsa 10/24
183 on nbme 4

what should i do now? postpone again? or just take it?

my previous scores about a month back
198 on uwsa
193 on nbme 4
190 on nbme 3

 

[Transposony]

Are you saying that you did the UWSA second time and your score improved by 7 points only? I don't care that much about NBMEs but your lack of progress in UWSA is worrying.
I can't figure out what's wrong. What did you do in last one month-preparation wise..I mean which resources did you use.
All I can say is that you need to figure out what's hindering your progress. On way to do it is to sit down with someone who has done the CK. You can contact your local Kaplan center adviser who can help you in figuring out your weak areas and a study plan.
Going for the test is risky but it all depends how much risk you are willing to take.

 

[dude]

i guess i improved on the uwsa by 11 points. 198 a month ago to 209 day before yesterday. Now after I took uwsa a month ago, I just looked at the score, I didn't look at any breakdowns, explanations, etc.

i used uw, pre test surg, pre test ob, for questions. roughly i was doing around 250 questions per day. i had done these questions before so I did them but only read the ones I felt I was weak on or the ones I sensed i would get wrong.

then i did 2 hours of review per day using step up, first aid, and dit book.

i followed up with the questions and review 5 days out of the week. I used the other 2 days to catch up.

feedback?

Are you saying that you did the UWSA second time and your score improved by 7 points only? I don't care that much about NBMEs but your lack of progress in UWSA is worrying.
I can't figure out what's wrong. What did you do in last one month-preparation wise..I mean which resources did you use.
All I can say is that you need to figure out what's hindering your progress. On way to do it is to sit down with someone who has done the CK. You can contact your local Kaplan center adviser who can help you in figuring out your weak areas and a study plan.
Going for the test is risky but it all depends how much risk you are willing to take.

 

[Transposony]

i guess i improved on the uwsa by 11 points. 198 a month ago to 209 day before yesterday. Now after I took uwsa a month ago, I just looked at the score, I didn't look at any breakdowns, explanations, etc.

i used uw, pre test surg, pre test ob, for questions. roughly i was doing around 250 questions per day. i had done these questions before so I did them but only read the ones I felt I was weak on or the ones I sensed i would get wrong.

then i did 2 hours of review per day using step up, first aid, and dit book.

i followed up with the questions and review 5 days out of the week. I used the other 2 days to catch up.

feedback?

Sorry about the wrong math.
However, you are using the wrong books. They did not work for you a month ago and now again.
You worked your butt off for one month for an improvement of only 11 points?

My suggestion ( as before):
1. Ditch DIT and whatever you have used before except UW.
2. Buy MTB 2 & 3
3. Do UW and make notes on the MTB's from UW explanations.
4. Review MTBs before the test.
Should not take you more than 1 month.
Don't try to do too much, just stick to MTBs & UW. They are sufficient to make you pass comfortably.
I suspect you have "burned yourself out" by trying to do too much.
Take time to recharge your batteries every week ( movies, women, get drunk etc).
Remember, this is not a 100m race , it's a marathon.

P.S : Please don't mind if you find my post(s) a bit harsh. I am just trying to help and believe being honest about it is the best way to help.

 

[dude]

Sorry about the wrong math.
However, you are using the wrong books. They did not work for you a month ago and now again.
You worked your butt off for one month for an improvement of only 11 points?

My suggestion ( as before):
1. Ditch DIT and whatever you have used before except UW.
2. Buy MTB 2 & 3
3. Do UW and make notes on the MTB's from UW explanations.
4. Review MTBs before the test.
Should not take you more than 1 month.
Don't try to do too much, just stick to MTBs & UW. They are sufficient to make you pass comfortably.
I suspect you have "burned yourself out" by trying to do too much.
Take time to recharge your batteries every week ( movies, women, get drunk etc).
Remember, this is not a 100m race , it's a marathon.

P.S : Please don't mind if you find my post(s) a bit harsh. I am just trying to help and believe being honest about it is the best way to help.

thank you. i really appreciate your posts. i am going to get mtb today. many thanks by the way i postponed again. aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Transposony]

thank you. i really appreciate your posts. i am going to get mtb today. many thanks by the way i postponed again. aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

Glad to be of help. I think you made the right decision. Why take the chance.
I was in a similar situation few months ago and I kept on postponing till got it right--kept working on my weak areas and kept doing 2 blocks of UW a day. On weekend I took the evening off to recharge my batteries and to prevent a burnout.
My typical day- two blocks of UW followed by review of that block. Used to take me three hours for each block ( 1 hour for doing it & 2 for reviewing). In the evening I used to read the same topics from MTB 2 & MTB 3. I did assess my progress by taking one NBMe every month and now I have 250+ in NBME 4 and 250+ in UWSA. I would be heading for the test center tomorrow except for this storm.
Good Luck in your prep.