NBME Form 2

[cdql]

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I'm about a week out from my exam and I decided to try NBME Form 2 as a gauge of what I really need to focus on.

Good news: I got >600 on it.

Bad news: I felt like I had guessed on just about every other question.

Is it normal to feel this way? Could I have possibly lucked into a good practice score (and set myself up for a disaster on the actual test day?)

I had planned to take another one but after today's draining experience, I'm not sure I want to go through with another 4 hour practice session (my head was really spinning at the end of it) and I'm probably going to spend my remaining time with plain studying (and maybe some question bank time thrown in here and there)

Any suggestions/comments/etc... etc...? Thanks

 

[blz]

I'm about a week out from my exam and I decided to try NBME Form 2 as a gauge of what I really need to focus on.

Good news: I got >600 on it.

Bad news: I felt like I had guessed on just about every other question.

Is it normal to feel this way? Could I have possibly lucked into a good practice score (and set myself up for a disaster on the actual test day?)

I had planned to take another one but after today's draining experience, I'm not sure I want to go through with another 4 hour practice session (my head was really spinning at the end of it) and I'm probably going to spend my remaining time with plain studying (and maybe some question bank time thrown in here and there)

Any suggestions/comments/etc... etc...? Thanks

lol you are quite the stresscase. this test isn't supposed to be easy. making good educated guesses is the only way to score high on this test. you did good on your nbme so go with it. no amount of studying will make you feel 100% confident in all your answers. even ask the 260+ers around here.

 

[cdql]

lol you are quite the stresscase. this test isn't supposed to be easy. making good educated guesses is the only way to score high on this test. you did good on your nbme so go with it. no amount of studying will make you feel 100% confident in all your answers. even ask the 260+ers around here.

hahaha...I'll definitely admit I'm a worrywart (some people like to add annoying as a descriptor 😉)

And thanks for the reassurance! I guess I'm having a difficult time adjusting as my school's exams are fairly different from the questions seen on Step 1

They've tried integrating more of the "vignette-style" questions in their curriculum but more often than not, they still leave buzzwords in the stem and it's basically a game of recognition

Obviously that's not the case with the questions in Step 1 that make you think on multiple levels and tie in seemingly unrelated concepts so I guess I'm having difficulty adjusting and feeling confident with the majority of my answer selections (I worry about school exams too just not to the same degree! 😛)

 

[PhatGtDmB]

i know exactly how you feel...i took nbme form 3 and got a 680😱 and i could have sworn i was guessing on 1/4 of all the questions...as blz said, it's about educated guesses that will get you through the exam...heres to feeling ****ty for the four weeks after i take my exam till i get my score...holla

 

[Taus]

I was unsure of my answers on like 15-20 per block on form 2 and also got >600.....I honestly thought I bombed it....I'm not one who usually worries about stuff like that and I can usually tell how I did on tests right after I take them.....but forms 2 & 4 and many blocks on UW left me shaking my head....only to score about the same as I always do....wierd...

 

[kate0834tkjn]

I haven't taken the real test, but also took nbme 2. Just like you, I felt I was guessing on EVERYTHING, and by the 4th block, I almost didn't care any more b/c I felt i'd answered so many wrong there was no way I was even going to pass, so I really rushed through, didn't mark any, and didn't read back through the questions. And surprise, I ended up w/ a ridiculous score. I honestly don't believe that score could be right and that I guessed a lot, so I am going to take form 4 just to make sure I'm at least going to do remotely well. Mostly because like you, I am a worrier! 🙂

 

[leechy]

I finished form 2 recently with exactly the same experience... Felt like I was guessing, but did well. The form IS scaled, right? Just want to make sure that I'm not just basking in some false self-impression of competence, because this is the easier form...

How are you guys modifying your studying now that you've taken a form? After taking Form 2, I'm more inclined to study basic path. The sad thing is, I feel like more studying won't even really help - the knowledge base is too vast, and the yield would be too low. How about you guys?

Also, did anyone feel the test had at least two or three incorrectly worded questions?

 

[cdql]

I finished form 2 recently with exactly the same experience... Felt like I was guessing, but did well. The form IS scaled, right? Just want to make sure that I'm not just basking in some false self-impression of competence, because this is the easier form...

How are you guys modifying your studying now that you've taken a form? After taking Form 2, I'm more inclined to study basic path. The sad thing is, I feel like more studying won't even really help - the knowledge base is too vast, and the yield would be too low. How about you guys?

Also, did anyone feel the test had at least two or three incorrectly worded questions?

I feel the same way about my review time. I had planned on reviewing the areas where I was weak first and then quickly scanning thru the rest of my materials. But it seems like even the ones I got correct, I was shaky about.

So I guess I'm just going to go for a general overview of FA and then maybe revisit some of the books where I was weak in. It's odd how even a high score on a NBME exam can lead to more panic and paranoia

 

[somnolent]

I took form 2 two last week and just finished form 3 today. After a week of, I thought, pretty good studying, my score only slightly went up. But here's my problem, a few of my scores flip-flopped. On 2 I did pretty good on endo/repro, today it just bottomed out. I also dropped in physiology (which I'm guessing is related to the endo) but made pretty good gains in biochem, behavioral, and resp.

So, should I use this last test as a guide until I take the test on Monday? I can't imagine that I "forgot" all that in just 8 days. I guess the total scores are similar, but it seems like one of them is a fluke....and I don't know which one. Any ideas on this?

 

[scrapper]

Just finished it last night. 770. I could not believe it, it started laughing out load. I took form1 2mnths ago and scored a 480.

What I did was UW 3 times through reading every question. Very, Very cumbersome. annotated some things from UW in my FA.

Trust me when I say this. Always a low 80 kind of student in med. school. But, I always bust my butt, and always OCD about studying. Name of the game with me is repetition, repetition, repetition.

 

[Colba55o]

Posts like this remind me of why I tried to avoid SDN while I was applying to med school but for some masochistic reason though I have returned as I prep for Step 1.
I recall seeing the same type of posts 2 yrs ago (OMG I took an MCAT practice exam and got a 39, I'm so worried that I'm being misled, omg omg omg)
Are you actually expecting to get a serious answer to your concerns, or subconsciously trying to let everyone know that you did so well on form 2? We're all OCD to an extent, and those kinds of concerns are not unreasonable, but I doubt you are truly looking for any kind of advice here. Did it occur to you that if you did so well, what about all the thousands of people who did worse than you? Who should be more concerned?
Trust me, I'm not hating. It is just nauseating to see people complain about doing TOO WELL on a practice exam; Id actually prefer you to just brag outright than pretend to be genuinely worried

 

[cdql]

Posts like this remind me of why I tried to avoid SDN while I was applying to med school but for some masochistic reason though I have returned as I prep for Step 1.
I recall seeing the same type of posts 2 yrs ago (OMG I took an MCAT practice exam and got a 39, I'm so worried that I'm being misled, omg omg omg)
Are you actually expecting to get a serious answer to your concerns, or subconsciously trying to let everyone know that you did so well on form 2? We're all OCD to an extent, and those kinds of concerns are not unreasonable, but I doubt you are truly looking for any kind of advice here. Did it occur to you that if you did so well, what about all the thousands of people who did worse than you? Who should be more concerned?
Trust me, I'm not hating. It is just nauseating to see people complain about doing TOO WELL on a practice exam; Id actually prefer you to just brag outright than pretend to be genuinely worried

...

This is an anonymous Internet forum. I would have no problem bragging and rubbing my score in everyone's face if that's how I truly felt.

But it's not. I am genuinely worried. Forgive me for sharing. 🙄

 

[blz]

Posts like this remind me of why I tried to avoid SDN while I was applying to med school but for some masochistic reason though I have returned as I prep for Step 1.
I recall seeing the same type of posts 2 yrs ago (OMG I took an MCAT practice exam and got a 39, I'm so worried that I'm being misled, omg omg omg)
Are you actually expecting to get a serious answer to your concerns, or subconsciously trying to let everyone know that you did so well on form 2? We're all OCD to an extent, and those kinds of concerns are not unreasonable, but I doubt you are truly looking for any kind of advice here. Did it occur to you that if you did so well, what about all the thousands of people who did worse than you? Who should be more concerned?
Trust me, I'm not hating. It is just nauseating to see people complain about doing TOO WELL on a practice exam; Id actually prefer you to just brag outright than pretend to be genuinely worried

lol it's a standard post that you see on sdn and most of the time you are right in your view. however, i think in this case though and after reading many of her posts, i just think she's a genuine, harmless stress case. i'm sure you got a lot of med school chicks just like this at your school. you should be used to it by now.

 

[cdql]

lol it's a standard post that you see on sdn and most of the time you are right in your view. however, i think in this case though and after reading many of her posts, i just think she's a genuine, harmless stress case. i'm sure you got a lot of med school chicks just like this at your school. you should be used to it by now.

Exactly. This is medical school right? 😉

 

[scrapper]

I could see how you would interpret this as bragging. Sincerely, its not. I wanted my post to fuel someone else to succeed. I come to this forum for advice and motivation.
Trust me, I have had my share of failures professionally, and socially. Just was excited for once doing well, and wanted to share/motivate.

Sorry, buddy if you got you panty hose tied up!