NBME forms, info & classification/opinions

[peter90036]

NBME forms for Step 1
- NBME calls it "Comprehensive Basic Science Self-Assessment (CBSSA)"
- Cost: Money $45 USD for each "form"
- Buy at: https://apps.nbme.org/nsasweb/servlet/mesa_main (need to create user & login)
- Purpose: test for strengths and weaknesses
- Purpose: "not for prediction of Step 1 exam performance"

- Correct answers are not provided,
- Exam/form ends by giving you a score & report on "strengths & weaknesses" and a score correlate that compares the NBME score to what you might get on the real exam >>SAMPLE https://apps.nbme.org/nsasweb/doc/sample_CBSSA.pdf
- Interface does not resemble real exam (get the USMLE Sample software "Fred" for that >> http://download.usmle.org/2008/step1mcq.zip)

- Content: some forms focus on certain subjects, not really random mix.
- Content: 1 form = Four sections, 50 items each.
- Timed: Up to one hour to complete each section. or Self-Paced: Up to 4 hours to complete each section.


People's opinions on these nbme forms:

1 = the easy one, to start with.
2 = easy? "take with 3 before actual Step 1 exam"
3 = somewhat hard, some molec bio details, but "most similar to Step 1 exam"
4 = hard, harder than 6
5 = one says easy and straightforward, another says hardest & freaky. Content has lots of physio.
6 = ?

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[car123]

from what I have heard thus far....none of the NBMEs are similar to the actual exam...which is fustrating, and I just cannot see how it can be a predictor of how well one will do....

 

[GMDMD]

I just cannot see how it can be a predictor of how well one will do....

Despite the differences from the actual exam, both the NBMEs and the real thing test you on a wide variety of topics and are curved so it is a good measure of your current knowledge base relative to your peers.

 

[Helo]

yea its nuts, i found the real thing to be much more difficult (but thats my opinion). however, its seems from past posters that the score prediction at the end of the NBME's is still quite accurate and that is why, in essence, I chose to do the NBME's. I did not get a single NBME repeat on my real exam...