Need Advice: Only 4 days to go and haven't taken an NBME

[pigglewiggle]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi--I only have 4 days to go until test day and have gotten through most of UWorld but haven't taken an NBME yet. I thought my time would be better spent doing questions that had the answers provided but now I am starting to worry that I am missing out on important practice test material. I don't have time to devote an entire day to taking one but I was thinking that I could do like 100 questions a day from one of them. What do you all think--is it better to just finish UWorld or to do some NBME questions instead? If NBME is the way to go, which test form should i buy? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[TerpMD]

If you are going to take it, I would take it in one day (today) and not waste time looking up answers. I'm sure someone will post and say to look up the answers, but at 4 days out this is not a good use of time. At this point, and NBME is not a learning tool it is a score projection/ way to help point you to what you are weak in. It will take 4 hours out of your day but it prob the best simulation of the real deal according to SDNers. That said, if you are the type who will go nuts if the score isn't where you want it to be I wouldn't bother. I took my last one 5 days out even though a lot of people told me you shouldn't take any inside a week. My exam is Friday and I am glad I took that last NBME cause now I can focus my last few days.

Finishing UW is your best bet if you don't care about a score projection. Or you can do their assessment if you like (the qs are different and you get answers unlike NBME). My UW assessment was higher than my NBMEs.

In summary- the question is what is your goal- gauge studying/weaknesses or learn new material.

People say 3 and 4 are the best to predict. I found 3 really hard. Some say 5 is really difficult too but I didn't take it.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

I don't really see the point of an NBME at this point, unless you really feel you are in danger of failing. Are you prepared to delay the exam (and pay the massive fees) if you don't do as well as you expected? If you won't delay the exam, it's kind of pointless. If you don't do well, it will just shake your confidence. Also, since you haven't taken any other NBME's, you'll have no concept of how your progression is coming and whether this one might be an outlier if you do poorly. It doesn't seem worth the risk to me.

 

[pigglewiggle]

thanks for the advice-i really appreciate it. i start 3rd yr right away in july so i don't think i can delay the test anymore than i already have. i think taking an NBME might just rattle me at this point and i may not have much to gain from it (except a panic attack). thanks again!

 

[The Angriest Bird]

Unless you are a person who really can "forget about it" when you want to forget about it, don't take NBME. It's too close to the real thing. If you do well on the NBME, it's wonderful. If you do not so well, its shade is going to haunt you mercilessly for the next few days.

Just believe you can do well. Confidence is priceless.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Agree with the above, don't bother at this stage