Good luck all. I have my exam end of March and hope to be the 1st one to post here for 2010.
Official 2010 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread
- Thread starter FMD212
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2007
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 0
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 1
good luck man. i am taking it in june - i look forward to reading about your experience.
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,560
- Reaction score
- 1,298
You should get BIG ROBBINS and read the thing AT LEAST 2 times before starting medical school; this will get you so much further in your studies then everyone else. I would also get a UWorld subscription towards the end of summer and once you read the book 2 times, do UWorld questions to solidify your knowledge.
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,583
- Reaction score
- 5
We all know our limits and some like to get started earlier. There's no problem with that. Just remember, the best prep for step 1 is doing well in your classes. That's why IMG's don't do as well as US med students. They have the same resources and certainly the same intelligence but the main difference is their school experience. That being said, enjoy your last year of college or spend it searching this thread. There's a ton of good information on what books to use for what. I think this post is mainly for those that are 2 years your seniors.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 3,915
- Reaction score
- 22
This is a thread only for scores and experiences. Other topics can be covered in their own threads.
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2008
- Messages
- 34,250
- Reaction score
- 916
Overkill, but actually sounds pretty good. I can't believe how much pathology/pathophys I've forgotten and how fuzzy my memory has been (I mainly remember the HY points but not the full extent of a condition, and my preceptors want the whole enchilada when I get pimped, especially in my general surgery rotation
)
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 0
Sorry it's taken forever to post this. Brain has taken a leave of absence since the exam. Took it on Jan 15th....here're some thoughts.
First off, I want to emphasize that it's a doable test - I'll go as far as to say it was easier than some of our shelf exams. Coming out of the exam, you will feel like your innocence has been stripped from you - but looking back, UWorld was wayyy harder than 60% of the questions on the real thing. You will get LOTS of gimmie questions - first order, easy questions that make you look around and want to ask, I did sign in for Step 1 right??
It's a friggin marathon though, and I think that's what makes the difference. My brain wanted to shut down after 5 blocks. I can't stress enough to do 3 blocks of q's day timed in random mode of 48 q's to really get used to answering q's and build stamina. Stimulate a full length exam (2 NBMEs back to back) about 2-3 weeks before the exam (don't do it too close to the date bc it really wears you out). Also, the more questions you do, the better you get at answering them. I did just over 5000 questions (UW, some of Kaplan Qbank, NBMEs, WebPath, some UConsult). In retrospect - I would've kept it to UW, NBME and WebPath. Any extra time you have to do questions, spend it doing UW over and over instead of looking for other Qbanks.
I effed up big time with timing breaks...I had only 54 mins for my last block, but thankfully was one of the easier blocks. I would recommend setting a timer on your phone and having it ready to go once you're at your locker. Also, the dude signing me in and out was often not at his desk or signing in other people and took far more time than necessary...all of which factors into break time. Don't wear pants with too many pockets, you have to turn out every pocket when you sign back in from breaks. Even more importantly, never get behind the guy with 18 pocket cargo pants when signing back in.
As for study tips -one big mistake on my part was not keeping it to the high yield stuff - def go into details about the high yield stuff (this is what will get you 230+), but leave out details on low yield stuff. Doing UW can sometimes be a crutch that way - you'll see an obscene amount of detail on low yield stuff - skip it. ALWAYS keep the big picture in mind - the majority of the test was big picture, not details. Also, I wish I was more organized with the studying - in retrospect, I would've done it exactly the way it's laid out in FA (with simple embryo added to to the beginning of each system).
Narrowing down to 3 sources - FA, UW and RR. 75% was straight out of FA one way or another - use it as an outline and annotate the ish out of it. During the last week or so, just do FA, questions and various High Yield notes. floating around. Keep it simple during the last week.
So, bearing in mind the test varies for everyone, my test was very heavy on renal, genetics, acid/base, immuno pharm (especially monoclonal Ab), freaking anatomy and for the love of Goljan - embryo!!
Do not neglect basic anatomy - I don't mean read the 5000pg textbook on anatomy, but a good high yield review book is...wait for it....High Yield Anatomy. It's really short and would be easy to flip through. FA wasn't enough, imo. Also, I don't learn very well from facts just listed - I need some kind of explanation. This probably why Anatomy is my weakest subject.
Regarding embryo - everything was in FA - having said that - I don't think I could have just memorized everything; I wish I had taken every embryo section that was given in FA and learned it well using an outside source.
I had some tough biostats questions - Kaplan Vids are enough (High Yield Biostats is a great alternative). Understand the basic principles. I wish I had made more time for it bc those were really easy points if you knew what it was asking. On the other hand, had a lot of easy Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV.
Behavioral - easy stuff - FA is enough. Know the pharm really well.
Biochem - pretty basic questions that tested on principles and not so much pathways. Know insulin/glucagon inside out, fasting/fed, know which processes occur in cytosol, mitochondria, etc. Rapid Review Biochem is worth double its weight in gold.
Genetics - I got quite a bit of "thinking" questions like Disease X with this certain pattern on pedigree and why the grandparent didn't have the disease - I think the Kaplan vids are enough, with FA. LOTS of questions on DNA and DNA/RNA enzymes. Not terribly difficult questions if you understand the processes. Memorizing stuff will get you no where with genetics.
Micro - know you toxins!! TONS of questions on HIV...know this sucker inside out - what diseases you get at what CD count, Tx (and adverse effects), down to it's genome. Everything on HIV is high yield. FA is actually pretty decent on micro. KNOW the TORCHES infx. - CMV, Rubella and Toxo have similar presentations - know what sets each apart
Immuno - know your cytokines, ILs....can't say enought about the immuno section in Lange's Micro and Immuno. Also, know your monoclonal Ab+...ugh, I die a little each time I think about how easy those questions were if I'd only memorized them.
Pharm - I didn't get many graphs, but the one that sticks out is the competitive/noncompetitive inhibitor graphs. Basic stuff in FA is enough for the kinetics part. As for the rest of pharm - immuno pharm was super high yield, followed by micro, cardio, ANS ANS ANS.....mostly adverse effects. Pharm was pretty straighforward. No where as crazy detailed as UW.
Path - about 70% of the test. I don't really have much to say except know G'man's audios and RR inside out. The 3rd ed is much more comprehensive and worth buying.
Neuro - I know everyone's been saying they got a lot of neuro, but I didn't get much on my exam - really easy stuff.....know your lesions in spinal cord and brainstem. KNOW your pics - angiograms were toughest.
Know the menstrual cycle through and through - what hormone comes up when. Also, Turners, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, 5-alpha reductase def, Kleinfelters, Testicular Feminization (Androgen insensitivity syndrome) - know the differences among each of them - all the Sx and causes of ambiguous genitalia all sound similar, know what differentiates each of them. I had a good amount of questions on this and all of the aforementioned Dz were listed as ans choices.
I had a fair amount of endocrine - FA is pretty good, but I def recommend kaplan phys vids
Renal - you name it, I had it. One thing that would've really helped would be to understand FeNA and BUN:Cr - when it's normal, when it's prerenal and when it's renal. Know the pictures of renal path....I honestly had just about everything.
I had neoplasia up the waazu -- know that chapter inside out from RR
I had one identical question from the NBME - I spent roughly 300 bucks for all the ones I did and spent/wasted hours looking up answers - was it worth it for one question? meh..I'll let you know after I get my score. I thought my exam was most like NBME 6 and 7 for path and general stuff and NBME 3 and 4 for the molecular genetics/biochem stuff.
Things I wish I had done differently:
- kept to an organized schedule
- spent more time annotating from UW into FA and RR
- more time actually using FA
- skipped the crazy details
- looked at more path pictures - RR was not enough - I had a lot of pictures of tumors (not cellular pics but gross tumor pics)
- Webpath questions - these suckers are great! Not really in terms of what the test was like, but in testing knowledge
- Robbins Review of Path Q's - also great in testing knowledge and forces you to look at pictures
- Write out all the charts/tables in RR - these were key, esp for cancers from every section and the micro tables
What I actually did:
- watched kaplan videos for physio (Dr. Kudrath) and annotate into BRS/FA -- this is probably one of the most helpful things I've done and if you have time, do it twice. BRS is solid, FA is not enough for physio, not even close.
- kaplan pharm videos - ANS section is torture, but a must. I had countless ANS questions (luckily not many graphs).
- Lange review of Micro and Immuno and annotated micro into FA (wish I'd annotated immuno as well) - great book, can't say enough about it, but FA is okay for micro, not enough for immuno. It's hard to read this book 6 weeks before the exam; I'd used it during my micro class. Micro is ludicrously high yield - use whatever book you are comfortable with and understand it. Don't just memorize micro - I got a lot of questions that gave made up toxins and diseases and asked which process was most similar in the bug that is most like the one given (...sorry I know that was a horrible explanation)
- Goljan audios and annotated into RR (100%)
- HY Neuro (60%)
- RR Biochem (100%)
- Kaplan vids for biostats and defense mechanisms
- Annotate UW into FA and RR - I annotated about half of UW....I wish I'd done all of it. If I could pick ONE thing to do and nothing else - this would be it. Do UW q's at least twice. I did about 1.5x, wish I'd had time to do it 3x
My Stats:
NBME Shelf via School - 230
NBME 1 - 234 // Nov 24 - 1 week before starting review
NBME 3 - 240 // Dec 11
NBME 4 - 244 // Dec 26
Free 150 - 86% // Dec 30
NBME 6 - 238 // Jan 10
UWSA 2 - 254 // Jan 10
NBME 5 - 236 // Jan 11
NBME 7 - 247 // Jan 12
UW = 73% all blocks of 48, random, 100% completed
Hope to get my score this week and have never been more nervous in my life. Fingers crossed and stomach firmly knotted.
I feel like I'm making an acceptance speech at some cheesy awards show, but here goes anyway. Thank you for all those continually posting and giving advice. SDN got me through some dark, frustrating times and not to mention was always a more productive source of procrastination =)
Good luck to you all!!
First off, I want to emphasize that it's a doable test - I'll go as far as to say it was easier than some of our shelf exams. Coming out of the exam, you will feel like your innocence has been stripped from you - but looking back, UWorld was wayyy harder than 60% of the questions on the real thing. You will get LOTS of gimmie questions - first order, easy questions that make you look around and want to ask, I did sign in for Step 1 right??
It's a friggin marathon though, and I think that's what makes the difference. My brain wanted to shut down after 5 blocks. I can't stress enough to do 3 blocks of q's day timed in random mode of 48 q's to really get used to answering q's and build stamina. Stimulate a full length exam (2 NBMEs back to back) about 2-3 weeks before the exam (don't do it too close to the date bc it really wears you out). Also, the more questions you do, the better you get at answering them. I did just over 5000 questions (UW, some of Kaplan Qbank, NBMEs, WebPath, some UConsult). In retrospect - I would've kept it to UW, NBME and WebPath. Any extra time you have to do questions, spend it doing UW over and over instead of looking for other Qbanks.
I effed up big time with timing breaks...I had only 54 mins for my last block, but thankfully was one of the easier blocks. I would recommend setting a timer on your phone and having it ready to go once you're at your locker. Also, the dude signing me in and out was often not at his desk or signing in other people and took far more time than necessary...all of which factors into break time. Don't wear pants with too many pockets, you have to turn out every pocket when you sign back in from breaks. Even more importantly, never get behind the guy with 18 pocket cargo pants when signing back in.
As for study tips -one big mistake on my part was not keeping it to the high yield stuff - def go into details about the high yield stuff (this is what will get you 230+), but leave out details on low yield stuff. Doing UW can sometimes be a crutch that way - you'll see an obscene amount of detail on low yield stuff - skip it. ALWAYS keep the big picture in mind - the majority of the test was big picture, not details. Also, I wish I was more organized with the studying - in retrospect, I would've done it exactly the way it's laid out in FA (with simple embryo added to to the beginning of each system).
Narrowing down to 3 sources - FA, UW and RR. 75% was straight out of FA one way or another - use it as an outline and annotate the ish out of it. During the last week or so, just do FA, questions and various High Yield notes. floating around. Keep it simple during the last week.
So, bearing in mind the test varies for everyone, my test was very heavy on renal, genetics, acid/base, immuno pharm (especially monoclonal Ab), freaking anatomy and for the love of Goljan - embryo!!
Do not neglect basic anatomy - I don't mean read the 5000pg textbook on anatomy, but a good high yield review book is...wait for it....High Yield Anatomy. It's really short and would be easy to flip through. FA wasn't enough, imo. Also, I don't learn very well from facts just listed - I need some kind of explanation. This probably why Anatomy is my weakest subject.
Regarding embryo - everything was in FA - having said that - I don't think I could have just memorized everything; I wish I had taken every embryo section that was given in FA and learned it well using an outside source.
I had some tough biostats questions - Kaplan Vids are enough (High Yield Biostats is a great alternative). Understand the basic principles. I wish I had made more time for it bc those were really easy points if you knew what it was asking. On the other hand, had a lot of easy Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, NPV.
Behavioral - easy stuff - FA is enough. Know the pharm really well.
Biochem - pretty basic questions that tested on principles and not so much pathways. Know insulin/glucagon inside out, fasting/fed, know which processes occur in cytosol, mitochondria, etc. Rapid Review Biochem is worth double its weight in gold.
Genetics - I got quite a bit of "thinking" questions like Disease X with this certain pattern on pedigree and why the grandparent didn't have the disease - I think the Kaplan vids are enough, with FA. LOTS of questions on DNA and DNA/RNA enzymes. Not terribly difficult questions if you understand the processes. Memorizing stuff will get you no where with genetics.
Micro - know you toxins!! TONS of questions on HIV...know this sucker inside out - what diseases you get at what CD count, Tx (and adverse effects), down to it's genome. Everything on HIV is high yield. FA is actually pretty decent on micro. KNOW the TORCHES infx. - CMV, Rubella and Toxo have similar presentations - know what sets each apart
Immuno - know your cytokines, ILs....can't say enought about the immuno section in Lange's Micro and Immuno. Also, know your monoclonal Ab+...ugh, I die a little each time I think about how easy those questions were if I'd only memorized them.
Pharm - I didn't get many graphs, but the one that sticks out is the competitive/noncompetitive inhibitor graphs. Basic stuff in FA is enough for the kinetics part. As for the rest of pharm - immuno pharm was super high yield, followed by micro, cardio, ANS ANS ANS.....mostly adverse effects. Pharm was pretty straighforward. No where as crazy detailed as UW.
Path - about 70% of the test. I don't really have much to say except know G'man's audios and RR inside out. The 3rd ed is much more comprehensive and worth buying.
Neuro - I know everyone's been saying they got a lot of neuro, but I didn't get much on my exam - really easy stuff.....know your lesions in spinal cord and brainstem. KNOW your pics - angiograms were toughest.
Know the menstrual cycle through and through - what hormone comes up when. Also, Turners, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, 5-alpha reductase def, Kleinfelters, Testicular Feminization (Androgen insensitivity syndrome) - know the differences among each of them - all the Sx and causes of ambiguous genitalia all sound similar, know what differentiates each of them. I had a good amount of questions on this and all of the aforementioned Dz were listed as ans choices.
I had a fair amount of endocrine - FA is pretty good, but I def recommend kaplan phys vids
Renal - you name it, I had it. One thing that would've really helped would be to understand FeNA and BUN:Cr - when it's normal, when it's prerenal and when it's renal. Know the pictures of renal path....I honestly had just about everything.
I had neoplasia up the waazu -- know that chapter inside out from RR
I had one identical question from the NBME - I spent roughly 300 bucks for all the ones I did and spent/wasted hours looking up answers - was it worth it for one question? meh..I'll let you know after I get my score. I thought my exam was most like NBME 6 and 7 for path and general stuff and NBME 3 and 4 for the molecular genetics/biochem stuff.
Things I wish I had done differently:
- kept to an organized schedule
- spent more time annotating from UW into FA and RR
- more time actually using FA
- skipped the crazy details
- looked at more path pictures - RR was not enough - I had a lot of pictures of tumors (not cellular pics but gross tumor pics)
- Webpath questions - these suckers are great! Not really in terms of what the test was like, but in testing knowledge
- Robbins Review of Path Q's - also great in testing knowledge and forces you to look at pictures
- Write out all the charts/tables in RR - these were key, esp for cancers from every section and the micro tables
What I actually did:
- watched kaplan videos for physio (Dr. Kudrath) and annotate into BRS/FA -- this is probably one of the most helpful things I've done and if you have time, do it twice. BRS is solid, FA is not enough for physio, not even close.
- kaplan pharm videos - ANS section is torture, but a must. I had countless ANS questions (luckily not many graphs).
- Lange review of Micro and Immuno and annotated micro into FA (wish I'd annotated immuno as well) - great book, can't say enough about it, but FA is okay for micro, not enough for immuno. It's hard to read this book 6 weeks before the exam; I'd used it during my micro class. Micro is ludicrously high yield - use whatever book you are comfortable with and understand it. Don't just memorize micro - I got a lot of questions that gave made up toxins and diseases and asked which process was most similar in the bug that is most like the one given (...sorry I know that was a horrible explanation)
- Goljan audios and annotated into RR (100%)
- HY Neuro (60%)
- RR Biochem (100%)
- Kaplan vids for biostats and defense mechanisms
- Annotate UW into FA and RR - I annotated about half of UW....I wish I'd done all of it. If I could pick ONE thing to do and nothing else - this would be it. Do UW q's at least twice. I did about 1.5x, wish I'd had time to do it 3x
My Stats:
NBME Shelf via School - 230
NBME 1 - 234 // Nov 24 - 1 week before starting review
NBME 3 - 240 // Dec 11
NBME 4 - 244 // Dec 26
Free 150 - 86% // Dec 30
NBME 6 - 238 // Jan 10
UWSA 2 - 254 // Jan 10
NBME 5 - 236 // Jan 11
NBME 7 - 247 // Jan 12
UW = 73% all blocks of 48, random, 100% completed
Hope to get my score this week and have never been more nervous in my life. Fingers crossed and stomach firmly knotted.
I feel like I'm making an acceptance speech at some cheesy awards show, but here goes anyway. Thank you for all those continually posting and giving advice. SDN got me through some dark, frustrating times and not to mention was always a more productive source of procrastination =)
Good luck to you all!!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 1
you're NBME before you started step studying is my goal score lol. thanks for the detailed post - i'm sure you rocked it
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2006
- Messages
- 1,942
- Reaction score
- 166
I noticed you used Kaplan Videos. Did you have Webprep? Did you use any of the Kaplan Lecture Notes? I have Webprep and am deciding on what subjects I should use the Lecture notes only or along with the videos.
- Joined
- May 7, 2009
- Messages
- 934
- Reaction score
- 51
Recommendations for 2010 takers (from an '09 Step 1 taker):
My 3rd Yr peers and I are at that point where we are choosing which specialty to go for. I cannot stress this enough right now: KILL STEP 1. No questions asked, no whining, no "what ifs". Just do it. I was pleased with my 243 last year, but man I sure wish I had a 250+ to my name right about now. The competition for residencies is getting tougher than ever. When asking people since October about possibly applying for two semi-competitive to competitive specialties, whether it be a 4th year student, a resident, an attending, an advisor, etc., what's the one thing they've asked me right off the bat? What was your Step 1 score? This seems to be all anyone cares about, even once you're halfway thru 3rd year.
My point being this: Odds are you are going to have to sacrifice quite a bit to get the score you want. If you're dumb like me, you'll have to sacrifice even more than that. And you'll need to have all your bases covered... I could have destroyed Biostats, Endocrine, Micro, and Embryology on my exam and saw almost ZERO questions total from these 4 topics (not making this up). Afraid you might have a weak spot? Do not take the chance. Don't ask how, don't ask why. Just do it. The crap people give about "still having a life", etc. is meaningless for the 2 months before your exam, unless you are a genius. Otherwise, it simply does not matter. Life will go on after this exam. So take care of business and keep chugging along no matter how much it sucks... you'll have lots of time to lick your wounds later.
Good luck.
My 3rd Yr peers and I are at that point where we are choosing which specialty to go for. I cannot stress this enough right now: KILL STEP 1. No questions asked, no whining, no "what ifs". Just do it. I was pleased with my 243 last year, but man I sure wish I had a 250+ to my name right about now. The competition for residencies is getting tougher than ever. When asking people since October about possibly applying for two semi-competitive to competitive specialties, whether it be a 4th year student, a resident, an attending, an advisor, etc., what's the one thing they've asked me right off the bat? What was your Step 1 score? This seems to be all anyone cares about, even once you're halfway thru 3rd year.
My point being this: Odds are you are going to have to sacrifice quite a bit to get the score you want. If you're dumb like me, you'll have to sacrifice even more than that. And you'll need to have all your bases covered... I could have destroyed Biostats, Endocrine, Micro, and Embryology on my exam and saw almost ZERO questions total from these 4 topics (not making this up). Afraid you might have a weak spot? Do not take the chance. Don't ask how, don't ask why. Just do it. The crap people give about "still having a life", etc. is meaningless for the 2 months before your exam, unless you are a genius. Otherwise, it simply does not matter. Life will go on after this exam. So take care of business and keep chugging along no matter how much it sucks... you'll have lots of time to lick your wounds later.
Good luck.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 0
I'm unfamiliar with Webprep, sorry. As for the lecture notes, I only used the pharm notes extensively. For the other subjects, I had notes and books that I was just more familiar with bc I'd used them during my classes. But the Kaplan 2009 lecture notes are pretty solid...our school gave us the material as part of our tuition. I wish I'd had more time to look at it, they complement the videos well. If you're not partial to any other sources, I would def recommend getting close with the kaplan notes =)
Pharm, Biochem/Genetics, and Phyiso are particularly good, imho.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 0
thanks! here's hopin
and you can easily blow past 230+ if you only use UW+FA+RR...trust me!
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2006
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
As a background, I graduated a while ago. My prep was spread over several months but the *real* hard work was probably the last few weeks. Although tiring, I really enjoyed this time and hoped that everything would go well . Did not to UWSA's, Qbank
Resources
Qbook: 75% of the tests with 75% on an average
First Aid - Cover to Cover and back, several times
Usmleworld, 100% complete, no cheating, 69%
NBME scores in the range of 215-230
The test covered all content areas and was never too heavy in any particular domain. Lab values were interspersed for no reason and seemed to be the biggest distraction especially when I was short of time. I finished all blocks with a minute or 2 to spare but consistently got the feeling that I was guessing on atleast 50% of the questions. The length was fair, may have had to scroll a bit but anywhere from 2 line questions (often hard) to long (easy questions) that merely tested your ability to read fast and pick up the answer. I am neither a student (S), nor a doctor (D) and don't feel I belong here but I thought my feedback might help someone preparing for the test.
Anatomy/Neuro Anat: The easiest way to prepare is to review images and charts from an atlas or a book emphasizing nerve injuries, brain C/Sections, angiograms. Once you have gone through this exercise, make sure you understand every word in First Aid. I did not use Kaplan Anat but spent 1.5-2 days of time with every image/table in FA, Kaplan Anatomy, HY Anatomy and HY Neuroanatomy.
Physio - I had a few straightforward questions that I am sure I answered incorrectly. Formula-based questions are hit or miss so just review them from FA. The best prep for this section is the pathophys part of UW.
Path - the bulk of the test as expected. I could hear papi Goljan during the test. Images and flow-charts from Robbins helped a lot. The best way to prep for this exam is to integrate information as much as possible - function curves with airway receptors and relevant pharmacology for eg. Resp cancer table in FA, paraneoplastic features & expected lab values as another. For one, this makes life easy. Secondly, most of the questions need a hop skip and jump to deduce the correct answer and being able to integrate (and/or practicing a whole lot of questions) is very useful.
Pharma - very straight forward - side effects, MOA and interactions ruled.
Statistics - Had very few calculations, mostly interpretations of studies.
Block 1: Medium difficulty (in hind sight), when I was doing to block, I felt it was easy but tricky questions.
11 minute break: Proctor was on the phone disrupted my plan but I am assuming the elderly lady had to attend to something urgent at home.
Block 2: Tough Block - image heavy, multiple variable (arrows), images were easy but the up/down arrow qns end up being time consuming especially if you are unsure. At this point I was still mad at the proctor but
3-4 min break (which isn't really a break)
Block 3: Easy block - Spent time reading questions again because I started second guessing myself.
Block 4 onwards - I don't remember now but I tried to keep the motivation high each block had at 5-6 questions that I did not understand (ie did not strike a bell). Overall, I had approximately 5 images/block, 4 up/down arrow qns per block (some easy, some were painful) - most of these questions were in Pathophys. A/V and Sequential Questions (image based, next step type qns asking for investigation or treatment)
UW helped to a certain extent, mostly in setting up a fixed schedule to go through questions in a time bound fashion. Overall, I did not have a problem with stamina but I was eternally confused before, during and after the test.
Final Score: in 250's Glad about it.
If I were to do it all over again, I would probably try and read specific sections of Kaplan (material that is fact oriented rather than conceptual) but the cost (time) /benefit is debatable. Keeping FA as the base has tremendous benefit and practicing questions in timed mode with constant revision is the best method to consolidate and retain information.
Good luck to everyone!
. Did not to UWSA's, QbankResources
- Kaplan Micro, Immuno once - overkill, FA is enough for micro.
- Kaplan Pharma once (FA was enough), Biochem
- First several chapters in Robbins and all the images, tables, charts etc. Goljan mp3's.
- HY Gross Anat
- HY Embryo (overkill)
- HY Neuroanat
Qbook: 75% of the tests with 75% on an average
First Aid - Cover to Cover and back, several times
Usmleworld, 100% complete, no cheating
, 69%NBME scores in the range of 215-230
The test covered all content areas and was never too heavy in any particular domain. Lab values were interspersed for no reason and seemed to be the biggest distraction especially when I was short of time. I finished all blocks with a minute or 2 to spare but consistently got the feeling that I was guessing on atleast 50% of the questions. The length was fair, may have had to scroll a bit but anywhere from 2 line questions (often hard) to long (easy questions) that merely tested your ability to read fast and pick up the answer. I am neither a student (S), nor a doctor (D) and don't feel I belong here but I thought my feedback might help someone preparing for the test.
Anatomy/Neuro Anat: The easiest way to prepare is to review images and charts from an atlas or a book emphasizing nerve injuries, brain C/Sections, angiograms. Once you have gone through this exercise, make sure you understand every word in First Aid. I did not use Kaplan Anat but spent 1.5-2 days of time with every image/table in FA, Kaplan Anatomy, HY Anatomy and HY Neuroanatomy.
Physio - I had a few straightforward questions that I am sure I answered incorrectly. Formula-based questions are hit or miss so just review them from FA. The best prep for this section is the pathophys part of UW.
Path - the bulk of the test as expected. I could hear papi Goljan during the test. Images and flow-charts from Robbins helped a lot. The best way to prep for this exam is to integrate information as much as possible - function curves with airway receptors and relevant pharmacology for eg. Resp cancer table in FA, paraneoplastic features & expected lab values as another. For one, this makes life easy. Secondly, most of the questions need a hop skip and jump to deduce the correct answer and being able to integrate (and/or practicing a whole lot of questions) is very useful.
Pharma - very straight forward - side effects, MOA and interactions ruled.
Statistics - Had very few calculations, mostly interpretations of studies.
Block 1: Medium difficulty (in hind sight), when I was doing to block, I felt it was easy but tricky questions.
11 minute break: Proctor was on the phone
disrupted my plan but I am assuming the elderly lady had to attend to something urgent at home. Block 2: Tough Block - image heavy, multiple variable (arrows), images were easy but the up/down arrow qns end up being time consuming especially if you are unsure. At this point I was still mad at the proctor but
3-4 min break (which isn't really a break)
Block 3: Easy block - Spent time reading questions again
because I started second guessing myself.Block 4 onwards - I don't remember now but I tried to keep the motivation high
each block had at 5-6 questions that I did not understand (ie did not strike a bell). Overall, I had approximately 5 images/block, 4 up/down arrow qns per block (some easy, some were painful) - most of these questions were in Pathophys. A/V and Sequential Questions (image based, next step type qns asking for investigation or treatment)UW helped to a certain extent, mostly in setting up a fixed schedule to go through questions in a time bound fashion. Overall, I did not have a problem with stamina but I was eternally confused before, during and after the test.
Final Score: in 250's
Glad about it.If I were to do it all over again, I would probably try and read specific sections of Kaplan (material that is fact oriented rather than conceptual) but the cost (time) /benefit is debatable. Keeping FA as the base has tremendous benefit and practicing questions in timed mode with constant revision is the best method to consolidate and retain information.
Good luck to everyone!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2009
- Messages
- 156
- Reaction score
- 11
haha nice one. i read the post above yours and actually DID that
was fun to see an emoticon so apt.@SweetTonics
great post! i foresee
a big score for u looking forward to your score
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 79
- Reaction score
- 0
haha nice one. i read the post above yours and actually DID that
@SweetTonics
great post! i foresee
haha...i'm more in the sentiment of dreading my score. but thanks for the vote of confidence!!
i thought it'd be today, but no dice. hopefully next wed....till then, a black hole has taken over where my stomach used to be =/
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2009
- Messages
- 324
- Reaction score
- 2
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,583
- Reaction score
- 5
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,583
- Reaction score
- 5
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 1
Freaking unbelievable.
I've just started reviewing some of last year's topics in FA so that I won't have to slow down for them when I actually start hitting it hard. I'm signed up for June 21, so I'll be watching this thread intently until then. Good luck, everyone.
same date as me - 9am
best of luck
D
deleted310399
I started reading this forum about 2 months back and recently
became a member.i wrote my step 1 on jan,18,2010.i'm an img from india.
My preparation history-
started preparing in mid august after completing a 6 month junior residency in psychiatry at my school.(graduated in dec,2008)
resources used with rating-
1)kaplan lecture notes for all subjects(i know this may sound weird but this is what my seniors recommended and in the end,i was satisfied except-
pathology-did images from robbin's
did not touch goljan.
Neuroanatomy-this is extremely high yield considering the amount of material you have to learn and the no. Of questions they ask.again kaplan was lacking in pictures.-looked them up on the internet.
Behavioral-qbanks were enough.i thought this was my weakest subject but ended up getting a star in it.
2)usmle world-100% complete,74% overall.
I cannot stress this enough,this is the best qbank out there by far and a must!
3)fa-very handy,try to use it for atleast 2 months.
4)usmlerx-1 month subscription,could only finish 50%,78% cumulative.
5)wiki test prep-good source of questions,i would suggest browsing through their qs topic wise,i regret not finishing them all.plus they're free.
Well these are my primary resources.
Practice tests-
nbme 3-236-3 weeks to go
nbme 6-244-2.5 weeks to go
uwsa1-245-2weeks to go
uwsa2-261-i week to go
test date jan 18-
overall a very fair test indeed.tests your overall knowledge rather than focussing on any onething.atleast my test was that way.
Again time was not an issue with me.
Completed every block with 10-15 minutes left.marked about 8-10 qs per block.
Final score recieved today-246/99-ecstatic!!
Feild of choice-psychiatry.
Step 2 ck on-april 28.
Adios!
became a member.i wrote my step 1 on jan,18,2010.i'm an img from india.
My preparation history-
started preparing in mid august after completing a 6 month junior residency in psychiatry at my school.(graduated in dec,2008)
resources used with rating-
1)kaplan lecture notes for all subjects(i know this may sound weird but this is what my seniors recommended and in the end,i was satisfied except-
pathology-did images from robbin's
did not touch goljan.
Neuroanatomy-this is extremely high yield considering the amount of material you have to learn and the no. Of questions they ask.again kaplan was lacking in pictures.-looked them up on the internet.
Behavioral-qbanks were enough.i thought this was my weakest subject but ended up getting a star in it.
2)usmle world-100% complete,74% overall.
I cannot stress this enough,this is the best qbank out there by far and a must!
3)fa-very handy,try to use it for atleast 2 months.
4)usmlerx-1 month subscription,could only finish 50%,78% cumulative.
5)wiki test prep-good source of questions,i would suggest browsing through their qs topic wise,i regret not finishing them all.plus they're free.
Well these are my primary resources.
Practice tests-
nbme 3-236-3 weeks to go
nbme 6-244-2.5 weeks to go
uwsa1-245-2weeks to go
uwsa2-261-i week to go
test date jan 18-
overall a very fair test indeed.tests your overall knowledge rather than focussing on any onething.atleast my test was that way.
Again time was not an issue with me.
Completed every block with 10-15 minutes left.marked about 8-10 qs per block.
Final score recieved today-246/99-ecstatic!!
Feild of choice-psychiatry.
Step 2 ck on-april 28.
Adios!
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
- Messages
- 740
- Reaction score
- 13
Can someone get a score of <240 already so I don't feel like such a dumb*****? Freakin' SDN, man.
I felt it necessary to post my experience since many of the experiences which I read during my study time were not at all how my score turned out. I studied FA (read through it about 3.5-4 times) and USMLEW (all questions completed, 70% correct, kept going through missed questions over and over). I listened to a few Goljan lectures, but I started running out of time.
NBME 7 (3 wks out): 218
NBME 6 (2 wks out): 220
NBME 5 (1 wk out): 231
Actual test: 248
The moral of the story is that NBME tests are not the be all, end all of the boards.
NBME 7 (3 wks out): 218
NBME 6 (2 wks out): 220
NBME 5 (1 wk out): 231
Actual test: 248
The moral of the story is that NBME tests are not the be all, end all of the boards.
Good afternoon everyone,
A bit about what I did. I studied for four weeks going pretty much all out.
I finished all of UWORLD with a total percentage of 68 percent.
I completed UWorld Tests 1 and 2 at 3 and 1.5 weeks out from my real test, with scores of 236 and 244 respectively.
I did between 30-40 percent of USMLE RX with 73 percent right.
I did 90 percent of the Robbins and Cotran pathology question book.
I did all of pre test anatomy question book.
Throughout all of this I read first aid through 4 times and kept notes of what I got wrong on looseleaf paper that I review every few days.
I took NBME 1, 2, 3, at 4 weeks out, 1 week out, 2 days out with scores of 220, 229, 237, respectively.
My final actual score was 244,99.
A bit about what I did. I studied for four weeks going pretty much all out.
I finished all of UWORLD with a total percentage of 68 percent.
I completed UWorld Tests 1 and 2 at 3 and 1.5 weeks out from my real test, with scores of 236 and 244 respectively.
I did between 30-40 percent of USMLE RX with 73 percent right.
I did 90 percent of the Robbins and Cotran pathology question book.
I did all of pre test anatomy question book.
Throughout all of this I read first aid through 4 times and kept notes of what I got wrong on looseleaf paper that I review every few days.
I took NBME 1, 2, 3, at 4 weeks out, 1 week out, 2 days out with scores of 220, 229, 237, respectively.
My final actual score was 244,99.
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2006
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 0
Just set my date 3/12.
Here's my plan:
Last Day of 2nd year Classes 2/28.
NBME Practice -
Read First Aid -
Listen to the G'Pac -
UWorld -
Go get a massage 3/11
3/12 DO IT
3/13 - On a plane to South America
Getting Stoked! I'll let you all know how it goes.
Here's my plan:
Last Day of 2nd year Classes 2/28.
NBME Practice -
Read First Aid -
Listen to the G'Pac -
UWorld -
Go get a massage 3/11
3/12 DO IT
3/13 - On a plane to South America
Getting Stoked! I'll let you all know how it goes.
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
- Messages
- 740
- Reaction score
- 13
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2008
- Messages
- 1,953
- Reaction score
- 87
Where do you go to school? Here at LECOM we aren't done with 2nd year until 5/14 and rotations start 6/5. I think they are trying to screw us by not giving us enough time to study for the boards so we can pass the COMLEX and as a result we wind up in primary care...
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Messages
- 127
- Reaction score
- 1
seriously, my goal is 230 and i'd be happy with anything above nat'l avg, so i will def post my stuff as well
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2006
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 0
UC Davis. Yeah, it kind of sucks though cause we have no summer after first year, just a few weeks break and then we Hit Year 2 in June. You win, you lose.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2009
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 0
should I take a practice test before beginning to study? i feel that i will not score well/pass and just get 'freak out' more?
I have approximately 3 months to study. My semester ends in 4 weeks. At this stage I am planning to use a modified version of Taus. FA, BRS Physio, Kaplan Biochem, HY Neuro/Neuro MMRS, HY Embryo, HY Anatomy, HY BS, Brenners Pharm Cards, Micro MRRS/Micro Cards, BRS Cell/Histo, Lange for immuno.
I have both UW/Kaplan Qbank. I hope to use Kaplan earlier on in my studies (first 6 weeks) and use UW last six weeks. Since Kaplan is not as 'good' I figure I can use it to boost my knowledge base on my first round through the material.
Any advice/suggestions? I have had some difficulties during the first two years of med school with family deaths/hurdles outside of school which impacted my grades..middle to above average in majority of my classes (85+) with honors in 4 blocks. I am worried my content base will not be as strong...i.e. having to learn materials for the first time or it feeling like the first time. Thanks in advance.
I have approximately 3 months to study. My semester ends in 4 weeks. At this stage I am planning to use a modified version of Taus. FA, BRS Physio, Kaplan Biochem, HY Neuro/Neuro MMRS, HY Embryo, HY Anatomy, HY BS, Brenners Pharm Cards, Micro MRRS/Micro Cards, BRS Cell/Histo, Lange for immuno.
I have both UW/Kaplan Qbank. I hope to use Kaplan earlier on in my studies (first 6 weeks) and use UW last six weeks. Since Kaplan is not as 'good' I figure I can use it to boost my knowledge base on my first round through the material.
Any advice/suggestions? I have had some difficulties during the first two years of med school with family deaths/hurdles outside of school which impacted my grades..middle to above average in majority of my classes (85+) with honors in 4 blocks. I am worried my content base will not be as strong...i.e. having to learn materials for the first time or it feeling like the first time. Thanks in advance.
D
deleted310399
hello to everybody,
i am preparing for step 2 ck with uworld and have THE exam on april28.
i need a little advice regarding psychiatry and biostats.U SEE,I HAVE FINISHED ALL THEIR QS IN UWORLD WITHOUT EVEN READING A SINGLE WORD FROM ANY NOTES OR FA.
I HAVE GOT ABOUT 82% QS CORRECT AND FEEL ITS JUST A REPETITION OF STEP 1 MATERIAL,I MEAN there are barely 3-4 topics which are extra.
so do i need to read this material again from kaplan or fa or should i assume that i am ready.
anybody else feels the same way,
u can check,its the same ol stuff,defence mechanisms,2,2 table,personality disorders blah blah blah.plus it's really boring to read it all over again.
i am preparing for step 2 ck with uworld and have THE exam on april28.
i need a little advice regarding psychiatry and biostats.U SEE,I HAVE FINISHED ALL THEIR QS IN UWORLD WITHOUT EVEN READING A SINGLE WORD FROM ANY NOTES OR FA.
I HAVE GOT ABOUT 82% QS CORRECT AND FEEL ITS JUST A REPETITION OF STEP 1 MATERIAL,I MEAN there are barely 3-4 topics which are extra.
so do i need to read this material again from kaplan or fa or should i assume that i am ready.
anybody else feels the same way,
u can check,its the same ol stuff,defence mechanisms,2,2 table,personality disorders blah blah blah.plus it's really boring to read it all over again.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
I'm not exactly a pro at this Step 1 studying stuff yet, but I feel like taking a pre-studying diagnostic exam for anything is a waste of your time (and money, if the exams aren't free). Get through all the material at least once, and take your first practice exam after that.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 3,915
- Reaction score
- 22
I would disagree because you need to determine your strengths and weaknesses. The best way to do that is to take a NBME.
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,583
- Reaction score
- 5
I think what McGillgrad and MilkmanAl may pertain to different people. If someone feels the need to re-walk through everything again from the beginning to the end, then I think taking an NBME at the end of that walkthrough is most cost and time effective since you're going to do it anyway regardless of the results.
However, if you are looking for a targeted review of just specific weaknesses and are confident that you know your "strengths" as well as the practice test demonstrates, then McGillgrad would be correct to say take an NBME now.
I am personally in the first camp because I'm not confident that I know my "strengths" well so I'm going to hit EVERYTHING first then take practice tests and take aim at my weaknesses.
However, if you are looking for a targeted review of just specific weaknesses and are confident that you know your "strengths" as well as the practice test demonstrates, then McGillgrad would be correct to say take an NBME now.
I am personally in the first camp because I'm not confident that I know my "strengths" well so I'm going to hit EVERYTHING first then take practice tests and take aim at my weaknesses.
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
He did say he was beginning to study, so I assumed that meant he hadn't reviewed anything at all, in which case he should be reading through everything at least once anyway. I feel that taking a diagnostic before refreshing the material isn't terribly productive. Determine your strengths and weaknesses obviously isn't going to work terribly well if you're comparing a course you just took (or are still taking) to one you had almost 2 years ago.
This thread by SN2ed is about diagnostics for the MCAT, but most of the same logic applies.
This thread by SN2ed is about diagnostics for the MCAT, but most of the same logic applies.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 3,915
- Reaction score
- 22
I can see why you would think that, but you should be able to pass the step without review by the end of 2nd year. You better find out where you stand with a diagnostic exam before it is too late. If you wait to review the material once, beforehand, you have just wasted precious review time.
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
So I could review things I know I need to review or take a test that tells me I need to review things I already know I need to review? The latter doesn't make much sense to me and sounds like a bigger waste of time than just going straight to the material.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2009
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 0
my school does not have an end of the year exam (no shelf/cumulative). I do not think I would pass the exam without looking everything over at least once. I understand if someone at the end of the their second year after taking a cumulative path exam for example, took the test, but i would imagine it would be difficult to pass the exam without reviewing?
any feedback regarding doing kaplan qbank for the 1st run through, finishing it, and then on the second and third runs through using usmle qbank?
any feedback regarding doing kaplan qbank for the 1st run through, finishing it, and then on the second and third runs through using usmle qbank?
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 3,915
- Reaction score
- 22
I am commenting on my experience and my score, 243. I outscored many classmates that consistently honoured exams while I did my own thing and focused on the big picture (instead of mindlessly memorizing the class notes all day).
The first thing I did after my final exams of 2nd year was take a school-provided NBME comp. I scored a 190 and used the results to design my Taus method schedule, with my weaknesses first. Eight weeks later I took the exam along with my classmates who thought they knew (as you do) what they need to do. They scored mostly around the average for their effort. This exam is 50% strategy and 50% knowledge. If you only focus on knowledge, you end up short of your true potential.
As I said, this is simply my experience, so take it for what it's worth. But do not influence others with no experience of your own to back it up.
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 12,110
- Reaction score
- 246
No need to get huffy. I'm just trying to figure out why doing a review test before any studying is a wise plan, because it certainly doesn't seem to be superficially. I don't really need experience to tell me that I'll need more studying for a class I had 2 years ago than, say, pharm which I'm doing now.
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
- Messages
- 740
- Reaction score
- 13
