Official 2010 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[FMD212]

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Good luck all. I have my exam end of March and hope to be the 1st one to post here for 2010.

 

[jmcappleby]

Mine's ECFMG and they're stubborn as hell. Atleast they should have put my exam date on that tab! What? Does that mean I ain't getting my scores?

I don't need a heart attack right now.

I am ECFMG as well and my page shows the same empty tabs. I, however, took my test in late May, so my guess is the blank screen is normal because I doubt they need more time to score mine. 😳

 

[Domenech]

I am ECFMG as well and my page shows the same empty tabs. I, however, took my test in late May, so my guess is the blank screen is normal because I doubt they need more time to score mine. 😳

I took my test on June 10. I think they have had enough time now. Man I cannot imagine the torture of seeing all these Americans rejoicing with their Step 1 scores, and me counting the last few minutes of my life till the result finally comes out and........I .... can .... only .... hope .... for .... the .... best .... now!

 

[jmcappleby]

Just took my test today. In the spirit of passing along all the help I received from this (and the 2009 and 2008) threads, I thought I'd put in my own 2 cents down in case it is helpful to anyone else.

In general, I was a fairly good student in med school. Worked hard to try to undo poor performance in undergrad, et all. But Med school clicked a lot better and felt a lot more purposeful.

Here's a rundown of various scores:

MCAT - 31
NBME CBSE 1 (March 2010) - 84 (~235)
NBME CBSE 2 (April 2010) - 85 (~238)
NBME 4 (April 23 2010) - 590 (~242) - first real diagnostic taken at start of studying)
UWSA 1 (May 8 2010) - 630 (~245)
NBME 6 (May 15 2010) - 620 (~247)
UWSA 2 (May 25 2010) - 730 (~259)

UWorld - 80% finished - 81% avg, timed, random 48 Q blocks
(I finished about 50% of the Qbank before I reset it and did another 80%... felt kinda bad about not finishing this but I was happy with my average and severely burnt out near the end so I couldn't blow through 300 Qs a day like I wanted to)

Test day (May 29 2010) - *Awaiting*

Study:

My study began around April 19 a few days after my second year ended. I followed a plan very similar to the Taus plan including 3 runs through the material using various sources.

In general, my first run through consisted of using more narrow review books. I especially made use of Med Micro MRS and HY Behavioral as those were two classes I was weaker in during med school. I also used Kaplan Biochem and found it to be quite helpful in clarifying a lot of topics I had long since forgotten.

The second run through was almost completely Goljan. I took a pure systems based approach going from what I considered highest yield to lowest yield. Every system I did, I used FA Anatomy, Goljan Path, BRS/FA Physio, and FA Pharm. The Physio/Anatomy and Pharm actually go by quick... getting through Goljan was the toughest aspect of this segment and I ended up skipping a few chapters in the end (Skin, genetics, environmental).

The third run through was basically a series of reviews with special focus on FA Pharm, Biochem, and Goljan blue margins (which are extremely helpful, by the way). A big part of this third run through was also doing as much USMLEWorld as I could which I ultimately did not finish (see above).

On average, I did 7-9 hours a day. I had a strict plan worked out, that was probably a little too ambitious. But I felt like I aimed high and still finished reviewing a very sizable amount of material in the time I had set myself so I am not too worked up about this.

Test Day:

I got the new version (46 Qs, longer stems). I did not, however, think it was that bad. Started at 8. I finished each block with about 5-10 mins to go (the time left over gets added to your break) and I took a 5-10 minute break after every single block but no long breaks. So I finished the whole thing in 7ish hours. I made it a point to not take any books with me and resisted the temptation to look up answers to old questions on my iphone. There would've been no point, to be honest. I just cleared my mind during breaks, basically.

I am happy to say that I don't think I had any "WTF" moments with respect to what questions were asking. There were a few that were somewhat vague that I wished there were more clues on, although that may just be holes in my knowledge base speaking.

Although on average, the stems were long-ish, there were a fair few that had *really* short stems (as in 1 line) and I happened across at least a couple of questions that weren't even clinical vignettes. So I am really not sure what was different... to me, it really felt like doing a lot of UW.

As for subject matter - I'm really still kind of hazy at the moment. Maybe I will have more epiphanies worth sharing later, but for now I thought it is worth mentioning that the Goljan blue margins are gold. I can't say for sure how much the Goljan text itself helped (although I'm sure it did) but I'll elaborate on that when I get my score. The Pharm was surprisingly easy - at least compared to UW. Many places I finished reading the question thinking I already knew what secondary/tertiary question they were going to ask and instead it just ended up being a primary question. FA was definitely enough on this. Path was probably representative of the bulk of secondary/tertiary questions. The Biochem was extremely high yield stuff... I probably could've done without reading Kaplan Biochem at all, but taking shortcuts probably isn't such a good idea with something so important - this is just hindsight speaking.

Over all, though, my impression was "not bad"... although that either means I did really well or so bad I don't even know it... let's hope it's the former.

Happy to answer queries, but I should probably keep away from elaborating on specific questions. Will update this if I think of anything significant and if not - when July 14th rolls around.

Cheers!

To add on to what I previously posted, here are the final results: 253

Pretty happy with how it turned out - right around where I was expecting it'd be. So there was neither a particularly pleasant nor an unpleasant surprise.

All the best to the other thousands of you receiving your scores on this fateful July the 14th!

 

[RisingSun]

I remember this time last year. Good luck everyone. My experience and everyone I know is that they did better than expected.

 

[1nycdoc8]

To add on to what I previously posted, here are the final results: 253

Pretty happy with how it turned out - right around where I was expecting it'd be. So there was neither a particularly pleasant nor an unpleasant surprise.

All the best to the other thousands of you receiving your scores on this fateful July the 14th!

FANTASTIC!!! congrats! I was wondering if you elaborate on how much the goljan text served you on the exam vs. just the margin hy notes alone. Congrats again!

 

[crazystep]

got 208/ 87

n i have been crying like anythin 🙁

 

[wunnabeaMD]

9:35 am CST and still nothing. Hoping the 10 o'clock hour changes that.

 

[orthosurgeon]

I am orthopaedic surgeon from India. 2001 IMG. Planning for fellowship/residency in USA.
My step1 score – expecting a 250+
(exam date-June10th 2010; report date- Waiting for the result)
Pre-Exam scores:
•Total preparation time 5months15days; practicing orthopaedics(trauma and joints) 8 hours a day; reading 6-8 hours a day
•Aim- 278/99 because nothing less would even give me at least a distant shot to ortho residency/ fellowship
•Initial 5000 questions, started answering after one reading of all subjects, randomly one question from each file (UW offline 2007, Kaplan Q bank 2007, USMLE Rx 2008, wikiprep, USMLE consult pathology etc) - 78%
•Last 5000 questions, after second reading of all subjects , randomly one question from each file (UW offline 2007, Kaplan Q bank 2007, USMLE Rx 2008,wikiprep, Usmle consult etc) - 84%
•NBME 1-6 offline, started 70days before exam, one test a day, searched for each and every answer myself (considered all my answers wrong for which there is no available proof in print) – Average 92%( NBME 1 to 6- 187, 181, 182, 184,190,182)
•NBME form 7 online, 50 days before exam, in exam mode i.e., one hour3min per block, could manage to write down all the questions in that time, searched for answers in print, got 92% correct , official score by NBME is 620/249
•FRED free 143, 2010 version, 40days before exam - 92%
•UWSA exam1, online, 15 days before exam – 261/750 (82% correct)
•UWSA exam2, online, 14 days before exam – 265/800 (86% correct)
•NBME free 144, 2009 pdf version, 11 days before exam – 142/144 (98% correct)
•NBME free 150, 2006 pdf version( go to google and search; its not in official web site), 10 days before exam – 143/150 (95% correct)
Materials and methods
1.Kaplan 2004 version – read (all except pathology) head to toe 4 times
2.Pathology-
•Got Goljan latest, dint like it. It is actually notes written by him to lecture to students, not to be read by us. Figure are good, but you can see them all free of cost in google, plus may more varieties. Even in real exam, I felt those who read Goljan and nothing else for patho cant do good.
•My preference is Robbins, review version, which is now not available in India, so I could not read.
•Goljan audios are pure gold. He really tells you many things, which you cant catch in any other way. I listened to them 3 times over(33 hours appx) when I go for 1 hr daily walk, every day for 3 months.
•This is the my most well kept secret. CECIL’S ESSENTIALS OF MEDICINE 7TH EDITION. I read it top to bottom twice except for things like arrhythmias, men’s health, woman’s health etc.
•To summarise, best combination is Robbins review + Cecil’s essentials of medicine+ google search for images of all important topics.
3.Genetics/cell biology
•Toughest part of my test was genetics. There were not less than 30 questions. Pedigree charts alone were 10. Not a single RFLP analysis!
•I suggest the serious guys to search and catch hold of a good concise human genetics book and **** it thoroughly and teach these NBME examiners a lesson that you are not afraid of their genetic carpet bombing. Premutations, isodisomy, heterodisomy, gene probabilities, preventive strategies in genetics, inheritance patterns, AR disorders with complete penetrance…. You name it, they had it on test. Days of learning just pleotropy, anticipation, mosaics are not going to get you through260+. If some one is aiming for 260+, genetics is the key.
•Cell biology esp. structural proteins, organelles and their malfunction is stressed.
4.Epidemiology , Biostatistics
•I am research oriented and hence took time to read Katz. Excellent book, but you should have interest and time. It will help you through all the steps( I answered all biostat questions of UW upto step3 with nearly 95%+ score after reading it) and more than that teaches you how to think.
How is the real exam compared to UW/Kaplan ?
•These NBME question writers really know the art (its beyond science now) of framing concept-based questions. I found one question out of 322 which I felt could have been better framed as I could not make head or tail of it, mostly it is correctly framed and I am dumb enough not to grasp it. They wont ask most things directly. Even a simple SSRI mech. of action was complicated by saying transporter polymorphisms bla bla bla.. They are not going to give away the stem directly. Just like a lady’s love, you need to earn it. I read somewhere that they frame questions such that an expert (say for example me when it comes to ortho questions) should be able to answer it without looking at choices. This is the carry home message, ANSWER LIES REALLY IN GETTING THE STEM OF THE QUESTION NOT THE CHOICES. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET AN IDEA ABOUT THE POSSIBLE CORRECT ANSWER TO THE QUESTION SAY AT LEAST 75% OF THE TIMES EVEN BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE CHOICES! If you did, NBME examiners will salute you.

•UW is nearly as above when it comes to stem of the question, but occasionally they get carried away taking the stem in to too much of vague nonsense. Because several times you don’t get the answer in the stem! The real difference from real exam is UW makes the choices also equally tough, and not uncommonly two choice are very much possible. Some times I feel certain themes are lifted from NBME. After all we all want to think like NBME examiners, don’t we?

•Kaplan questions are mostly okay, occasionally brilliant, some times very stupid.
•Do every question only in random mode, only after a good reading of ALL subjects once( NOT JUST THAT SUBJECT, QUESTIONS THEN MAY LOOK SIMPLE BECAUSE OF EASY RECALL), annote the essence of it in a text which you can revise in last 20 days. Any thing that you cant revise in last 20days is just a waste of time as far as exam is concerned.
•I don’t want to talk about usmle consult, at least patho part which is pure nonsense, more often than not.
Exam experience
I am used to long hours of operating. Took a 5 min break after the 5th block to empty my bladder, had a slice of bread and lemon tea, came back and finished the last 2 blocks. My advice to all is this- If the current block is really engaging and you are doing good, don’t take a break.

Got my score today:255/99

 

[HopefulDoc1984]

Got my score. 256/99.
Know FA, goljan and world. Oh yea and study your balls off during the first two years.

 

[bluemonkey]

267/99...speechless right now.

 

[SuperSlacker]

267/99...speechless right now.

congrats man...!

 

[MCATMAN45]

250/99 very happy!

My stats:
NBME 1: 220 (at outset of studying)
UWorld Assessment 1: 247 (3 weeks out)
UWorld Assessment 2: 259 (1 week out)

UWorld Qbank: 66% (100% complete), random sets of 48.

 

[Xtrasystolic]

First off, a big thank you to all the posters on this thread. It gave me great confidence all along the way.

Got my score (via ECFMG) at about 08:20 EST, 261/99 🙂

I'm an IMG and had quite a few months to prepare for this thing so no point sharing much detail since this is mostly an AMG forum but to quickly summarize:

Read Kaplan lecture notes with annotations from Kaplan video lectures. Bought the new FA but didn't really like it so quit after a few pages and did a second reading of the Kaplan notes instead.
Kaplan Qbank, 80% complete, 70% average score.
UW Qbank, 100% complete, 77% average score.
Both Qbanks were done in random 48q timed blocks, first and only run. Was doing really well (mostly mid and late 80s) in the last 10 or so blocks of UW.

NBME 6 online, 2 weeks out, 242
NBME 7 online, 1 week out, 251

I feel very lucky and am beyond glad with my score.

Wishing the same good fortune to all of you still waiting

 

[turkeyjerky]

270--outta this world!!

I'll post my experience later.

 

[knuckles]

Congrats everyone

 

[SuperSlacker]

Study materials: FA, BRS Path & Phys, 1 run of Goljan audio, UWorld, Kaplan Qbank (75% complete, 78% average), MMRS (skimmed it, but still took me a while), HY Embryology, SKIMMED half of BRS anatomy

First pass through UWorld - 79% (artificially high because I used it to study for school examinations, too)

Second pass through UWord (91% complete) - 90%

School's Mandatory Diagnostic Thingy (I filled in last 30 with random answers because I knew I didn't know anything) - 191

NBME 6 (3 weeks out) = 255
NBME 1 (4 days later) = 244)
Free 150 (2 weeks out) = 91% (medfriends 262)
NBME 7 (3 days later) = 249


I didn't study on Friday, and read first aid on Saturday/Sunday. Got 8 hours of sleep for my test Monday.

It was harder than anything I could have imagined. I only had about 20 "gimme" questions per block. Embryology + anatomy were my weak points and it will show. Behavioral science I found much tougher than in UWorld (as milkman alluded to), and while I had some easy biostatistics questions, I also had a few very difficult ones involving terms not in FA or UWorld.

I had many questions (~20) on topics that I've never seen before (afraid to give specifics, sorry). I don't think moving my test back would have helped...I don't want to scare anybody but I had one question on environmental pollution (I probably guessed this one right, but I can see people getting this wrong if they don't happen to catch a certain episode of discovery channel late at night or something). Of the ones I remember, I probably got about 50% of these right (I googled the ones I remembered after the exam).

I already missed 17 (that I know of) that were in first aid (which I read 2.5 times) and should have gotten. So I'm guessing I probably missed anywhere from 50-80 questions on this test.
- 2 on thoracic anatomy
- 1 on headache
- 3 on neuroanatomy/labeling nerves
- 2 on extracellular matrix
- 5 on organ systems pathology
- 2 on biostats

Sigh, I think I probably got around a <220 - which would be a huge disappointment given my practice test scores. I'll post more about my preparation after I get my scores back, if they warrant posting at all.

Now gonna go chill @ the beach and let the waves drown my sorrows.

254/99...I peaked early and didn't improve the rest of the way...

but i'm very very happy because I was so nervous afterwards...

in retrospect, I would have read RR and listened to goljan earlier...and tried to do better in my classes...

----- (end of relevant info) ----

my story is...I took a year off from med school because I was struggling with depression. I was THIS close to quitting everything...but luckily my classmates and deans helped me through it. However, being a year removed from gross anatomy (which was my worst section on the actual exam) and the other 1st year material...I really wasn't that confident going in. I also had several relapses (esp. during the winter months) when I just stopped doing everything.

I guess i just want to tell future exam takers that anything really is possible. 6 weeks of dedication is all it really takes.

I LOVE YOU ALL, NOW MOVING ON TO STEP TWO FORUMS.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

251/99...on cloud nine. Best of luck to everyone

 

[Concubine]

NOt working...just too much traffic or something. Says its available though.

 

[DRJJ1]

ok done

 

[gvsudew]

263 UWSA1, 86% average on USMLE World (48q blocks, not random), word to the wise, don't drink alcohol the night before the exam to help you fall asleep, you just might wake up with a pounding headache throughout the entirity of the biggest test in your life 🙁. but the test went fine so i'm happy!

 

[Concubine]

245!!!! Time for celebration!

 

[harv1212]

took mine 6/27 and it doesnt say anything???

anyone get theirs and take it my date or later???

 

[SGuttenberg]

263/99 Mean: 221 SD: 24
Probably could have studied a little harder but oh well.

As for predictive values, i took these 1 and 2 days pre test:
NBME7: 271
NBME6: 260
So that seems fairly accurate to me.


Congrats to everyone. We're half way there folks!

 

[badasshairday]

It is 11am, Chicago time zone.

I logged in just now!

Scores are out!!!!!!!!!

 

[match2011]

Got my score. 256/99.
Know FA, goljan and world. Oh yea and study your balls off during the first two years.

congrat!

Goljan is RR or audio notes?

thanks

 

[drizzt3117]

..

 

[badasshairday]

Oops, posted this on the July 14th thread. It fits in better here.

250/99

I am so stoked!

Other data: 71% correct UWORLD. All timed/random blocks of 48q.

School administered CBSE predicted 207, 3.5 weeks before my dedicated study peroid. UWSA 1 predicated a 234, taken 1.5 weeks into my study peroid. NBME 7 predicted 251, 10 days out. UWSA-2 predicted 257, 7 days out. NBME 6 predicted 236, 2 days out (I was psyching myself out and feeling like poo that whole week leading up to the test, luckily I got my mojo back after NBME 6). Special thanks to killinsound, that little PM went a long way!

So, I am a believer of the magic formula for UWORLD % correct, all timed random blocks of 48 done for the first time during your dedicated study peroid.

2.3 x %correct in UWORLD + 84 = your score

It was pretty darn close to my actual score.

UWORLD/FA/Goljan is all you need as long as you studied like a beast during year 1 and 2.

 

[ozzidoc]

got 208/ 87

n i have been crying like anythin 🙁

Don't sweat it. Seriously. You have loads of time to improve your application. And you got over 200 - yay! (I didn't 🙁 )

 

[kryptik]

Oops, posted this on the July 14th thread. It fits in better here.

250/99

I am so stoked!

Other data: 71% correct UWORLD. All timed/random blocks of 48q.

NBME 7 predicted 251, 10 days out. UWSA-2 predicted 257, 7 days out. NBME 6 predicted 236, 2 days out (I was psyching myself out and feeling like poo that whole week leading up to the test, luckily I got my mojo back after NBME 6). Special thanks to killinsound, that little PM went a long way!

So, I am a believer of the magic formula for UWORLD % correct, all timed random blocks of 48 done for the first time during your dedicated study peroid.

2.3 x %correct in UWORLD + 84 = your score

It was pretty darn close to my actual score.

UWORLD/FA/Goljan is all you need as long as you studied like a beast during year 1 and 2.

well done badass, hopefully that formula holds true for me with my 69% Uw timed/random, GOOD JOB once again

 

[match2011]

Oops, posted this on the July 14th thread. It fits in better here.

250/99

I am so stoked!

Other data: 71% correct UWORLD. All timed/random blocks of 48q.

NBME 7 predicted 251, 10 days out. UWSA-2 predicted 257, 7 days out. NBME 6 predicted 236, 2 days out (I was psyching myself out and feeling like poo that whole week leading up to the test, luckily I got my mojo back after NBME 6). Special thanks to killinsound, that little PM went a long way!

So, I am a believer of the magic formula for UWORLD % correct, all timed random blocks of 48 done for the first time during your dedicated study peroid.

2.3 x %correct in UWORLD + 84 = your score

It was pretty darn close to my actual score.

UWORLD/FA/Goljan is all you need as long as you studied like a beast during year 1 and 2.

Congrat.

 

[match2011]

255/99, I'm pretty content even if it was a lil below my practice tests.

congrat!

 

[NYCOMDO]

.

wow after reading about 10,000 of these things I'm finally writing my own.


Step 1 score 248/99 (released July 14th!!)
Goal= 250
(Happy >240)
USMLEWORLD 1st pass (pre-study)- 61%/100% complete
USMLEWORLD 2nd- 77%/81%
USMLERX- 74%/44%

NBME1(12 weeks, during classes): 236
NBME2 (7 weeks, right before dedicated study): 232
NBME4 (6 weeks): 239
NBME6 (5 weeks): 239
NBME3 (4 weeks): 246
NBME5 (3 weeks): 244
UWSA1 (2 weeks): 247
NBME7 (1 week) : 249
UWSA2 (.5 week): 236 (whaaaaat!😱)
Free150(2 days before): 93% (255wiki-266medfriends )

Prep: Worked hard during my 2nd year systems. Made sure I focused on board relevant stuff, which probably cost me some points on school tests. Used the Taus method and went through everything slowly over my 2nd yr. Listened to goljan audio during each system. 2nd yr commute was 90%dedicated to listening to poppy. Subbed RR for biochem and highly reccommend it.

Did a 6 month subscription for UW starting in Jan. Slowly did questions and learned what the major topics were and how they asked them. This really helped me when I went into my dedicated study mode. This does defeat the purpose of using UW as a measuring stick... but thats not what it should be used for. It's probably the best study tool for step 1- learn from it!!! If I got a 50% avg on UW and my buddy has a 80% average but I learned the other 50% while he didn't learn his extra 20% who is better off? I know its hard not to use the 2.3*UW +84 equaions and website calculators... but all the time spent doing that is time that could be spent learning something. Use NBME's to see where you are.

Everyone learns differently and studying should be suited to your personal style. This is unlike any other test though. It really does test understanding- which is why MECHANISMS are key. Talk things out with people. Have study partners- they come in handy during the freakout days 😉 Cramming facts will not cut it. I am very anti-kaplan and very pro-goljan. But to each their own. Absolutely Hate FA! Terrible primary resource. I went through it during my 2nd pass.

Get into a routine. Pretend its a job- punch in, punch out. I studied everyday 8-5ish. When I got home I relaxed. I don't know how people can study all night... but again learning is very personal and I'm a morning person. I swear by a glass of redwine everynight before bed improving memory.

Exam- holy crap, I can see why people can feel like they failed yet get >250. I don't know how it is possible to leave the test feeling confident. Maybe its just the post-8hr test delerium. Sure there are gimmie questions but there are a lot that make you really think. There are the handful of insane questions that aren't in ANY review books. The best thing you can do is eliminate answers and make the best guess...

Breakdown:
Path- bulk of the test (~60%). pretty well distributed. Mostly straightforward. A lot of pathophys and mechanisms of disease. More gross picture/histo slide combos than I expected but not too horrible. If your doing goljan and get it down there aren't any surprises.
Anatomy- wow. was not expecting the detail here. A handful of the classic anatomy questions (carpal tunnel, fracture-nerve injuries, ect) but also some things i have not seen since lab. Trace the catheter through venous system, tendon attachments, ect. Some really cool anatomic variations I've never heard of but still got right... they really do make you think! I used roadmap- it was ok but time consuming.
Embryo- classic, FA is good
Pharm- not too bad at all.
Physio- Considered it one of my strongpoints... read guyton cover to cover during my 2nd year. In retrospect BRS phys covered most of the questions but again, there are some you won't find in any review book. 2 questions I still don't know the answer to.
Micro- CCMRS is perfect. Know that and its easy- covers all the HY genes that aren't in FA. Viral properties are annoying... i know that chart in FA sucks but it could get you 2 more questions right. Know only the classic helmiths/parasites. I had this 1 question about the intracellular mechanism of a certain virus that wasn't in FA/CCMRS/wiki... found it in a journal article (thank God I guessed right)
Molecular- Has been notoriously hard for some people and for good reason. They write some great questions that test your understanding of mechanisms ('mechanisms' in goljan voice). A lot of "researcher doing this" sorta thing. HY Molecular is golden for every doable question I had. Also I would go with the molecular technique section in RR biochem in leiu of the section in HY.
Biochem- Not too terrible. Clinically relevant for the most part. If you have the major pathways/major enzymes down your good.
Immuno- straightforward
Behavioral- A few iffy questions... what are ya gunna do/say. 1 weird question on breaching contracts lol.
Biostats- UW covers more than enough. Last 2 chapters of HY behavioral is better than FA.
Media- wow I possibly had the coolest media question ever.... I wish I could post it but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise 😉 No linked questions for me.

Overall- 46q version- Qs were definitely longer than the average nbme but I was never pressed for time. The 2-3 liners balance out the paragraphers. I left feeling terrible, but looking up some stuff helped... It was definitely more difficult than I thought it would be. But really 50% are gimmies, 30% are tricky, 10% are nitpicky, 10% insane. It's those stupid mistakes in gimmie group that really haunt ya afterwords.

To all

 

[twofer]

yes virginia, there is a santa clause.

266/99!!!!

will post study strategy once i'm not in the hospital and shaking with joy.

 

[naus]

SDN really is ridiculous lol.

So many 250+

Congrats all!

 

[bluemonkey]

Now that I actually had a chance to breathe, thought I would share what I did:

Uworld 2x first go through was a 78% on random unused
Listened to all of goljan 2x, mostly while on a precor at the gym
Went completely through first aid three times, the 2nd time with DIT. Still not sure what I think of DIT, but it did make me sit 🙂
Rapid review path x1

Nbme5-255
Uworld fl1-258
Uworld fl2-267 (last test I took and actual score)

I definitely feel like first aid and uworld were the highest yield. Goljan lectures were invaluable as well. Rapid review was a little dense, but lots of good info. Not sure I would do DIT again.

Good luck and congratulations to everyone!!!

 

[ATLNEWDOC]

250/99. Thank God, the wait has been tortuous. Congrats to everyone this Christmas Day!

 

[nackee]

I performed about 20 points lower than predicted based on my practice test scores, the free 150, Qbank, etc.

I'm mad about doing less well than I should have, and equally mad at myself for being upset about a perfectly good score.

I need a drink.

 

[turkeyjerky]

270--outta this world!!

I'll post my experience later.

First of all, thank you to everyone on this board. SDN has been such a great source of information and inspiration, I can't imagine having taken this test w/o it.

So I took 5 weeks of dedicated time to study for Step1, didn't really do much specifically during the school year. I did listen to goljan audion and read through RR path about 2X each. This was huge, and extremely helpful for both coursework and step1. I also went through Webpath and Robins Review during the school year and def. recommend this as well.

Here are the sources I used:

First Aid--overrated imho, but it's really the standard for high yield.

UW--loved it. did 48 questions per day, random tutor, for the first few weeks, then increased it to 2-3 blocks, sometimes on test mode, sometimes on tutor, later on. By far the best question source there is. I also did questions from Kaplan Qbook and FA Q&A, UW is def. better, but the more questions you do, the better. I think I finished at about 88% correct, 1 pass through, along w/ taking each question until I got it correct.

Goljan audio--fantastic! like many others have said, he's the best teacher I've had in med school. Listened twice during the school year and once more during my dedicated study period. I did this while running; it was great motivation to keep active (and forced me to put in about 35 miles the last week cause I wanted to finish it out)

RR path--best single source I've seen, along w/ UW.

BRS physiology--good review of the basics, definitely worth reading.

BRS gross anatomy--read though the chapter summaries and clinical boxes. Can't really say it helped me much, I took a quick look through a friend's HY gross anatomy near the end of my studying and would prolly recommend that over BRS. More on anatomy below.

HY Neuroanatomy--liked it a lot, prolly does go into more detail than you need, but a good source nonetheless.

HY Cell and Mol Bio, 1st ed.--read though it one morning early on. I don't think it's anything special, most of the stuff is in FA now anyway.

HY Immunology--useless, definitely do not recommend. Has too much detail on unimportant stuff and not enough on important topics.

HY Behavioral Science--decent, can't really say that it helped at all though.

HY Biostats--liked this book a lot. We had a bull$hit biostats course, so I really wasn't up on this stuff. This book is great, explains it in exactly the level of detail you need for step1 and is an easy read. Def. recommend.

Brenner's Pharm cards--okay I guess, but really a lot of the info is neither necessary nor sufficient for our purposes. There's prolly something better out there.

Microcards--liked these a lot. micro and pharm are two subjects that really lend themselves to flash cards. I used CMMRS during our micro course 1st year.


Self assssments, in order taken:
NBME 5-700/266
UWSA 1-800/650
NBME 7-740/273 (or something like that)
Free 144-I got 3 wrong, think it predected like 274 or something
UWSA 2-800/265

Exam:
Timing wasn't an issue at all. My test was heavy on reproductive path and pelvic anatomy, along w/ lots of molecular bio and like laboratory techniques (like requiring you to predict results of a PCR or RFLP). Lots of questions on genetic diseases, like marfans or down's, but only a couple straight genetics questions.

Lots of anatomy, I really think they must be increasing the amount of it on the exam or something. Honestly, I don't know a good way to prep for this, FA definitely wasn't sufficient, but at the least you need to know everything in FA and UW. Even though I had those down, I still had to guess on about a third of the questions.

Not as much path or pharm as I expected. These were mostly pretty straightforward, but there were some random-ass pharm questions thrown in.

Overall I thought it was hard as hell. Prolly 70% or so were straightforward and gimmes if you knew your stuff, the others were tough as nails though. I left feeling dejected and pissed off, so definitely don't worry about it after you leave. Afterwards, I thought I'd f'd up and would be lucky to break 230. This exam is appropriately difficult to generate an adequate curve, to say the least.

I'd say difficulty was most akin to UW, length of stems most like the free 144, and scope/style of questions most like the NBMEs.

Advice

Biggest piece is to work hard the first two years. Learn it right the first time, cause you'll really only be able to refresh your memory when your studying for it. Plus, board review books really do not cover everything you need to know for this exam. Beyond that, the holy trinity for step1 studying is FA, Goljan and UW. If you know those cold and supplement appropriately, you're golden!

 

[SuperSlacker]

Alright, time to follow up.

Actual Score: 254/99

NBME diagnostic given by my school in 12/09: 205
NBME 4 (2 weeks into my dedicated boards period April 2010): 234
NBME 6 (3 weeks in): 247
NBME 7 (4 weeks in): 247

UWorld (100% complete, TIMED, RANDOM, 48q blocks): 74%
Kaplan (75% complete, TIMED, subject specific, variable length blocks):70%


Before I begin, I need to let you all know that there is no magic involved with Step 1. Hard work pays off. You don't need to be a genius, you don't need to be a great test taker. Work hard, you will do well.

Background on my school: top 20 med school, P/F curriculum.

I began studying back in January. 10 hours/week. Basically going through BRS Physiology, Goljan RR, and First Aid. I spent one week on each subject, saving biochemistry and microbiology towards the end of my second year/the begining of my dedicated boards study period. During this time I used Kaplan Q bank to do questions specific to the subjects I was studying at the time. For what it's worth, I started listening to Goljan Audio from day 1 of med school. I did not bother with the audio during my boards study period...i've been through each lecture 5x by that point. Goljan lectures alone plus 1.5 years of med school was good enough to get me a solid passing score on the USMLE per my initial school based diagnostic on 12/09.

I gave my self 5 weeks for dedicated boards study post MS2. Nothing special during my 5 weeks: I Followed Taus. Not to the T though.

How in the world does anyone have focus to do 2 random 48q blocks on UWorld, review all the answers and then study for 6 hours? Screw that. 😛 Taus was hardcore. I'm not. Here was my routine:

• Get up at 6, work out for an hour. Read something NOT Step 1 related over a nice healthy breakfast.
• Get to the library by 8 AM and do 2 48q blocks from U World
• 10-2PM, review U World questions, eat lunch while reviewing.
• Study from FA/goljan 2pm-5:30pm
• 6:00 pm to 10 pm...chill. Basketball, movies, TV, hang out with friends, walk the dogs, whatever. Just NOT STEP 1 STUFF.
• Repeat above x 5 weeks. Oh yea, I took all Sundays off. No step 1 on Sundays.

I ended up getting through FA 2 times. Got through Goljan 2 times. Did BRS Phys 2 times also. This was more than enough. You might look at my routine above and think it's kind of chill compared to other people's routines, but you gotta keep in mind I worked hard during the school year on step 1 so I wouldn't have to stress out during my actual boards study period. I think this is one of the advantage of being in a P/F curriculum. Just my opinion.

As you see above, I "only" took 3 practice tests. I don't understand why people here take so many freakin practice tests. IMO, just take 2 or 3 and that's it. No need to keep taking stupid NBME tests. You can't even see the right answers anyway. That time is better spent doing UWorld, or RELAXING. Trust me, low stress is worth an extra 10 points, guaranteed. Mental health=physical health. Don't get it twisted.


Touched on it before, but I'll list my resources: FA, Goljan RR, Goljan Audio, USMLE World, Kaplan Q Bank, Lange PharmCards for iPhone, MicroCards, BRS Path, MicroMadeRidiculously Simple (CMBMRS), used lippincotts as a biochem reference.

Did not use HY Molecular, HY Anatomy or HY embryo. Waste of time IMO.

Some other thoughts:

• U World is your friend
• Don't worry about your friends/classmates. Do what works for you.
• Minimize your resources. RR Path + Goljan Audio + FA + U World is sufficient for clearing 250
• If you want to clear 260, do the above, but don't make stupid mistakes and pray the dice rolls in your favor. It isn't easy to get over a 260. I honestly don't think studying extra long will help. It's a combo of luck and skill. I can tell you for sure that I made stupid mistakes. I definitely messed up 2 or 3 of the 5 murmurs I had on my exam (my cardio was borderline performance but I STILL managed to get in the 250s). Honestly though, thinking about residencies and stuff, I don't think there is much of a diff between 250 and 260. It's sky high either way.
• U World>>Kaplan. Kaplan is great for prepping while you are making your first run through. Use U World in random mode to simulate test conditions.
• The actual exam is EXACTLY like U world in look. Content might differ a bit, but not my much.
• Chill the eff out. It's just a test.

Any questions? PM me.

One final caveat: everyone's experience is different. Everyone has different ways of reaching their goal. Remember each person's thoughts is N=1. Can't generalize things now. Proceed with caution.

Holy ****, I just like to add that I followed most of Psychotropic's advice, and I got the exact same score. Props to the man...he knows his ****.

 

[LoveGI]

Expected average, hoping for above average...am I an accurate estimator or what?? Good luck everyone reading this!

Also in the club that took my exam yesterday. I'll try to give a general outline of the day below, and when I get my score I can post my study prep and all the good details (expecting an average score, hoping for a slightly above average!!).

General: Lots of renal, lots of cardio, TONS of musculoskeletal. Specifically, renal physio and cardio pathology/treatment. Of course, these are my two weakest subjects...oh well. I had more than plenty of time, which is the usual for me- thank god for being a speed reader! I usually finished the first pass through a block with ~20 min left, so I could review any I marked (usually 10-15, which were any I wasn't completely sure of, but that also weren't a blind guess on something I had never heard of) and also one more read through the ones I thought I for sure knew. I actually caught 2 where I had misread the question, so got to fix to the correct answer for what they were actually asking! Only took 2 bathroom breaks, no lunch, so was done in a good amount of time.

Didn't feel fatigued at the end, since the last 3 days before I had worked up the number of USMLEWorld I did per day, basically saving the qbank for the last 2 weeks of my study. This was SUCH a good idea, since at least 15-20 weird questions were duplicated on my exam that I doubt I would have gotten right if they were more distant in my memory. I also broke the rule about not studying the day before- I did a pass through First Aid, complete, in the two days before. This also got me another handful of questions I would have likely missed otherwise, the small details that slip your mind if you haven't seen them in 2 weeks.

Pathology: Pretty broad number of topics, maybe 1/3 of my total questions were pathology. Cardiology was overly-represented, but only had 2 audio questions (both heart sounds, only one you could answer without listening, the other was essentially "listen and name this murmur!"). Otherwise had some favorite topics with 2-4 questions on them (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ALS). Most were OK, and you could study for, but some I honestly had no idea how I would know what they were asking! Also, some topics that I was SURE I would see never made an appearance: Hep serologies, barely any neuro path (I mean nothing, no Huntingtons, no dementias, only 1 stroke question, no neuro drugs AT ALL), maybe 1 vasculitis, one glomerulonephritis type deal.

Physiology: virtually every question was renal physio, changing a parameter and asking what the overall effect would be, or doing a "drug X does this, a decrease in which of the following would mimic that" sort of thing. Half were do-able, half were super tough. I feel like this is where I lost the majority of my points 🙁 If it wasn't renal physio, it was cardio physio- and I love me some GI and pulm, but sadly got less than 5 questions on those topics. It's like they know what you like and what you hate!!

Pharmacology: I got the same ANS question in three separate blocks- got it wrong in the first two, looked it up at a break so I salvaged another question. Lots of graphs with multiple drugs on them, asking about how one effects the other- yikes! And not simple ones like in First Aid, but the tough ones from USMLEWorld. Most of the pharm questions were straightforward- asking what drug you would use to treat X, the mechanism of X, or giving a mechanism and asking what drug was like it, etc. Only had 2 drugs that I had never heard of, and made 2 stupid pharm mistakes I know of...I had multiple questions asking about side effects, and not all of them were the obvious ones you know to study for. Didn't have any one pharm topic stressed, had a good mix of cardio/NSAID/musculo/ANS/chemo, and the random things they threw in. I did not have a single neuro/repro/endo/pulm drug question!

Biochemistry: know the enzymes deficient/products built up/clinical presentation of every single disease in this section!!! I had probably 10 questions on enzyme deficiencies, and they were usually 2 or 3 step questions- they would give a very vague clinical presentation, and then a vague idea of what might be wrong (ie they are excreting increased amounts of a reducing agent, instead of the 'buzz words'). Most of these were answerable, they just took some time, which is obviously a precious thing in this test! At least for me, they wanted details, not just which enzyme was off. Other than those questions, I had maybe 3 that wanted to know a straight biochem answer- what enzyme catalyzes this reaction. I did not know, since I had limited study time and frankly think those questions are whack. So I picked C and moved on. But there were literally maybe 3 total, so the topic was definitely low yield for me.

Micro: I had a lot of micro, probably upwards of 40 or so that related to a bug of some kind. I'm cool with that, since I like it. In my opinion, First Aid would NOT have been enough to answer half of my questions. I used CMMRS, and there were still maybe 3 that wanted detail over what was in THAT book. They didn't want to know what was single stranded or whatever, but they did want you to know the details of how the bug or virus works, how you treat some common infections, and WHY you used that particular regimen for treatment. Some of these last ones bordered on not really being what I would consider Step 1 material, but maybe they were experimental...

Embryology: I had one, and it was a super toughy.

Anatomy: I had a good number of anatomy questions, maybe 25 total. A few MRIs, which were tough because they were asking a really random question most of the time. 3 angiograms, which were maybe my favorite anatomy questions because they were interesting, but still answerable! Couple of questions about anastamosing of arteries that don't really matter (so of course I didn't know the answer), couple of questions about blood flow that does matter...3-4 xrays, both things I didn't see in my dedicated study but somehow remembered from seeing it in clinic or from anatomy first year. One brainstem, that in my spinning head I somehow mixed up anterior from posterior and therefore got the answer wrong- that one is embarassing to admit to!

This topic would have been almost impossible to study for- I did spend a good chunk of time on it, and knew a decent number of the random questions they asked, but still had a good number I just wasn't sure on. I did not get any basic questions I was expecting (radial nerve injury, foot drop, etc). This was a tough topic, since it is so broad and they can tap into so much! Just spend a few extra hours on it, and hope for the best. You could study a week just for anatomy and still likely miss 1/3 of the questions they ask you!

Genetics: had 3-4 where I had to calculate the odds of their kid having this or that, also 3-4 pedigree based questions. The genetics wasn't too tough, but you needed to understand a concept rather than just have memorized what gene is deleted in this disease (had only one of those, and an easy one).

In summary: I know ~15 that I missed for sure, and I was marking that many in every block so I'm sure I missed waaaaay more than that, I just don't remember what they were so I can't reference em up- if I was a betting man, I would say I missed ~60 or so as a fair estimate. I'm with everyone else that posted about yesterday- that sucker was tough, easily as tough as doing blocks of USMLEWorld. Hopefully, I am having selective memory and am worrying about all those experimental questions (which only maybe 5 stuck out as no way this is a real question)...I guess only time will tell! As long as I passed, I promise I will not cry either way!

I don't want to break down the individual organ systems, since some would be super long and some would have one line. Basically, I'm a pessimist and figured I would pull the things I'm bad at so over-studied those...and lo and behold, that's exactly what happened!! So right now I'm kind of bummed, because I do think my score will be lower than my true potential, but feel like I knew enough of them that I should have passed...now I have to wait a long 5 weeks to find out if I did or not! Now packing to leave for a week long vacation to the beach!

Good luck guys, you'll rock it!

 

[princess peach]

274/99

NBME 4: 244 (11 weeks before)
NBME 5: 262 (7 weeks before)
NBME 6: 266 (3 weeks)
NBME 7: 275 (5 days)

UWorld 79%
Kaplan QBank 84%

Resources:

Goljan Rapid Review (most amazing)
Goljan Audio
Web Path
Lippincott Illustrated Review Pharmacology
USMLE Road Map Neuroscience (amazing high yield and overlooked book)
BRS Anatomy (plowed through it in first two days of studying)
High Yield Embryology
High Yield Cell and Molecular Biology
Rapid Review Biochem (essential)
First Aid

I had 4 weeks to study at the end of second year. I was reading all of these review materials along with class pretty much throughout the entire year though. Then i ramped it up and studied my systems in those four weeks.

My exam was very neuro embryo (surprised) and anatomy heavy. I felt my exam was harder than expected with some very picky anatomy and developmental biology details. It was also funny because there were no buzzwords on my exam, but they substituted vague descriptions for classic things like "wing beating tremor" etc. Very weird.

good luck to everyone!!

 

[mordounhas]

258/99. Pretty happy with that score as it's slightly above where the practice tests were putting me.

It's all over for me but the waiting.

What I did:

I ended up taking about 9 weeks to study for this thing- I had a couple of weeks worth of school stuff (a week of clinical preceptorship/clinical skills and another week worth of physician skills) interspersed with the first 3 of the 9 weeks, and then a solid 6 weeks with nothing else going on. Didn't go particularly hard the first 3 weeks, just an 8-5 kind of thing. Tried to do about 12 hours each day M-Saturday (took Sundays completely off) the last six weeks.

Materials used:

Kaplan Study at Home 2007 (went through the whole thing once in the first 2 weeks of studying)

An old Qbook (2003) that I did in the 3rd week of the first 3.

First Aid (2010)- Got through it 4 times completely I believe, but ran through sections I felt weak in several times.

Goljan RR path- Got through it twice and the margin notes and pictures a 3rd time (though not all the tables again).

Took some quick peeks at some old High Yield books a graduating 4th year gave me (ran through clinical considerations in HY anatomy, things like that).

USMLEworld- Got through it twice in the 6 weeks. Averaged about a 73% the first time and around an 87% the second time (I did remember some of the questions though, which certainly inflated that score a lot).

USMLERx- Got through it completely and through all my missed questions a second time- averaged about an 84% on the first pass and started after I had more or less finished USMLEworld the first time.

Practice tests:

5 weeks out- Free 150- 252 I think (whatever 87% is)
4 weeks out- UWSA #2- 260
3 weeks out- UWSA #1- 245
2 weeks out- NBME #6- 253

I had originally planned on doing another practice test, but my reluctance to plunk down another $45 got the best of me. That and not really wanting to risk seeing a lower score closer to the date.

Thoughts on the test:

Largely, the questions were easier than the ones you see in USMLEworld. That being said, there were some oddballs in the mix.

General test day advice- make sure you have a plan for not running out of steam. I definitely dragged a bit in the second-to-last block but managed to get my energy levels back up for the last one with Aussie licorice.

Anyways, good luck to everyone when they take their test. Hopefully, the scores will start rolling in about a month from now. I'll try to add my score later.

 

[peachd]

This thread was very valuable to me during my Step 1 prep. I got a 242/99, so now I'd like to give back to other SDN members by offering my advice.

I did both the Kaplan & USMLE World QBanks; I started with Kaplan's, since USMLE World questions are much more representative of the real exam. I prepped for 14 weeks, full-time. I knew First Aid cover-to-cover. I studied the topics I knew least well first in First Aid, since repetition is the mother of all learning! I read most of Goljan's Rapid Review and used the Kaplan Review Notes, but I really didn't have any other outside resources. Just know First Aid backwards & forwards!

Since many people are interested in how practice exam scores might predict your real boards score, I will share this info: I finished with 68% in USMLE World, and my Form 7 estimated score was 225 -- I took it 2 weeks before my real exam.

 

[SDWife]

Is it that only the elite top 7% of med students post on SDN, or is it that everyone else is ashamed of their scores that are less than 245?? This is kinda ridiculous and an extremely inaccurate representation of the whole.

I think seeing some more normal scores would be slightly refreshing.

However, CONGRATS to the top 7% who have posted your stellar scores! Amazing stuff! I can understand your desire to shout it from the roof-tops!!!

 

[tideleonheart]

Expected average, hoping for above average...am I an accurate estimator or what?? Good luck everyone reading this!

Great score! do you mind if I ask what your UW %'s were (average and close to the test)?

 

[DRJJ1]

274/99

NBME 4: 244 (11 weeks before)
NBME 5: 262 (7 weeks before)
NBME 6: 266 (3 weeks)
NBME 7: 275 (5 days)

UWorld 79%
Kaplan QBank 84%

Resources:

Goljan Rapid Review (most amazing)
Goljan Audio
Web Path
Lippincott Illustrated Review Pharmacology
USMLE Road Map Neuroscience (amazing high yield and overlooked book)
BRS Anatomy (plowed through it in first two days of studying)
High Yield Embryology
High Yield Cell and Molecular Biology
Rapid Review Biochem (essential)
First Aid

I had 4 weeks to study at the end of second year. I was reading all of these review materials along with class pretty much throughout the entire year though. Then i ramped it up and studied my systems in those four weeks.

My exam was very neuro embryo (surprised) and anatomy heavy. I felt my exam was harder than expected with some very picky anatomy and developmental biology details. It was also funny because there were no buzzwords on my exam, but they substituted vague descriptions for classic things like "wing beating tremor" etc. Very weird.

good luck to everyone!!

you got like 3 wrong

 

[pittnative]

I have like the same exact stats as someone above:

248/99 on the real test.

UWSA1: 247 (1 week out)
UWSA2: 236 (2 weeks out)
NBME6: 236 (3 weeks out)

The best way to put it, is that I did as well as I could have expected to on that day, which I am very happy about.

So I guess those UWorld Self Assessment tests can be fairly accurate predictors. I agree that their scores are a little inflated, and I definitely improved in that last week, so it's fair to say I earned about 10 or so extra points in that week, and the UWSA1 over-predicted by about 10 points.

 

[Macguy86]

isnt the avg for derm like 240

 

[SDWife]

isnt the avg for derm like 240

Yep! 240 is competitive in applying for almost any specialty. And it is a strong score when applying in EVERY specialty. CONGRATULATIONS!

 

[DC DOC]

223/95, not stellar just average. I was expecting something slightly higher but I am ok with it. I am a little concerned that it may hinder my ability to match anesthesia or ER. What do you guys think? Is this score likely to hold me back?