Official 2011 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[ProtossCarrier]

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Hello everyone. I am a second year who will write the exam in June 2011. Meanwhile let this be a good thread where everyone share their study progress and recent trend of the exam.

 

[Dissected]

Yea thats what im plannin on doin. Ive started doin it for pharm and its definitely a pain in the ass but it will be worth it when its all done to have one source that has everything you want to know.

I've been doing this and my first aid is full of jotted notes now, lol. Actually, I had a print shop chop off the binding and three hole punch it so I could put it in a binder. Cost me like $2. It's nice b/c I can add sheets of paper here and there so I don't have to cram all of my notes from Goljan on the precious little space that is at the bottom of each page.

The next few months are definitely all business.. Good luck everybody!

 

[RySerr21]

I've been doing this and my first aid is full of jotted notes now, lol. Actually, I had a print shop chop off the binding and three hole punch it so I could put it in a binder. Cost me like $2. It's nice b/c I can add sheets of paper here and there so I don't have to cram all of my notes from Goljan on the precious little space that is at the bottom of each page.

The next few months are definitely all business.. Good luck everybody!

a lot of people at my school are doin that too. sounds like a good idea, i just havent got around to it yet haha. altho i kinda like it the way it is cuz there is only so much space so it makes you think "do i really need to know what i am about to write in here?" Or, there are also details where im like "i probably should know this, but i know im not gonna remember it, so i wont bother writing it." haha

 

[Slade]

a lot of people at my school are doin that too. sounds like a good idea, i just havent got around to it yet haha. altho i kinda like it the way it is cuz there is only so much space so it makes you think "do i really need to know what i am about to write in here?" Or, there are also details where im like "i probably should know this, but i know im not gonna remember it, so i wont bother writing it." haha

^
I totally do that too! Although, I think it's mostly lazziness on my part...

Just finished my initial assessment! It was the expanded feedback version of Form 6.

It has been a valuable learning experience. I now know two things:
#1: All you need is... First Aid... seriously!
#2: I know **** all about neuro

Anyways, it's time to start studying. 8 weeks till D day!

Good luck everyone!

Summary:
2/21/11: CBSSA 6: 350 / 190

 

[RySerr21]

how do you guys decide which nbmes to do and when? is there a consensus on which ones are better or some order that most people do?

 

[Slade]

how do you guys decide which nbmes to do and when? is there a consensus on which ones are better or some order that most people do?

I was forced to do 6 since my school gives us a voucher for it. Otherwise, I think the best ones are of course 6 and 7, while 4 and 5 are ok. 1-3 are pretty useless since they are based on the older Step.
If you want to do an initial assessment though, 6 and 7 are the only good options since they are the only ones with the expanded feedback (to see which subjects need the most improvement).

If you don't care about an assessment, I would do them in order 4, 5, 6, and 7 with maybe 8 coming out soon (?)

 

[Rollo]

I thought each NBME came with a performance profile that showed you how you performed in each subject, whereas expanded feedback showed you how many questions you missed within each subjects.

So I wonder how much of a difference it makes buying a regular NBME vs. expanded feedback for initial assessment. I just want to see which subjects I am weak or strong in so shouldn't a general performance guide be sufficient?

Also, my rationale is that I'd rather save the newer forms for later since they will closely mimic the actual exam.

 

[Rollo]

^
I totally do that too! Although, I think it's mostly lazziness on my part...

Just finished my initial assessment! It was the expanded feedback version of Form 6.

It has been a valuable learning experience. I now know two things:
#1: All you need is... First Aid... seriously!
#2: I know **** all about neuro

Anyways, it's time to start studying. 8 weeks till D day!

Good luck everyone!

Summary:
2/21/11: CBSSA 6: 350 / 190

Nice, you got a passing score!

What's your studying plan?

 

[Dissected]

altho i kinda like it the way it is cuz there is only so much space so it makes you think "do i really need to know what i am about to write in here?" Or, there are also details where im like "i probably should know this, but i know im not gonna remember it, so i wont bother writing it." haha

very true. I have to check myself constantly to make sure I am only writing down the essentials. Too much elaboration can definitely be a bad thing!

Does anyone else have a hard time reading the Goljan path book? It is full of useful information but it is so incredibly dense!

 

[Slade]

I thought each NBME came with a performance profile that showed you how you performed in each subject, whereas expanded feedback showed you how many questions you missed within each subjects.

So I wonder how much of a difference it makes buying a regular NBME vs. expanded feedback for initial assessment. I just want to see which subjects I am weak or strong in so shouldn't a general performance guide be sufficient?

Also, my rationale is that I'd rather save the newer forms for later since they will closely mimic the actual exam.

I think you might be right about the feedback thing.
I was conflicted on the form order thing too. If I had had a choice, I think I would have done like you, saving the best for last.

Are you done with classes? You're taking your test at the end of April right?

I still have one week of classes, and then I'm [partly] free to study (we have a "Case Study" course every day for a month, but basically it's a 2-hour small group class inthe morning, I'm guessing to make sure we get up at a reasonable hour). My test is on April 19th.

As for my plan, I spent hours making this super detailed list, but after the CBSSA, I'm definitely throwing all that out.

I'm still keeping the last three out of my eight weeks for questions solely. However, for the first four weeks, I'm going to try to memorize FA in its entirety. I'll use other resources on the side for reference, and make the most of GT to help me memorize pesky facts.

On the side I'll try to go through both the Kaplan and USMLE Rx Q banks twice each.

Finally, I'm keeping USMLE World for those last 3 weeks.

I'll take Forms 4, 5 and the two USMLE World SA throughout my study period, and keep Form 7 for the week before the test.

I'm going for the highest grade I could possibly get (I was pretty lazy/laidback in MS1 and MS2 so I have some catching up to do, but I'm feeling pretty motivated right now... though we'll see how that holds up 😀 ).

What's your plan?

 

[USMLE Aspirant]

Hey Bluedevil

Did you finish entire step 1 kaplan course in 7 weeks? What was your study duration and your activities like? I intend to take my step 1 in April or May.

 

[Rollo]

I think you might be right about the feedback thing.
I was conflicted on the form order thing too. If I had had a choice, I think I would have done like you, saving the best for last.

Are you done with classes? You're taking your test at the end of April right?

I still have one week of classes, and then I'm [partly] free to study (we have a "Case Study" course every day for a month, but basically it's a 2-hour small group class inthe morning, I'm guessing to make sure we get up at a reasonable hour). My test is on April 19th.

As for my plan, I spent hours making this super detailed list, but after the CBSSA, I'm definitely throwing all that out.

I'm still keeping the last three out of my eight weeks for questions solely. However, for the first four weeks, I'm going to try to memorize FA in its entirety. I'll use other resources on the side for reference, and make the most of GT to help me memorize pesky facts.

On the side I'll try to go through both the Kaplan and USMLE Rx Q banks twice each.

Finally, I'm keeping USMLE World for those last 3 weeks.

I'll take Forms 4, 5 and the two USMLE World SA throughout my study period, and keep Form 7 for the week before the test.

I'm going for the highest grade I could possibly get (I was pretty lazy/laidback in MS1 and MS2 so I have some catching up to do, but I'm feeling pretty motivated right now... though we'll see how that holds up 😀 ).

What's your plan?

I'm taking it at end of May. Our final trimester starts next week and won't end until end of April though its a "easy" trimester and most upper-class men have used this time to study.

I'm going to try and follow along with Taus plan after I take the NBME next week. I have been doing Rx questions for the last 3-4 months though I don't know how much I'm going to retain.

I think I'm gonna just use UWorld because I've been using Rx so far and don't think I'll get much out of it. Though I find it interesting that you won't Uworld until 3 weeks before exam. Any particular reason why? To "save" the questions?

very true. I have to check myself constantly to make sure I am only writing down the essentials. Too much elaboration can definitely be a bad thing!

Does anyone else have a hard time reading the Goljan path book? It is full of useful information but it is so incredibly dense!

Yeah I know what you mean about how dense it is. I usually have to literally stop reading, put the book down, and take a break otherwise I get information-overload!!

One good thing about the book is that its broken down into so many sections and sub-sections that it gives you a good guidepost for reading schedule. Maybe try using them as "break-markers" so you know how much you should read in a specific time after which you should take a physical/mental break.

 

[nikigarfield]

hey i have finished 1 round of reading kaplan, do u guys think i should start solving qbanks such as uworld and nbme right away or do kaplan once more,...all suggestions are welcome.....🙂

 

[Slade]

I think I'm gonna just use UWorld because I've been using Rx so far and don't think I'll get much out of it. Though I find it interesting that you won't Uworld until 3 weeks before exam. Any particular reason why? To "save" the questions?

I want to use USMLE World at the end in 7-block days to assess/improve my stamina. Since there are only enough questions for three of these full day affairs, I'm keeping them for the last three weeks, so I have fresh questions.
I will hopefully go through the Qs two or three times though. 🙂

 

[drbluedevil401]

I want to use USMLE World at the end in 7-block days to assess/improve my stamina. Since there are only enough questions for three of these full day affairs, I'm keeping them for the last three weeks, so I have fresh questions.
I will hopefully go through the Qs two or three times though. 🙂

Make sure you have enough time to go over these Uworld questions too, as Uworld should be used primarily as a learning tool, use the NBMEs for assessment/stamina/self - confidence 🙂

 

[drbluedevil401]

Hey Bluedevil

Did you finish entire step 1 kaplan course in 7 weeks? What was your study duration and your activities like? I intend to take my step 1 in April or May.

umm the kaplan course i took was their live lectures which are structured lecture series , they follow their own schedule, the good thing about them was that I found i learnt a lot of stuff about how to learn the material/ how to remember rather than them just teaching it to me.
I just went to the daily lectures( which were all phenomenal except for maybe one subject) and did a block of kaplan qbank at the end of the day. After the lectures were over, i sat down and went over all the books a couple more times but this time i did a block of Uworld at the end of the day. Then I did a whole bunch of CBSSAs to check where I was and sat for the actual test.

 

[sylvanthus]

Did NBME form 1 the other day to get a baseline and got a 218. I was pretty surprised and pleased to say the least as I just wanted to pass at this point. My test isn't for 4 months and we are still finishing a couple systems.

What is a realistic goal from this point? How much do people generally improve from a baseline? 30 pts 40?

 

[RySerr21]

Did NBME form 1 the other day to get a baseline and got a 218. I was pretty surprised and pleased to say the least as I just wanted to pass at this point. My test isn't for 4 months and we are still finishing a couple systems.

What is a realistic goal from this point? How much do people generally improve from a baseline? 30 pts 40?

i imagine its pretty dependent on how much time you put into it. You are startin pretty damn early. My test is in May and i havent even done an NBME. W/ a baseline score of 218 and 4 months ahead of you, i'd say you are in pretty good shape to get whatever score you want as long as you study, which i imagine wont be a problem considering you are taking practice tests 4 months in advance, before youve even finished learning new material.

 

[Dissected]

Make sure you have enough time to go over these Uworld questions too, as Uworld should be used primarily as a learning tool, use the NBMEs for assessment/stamina/self - confidence 🙂

I agree. UWorld is a phenomenal learning tool. It is incredibly detailed and serves as a nice refresher for several subjects per question if you take the time to read the entire explanation. Which I am religious about 😀

 

[Slade]

Make sure you have enough time to go over these Uworld questions too, as Uworld should be used primarily as a learning tool, use the NBMEs for assessment/stamina/self - confidence 🙂

That's a good point. I might buy it a little earlier then. Do you guys think 4 weeks is enough time?

 

[Dissected]

That's a good point. I might buy it a little earlier then. Do you guys think 4 weeks is enough time?

That sounds reasonable. There are just under 2100 questions total..so you'd probably want to do right around 100 per day in that time period. It lets you randomize and redo missed and/or marked questions too, so if you have time left over you can go over the ones that stumped you on the first go at it.

 

[Slade]

That sounds reasonable. There are just under 2100 questions total..so you'd probably want to do right around 100 per day in that time period. It lets you randomize and redo missed and/or marked questions too, so if you have time left over you can go over the ones that stumped you on the first go at it.

Sweet!

 

[justdoit31]

That's a good point. I might buy it a little earlier then. Do you guys think 4 weeks is enough time?

I think 4 weeks is fine if you want to make one pass through it- my school provides us 7 months of USMLE World and recommends we all go through all the questions a minimum of 2x.

I am currently using it to see where I stand for MSI material (before I review it all) and using it to answer patho and pharm questions as we go through them. I should be done with that by the end of March when I can reset the qbank. I then plan to go through it my second time and after that review marked and incorrect test questions a 3rd time before my June 11 test date. All the MSIII's I have talked to said the more questions you do the better so hopefully it works for me- I just want to break 215 so no lofty goals here.

Also as a side note- during my meeting with the faculty member who gives us projected USMLE scores and discusses test prep he said for UW if you are scoring around 40% now you should be able to pass- he said you need about 60% right on STEP to pass- and during your dedicated study time you should be able to memorize the details to get you from the 40's to the 60's+

 

[maryjane85]

congratulations for excellent score.

i am an old IMG,studying for step1 for last 4 months,reading goljan,brs for physio and kaplan books,didn't even complete first reading finding it difficult task to go through,i am planning to get above 240,what should i do??😕 Start solving questions right now or at least complete first reading to go through all the subjects??what you suggest for me?

Complete first reading of First Aid (limit yourself to one week). Get a dry erase board and try to memorize as much as possible during first run through. Then start the question banks. Start with usmlerx, then kaplan, then usmleworld and do all of the NBME's in there somewhere.

So advice: complete first reading within the next week then start your questions.

 

[maryjane85]

Hey Maryjane..congrats on your amazing score! You mentioned that you did tons of questions. What kinds of percentages were you getting on the qbanks? Is it enough to just keep doing questions or do you have to be scoring really well on the practice questions? Thanks!

Refer to my previous posts for nbme scores. Kaplan qbank I was at I think 76 or 77 percent with that qbank. With uworld I finished with 84%.

You dont have to start out scoring well....but the key to doing practice quesitions is to keep improving! It is hard to compare question banks but within each qbank from start to finish you should improve somewhat.

This is why writing stuff down is so important. So you can refer to it after you finish the qbanks and remember what you learned.

 

[Isis24]

maryjane85: Congrats on your score!! When you first started doing qbank questions, what kind of percent were you achieving? And was that before or after you read first aid once?

 

[aknz]

Complete first reading of First Aid (limit yourself to one week). Get a dry erase board and try to memorize as much as possible during first run through. Then start the question banks. Start with usmlerx, then kaplan, then usmleworld and do all of the NBME's in there somewhere.

So advice: complete first reading within the next week then start your questions.

Thanks Maryjane

 

[dude1344]

Thanks for everyone's advice here!

Since I feel I have a solid foundation from the first two years, I'm going to use FA as an outline and use other books just for reference to clear up things I'm not 100% sure about.

I'm doing USMLERx now and was planning on just using UWorld for studying later, but from Maryjane's advice I might consider trying to fit Kaplan in before UWorld also.

everyone!

 

[Jolie South]

Ok, so I got my score back today and thought I'd provide info as to what I did.

2 weeks - 5-6 hours/day listening to Goljan audio, annotating FA, and doing UWorld questions relating to topics in audio.

4 weeks - 8 hours/day reviewing rapid review, FA chapters. Used Lippincott and Pass program videos for biochem. Went through UWorld and Kaplan Qbooks interspersed in there.

I had no real rhyme or reason with regards to a study schedule. I'd pretty much ask myself everyday "what do I feel like I know the least well?" after I got through an initial pass of all systems.

Result in two digit score of 99, don't feel comfortable posting the actual 3 digit score. I'm very happy with my score and should be able to match what I want.

 

[Rollo]

Congrats Jolie!

Would you mind sharing if you take any NBMEs, when you took them, how it helped, etc.?

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

any opinions on the difficultly level of nbme4 compared to the newer ones (6/7)? how representative are the questions on nbme 4 compared to the actual exam today?
Also, when people say that the score on your nbme 7 is the best predictor of your actual score, do you guys think thats because most people take that exam close to their actual test date (so are more prepared than early in their studying)? Or does NBME 7 truly represent the difficulty level of the actual exam or is it a combination of both?

 

[Rollo]

My understanding was that newer forms represent the current exam more accurately than the previous forms do. So following this logic, form 7 is the best predictor of how the current exams are and therefore the best predictor of your actual score.

 

[Jolie South]

Congrats Jolie!

Would you mind sharing if you take any NBMEs, when you took them, how it helped, etc.?

Nope, I was trying to study as cheaply as possible. The only thing I paid for was UWorld.

 

[nikigarfield]

Complete first reading of First Aid (limit yourself to one week). Get a dry erase board and try to memorize as much as possible during first run through. Then start the question banks. Start with usmlerx, then kaplan, then usmleworld and do all of the NBME's in there somewhere.

So advice: complete first reading within the next week then start your questions.

hiiii maryjane,congrats on your wonderful score.....surely u must have worked real hard to get that score.....
hey im giving my exam on july last week , im a little apprehensive right now,wud just finish 1 round of reading kaplan by march,when do u think i should start solving qbanks such as uworld and nbme, shud i read kaplan a second time b4 solving questions,

 

[RySerr21]

how are you all plannin on preparing for the length of the exam? very common complaint i heard about the test was just how crazy long it was and that by teh end you are just burnt out and may suffer on those last few blocks if you havent prepared accordingly. i think most of the nbmes and practice tests are only 4 hours? I was thinkin maybe taking two at a time just to simulate an full day exam.

 

[Jolie South]

how are you all plannin on preparing for the length of the exam? very common complaint i heard about the test was just how crazy long it was and that by teh end you are just burnt out and may suffer on those last few blocks if you havent prepared accordingly. i think most of the nbmes and practice tests are only 4 hours? I was thinkin maybe taking two at a time just to simulate an full day exam.

I didn't find it to be all that bothersome. I only took one 15 minute break to eat some food. I think I finished it like <5 hours.

 

[RySerr21]

I didn't find it to be all that bothersome. I only took one 15 minute break to eat some food. I think I finished it like <5 hours.

haha, thanks for the comment but you seem to be a bit of an anomaly in terms of study approach. You got your score and it worked for you, which is fantastic, but just based on how youve described your approach on other posts, i dont personally think that anything that you say or did will work for me. I just need to put in more work for it to stick. I have not heard a single person say that the the length of the test wasnt at least somewhat of an issue. And a common theme I have picked up on when given advice is to prepare for the length.

 

[Jolie South]

haha, thanks for the comment but you seem to be a bit of an anomaly in terms of study approach. You got your score and it worked for you, which is fantastic, but just based on how youve described your approach on other posts, i dont personally think that anything that you say or did will work for me. I just need to put in more work for it to stick. I have not heard a single person say that the the length of the test wasnt at least somewhat of an issue. And a common theme I have picked up on when given advice is to prepare for the length.

I did serial questions for several hours (<3-4 hours at a time) while studying for shelfs in the past, so I guess that's why I didn't find it bothersome. It wasn't a new thing I had to adopt for shelf studying. I think if you get into the habit of doing questions in that fashion, you shouldn't be to stressed out about on the actual exam day.

 

[Slade]

I just finished my last preclinical test! Woohoo! 🙂 Now for a hellish 7 weeks...

 

[anonMD]

Does anyone have an opinion on what would be most high yield to study over spring break? Background: I haven't started studying yet on the recommendation of our upperclassmen. We have about 6 weeks of class left after spring break, followed by 2.5 weeks of shelf exams, then 5 weeks to study for Step 1.

I'd like to spend 3-4 hours a day casually reviewing some material over break. Which resource would be best? Reading Goljan, FA, or doing UWorld questions and annotating into FA?

Thank you.

 

[Encephalectomy]

Does anyone have an opinion on what would be most high yield to study over spring break? Background: I haven't started studying yet on the recommendation of our upperclassmen. We have about 6 weeks of class left after spring break, followed by 2.5 weeks of shelf exams, then 5 weeks to study for Step 1.

I'd like to spend 3-4 hours a day casually reviewing some material over break. Which resource would be best? Reading Goljan, FA, or doing UWorld questions and annotating into FA?

Thank you.

Do you have a subject area that you feel is a particular weakness? if so, brushing up on your weak subject is probably a great use of time over spring break (using first aid +/- review book and maybe the qbank).

 

[JustSha5]

Hey guys,

I am a US MSII and I am about to start my board studying. I have been reading everyones posts for a long time now, and just wanted to thank everyone for giving such awesome advice so that an average student like me can have a shot on doing well on the step 1 exam.

I was wondering if there was any preference in doing q's in the morning as to the evening/night time?

Thanks.

 

[bbydoc]

Hey guys,

I am a US MSII and I am about to start my board studying. I have been reading everyones posts for a long time now, and just wanted to thank everyone for giving such awesome advice so that an average student like me can have a shot on doing well on the step 1 exam.

I was wondering if there was any preference in doing q's in the morning as to the evening/night time?

Thanks.

I would have asked this question elsewhere but:
- in the morning you are fresher
- whats the point of doing questions at night and you go frustrated to bed and cant sleep because you only got 50%

 

[JustSha5]

I would have asked this question elsewhere but:
- in the morning you are fresher
- whats the point of doing questions at night and you go frustrated to bed and cant sleep because you only got 50%

Thanks bbydoc.

 

[warriordoc911]

It really depends on you. are you a morning person or evening? you should be studying the review material when you are very alert and questions when you are tired. When you are tired the questions can still entertain you but with books it would be difficult.

Hey guys,

I am a US MSII and I am about to start my board studying. I have been reading everyones posts for a long time now, and just wanted to thank everyone for giving such awesome advice so that an average student like me can have a shot on doing well on the step 1 exam.

I was wondering if there was any preference in doing q's in the morning as to the evening/night time?

Thanks.

 

[JustSha5]

It really depends on you. are you a morning person or evening? you should be studying the review material when you are very alert and questions when you are tired. When you are tired the questions can still entertain you but with books it would be difficult.

Thanks.

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

What did you guys (who have taken the exam or have a better idea than me) do about equations (the few we have in pharm, renal etc.)? Did you write them on the marker board we get in the beginning or just have them in the back of your head?
The DIT guy recommended that we write them out during the tutorial session. Do you guys recommend doing that?

 

[warriordoc911]

you can write them down during your tutorial but i think using this 15 minutes for break time is a better idea. my plan is to know the following cold:
1. GFR 2. FF 3. RPF 4. RBF 5. Alveolar equation(PA=150-something?/0.8) 6. Sensitivity 7. Specificity 8.PPV 9.NPV 10. Odds Ratio
The rest of equations i will try to know them but these are my focus. I believe the least you should know are these.

What did you guys (who have taken the exam or have a better idea than me) do about equations (the few we have in pharm, renal etc.)? Did you write them on the marker board we get in the beginning or just have them in the back of your head?
The DIT guy recommended that we write them out during the tutorial session. Do you guys recommend doing that?

 

[IMnotgivingup!!]

So if I choose to skip the tutorial, then those 15 minutes get added to my break time? Is that also true for ending a block early? If I finish a block early then its added to my break time?

 

[kryptik]

So if I choose to skip the tutorial, then those 15 minutes get added to my break time? Is that also true for ending a block early? If I finish a block early then its added to my break time?

yes, yes and yes

 

[Jolie South]

yes, yes and yes

agree