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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.
Official 2011 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread
- Thread starter ProtossCarrier
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Hey guys, so I just took Step 1 yesterday, and wanted to thank SDN for being so supportive and offering great advice throughout the journey. As my way of giving back, here are some of my thoughts on the process.
I'm an average student. I only got 1 honors in the entire first 2 years. My school is P/F and we don't use shelf exams or anything of that sort, so I knew early on that the stuff they teach us doesn't correlate with boards. I pretty much studied from Goljan and BRS physio the entire 2nd year. I didn't go to class at all. I only crammed class material from note service the last 4-5 days leading up to an exam, so I mostly ended up scoring just enough to pass a class. If my school did rankings, I'd probably be at the bottom, seriously.
Sources I used:
UWorld: completed 70% of the qbank. I started off getting around 43% on blocks. When I finished my first pass of FA, my % went up to 60%. The more I did UW, the better my block % became, and towards the end, my last 10 blocks were all between 65-71%
FA: Went through it once in great detail. Then I went through my weak sections 3 days before the exam. Didn't have enough time to do a full second pass.
Goljan Audio/RR & BRS physiology: I used these throughout 2nd year and didn't look at it during dedicated study time
HY Neuro: I actually sat and read through this entire book, which I think was the biggest waste of time during my dedicated study time because it took me 3 days to get through that book. If I could go back, I would only skim the first few chapters about general brain anatomy and also the section on angiograms. Everything else (pathways, diseases, syndromes) are all in FA.
So, as you can see, my preparation for this wasn't great. I think I could have done better preparing if I used HY neuro as I described above instead of wasting more days to get through the entire book. I also think that I would have gone through FA faster and focused more on finishing the entire UW qbank rather than reading and re-reading certain FA sections so much. But, in hindsight, all that reading I did still helped because the sections I spent the most time reading were the sections I was weakest in (neuro, heme/onc).
Random thoughts in no particular order:
-Most of the material on the exam is in First Aid. Of the questions that were on material not in FA, I remember 5 questions on the test were things that were in UW only, and another 5 questions was in Goljan only, and another 5 questions I got because I did research in that area, and another 1 question I remember learning from a video game that I played
. There were probably another 15-20 questions that I thought were experimental because they were like "wtf, I've never heard of this before".
-For preparation, I recommend FA, UW, and a good path book/source (whether that is Goljan or BRS path or Pathoma or whatever). I would only use other review books to help you understand topics that you're weak in, but your main source should be FA.
-I think the advice "focus on your classes because those prepare you most for boards" is subjective. It will depend on whether your school's curriculum is good and whether they have shelf exams. At my school, all of our exams are written by our profs and the questions suck. If you're lucky enough to be at a good school, then surely focus on your classes because that will lay the foundation for when you're ready to start reviewing.
-The day before the exam, I reviewed as much minutia in FA as I could. This means mostly the pharm chapter and some other weak sections of mine, like the second messengers in the endocrine chapter and the upper/lower limb anatomy in the musculoskeletal chapter. My reasoning was that these subjects tend to be more short term memory kind of things, so I think it helped to look over those things the night before.
-I don't drink coffee, alcohol, or anything. I didn't take any sleep aids or medicines. I practiced waking up early 5 days before exam day. Throughout the test day, I drank a coca cola and munched on cookies. I also had some potato chips because at one point I felt like I was hyponatremic
. Anyway, I pretty much didn't eat any protein during my test day cuz I didn't want to get sleepy. And overall, I felt pretty energized throughout the 7 blocks. I don't remember blanking out on any questions or falling asleep, so I think it worked out well.
-The test had a pretty even mix of easy/hard questions. There were about 5-10 questions that were so easy I was thinking "even my mom would know this" (none of my parents/siblings are doctors, btw). The other easy questions are similar to the free 150. The harder questions are similar to UWorld. The super hard questions, nothing will prepare you for those... you just have to bend over and take it.
-Overall, I marked about 10 questions per block. I tend to miss a little more than what I usually mark though. I'm not sure if that's a good feeling or not though cuz I see some posts here where people only mark 5, and others who marked like 20 and all ended up with 260+
Section breakdown – topic by topic in FA:
Behavioral: Really easy imo. I felt really good about the ethics part probably because my school is primary care oriented and made us learn what to say to the patient under every situation. The biostat questions are easy points. Just make sure you know those equations, and you should max this section.
Biochem: Lots of random questions here. Know all of the metabolism pathways for sure. But there were a lot of other random questions on very specific cell or tissue components. I think I got most of the weird questions right only because I did basic science research and know some of those things they were talking about. It felt like about half of biochem questions were stuff found in FA, and the other half were really specific stuff you only knew if you were a researcher or memorized stuff from class.
Embryo: I didn't study this section at all because I knew it was low yield. I had about 5 questions on embryo in the entire exam. I think I got 3 of them right. The other 2, I have no idea and not sure if they're in FA.
Micro: Heavily tested on my exam. Know the specifics about every microorganism. They usually give you a simple scenario, and you'll know what the bug is, but they'll ask a completely different detailed question about the bug, so I would go through each bug and pick out the small details. Micro drugs were also high yield on my exam.
Immuno: Not many questions in this section surprisingly. I think all were in FA though.
Path: Nothing special. All were in FA.
Pharm: I read this section in full the night before the exam, and I'm glad I did that. Lots of questions and graphs on what happens when you change something with different adrenergic/cholinergic stimuli. All were in FA.
Cardio: Nothing special. I had 2 auscultation questions, which were both straightforward. 1 EKG reading, but you didn't need the EKG to answer the question.
Endocrine: Nothing special. Just know what each hormone does and what happens if you increase/decrease certain ones.
GI: I felt like these questions were pretty hard, but it could be because I didn't study it enough. All of the material was in FA though.
Heme/onc: Nothing special. Goljan helped me a lot here. Definitely look at some smears when you're studying. There were a few questions on my exam you could only get from the smear picture.
Musculoskeletal: Upper/lower limb anatomy seemed to make up a lot of the anatomy questions. Only had 1 question on brachial plexus. The skin portion of my exam had tons of pictures, so I would look at those in RR path if you have time. Everything else is in FA.
Neuro: Nothing special. Lots of gross path pictures though, along with CT and MRI pictures. Didn't seem to test much about neuro diseases.
Psych: Really straightforward and it's all in FA. A lot of the questions were hilarious. I was seriously laughing my a** off during the exam, and I'm pretty sure the proctors thought I was crazy.
Renal: Lots of physio tested in this section. Everything else was straightforward and all in FA.
Repro: Heavily tested on my exam. Lots of infertile people wanting to get preggers. Lots of pregnant people doing stupid things too and their kids come out messed up. All the material was in FA though.
Respiratory: Lots of physio in this section as well. Respiratory diseases wasn't really tested.
Well, that's all I can really remember right now. In short, just work hard and focus on FA and UW, and you should be fine. Also, I think NBME's are better done after you do a first pass of FA. I did my NBME 12 in the middle of my study period and I think that really depressed my mood from the low score. I also think it's better if you can plan your schedule so you have at least 2 weeks of nothing but UW towards the end of your study time because that way you'll remember more from the questions you did by the time you take the exam. The few days before your exam, I recommend reviewing the detailed parts of FA, like biochem, pharm, and micro, since those things tend to be more short term memory.
Also, if you want to save time, do UW questions on tutor mode (I didn't figure that out until 1.5 weeks away from my exam), otherwise you'll end up having to re-read questions when you're reviewing the answers. I also suggest only reviewing your weak sections of FA on subsequent passes if you want to save more time.
If you have any particular questions about my prep or anything, let me know. Good luck everyone!
And sorry for the long read
I'm an average student. I only got 1 honors in the entire first 2 years. My school is P/F and we don't use shelf exams or anything of that sort, so I knew early on that the stuff they teach us doesn't correlate with boards. I pretty much studied from Goljan and BRS physio the entire 2nd year. I didn't go to class at all. I only crammed class material from note service the last 4-5 days leading up to an exam, so I mostly ended up scoring just enough to pass a class. If my school did rankings, I'd probably be at the bottom, seriously.
Sources I used:
UWorld: completed 70% of the qbank. I started off getting around 43% on blocks. When I finished my first pass of FA, my % went up to 60%. The more I did UW, the better my block % became, and towards the end, my last 10 blocks were all between 65-71%
FA: Went through it once in great detail. Then I went through my weak sections 3 days before the exam. Didn't have enough time to do a full second pass.
Goljan Audio/RR & BRS physiology: I used these throughout 2nd year and didn't look at it during dedicated study time
HY Neuro: I actually sat and read through this entire book, which I think was the biggest waste of time during my dedicated study time because it took me 3 days to get through that book. If I could go back, I would only skim the first few chapters about general brain anatomy and also the section on angiograms. Everything else (pathways, diseases, syndromes) are all in FA.
So, as you can see, my preparation for this wasn't great. I think I could have done better preparing if I used HY neuro as I described above instead of wasting more days to get through the entire book. I also think that I would have gone through FA faster and focused more on finishing the entire UW qbank rather than reading and re-reading certain FA sections so much. But, in hindsight, all that reading I did still helped because the sections I spent the most time reading were the sections I was weakest in (neuro, heme/onc).
Random thoughts in no particular order:
-Most of the material on the exam is in First Aid. Of the questions that were on material not in FA, I remember 5 questions on the test were things that were in UW only, and another 5 questions was in Goljan only, and another 5 questions I got because I did research in that area, and another 1 question I remember learning from a video game that I played
. There were probably another 15-20 questions that I thought were experimental because they were like "wtf, I've never heard of this before".-For preparation, I recommend FA, UW, and a good path book/source (whether that is Goljan or BRS path or Pathoma or whatever). I would only use other review books to help you understand topics that you're weak in, but your main source should be FA.
-I think the advice "focus on your classes because those prepare you most for boards" is subjective. It will depend on whether your school's curriculum is good and whether they have shelf exams. At my school, all of our exams are written by our profs and the questions suck. If you're lucky enough to be at a good school, then surely focus on your classes because that will lay the foundation for when you're ready to start reviewing.
-The day before the exam, I reviewed as much minutia in FA as I could. This means mostly the pharm chapter and some other weak sections of mine, like the second messengers in the endocrine chapter and the upper/lower limb anatomy in the musculoskeletal chapter. My reasoning was that these subjects tend to be more short term memory kind of things, so I think it helped to look over those things the night before.
-I don't drink coffee, alcohol, or anything. I didn't take any sleep aids or medicines. I practiced waking up early 5 days before exam day. Throughout the test day, I drank a coca cola and munched on cookies. I also had some potato chips because at one point I felt like I was hyponatremic
. Anyway, I pretty much didn't eat any protein during my test day cuz I didn't want to get sleepy. And overall, I felt pretty energized throughout the 7 blocks. I don't remember blanking out on any questions or falling asleep, so I think it worked out well.-The test had a pretty even mix of easy/hard questions. There were about 5-10 questions that were so easy I was thinking "even my mom would know this" (none of my parents/siblings are doctors, btw). The other easy questions are similar to the free 150. The harder questions are similar to UWorld. The super hard questions, nothing will prepare you for those... you just have to bend over and take it.
-Overall, I marked about 10 questions per block. I tend to miss a little more than what I usually mark though. I'm not sure if that's a good feeling or not though cuz I see some posts here where people only mark 5, and others who marked like 20 and all ended up with 260+
Section breakdown – topic by topic in FA:
Behavioral: Really easy imo. I felt really good about the ethics part probably because my school is primary care oriented and made us learn what to say to the patient under every situation. The biostat questions are easy points. Just make sure you know those equations, and you should max this section.
Biochem: Lots of random questions here. Know all of the metabolism pathways for sure. But there were a lot of other random questions on very specific cell or tissue components. I think I got most of the weird questions right only because I did basic science research and know some of those things they were talking about. It felt like about half of biochem questions were stuff found in FA, and the other half were really specific stuff you only knew if you were a researcher or memorized stuff from class.
Embryo: I didn't study this section at all because I knew it was low yield. I had about 5 questions on embryo in the entire exam. I think I got 3 of them right. The other 2, I have no idea and not sure if they're in FA.
Micro: Heavily tested on my exam. Know the specifics about every microorganism. They usually give you a simple scenario, and you'll know what the bug is, but they'll ask a completely different detailed question about the bug, so I would go through each bug and pick out the small details. Micro drugs were also high yield on my exam.
Immuno: Not many questions in this section surprisingly. I think all were in FA though.
Path: Nothing special. All were in FA.
Pharm: I read this section in full the night before the exam, and I'm glad I did that. Lots of questions and graphs on what happens when you change something with different adrenergic/cholinergic stimuli. All were in FA.
Cardio: Nothing special. I had 2 auscultation questions, which were both straightforward. 1 EKG reading, but you didn't need the EKG to answer the question.
Endocrine: Nothing special. Just know what each hormone does and what happens if you increase/decrease certain ones.
GI: I felt like these questions were pretty hard, but it could be because I didn't study it enough. All of the material was in FA though.
Heme/onc: Nothing special. Goljan helped me a lot here. Definitely look at some smears when you're studying. There were a few questions on my exam you could only get from the smear picture.
Musculoskeletal: Upper/lower limb anatomy seemed to make up a lot of the anatomy questions. Only had 1 question on brachial plexus. The skin portion of my exam had tons of pictures, so I would look at those in RR path if you have time. Everything else is in FA.
Neuro: Nothing special. Lots of gross path pictures though, along with CT and MRI pictures. Didn't seem to test much about neuro diseases.
Psych: Really straightforward and it's all in FA. A lot of the questions were hilarious. I was seriously laughing my a** off during the exam, and I'm pretty sure the proctors thought I was crazy.
Renal: Lots of physio tested in this section. Everything else was straightforward and all in FA.
Repro: Heavily tested on my exam. Lots of infertile people wanting to get preggers. Lots of pregnant people doing stupid things too and their kids come out messed up. All the material was in FA though.
Respiratory: Lots of physio in this section as well. Respiratory diseases wasn't really tested.
Well, that's all I can really remember right now. In short, just work hard and focus on FA and UW, and you should be fine. Also, I think NBME's are better done after you do a first pass of FA. I did my NBME 12 in the middle of my study period and I think that really depressed my mood from the low score. I also think it's better if you can plan your schedule so you have at least 2 weeks of nothing but UW towards the end of your study time because that way you'll remember more from the questions you did by the time you take the exam. The few days before your exam, I recommend reviewing the detailed parts of FA, like biochem, pharm, and micro, since those things tend to be more short term memory.
Also, if you want to save time, do UW questions on tutor mode (I didn't figure that out until 1.5 weeks away from my exam), otherwise you'll end up having to re-read questions when you're reviewing the answers. I also suggest only reviewing your weak sections of FA on subsequent passes if you want to save more time.
If you have any particular questions about my prep or anything, let me know. Good luck everyone!
And sorry for the long read
Last edited:
2
235009
def didn't read your whole post but this caught my eye. are you talking about HY neuroanatomy? if so i would suggest not to bother with that book at all. i tried flipping through it a couple days before the test because my roommate told me there were some good chapters and it is SO dense and way too detailed. definitely not worth it trying to wade through all the low-yield stuff.
neuro was definitely one of my 3 weakest subjects before starting step 1 studying and i ended up rocking the section on the exam (one of the sections i performed best on) by going over the FA chapter several times...i even took about 4 days before my dedicated study time (while 2nd yr classes were still going on) to comb through the FA neuro chapter and watch a bunch of kaplan neuroanatomy videos.
What I'm trying to get at is that if you are weak in a subject you need to go over the high yield material over and over and over and over again because the majority of the questions you'll see on that topic will be from that high yield material. you can't take a broad view of a topic until you've got the basics down cold.
anyway...congrats on putting step 1 behind you!
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Thanks skinMD! Your suggestion in one of my other threads about using tutor mode was what helped me get through most of UW in the short time I had. I agree with you 100% about HY neuroanatomy. It was way overboard for the neuro part of the exam. If I had those 3 days back, I would have been able to finish off the UW qbank.
2
235009
glad i could help. hope to hear good news when your score comes out
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took my exam a few days back.
The first few blocks were fine but the last 2 or 3 were particularly hard. I hurried a bit through the questions.
Came back home and tried to not think of the exam. Didn't work! I think I made at least 30-45 mistakes in all the 7 blocks....and wondering I may not be able to reach my 240+ goal.
The first few blocks were fine but the last 2 or 3 were particularly hard. I hurried a bit through the questions.
Came back home and tried to not think of the exam. Didn't work! I think I made at least 30-45 mistakes in all the 7 blocks....and wondering I may not be able to reach my 240+ goal.
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I'm sure you did fine. Don't forget the experimental questions mixed in... which could account for 30-45 questions.
I agree with you though, my first few blocks were okay but the 5th, 7th and 8th were all tough for me (although maybe I was just tired).
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Alright, I have a question for the people who have already received their scores or know anything about Uworld assessment.
UWSA 1 - 198 (6 weeks out)
NBME 11 - 205 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 2 - 238 (today, 4 days out)
uworld % - 55%
I have read on here multiple times that UWSA overpredicts, but I am just curious as to what kind of score I should be expecting assuming things go ok on Tuesday with scores above and how much stock i should place on USWA 2 that i took today?
UWSA 1 - 198 (6 weeks out)
NBME 11 - 205 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 2 - 238 (today, 4 days out)
uworld % - 55%
I have read on here multiple times that UWSA overpredicts, but I am just curious as to what kind of score I should be expecting assuming things go ok on Tuesday with scores above and how much stock i should place on USWA 2 that i took today?
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I think most people score in the same ballpark as their assessments. I was a bit of an exception. I scored a 259 on UWSA2 and got a 226 on the real thing. I'm personally not bummed that much because my goal was to score 230...and honestly I have always had a terrible time with standardized tests. This is my isolated example, but I would say don't depend on the assessments (especially UWorld) as an expectation of how you are going to score, but to assess and focus in on what areas you need to work on.
Do your best and don't stress. Stress and fatigue will be your biggest enemies at this stage of the game.
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8th block? Interesting...
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Damn, I'd flip out if I had just finished the 7th block and was expecting to see the end of exam survey, but instead was faced with a bonus block 8
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Just wanted to share:
From a top 40 school on the west coast
MCAT - 32
Did well in all courses throughout school. Top 15% of class.
Started in mid May with a NMBE
Mid May - NMBE 4? 196
Started studying with DIT's read along of First Aid. Wasnt pleased at first but it got me through a very focused read through of the book. This was a very good thing. It is hard to extract everything reading it on your own. You just dont pick it out. I semi did the quizes no more than 5-10 min along with the course. 85% of the course was great. 15% was really dry and just info you have to sit and memorize. I did this in about 18 days. Try to get it done as quick as possible and as focused as possible. I would do 3-4 lectures a day (6-8 hours). then at night I would read other sections of FA and do a qbank.
USMLE World QBANK = MONEY! Only got through 90% of it but it was spot on. Looked like the real test. This is both a progression indicator and a learning tool. GO over your test CAREFULLY. Look at each question - the explanations - and the wrong answers as they are sure to be the right answer to something. I would do 1 to 2 a day.
First Aid - After DIT I went through it 3.5 more times. I would either go from front to back or pick sections that I thought went together. Try to go through it faster and faster each time - i think i did 7 days then 5 days then 5 days. Each time through try to pick out more information that you didnt remember. Write post its of tumor markers, translocations, ect and put them on your desk ---- also, actively go through the book - it works for me - i basically re write the information in my own words and understanding in the book as i go through. helps to put it into something more meaningful.
Goljan audios and lecture notes (someone typed it up - like 150 pages - not sure where it came from). This was a great tool. really helped me put things together. Some might seem far fetched but for this test you want to be able to think 1 step further. Being able to take a principle and apply it to any problem IS STEP 1
STEP 1 Studying during 2nd year --- NIL and NOT needed. Do well in your courses, focus on what you are learning and really learn it. PATHOLOGY is HUGE - you dont want to be starting from scratch when you start studying. Also, the questions on the test that are going to make you go from a 220-230 to a 250-260 arent things you are going to find in First aide or review book, but principle of disease, physiology, biochem, and pharm that you learn and master in medical school classes. Having this foundation is key to rocking STEP 1
Practice questions and exams are great tools to track progression. I used the NMBE/USMLE world/Free 150
NMBE 4? (day 1 - 5 weeks out) = 196
Uworld 1 (Day 10 ) = 242 inflated --> maybe
NMBE 11 (day 20) = 235 - probs a little low (look at midnight - couldnt sleep)
Free 150 (day 25) = 264
Uworld 2 (day 29) = 256
- didnt really know what to think of these scores - was aiming for 245 - just not to shut any doors. no clue what i wanna do yet.
Took the test around the 20th of June - didnt feel like i knew everything I should have - guess you never do with this test. I did feel confident in my knowledge and my ability to solve probs.
During the test - the blocks went fast - i finished Uworld blocks w/ 20 min to spare but man i had to pay attention to the clock - finishing with 5 min left and only could check over some flagged.
Took the first block - Break to reassess and get a drink - did 2 more - 15 min break - 2 more then break - then did 1 then break then did the final one. I think taking short breaks was better because i never ate a big meal and got tired, nor did i let my autonomic surge go down. Never took 7 blocks in a row prior but somehow i didnt burn out.
Walking out - I felt like well - that was it. Lets DRINK! Couldnt have told you my score at that point - anywhere from 210-270.
I flagged about 13Q per block (liberal flagger here). Tried to look stuff on breaks and after wards. Did pretty well on what i wasnt sure of and looked up (maybe 75% correct). I would recommend looking stuff between breaks but at the same time dont let one wrong answer discourage you. I would have harped on not knowing the answer to that question then i would have if i knew i got it wrong, so it worked for me.
All in all, I felt like I got a test that fit me well... said that before i got my score too.
Actual Score - 262/99
About pee'd my pants. It was a good day and probably would have been lower if i took it a day earlier or later. The test just fit me well.
From a top 40 school on the west coast
MCAT - 32
Did well in all courses throughout school. Top 15% of class.
Started in mid May with a NMBE
Mid May - NMBE 4? 196
Started studying with DIT's read along of First Aid. Wasnt pleased at first but it got me through a very focused read through of the book. This was a very good thing. It is hard to extract everything reading it on your own. You just dont pick it out. I semi did the quizes no more than 5-10 min along with the course. 85% of the course was great. 15% was really dry and just info you have to sit and memorize. I did this in about 18 days. Try to get it done as quick as possible and as focused as possible. I would do 3-4 lectures a day (6-8 hours). then at night I would read other sections of FA and do a qbank.
USMLE World QBANK = MONEY! Only got through 90% of it but it was spot on. Looked like the real test. This is both a progression indicator and a learning tool. GO over your test CAREFULLY. Look at each question - the explanations - and the wrong answers as they are sure to be the right answer to something. I would do 1 to 2 a day.
First Aid - After DIT I went through it 3.5 more times. I would either go from front to back or pick sections that I thought went together. Try to go through it faster and faster each time - i think i did 7 days then 5 days then 5 days. Each time through try to pick out more information that you didnt remember. Write post its of tumor markers, translocations, ect and put them on your desk ---- also, actively go through the book - it works for me - i basically re write the information in my own words and understanding in the book as i go through. helps to put it into something more meaningful.
Goljan audios and lecture notes (someone typed it up - like 150 pages - not sure where it came from). This was a great tool. really helped me put things together. Some might seem far fetched but for this test you want to be able to think 1 step further. Being able to take a principle and apply it to any problem IS STEP 1
STEP 1 Studying during 2nd year --- NIL and NOT needed. Do well in your courses, focus on what you are learning and really learn it. PATHOLOGY is HUGE - you dont want to be starting from scratch when you start studying. Also, the questions on the test that are going to make you go from a 220-230 to a 250-260 arent things you are going to find in First aide or review book, but principle of disease, physiology, biochem, and pharm that you learn and master in medical school classes. Having this foundation is key to rocking STEP 1
Practice questions and exams are great tools to track progression. I used the NMBE/USMLE world/Free 150
NMBE 4? (day 1 - 5 weeks out) = 196
Uworld 1 (Day 10 ) = 242 inflated --> maybe
NMBE 11 (day 20) = 235 - probs a little low (look at midnight - couldnt sleep)
Free 150 (day 25) = 264
Uworld 2 (day 29) = 256
- didnt really know what to think of these scores - was aiming for 245 - just not to shut any doors. no clue what i wanna do yet.
Took the test around the 20th of June - didnt feel like i knew everything I should have - guess you never do with this test. I did feel confident in my knowledge and my ability to solve probs.
During the test - the blocks went fast - i finished Uworld blocks w/ 20 min to spare but man i had to pay attention to the clock - finishing with 5 min left and only could check over some flagged.
Took the first block - Break to reassess and get a drink - did 2 more - 15 min break - 2 more then break - then did 1 then break then did the final one. I think taking short breaks was better because i never ate a big meal and got tired, nor did i let my autonomic surge go down. Never took 7 blocks in a row prior but somehow i didnt burn out.
Walking out - I felt like well - that was it. Lets DRINK! Couldnt have told you my score at that point - anywhere from 210-270.
I flagged about 13Q per block (liberal flagger here). Tried to look stuff on breaks and after wards. Did pretty well on what i wasnt sure of and looked up (maybe 75% correct). I would recommend looking stuff between breaks but at the same time dont let one wrong answer discourage you. I would have harped on not knowing the answer to that question then i would have if i knew i got it wrong, so it worked for me.
All in all, I felt like I got a test that fit me well... said that before i got my score too.
Actual Score - 262/99
About pee'd my pants. It was a good day and probably would have been lower if i took it a day earlier or later. The test just fit me well.
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Took the test on July 9, can i expect my score on the 27th?
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hello! i figured i'd contribute since i used this forum a lot during step 1 studying:
i studied for four weeks total after my M2 classes ended. i created this elaborate study schedule, which i didn't even end up using (i just couldn't follow it- mainly because i wasted a lot of time going through uworld and writing down explanations. sometimes it would take me four hours to go through one block, which was a huge mistake and waste of time so please don't do that).
anyways here's what i did do:
DIT during the final month of M2 classes. this was helpful because i needed someone to force me to go through the random notes and diagrams in first aid (DIT is weak in some sections, but their pharm review is pretty awesome). DIT isn't necessary if you can go through first aid on your own though, and that will save you quite a bit of money.
then the four weeks off i reviewed each section of first aid one more time, and got through about 1650 uworld questions. What I really think helped me is I listened to every goljan audio and reviewed the audio transcript for sections I missed while listening to the audio. I know his lectures are outdated, but he presents the material in a way that's very different from my M2 classes and from just reading first aid, and I definitely understood more concepts after listening to the audio. I used the goljan path book as a reference, but didn't read through it (I tried to read through it but the information wasn't sticking for me- I'm a much more audio/visual person so just reading text doesn't work and I gave up on that).
The only other resources I used were: HY neuroanatomy as a reference. I also was considering getting some pelvic anatomy references, but never got around to it. I'm glad I didn't because I only had a few pelvic anatomy questions, which in my opinion definitely weren't worth spending hours memorizing the pelvis.
here are my scores:
CBSE during last week of M2 classes- 190
NBME 6 after one week of studying- 207
Uworld self assessment 1 after 1.5-2 weeks- 214
NBME 7 after 2.5 weeks- 219
Uworld self assessment 2 after 3 weeks- 231
Final score: 239
I'm quite shocked actually! I never even broke the 220's on the NBME's i took. I am also a bit upset I didn't get a 240 (yeah, i know, i know, i just want to be able to say I scored a 240, haha. I'm also convinced it's because I changed one question to the wrong answer last minute- which I knew was the wrong answer- but I panicked because I was running out of time. Then again, I'll never know, so I'll stop bugging about it and get over it).
Really though, I'm pretty ecstatic! After taking the exam, I just wanted to pass. I haven't even considered some specialities because I didn't think I would be competitive for them, but now I have options, which is great. Also, I want this to give hope to those of you who aren't scoring super high on your practice exams.
Also, as a side note, plan something fun or relaxing (if you don't start clinicals right away) while you wait for your score to come back. I'm really glad I did that (I backpacked through Europe for 3 weeks), otherwise I would have gone mad just waiting. Anyways, good luck to all of you!
i studied for four weeks total after my M2 classes ended. i created this elaborate study schedule, which i didn't even end up using (i just couldn't follow it- mainly because i wasted a lot of time going through uworld and writing down explanations. sometimes it would take me four hours to go through one block, which was a huge mistake and waste of time so please don't do that).
anyways here's what i did do:
DIT during the final month of M2 classes. this was helpful because i needed someone to force me to go through the random notes and diagrams in first aid (DIT is weak in some sections, but their pharm review is pretty awesome). DIT isn't necessary if you can go through first aid on your own though, and that will save you quite a bit of money.
then the four weeks off i reviewed each section of first aid one more time, and got through about 1650 uworld questions. What I really think helped me is I listened to every goljan audio and reviewed the audio transcript for sections I missed while listening to the audio. I know his lectures are outdated, but he presents the material in a way that's very different from my M2 classes and from just reading first aid, and I definitely understood more concepts after listening to the audio. I used the goljan path book as a reference, but didn't read through it (I tried to read through it but the information wasn't sticking for me- I'm a much more audio/visual person so just reading text doesn't work and I gave up on that).
The only other resources I used were: HY neuroanatomy as a reference. I also was considering getting some pelvic anatomy references, but never got around to it. I'm glad I didn't because I only had a few pelvic anatomy questions, which in my opinion definitely weren't worth spending hours memorizing the pelvis.
here are my scores:
CBSE during last week of M2 classes- 190
NBME 6 after one week of studying- 207
Uworld self assessment 1 after 1.5-2 weeks- 214
NBME 7 after 2.5 weeks- 219
Uworld self assessment 2 after 3 weeks- 231
Final score: 239
I'm quite shocked actually! I never even broke the 220's on the NBME's i took. I am also a bit upset I didn't get a 240 (yeah, i know, i know, i just want to be able to say I scored a 240, haha. I'm also convinced it's because I changed one question to the wrong answer last minute- which I knew was the wrong answer- but I panicked because I was running out of time. Then again, I'll never know, so I'll stop bugging about it and get over it).
Really though, I'm pretty ecstatic! After taking the exam, I just wanted to pass. I haven't even considered some specialities because I didn't think I would be competitive for them, but now I have options, which is great. Also, I want this to give hope to those of you who aren't scoring super high on your practice exams.
Also, as a side note, plan something fun or relaxing (if you don't start clinicals right away) while you wait for your score to come back. I'm really glad I did that (I backpacked through Europe for 3 weeks), otherwise I would have gone mad just waiting. Anyways, good luck to all of you!
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1st block = tutorial
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Yo, just wanted to share my experiences about this test. Had 5 weeks to study because school let out late but thought it was more than enough. Honestly, I started getting sick of studying by the 4th and 5th weeks and started ramping down the studying by then.
Resources:
1. UWorld qbank 1.5 run through
2. Kaplan qbank: made it through all the high yield questions but not the entire thing
3. First Aid: went through 80% or so of the book
4. NBME 7,11,6 and 5 = avg around 230s
5. UWorld Assessments = 227 and 241
Real deal: 232/99
All in all, I'm pretty happy with my exam score as I was not really aiming on doing any of the super competitive specialties. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably take 4 weeks instead of 5 and would ramp UP the studying near the end instead of ramping down. My advice: I don't necessarily feel all the other resources that everyone has mentioned to be terribly useful and you should just stick to FA, Uworld and maybe another book if you're having particular problem with a subject area. I would also do a NBME exam every saturday to gauge progress but leave NBME 7 last since that's what I felt to be most accurate representation of the actual USMLE test. Good luck peeps
Resources:
1. UWorld qbank 1.5 run through
2. Kaplan qbank: made it through all the high yield questions but not the entire thing
3. First Aid: went through 80% or so of the book
4. NBME 7,11,6 and 5 = avg around 230s
5. UWorld Assessments = 227 and 241
Real deal: 232/99
All in all, I'm pretty happy with my exam score as I was not really aiming on doing any of the super competitive specialties. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably take 4 weeks instead of 5 and would ramp UP the studying near the end instead of ramping down. My advice: I don't necessarily feel all the other resources that everyone has mentioned to be terribly useful and you should just stick to FA, Uworld and maybe another book if you're having particular problem with a subject area. I would also do a NBME exam every saturday to gauge progress but leave NBME 7 last since that's what I felt to be most accurate representation of the actual USMLE test. Good luck peeps
my experience on 06-24-2011, 09:16 PM #1918
I'm so exited! I was expecting similar result to NBME's 235 or near that so this was awesome! for me. actually the closest prediction was my first UWAS 1 that was 245.
I want to do Ped/Meds so this will help me a lot.
Now to rotations!
Thanks to everyone in this forum, it was very helpful and it made me laugh a lot.
good luck to everyone on their step exam!
I'm so exited! I was expecting similar result to NBME's 235 or near that so this was awesome! for me. actually the closest prediction was my first UWAS 1 that was 245.
I want to do Ped/Meds so this will help me a lot.
Now to rotations!
Thanks to everyone in this forum, it was very helpful and it made me laugh a lot.
good luck to everyone on their step exam!
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hello, my exam was on 22nd July, it was really anatomy, neuro heavy... I also had some really weird behavior and phyiz qns.... The fact that I made at least 6-10 careless stupid mistakes, mostly on phyiz, has been making me feel really worried... and want to kick myself!!!
My progress as of follows:
05/13/2011 NBME 7 360 189
06/08/2011 150 Qn Practice CBT at Prometric 74%
prep was put aside for some family biz until July.
07/17/2011 UW 1 600 240
07/18/2011 NBME 6 550 233
Completed 100% UW Qbank, first pass: 63%
I'm worried that my nbme or/and uworld scores won't be predictive at all; I felt I did not know a whole lot while doing the forms, and think I was just lucky to get those scores... I did not feel good after the real deal last Friday esp with those stupid stupid mistakes I made on those behv RR qns mixed in with CI, and phyiz......
My mind just kept going through cycles of
after the test
appreciate any opinions from folks on this issue....
Can I expect to hear back on 10th Aug?
thanks for reading
4 days post exam 26/07/2011: I think either because of the boredom or more likely that I am losing my sanity.. I decided to do the free 143 questions for 2011 available on NBME website, got a 86%....
The test was different from the practice CBT I took at prometric back in June...
My progress as of follows:
05/13/2011 NBME 7 360 189
06/08/2011 150 Qn Practice CBT at Prometric 74%
prep was put aside for some family biz until July.
07/17/2011 UW 1 600 240
07/18/2011 NBME 6 550 233
Completed 100% UW Qbank, first pass: 63%
I'm worried that my nbme or/and uworld scores won't be predictive at all; I felt I did not know a whole lot while doing the forms, and think I was just lucky to get those scores... I did not feel good after the real deal last Friday esp with those stupid stupid mistakes I made on those behv RR qns mixed in with CI, and phyiz......
My mind just kept going through cycles of
after the testappreciate any opinions from folks on this issue....
Can I expect to hear back on 10th Aug?
thanks for reading
4 days post exam 26/07/2011: I think either because of the boredom or more likely that I am losing my sanity.. I decided to do the free 143 questions for 2011 available on NBME website, got a 86%....
The test was different from the practice CBT I took at prometric back in June...
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hello, my exam was on 22nd July, it was really anatomy, neuro heavy... I also had some really weird behavior and phyiz qns.... The fact that I made at least 6-10 careless stupid mistakes, mostly on phyiz, has been making me feel really worried... and want to kick myself!!!
I got a number of weird questions. I got three questions pertaining to doctor-patient romantic relationships and in each question the stem made sure to inform me that "You are attracted to this patient" which I thought was hilarious while I was testing.
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Got my score today: 244/99.
I expected more though my practice NBME was around the same.
USWA tests definitely over estimate the score. I got high 260's on that.
Everyone has given great advice so I dont need to say much except:
Dont worry about what other people are scoring on this forum. Set your own goal and work only towards that. I wanted a high 250's but unfortunately it did not work out.
Good luck to all.
I expected more though my practice NBME was around the same.
USWA tests definitely over estimate the score. I got high 260's on that.
Everyone has given great advice so I dont need to say much except:
Dont worry about what other people are scoring on this forum. Set your own goal and work only towards that. I wanted a high 250's but unfortunately it did not work out.
Good luck to all.
250/99
IMG
Took the exam on July 7th. Thought it was really difficult, lots of repro path/anatomy which sucked. Lots of stupid micro viral questions on transduction, transformation. Made some stupid mistakes, changed some right answers to the wrong ones.
Oh well, I'm happy overall. Should be able to transfer into a US school now or match easily through my school (One of the Big 3 Carib schools)
IMG
Took the exam on July 7th. Thought it was really difficult, lots of repro path/anatomy which sucked. Lots of stupid micro viral questions on transduction, transformation. Made some stupid mistakes, changed some right answers to the wrong ones.
Oh well, I'm happy overall. Should be able to transfer into a US school now or match easily through my school (One of the Big 3 Carib schools)
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Got my results back this morning. Feeling a little embarrassed because, as you can see from my post-exam post, I was feeling overconfident. It just goes to show that you can leave there feeling like you did horrible and do great; OTOH, you can leave there feeling like you did great and not do as well as you thought you did. I ended up getting 247/99, a far cry from the 260 it felt like I got!
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247 is a great score... congratulations
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thank you
Not going to lie, but after reading all your posts about your exam and preparation, I felt really inadequate in terms of my preparation.
I did UWorld once and read through FA a couple of times and did DIT. I felt like I would do 220 at the most after comparing the way I prepared to the way you prepared, but I guess it just goes to show you, different ways work for different people. You don't need to do 14,000 questions, but you do need to learn how to read and interpret questions properly... I think that's honestly like 65% of taking these exams. The knowledge base between all med students is pretty similar. Analytical thinking plays a huge role I believe.
Congrats on your score, it's a great score and can get you into many places. I'm happy with my 250/99. Having a chip on my shoulder for going to a carib school only made me work harder to dispel the stigma that we're inferior students. The 250/99 is something no one can ever discount or take away from me. Congrats to everyone on a job well done.
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I am also Caribbean IMG. I think most of it has to do w/ how seriously one takes basic sciences. I never made the Dean's list and was a half-asser, so it was requisite for me to prepare the way I did!
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I just want to point out, and also to any IMGs reading this, that whatever stigma that exists against you guys is immature and ******ed.
Medicine is medicine is medicine. That's it. Almost every medical student across the world studies out of the same textbooks and has access to the same internet resources as US students. Medicine is composed of scientific facts and theories, it's absurd to assume that those set of facts taught in one country differ so drastically from the set of facts taught in another country that one becomes superior/inferior to the other.
Congratulations on good scores! And good luck on clinical rotations.
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Very well put, and thank you!
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After only a couple days I have the horrible feeling creeping in that I made a crap ton of mistakes, and starting to feel like I will be lucky to just pass. I know most people feel bad about the exam, but do many people leave feeling ok (not good but just ok) and then realize they made a lot of mistakes and things still turn out good?!?!?
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I felt leaving good, but then during my 8-9week wait for my score things changed. I started to realize i made mistakes and then I couldn't remember what answer choices i made. I was so scared! But in the end I did pretty well (I was hoping for >240) I got a 238. I know that by SDN scores, that is really not as good as what seems to be the norm on this forum. Good Luck, you will be ok dude.
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thanx, that's kind of how how I am feeling, I would def. be happy if my situation turned out like yours. I just wish I could forget about everything and only worry if I get my scores and they are bad. I made a 238 on UWSA 2, 4 days before my exam and fig it overpredicted my score by a lot, but I felt that the real thing was very similar to the uwsa. I hope this fairy tale has a happy ending.
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I got a 238 on UWSA2 3 days before my exam, which is on Saturday
. Everyone says it over predicts, but it was only 4 points above my last NBME 12. I was rereading old posts about UWSA2, and I don't think I found any significant anecdotal evidence that it over predicted (given that you didn't get like 260+ish on it). I'm just hoping that I might be around there, and that I can hopefully work on my weak areas before the actual test
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I got a 238 on UWSA2 3 days before my exam, which is on Saturday
Everyone says it over predicts, but it was only 4 points above my last NBME 12. I was rereading old posts about UWSA2, and I don't think I found any significant anecdotal evidence that it over predicted (given that you didn't get like 260+ish on it). I'm just hoping that I might be around there, and that I can hopefully work on my weak areas before the actual test
It over predicted my score by 10 points, 5 points for friend A and 7 points for friend B.
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But you got 261 on UWSA2- or that is what I read in an old post by you.
I wrote that I did notice it overpredicted people that got a 260 in...which would be your score. So, your post seems to be consistent with my assessment.
Yea, I agree with you. I think it over predicts when you are scoring pretty high, but it is off by a few points when you are scoring in the 220-230 range. Nothing major, though.
FWIW, UWSA2 predicted my score (252) on the dot. I took it a couple weeks out, but then I didn't study much between UWSA2 and the real deal so I think it was a good predictor.
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I would be fine if it only over-predicted my score by 10, with all the mistakes/wrong answers I have realized. Just worries me because the only other assessment I did was 4.5 weeks before that on NBME 11, and it was a 205.
Read through whole FA once, read part of the micro section and the biochem section once more
Did 300 UWorld questions
85 Kaplan questions
My score was low but passing. I was just very glad to pass.
Did 300 UWorld questions
85 Kaplan questions
My score was low but passing. I was just very glad to pass.
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I feel the same, no matter what I do and the feeling of having made a ton of mistakes just creeps in. I made a bunch of stupid mistakes on the test and that's really making me worried. I did UWSA 1 240 and Form 6 233 4 and 3 days before my test and I hope they are not a fluke.... The night before my test I just couldn't go to sleep, now I can't sleep because I keep thinking about those stupid mistakes I made.
Just took the exam today....got my ass HANDED to me.
Average of 17-20 marked questions per section, and I usually get more incorrect. Difficulty was beyond Uworld and Kaplan. I studied hard and well for this exam, and I truly gave it my best today. My qbanks and assessments were on point.
I give props to those who score 250+, this test is no joke.
Average of 17-20 marked questions per section, and I usually get more incorrect. Difficulty was beyond Uworld and Kaplan. I studied hard and well for this exam, and I truly gave it my best today. My qbanks and assessments were on point.
I give props to those who score 250+, this test is no joke.
Don't fret; my Step 1 exam was also harder than UWorld and Kaplan (and I felt like crap coming out of the exam), and I also marked around 20-30 questions per block, but I ended up scoring 250+. If the exam is hard, then the curve will be low.
I really did. Was gonna write up my prep and yada yada post my exam, but felt that there was no one wld want to listen to how a loser prepped haha. Or maybe they wld - to know how NOT to prep?
I really did feel like I failed. 8 brutal hours. Was pretty much depressed that night. Looked up some questions (which I NEVER do) after the exam - and I had missed some gimmes. Even more depressed.
My test was HARD. Def harder than uworld or the practice nbme's. Much much harder. I felt like I could have spent another 2+ wks on FA/Uworld and still wouldn't be enough prep. Yea, it was that bad. Soo depressing.
I was like 'the hell', 'what in the world', 'how am i supposed to know that', 'no way' etc etc throughout my ENTIRE test. lol during uworld practice, I usually marked like 10 or so...but always had at least 10-15 mins to go over each section. The real deal? Marked at least 20-30 (no joke), skipped at least 5-6 per section, and had just <5 mins to go over stuff at the end. So basically, I had zero time to go over my answers...something that I always did in med school. SUCKED. Stems were LONG, confusing (random hint - I dont even bother looking at all the lab values, 70% of them were useless detractors) and tiring. And the cute prometric chic that was hitting on me kept on coming into the room - extra distraction. Argh!
Anyways..
My uworld average was somewhere in the late 60's/early 70's. I cant say exactly cos I kept changing my wrong answers to the right ones when I started doing my prep lol I didnt want to see those depressing 40%. So I actually dropped from 90's at the beginning (LOL) to 60/70's when I decided I knew enough to not feel bad about my score.
Anyways, i'm pretty much an average (+/-) student in class - struggled to make the mean in 1st year exams...things got a bit better 2nd year and honored 3 or so classes, nothing really spectacular.
Boards prep - Total of 6-7 wks prep - about 8 hours a day (on a good day really)...I don't know how all ya'll do 12 hour days. Guess that why you guys all score in the 260's?
Used primarily FA (went over it 2ce) and uworld (1ce)...and wiki. Had an extra neuro resource here and barely touched brs path (but was a bit handy). Thats about it. Prayed a LOT before and after my exam lol definitely needed that and I believe it played a HUGE part in me passing.
I'm beginning to wonder though - is it better to get a harder test? Cos I mean, almost everyone is gonna bomb the harder test, so the curve is a bit better? Cos I promise you - I felt like I failed the thing. Was ridic hard. Maybe all my sections were experimental? No joke. I just wanted to pass at the end - got really really sad during my last block...
So yea - easier test = harder curve? idk..
Anyways, I scored in the mid 230's. Good enough for me really as I'm not going for anything super competitive and I really really did think I failed it...or at best didnt reach the 200 cut off.
Advice - work hard 2nd year. Start board prep early (only if you can and if it doesnt interfere with you learning 2nd year stuff!). I planned on starting early, bout my uworld qbank in January, all pumped and ready to go.
Didnt happen haha. Started using it in May or so. I personally didnt start early cos it was just a bit too much for me to do with all the learning 2nd year, but if you can, more power to you...def wldn't hurt. At least at least try to read a couple pages of FA or something. Wldn't hurt one bit.
FA and Uworld is really all you need. If you know those COLD, and then brush up on your weak areas with other resources, you're good to go.
Lastly, do you. Be honest with yourself about your strengths/weaknesses, and don't compare yourself with ANYONE in med school. Just do you and be the BEST you can be. Thats good enough.
Good luck ya'll.
I really did feel like I failed. 8 brutal hours. Was pretty much depressed that night. Looked up some questions (which I NEVER do) after the exam - and I had missed some gimmes. Even more depressed.
My test was HARD. Def harder than uworld or the practice nbme's. Much much harder. I felt like I could have spent another 2+ wks on FA/Uworld and still wouldn't be enough prep. Yea, it was that bad. Soo depressing.
I was like 'the hell', 'what in the world', 'how am i supposed to know that', 'no way' etc etc throughout my ENTIRE test. lol during uworld practice, I usually marked like 10 or so...but always had at least 10-15 mins to go over each section. The real deal? Marked at least 20-30 (no joke), skipped at least 5-6 per section, and had just <5 mins to go over stuff at the end. So basically, I had zero time to go over my answers...something that I always did in med school. SUCKED. Stems were LONG, confusing (random hint - I dont even bother looking at all the lab values, 70% of them were useless detractors) and tiring. And the cute prometric chic that was hitting on me kept on coming into the room - extra distraction. Argh!
Anyways..
My uworld average was somewhere in the late 60's/early 70's. I cant say exactly cos I kept changing my wrong answers to the right ones when I started doing my prep lol I didnt want to see those depressing 40%. So I actually dropped from 90's at the beginning (LOL) to 60/70's when I decided I knew enough to not feel bad about my score.
Anyways, i'm pretty much an average (+/-) student in class - struggled to make the mean in 1st year exams...things got a bit better 2nd year and honored 3 or so classes, nothing really spectacular.
Boards prep - Total of 6-7 wks prep - about 8 hours a day (on a good day really)...I don't know how all ya'll do 12 hour days. Guess that why you guys all score in the 260's?
Used primarily FA (went over it 2ce) and uworld (1ce)...and wiki. Had an extra neuro resource here and barely touched brs path (but was a bit handy). Thats about it. Prayed a LOT before and after my exam lol definitely needed that and I believe it played a HUGE part in me passing.
I'm beginning to wonder though - is it better to get a harder test? Cos I mean, almost everyone is gonna bomb the harder test, so the curve is a bit better? Cos I promise you - I felt like I failed the thing. Was ridic hard. Maybe all my sections were experimental? No joke. I just wanted to pass at the end - got really really sad during my last block...
So yea - easier test = harder curve? idk..
Anyways, I scored in the mid 230's. Good enough for me really as I'm not going for anything super competitive and I really really did think I failed it...or at best didnt reach the 200 cut off.
Advice - work hard 2nd year. Start board prep early (only if you can and if it doesnt interfere with you learning 2nd year stuff!). I planned on starting early, bout my uworld qbank in January, all pumped and ready to go.
Didnt happen haha. Started using it in May or so. I personally didnt start early cos it was just a bit too much for me to do with all the learning 2nd year, but if you can, more power to you...def wldn't hurt. At least at least try to read a couple pages of FA or something. Wldn't hurt one bit.
FA and Uworld is really all you need. If you know those COLD, and then brush up on your weak areas with other resources, you're good to go.
Lastly, do you. Be honest with yourself about your strengths/weaknesses, and don't compare yourself with ANYONE in med school. Just do you and be the BEST you can be. Thats good enough.
Good luck ya'll.
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Great work! It definitely paid off in the end
This was EXACTLY my experience (down to the attractive prometric chick). The length of the vignettes was absurd, and at least half of the content I've never seen before. Some questions were so clinically detailed, you could probably see them in Step3.
However, I would be ecstatic with the results you had.
Well said. This is the one thing keeping me from hanging my head.
I may not impress the boards, but I'm certainly impressed with myself
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I got a 238 on UWSA2 3 days before my exam, which is on Saturday
Everyone says it over predicts, but it was only 4 points above my last NBME 12. I was rereading old posts about UWSA2, and I don't think I found any significant anecdotal evidence that it over predicted (given that you didn't get like 260+ish on it). I'm just hoping that I might be around there, and that I can hopefully work on my weak areas before the actual test
All my practice tests under predicted my score. I got a 250 on UWSA2 and a 258 on the real thing. Also, a few days before my exam day I got a 238 on NBME practice exam (I forget which one I took).
Just thought I'd provide you with an example that it's possible to have your scores under predicted!
