Step I Official 2012 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread
Started by amavir281
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I was really bored so I looked back in the thread to correlate 2 digit to 3 digit numbers.
75: 188-192
...
83: 228-232
84: 233-237
85: 238-242
86: 243-247
87: 248-252
88: 253-257
89: 258-262
90: 263-267
91: 268-272
92+: Insufficient data; 275 is a 92
From what I can tell it's 5 three digit scores = a given 2 digit score. However it seems to only apply for a given time period. I've seen scores such as a 246 be reported as both as an 86 and an 87. The guys saying 87 took the test in late August vs the guys saying 86 who took it in June.
75: 188-192
...
83: 228-232
84: 233-237
85: 238-242
86: 243-247
87: 248-252
88: 253-257
89: 258-262
90: 263-267
91: 268-272
92+: Insufficient data; 275 is a 92
From what I can tell it's 5 three digit scores = a given 2 digit score. However it seems to only apply for a given time period. I've seen scores such as a 246 be reported as both as an 86 and an 87. The guys saying 87 took the test in late August vs the guys saying 86 who took it in June.
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When is your exam?
If your exam is on the 19th, don't even think about touching anything other than FA, UWorld and the NBMEs.
Put Goljan and other resources aside. It's too late for learning concepts. Sit down. Memorize FA. Finish / do your incorrects in UWorld if you haven't already, and complete all of the NBME exams. Living and breathing FA for the final two weeks is essential because most of your high-yield points are right there.
I would also recommend the ijn method of PrntScr-imaging all of your incorrect NBME questions into a Powerpoint for last-day blitz-review.
Put Goljan and other resources aside. It's too late for learning concepts. Sit down. Memorize FA. Finish / do your incorrects in UWorld if you haven't already, and complete all of the NBME exams. Living and breathing FA for the final two weeks is essential because most of your high-yield points are right there.
I would also recommend the ijn method of PrntScr-imaging all of your incorrect NBME questions into a Powerpoint for last-day blitz-review.
Yes you can, use something other than the standard method.
There was some bloke on this thread some time ago who said he had taken pictures with his camera, printed them, and then taped them into his FA. That's a bit overkill though if you ask me. The fact that the UWorld app doesn't allow keyboard functions (e.g. PrntScr) is just extra incentive to annotate and learn ultra-well from that QBank on the first pass. I believe UWorld Qs, including their self-assessment exams, however, should be exhausted in their entirety (including however many passes one chooses to do on the QBank) by 10-14 days-out from the exam, at the most. The final days should be for just FA + the NBME assessments. On the other hand, if you're time-constrained and need to use the last days to get UWorld done, then so be it.
Isn't two weeks with only FA a bit of an overkill? It has only 600-odd pages. Maybe 7 ten-hour-days is more reasonable?
Wow, awesome stuff. Here's another challenge for the forum folks. Let us say three people score 250, 240 and 230 respectively on the exam. Out of the 322 questions approximately how many questions do each of the three get wrong?
Is this in any way predictable? Just curious.
In my opinion its impossible to predict outside of maybe reverse engineering the NBMEs and even that might be totally off. The fact that not every wrong is created equal makes it very hard to find something like this out.
Someone getting experimentals wrong isn't going to be the same as someone getting a non-experimental question wrong. I've also heard rumors that questions that are answered incorrectly by an overwhelming majority of people and questions that are answered correctly by an overwhelming majority are crossed off. Just rumors though, never anything concrete.
Plus nobody actually knows how many questions they got wrong in the first place.
I don't know what planet you've arrived from, but if you can fully internalize your multi-QBank-annotated FA in just a week, then that's just beyond me. Everyone is different, but I've probably doubled the length of my FA, given that every page is covered with my minuscule writing at this point. If you gave me two weeks at 10hrs/day, I think I might be able to do just a very cursory skim of it all.
Isn't the consensus to just annotate material from UWorld into FA? I'm sure if you count other qbanks... then that's quite a heavy load...
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Sorry I didn't mean to say that at all. What I meant to say was, wouldn't it be better to find a balance between good studying and getting burnt out?
I haven't done it yet, but I have kept aside exactly 7 days for the final FA revision including notes from only UWorld. I'm hoping I would have all the concepts internalized before that time so that final 7 days would be just to revise all the facts once again.
Have I overestimated myself? Is it difficult to do that in about 70 hours of desk time?
Quite honestly, I would say that there have been enough people on this thread this year with 260+ who had executed one of a number of different tactics. You just need to find what's best for you.
Okay, let us know how it works out for you.
I appreciate the previous replies to my posts! But right now I am in a very freaked out mode...I took UWSA1 and got 540/228!! This was taken about 4 days after NBME 7, in which I got 219. I have the exam on the 19th. So I am really scared and am thinking of postponing the exam, since UWSA overpredicts by god knows how much!!
What should I do? At this point, I will be more than happy with the score of 225 on the real deal!! Any advice/feedback is as always, GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Should I extend the exam? Or just review first aid as much as I can and take it? THANKS!!
What should I do? At this point, I will be more than happy with the score of 225 on the real deal!! Any advice/feedback is as always, GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! Should I extend the exam? Or just review first aid as much as I can and take it? THANKS!!
The decision to postpone the exam comes down to you. However be aware that your real score, with high probability, will be close to your NBMEs. If it were me, I would not sit the USMLE until I were happy with my NBMEs.
Is there a problem in postponing the exam for you? I'm getting the impression that you want someone to tell you to go ahead and take the exam even if you are not completely happy with the NBME scores.
Haha, yeah that is pretty much summing it up!! I guess I was just looking for an outsider to give positive feedback so that I can gain some confidence. Or someone that has had similar NBME scores and then took the exam and passed or did well!! I know its weird, but I guess that's what happens to your when the exam is in a week!!
If you look at my thread history, I pretty much said that same exact thing. I was 4 days out of my test and I was worried about taking an NBME and losing confidence. The fact of the matter is, NBMEs are good practice and a decent indicator of your score.
It boils down to the Step 1 score being extremely important and you have to do what it takes. Clench your teeth and take an NBME. If its bad postpone the test, simple as that. In the big scheme of things going through the headache of postponing and not finishing on time is nothing compared to the hassle of dealing with a bad score.
Its also an easier choice if you don't have any scheduling issues (no deadline or rotations coming up), but nonetheless you do what you have to do.
FWIW, I ended up getting a 242 on the NBME I took 4 days before my test and I didn't postpone, but my score comes out on Wednesday, so let's hope I made the right choice 😉
Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong thread but was wondering if the same materials mentioned in the thread ( FA, USMLEWorld, USMLErx etc ) are good enough for FMGs taking Step 1. The Steps aren't integrated in our curriculum so we might need more than just concise books for understanding concepts.
Also I'm in the last few months of medical school, finish in December. So I'm more comfortable with the clinical subjects than basic sciences which were covered in Year 1 and 2. Is it advisable to take Step 2 first?
Thanks for your time and any help is appreciated, I don't even know where to begin to prepare for the boards.
There was another thread for FMGs/IMGs and Step 1 but the information seemed to be out of date so if there's a recent one, post the link please?
Also I'm in the last few months of medical school, finish in December. So I'm more comfortable with the clinical subjects than basic sciences which were covered in Year 1 and 2. Is it advisable to take Step 2 first?
Thanks for your time and any help is appreciated, I don't even know where to begin to prepare for the boards.
There was another thread for FMGs/IMGs and Step 1 but the information seemed to be out of date so if there's a recent one, post the link please?
I know folks that have taken Step 2 before Step 1. I'd recommend grabbing copies of Step 1 and Step 2 books and spending a day going through each one. Then decide what you feel more comfortable with/remember more of and go with that. The best option would probably be to take a practice test in each one and see what you score higher in, but that might be very taxing.
As far as resources go, FA, UWorld and a good Pathology resource (Pathoma/Golgan/BRS) are more than enough for anybody whos actually gone to medical school and has a decent grasp on the English language. They have 95% of the points you're going to encounter, but there will obviously be topics you've forgotten/not understood that you'll have to search online for or open another resource. Obviously if you find things aren't working you can turn to DIT or Kaplan Videos but the FA/Uworld/Pathoma trio is an excellent base.
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I forward Ronin786.
Everyone's exam is unique and different and there is no specific percentage/no of questions per se set by NBME for each subject/organ system.
That said, path, pharm nd physio cover quite a bit of step 1. Can't put a number though. Pure conjecture.
Ok thanks!
One more thing, I read somewhere on this forum that we wont know when the exam dates are until after we apply, so how do we estimate how much time to put aside?
Will 4-6 months do? That's with no rotations, just prep time for Step 1.
One more thing, I read somewhere on this forum that we wont know when the exam dates are until after we apply, so how do we estimate how much time to put aside?
Will 4-6 months do? That's with no rotations, just prep time for Step 1.
How much prep time one needs, depends on the individual- his target score, time he can afford, level of knowledge and so on and so forth. So, go through FA, take a NBME, identify your weak areas and you'll have a pretty good picture of how much time you need to study to get to whatever score it is you have in mind.
You can schedule the test anytime of the year except the first 15 days of Jan. Register on ECFMG-- http://bit.ly/BmVtD, take a 3 month eligibility period, pay, submit your form 183/186( http://bit.ly/PvJKVi ). You shall receive the scheduling permit from ECFMG within 21-25 days. Once you have the permit, schedule your exam via prometric ( http://bit.ly/X9rWPw )on a date within the 3 month eligibility period you applied for. If for some reason you are unable to take the exam within this period, you can then apply for a "one time" extension for the "next consecutive" 3 month slot, for $65.
Yeah, they are- In India 6 outta the 8 prometric centers have opened up early 2013 slots. I am guessing from this post- http://bit.ly/SVkLdc that others shall follow suit in the next day or so.
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So I just took NBME 12 (as suggested), got 231 which is an improvement from the previous NBME. Exam in a few days, I just want to get an average score 225. Do you think I am safe to go in with this NBME 12 score and score in the 220's???? THANKS for all the feedback, it has been really useful! Exam anxiety is starting to kick in!!!!!
So I took my exam yesterday, and since this forum helped me a lot, I wanted to give some feedback. I put in more details when I get my scores in a couple of weeks, but to those that are studying right now I wanna say this: FA/UW/Pathoma is a perfect combination. Read every commentary, take your time to read FA again and again, and then that definitely is enough for a good score.
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No, generally you want your NBMEs to be averaging at least 250 to score a 225 on the real deal.
Just got my score. 23x/84
I was supposed to begin studying back in March while doing rotations, but I only got through Genetics, Biochem and Patho. Then I took a 3 week vacation after the year ended and started back up in July. I took too long finishing up First Aid for the first pass, as I only got through it with around a month left before the test and I hadn't started Uworld. I took UWSA with around 15% of UWorld done and got a 234, then I took NBME 11 with 40% done and got a 235. I took NBME 13 just 4 days before my test after finishing 75% and got a 242.
My overall Uworld % on timed random was 71% so I was expecting a bit higher, but in the end I think I messed up on too many of the easy questions since I didn't memorize every word in FA.
In either case, Uworld/FA/Pathoma is more than enough to score good on this test.
Its quite clear from my score profile that anatomy really hurt me. Cell bio, Nervous System and Gross Anatomy really took me down. Hopefully its a good enough score though, and at least I can stop worrying about what questions I got right or wrong.
I was supposed to begin studying back in March while doing rotations, but I only got through Genetics, Biochem and Patho. Then I took a 3 week vacation after the year ended and started back up in July. I took too long finishing up First Aid for the first pass, as I only got through it with around a month left before the test and I hadn't started Uworld. I took UWSA with around 15% of UWorld done and got a 234, then I took NBME 11 with 40% done and got a 235. I took NBME 13 just 4 days before my test after finishing 75% and got a 242.
My overall Uworld % on timed random was 71% so I was expecting a bit higher, but in the end I think I messed up on too many of the easy questions since I didn't memorize every word in FA.
In either case, Uworld/FA/Pathoma is more than enough to score good on this test.
Its quite clear from my score profile that anatomy really hurt me. Cell bio, Nervous System and Gross Anatomy really took me down. Hopefully its a good enough score though, and at least I can stop worrying about what questions I got right or wrong.
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hey congrats!! awesome score. when did u take the exam? trying to figure out when my result will come out
I took my test on the 24th of September. I've come to understand that if you take your test on a Weds, Thurs or Friday then you count 3 Wednesdays. If you take it on a Monday or Tuesday then you count 4 Wednesdays.
Ronin, thanks so much for having helped out on this forum. Congrats on your exam.
Given your NBME scores, how do you compare the difficulty of NBME11 and 13 with your actual exam?
Given your NBME scores, how do you compare the difficulty of NBME11 and 13 with your actual exam?
I felt NBME 11 was easier than NBME 13 but I felt that neither of them really compared to my exam.
For me the test felt exactly like it was a Uworld test. I don't know if that was good or bad, but I know I missed something like 7-10 easy questions, and I think those made all the difference. I kept on putting off little things till the end saying that I would forget them and in the end I didnt even get to them.
For example, Lymph Nodes, Differences in old people, Stages of the sleep cycle. Stuff that I definitely should have gotten, but I kept postponing them. I don't know if I didn't give UWorld enough time, but if I had 1 wish I'd go back and memorize the crap out of FA.
BTW since I don't want to go around asking the Resident forums, how competitive would you guys say this score is? Sticking around SDN and IMGs will give you no idea what a good score is lol. I'm a USIMG and I'm interested in Anesthesia. Aye or nay?
don't worry about it man
my friend is a US IMG too and matched in Mayo clinic with slightly less score than urs
ur in good shape, provided that u get USCE
oh and congratulations on ur score 🙂
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what if you take it on a sunday?
Count three Wednesdays.
And thanks for the wishes guys. This forum was a great help. I was surprised that the actual waiting for the score was much harder than studying. I was pretty much unable to focus or do anything these past 3 weeks.
I don't know about Sunday, but I know that if you take it Monday or Tuesday, you need to wait four Wednesdays, but if you take it Wed-Fri, it's only three Wednesdays. Luckily, I'm taking mine on a Friday. That also means after I finish the exam, I won't go out partying or anything 🙂
I pretty much forgot about this topic and coming back here to follow up with my score. I got my score back on July 11th but was already in the swing of my OB/Gyn clerkship and things were in a whirlwind of clerkships since then, so it kind of slipped my mind.
Here is what I did for prep and how I felt about the test on test day:
Scores leading up to the test:
How I felt about test day:
Actual results: 265
Thanks for the help I received from reading these forums for prep and gl to everyone still going to take it and those already in their clinical years.
Here is what I did for prep and how I felt about the test on test day:
Scores leading up to the test:
How I felt about test day:
Actual results: 265
Thanks for the help I received from reading these forums for prep and gl to everyone still going to take it and those already in their clinical years.
