Official 2012 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[amavir281]

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I saw that there was a similar thread for 2011 that had plenty of useful info so I figured its best to start one for 2012. 👍

 

[courtnes]

Good luck everyone! I'll be in your shoes next year, though hopefully without the added wait.

Also, there are 500 people viewing this forum, I've never seen so many users on.

 

[shadowfox87]

263/90

If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer. Search this thread for my study plan.

I thought 2-digit scores were eliminated?

 

[deleted103644]

I thought 2-digit scores were eliminated?

They've been rescaled. Probably makes them more useful, but you can't compare older 2 digit scores to the current ones.

5 years ago, a 230+ would be a 99. Now a 260+ is just a 90 (as above).

This doesn't mean the test is easier, I think someone just got tired of IMGs with average scores bragging about their 99s.

 

[docjohn101]

has anyone who has gotten their score and passed or not gotten their score tried to apply for step 1 again through the nbme site? If so, is it letting you go through?

 

[roast]

man i am nervous, are scores reported on the USMLE Candidate page under "check exam status"?

 

[theRainmaker78]

They've been rescaled. Probably makes them more useful, but you can't compare older 2 digit scores to the current ones.

5 years ago, a 230+ would be a 99. Now a 260+ is just a 90 (as above).

This doesn't mean the test is easier, I think someone just got tired of IMGs with average scores bragging about their 99s.

No the test is in fact harder. The NBME actually keep increasing the difficulty a bit every year to make up for the better knowledge/performancce by students (heard this from a reliable source). A 230 now is comparable to a 230, 5 years back in RELATIVE terms. Meaning it may be a harder 230 to achieve now in definite terms, but relative to all other test takers in 2012 (who have all the same improved study materials) its the same if that makes any sense.

 

[illegallysmooth]

No the test is in fact harder. The NBME actually keep increasing the difficulty a bit every year to make up for the better knowledge/performancce by students (heard this from a reliable source). A 230 now is comparable to a 230, 5 years back in RELATIVE terms. Meaning it may be a harder 230 to achieve now in definite terms, but relative to all other test takers in 2012 (who have all the same improved study materials) its the same if that makes any sense.

Yeah ok but they rescaled the two digit score. The other guy didn't actually say the test was NO HARDER than it was previously, just that they rescaled the two digit score so the different two digit scores don't purely represent an increase in difficulty.

 

[lrkoehle]

My score got up at exactly 11 am EST.

245...very good, but below my practice exams. Oh well, at least I won't get my app thrown in the trash can before being reviewed now...

 

[cablen64k]

For other average, non "I'm pissed I got a 265 instead of a 270" students:

Just got my results back. 219, DO student. Legit thought I had failed walking out of the exam. Unsure on 10-20 questions per section (ranging between did not know at all to 50/50). But it's always worse in your head than in real life. Not thrilled that I'm around average, but I should at least get a look from MD programs if I want to apply that way, right? I mean, I'm not looking for Ortho or Derm, but for IM and Surg, will I have a shot?

If anyone has any questions or wants me to go into more detail, let me know, I'm at my radiology rotation right now and took time to look at my score in the middle of the day... lol.

 

[celkon]

265/90 feel free to ask questions.

 

[theRainmaker78]

Yeah ok but they rescaled the two digit score. The other guy didn't actually say the test was NO HARDER than it was previously, just that they rescaled the two digit score so the different two digit scores don't purely represent an increase in difficulty.

Yea I agree, I know what he meant I just wanted to make that point. The two digit score is meaningless.

 

[monkily_stealth]

NBME 3: 235 (1 week out)
UWSA 1: 252 (1 day out)

Real Deal: 224/82

Not gonna lie, I'm disappointed, but only because my practice exams got my hopes up. I am thankful to have passed, though, don't get me wrong. DO here, so hoping for a stellar COMLEX (haha crapshoot I know).

 

[shenanigi]

253/88 never did an NBME practice, but UWorld was 73% total correct.

All I did was read FA and do UWorld for the 4 weeks between finals and step

 

[willen101383]

Cant login to nbme!!! ahhhh! Server must not be able to handle the load right now

 

[weightlifter911]

site is down hard good luck

 

[illegallysmooth]

I took the test yesterday.
My prep:
UWorld (once through plus incorrect) - 80% on first time through
Kaplan Q Bank for Step 1 (once through, no time for incorrect) - 78%
Kaplan Q Bank for Level 1 (didn't finish it) - 80-something
First Aid once through (slowly, in detail), and then I went back over all the FA general principles chapters and a few select systems. I also listened to Goljan audios while driving and walking my dog, and looked at patho slides online.

My school did an NBME diagnostic back in March, I got a 245.
UWSA1 a few weeks after that - around 245
UWSA2 a couple weeks ago - 265
CBSSA13 a week ago- 259


Overall, I'd say the difficulty was similar to UWorld, some sections were a little easier. My first block was rough, I was thinking "crap I hope the whole test isn't like this" and starting to freak out. Thankfully, it got easier after that. I can't recall a single question for which I couldn't at least narrow down the answer choices, but there were definitely a handful that I had to narrow down and then guess. I did a LOT of practice questions, and they still managed to find brand new ways to ask about concepts. Some of the questions took me a few minutes just to realize what the concept was that they were testing! They asked several "arrow questions" - with all the variables that either go up, down, or stay the same. There were several of those on acid/base, Ca/PTH/Vit D/Phosphate and cardio physio. The difficulty of those questions surprised me. I don't think I've EVER gotten a Ca/PTH/Vit D question wrong on UWorld, but the way USMLE did it was confusing and I very well could have gotten it wrong. The cardio one was also difficult, not straightforward at all. Like someone else said on this thread, I don't think more studying would have really helped me with the questions I had a hard time with. Those questions weren't asking about something I could just look up in FA, they were about taking my understanding of concepts/mechanisms and applying them to different situations.


I'll be surprised if I got less than a 245 or better than 255. I'm taking the comlex next week so I'll update then too.

Real score - 262/89. Pretty jazzed. 🙂

 

[dragon529]

265/90 feel free to ask questions.

Great score and kudos to your hard work! Can you post your study plan/techniques and any advices? TYIA. 👍

 

[CarlATHF]

Won't say my exact score since people on here know me, but >230, which I'm stoked about since I want to do primary care. People on here with much higher averages have better study plans, but for those of us that are not study machines, I'll just list my data for comparison's sake: 70% avg UWorld (had like 50 questions left over at the end), only took one NBME at the very beginning of the study period (4 weeks) to get a baseline, ended up with a 198 on it.

For those of us who are human and have limited time on our hands, UWorld and FA are really all you need. Good luck folks.

 

[RedSoxSuck]

My score got up at exactly 11 am EST.

245...very good, but below my practice exams. Oh well, at least I won't get my app thrown in the trash can before being reviewed now...

Congrats..

 

[boblo]

I took the test yesterday and don't really know what to think. I'm not the best person when it comes to maintaining a strict study schedule. My studying consisted of doing 80% of usmlerx to start (60% average), completing uw mostly on tutor and untimed mode (70% average but in the last two weeks I was routinely getting 80%s), doing both uwsa's (241 on 1 and 247 on the 2nd), and looking at some of the nbmes. I barely opened FA.

I came out of the test thinking that there was no point in studying. I was kind of disappointed by the fact that it felt like my test covered 10% of what we've covered over the past two years. There were so many major things that were not tested on, instead I often found myself experiencing deja vu. I had 6 or 7 questions on the thyroid, 4 of them being hyperthyroidism, but not a single question about lupus, for example. I thought that the majority of questions were there to test your ability to analyze and think rather than to test your knowledge. It seemed like the questions were either very easy (simple fact recall) or very hard, not much in the middle ground. There was barely any biochem, which was disappointing as I spent the two days before the test memorizing a lot of biochem. A lot of embryology and renal questions. I think I had a grand total of 4 cardio questions... Stats was really easy, there were 3 questions about correlation coefficients. There were a lot of "what is the best initial response questions". I think I had 3 questions involving patients who want to use herbal medicine. I thought those questions were tougher than the typical uworld ones. I only noticed one question that for sure seemed to be experimental, where I could only find the answer to in some published papers. I did notice that probably 3-4 questions appeared to be almost carbon copies of nbme questions that I looked at the night before, that worked out well.

I walked into the place pretty confident that I could manage a 250, but was aiming for 240+. The first 3-4 blocks were pretty easy, but the last few blocks were pretty brutal and I marked every other question it seemed. I'm the kind of person to check the answers of questions I had trouble with, and it sucks to find out that I talked myself out of a few really easy questions that I should have gotten (though I'm sure everyone has a few of those...unless you got a 270). Now I'm hoping I got at least a 230, but I guess I'll have to wait a brutal 2.5 weeks or so to find out. My only real advice is to take your breaks and relax. I took a break after my third block and then most blocks thereafter, but just to goto the bathroom. I finished the exam with like 40 minutes left, and in retrospect, I'm wondering if the last few blocks felt so hard because I was losing my focus.

Got a 238 on the real thing. A little bummed out that I didn't hit my goal of 240, but it could be worse and I expect my score is good enough for most fields. For what it's worth, I discovered a total of 25 questions I got wrong over the past 2.5 weeks. About 8 or so were gimmes I should have gotten. In retrospect, I would have spent a little more time in FA (probably looked at it for an hour or two total) as I did find 2-3 qs I got wrong that were quite obvious in FA. Ultimately though, I don't think FA is necessary and felt sufficiently prepared by just doing questions.

 

[ohyeahbaby]

to the people posting their scores along with their last NBME, thank you!

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

Average student at an average school. Have always done well with standardized tests.

CBSE by school, no prep (3 months out): 200
NBME 11 (4 weeks out, start of study period): 212
UW self assessment 1 (2.5 weeks out): 250-ish
NBME 12 (1 week out): 235

Real test: 245

Prep: did about 400 questions from USMLE-Rx Q bank over the spring. Once in the 4 week study period, I switched to USMLE World (world is much better). I covered half to two chapters per day in FA and did about 100 questions/day. Once through the first pass of first aid, I just did it again. It went a lot faster the second time, even with questions. I then redid most of the questions I got wrong in World. I used HY Neuro since I was weak in that area. Additionally, I had failed our biochem course in school, so I spent an extra two days on FA biochem too. I did three practice exams. I thought the NBME exams were very similar to the real test. The UW-SA has great explanations but over estimates your score.

In summary for prep:
FA x2.5
World x1, plus wrong ones (THIS IS THE BEST RESOURCE). 70% on first take, doing questions just after reviewing the chapter in FA. 80% on second take.
HY Neuro x1
Goljan Audio (circa 1997) x1 while running for 3 months.

Tips:
USMLE World rocks. Use it. Read everything carefully.
FA kinda sucks. Think of it as more as a outline for your notes from World and other sources.
Goljan audio rocks. The way he makes you think about this stuff is awesome. I also still think of him as my best friend after spending so much time together. Very high yield. I wish I would have used his RR during course work.

Test impressions:
It was very hard. Some questions were very straight forward. Easier than World for the most part. But there were a handful of questions from each section that were complete guesses for me. I can remember a few questions that I still have no clue what they were trying to ask or even what subject area they were in. I felt like a wreck afterwards. I would recommend chilling out the evening before the test, and not trying to cram that night and stressing yourself out. Sleep is more important than cramming. I felt more time pressure during the actual test than the NBME exams. The question seemed slightly longer and a little more novel.

Good luck to everyone.

 

[Phlame217]

UW: 68% 1st timed/unused/random 85% 2nd missed/timed/random
Combank 90%
UsmleRx was done but forgot what percentage
Nbme: 7/11/13 - 240/240/250
Comsae A/B - 540/640

Study: FAx3, DIT 2012, RR path, BRS Phys, RR Biochem, very little pathoma

Took my test this morning. I found myself having a starkly different opinion then most here afterwards:

The test was fair. I had two blocks where I would say they hammerd me, 2 blocks of moderately difficult and 3 blocks of being what I would consider easy.

I had a good mixture of questions. I'd say 50% was pure fact recall straight out of FA, 30% was conceptual such as a 2 or 3 degree answering type. Rather than knowing just the name of of an enzyme involved you had to know the cofactor it used or it would ask you what other enzyme has a similar mechanism to the given diseased enzyme. 20% was the mix of experimental and just out right insane questions. I picked out a few of the experimentals (or so I hope) because they had screwed up lab value as others have said.

As far as content, i had
4 gross Neuro, 4-5 localize the lesion.
10-12 anatomy including a lot dealing with collateral blood flow I the celiac trunk area.
A lot of path
A lot of cardio and respiratory phys
2 audio heart sounds
Only 4 metabolic biochem
4 lysosomal disease
Vitamins were high yield
A lot of hematology
That's all that really stood out

Real deal >240

A lot of people know me so I won't post exact score
Pleased with my score 100%

 

[CalCyclone]

UWorld Avg: 63% (started in early March as I was beginning to study), last few weeks was between 70-85%
UWSA1: 236 (mid-April)
CBSE: 230 (5/17/12) after a week of Shelf exams
UWSA2: 242 (5/26/12)

Actual: 248 (6/6/12)

Very happy. Original goal was to be in the 230s. In the final weeks of studying, I thought I could be in the 240s, but I did not take any NBMEs, so wasn't positive where I stood. I walked out of the test thinking, "that felt about the same as my UWorld blocks" - which means: I don't feel absolutely great about the test right after, but I'm usually relatively happy with the score (compared to how it felt).

Used primarily First Aid and UWorld. Some Goljian, some BRS physio early on when I was "leisurely" studying in February. Slowly went through DIT in April with FA (didn't do the questions individually). But I also worked my ass off in April and May for Shelf exams, using mostly First Aid and BRS pathology. Studied with a partner for a week at the end of May, and reviewed First Aid the week before. Finished UWorld at the end of May, and didn't repeat very many questions.

Essentially, my advice is: Work hard all of M2 year, using some of the resources you plan on using for Step 1. Finish UWorld, always on random, timed mode. Use DIT if you want an initial, guided tour of First Aid. Study with a partner (you can work well with) on areas of concern. Relax the day before - you will most likely feel like you've forgotten everything - but don't worry, and get sleep! Finally, peak at the right time.

Good luck, everyone. And Congrats!

 

[UTlonghorn]

235/84

Just wanted to make sure because I've heard this several times before.... the 2 digit score doesn't mean anything right? Thanks... When I get a bit of off time I'll post how I studied.

 

[Jorts]

I will post since this thread/site has helped me a ton and I hope I can return the favor.

NMBE 7: 235 (took right before started studying)
UWSA1: 264 (3 weeks out)
UWSA2: 263 (2 weeks out)
NMBE11: 263 (1 week out)
Real test: >265

Resources: Pathoma (best ever!), goljan audio (hated his book; pathoma a million times better), FA, UWORLD, BRS phys

Total dedicated study time was a little over 5 weeks, although I wish I would have taken it a week earlier. I was starting to get burnt out and felt ready. My biggest advice is study your ass off during the year. I did this and when it got time for dedicated study time I felt I already had a good grasp on most of the material so it was easy just to review everything. Also, I bought a year long Uworld subscription and started doing questions around november. I started off super slow (7 questions per hour). As the year went on and especially during dedicated review I got a lot faster as my knowledge base increased so I didn't have to write everything down. I would read every single word of the uworld explaination meticulously and anything that I was unsure about/liked the way Uworld explained it I would annotate in FA or pathoma (I know a lot of people that wouldn't go over correct questions or would superficially go over the answers. My biggest advice is to meticulously go over everything even right choices you were sure of b/c the explainations often have other information that is really good. This is why getting UWorld early is a good idea IMO b/c it gives you time to do this). I finished UWORLD with about 2 weeks left and then redid another 400 questions. But after I finished UWorld my FA was annotated with all of the hard concepts of uworld so I really didn't need to redo the questions. I also did pathoma during the year multiple times and then again multiple times during dedicated review. I pretty much knew the whole book cold and this was really the best resource for the exam. If you know this book like the back of your hand you will get a lot of questions right b/c of it (start the book at the beginning of MS-2).

I also had a lot of imaging/anatomy on my exam which I did spend quite a bit of time studying so I would recommend doing that as well. Pharm was a joke and everything in FA. I must say though that if you want a high score focus more on the other sources and just use FA as a skeleton. I really only ready FA cover to cover one time and skipped the path parts in it b/c I used pathoma for that. FA was good for all the drugs/biochem/micro/embryo. Other that that I used it mainly for the Uworld explaination I annotated to clarify things.

Also DIT sucks. If you want a high score not get it waste your money (it might be good if you want an average score). I started it for half a day and stopped after all they do is read word for word w/o expanding on anything.

Any other questions feel free to ask.

 

[illegallysmooth]

I will post since this thread/site has helped me a ton and I hope I can return the favor.

NMBE 7: 235 (took right before started studying)
UWSA1: 264 (3 weeks out)
UWSA2: 263 (2 weeks out)
NMBE11: 263 (1 week out)
Real test: >265
.

Niiice 👍 Congrats!

 

[JackShephard MD]

I will post since this thread/site has helped me a ton and I hope I can return the favor.

NMBE 7: 235 (took right before started studying)
UWSA1: 264 (3 weeks out)
UWSA2: 263 (2 weeks out)
NMBE11: 263 (1 week out)
Real test: >265

Resources: Pathoma (best ever!), goljan audio (hated his book; pathoma a million times better), FA, UWORLD, BRS phys

Total dedicated study time was a little over 5 weeks, although I wish I would have taken it a week earlier. I was starting to get burnt out and felt ready. My biggest advice is study your ass off during the year. I did this and when it got time for dedicated study time I felt I already had a good grasp on most of the material so it was easy just to review everything. Also, I bought a year long Uworld subscription and started doing questions around november. I started off super slow (7 questions per hour). As the year went on and especially during dedicated review I got a lot faster as my knowledge base increased so I didn't have to write everything down. I would read every single word of the uworld explaination meticulously and anything that I was unsure about/liked the way Uworld explained it I would annotate in FA or pathoma (I know a lot of people that wouldn't go over correct questions or would superficially go over the answers. My biggest advice is to meticulously go over everything even right choices you were sure of b/c the explainations often have other information that is really good. This is why getting UWorld early is a good idea IMO b/c it gives you time to do this). I finished UWORLD with about 2 weeks left and then redid another 400 questions. But after I finished UWorld my FA was annotated with all of the hard concepts of uworld so I really didn't need to redo the questions. I also did pathoma during the year multiple times and then again multiple times during dedicated review. I pretty much knew the whole book cold and this was really the best resource for the exam. If you know this book like the back of your hand you will get a lot of questions right b/c of it (start the book at the beginning of MS-2).

I also had a lot of imaging/anatomy on my exam which I did spend quite a bit of time studying so I would recommend doing that as well. Pharm was a joke and everything in FA. I must say though that if you want a high score focus more on the other sources and just use FA as a skeleton. I really only ready FA cover to cover one time and skipped the path parts in it b/c I used pathoma for that. FA was good for all the drugs/biochem/micro/embryo. Other that that I used it mainly for the Uworld explaination I annotated to clarify things.

Any other questions feel free to ask.

Why did you not like RR path? I'm considering using it + pathoma. I have noticed RR integrates pretty well while pathoma is more path focused. Is using RR path during the year a good or bad idea.

 

[missmedschool]

Just checked = 245/86. I'm ecstatic! After clinic today I'll go into detail about what I did to prepare. My goal was 250 but I aint trippin 🙂

 

[roast]

CBSE early 2nd semester 205
Uworld 65% finished complete all random timed
UWSA1 248
UWSA2 244
NBME13 228

Real deal 237. Pretty excited, would have been nice to hit 240 but this is a respectable score in my opinion. Im coming from a DO school and considering urology as well as gen surg, anesth, and EM so i think i haven't had any doors closed to me which is good. congrats to everyone who achieved the goals they set for themselves, be proud of your scores!

 

[deleted481566]

Long-time poster as a pre-med, but I've changed account names for anonymity. Thought I would share my experience/study schedule since I've received so much help and information on here.

UWorld %: ~73% (finished about 75% of the questions); untimed tutor mode when going through organ systems, otherwise it was timed, random blocks of 46
NBME 13: 250
Step 1: 256

During M2: I didn't do any specific studying for Step 1 during M2. I just didn't have time mostly, but when I did have time I didn't have the motivation. I did listen/watch some of the Pathoma lectures towards the end of the year for pathology; however, that was mostly to get a better handle on more difficult topics such as heme/onc.

Dedicated Study: I took about 7weeks to study, though I have a few events (brother's wedding, etc.) in there that took away, so probably closer to 6 weeks of time, 6 days a week (I took Sundays off for family). I started with organ systems for about 3 weeks, going through them as they are presented in First Aid (Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology). I used FA as my guide and supplemented with other texts for high-yield topics (see below). I took 2 days for big topics (cardio, pulm, renal, neuro) and 1 day for most of the other topics. After the organ systems, I moved on to biochemistry, microbiology, and behavioral sciences. I spent 4 days on micro/immuno, 3 days on biochem, and 3 days on behavioral sciences. At the end of every day, I completed 46-92 questions in 46 question blocks. I used untimed tutor at first, and then eventually moved to random, timed blocks. After reviewing everything in First Aid, I completed one NBME practice exam (#13). At that point, I had about a week and a half left, so I reviewed some more memorizable topics (biochem, micro) and focused on some topics that were tough for me (renal, neuro). I also did a ton of questions during that time. The day before, I mostly went through equations, pharmacology, etc. stuff lightly and took the night off.

Books I used:
FA - obvious; good in some parts, not so good in others
Goljan RR - This was good. I wish I had read it during the year while covering blocks though. I skipped the heme section, however. Too long
CMMRS - I highly recommend reading this book for Step 1, if not during your micro class. I definitely got a few questions right because of this book.
BRS Behavioral Science - It was OK. I'm glad I read it, as I felt weak in BS, but I don't know that it is necessary.
Pathoma - I think Pathoma is awesome. That said, I think I would have utilized it better during the year as an introduction to each patho block. The lectures were awesome, and I definitely felt it was worth the 100 bucks. The heme section was clutch. The neuro section, however, needs to be supplemented.
High-Yield Neuro: I didn't like it. I eventually just focused on FA for neuro. I thought it was good.
BRS Physiology: Definitely use this. Like everyone has said, it's a great text. FA is NOT enough for physiology IMO.

Test Day: Same procedure as the MCAT. I took breaks every 2 blocks, so I finished a little early. Honestly, I was unsure how I did when I left. Lots of pathology, which was my strong point. Not near as much behavioral science as I thought there would be. I probably overstudied for that. A good amount of micro is covered on the test, so I'm glad I prioritized it. No crazy anatomy questions except for one trashy lateral arteriogram that I couldn't get oriented. I did have one nutrition/supplement question asking me about the MOA of a supplement, which threw me. Otherwise, I thought it was a good combination of UWorld style questions and NBME questions.

Final Thoughts: Glad it's over, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Looking back, I think the key is doing well during the first two years and working hard to understand the material, not just memorize. Kudos to the folks who studied all during M2 and finished UWorld multiple times, etc., but I don't believe it's necessary to do well. You have to know what works for you, but a strong conceptual understanding will carry you far. Congrats to everyone on finishing! Feel free to PM with questions.

 

[projectlogic]

My score got up at exactly 11 am EST.

245...very good, but below my practice exams. Oh well, at least I won't get my app thrown in the trash can before being reviewed now...

What were you averaging on your practice exams?

Solid score regardless.

 

[Jorts]

Why did you not like RR path? I'm considering using it + pathoma. I have noticed RR integrates pretty well while pathoma is more path focused. Is using RR path during the year a good or bad idea.

Some people love RR and swear by it, but it just wasn't conducive to my studying. There is way too much information to memorize and I didn't like the way it was organized (there is a lot of low yield material mixed in with his high yield material). I did love his audio as this is where a lot of his integrations come in and he hits all the important information in his book so I listened to those a few times (great for in the car and at the gym). For me I loved how pathoma was organized and he does have some great physio and embryo integrations. RR has more integrations but I didn't like the way the book did it and it was easy for me to make these integrations using uwolrd/knowlege from the year and learn it in a way that was better suited for me.

I guess my advice would be to give RR and pathoma both a try during the school year and see what works for you. RR might be good with all the extra info during the year and for your class exams, however, once your dedicated study time rolls around I would throw RR out and just use pathoma b/c that is where the money is at and what you will actually remember during the exam. I had so many questions where they were so easy b/c I had pathoma pretty much memorized b/c I had read it so many times (I probably read the whole book 10+ times counting throughout the year and only watched the videos/annotated everything from the videos once during the particular course I was in).

 

[rocketbooster]

239/85

Very happy. Technically missed my goal by 1 pt but who cares. I just wanted a score that would keep me competitive most fields and I think I'm still in the game for most.

I thought I got owned on renal and I ended up getting maximum points or whatever (asterisk on right side of bar graph). Just shows you don't have a good idea how you did right after.

Best resources: FA, Uworld, Pathoma, BRS physiology and Goljan audio (if you do it earlier in the year, not during dedicated study time).

If anyone cares, MCAT were 26, 24, 26. I don't see much of a correlation between mcat and step 1.

Med school gpa:~3.6. Prolly less than 10 multiple choice questions between my gpa and a 4.0. Definitely worked my butt off during the first 2 years.

Just took the test yesterday. Here's my official contribution.

My goal is/was to get a score competitive for any field (i.e. good enough to match into an ortho residency and less concerned with it being the #1 ortho program). Set my goal at 240+.

Resources:
Goljan audio (1x 6 months ago)
First Aid (~1.3-1.5x, first time very in depth, took 3 weeks nonstop studying)
UWorld (80% completion)
Pathoma (1x – full videos and book, 1/3rd review and looked at rest of pics day before test)
BRS Physiology (1x)

Study schedule: 5 weeks total (excluding Goljan audio done like 6 months before)
First 3 weeks: First Aid 1x in crazy detail, annotating the **** out of it, etc; 60% of BRS physiology; 25% of Pathoma, 33% of UW
Week 4: Last 75% of Pathoma, Last 40% of BRS physiology, a lot more UW
Week 5: Tons of UWorld, focused on reviewing weak areas-> ended up going over probably half of FA->reviewed micro, biochem, genetics, behavioral, psych, neuroanatomy + msk anatomy
2 days before test: spent all day reviewing neuroanatomy and msk in FA, went through neuroanatomy on Webpath
1 day before test: tried going through Pathoma book again - only completely reviewed the first 6 sections - just looked at the images of the last 2/3rds; Webpath radiology correlation 50 questions (some of these were pretty hard haha, but definitely worth familiarizing myself with different levels of the body right before the test->helped me get a few questions for sure); behavioral sciences + psych in FA
Morning before test: I always get some insomnia before a big test-> I left myself 11:30-7:00 for sleep but I didn't get to sleep until 1:00 and woke up at 6:00. Studied for 1.5 hours in the morning...went through heart murmurs, AV blocks, genetics (lysosomal storage diseases, NF1+2, VHL, etc. etc.-> FA has a nice list of them in the biochem section), vasculitis. I wanted to do go over some pharm, too, but didn't have time. I was worried about this since I didn't review any pharm during the last week...more later. I was definitely glad I went over these things that morning. Every topic I listed appeared on the test. I always studied for an hour or so before school tests, too. Helps me get in the mindset + fresh on stupid details.

NBME Scores:
CBSSE (school given 8 weeks before): 195
Next 3 weeks were finishing our pharm module->much harder than Step 1 pharm so was well prepared. Got 85-90th percentile on the required NBME subject pharm test at end of module after our final
Full 5 weeks studying starts:
NBME 12 (after 3 weeks) - 210 - first NBME test and ran out of time on 2/4 sections->wanted to take another the next day to see how I'd actually do when I finished the test haha.
NBME 11 - 220 (day after NBME 12) - worked faster and didn't run out of time on anything. So this was more realistically my score at this point.
NBME 3 - 228 (After week 4) - seemed similar to NBME11+12 to me, don't know why ppl think the various NBMEs are so much different than one another. Every test is standardized so you should get about the same score on any test.

UWorld scores:
Week 1: started in low 50%s, ended in high 50%s
Week 2: started high 50%s, ended low 60%s
Week 3: low to mid 60%s
Week 4: High 60%s, started to break into early 70%s
Week 5: high 70%s, broke into low 80%s a few times
Average: ~66%, may have been slightly higher if I had finished the last 20% of UW

I didn't have time to take another NBME right before my test. Thought it would be better to mainly review small details during the last few days. My school requires us to take NBME 3 1-week before our test. They said most of our students go up 10-15s on the real thing. So with a 228 on that, I figured I at least had a shot of 240+. My Uworld scores jumped during the last week, so that may be evidence that my Step 1 score jumped another 10 pts like it did in Week 4. No way to know for sure, though.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actual test:
It's somewhere in between NBMEs and UWorld. I thought it was a little more straightforward like the NBMEs but also had a lot more 2nd and 3rd tier questions like UW. The only thing "harder" on the real test was the vignette length. The questions were definitely ~33% longer than NBME and even UWorld questions. UW has some longer questions too that are equal in length, but the real test had a lot more longer questions than UW. This didn't really make the individual questions harder because the extra information was just garbage. It seemed they gave the vitals for nearly every patient. It was only relevant half of the time. They also liked to give a lot of garbage lab values. On many questions you could figure out the answer by reading the first paragraph, but then they would add on like 5-10 lab values in a chart below that were unnecessary. Also, when lab values were necessary, they still gave many irrelevant lab values (unlike UW in which they usually only gave you relevant lab values). It was because of all the irrelevant info that made the questions longer.

I'm a very slow test taker and, even on my super speed mode, only had 4-5 minutes remaining on UWorld blocks. On this test, I would only have like 30 seconds left when on my super speed mode. So that kinda sucked because didn't have much time to review anything...usually just 1 or 2 questions. Fortunately, I at least finished every section and had adequate time to thoroughly think about every question. Because I was in super speed mode the entire test, though, it drained me faster than UW.

I took 5 min breaks between every section, 20 min lunch after 3rd section, did 4th and 5th sections and it was half way through the 5th section that I was super drained (from having to work at a fast pace constantly and the 5 hours of sleep). 5th section may have been hurt a little because of this haha but no clue for sure. I took a 10-15 min break after that and had a bag of chips + powerade. That revived me and did 6th + 7th sections with good energy overall.


Subjects:
Pathology: A bit trickier than I expected. There weren't too many 1st tier give-me's. Almost every question asked a 2nd/3rd tier question about the mechanism, physio, complications/associations. There were more histo pics than I expected. There were a few times where I would assume one diagnosis based on the vignette, but then the histo image showed a completely different kind of organ cancer/damage. I couldn't justify choosing an answer based only on the vignette when the picture obviously shows X. I think they just threw stuff in the vignette to trick you so you'd make assumptions without actually looking at the histo. Everything was more or less in FA, but some of the ways they depicted the complication was more conceptual. For example, FA might list X as a complication of this disease, while on Step 1 they show a picture/radiology of that complication instead of flat out saying it in the vignette (I assume so ppl can't rely on trigger words).
Physiology: Definitely glad I did BRS physiology. All the physio questions are increase/decrease (up/down arrows) questions, usually mixed in with some path but occasionally a free standing physio question. BRS physiology really drills how hormone, blood levels change in respect to different things. Having that practice is good here because you can always logically deduce the answer. Even if the vignette has extra garbage to throw you off, it shouldn't bother you if you actually understand the pathways since you find the answer through process of elimination.
Pharmacology: Almost all straightforward. I think there were only 2 pharm questions I had no clue on. The other ones I knew without hesitation. Those 2 drugs were super rare and I think were in FA, but they were mentioned more in passing under a path section (not in the more in depth pharm section at the end of chapters). I was generally happy when a pharm question came up because they were somewhat of a break from some of more the conceptually challenging questions that really make you think.
Anatomy: Most was in FA. Definitely glad I reviewed neuro/msk anatomy right before the test again. There was one I can remember that was not in FA, but I fortunately randomly knew it from school anatomy.
Embryology: This annoyed me bit. Not too much on the test, but the embryology that was there was pretty nitpicky. Again, it was in FA, but there were tiny details you'll easily forget. This was one topic I did not review again within the last week of the test. Probably would have saved me 2 questions.
Biochem: you either knew it or you didn't. Everything's in FA. If you memorize that section cold, you should get nearly all the biochem. I did review this again the week before and definitely paid off. I was surprised at some of the repeats. Considering how much material they can test you on, it seemed a little ridiculous to me to have 3 questions on the same lysosomal storage disease. Each question was a different concept about the disease, but still, pretty ridiculous they used the same one. Makes more sense to have 3 separate lysosomal storage disease question IMO. Also, they were pretty big on vitamins. One thing I wish I had paid more attention to were vitamin toxicities…I was good on the deficiencies at least. Also, the night before it's good to review which vitamins are used as cofactors in the different pathways. That came up over and over…got most of them but missed at least 1. Wish I had reviewed that the night before…would have taken a few minutes.
Micro: I thought it was all fair. Reviewed all micro the week before. Very glad I did this. Know the main virulence factors and especially lab tests/cultures. Also, the most common microbe causes of diseases based on age group. Those lab charts and age group microbe incidence lists in FA micro section are very very high yield. As everyone has mentioned, know all the fungal, parasites, worms too. A decent amount of histo images associated with the microbes, too. I was usually happy when micro came up since it was stuff you knew right off the bat without hesitation due to the key lab tests.
Immuno: Pathoma immune is definitely worth reviewing for this. He's better at explaining the mechanisms than FA. And when he tells you to memorize certain ILs, chemoattractants, etc, listen to him. There were actually countless questions on these stupid details…and obviously on these you either know them or you don't. There's no reasoning through it.
Behavioral: pretty straight forward. Everything is definitely in the FA chapter. Easier than the UWorld behavioral questions for sure. Do UWorld questions and you're good. Some of the ethical questions were a bit odd, but I just did what I learned from UW, go with the most open-ended, patient sensitive answer. I think I got these correct for the most part.

So, overall, the test is definitely doable. Definitely not harder than UW so if you do those questions you'll be well prepared. Read every UW answer explanation. Random things I read on UW helped me get several questions correct.
The big difference on the real test was the longer question stems and definitely a bit more conceptual. A few more fake experiments set up, but you still had to use your knowledge to answer them. The answers were not written in the question or anything. As for the "impossible" questions, I can only recall maybe 2 questions that were not really doable. They were both very nitpicky cell bio/biochem pathway questions. Definitely not in FA but one of them sounded very familiar from a school lecture at one point.

Btw, even tho ppl say the test is more conceptual than expected, the test still tests you on tons of tiny memorization details (biochem, cell bio, vitamins). The test is at least definitely 90+% knowledge-based. They really make sure you understand the concepts of that knowledge, though...i.e. they'll sometimes give you 10 answer choices so you definitely won't be able to guess it. No crazy long graphs or whatever as some ppl claimed. These ppl may have been referring to CO/BP graphs I'm guessing, but these are things you should have seen in your school pharm module anyway. If not, then definitely do BRS physiology.

Because it was a bit more conceptual than expected and I was more stressed for time (which generally creates stupid errors), I just hope I broke a 230. A 240 might be possible, but I really have no idea what the real curve is like. If it's like the NBME tests (as you in need like a 90% for a 240), then I don't see that happening. If it's more like 80-85% for a 240, then maybe. Just glad it's over!! 1 week of summer now before 3rd year starts!!

 

[GTP]

Great score guys and huge congrats. Please keep the momentum and great study guides going.

Also, why do people recommend brs phys so vehemently? I didnt really like it that much and preferred the big constanzo. Thoughts?

 

[blessyourheart]

Uworld1: 221
NBME 13: 210
Uworld 2: 242 (over predict much? hahaha)

Actual: 224

According to SDN standards i failed, but this was totally within my goal range and I should be able to get a residency in the field I wanted. As for Uworld 2 over predicting? uh yea... but I expected that

 

[Dr McSexy]

--

Uworld 1x, FA 2x, .5 USMLE Rx(during school year). Watched anatomy, biochem, neuro Kaplan vids. Smattering of other inconsequential light reading).

Uworld - 71%
4 nbmes:
11- 224 (4 weeks out)
7 - 240 (3 wks)
13 - 250 (2 wks)
12 - 248 ( 4 days)

Rank the resources:
1. Learn and understand during your actual courses. Im a high pass predominately student, only honored a couple of classes.
2. Uworld - learning how to answer questions is paramount if you have sufficient knowledge base.
3. FA - only good if you recognize and understand their cliff notes.

Back to lecture and clinic. May add more later if need be.

 

[xenophila]

Uworld1: 221
NBME 13: 210
Uworld 2: 242 (over predict much? hahaha)

Actual: 224

According to SDN standards i failed, but this was totally within my goal range and I should be able to get a residency in the field I wanted. As for Uworld 2 over predicting? uh yea... but I expected that

Could you please share how close did you take NBME 13 to the test?

 

[theRainmaker78]

UWSA 2 - 250 (2-3 weeks before the test)

Study materials - FA, UWorld, Pathoma (pretty sure this bumped up my score by somewhere around 10 points), BRS Behavioral Science (got a star in this subject that I'm traditionally bad at)

Actual test - 238/85

 

[Pharmacol90]

School Diagnostic 225 (2 months out) - gotta admit I hadn't prepped for this at all
USMELRx-90%
USMLE World -81%
Kaplan - 83%
NBME11 - 254 (1 month out)
NBME 12 - 261 (2 weeks out)
STEP 1 - 267 😀

 

[tjquinn]

6/1/2012 Test: 253/88

NBME 7 (4/27/2012): 233
Kaplan Simulated Exam 1: 73%
NBME 5 (5/17/2012): 235
NBME1: 89.5% ~ 249
NBME 2: 87.5% ~ 244
NBME 3: 91% ~ 253
NBME 11 (5/25/2012): 245
Uworld Assessment 1 (5/26/2012): 263
NBME Practice Test: 93.7%
NBME 12 (5/30/2012): 257
NBME 13 (5/31/2012): 266

Kaplan Qbank: 64% (timed, random all questions used)
Uworld Qbank: 75% (timed, random all questions used)
USMLERx: 88% (timed, random ~1000 questions used)

I had 4.5 weeks of dedicated study and my study plan was based entirely on practice questions. I went through kaplan Qbank towards the end of 2nd year when FA 2012 came out (annotated as I went through the qbank). By the time my dedicated period had started, I finished kaplan Qbank and did Uworld for the next 3.5 weeks (which I finished the entire thing). For the last week I did questions from USMLERx. I took a bunch of practice tests throughout the study period.

My average day was as follows:
6AM: Wake-up
6-7AM: eat/relax with my wife, drive her to work
7AM - 1PM: Practice questions
1PM - 5PM: 4 block practice tests
5PM - 8:30PM: Pick up wife from work, eat dinner watch TV/hang out
8:30PM - 10:30PM: Practice questions
10:30-11:00PM: Shower and then sleep

I never really read FA2012, I don't understand how it is even possible, but I did annotate and use it vigorously while studying. I listened to Goljan while driving, but did not use any other books during the dedicated 4.5weeks (except Robbins to reference).

The Test:
I walked into the test feeling pretty confident, and the material on the test was not exactly hard, but rather it was cumbersome. The prompts for a majority of the questions were paragraph length prompts (expected) but I got used to skimming through questions and never really had a problem with the length. I had about 10-15minutes to go over marked questions after each block. The one thing I wish I had known was that you can get basically the exact same question multiple times throughout the exam.

On two separate blocks I had the exact same figure with a slightly different prompt and it messed up my mind a little because it made me second guess my first answer and then think maybe I am missing something.

With respect to the content, the exam was extremely fair, I can count on one (maybe two) hand the number of questions that were bizarre, and even then I could reduce the question to a basic concept and try and use some logic to figure it out. Every single question could be found in my version of FA2012 (annotated with Kaplan, Uworld, and some USMLErx). Microbiology was simple and pharmacology was simple. As others have said, it was the physiology with multiple arrows that is tricky. My best scores were in the subjects I considered my worst: behavioral science, neuroscience and cardiovascular.

The test is fair, don't let SDN dominate your mind too much with how difficult it is. If you put in the time you will do fine.

tjquinn

 

[lrkoehle]

What were you averaging on your practice exams?

Solid score regardless.

On NBME 7, 11, 12, & 13 I scored 254, 252, 254, & 259, respectively, so my actual score was between 7 and 14 points below my practice scores. The most disappointing part is that I took NBME 13 three days before my actual exam, so I thought I was peaking at the end...maybe I peaked and then immediately crashed? Haha, I don't ****ing know...whatever, I'm absolutely not disappointed in my score of 245, just thought my practice scores were pointing towards something a little higher. I felt decently well coming out of the exam too, so I thought the 259 was in reach. Oh well, there's no difference above 245, right???

 

[shadowfox87]

6/1/2012 Test: 253/88

NBME 7 (4/27/2012): 233
Kaplan Simulated Exam 1: 73%
NBME 5 (5/17/2012): 235
NBME1: 89.5% ~ 249
NBME 2: 87.5% ~ 244
NBME 3: 91% ~ 253
NBME 11 (5/25/2012): 245
Uworld Assessment 1 (5/26/2012): 263
NBME Practice Test: 93.7%
NBME 12 (5/30/2012): 257
NBME 13 (5/31/2012): 266

Kaplan Qbank: 64% (timed, random all questions used)
Uworld Qbank: 75% (timed, random all questions used)
USMLERx: 88% (timed, random ~1000 questions used)

I had 4.5 weeks of dedicated study and my study plan was based entirely on practice questions. I went through kaplan Qbank towards the end of 2nd year when FA 2012 came out (annotated as I went through the qbank). By the time my dedicated period had started, I finished kaplan Qbank and did Uworld for the next 3.5 weeks (which I finished the entire thing). For the last week I did questions from USMLERx. I took a bunch of practice tests throughout the study period.

My average day was as follows:
6AM: Wake-up
6-7AM: eat/relax with my wife, drive her to work
7AM - 1PM: Practice questions
1PM - 5PM: 4 block practice tests
5PM - 8:30PM: Pick up wife from work, eat dinner watch TV/hang out
8:30PM - 10:30PM: Practice questions
10:30-11:00PM: Shower and then sleep

I never really read FA2012, I don't understand how it is even possible, but I did annotate and use it vigorously while studying. I listened to Goljan while driving, but did not use any other books during the dedicated 4.5weeks (except Robbins to reference).

The Test:
I walked into the test feeling pretty confident, and the material on the test was not exactly hard, but rather it was cumbersome. The prompts for a majority of the questions were paragraph length prompts (expected) but I got used to skimming through questions and never really had a problem with the length. I had about 10-15minutes to go over marked questions after each block. The one thing I wish I had known was that you can get basically the exact same question multiple times throughout the exam.

On two separate blocks I had the exact same figure with a slightly different prompt and it messed up my mind a little because it made me second guess my first answer and then think maybe I am missing something.

With respect to the content, the exam was extremely fair, I can count on one (maybe two) hand the number of questions that were bizarre, and even then I could reduce the question to a basic concept and try and use some logic to figure it out. Every single question could be found in my version of FA2012 (annotated with Kaplan, Uworld, and some USMLErx). Microbiology was simple and pharmacology was simple. As others have said, it was the physiology with multiple arrows that is tricky. My best scores were in the subjects I considered my worst: behavioral science, neuroscience and cardiovascular.

The test is fair, don't let SDN dominate your mind too much with how difficult it is. If you put in the time you will do fine.

tjquinn

Wow, it looks like you did everything - almost all NBMEs and all qbanks. You had 10-15 minutes left for each block?! That's great and congrats.

 

[modiolus]

---

 

[Member4891]

USMLE Step 1: 245

Couldn't be more pleased! Goal was 240.
Prep:
UWorld: completed, avg. 73%; best resource- do them in 46 q sets
NBME #7 : 235 (1 week prior)
Uworld practice 1: 240 (1 month prior)
Goljan audio- many times, great for tying concepts together
Goljan RR Path- 1x thru
FA - 3x thru; great for a final run through the last week
DIT 2012- 1x
DO student, did lots of COMBANK questions the week between, USMLE and COMLEX
Best of luck!!

 

[YA7ES]

nm

 

[ctusfinest]

xxx

just took my test 6/20 days ago, been freaking out since, I looked up like 7 or 8 questions afterward, got 5 wrong (1 was super easy). Kinda need some encouragement.

Stats:
UWorld 1st pass, random timed : 72%
School test 2 months out : 210
NBME 13 1 month out : 228
NBME 7 1 week out : 252
really just hoping to get a 240+, I've always been an average student during school, so I can't really hope for much more.

Books:
FA 2011 then glanced through a couple sections of a friend's 2012 after he was done with his test
BRS phys and path (COMPLETE waste of time)- i read it through and annotated my first aid during my first pass. After I got through it once I reevaluated based on Qbank and my first NBME's and decided it wasn't worth my time. I really wish I would've used that time to go through first aid an extra time. I think part of my improvement between my nbme 13 and nbme 7 was that I stopped worrying about brs and hammered FA and uworld hard. The other part is that nbme 7 just suited me better.
Kaplan Pharm videos, Pharmcards(just for review while on the john)
Didn't get through all of Uworld a second time, maybe like 25% of my 800 marked questions.

Test:
I marked like 10-15 questions per block on my first 4 sections, 6 on my 5th, and 8-13 on my last 2. Was really pressed for time on the first 4, I really think it was just nerves and not being totally mentally there for some reason.
I'm not sure how much detail I'm allowed to share so let me know if i need to delete some of this: I definitely saw a few concepts that I recognized from Uworld (the anti-sheep blood antibodies meaning heterophile test helped out on two different questions).
I felt like they went easy on me on the anatomy and embryo (even though one questions had options A through P). It was all stuff like brachial arch/pouch/cleft and brachial/lumbar plexus (besides those i had 1 abdominal anatomy question was tough)
Had at least two questions about concepts that were in FA 2012 and NOT in 2011, got 1 of them wrong. Both had to do with wound healing.
2 heart sounds, 1 9-lead ECG, 1 connected question, all pretty simple stuff.
What worries me is I really got screwed on some of the endo, and made some dumb mistakes with micro. Scabies seemed like a reasonable answer choice a few derm questions and I really don't know anything about it which was uncomfortable.
Only one image that had no clues in the question stem, and I think it was easy. All the other images and slides you could get from the stem.
Pharm wasn't terrible, had three that stick out as being tough, only one of them was about drugs I had never seen before. One about cyp modifiers was disguised and I didn't realize it until later (talked to a friend after and I guess it was explicitly stated in Kaplan's pharmcards).

I would recommend just going through FA and uworld really hard, and if you are using 2011, glance through a the couple sections of 2012 that are added (as well as bone tumors just cause its way easier in 2012). I felt like none of the details I crammed for toward the end were on the test. It really is just more about being able to recognize the way things present. Questions and FA are the only prep you need.

anyway, hope it helps, and let me know if i need to delete anything.

 

[MrBeauregard]

DO student here: top 5 in my class; studied my freaking butt off for the USMLE and COMLEX. SDN helped me so much so I'd like to give back. I'll write more later, but here it is for now.

Studied the following:
1. Kaplan Qbank starting in January; did all disciplines but added in systems as we finished them; 70% cumulative
2. First Aid 2011 annotated with Kaplan and some class notes
3. Goljan x2 during each system and ~once more during dedicated time
4. UWorld saved for dedicated time; done by systems in untimed mode; 81% cumulative

Practice exams:
1. NBME 11: 252 (5 weeks out)
2. UWSA 1: 256* (4 weeks out)
3. NBME 12: 245 (3 weeks out)
4. UWSA 2: 257* (2 weeks out)
5. Free 150: 93% (3 days out)

Real deal: 255

*I felt these were more predictive since I had done UWorld by systems/untimed and not random/timed mode. Just a thought.

So ecstatic; my goal was 250. I was thinking I would either be between a 235 or a 250+ depending upon whether my nerves got the best of me. Thanks to all the regular posters on SDN who give out really good advice on studying and how to tackle this beast. My score isn't the crazy 265+ that is so common on SDN, but if anyone would like any study advice or tips I would be more than happy to help.

Thoughts on the exam:
This exam is not about memorization. The beast doesn't care if you remember that anti-Yo antibodies are associated with cerebellar and Purkinje cell degeneration in patients with small cell carcinoma. If you can't synthesize information and think on your feet, you're toast. If you want to do well on USMLE, you need to work on understanding mechanisms behind the diseases you study. This exam is not about the what; it's about the why.

Protip #1: focus on understanding the Big Picture and it will take you far.

Keep studying and work hard and you can achieve your goals. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions; I learned a lot by PM'ing people around here who hit scores that were my goal.

***Edit: My MCAT was a 24 (no lie), so don't worry about any "correlation" that may exist. If you want it bad enough and work hard enough, you can achieve your goals.***

 

[Prodromo]

265 😀 Very happy with my score. These threads helped me a ton to prepare so I feel obliged to contribute.

I study a bit differently than others. Dedicated study time = 5 weeks.

I read first aid only once throughout the dedicated study time very slowly. Took me 4.5 weeks to get through it. Did all of Uworld and finished it about a week before the test. Didn't read pathoma at all during dedicated study time but read it throughout the year. Listened to Goljan passively while working out and driving all year.

I did extremely well in all my classes. Lowest exam score = 98% in 2nd year. Honored all first and second year courses. This for me was the most important part about studying. Everything during the dedicated study period was review. I continued to work out, hang out with fiance etc while still studying most of the day. If you know your stuff to begin with the test will be fine.

School CBSE 6 weeks out: 250
UWorld E1 4 weeks out: 263
NBME 7 3 weeks out: 259
UWorld E2 2 weeks out: 265
NBME 13 10 days out: 261
NBME 12 3 days out: 261

Uworld overall = 82%. Started at 70% and gradually increased scores to between 85% and 95% until my average made its way to 82%. Always random timed 46 question blocks.

Feel free to ask if there are other questions.

 

[Chewbert]

Howdy all.
I go to a state school, 4.0 GPA. I studied for 4 weeks total, including a prep course through my school for the first three weeks.

UWorld: completed 90% of it with a score of about 64%
CBSE taken 2 months out: 210
USMLE self-assessment #2: 224 4 weeks out
CBSSA #3: 217 1 week out (taken with 3 blocks from UWorld first, to wear me down)

I did a run through of Pathoma lectures at 1.7x, read most of First Aid, UWorld (as stated above).
The couple days before, I read through all my notes and the rapid review chapters in FA.

Annnnnnd we have a 238/85.
I'm quite pleased. It's about what I anticipated, maybe a little higher. My advice? Get a lot of sleep the few days before. Hope this is of some benefit to someone.