Official 2013 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[Phloston]

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I figure now is a good time to jump-start this thread.

Even though some of us who had taken the exam in late-2012 are still awaiting our scores (amid the holiday delays) and could technically still post within last year's thread, it is after all mid-January now, so it's probably apposite that we move forward and hope for a great year.

Cheers to 2013

 

[NickNaylor]

Step 1 questions tend to be very straight forward. UWorld has a goal of also teaching you something, so they tend to be harder on average. Sure, there are Step 1 questions that are hard like UWorld questions, but they're not nearly as common. Kaplan likes to trick you just to trick you. I felt it was very un-Step 1-like.

NBME form questions ARE Step 1 questions. Some appear to be in the active question bank (despite official denials to the contrary.) There is a decent probability that you will see questions from recent NBME forms on your exam. In addition school bought CBSEs and school bought NBME subject exams (pathology, physiology, and pharmacology especially) have questions that are also in the active Step 1 question bank.

Awesome, thanks for the input - glad to hear that this wasn't a total fluke at least.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Step 1 questions tend to be very straight forward. UWorld has a goal of also teaching you something, so they tend to be harder on average. Sure, there are Step 1 questions that are hard like UWorld questions, but they're not nearly as common. Kaplan likes to trick you just to trick you. I felt it was very un-Step 1-like.

NBME form questions ARE Step 1 questions. Some appear to be in the active question bank (despite official denials to the contrary.) There is a decent probability that you will see questions from recent NBME forms on your exam. In addition school bought CBSEs and school bought NBME subject exams (pathology, physiology, and pharmacology especially) have questions that are also in the active Step 1 question bank.

Thanks for the info! Would you say that the higher numbered NBME exams are more representative of current-day Step 1 than the old ones are? I recently took NBME 6 and am happy with my score on it, but I'm not sure how similar the questions are to Step 1 questions. Thanks! UWorld questions were definitely tougher compared to the ones I saw on that NBME.

 

[CDI]

Thanks for the info! Would you say that the higher numbered NBME exams are more representative of current-day Step 1 than the old ones are? I recently took NBME 6 and am happy with my score on it, but I'm not sure how similar the questions are to Step 1 questions. Thanks! UWorld questions were definitely tougher compared to the ones I saw on that NBME.

NBME 15 had answer 'choices' identical to mine. "Studying" NBMEs would have helped with my prep, but thats only if I had time beyond FA.

 

[Jorje286]

I thought the real deal was right in between UWorld and NBME. I didn't think the question were as detail heavy as NBME. You will have many clues for each question, not one clue. But they are also not as challenging in the way of integrating evidence and forming a picture on seemingly unrelated clues as UWorld.

Also, the longer questions were actually the easiest. Don't be intimidated by the length. Most of the time they are filled with distraction and the question has little to do with the stem. The shorter questions tend to be the hardest because they require you to come to a conclusion from very little information.

 

[Zzmed]

Step 1 questions tend to be very straight forward. UWorld has a goal of also teaching you something, so they tend to be harder on average. Sure, there are Step 1 questions that are hard like UWorld questions, but they're not nearly as common. Kaplan likes to trick you just to trick you. I felt it was very un-Step 1-like.

NBME form questions ARE Step 1 questions. Some appear to be in the active question bank (despite official denials to the contrary.) There is a decent probability that you will see questions from recent NBME forms on your exam. In addition school bought CBSEs and school bought NBME subject exams (pathology, physiology, and pharmacology especially) have questions that are also in the active Step 1 question bank.

Actually what you said makes the exam look much easier... So, are the bulk of questions in the exam straightforward? I mean, "recal" straightforward or "easy to figure out" straightforward?

 

[loayshoubash]

thx all for sharing experiance ... Goodluck for all 🙂

 

[NickNaylor]

I thought the real deal was right in between UWorld and NBME. I didn't think the question were as detail heavy as NBME. You will have many clues for each question, not one clue. But they are also not as challenging in the way of integrating evidence and forming a picture on seemingly unrelated clues as UWorld.

Also, the longer questions were actually the easiest. Don't be intimidated by the length. Most of the time they are filled with distraction and the question has little to do with the stem. The shorter questions tend to be the hardest because they require you to come to a conclusion from very little information.

Definitely noticed this. In fact, I always read the actual question of the question first, and there were many questions on the NBME that I was able to answer without even looking at the rest of the stem (5-6 line questions, mind you).

 

[Vickz]

Hey SDN! Long time lurker (since MCAT days), first time poster (I think lol).

Reading this forum has always been great help. I'll be taking my Step 1 on July and I wanted to see your critique on what I plan to do:

Time to study: 3 months (1 month during class, 2 months dedicated study time; 9 weeks total for dedicated study time)

Study material:
Primary text resources = FA 2012, Pathoma, MicroCards, Goljan (only the margins, tables and pictures; reading the text if I feel I need more info)

Secondary text resources = High Yield Neuroanatomy, BRS Physiology, RR Biochem, RR Anatomy (only the clinical correlations)

Other: USMLE World, USMLE Rx, DIT

Study Plan (pre-dedicated study time): During this month that I have with my classes before my dedicated study time I plan on reading a book per week (1 chapter a day, more or less) for 4 weeks, reading summary notes of past systems to refresh and 60 questions of Uworld a day on Tutor Mode to learn by system that I'll be reviewing. The idea is that I don't want to feel that I have to be relearning stuff from the beginning once I start my dedicated study time. I already started this week to see if it's possible, and I can do it without feeling burned out (5 days so far, takes me about 7 hours a day). Many people I know from previous years have done Uworld during the year and then redoing it in their dedicated study time and those people feel like it helped them more than what others who did it only in their dedicated study time did.

I also plan to annotate everything on a notebook since I don't know how and what to annotate on the FA (I rarely studied in undergrad and I've had to learn how to study in Med School...I already got the highlighter thing down but not annotating in a book lol)

Study Plan for Dedicated-Study Time: I'll be reading FA in 6 days and take an NBME on the 7th or 8th. Then I'll study organs by system with FA, Pathoma and Goljan margins and boxes, while doing USMLE Rx questions by system (about 2 and 4 days per system, depending how much time I feel I need to learn it well). This will take about 4 weeks, making it 5 with my first read through FA. After that, I plan to do DIT 2012 and 2 blocks of Uworld random, timed. This will leave me one week to re-read my notes and FA prior to my exam.


I know it seems pretty overkill (specially the month pre-dedicated study time) but I think I need it since I've forgotten a whole lot of Anatomy, Embryo, Biochem and Neuro because I took them a long time ago and didn't study it that well tbh (at least Neuro will be my last block prior my dedicated study time).



How do you see my plan? Any pointers that anyone can give me? Thanks in advance! 🙂

 

[Phloston]

Just curious, what are the general opinions on the various NBME exams? I took one yesterday (two weeks into my studying) and did well - at least well enough that I'm happy with my score considering how little I've studied (one pass through FA, 20% UWorld finished) and how much time I have left (just under 5 weeks). It seems generally that scores from NBME are relatively predictive but, like the full-length MCAT practice exams, there seem to be tests that are more "accurate" than others. Compared to UWorld I found the questions on the NBME exam to be pretty easy; where UWorld questions seem to test very specific details, I found that most of the NBME questions were extremely clear cut (though there were still a handful of questions that tested minutia). Is this typical? Or was this exam weird?

FWIW, I took NBME 13. I've also bought 12 and will probably do one more NBME a week or two before my exam.

Thanks for the info! Would you say that the higher numbered NBME exams are more representative of current-day Step 1 than the old ones are? I recently took NBME 6 and am happy with my score on it, but I'm not sure how similar the questions are to Step 1 questions. Thanks! UWorld questions were definitely tougher compared to the ones I saw on that NBME.

My exam was far closer to the UWorld question-style than the NBMEs.

I took NBMEs11-13 within ~week of my exam, and they all over-predicted me by 2-4 points, but I walked out of the testing centre having felt like my real deal was very similar to an average of those exams, so I was certain I had scored right around that range.

The latter NBMEs definitely have a different question-style compared to the older ones. I'd say 11-13 are fairly predictive (Ijn is the exception; he had 256 on NBME13 and a 269 on the real deal). I didn't do form-15 because it wasn't out until just recently.

 

[docnotsopc]

Awesome, thanks for the input - glad to hear that this wasn't a total fluke at least.

When are you writing your exam?? Just curious

 

[Jonari]

I wish I could get more confidence in myself, for this test. 🙁

 

[docnotsopc]

I wish I could get more confidence in myself, for this test. 🙁

It sounds like you are doing pretty well? Just on the last page you seemed to know a decently minute detail in biochem😛

Edit: saw 3 pages ago you said you are at 67% on Uworld..... thats pretty good haha thats a 240 according to few of those conversions..... and still for few weeks..... so whats the fuss about 😛

 

[Jonari]

It sounds like you are doing pretty well? Just on the last page you seemed to know a decently minute detail in biochem😛

Edit: saw 3 pages ago you said you are at 67% on Uworld..... thats pretty good haha thats a 240 according to few of those conversions..... and still for few weeks..... so whats the fuss about 😛

Yeah, I'm just OCD about those small details, and that's what sucks, because I still haven't been able to completely go through FA.

I'm still pretty weak in genetics, neuro, and a few other topics. Just want to do competitively and be done with this. I just want that 250+.

Edit: I hate that I can't sleep properly at night, because of stress of this exam. I'm trying to know everything I can from Kaplan, UWorld, HY Neuro, WebPath images, Pathoma, Goljan's audio, and a few chapters from RR and it's just draining, because I'm no where near completion.

Edit 2: Phlo & others, I really need help with UWorld question 2,044. Any ideas on where I could go to learn about this? I know about leucine-zipper, zinc-finger, Rel, etc etc...but wasn't aware of the detail they asked in the question.

 

[Zzmed]

Yeah, I'm just OCD about those small details, and that's what sucks, because I still haven't been able to completely go through FA.

I'm still pretty weak in genetics, neuro, and a few other topics. Just want to do competitively and be done with this. I just want that 250+.

Edit: I hate that I can't sleep properly at night, because of stress of this exam. I'm trying to know everything I can from Kaplan, UWorld, HY Neuro, WebPath images, Pathoma, Goljan's audio, and a few chapters from RR and it's just draining, because I'm no where near completion.

Edit 2: Phlo & others, I really need help with UWorld question 2,044. Any ideas on where I could go to learn about this? I know about leucine-zipper, zinc-finger, Rel, etc etc...but wasn't aware of the detail they asked in the question.

As far as genetics and the stuff about leucine-zipper (note: i don't know the q) just try to cram HY Molecular Bio.
I think that with the resources you are staying with you 'll get over 250. Don't worry. The only thing you have to do is to use your powers wisely till the exam.

 

[NickNaylor]

When are you writing your exam?? Just curious

May 3rd.

 

[Jonari]

As far as genetics and the stuff about leucine-zipper (note: i don't know the q) just try to cram HY Molecular Bio.
I think that with the resources you are staying with you 'll get over 250. Don't worry. The only thing you have to do is to use your powers wisely till the exam.

I seriously hope so...with the exam coming up in 25 days, still have just a little over 1,000 questions left on UWorld. Still have to go back and watch a few of the Kaplan video series again, I made the mistake of not reviewing the material daily.

It's ok, not complaining, I'm glad to have this opportunity - just want to make the very best out of the situation. I know I'm more than capable, just need to utilize all the minutes properly till the test day. Thanks for your concern and motivation. 👍

Edit: I think my time gets most used up, in trying to annotate everything I'm the slightest bit unware of from UWorld into FA. This takes several hours. I wish UWorld allowed us to go over questions that we've marked, that's the one good thing I liked about the Kaplan Qbank.

 

[suji0]

I seriously hope so...with the exam coming up in 25 days, still have just a little over 1,000 questions left on UWorld. Still have to go back and watch a few of the Kaplan video series again, I made the mistake of not reviewing the material daily.

It's ok, not complaining, I'm glad to have this opportunity - just want to make the very best out of the situation. I know I'm more than capable, just need to utilize all the minutes properly till the test day. Thanks for your concern and motivation. 👍

Edit: I think my time gets most used up, in trying to annotate everything I'm the slightest bit unware of from UWorld into FA. This takes several hours. I wish UWorld allowed us to go over questions that we've marked, that's the one good thing I liked about the Kaplan Qbank.

I was wondering others opinion on annotating UWorld into FA during their study time...I didn't know if the time that went into it was worth it unless one was going to make a full go through of their first aid after they finished UWorld? But I haven't reached my dedicated period so I obviously have no clue, but thought I might make a small note in my FA or a reference to another document where I could type up my actual uworld notes from just to be quicker with it (since going through that many in depth questions and learning them well does take a whileee)

 

[Jonari]

I was wondering others opinion on annotating UWorld into FA during their study time...I didn't know if the time that went into it was worth it unless one was going to make a full go through of their first aid after they finished UWorld? But I haven't reached my dedicated period so I obviously have no clue, but thought I might make a small note in my FA or a reference to another document where I could type up my actual uworld notes from just to be quicker with it (since going through that many in depth questions and learning them well does take a whileee)

I really think this should be a reason as to why uw should let their customers print screen their questions.

 

[Fenster]

Actually what you said makes the exam look much easier... So, are the bulk of questions in the exam straightforward? I mean, "recal" straightforward or "easy to figure out" straightforward?

Never the former; always the latter.

 

[Fenster]

I wish UWorld allowed us to go over questions that we've marked, that's the one good thing I liked about the Kaplan Qbank.

You don't have to annotate everything. Chances are you won't have time to review everything.

Why don't you just create new tests for just marked questions, end the block immediately and review the explanations? If you don't want it to mess up your cumulative score, you can always reopen the test later and suspend it.

There, problem solved.

 

[Jonari]

You don't have to annotate everything. Chances are you won't have time to review everything.

Why don't you just create new tests for just marked questions, end the block immediately and review the explanations? If you don't want it to mess up your cumulative score, you can always reopen the test later and suspend it.

There, problem solved.

Yeah, it's just hard for me to accept, that's all. Going through Kaplan and biochem, never heard of P-bodies, relating to translation of mRNA in the cytoplasm. Fortunately, got it right, due to process of elimination, but don't want to rely on poe on the test day. 🙁

 

[NickNaylor]

Yeah, it's just hard for me to accept, that's all. Going through Kaplan and biochem, never heard of P-bodies, relating to translation of mRNA in the cytoplasm. Fortunately, got it right, due to process of elimination, but don't want to rely on poe on the test day. 🙁

That's just part of it, though. There are many questions I get each block where I have no idea what the answer is but am able to get to it by process of elimination. Don't think that that means you don't know anything.

 

[Jonari]

That's just part of it, though. There are many questions I get each block where I have no idea what the answer is but am able to eliminate it by process of elimination. Don't think that that means you don't know anything.

i guess with so much riding on this exam, dictating what we end up doing for the next 40-50 years, i don't want to screw up. i could really use a benzo right about now...😳

 

[NickNaylor]

My exam was far closer to the UWorld question-style than the NBMEs.

I took NBMEs11-13 within ~week of my exam, and they all over-predicted me by 2-4 points, but I walked out of the testing centre having felt like my real deal was very similar to an average of those exams, so I was certain I had scored right around that range.

The latter NBMEs definitely have a different question-style compared to the older ones. I'd say 11-13 are fairly predictive (Ijn is the exception; he had 256 on NBME13 and a 269 on the real deal). I didn't do form-15 because it wasn't out until just recently.

Thanks for the input. Even if it's an overestimate, 2-4 points seems extremely accurate - at least it's not a difference I'd worry about. Frankly I'd be happy with an estimate in the 10-20 point range.

 

[Jonari]

How is the exam scored? I can't find the thread but somebody was saying, getting more difficult questions correct, gives you more points. What about the experimental questions, if you get those wrong - are those counted against you?

I'm a bit worried, because my uw scores are around 30-36 out of the 46 question blocks. Current average is 67%.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Yeah, it's just hard for me to accept, that's all. Going through Kaplan and biochem, never heard of P-bodies, relating to translation of mRNA in the cytoplasm. Fortunately, got it right, due to process of elimination, but don't want to rely on poe on the test day. 🙁

I mean I don't think it's unreasonable to annotate as much as you can into FA. I'm just doing that right now with all my UWorld blocks and planning on reading my annotations with the text on my next pass through. I don't know if I'd put as much emphasis on straight memorizing them but at least you'll see it again, especially for the stuff that really isn't in FA at all.

Oh and the whole thing about more difficult questions being worth more points is wrong. It's on their website under like "Urban myths" or something. They do adjust the score a little bit based on the overall test difficultly compared to other tests but that's pretty much the same for all standardized tests.

 

[preDoGuy24]

How is the exam scored? I can't find the thread but somebody was saying, getting more difficult questions correct, gives you more points. What about the experimental questions, if you get those wrong - are those counted against you?

I'm a bit worried, because my uw scores are around 30-36 out of the 46 question blocks. Current average is 67%.

You don't get "more points" for harder questions. A gimme is equal to an impossible experimental question.

They don't release exactly how its scored, or really what the upper limit score is (280?) just that it is a normalized test..theoretically it shouldn't matter which test and where you take it.

 

[Zzmed]

Jonari one question for you.
How do you annotate first aid? I mean, you annotate straight to the book, on a notebook, on paper and you clip them on FA? Because, if i can tell right, with you annotating almost everything from Qbanks, you are probably out of space into FA.

As far as your strategy is concerned, i would also recommend just to stop caring so much about writing down every detail you come across and start reviewing what you have already written.

 

[Jonari]

Thx calvin & pedro. I had a question about biochem ketone body synthesis. Is it safe to say that:

b-hydroxybutyrate would produce 27 ATPs whereas aceotacetate gives 24? i''m asking this because technically b-hb gets converted to aa, by being oxidized and NADH is produced. anybody ever run into a question like this?

 

[CDI]

You don't get "more points" for harder questions. A gimme is equal to an impossible experimental question.

They don't release exactly how its scored, or really what the upper limit score is (280?) just that it is a normalized test..theoretically it shouldn't matter which test and where you take it.

Probable limit is in the 280s, we've heard a couple ppl breaking that. (I believe one is now a resident at Chicago?)

And there's always rumors going around that some are weighted heavier. Bottom line is nailing all the gimmes which are in FA.

 

[Jonari]

Probable limit is in the 280s, we've heard a couple ppl breaking that. (I believe one is now a resident at Chicago?)

And there's always rumors going around that some are weighted heavier. Bottom line is nailing all the gimmes which are in FA.

did you really see a lot of "gimmes" on your exam that were in FA? so you're a advocate of def knowing FA cold before going into the exam?

 

[CDI]

did you really see a lot of "gimmes" on your exam that were in FA? so you're a advocate of def knowing FA cold before going into the exam?

Absolutely. I know of 5-6 I got wrong which were straight gimmes in FA. Those will sting a lot more during the exam then would missing/not knowing some random minutiae answer. At the level I was at, I knew I'd lose some easy points there, but I had accepted it and gone ahead anyways.

 

[RadicalRadon]

Thx calvin & pedro. I had a question about biochem ketone body synthesis. Is it safe to say that:

b-hydroxybutyrate would produce 27 ATPs whereas aceotacetate gives 24? i''m asking this because technically b-hb gets converted to aa, by being oxidized and NADH is produced. anybody ever run into a question like this?

Bro, way to lose the forest for the trees. Some people can't be helped

 

[JShephard]

Bro, way to lose the forest for the trees. Some people can't be helped

Lol

 

[Jonari]

Bro, way to lose the forest for the trees. Some people can't be helped

lol y u do dis radicalradon

 

[bbaggins]

How much would you pay for 1-2 weeks extra vacation?

Wow, I think I'm a little too immersed in studying the past few years. That's a really good point I didn't think of at all. Seriously, $50 for a 2 week vacation.... Not a bad deal.

I'm curious to see how NBMEs13+15 go for you.

Don't move up your test. Continue reviewing FA and learning from your incorrect NBME questions. It appears you're hovering around the 260-barrier. If you go into the real deal well-rested and don't make mistakes, you'll exceed 260. Just keep pushing.

I just got a 261 on NBME 13. I thought 13 was much easier than 12 but got the same score. Why do you say to not move it up? For what it's worth I honestly don't feel like I'm getting burned out. I've been making sure I sleep well and enough each night. So for now I'm not too worried if I don't move it up, other than missing out on the above mentioned extra down time.

 

[CDI]

Bro, way to lose the forest for the trees. Some people can't be helped

That question probably did deserve this response...
(And it's better suited for another thread.)

 

[RadicalRadon]

lol y u do dis radicalradon

I don't know, actually. I'm advocating for focusing on the big picture as opposed to trying to learn everything, which is a Sisyphean task.

You are trying to learn every inane detail, which will net you zero extra points on test day.

The people who write Step1 questions are clinicians. It may require knowledge of basic science details but at its core the vast majority of questions assess some important clinical principle. That's why UWorld >>>> Kaplan.

In other words, the approach you're taking is like trying to memorize all the words in the dictionary ahead of a spelling bee. Good luck.

 

[Jonari]

I don't know, actually. I'm advocating for focusing on the big picture as opposed to trying to learn everything, which is a Sisyphean task.

You are trying to learn every inane detail, which will net you zero extra points on test day.

The people who write Step1 questions are clinicians. It may require knowledge of basic science details but at its core the vast majority of questions assess some important clinical principle. That's why UWorld >>>> Kaplan.

In other words, the approach you're taking is like trying to memorize all the words in the dictionary ahead of a spelling bee. Good luck.

it may seem like it, but i'm really not...only topics that im doing that for is biochem and neuro since those are my weakest areas...otherwise i'm fine

 

[RadicalRadon]

it may seem like it, but i'm really not...only topics that im doing that for is biochem and neuro since those are my weakest areas...otherwise i'm fine

Well that's good to hear. I wish you the best of luck and to not lose too much sleep over this exam. It's not necessary and it's certainly not worth it to do so.

 

[ijn]

I don't know, actually. I'm advocating for focusing on the big picture as opposed to trying to learn everything, which is a Sisyphean task.

You are trying to learn every inane detail, which will net you zero extra points on test day.

The people who write Step1 questions are clinicians. It may require knowledge of basic science details but at its core the vast majority of questions assess some important clinical principle. That's why UWorld >>>> Kaplan.

In other words, the approach you're taking is like trying to memorize all the words in the dictionary ahead of a spelling bee. Good luck.

I couldn't agree with you more. For some people it just takes time to get perspective on what's important to learn. Unfortunately that realization may come far after Step 1 is over.

It's really an important test taking skill. There's only a finite amount of **** you can keep in your head. Learning everything is a horrible strategy for Step 1. You have to develop an intuition and start to consume medical information in the mindset of a Step 1 test writer. I don't know how you can teach someone to do that. There's a million ways to get there but one common end point.

 

[RadicalRadon]

I couldn't agree with you more. For some people it just takes time to get perspective on what's important to learn. Unfortunately that realization may come far after Step 1 is over.

It's really an important test taking skill. There's only a finite amount of **** you can keep in your head. Learning everything is a horrible strategy for Step 1. You have to develop an intuition and start to consume medical information in the mindset of a Step 1 test writer. I don't know how you can teach someone to do that. There's a million ways to get there but one common end point.

Basically, I guess the key is developing clinical intuition. That's virtually impossible to do until after clinical rotations, which is why schools that take step 1 after rotations have a substantial advantage over traditional curricula.

I'd recommend trusting those that have done well. You will score higher if you focus on really mastering core principles inside and out, as opposed to memorizing minor details. You most likely won't be asked about those details and, even if they do, they can ask it in a way that will infuriate you because it's something you thought you memorized but it was modified in some minor way to truly assess mastery.

Instead, master the core ... then when you feel like you're bored since you know it so well that you're doing really well on most topics... become obsessive about details in areas where you feel like you are losing points due to lack of core knowledge. This approach will get you at least into 240-260 territory... and as high as 270s, depending on your learning capacity.

 

[Jonari]

67% Uworld
74% Kaplan @ time of completion.

im quite certain i have a fairly good grasp on the topics, besides neuro and genetics - which is hindering me the most....nothing wrong with refining some smaller detailed points.

i thought my question earlier about the ketone body was actually a smart one, but instead you decided to be an ass about it, and comment on my study skills...no?

 

[Jonari]

I couldn't agree with you more. For some people it just takes time to get perspective on what's important to learn. Unfortunately that realization may come far after Step 1 is over.

It's really an important test taking skill. There's only a finite amount of **** you can keep in your head. Learning everything is a horrible strategy for Step 1. You have to develop an intuition and start to consume medical information in the mindset of a Step 1 test writer. I don't know how you can teach someone to do that. There's a million ways to get there but one common end point.

I always feel that people make posts like this to hinder other people from scoring high.

It's funny, because even with Phlo's high score and other people I know that have gotten higher than you...yes in the 270s, have never said "learning everything is a horrible strategy".
Don't people read RR fully, FA cover to cover, audios, videos, etc etc for their prep? ****, the dude that beat you by the one point, which must really piss you off, even read various chapters from Step 2 CK. Who are you to say, what is a good study strategy for somebody?

If you looked at the top of the page at my post, I said I was "trying" to learn, never said I was going with the plan. Also, didn't you see the post where I said, I was only doing a fine comb through for biochem and neuro?

Edit: Let me guess, you're going to respond with something ignorant about how Kaplan isn't a good representation of the Step, and it's too stuck on minor details.

 

[Phloston]

I absolutely think people should have the mentality of attempting to learn every small detail insofar as they are aware that they are not over-looking the HY stuff.

That doesn't mean you need to annotate every detail; it just means you should try your best to memorize the small details by reciting them aloud a few times, and then moving on.

I had a lot of minutiae show up on my exam (~15 questions), including four ******edly low-yield one-liners that I wouldn't have been able to get had I listened to the people who had told me studying esoteria was irrelevant. I made a handful of careless errors on my exam (as I'm sure most people do), but looking back, had I not had grabbed those four minutiae ones to balance the others out, I'm terrified to think what may have happened.

And even still, I'd want to know that my doctor read between the lines. He or she should be impassioned to know the nitty-gritty.

 

[Jonari]

I absolutely think people should have the mentality of attempting to learn every small detail insofar as they are aware that they are not over-looking the HY stuff.

That doesn't mean you need to annotate every detail; it just means you should try your best to memorize the small details by reciting them aloud a few times, and then moving on.

I had a lot of minutiae show up on my exam (~15 questions), including four ******edly low-yield one-liners that I wouldn't have been able to get had I listened to the people who had told me studying esoteria was irrelevant. I made a handful of careless errors on my exam (as I'm sure most people do), but looking back, had I not had grabbed those four minutiae ones to balance the others out, I'm terrified to think what may have happened.

And even still, I'd want to know that my doctor read between the lines. He or she should be impassioned to know the nitty-gritty.

This is why:

you > ijn

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I absolutely think people should have the mentality of attempting to learn every small detail insofar as they are aware that they are not over-looking the HY stuff.

That doesn't mean you need to annotate every detail; it just means you should try your best to memorize the small details by reciting them aloud a few times, and then moving on.

I had a lot of minutiae show up on my exam (~15 questions), including four ******edly low-yield one-liners that I wouldn't have been able to get had I listened to the people who had told me studying esoteria was irrelevant. I made a handful of careless errors on my exam (as I'm sure most people do), but looking back, had I not had grabbed those four minutiae ones to balance the others out, I'm terrified to think what may have happened.

And even still, I'd want to know that my doctor read between the lines. He or she should be impassioned to know the nitty-gritty.

Pholston bro you're a little too intense sometimes (although your lectures in that other thread are pretty sweet). What you would have dropped to a mere 255? Terrifying.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

This is why:

you > ijn

Anyway about your earlier question, wouldn't acetoacetate only give 20 ATPs in the first place? Since you only generate 10ATP per Acetyl CoA and it's putting 2 Acetyl CoAs in the cycle?

 

[Jonari]

Anyway about your earlier question, wouldn't acetoacetate only give 20 ATPs in the first place? Since you only generate 10ATP per Acetyl CoA and it's putting 2 Acetyl CoAs in the cycle?

3 nadh x 3 atp = 9 atp
1 fadh x 2 atp = 2atp
1 gtp x 1 atp = 1

12 atp/ac-coa x 2 = 24 with acetoacetate...

 

[RadicalRadon]

67% Uworld
74% Kaplan @ time of completion.

im quite certain i have a fairly good grasp on the topics, besides neuro and genetics - which is hindering me the most....nothing wrong with refining some smaller detailed points.

i thought my question earlier about the ketone body was actually a smart one, but instead you decided to be an ass about it, and comment on my study skills...no?

I always feel that people make posts like this to hinder other people from scoring high.

It's funny, because even with Phlo's high score and other people I know that have gotten higher than you...yes in the 270s, have never said "learning everything is a horrible strategy".
Don't people read RR fully, FA cover to cover, audios, videos, etc etc for their prep? ****, the dude that beat you by the one point, which must really piss you off, even read various chapters from Step 2 CK. Who are you to say, what is a good study strategy for somebody?

If you looked at the top of the page at my post, I said I was "trying" to learn, never said I was going with the plan. Also, didn't you see the post where I said, I was only doing a fine comb through for biochem and neuro?

Edit: Let me guess, you're going to respond with something ignorant about how Kaplan isn't a good representation of the Step, and it's too stuck on minor details.

Bro, way to lose the forest for the trees. Some people can't be helped

You say you have mastery. 67% on Uworld is not even close to mastery. First Aid has 95% of what's in UWorld. 67% is a long way away from mastering the core principles.

You are not anywhere near Pholston. He was in the 80s when he started obsessing over details. At that point, it was completely appropriate for him to start doing so. He was going for a big score and had already mastered the major principles. At a certain threshold, you should shift gears to mastering details -- you're not there yet, in my opinion.

It's my observation that most med students are like you, actually. They try to run before learning how to appropriately walk. This mindset hinders them from attaining their personal best potential score.


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I'm not going to get into this beyond what I've said. My advice is for others reading this forum. Clearly, you're too obstinate to modify your approach and that's absolutely fine (ha, precontemplation anyone???). A lot of people are like this in medicine.