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

 

[carddoc33]

Two more weeks for me too! I'm finishing DIT on Friday and taking another NBME on Saturday.

I was at 208 on my school's exam in March. Here's hoping to 225+ after my first pass of FA with DIT (I took 18 days and thoroughly went through FA hopefully it'll pay off)

I know DIT gets a bad wrap from time to time, but I'm really glad I did it. It makes sure everything is somewhere inside your head. After my first NBME, I was disappointed with it, but after NBME 11, tt seems like it paid off. It better have with the freaking $700 dollars I spent on it. But whatever.
Hopefully you see the same results!
Good luck.

 

[normtheniner]

I know DIT gets a bad wrap from time to time, but I'm really glad I did it. It makes sure everything is somewhere inside your head. After my first NBME, I was disappointed with it, but after NBME 11, tt seems like it paid off. It better have with the freaking $700 dollars I spent on it. But whatever.
Hopefully you see the same results!
Good luck.

Yeah I'm glad I did it too. It kept me focused because I knew exactly how much I had to cover each day. I almost didn't do it but then I found out they didn't have a refund policy haha....

Good luck to you too! Only a few more weeks till 3rd year....

 

[rkx]

So I used to post here a lot while I was preparing for my MCAT but cant for the life of me remember the email I used or the username.

I've been getting random advice/tips for USMLE prep from the various threads on SDN though and thought I would take the time to share my USMLE experience. (Just took it a few days ago)

First I'll briefly go through how I studied. I basically flashcarded the entire Kaplan lecture notes during my second year of med school. I literally memorized everything. I then did uworld and started doing kaplan qbank but didnt finish. I also listened to goljan on my way to and from school.

Uworld avg - 75% random/timed/tutor (started off in the high 60's and low 70's and ended in the mid 80s)
U world SA1 - 262 (less than a week out)
NBME 7 - 247 (2 weeks out prob)
NBME ? (administered by school) - 240 (5-6 weeks out)

I felt ready and really dont know how else I could have prepared for the beast of a test that I ended up getting. It started off pretty good with only 1 of the first 4 blocks giving me a bit of trouble. Took my break then just got completely blown away by the last 3 blocks. Literally nothing could have prepared me for many of the questions I got. Questions either required really random factual knowledge, were oddly worded, and/or were extremely tricky/time consuming. I kept telling myself the next block would be better but it never let up. I barely finished the last 3 blocks and had to make random guesses on several questions. Praying hard that my educated guesses were good enough to save my score.

I wont give out any question stems or anything but here is a quick rundown of the composition of my test (Just rmbr that everyones test is different!):

Heavy in Path
Heavy in Phys
Little to no Biochem (found this quite odd), Micro, Embryo
Moderate amount of everything else

Random info tips:

Test as far away from the test centers from your school as possible (you want it to be as empty as possible to minimize distractions)

It takes about 5-6 minutes to take a restroom break (checking in and out)

Dont put off taking a break if your brain is feeling a bit fuzzy, 5-10 minutes can make all the difference.

Save all calculation problems till the end unless you can solve it in <2 min

Watch the clock!

Good luck to everyone preparing!

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

congrats brah...awesome feeling i bet



lol @ disappointed with 235...not sure if srs or not...but either way congrats dude...enjoy the rest of summer and bang them sloots



not a bit surprised with the posts i've seen you made...

<-- mad jelly

where's calvn&hobbes...probably broke a 260

Congrats score receivers. Nick, Calvin et al, sending good vibes your way. Now back to World for the rest of us...

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

 

[ZzzZzzZzzZzzZzz]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

👍 congrats

 

[Jamiu22]

👍 Great Job!

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

 

[Geekchick921]

Congratulations to everyone that got their scores back today. You all did so well!

I am still so nervous about next week. I dreamt my exact numerical MCAT scores 2 1/2 years before I took the test. I have had no Step 1 dreams. I feel like I could have anything from a 215 to a 250. 🙁

 

[confusedfella]

I am taking my exam in mid june and was wondering how much time I should alot to learning embryology (yes, learning- I learned nothing from my med school's embryo class). Based on what I have heard, it might not be worth learning? Thoughts?

Thanks for the input!

 

[addy]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

write up?

 

[blaqmamba]

Final score: 235 (NBME average: 235.5).

A bit disappointed to be honest, but whatever, it's over with!

Hey I feel you man, but congrats!

I know you worked hard, and the score probably doesn't do justice to your knowledge but it's still a great score

 

[Goober11]

Test as far away from the test centers from your school as possible (you want it to be as empty as possible to minimize distractions)

Crap, taking it with like 18 of my classmates .

 

[Goober11]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

write up?

NICE! I would dig a write up as well if you ever find the time while you are surgery. I was feeling really lethargic today until I saw your score because my NBMEs have been somewhat similar to yours and that 255 has really motivated me to press on. I am especially interested to see how you hammered things in your last week or two.

CONGRATS!!!!

 

[Pons Asinorum]

5/1- Real deal- 255

Awesome. Congrats!

 

[CDI]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

Go HAM much? Haha, congrats!

 

[Phloston]

Hey Phloston, I already completed Uworld and annotated all the important notes...I am currently doing Kaplan Qbank and finished half of it...I've been annotating kaplan notes into first aid as well but I'm having second thoughts and wondering whether I should just give up on annotating first aid(since I already have Uworld notes in it). I figured I'd finish the rest of the kaplan qbank without annotating, and then do usmlerx without annotating. Is this a good idea? Or is annotating from each Qbank very important?

If you choose to use KLN, do so as you see fit, but don't annotate them into FA. Annotate only QBank material. Kaplan teaches a very circumlocutory and long-winded curriculum that is awry when it comes to efficient USMLE prep. I had annotated Kaplan QBank into FA considerably during my prep, but when I compare the substance of those annotations up against those from UWorld or Rx, they're pedantic, humorous, and even make me angry because I don't have patience for most things, let alone resources that waste my time (I know where all of my annotations came from because I used orange ink for Kaplan, green for UWorld and blue/black for Rx). USMLE Rx should absolutely be annotated into FA.

You are getting things messed up here. BOTH AA & AL are SYSTEMIC, AL=Primary, while AA=Secondary.
Nephrotic syndrome takes place in SYSTEMIC Amyloidosis, i.e. in BOTH AL & AA types.
So no discrepancy here.

Please keep the peace on the forum.

 

[blaqmamba]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

Congrats man, solid score!

 

[skyblue2000]

On the topic of annotating, would you guys STRONGLY recommend annotating from UW or Rx into FA... or is making a different excel with the questions good enough..and to kinda read along in the 2nd read of FA. <-- Right now, that's my plan.

I just feel like writing it as opposed to typing it now takes up SOOO much time that it wouldn't be worth it. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong!


Btw, congrats you guys!! 🙂

 

[Manu9]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

Wow congratulations!

 

[Phloston]

I'm back guys was in surgery clinic all day so no time for an update. Got my final score midmorning.

Practice test breakdown:
4/9/- NBME 12: 247
4/16- NBME 15: 252
4/21- NBME 11: 242
4/27- NBME 13: 247

5/1- Real deal- 255

Pretty happy would be an understatement. As usual, the NBMEs were great predictors and even underestimated my score.

Nice job oscillating up at the end there. Glad to see you pull through.

 

[birthdaycake]

random, but how many hours of sleep are you guys getting a night, and do you actually notice a difference in performance either way? (not talking about staying up all night)

i always ideally aim for seven but usually run so behind on my schedule that it's usually more like five..

 

[Jonari]

random, but how many hours of sleep are you guys getting a night, and do you actually notice a difference in performance either way? (not talking about staying up all night)

i always ideally aim for seven but usually run so behind on my schedule that it's usually more like five..

try to get 7...but ends up being 5...try to get to bed by 10pm and wake up at 5am...ends up being get to bed by 10pm...mess around the internet till midnight...sleep and wake up at 5am to study...study from 5am to usually 6-7pm...with a hour or two break in the middle

 

[CaptainSSO]

random, but how many hours of sleep are you guys getting a night, and do you actually notice a difference in performance either way? (not talking about staying up all night)

i always ideally aim for seven but usually run so behind on my schedule that it's usually more like five..

Same usually 5. I don't notice a difference in performance, honestly. Everyone's different, though. Some people can sleep 5 a night for their whole lives and they're good--some people can barely function on 7.

 

[NickNaylor]

Hey I feel you man, but congrats!

I know you worked hard, and the score probably doesn't do justice to your knowledge but it's still a great score

Yeah - it's not so much the actual number but just that I seemed to have a trend that suddenly fell off on test day. I mean, I basically scored 4 points higher than the first NBME I ever took. Makes me wonder what the utility of that 5 weeks of hell was.

Regardless, congrats everyone on the great scores - looks like the SDN crew did pretty well once again.

 

[Jamiu22]

Yeah - it's not so much the actual number but just that I seemed to have a trend that suddenly fell off on test day. I mean, I basically scored 4 points higher than the first NBME I ever took. Makes me wonder what the utility of that 5 weeks of hell was.

Regardless, congrats everyone on the great scores - looks like the SDN crew did pretty well once again.

Once again, congrats... that 5wks of hell probably helped guaranteed that you would get a least a 235 - if you hadn't put that effort in - there's a good chance you would have gotten lower.

I haven't taken the exam yet, but I think our scores...oscillate within a range... and depending on the questions... how we feel and all that...and most importantly *luck*, the computer spits out a number that determines a lot about the rest of our lives. That 5wks of hell probably helped u a lot more than you know.

Cheers for the scores mate... and sip that margarita I talked about after ur exam.

 

[skyblue2000]

On the topic of annotating, would you guys STRONGLY recommend annotating from UW or Rx into FA... or is making a different excel with the questions good enough..and to kinda read along in the 2nd read of FA. <-- Right now, that's my plan.

I just feel like writing it as opposed to typing it now takes up SOOO much time that it wouldn't be worth it. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong!


Btw, congrats you guys!! 🙂

Any input guys??

 

[MDMDJDJD]

Hi all. I haven't visited this site since I was a pre-med, but I logged in this morning to get info on how Step 1 score release works. Thought I would write a quick note about my study experience for anyone seeking input. I had a very pedestrian MCAT but scored 239 on Step 1. Here goes...

First, don't over-do it with study materials. All I used (and all I think anyone really needs to do well) is First Aid, Pathoma, and UWorld qbank. Anything else is overkill and probably a waste of time, unless you're shooting for 260. I had 5 weeks to study, and read FA twice, read and listened to pathoma lectures once, and did one pass at UWorld questions (I averaged high 60's on timed, random blocks). I also started to brush up on microbio and biochem in the last few weeks of 2nd year, but didn't really start studying intensely until my full-time 5-week study period started. Also, it's a little unorthodox, but I only started doing UWorld intensely 12 days before my exam. I did 4 blocks (46 questions) per day for 10 days, and that got me through most of the 2000+ questions. I did zero questions the weekend before my test.

Another piece of advice I would give is to not get obsessed with NBME practice tests. Judging by every other post on here, I feel like this statement might get me banned, but I really think it's the secret to my success. I only took one NBME (administered by my school) at the beginning of my study period to get a baseline, and I scored the equivalent of a 188. NBME's don't give you individual question feedback, and should only be used to help you formulate a study schedule if you haven't been able to establish one on your own(i.e. if you have no idea what areas you are weak in). I had a solid study schedule, and taking a bunch of NBME's that sucked up 4 + hours per exam (and a lot of brain power) would have definitely cut into my review of FA and UWorld and probably killed me mentally.

Also, don't sweat it if you have trouble sleeping the night before. I got literally zero sleep. Tossed and turned all night. Adrenaline will carry you through the test, and you'll be exhausted by blocks six and seven whether you got 12 hours of sleep the night before or nothing.

 

[normtheniner]

Hi all. I haven't visited this site since I was a pre-med, but I logged in this morning to get info on how Step 1 score release works. Thought I would write a quick note about my study experience for anyone seeking input. I had a very pedestrian MCAT but scored 239 on Step 1. Here goes...

First, don't over-do it with study materials. All I used (and all I think anyone really needs to do well) is First Aid, Pathoma, and UWorld qbank. Anything else is overkill and probably a waste of time, unless you're shooting for 260. I had 5 weeks to study, and read FA twice, read and listened to pathoma lectures once, and did one pass at UWorld questions (I averaged high 60's on timed, random blocks). I also started to brush up on microbio and biochem in the last few weeks of 2nd year, but didn't really start studying intensely until my full-time 5-week study period started. Also, it's a little unorthodox, but I only started doing UWorld intensely 12 days before my exam. I did 4 blocks (46 questions) per day for 10 days, and that got me through most of the 2000+ questions. I did zero questions the weekend before my test.

Another piece of advice I would give is to not get obsessed with NBME practice tests. Judging by every other post on here, I feel like this statement might get me banned, but I really think it's the secret to my success. I only took one NBME (administered by my school) at the beginning of my study period to get a baseline, and I scored the equivalent of a 188. NBME's don't give you individual question feedback, and should only be used to help you formulate a study schedule if you haven't been able to establish one on your own(i.e. if you have no idea what areas you are weak in). I had a solid study schedule, and taking a bunch of NBME's that sucked up 4 + hours per exam (and a lot of brain power) would have definitely cut into my review of FA and UWorld and probably killed me mentally.

Also, don't sweat it if you have trouble sleeping the night before. I got literally zero sleep. Tossed and turned all night. Adrenaline will carry you through the test, and you'll be exhausted by blocks six and seven whether you got 12 hours of sleep the night before or nothing.

Congrats on the awesome score man! I'm trying to get through the high points of pathoma again. I watched it (some of it several times) over the school year, but its really been hard to go through because reading FA takes up most of my day. Did you do pathoma prior to this? I'm really trying to figure if its worth it to take the 12-14 hours to go through it all again.

 

[MDMDJDJD]

.

 

[MDMDJDJD]

Congrats on the awesome score man! I'm trying to get through the high points of pathoma again. I watched it (some of it several times) over the school year, but its really been hard to go through because reading FA takes up most of my day. Did you do pathoma prior to this? I'm really trying to figure if its worth it to take the 12-14 hours to go through it all again.

Unlike many of my classmates, I didn't touch pathoma until my study period began. I listened to each audio lecture at the fastest speed after I read each chapter. That kind of consolidated everything. If you feel really squeezed though, always defer to FA. If you don't want to listen to all the pathoma lectures, I'd zero in on renal, heme, and onc.

 

[John Lannister]

Hi all. I haven't visited this site since I was a pre-med, but I logged in this morning to get info on how Step 1 score release works. Thought I would write a quick note about my study experience for anyone seeking input. I had a very pedestrian MCAT but scored 239 on Step 1. Here goes...

First, don't over-do it with study materials. All I used (and all I think anyone really needs to do well) is First Aid, Pathoma, and UWorld qbank. Anything else is overkill and probably a waste of time, unless you're shooting for 260. I had 5 weeks to study, and read FA twice, read and listened to pathoma lectures once, and did one pass at UWorld questions (I averaged high 60's on timed, random blocks). I also started to brush up on microbio and biochem in the last few weeks of 2nd year, but didn't really start studying intensely until my full-time 5-week study period started. Also, it's a little unorthodox, but I only started doing UWorld intensely 12 days before my exam. I did 4 blocks (46 questions) per day for 10 days, and that got me through most of the 2000+ questions. I did zero questions the weekend before my test.

Another piece of advice I would give is to not get obsessed with NBME practice tests. Judging by every other post on here, I feel like this statement might get me banned, but I really think it's the secret to my success. I only took one NBME (administered by my school) at the beginning of my study period to get a baseline, and I scored the equivalent of a 188. NBME's don't give you individual question feedback, and should only be used to help you formulate a study schedule if you haven't been able to establish one on your own(i.e. if you have no idea what areas you are weak in). I had a solid study schedule, and taking a bunch of NBME's that sucked up 4 + hours per exam (and a lot of brain power) would have definitely cut into my review of FA and UWorld and probably killed me mentally.

Also, don't sweat it if you have trouble sleeping the night before. I got literally zero sleep. Tossed and turned all night. Adrenaline will carry you through the test, and you'll be exhausted by blocks six and seven whether you got 12 hours of sleep the night before or nothing.

Great job.

 

[JP2740]

Lol **** guys, I feel bad for sleeping 8 hours veeryday

 

[John Lannister]

Lol **** guys, I feel bad for sleeping 8 hours veeryday

With the proper supplementation you can get it down to 5 or 6 easy.

 

[California2000]

I have about 4 weeks till my exam and my goal is a 240. Did UWSA1 last friday and got a 224. Since then I started Uworld and have done about 8 Uworld 46q blocks and have been scoring mainly in the low 60s. My question is should I spend a few days just focusing on FA to get the minor details I feel I keep missing or can I get to where I need just by doing more Uworld questions and reading all the explanations.
P.S. I have Pathoma pretty down and have read through FA 2x.

 

[Phloston]

So I used to post here a lot while I was preparing for my MCAT but cant for the life of me remember the email I used or the username.

I've been getting random advice/tips for USMLE prep from the various threads on SDN though and thought I would take the time to share my USMLE experience. (Just took it a few days ago)

First I'll briefly go through how I studied. I basically flashcarded the entire Kaplan lecture notes during my second year of med school. I literally memorized everything. I then did uworld and started doing kaplan qbank but didnt finish. I also listened to goljan on my way to and from school.

Uworld avg - 75% random/timed/tutor (started off in the high 60's and low 70's and ended in the mid 80s)
U world SA1 - 262 (less than a week out)
NBME 7 - 247 (2 weeks out prob)
NBME ? (administered by school) - 240 (5-6 weeks out)

I felt ready and really dont know how else I could have prepared for the beast of a test that I ended up getting. It started off pretty good with only 1 of the first 4 blocks giving me a bit of trouble. Took my break then just got completely blown away by the last 3 blocks. Literally nothing could have prepared me for many of the questions I got. Questions either required really random factual knowledge, were oddly worded, and/or were extremely tricky/time consuming. I kept telling myself the next block would be better but it never let up. I barely finished the last 3 blocks and had to make random guesses on several questions. Praying hard that my educated guesses were good enough to save my score.

I wont give out any question stems or anything but here is a quick rundown of the composition of my test (Just rmbr that everyones test is different!):

Heavy in Path
Heavy in Phys
Little to no Biochem (found this quite odd), Micro, Embryo
Moderate amount of everything else

Random info tips:

Test as far away from the test centers from your school as possible (you want it to be as empty as possible to minimize distractions)

It takes about 5-6 minutes to take a restroom break (checking in and out)

Dont put off taking a break if your brain is feeling a bit fuzzy, 5-10 minutes can make all the difference.

Save all calculation problems till the end unless you can solve it in <2 min

Watch the clock!

Good luck to everyone preparing!

You were probably hovering over the 260-barrier at the time you sat the exam, given that UWSA performance and final UWorld%. I'm curious to see what you score (+/-5) because UWSAs typically over-predict mid-range scores but are fairly accurate for 260+. If you did manage to rock the real deal, you'll assuage many people who've managed to do well on the UWSAs.

 

[Zam]

Please keep the peace on the forum.

I'm sorry what did I say?

English is my second language, so sorry if my expression was taken the wrong way. I was trying to explain something I learned from Pathoma.

 

[suji0]

With the proper supplementation you can get it down to 5 or 6 easy.

please elaborate 🙂 id love to get an extra couple hours a day without feeling tired

 

[birthdaycake]

Hi all. I haven't visited this site since I was a pre-med, but I logged in this morning to get info on how Step 1 score release works. Thought I would write a quick note about my study experience for anyone seeking input. I had a very pedestrian MCAT but scored 239 on Step 1. Here goes...

First, don't over-do it with study materials. All I used (and all I think anyone really needs to do well) is First Aid, Pathoma, and UWorld qbank. Anything else is overkill and probably a waste of time, unless you're shooting for 260. I had 5 weeks to study, and read FA twice, read and listened to pathoma lectures once, and did one pass at UWorld questions (I averaged high 60's on timed, random blocks). I also started to brush up on microbio and biochem in the last few weeks of 2nd year, but didn't really start studying intensely until my full-time 5-week study period started. Also, it's a little unorthodox, but I only started doing UWorld intensely 12 days before my exam. I did 4 blocks (46 questions) per day for 10 days, and that got me through most of the 2000+ questions. I did zero questions the weekend before my test.

Another piece of advice I would give is to not get obsessed with NBME practice tests. Judging by every other post on here, I feel like this statement might get me banned, but I really think it's the secret to my success. I only took one NBME (administered by my school) at the beginning of my study period to get a baseline, and I scored the equivalent of a 188. NBME's don't give you individual question feedback, and should only be used to help you formulate a study schedule if you haven't been able to establish one on your own(i.e. if you have no idea what areas you are weak in). I had a solid study schedule, and taking a bunch of NBME's that sucked up 4 + hours per exam (and a lot of brain power) would have definitely cut into my review of FA and UWorld and probably killed me mentally.

Also, don't sweat it if you have trouble sleeping the night before. I got literally zero sleep. Tossed and turned all night. Adrenaline will carry you through the test, and you'll be exhausted by blocks six and seven whether you got 12 hours of sleep the night before or nothing.

That's awesome, congrats. My goal score is definitely where you are! My uworld scores are alllll over the place though.. I'm a month into studying, been through FA and Pathoma once, and almost through all of Uworld once, but my blocks are ranging anywhere from 55% to 75% so obviously there are enormous gaps in my knowledge. NBME 12 last week was a 224. I'm only three weeks out at this point 🙁

 

[CrouchingLiger]

Lol **** guys, I feel bad for sleeping 8 hours veeryday

Haha don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you. Plus once a week I sleep in and get closer to 10 hours. I absolutely cannot function with less than that for more than a couple of days in a row. It's not so much that I can't study/focus if I get less sleep, but ive noticed that things stick with me much longer when I get sleep as opposed to staying up to review one extra time. I've done the same through out the year, I've heard of people who get 3-4 hours of sleep the night before my exam, but I always made sure I got atleast 7-8. I'm sure some people are fine with less sleep, but not me. Third year should be interesting...

 

[startswithb]

Haha don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you. Plus once a week I sleep in and get closer to 10 hours. I absolutely cannot function with less than that for more than a couple of days in a row. It's not so much that I can't study/focus if I get less sleep, but ive noticed that things stick with me much longer when I get sleep as opposed to staying up to review one extra time. I've done the same through out the year, I've heard of people who get 3-4 hours of sleep the night before my exam, but I always made sure I got atleast 7-8. I'm sure some people are fine with less sleep, but not me. Third year should be interesting...

Same here! Then 2 nights before an exam I sleep as much as humanly possible and then I am ON for test day and it doesn't matter if I'm too nervous to sleep well the night before. Sleep powers my brain. Trying to get through material while just sitting in a chair while sleep deprived is favoring quantity over quality of studying.

 

[tiedyeddog]

please elaborate 🙂 id love to get an extra couple hours a day without feeling tired

lol

 

[John Lannister]

please elaborate 🙂 id love to get an extra couple hours a day without feeling tired

Can't in here. PM me.

 

[startswithb]

Can't in here. PM me.

lol

 

[CDI]

This thread just turned into an episode of The Wire. Things are gettin shady around here.

 

[abelabbot]

You were probably hovering over the 260-barrier at the time you sat the exam, given that UWSA performance and final UWorld%. I'm curious to see what you score (+/-5) because UWSAs typically over-predict mid-range scores but are fairly accurate for 260+. If you did manage to rock the real deal, you'll assuage many people who've managed to do well on the UWSAs.

Hey Phloston, I already completed Uworld and annotated all the important notes...I am currently doing Kaplan Qbank and finished half of it...I've been annotating kaplan notes into first aid as well but I'm having second thoughts and wondering whether I should just give up on annotating first aid(since I already have Uworld notes in it). I figured I'd finish the rest of the kaplan qbank without annotating, and then do usmlerx without annotating. Is this a good idea? Or is annotating from each Qbank very important?

 

[Jamiu22]

Hey Phloston, I already completed Uworld and annotated all the important notes...I am currently doing Kaplan Qbank and finished half of it...I've been annotating kaplan notes into first aid as well but I'm having second thoughts and wondering whether I should just give up on annotating first aid(since I already have Uworld notes in it). I figured I'd finish the rest of the kaplan qbank without annotating, and then do usmlerx without annotating. Is this a good idea? Or is annotating from each Qbank very important?

If you choose to use KLN, do so as you see fit, but don't annotate them into FA. Annotate only QBank material. Kaplan teaches a very circumlocutory and long-winded curriculum that is awry when it comes to efficient USMLE prep. I had annotated Kaplan QBank into FA considerably during my prep, but when I compare the substance of those annotations up against those from UWorld or Rx, they're pedantic, humorous, and even make me angry because I don't have patience for most things, let alone resources that waste my time (I know where all of my annotations came from because I used orange ink for Kaplan, green for UWorld and blue/black for Rx). USMLE Rx should absolutely be annotated into FA.

I think he already answered you yesterday!

 

[0009]

Hopefully this can help calm some anxious people waiting for score reports or help people looking for ideas of how to study.

Prep materials: USMLEworld (68% average first time through ...around 50% early and ~75% late in my study period), First Aid 2013, Pathoma.
I had ~6 weeks of dedicated study time. I reviewed pharm (both the pharm chapter and the sections at the end of organ systems) and micro for an hour or so almost daily in my study period. I did little boards prep aside from watching about 2/3 of Pathoma before these 6 weeks.

My school had NBMEs after our block exams that were scaled to a bell curve in which I generally scored around the class mean (my school averages in the 230s for the actual Step 1).

4.5 weeks out: UWorld Assessment 1: 226
3.5 weeks out: NBME 13: 247
2 weeks out: UWorld Assessment 2: 250
1 week out: NBME 15: 252
2 days out: Free 150 95%

Actual test: It felt significantly harder than all of the practice tests I took. I probably marked ~20 questions/block (compared to about 6/block on practice tests) and had little/no time to go over them again (I usually finished with about 5:00 left on my NBMEs). Lots of things not in FA or that I had never seen, etc. I was expecting something below a 220.
Actual score: 266

If your test feels incredibly hard keep in mind that there are "experimental" questions for future exams and those might be the ones throwing you off! Best of luck and stay positive! Remember that it is an honor to be in medical school and a future physician in the first place, regardless of our step 1 score.

 

[Daodejing]

My school had NBMEs after our block exams that were scaled to a bell curve in which I generally scored around the class mean (my school averages in the 230s for the actual Step 1).

4.5 weeks out: UWorld Assessment 1: 226
3.5 weeks out: NBME 13: 247
2 weeks out: UWorld Assessment 2: 250
1 week out: NBME 15: 252
2 days out: Free 150 95%

Actual test: It felt significantly harder than all of the practice tests I took. I probably marked ~20 questions/block (compared to about 6/block on practice tests) and had little/no time to go over them again (I usually finished with about 5:00 left on my NBMEs). Lots of things not in FA or that I had never seen, etc. I was expecting something below a 220.
Actual score: 266

Wow, that's a helluva positive trend. Congrats!

 

[rkx]

You were probably hovering over the 260-barrier at the time you sat the exam, given that UWSA performance and final UWorld%. I'm curious to see what you score (+/-5) because UWSAs typically over-predict mid-range scores but are fairly accurate for 260+. If you did manage to rock the real deal, you'll assuage many people who've managed to do well on the UWSAs.

As much as I would love to assuage those who score well on the UWSA's I'm really not holding my breath for an outstanding score. I'm just hoping to break the 240 mark to make sure I can get into the type of residency I want to. I will post my score here in this thread when they come out but it may be awhile. I just read on the NBME site that all those who take their exams after May 13th will have to wait all the way until JULY 10th for scores 🙁

http://www.usmle.org/announcements/

Also on an unrelated note, I really can't for the life of me figure out why people would discuss questions with those who havent taken the exam yet. Every question you share just hurts your own score. Hopefully NBME takes this into account because its pretty unfair for those of us who take it early in the testing season before all the hard questions are getting passed around through the grapevine.

But enough of my little rant and congrats to those who did well on their exams yesterday!

 

[bobow98]

Also on an unrelated note, I really can't for the life of me figure out why people would discuss questions with those who havent taken the exam yet. Every question you share just hurts your own score. Hopefully NBME takes this into account because its pretty unfair for those of us who take it early in the testing season before all the hard questions are getting passed around through the grapevine.

Lol gunner much?
😛

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using SDN Mobile

 

[Goober11]

As much as I would love to assuage those who score well on the UWSA's I'm really not holding my breath for an outstanding score. I'm just hoping to break the 240 mark to make sure I can get into the type of residency I want to. I will post my score here in this thread when they come out but it may be awhile. I just read on the NBME site that all those who take their exams after May 13th will have to wait all the way until JULY 10th for scores 🙁

http://www.usmle.org/announcements/

Also on an unrelated note, I really can't for the life of me figure out why people would discuss questions with those who havent taken the exam yet. Every question you share just hurts your own score. Hopefully NBME takes this into account because its pretty unfair for those of us who take it early in the testing season before all the hard questions are getting passed around through the grapevine.

But enough of my little rant and congrats to those who did well on their exams yesterday!

If it makes you feel better they just switched up the testing pool so someone feeding another student answer from their test 1 month ago will likely not be put at any appreciable advantage. If you or anyone else just runs their own race there is honestly nothing holding you from a high score. Worrying about others is a waste of time.