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

 

[skyblue2000]

That being said.. I'm still gonna be flipping a **** after my exam! 🙁 Just the way it goes...

 

[stronghold]

I wrote down stuff I hadn't seen before in FA. There were a ton of drugs not in FA that I thought were important and other random bits. I read all of the explanations, for the wrong answers too. Helped me a ton.

Thanks man. What about the FA page below the explanations? If a question asks on a simple thing on a virus, which I got right, there is a big FA page, below explanation, filled with much info on viruses! Do I have to memorize and have a look on those info unrelated to the question?

 

[tiedyeddog]

Thanks man. What about the FA page below the explanations? If a question asks on a simple thing on a virus, which I got right, there is a big FA page, below explanation, filled with much info on viruses! Do I have to memorize and have a look on those info unrelated to the question?

up to you, if you're using USMLErx to review then go ahead. if you aren't, skip it.

 

[MarkandMark]

I'm right there with you buddy. Took my test last week and have felt terrible since. I only took one practice nbme but scored in the low 250s two weeks out and finished UW with an average in the upper 70s.

After my test I felt like I would be lucky to get an average score. Nothing I could have done different though so just have to move on and try not to dwell on it.

Just know you aren't alone. Best of luck.

 

[Evil_Abed]

Hey guys, I could really use some reassurance to help calm me down. I'm taking my exam tomorrow and there are still 5 or 6 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at yet and I'm really freaking the eff out. I know I messed up. However, I've done really well on UWorld (78% correct -- randomized, timed, first pass) and really well on 4 practice NBMEs (averaging about a 247 or so).

Please tell me I'll be okay tomorrow! I know there's still a lot to go through, but I read a lot of FA and UW explanations after I took my last NBME (15 -- scored around a 250 on it), so I feel like I've only added more information to my foundation.

Any advice for these last few hours? I'm planning on going through the neuro and reproductive sections in FA (haven't read them yet) and quickly looking at the behavioral sciences section either late tonight or tomorrow morning on my commute to the test center. I don't think I'll have time to really review anatomy of embryo (both of which I'm weak at, but am hoping they're low-yield). Any advice or reassurance would be immensely appreciated! Thank you!

 

[tiedyeddog]

Hey guys, I could really use some reassurance to help calm me down. I'm taking my exam tomorrow and there are still 5 or 6 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at yet and I'm really freaking the eff out. I know I messed up. However, I've done really well on UWorld (78% correct -- randomized, timed, first pass) and really well on 4 practice NBMEs (averaging about a 247 or so).

Please tell me I'll be okay tomorrow! I know there's still a lot to go through, but I read a lot of FA and UW explanations after I took my last NBME (15 -- scored around a 250 on it), so I feel like I've only added more information to my foundation.

Any advice for these last few hours? I'm planning on going through the neuro and reproductive sections in FA (haven't read them yet) and quickly looking at the behavioral sciences section either late tonight or tomorrow morning on my commute to the test center. I don't think I'll have time to really review anatomy of embryo (both of which I'm weak at, but am hoping they're low-yield). Any advice or reassurance would be immensely appreciated! Thank you!

hey, you'll be ok. if I were you, I'd relax for the rest of the day.... maybe look at the rapid review section.

 

[John Lannister]

Hey guys, I could really use some reassurance to help calm me down. I'm taking my exam tomorrow and there are still 5 or 6 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at yet and I'm really freaking the eff out. I know I messed up. However, I've done really well on UWorld (78% correct -- randomized, timed, first pass) and really well on 4 practice NBMEs (averaging about a 247 or so).

Please tell me I'll be okay tomorrow! I know there's still a lot to go through, but I read a lot of FA and UW explanations after I took my last NBME (15 -- scored around a 250 on it), so I feel like I've only added more information to my foundation.

Any advice for these last few hours? I'm planning on going through the neuro and reproductive sections in FA (haven't read them yet) and quickly looking at the behavioral sciences section either late tonight or tomorrow morning on my commute to the test center. I don't think I'll have time to really review anatomy of embryo (both of which I'm weak at, but am hoping they're low-yield). Any advice or reassurance would be immensely appreciated! Thank you!

Haha, you scored a 250. That's like top 10%? You'll be fine.

No new info in the final few hours. Either go over something you've covered that you're weak in or relax. You'll be fine.

 

[Evil_Abed]

hey, you'll be ok. if I were you, I'd relax for the rest of the day.... maybe look at the rapid review section.

Haha, you scored a 250. That's like top 10%? You'll be fine.

No new info in the final few hours. Either go over something you've covered that you're weak in or relax. You'll be fine.

I really want to relax, but there are literally 6 or 7 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at (except for the pharmacology sections). That's scaring the crap out of me! The scenario that keeps running through my mind is "what if I get a ton of questions on the topics I didn't review in FA?" I know the NBMEs are supposed to be the best predictors and I've been averaging about 247 on the 4 that I took (spread out over a month). I feel like that should mean something -- that I should, for the most part, be okay tomorrow.

But then, I see people posting about how much more difficult it was, etc, and I'm freaking out that I haven't covered seemingly high-yield sections (ex. neuro, GI, reproductive, heme/onc) in FA yet -- I have a general foundation of those things from doing Pathoma a bunch of times over the school year, but beyond UWorld questions and NBMEs, I haven't reviewed some of that stuff at all. Ugh, I'm such an idiot to put myself into this situation. Seriously, I feel like such an utter idiot right now! 🙁

Edit: I do see that some people have posted that nothing they studied could really have helped them (including FA), so I don't know anymore. I don't know what else to do beyond cram as much as I can over the next few hours and try to get a decent night's sleep.

 

[drstarter]

Hey guys, I could really use some reassurance to help calm me down. I'm taking my exam tomorrow and there are still 5 or 6 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at yet and I'm really freaking the eff out. I know I messed up. However, I've done really well on UWorld (78% correct -- randomized, timed, first pass) and really well on 4 practice NBMEs (averaging about a 247 or so).

Please tell me I'll be okay tomorrow! I know there's still a lot to go through, but I read a lot of FA and UW explanations after I took my last NBME (15 -- scored around a 250 on it), so I feel like I've only added more information to my foundation.

Any advice for these last few hours? I'm planning on going through the neuro and reproductive sections in FA (haven't read them yet) and quickly looking at the behavioral sciences section either late tonight or tomorrow morning on my commute to the test center. I don't think I'll have time to really review anatomy of embryo (both of which I'm weak at, but am hoping they're low-yield). Any advice or reassurance would be immensely appreciated! Thank you!

Man you've got solid scores. You are definitely looking good for 240+ just don't psych uself out right now after all the hardwork. Just skim thru a bit of embryo and the definitions and the minutiae in BS, drugs and call it a day. Get some sleep and you'll nail it.

Words of the great phloston- On the real exam though, certain words in the questions/answers will jump out at you and everything will come rushing to the surface full-speed. The info sits in your preconscious, not conscious, state. Don't ever get discouraged or think that you're not remembering things. Trust it. You are remembering a ton.

Good luck!

 

[Evil_Abed]

Man you've got solid scores. You are definitely looking good for 240+ just don't psych uself out right now after all the hardwork. Just skim thru a bit of embryo and the definitions and the minutiae in BS, drugs and call it a day. Get some sleep and you'll nail it.

Words of the great phloston- On the real exam though, certain words in the questions/answers will jump out at you and everything will come rushing to the surface full-speed. The info sits in your preconscious, not conscious, state. Don't ever get discouraged or think that you're not remembering things. Trust it. You are remembering a ton.

Good luck!

Yea, I'm trying my hardest to calm down and just go through some of the chapters I haven't covered quickly -- at this point, I think I'm just going to read through everything quickly so it looks familiar tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't have time to sit and memorize as much as I'd prefer -- I'm just hoping this works out and stuff gets stored in my short-term memory and I can recall it tomorrow before blasting it out of my brain with EtOH tomorrow night. I never realized how many tiny little associations that I've never even heard of are listed in FA that weren't in things like Pathoma or RR.

Edit: Sorry, one last question -- is FA neuro + reviewing the brain sections in HY neuro good enough for the neuro stuff people have been encountering on the real deal? I might wind down the studying in a few more hours and watch some hockey while browsing through those images (want to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow).

 

[Evil_Abed]

Hey guys, I'm really sorry for being annoying and posting multiple times -- just looking for one last bit of reassurance. I should be able to get through another 2-3 chapters of FA over the next few hours before going to bed. That should cut down the number of chapters I haven't gone through (how much I'll remember tomorrow, I'm not sure).

There's gotta be people who take the exam without necessarily using FA or reading through all of it, right? So I can't be the only one who hasn't reviewed certain chapters. I'm really hoping this works out and that I can at least pull off a 230 -- at this point, I would be incredibly happy with any score above a 230-235.

 

[drstarter]

Yea, I'm trying my hardest to calm down and just go through some of the chapters I haven't covered quickly -- at this point, I think I'm just going to read through everything quickly so it looks familiar tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't have time to sit and memorize as much as I'd prefer -- I'm just hoping this works out and stuff gets stored in my short-term memory and I can recall it tomorrow before blasting it out of my brain with EtOH tomorrow night. I never realized how many tiny little associations that I've never even heard of are listed in FA that weren't in things like Pathoma or RR.

Edit: Sorry, one last question -- is FA neuro + reviewing the brain sections in HY neuro good enough for the neuro stuff people have been encountering on the real deal? I might wind down the studying in a few more hours and watch some hockey while browsing through those images (want to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow).

NBME 15 is the closest to the real deal and you obviously know your stuff to have done so well. Your reading from other resources has compensated for not reading all of FA so don't worry! You got this man. Here is a suggestion, flick thru FA briefly along with some images and cut out all other supplemental reading..oh and get off SDN until you're done!

You'll be fine. All the best

 

[birthdaycake]

I really want to relax, but there are literally 6 or 7 chapters in FA that I haven't even looked at (except for the pharmacology sections). That's scaring the crap out of me! The scenario that keeps running through my mind is "what if I get a ton of questions on the topics I didn't review in FA?" I know the NBMEs are supposed to be the best predictors and I've been averaging about 247 on the 4 that I took (spread out over a month). I feel like that should mean something -- that I should, for the most part, be okay tomorrow.

But then, I see people posting about how much more difficult it was, etc, and I'm freaking out that I haven't covered seemingly high-yield sections (ex. neuro, GI, reproductive, heme/onc) in FA yet -- I have a general foundation of those things from doing Pathoma a bunch of times over the school year, but beyond UWorld questions and NBMEs, I haven't reviewed some of that stuff at all. Ugh, I'm such an idiot to put myself into this situation. Seriously, I feel like such an utter idiot right now! 🙁

Edit: I do see that some people have posted that nothing they studied could really have helped them (including FA), so I don't know anymore. I don't know what else to do beyond cram as much as I can over the next few hours and try to get a decent night's sleep.

Hey at the range you're already at it sounds like you didn't need to go through first aid..there've been several people who've posted on here who've rocked the test without reading first aid through.. And they had great practice nbmes like you.

 

[birthdaycake]

anyone else on saturday?

Me!!! Terrified but at the same time feeling strangely no motivation. I know phloston said this was a necessary stage of preparation (feeling disengaged by the material) but I seriously don't know enough/ in a range to be comfortable, haha.

 

[amj198]

Hey all, was wondering if anyone had a little advice. My test is on June 17 (aka I have 3, potentially 4 days of studying left if I don't take a day off).
UWSA1: 252 (pretty sure this was a fluke. took it after a week of studying expecting to do maybe 210-220...)
NBME15: 261 (pretty sure this was a fluke too...)
UWSA2: 253
NBME13: 257 (took this on 6/8)
Most recent 10 blocks on UWorld average (last 4 days, all random timed): 86.2%

I know my stats are high and everything, but I'm still not convinced I'm prepared. This is going to make me sound like a huge douche, but my target score is a 250 (aiming to be competitive for plastics, although that's not necessarily what I want to do). Do you guys think I should take another NBME 2 days before my test, for validation or whatever? Or focus on something else? My current plan was to take a full length exam (aka NBME12 + the 150 free questions) for stamina purposes 2 days before, review it, and then study for a half day the day before my test. I'll have gone through FA 3 times, Pathoma 1.4ish times, and all of UWorld 1 time by two days before.

Also...biochem is by far my weakest subject. Does anyone think that will be a huge problem on the real exam? Should I spend an extra day trying to improve it instead of taking another NBME, or is it kind of too late? It's not terribly weak. 57% on UWorld.

 

[stronghold]

Hey Guys. I just finished my first random block on USMLE Rx. I got:
My Performance:
78%
Everyone Else:
68%

However, I spend much time, using the tutor mode, looking on the explanation and the FA part. There was no problem at all in time for thinking.
I am not sure how my percentage correlates. What to do? Is it better to do all the block at once then return back to answers and explanation or keep doing the tutor mode? I spend much time memorizing explanations and FA related page!

 

[D elegans]

Hey guys, I'm really sorry for being annoying and posting multiple times -- just looking for one last bit of reassurance. I should be able to get through another 2-3 chapters of FA over the next few hours before going to bed. That should cut down the number of chapters I haven't gone through (how much I'll remember tomorrow, I'm not sure).

There's gotta be people who take the exam without necessarily using FA or reading through all of it, right? So I can't be the only one who hasn't reviewed certain chapters. I'm really hoping this works out and that I can at least pull off a 230 -- at this point, I would be incredibly happy with any score above a 230-235.

Hey, it's probably late for you now and I hope you aren't reading SDN, but if you are you should RELAX. FA is one resource of many. The best predictor of your success is how well you've been doing on NBMEs and UWorld, and you've been killing it! You've got the knowledge clearly. You don't need to go through the remaining FA chapters, you've already got it. Just relax, try to get some sleep, and go into tomorrow knowing it's going to be a tough exam but you've got the knowledge to get through it. 👍 Godspeed

 

[D elegans]

Hey Guys. I just finished my first random block on USMLE Rx. I got:
My Performance:
78%
Everyone Else:
68%

However, I spend much time, using the tutor mode, looking on the explanation and the FA part. There was no problem at all in time for thinking.
I am not sure how my percentage correlates. What to do? Is it better to do all the block at once then return back to answers and explanation or keep doing the tutor mode? I spend much time memorizing explanations and FA related page!

If you want an honest assessment of your progress, you need to do random blocks on timed mode (no tutor).

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Hey Guys. I just finished my first random block on USMLE Rx. I got:
My Performance:
78%
Everyone Else:
68%

However, I spend much time, using the tutor mode, looking on the explanation and the FA part. There was no problem at all in time for thinking.
I am not sure how my percentage correlates. What to do? Is it better to do all the block at once then return back to answers and explanation or keep doing the tutor mode? I spend much time memorizing explanations and FA related page!

That 68% for others also isn't for the block you just took. USMLErx only has the average for every user for the overall bank. They change the number once per week so for the next week, every block will say "68%", just look at the individual question's % correct.

 

[California2000]

Any advice would be much appreciated! Started studying about 1.5 months ago after completing pathoma and started with UWSA1 scoring a 224. Since then I have gone over FA 3x and completed 78% of Uworld on timed, random. I started Uworld with doing mainly in the low 60s but now I am averaging in the upper 70's with a few in the low 80s. I took NBME 15 two days ago and got a 233. Was kind of bumed since my goal is a 240 and I thought I would be there already. Im taking the test in 6 days. Not sure if I should focus on Uworld, FA, or just do more NBMEs. I feel like I know FA pretty well but I always pick up on new things every time. When I took NBME 15 I feel like a was a little nervous for some reason and didn't really think clearly in the beginning (Yes I pray this doesn't happen during the real deal). Any advice on what I should focus on these last few days to reach my 240 goal. (I also already purchased UWSA2 but haven't done it yet.) Thanks for any advice! 🙂

 

[Phloston]

you probably got more wrong than you realized and still got a fantastic score. the curve is definitely steeper than the nbme's considering how ******ely easy those questions are; not only that, but there are questions on there that you got wrong that are definitely experimental.

A 264 on NBMEs11+13 = 9 wrong on both.
A 266 on NBME12 = 8 wrong.

So (322/200) x 9 wrong = 14.49.

That means on the real deal, ~15 wrong is around a 264. I'm estimating my 262 was 18-20 wrong. That's not just based on the above calculation, but that's also because I had marked on average 2-4 per block.

In the cases that people get 270 and had marked 5 per block, it literally means they were getting no more than 1-2 of those wrong per block, at the most.

Although the NBMEs arguably have a more severe curve than the real deal, nobody knows for sure, and I felt my exam was on par with the difficulty of NBMEs11, 12 and 13. If I had to bet money on it, I would say the curve on my real deal was very similar to those NBME exams. That is, the curve on the real deal is just as steep. It makes sense because the NBMEs are very accurate.

As for experimentals, nobody has proof that they even still exist. There have been experimentals included in the past on Step-2CK exams to see which Step1 subjects people retain the best/worst, but including 2CK questions on Step1 might be a different story. I personally hadn't felt any of the questions on my exam were overly clinical.

 

[FIREitUP]

A 264 on NBMEs11+13 = 9 wrong on both.
A 266 on NBME12 = 8 wrong.

So (322/200) x 9 wrong = 14.49.

That means on the real deal, ~15 wrong is around a 264. I'm estimating my 262 was 18-20 wrong. That's not just based on the above calculation, but that's also because I had marked on average 2-4 per block.

In the cases that people get 270 and had marked 5 per block, it literally means they were getting no more than 1-2 of those wrong per block, at the most.

Although the NBMEs arguably have a more severe curve than the real deal, nobody knows for sure, and I felt my exam was on par with the difficulty of NBMEs11, 12 and 13. If I had to bet money on it, I would say the curve on my real deal was very similar to those NBME exams. That is, the curve on the real deal is just as steep. It makes sense because the NBMEs are very accurate.

As for experimentals, nobody has proof that they even still exist. There have been experimentals included in the past on Step-2CK exams to see which Step1 subjects people retain the best/worst, but including 2CK questions on Step1 might be a different story. I personally hadn't felt any of the questions on my exam were overly clinical.

really? for some reason i thought for sure there's experimentals

 

[jjuva]

Has anyone had any trouble getting the software with the free 150 to work? I installed it but everytime I try to access the test or the tutorial, it shows that an error has occurred and I'm unable to take it. Any ideas?

 

[RIPSanto]

Tackled the beast this week. I'll share my experience since I gained a lot from reading this. I would agree with previous posters that it was more difficult than UWorld (79% timed random) or the two NBMEs I took (247, 257). Most notably, the questions were longer. I would finish world sets with 5-10 minutes to spare (even after reviewing). On the real deal I was only able to review about half of my marked questions (5-8 per section). Also, there were much fewer easy questions than I expected and quite a few that I had absolutely no idea whatsoever. My biggest frustration would be that I do not feel like the test really allowed me to demonstrate my preparations.

Now that being said, there is nothing I would have done differently. None of the available resources for step 1 would have prepared me better for the questions I know I got wrong. I really feel like the questions were attempting to test how much you remember from MS2, NOT what was written in a review book. If you work hard and do all the things you are supposed to then you have to just relax and hope your hard work will pay off.

More about the test- I am not going to give away specifics but just know that it is useless to read what others say on here regarding what topics were heavy on their test. ITS ALL RANDOM. Obviously path, phys, pharm, micro are going to be the most highly tested. Just know FA as well as possible. Read it at least twice and then hit your weaknesses hard. Pathoma will help a lot but many of my path questions were going into Robbins type detail that even pathoma did not cover.

Must haves: First Aid, Pathoma, UWorld and work hard during MS2.

Oh and as many other people have stated, don't worry about not sleeping much the night before the test. You will power through. Hope this helps. I guess my biggest piece of advice would be just to relax and know that you have done everything you can to prepare

 

[tiedyeddog]

Has anyone had any trouble getting the software with the free 150 to work? I installed it but everytime I try to access the test or the tutorial, it shows that an error has occurred and I'm unable to take it. Any ideas?

Are you on a mac? you have to be using a windows based OS.

How much does the medriends free 150 overpredict?

I scored a 91% on it (262) but a 240 on nbme 13?? is this typical?

 

[Beets]

I was wondering this myself. I scored an 83% on it on Monday (at the Prometric center), which is a 245 according to Medfriends. I'm taking a break from NBME 13 now, so I'll post my score later when I'm done for comparison.

 

[CDI]

Are you on a mac? you have to be using a windows based OS.

How much does the medriends free 150 overpredict?

I scored a 91% on it (262) but a 240 on nbme 13?? is this typical?

The correlation with MedFriends is now outdated. They haven't been accepting new data for a while. I'd say around 10 pts on average...probably due to the length variation: Free 150 has only 138 questions counted, NBMEs 200, real deal 322.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Are you on a mac? you have to be using a windows based OS.

How much does the medriends free 150 overpredict?

I scored a 91% on it (262) but a 240 on nbme 13?? is this typical?

Haven't got my score back yet.

But I scored a 91% as well and had a 240 on nbme 15. As CDI mentioned that correlation has to be out of date, I'd be elated with a 240...truthfully I'm expecting something in the 230's (probably just jinxed myself and will end up with a 210 now).

 

[TrueAntagonist]

So is it an accepted fact that scores are being released on July 10th? Just making sure so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Haven't got my score back yet.

But I scored a 91% as well and had a 240 on nbme 15. As CDI mentioned that correlation has to be out of date, I'd be elated with a 240...truthfully I'm expecting something in the 230's (probably just jinxed myself and will end up with a 210 now).

I too would be happy with a 240... I hope it doesn't have more than a 20 point over estimate, haha.

 

[Goober11]

So is it an accepted fact that scores are being released on July 10th? Just making sure so I'm not holding my breath.

Why are people still asking this??? It is what you think it is.

Haven't got my score back yet.

But I scored a 91% as well and had a 240 on nbme 15. As CDI mentioned that correlation has to be out of date, I'd be elated with a 240...truthfully I'm expecting something in the 230's (probably just jinxed myself and will end up with a 210 now).

Yeah my 93% correlating to a 266 is a bit of a stretch when my NBMEs have been between 245-257 this past month.

 

[California2000]

Any advice would be much appreciated! Started studying about 1.5 months ago after completing pathoma and started with UWSA1 scoring a 224. Since then I have gone over FA 3x and completed 78% of Uworld on timed, random. I started Uworld with doing mainly in the low 60s but now I am averaging in the upper 70's with a few in the low 80s. I took NBME 15 two days ago and got a 233. Was kind of bumed since my goal is a 240 and I thought I would be there already. Im taking the test in 6 days. Not sure if I should focus on Uworld, FA, or just do more NBMEs. I feel like I know FA pretty well but I always pick up on new things every time. When I took NBME 15 I feel like a was a little nervous for some reason and didn't really think clearly in the beginning (Yes I pray this doesn't happen during the real deal). Any advice on what I should focus on these last few days to reach my 240 goal. (I also already purchased UWSA2 but haven't done it yet.) Thanks for any advice! 🙂

Nothing? oh well 🙁

 

[RIPSanto]

Nothing? oh well 🙁

Sounds like you are in good shape. In terms of the NBMEs, they can only help. You will see some questions repeat on the real deal. However, is it worth 60$ a piece? Thats up to you.

Keep chugging through UWorld, hit your weaknesses hard in FA/pathoma and give yourself some good breaks. You would be surprised how much a little r&r can boost your confidence.

 

[jjuva]

Are you on a mac? you have to be using a windows based OS.

How much does the medriends free 150 overpredict?

I scored a 91% on it (262) but a 240 on nbme 13?? is this typical?

Got it to work finally. I don't know how this translates, I got a 92% on this but I've gotten a 254 and a 259 on my last two nbme's (7 and 15), so I don't know really what to think. I thought it was tougher than nbme 15, the behavioral science/psych stuff really threw me off.

 

[webgenius]

hello guys

I have a question for Phloston,
What do you mean by KLNs are overkilling it?
Too much low yield information?
Congrats on your score btw


I'm an IMG about to start my 6th year in med school in a 6 year program, 3 basic science and 3 clinical.

My study plan is:

I will read biochem from FA once then read KLN biochem book then do biochem from FA once again then do offline UW biochem
same for micro, immuno ... Everything else

I will listen to pathoma videos once then do pathology from offline UW

after two months I will subscribe to online UW for two months
I will repeat KLNs and FA while I'm doing online UW
I will take notes from online UW
I will take notes from KLNs the second time I'm doing it
I will repeat pathoma and make notes to the book
I will read BRS pathology then.
I may watch DIT too, hadn't made a decision yet.

During the 5th year, I studied BRS physiology and BRS pathology very well, very very well.
I kinda memorized the organ system part of FA also.
I mean one look at a page and it's all there once again in my short term memory.
Also did internal medicine, surgery, obs and gyn, peds, all the subs out there, did kaplan peds and gyn books very well too.

So my exam is after 4 months exactly, middle-late October.

Started with biochem cuz I always sucked in biochem, never A always B+

my goal is 260+, people from my school get very high crazy scores sometimes lol 280, 275
260+ is not rare, 250 is common, less than 240 is the exception.

My residency of dream is IM, my fellowship of dream is hem/onc

as for now I'm done with biochem and in the middle of micro KLN
biochem book is not that good but offline UW did supplement my biochem understanding very well.

For micro I must say chapter 7, 8 and 9 of micro KLN are very decent.
I think they are a must for a good micro understanding.

Good luck every one

 

[Goober11]

hello guysI have a question for Phloston

Then what do you need us for PM him.

 

[coagulase]

Shoot, I wanna know what school he goes to. Maybe it's time to transfer!

Then what do you need us for PM him.

 

[CDI]

Shoot, I wanna know what school he goes to. Maybe it's time to transfer!

Before you do, you should probably ask him how many years people prefer for their exams.

 

[Goober11]

Actually don't PM Phloston. Leave the poor guy alone. Instead, do some footwork yourself (OMG?!?!?!) and read his 26 page write up he made for people just like you.

 

[webgenius]

Before you do, you should probably ask him how many years people prefer for their exams.

no years lol
just months...

Most people spend 6 months for step1 while they are intern! Not sitting in their homes.
Then another 6 months for step2 ... They do both steps in a year so they are not too late for the match.


About my school ... 5 people matched to Cleveland clinic this year, 1 to John Hopkins, and others ...

 

[webgenius]

Actually don't PM Phloston. Leave the poor guy alone. Instead, do some footwork yourself (OMG?!?!?!) and read his 26 page write up he made for people just like you.

I read it earlier today
he didn't explain why KLNs are overkilling it
he just mentioned it.

 

[skyblue2000]

no years lol
just months...

Most people spend 6 months for step1 while they are intern! Not sitting in their homes.
Then another 6 months for step2 ... They do both steps in a year so they are not too late for the match.


About my school ... 5 people matched to Cleveland clinic this year, 1 to John Hopkins, and others ...

What school is this!?! Or at least where??

 

[webgenius]

What school is this!?! Or at least where??

University of Jordan.

Amman - Jordan.

 

[szymonsays]

no years lol
just months...

Most people spend 6 months for step1 while they are intern! Not sitting in their homes.
Then another 6 months for step2 ... They do both steps in a year so they are not too late for the match.


About my school ... 5 people matched to Cleveland clinic this year, 1 to John Hopkins, and others ...

Sounds like you go to my school. Jagiellonian? 😉 I know a few people from the 4 year program in our school that got into the Cleveland clinic.

 

[szymonsays]

University of Jordan.

Amman - Jordan.

Nvm haha Good luck, dude. I'm writing Step 1 at the end of September.

 

[Beets]

Well, that sucked. Took NBME 13 and ended up with a 207. The last one I took two weeks ago (NBME 12) was a 203. I've still got nearly half of DIT left, and according to the breakdown I'm mostly doing poorly in areas that I haven't covered in DIT yet, but I'm just so bummed out. My test is scheduled for the 24th and the deadline for me is the 30th, so I can't really push my test back more than a couple of days and I'm not sure if that'd really make a huge difference.

I guess I'll just stay the course and keep doing DIT because, well, it LOOKS like I've improved in the areas that I've gone over, even though my score only went up 4 points and I only got 1 more question right on this test than the last one. I've still got NBME 15 to do and I was planning on using that in about a week.

Is there still hope for me to get a 220+? Should I expect to shoot up into that range once I've actually, you know, covered things like cardio and renal?

 

[California2000]

Sounds like you are in good shape. In terms of the NBMEs, they can only help. You will see some questions repeat on the real deal. However, is it worth 60$ a piece? Thats up to you.

Keep chugging through UWorld, hit your weaknesses hard in FA/pathoma and give yourself some good breaks. You would be surprised how much a little r&r can boost your confidence.

Thanks for the advice! I think I will try to squeeze in NBMEs 13+12 to try to simulate the experience more and hopefully calm down my nerves. Also trying to complete at least 90% of Uworld. Thanks!

 

[Wordead]

Well, that sucked. Took NBME 13 and ended up with a 207. The last one I took two weeks ago (NBME 12) was a 203. I've still got nearly half of DIT left, and according to the breakdown I'm mostly doing poorly in areas that I haven't covered in DIT yet, but I'm just so bummed out. My test is scheduled for the 24th and the deadline for me is the 30th, so I can't really push my test back more than a couple of days and I'm not sure if that'd really make a huge difference.

I guess I'll just stay the course and keep doing DIT because, well, it LOOKS like I've improved in the areas that I've gone over, even though my score only went up 4 points and I only got 1 more question right on this test than the last one. I've still got NBME 15 to do and I was planning on using that in about a week.

Is there still hope for me to get a 220+? Should I expect to shoot up into that range once I've actually, you know, covered things like cardio and renal?

Why are you doing NBMEs if you havent even gone through the material yet? Seems like a waste of 4 hours. The NBMEs are good for pointing out your problems areas, save them for later. You already know what you need to work on - the stuff you havent learned yet. There isn't an even distribution of questions on subjects, so your scores are almost meaningless...

 

[Beets]

Oh, so people only take NBMEs once they've seen everything in FA, UWorld, Pathoma, etc.? My bad.

I took an assessment just to see if what I was doing was working to improve my score and also to see if I'm on track to at least pass, considering I started out at a 175 and was worried my 203 two weeks ago was a fluke. I expected that it'd be lower in the areas I haven't reviewed yet, but I still thought that being 58% through DIT would have kicked my score up by more than 4 points, since the 203 on NBME 12 was before starting the program...

 

[courtnes]

Oh, so people only take NBMEs once they've seen everything in FA, UWorld, Pathoma, etc.? My bad.

I took an assessment just to see if what I was doing was working to improve my score and also to see if I'm on track to at least pass, considering I started out at a 175 and was worried my 203 two weeks ago was a fluke. I expected that it'd be lower in the areas I haven't reviewed yet, but I still thought that being 58% through DIT would have kicked my score up by more than 4 points, since the 203 on NBME 12 was before starting the program...

DIT didn't kick my score up that much. But it did give me a good basis for my own studying after because I was much more familiar with FA. I wouldn't be disappointed, but you still have a fair bit of work to do after DIT to consolidate what you've learned.

1 wk into DIT - NBME 13: 214
2 wk after DIT, finished UW with 70% (last blocks avg'd low 80s)
UWSA 1: 224 (after reviewing, I realized I knew the material but wasn't in test-taking mode, but still postponed test)
UWSA 2 (10 days after UWSA1, really hammered FA and UW explanations): 253 (after reviewing, felt like this was much more representative of my knowledge base and test taking skills)

Test on Monday, doing free 150/NBME 15 tomorrow and Saturday. Feeling much better now, but know my score will rely a bit on luck of the draw.