Official 2013 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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Phloston

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.

:luck: Cheers to 2013 :luck:
 
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Thanks man. Isn't Pathoma better in hematology? My plan is to watch all Pathoma videos, so I am asking about the most important Goljan audios (not those covered by Pathoma), so I can save time.
 
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stronghold said:
Thanks man. Isn't Pathoma better in hematology? My plan is to watch all Pathoma videos, so I am asking about the most important Goljan audios (not those covered by Pathoma), so I can save time.
Click to expand...

If you do't have much time, then yes.... forget all organ system and just listen to the general stuff "Cell injury, fluid/ hemodynamics, inflammation, nutrition & oncology". It may take 2 times to really get it for it to sink though.
 
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Need kaplan android app for watching videos over samsung tablet

I want to know what is the app for my android tablet to view kaplan lecture videos and kaplan HY videos. plz share app required for samsung tablet for watching above videos. when i was trying i just got some ? symbols on my screen
 
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I was thinking after i am done with studying and revising i should give nmbe 13 and 15 at the exam center back to back. Can i do that? Do you guys think it's a good idea?
 
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Antiochos said:
I would suggest any of the 11-15 range NBMEs, but be sure to do 15, and preferably last as it is the one most similar to the current exam. Also pick extended editions so that you can see your mistakes afterwards.

About the Qbank %, it is generally considered a must to check which topics you get wrong and put a greater emphasis on them while studying. Read the explanation for every question whose answer you were unsure of (even if you got it right eventually). Personally, when approaching a question, I usually try not only picking the right answer, but also rapidly thinking why each of the other options is wrong. Moreover, this thread has a ton of posts with helpful info about optimization of the qbank use!

In the end though (personal experience), it is all about 1) capacity to apply knowledge and 2) knowledge of facts. Keep practicing to increase your ability to make correct educated guesses and study hard and smart to keep these guessing instances at a minimum.
Click to expand...


I have done 90 percent of my studying and now I feel its time to challenge myself with NBME and find holes in my knowledge.

Thsi would help me to replan my strategic revision.

I know it is fairly stupid question but what is the difference between different NBME tests?

Thank you in advance for your advice
 
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I have 25 days to go, crunch time I guess. Wanted to know where I stand and if I should postpone it. I really don't want to, I don't think I can keep up this pace any longer than the time I have left.
Ok so far,
NBME 12 (10 days ago) - 228
UWSA 1 (today) - 236
UWorld First Pass - Average of 70%

I'm aiming for 240, does it seem like it's possible? I actually felt like UWSA 1 was harder than the NBME I took awhile ago. Maybe it's because I'm burnt out. I've been reading on this forum that UWSA 1 overestimates by 20?! Really?

Please oh great 260+'s, help a poor girl out? I'm not being sarcastic, I NEED ADVICE!

Thanks in advance.
 
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DoctorDermis said:
Don't worry about the UW % rate. I had like a 65% first time through, but still came out in the 250's on step 1.
I didn't expend too much energy on NBME's (just did 11 or 7 - can't remember - 5 weeks out) since they don't really "teach" you much except for what you got wrong.

My roommate did Kaplan QBank, UsmleRX, and then UW 2 times - redid mistakes on all of them. Did NOT read First Aid :scared: (skimmed like 1/5 of it) and still scored in 240's.👍
However, he did have a pretty outstanding foundation and solid understanding of many concepts that I struggled with.
Click to expand...
Sorry I just saw this, ya UWorld QBank percentages don't seem to correlate to the real thing. I just plugged the average I'm getting in that Clinical Review calculator and it said I'll get 250+, I started cracking up. First time I laughed in weeks.

Actually I haven't been reading FA either, I should be but I hate memorizing points. I annotated it heavily though. I need to make a conscious effort to read it everyday, don't have that much time left.
 
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Hughz said:
I have done 90 percent of my studying and now I feel its time to challenge myself with NBME and find holes in my knowledge.

Thsi would help me to replan my strategic revision.

I know it is fairly stupid question but what is the difference between different NBME tests?

Thank you in advance for your advice
Click to expand...

I don't think there is any big difference between 11 and 12. I have also taken 6, which I felt was easier.
In order to better identify weaknesses, don't count on NBMEs, but rather try and do as many questions as possible from Qbanks etc.
 
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Hi Everyone
Ive been lurking around this website for a long time, and I thought Id post my experience to see if anyone would benefit from it.
Some background: I am an IMG from the UK, did my USMLE Step 2 CK first, got a score of 245.
I just got my Step 1 score: 242.

NBME 15 1 week before test: 235
NBME 13:2 weeks before test: 233
NBME 12: 3.5 weeks before test: 226
I Kaplan notes and Pathoma, annotated FA, then did Uworld once. I kept repeating the wrong/marked questions until there were no wrong Qs left. I went over my weak subjects in FA several times.
UWORLD Qbank, First time around, timed I got something like 70% .

I felt like the exam was about 1/4 straight recall questions that did not test details, just general concepts.
About 1/2 were questions where you had to choose between up/down/no change choice.
1/4 were graphs and experiments.
As you can see above, the NBMEs are fairly predictive of the actual score, yet i felt the exam was quite different. I felt like none of the Qs from Kaplan Qbook, and UWorld, and NBMEs were represented on the exam. Others who took the exam with me agreed that it seemed very conceptual. Most of the exam was physiology/pathophysiology. It seemed like the questions were designed to see if you payed attention in the basic science classes in school. As someone who graduated many years ago, I felt like I was at a disadvantage despite having done FA several times and Kaplan physiology. I was quite disappointed that was practically no Biochem, Biostat, Behavioral or Immunology Qs as I spent a lot of time studying them.
My advice:; concentrate on the basic physio/pathophysio from a source more detailed than Kaplan/FA. FA is golden for everything else.
Good luck
Krass
 
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Interesting writeup. Thanks buddy... and congrats. Looks like Costanzo is warranted.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4
 
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cookiemonsterrr said:
yeeeehaaaaaa... todays is the day of the days !!!!!! score report coming out in a couple of hours. hopefully no fail. i pray to the lord !
Click to expand...

cookiemonster, you took the test on 8/22 and it's already score report time tomorrow? shouldn't it be 9/11 (next week?)

man, they are quick these days!
 
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krass said:
Hi Everyone
Ive been lurking around this website for a long time, and I thought Id post my experience to see if anyone would benefit from it.
Some background: I am an IMG from the UK, did my USMLE Step 2 CK first, got a score of 245.
I just got my Step 1 score: 242.

NBME 15 1 week before test: 235
NBME 13:2 weeks before test: 233
NBME 12: 3.5 weeks before test: 226
I Kaplan notes and Pathoma, annotated FA, then did Uworld once. I kept repeating the wrong/marked questions until there were no wrong Qs left. I went over my weak subjects in FA several times.
UWORLD Qbank, First time around, timed I got something like 70% .

I felt like the exam was about 1/4 straight recall questions that did not test details, just general concepts.
About 1/2 were questions where you had to choose between up/down/no change choice.
1/4 were graphs and experiments.
As you can see above, the NBMEs are fairly predictive of the actual score, yet i felt the exam was quite different. I felt like none of the Qs from Kaplan Qbook, and UWorld, and NBMEs were represented on the exam. Others who took the exam with me agreed that it seemed very conceptual. Most of the exam was physiology/pathophysiology. It seemed like the questions were designed to see if you payed attention in the basic science classes in school. As someone who graduated many years ago, I felt like I was at a disadvantage despite having done FA several times and Kaplan physiology. I was quite disappointed that was practically no Biochem, Biostat, Behavioral or Immunology Qs as I spent a lot of time studying them.
My advice:; concentrate on the basic physio/pathophysio from a source more detailed than Kaplan/FA. FA is golden for everything else.
Good luck
Krass
Click to expand...



can anybody confirm this???
"about 1/2 where questions where you had to choose up/down/ no change"

My test is sep 30.

I HATE up down questions 🙁
 
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DoctorGSS said:
can anybody confirm this???
"about 1/2 where questions where you had to choose up/down/ no change"

My test is sep 30.

I HATE up down questions 🙁
Click to expand...

The forms vary significantly among individual test takers, so this could very well be the experience for the poster. Keep in mind that the questions people tend to remember are the ones they had difficulty with, so there might be some reporting bias there.

That being said, the up-down arrow questions make up a significant portion of the exam (on mine, they made up about 10%) because they are easy to write but still test your understanding of basic physiology very well. So try your best to get as good at them as possible.
 
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Hey cookiemonster-
Did you happen to notice if your permit link disappeared before your score came in? I think I'll get my score next week, barring any problems, and was just wondering if this is still the way to know if it is coming.
 
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Wrote mine on Aug 13, just got my score back this morning. 262

I am going to write a brief summary of my experience. I attend a Canadian school and wrote the USMLE step 1 after 2nd year of medical school like most americans. Unfortunately, my score has very little bearing on residency here (too bad lol). I essentially wrote the exam to keep doors open for fellowships in the future, so I only needed to pass but I still studied because I'm not the kind of person who can just do the minimum.

I would have to say that the single most important thing that helped me do well on the exam was working my ass off the first 2 years of medical school. I didn't read any Goljan or whatever during my classes but read Robbin's and whatever organ system textbook was good for that section. I only opened First Aid about 2 months ago, did one pass through and then spend another 1 month doing UWorld questions (did the whole qbank on random, timed) - 79% overall. I did NOT do any of the NBMEs or any Kaplan stuff because I was way too cheap to pay for more materials. Also I didn't have any time to do any extra material like Pathoma because I was on rotations for 1 month and doing research for another month leading up to the exam.

My study schedule was slightly erratic due to work/school (we don't get dedicated time off to study for this exam). I would study ~1-2 hours before rotation, 1-2 hours after, then sleep during the weekdays. On weekends I would try to get in 8-10 hrs of studying each day but made sure that I had time to go to the gym and go out for dinner or do something fun. The last week I took 2 days off work to prepare for the exam although I ran out of Uworld questions so I kind of just did part of the free 150 qs.

Anyways one of the reasons I decided to give you my experience is because I don't think it's necessary to be a hermit for 4-6 weeks to study for this exam unless you did nothing during the first 2 years. I found that having put the work in during class, most of first aid was recognizable (especially in multiple choice format). This is important because you'll probably remember a lot of clinical stuff from this material beyond step 1. Just my opinion.
 
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many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
 
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SpyGuy said:
many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
Click to expand...

That impression is fine and owes to some reporting bias. Friends of mine who did worse from what I've gathered haven't told me their exact score, whereas I know the two people in my class who did better than me, and we aren't friends (scores of 268 and 265 respectively). That's just how it goes. More likely to leak out if someone did great.

That is JUST FINE. Can check the medians scores for those who match into those specialties if you want, but they're 226 and 227 in the year 2011.


Take pride in your hard work. Best wishes friend.
 
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vsl5 said:
Wrote mine on Aug 13, just got my score back this morning. 262

I am going to write a brief summary of my experience. I attend a Canadian school and wrote the USMLE step 1 after 2nd year of medical school like most americans. Unfortunately, my score has very little bearing on residency here (too bad lol). I essentially wrote the exam to keep doors open for fellowships in the future, so I only needed to pass but I still studied because I'm not the kind of person who can just do the minimum.

I would have to say that the single most important thing that helped me do well on the exam was working my ass off the first 2 years of medical school. I didn't read any Goljan or whatever during my classes but read Robbin's and whatever organ system textbook was good for that section. I only opened First Aid about 2 months ago, did one pass through and then spend another 1 month doing UWorld questions (did the whole qbank on random, timed) - 79% overall. I did NOT do any of the NBMEs or any Kaplan stuff because I was way too cheap to pay for more materials. Also I didn't have any time to do any extra material like Pathoma because I was on rotations for 1 month and doing research for another month leading up to the exam.

My study schedule was slightly erratic due to work/school (we don't get dedicated time off to study for this exam). I would study ~1-2 hours before rotation, 1-2 hours after, then sleep during the weekdays. On weekends I would try to get in 8-10 hrs of studying each day but made sure that I had time to go to the gym and go out for dinner or do something fun. The last week I took 2 days off work to prepare for the exam although I ran out of Uworld questions so I kind of just did part of the free 150 qs.

Anyways one of the reasons I decided to give you my experience is because I don't think it's necessary to be a hermit for 4-6 weeks to study for this exam unless you did nothing during the first 2 years. I found that having put the work in during class, most of first aid was recognizable (especially in multiple choice format). This is important because you'll probably remember a lot of clinical stuff from this material beyond step 1. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...

No, that's not too bad. It's called now you apply to a competitive residency in the States. Whoever's in your life in Canada can follow you to the US and is on for the ride.
 
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SpyGuy said:
many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
Click to expand...

Most people in medical schools around the world would be ecstatic with a 240. It's only those of us here on SDN who feel we "only got" a certain score. The worst part is we're truthful.
 
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SpyGuy said:
many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
Click to expand...

Some of the people I know with the highest board scores DID NOT MATCH last year and those with slightly lower scores + well-rounded applications DID MATCH. Beyond a certain range, no one needs an extra 10-20 points. Focus on the rest of your application. 👍
 
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startswithb said:
Some of the people I know with the highest board scores DID NOT MATCH last year and those with slightly lower scores + well-rounded applications DID MATCH. Beyond a certain range, no one needs an extra 10-20 points. Focus on the rest of your application. 👍
Click to expand...

That probably speaks more to the range of programs they applied to.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4
 
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You have great scores. You'll match just fine, just focus on the rest of your applications and clinical rotations, if you're still doing those at the moment. Wishing you the best. Congrats.
 
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SpyGuy said:
many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
Click to expand...

240 is a great score. I am also an IMG and thats the score i am shooting for, 240 or above. Dont be worried, well maybe its not enough for gen surgery but its more than enough for Internal Medicine.
 
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Phloston said:
No, that's not too bad. It's called now you apply to a competitive residency in the States. Whoever's in your life in Canada can follow you to the US and is on for the ride.
Click to expand...
Yeah but its difficult to "aim for a competitive US program" because the Canadian residency matching occurs before the US ones and if you get selected for a Canadian program (which I likely will), you are automatically withdrawn from the US matching system
 
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SpyGuy said:
many everyone seems to be getting scores of 255 and above!

I just got my score today and only got 240.

As an IMG...is that very bad, and does that get me nowhere?

I'm feeling really worried now. I was hoping to be able to match for internal medicine or general surgery.
Click to expand...

Filipino (IMG) IM residents at the hospital I'm working at have gotten Step 1 scores <215 believe it or not.
 
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Hi

I did NBME 12 today got 191/370

previous exams are UWSA's 216 (few weeks back)
NBME 11 few weeks ago 182

I know these are crappy scores...
exam is in two weeks...any advice?

thank you
 
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