Official 2014 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[900829]

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[stewartln4]

Question: Are score reports e-mailed to us or do we have to go to a website + sign in to see our scores? I'm not sure if I should run for the bathroom every time my phone buzzes on July 9th or if I'll have to wait all day to go home and check my score on my computer.

On the nbme website they say an email will be sent to us letting us know our score report is ready for download and then we go back to the nbme nles site where you print the scheduling permit and click on the score report link there. I am so ready for this email!!!! The wait is killing me

 

[masterwolfie]

On the nbme website they say an email will be sent to us letting us know our score report is ready for download and then we go back to the nbme nles site where you print the scheduling permit and click on the score report link there. I am so ready for this email!!!! The wait is killing me

Thanks!

 

[THH]

Damn, the worst part about the post-exam experience is suddenly remembering a question out of the blue and at the same moment realizing you blew an gimme question due to stress/not thinking/etc.

 

[Arg10Messi]

I'm going out on a limb and saying that although I respect your ambition, there is no humanly way to go through 6 qbanks, 22 exams, and anatomy (whatever that means). 6 qbanks should be changed to 1 qbank LEARNED REALLY WELL. 22 exams should probably be changed to say 4-5. and dont waste 1 second on anatomy.

 

[J ROD]

Hey all,

In between my first and second year. Taking comlex (in a year from now) and usmle (In about a year and a month). Studying all the material from my first year out of first aid with qbank questions this summer.

Overall goal:
FA
6 qbanks (UW, Rx, Kaplan, usmle weapon, Comank, Comquest)
22 practive exams
Pathoma
DIT
anatomy
sevarce (omm)

possible?

Yes, it you want to repeat 2nd yr. You will have classes too.

Read FA along with classes and Pathoma. Review 1 yr stuff during Xmas break or this summer if you are hell bent.

Set some time aside 2nd yr second semester. Then, hit it hard for about 4-6 weeks. I would recommend doing Rx during this semester and UW during dedicated time. Take about 4 or 5 NBMEs. Fin.

Or overdo it and run yourself into the ground for maybe a 10 pt difference if you can remember all that stuff you went through.

 

[Sunshines&Peaches89]

After reading this for a good bit I thought I'd add my thoughts on the "process". I've been preparing on/off since January, and my school only offered a month of dedicated prep time.
US MD program at average state school
Sources Used: FA, Pathoma, Goljan, Some pages in Kaplan, HY Neuroanatomy, Step I Secrets, Small Robbins
Uworld: 75% on timed random mode (last month of studying)
USMLERx: 85% tutor and timed mode
NBME 16: 243/570
NBME 15: 247/580
NBME 13: 249/600
UWSA1: 247/600
UWSA2: 262/740

Read FA(4+ times, mostly memorized), Uworld went over once, Kaplan I used for embryo, HY neuroanatomy is great for getting the nerve pathways, Step I secrets is great bedtime reading

Test day Late June:
1st section: really wasn't too terrible, some weird questions on worms but definitely doable, comparable to Uworld and NBMEs on a good day
2nd section: WTF WTF WTF, flagged about 25+ questions, almost ran out time and did not have time to review flagged questions
3rd-7th: Better but lots of weird pelvic anatomy and Renal topics, flagged about 12-15q's/section

Overall the exam was extremely challenging, far far more difficult than any of the NBMEs or Uworld questions, I'm used to finishing problem sets a good 20-15 minutes early during practice but I ran to the wire on many sections. Behavioral sciences was not too bad, but some ethics questions were pretty vague and could've have gone either way. The microbio really threw me off, I did not review parasites & worms that intensely and got about 10 questions on those subjects (F*cK!). Timing I feel was key, most of the sections I only had a max 5-6 minutes to review my flagged questions. My second section was ridiculously difficult, lots of random and rare diseases, so I ended up guessing way more than I felt comfortable with.

This entire exam at this point is such a crapshoot, lots of the questions were very wordy and had answer choices that required a way way deeper understanding than those offered in the qbanks or FA. Overall I felt like I knew maybe 65% of the exam, made educated guessed on 25%, and the remaining I pretty much christmas-tree'd. Big advice is to read as much as you can during your first two years and get subscriptions to journal articles and such. I was aiming for a 245+, but I'd feel lucky to pass. This exam is the spawn of Satan. Good luck to you all.

 

[Brain Bucket]

After reading this for a good bit I thought I'd add my thoughts on the "process". I've been preparing on/off since January, and my school only offered a month of dedicated prep time.
US MD program at average state school
Sources Used: FA, Pathoma, Goljan, Some pages in Kaplan, HY Neuroanatomy, Step I Secrets, Small Robbins
Uworld: 75% on timed random mode (last month of studying)
USMLERx: 85% tutor and timed mode
NBME 16: 243/570
NBME 15: 247/580
NBME 13: 249/600
UWSA1: 247/600
UWSA2: 262/740

Read FA(4+ times, mostly memorized), Uworld went over once, Kaplan I used for embryo, HY neuroanatomy is great for getting the nerve pathways, Step I secrets is great bedtime reading

Test day Late June:
1st section: really wasn't too terrible, some weird questions on worms but definitely doable, comparable to Uworld and NBMEs on a good day
2nd section: WTF WTF WTF, flagged about 25+ questions, almost ran out time and did not have time to review flagged questions
3rd-7th: Better but lots of weird pelvic anatomy and Renal topics, flagged about 12-15q's/section

Overall the exam was extremely challenging, far far more difficult than any of the NBMEs or Uworld questions, I'm used to finishing problem sets a good 20-15 minutes early during practice but I ran to the wire on many sections. Behavioral sciences was not too bad, but some ethics questions were pretty vague and could've have gone either way. The microbio really threw me off, I did not review parasites & worms that intensely and got about 10 questions on those subjects (F*cK!). Timing I feel was key, most of the sections I only had a max 5-6 minutes to review my flagged questions. My second section was ridiculously difficult, lots of random and rare diseases, so I ended up guessing way more than I felt comfortable with.

This entire exam at this point is such a crapshoot, lots of the questions were very wordy and had answer choices that required a way way deeper understanding than those offered in the qbanks or FA. Overall I felt like I knew maybe 65% of the exam, made educated guessed on 25%, and the remaining I pretty much christmas-tree'd. Big advice is to read as much as you can during your first two years and get subscriptions to journal articles and such. I was aiming for a 245+, but I'd feel lucky to pass. This exam is the spawn of Satan. Good luck to you all.

Thanks for the writeup. I sometimes think question writers get their jollies from reading these threads.

 

[Phloston]

I'd say it's possible to rapid-fire through some of the low-end QBanks (e.g., 322 Qs/day for a week). Sometimes the point isn't to internalize and understand information as much as it is to develop a subconscious recall for the really common things. But I'd stick to only Rx, Kaplan and UWorld as the QBanks to use. These are tried and true. The other ones are a bit more nebulous in terms of their utility.

Step 1 prep is a Venn diagram, with tactics for strictly augmenting score in one circle and then pure shelf knowledge in the other. People get too caught up learning things. If you're early in MS1/2, then yeah, learn things. But if you're within the yellow zone of several months out, questions and FA will augment your score. You don't have to know what cystic medial necrosis is to know it = Marfan syndrome. And you don't need to know why Hurler has clouded corneas but Hunter doesn't. You have to sift through what the important Venn-overlapping concepts are to learn (e.g., digoxin mechanism, 1 vs 2 hypoadrenalism, etc.), but the rest is rapid recall through questions and FA memorization.

Those who focus on the learning only will become great doctors, but those who know how to actually study will get the best scores. The worst man wins.

 

[Sunshines&Peaches89]

Thanks for the writeup. I sometimes think question writers get their jollies from reading these threads.

It's frustrating man, to prep yourself over so much info and only have such minutiae/trivia be tested.

 

[Psai]

It's frustrating man, to prep yourself over so much info and only have such minutiae/trivia be tested.

Yeah I read about the kegel exercise question from last year's thread and I even heard about someone having it this year. I kept forgetting to look it up so when it came out on my test I got it wrong and I was pissed. It was such a dumb question

 

[jazzyazza]

Those who focus on the learning only will become great doctors, but those who know how to actually study will get the best scores. The worst man wins.

Couldn't agree more. My school allows us to do some "pre- rotations" before the steps. I observed that some (not all) of the SDN-grade gunners who made it a point that you knew about their spectacular board scores (right to the decimal) had nothing to show for it in the clinical space. Average scorers seemed to impress the attending more. Not a rule of course, just a passive observation.

 

[Phloston]

Couldn't agree more. My school allows us to do some "pre- rotations" before the steps. I observed that some (not all) of the SDN-grade gunners who made it a point that you knew about their spectacular board scores (right to the decimal) had nothing to show for it in the clinical space. Average scorers seemed to impress the attending more. Not a rule of course, just a passive observation.

My take is that doing well on Step 1 can be harmful in the clinical setting because annoyance with superiors who don't know anything shows through and can backfire. My main goal on my rotations is to just not fail by pissing the wrong people off.

 

[masterwolfie]

Thanks for the writeup. I sometimes think question writers get their jollies from reading these threads.

"Ah...so those kids are reading ______ now, eh? Let me read it, too, to see what's NOT in there.! KEKEKEKEKEKEKE"

 

[Phloston]

Yeah I read about the kegel exercise question from last year's thread and I even heard about someone having it this year. I kept forgetting to look it up so when it came out on my test I got it wrong and I was pissed. It was such a dumb question

Had that question on my exam in the fifth block. It had nothing to do with knowing about Kegel exercises to get it right. I'm not allowed to discuss the specific question, but let's just say if they were to hypothetically ask about the muscles involved, and you have to pick the odd one out, Kegel exercises, which are voluntary, aren't going to strengthen something not under voluntary control.

 

[orchitisphlebitis]

Well, still feel like **** about my performance haha. Is there ANY chance that scores could come out for a few of us this coming Wednesday? Took it 1st week of June.

Recalling things I got wrong sucks, especially when they were supposed to have been "gimmies", or something I definitely should have known. I can't recall the vast majority of my exam (haven't tried really). Can't get over the feeling that I was on autopilot the entire time and just **** the bed on the real deal. July 8th is going to suck haha. While I've come to peace with the fact that it was just a test, and for the most part, I gave it my all for a couple months, if not all of second year, it's still disheartening that I could be blocked out of pursuing some of my fields of interest due to one bad day.

Oh well. Like it's been said before, I still have my health and I'm still going to be a doctor. I have it ridiculously well in the grand scheme of things. And I still haven't actually gotten my score back lolz

 

[Fatalis]

Was your test roughly on par with nbme difficulty or much harder?

The real deal was way more difficult than nmbe. The nmbe stuff had fact type questions but were tested via concepts, if that makes sense. The real deal really asks you "the best answer" i.e. all are incorrect or a research study and you must interpret. To be honest, more than 1/2 of the questions I had required no knowledge from outside the vignette, it was literally a game of reasoning/ critcal thinking. My test was heavy on research genetics and they gave you data and you had to say what was going on....oh and every answer choice looked nice. lol

 

[J ROD]

The real deal was way more difficult than nmbe. The nmbe stuff had fact type questions but were tested via concepts, if that makes sense. The real deal really asks you "the best answer" i.e. all are incorrect or a research study and you must interpret. To be honest, more than 1/2 of the questions I had required no knowledge from outside the vignette, it was literally a game of reasoning/ critcal thinking. My test was heavy on research genetics and they gave you data and you had to say what was going on....oh and every answer choice looked nice. lol

I would fail that one. Genetics is my worst.........crazy the amount of difference between exams.

 

[stewartln4]

Well, still feel like **** about my performance haha. Is there ANY chance that scores could come out for a few of us this coming Wednesday? Took it 1st week of June.

Recalling things I got wrong sucks, especially when they were supposed to have been "gimmies", or something I definitely should have known. I can't recall the vast majority of my exam (haven't tried really). Can't get over the feeling that I was on autopilot the entire time and just **** the bed on the real deal. July 8th is going to suck haha. While I've come to peace with the fact that it was just a test, and for the most part, I gave it my all for a couple months, if not all of second year, it's still disheartening that I could be blocked out of pursuing some of my fields of interest due to one bad day.

Oh well. Like it's been said before, I still have my health and I'm still going to be a doctor. I have it ridiculously well in the grand scheme of things. And I still haven't actually gotten my score back lolz

I couldn't agree with u more. But hey that score, in my opinion, was made by god to put us in what field we will flourish in. That's the way I'm looking at it. I'm trying to do EM but if I can't because of my step 1 score it's because I'm supposed to be better at something else. *trying to keep the faith* I wish they would release them on July 2nd though that extra week to wait really sucks

 

[allojay]

Hey there everyone, long time lurker on this step 1 forum. Congrats to everyone who has passed step 1 and good luck to those still preparing for it. For those of you that have taken the exam, what are some pieces of advice that you have for us about to start med school. I've read a lot of the prior pages and certain things are repeated: study hard during M1&2, go the UFAP route...But my question is how do we prepare ourselves for the changing form of the USMLE. I've repeatedly seen that people doing UFAP said that it's not enough, and that the actual test is way tougher. I've actually seen several people referring to some questions as being 'IQ question-esque' and certain questions referring to rare tid-bits that many consider as low-yield/ very abstract. Are there any tips to better prepare for this beast called step 1? Thanks in advance.

 

[whotookmypho]

took my exam this past week and it was nothing like the nbme. I walked out feeling like crap. There were a lot of anatomy and small details that I wouldn't think of. Just glad to be done with it and hoping for the best.

 

[stewartln4]

Hey there everyone, long time lurker on this step 1 forum. Congrats to everyone who has passed step 1 and good luck to those still preparing for it. For those of you that have taken the exam, what are some pieces of advice that you have for us about to start med school. I've read a lot of the prior pages and certain things are repeated: study hard during M1&2, go the UFAP route...But my question is how do we prepare ourselves for the changing form of the USMLE. I've repeatedly seen that people doing UFAP said that it's not enough, and that the actual test is way tougher. I've actually seen several people referring to some questions as being 'IQ question-esque' and certain questions referring to rare tid-bits that many consider as low-yield/ very abstract. Are there any tips to better prepare for this beast called step 1? Thanks in advance.

If I were you I wouldn't worry about this until January or so after 2016 if you're in 2018. Enjoy your first two years and learn what you can. Med school is stressful enough by itself vs adding on the fear of step 2 years too early.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Hey there everyone, long time lurker on this step 1 forum. Congrats to everyone who has passed step 1 and good luck to those still preparing for it. For those of you that have taken the exam, what are some pieces of advice that you have for us about to start med school. I've read a lot of the prior pages and certain things are repeated: study hard during M1&2, go the UFAP route...But my question is how do we prepare ourselves for the changing form of the USMLE. I've repeatedly seen that people doing UFAP said that it's not enough, and that the actual test is way tougher. I've actually seen several people referring to some questions as being 'IQ question-esque' and certain questions referring to rare tid-bits that many consider as low-yield/ very abstract. Are there any tips to better prepare for this beast called step 1? Thanks in advance.

People are making a mountain out of a molehill. M1 + M2 + Uworld + FA + Pathoma will get you the score you want, period. There will be 5-10% of the exam that you cannot prepare for. After all, that's how they stratify people. However, getting the bread-n-butter right is what matters most.

The question you are asking is akin to asking "how do I hit a wide receiver in stride sprinting down the field at 40 yards out" or "how do I nail 3 hole in ones on Augusta National". Those aren't the questions you should be asking. The question you should be asking is "how do I get the maximum number of questions right that is realistically possible" and for that, the tried and true resources will get you there.

 

[THH]

Well, still feel like **** about my performance haha. Is there ANY chance that scores could come out for a few of us this coming Wednesday? Took it 1st week of June.

Recalling things I got wrong sucks, especially when they were supposed to have been "gimmies", or something I definitely should have known. I can't recall the vast majority of my exam (haven't tried really). Can't get over the feeling that I was on autopilot the entire time and just **** the bed on the real deal. July 8th is going to suck haha. While I've come to peace with the fact that it was just a test, and for the most part, I gave it my all for a couple months, if not all of second year, it's still disheartening that I could be blocked out of pursuing some of my fields of interest due to one bad day.

Oh well. Like it's been said before, I still have my health and I'm still going to be a doctor. I have it ridiculously well in the grand scheme of things. And I still haven't actually gotten my score back lolz

You're not alone, orchitis, I have remembered at least 3 questions that were easy, gimme questions that I managed to **** up and realized it after. Not talking about the ones I missed due to lack of knowledge, but questions I missed just because I wasn't thinking straight. Very disappointing to miss some of those questions after months of prep and knowing the subject the question tested cold.

 

[rodmichael82]

I couldn't agree with u more. But hey that score, in my opinion, was made by god to put us in what field we will flourish in. That's the way I'm looking at it. I'm trying to do EM but if I can't because of my step 1 score it's because I'm supposed to be better at something else. *trying to keep the faith* I wish they would release them on July 2nd though that extra week to wait really sucks

I understand and respect what you're saying but I don't think step 1 should be the defining gauge of what field you or I will flourish in. More than half my questions were BS that I hardly think physicians give a thought to in their clinical practice.

 

[rodmichael82]

Hey there everyone, long time lurker on this step 1 forum. Congrats to everyone who has passed step 1 and good luck to those still preparing for it. For those of you that have taken the exam, what are some pieces of advice that you have for us about to start med school. I've read a lot of the prior pages and certain things are repeated: study hard during M1&2, go the UFAP route...But my question is how do we prepare ourselves for the changing form of the USMLE. I've repeatedly seen that people doing UFAP said that it's not enough, and that the actual test is way tougher. I've actually seen several people referring to some questions as being 'IQ question-esque' and certain questions referring to rare tid-bits that many consider as low-yield/ very abstract. Are there any tips to better prepare for this beast called step 1? Thanks in advance.

Hey man don't even think about step 1 until you start M2 year and then like everyone said follow the UFAP route. Thinking about step 1 during M1 year is not productive and it's not going to make a substantial difference.
I personally think after crunch month, what you learned during M2 year matters the most. During M1 year pay a lot of attention to Biochemistry, Physiology and Microbiology/Immunology if your school teaches those in M1 year.
To comment on the actual exam I did personally feel like my step 1 exam was more like an IQ test than an actual clinical step 1 exam but that's just my personal opinion.

 

[allojay]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I guess I'll put worrying about step 1 on the back burner for now and just focus on doing well and learning as much as I can during M1&M2.

 

[allojay]

Hey man don't even think about step 1 until you start M2 year and then like everyone said follow the UFAP route. Thinking about step 1 during M1 year is not productive and it's not going to make a substantial difference.
I personally think after crunch month, what you learned during M2 year matters the most. During M1 year pay a lot of attention to Biochemistry, Physiology and Microbiology/Immunology if your school teaches those in M1 year.
To comment on the actual exam I did personally feel like my step 1 exam was more like an IQ test than an actual clinical step 1 exam but that's just my personal opinion.

Thanks for your insight but I was wondering if you could elaborate about what you meant by the exam being like an IQ exam. Because you can't really prepare for an IQ exam.

 

[allojay]

People are making a mountain out of a molehill. M1 + M2 + Uworld + FA + Pathoma will get you the score you want, period. There will be 5-10% of the exam that you cannot prepare for. After all, that's how they stratify people. However, getting the bread-n-butter right is what matters most.

The question you are asking is akin to asking "how do I hit a wide receiver in stride sprinting down the field at 40 yards out" or "how do I nail 3 hole in ones on Augusta National". Those aren't the questions you should be asking. The question you should be asking is "how do I get the maximum number of questions right that is realistically possible" and for that, the tried and true resources will get you there.

I like the analogy you used there lol. It help put my question into perspective. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Dharma]

After reading this for a good bit I thought I'd add my thoughts on the "process". I've been preparing on/off since January, and my school only offered a month of dedicated prep time.
US MD program at average state school
Sources Used: FA, Pathoma, Goljan, Some pages in Kaplan, HY Neuroanatomy, Step I Secrets, Small Robbins
Uworld: 75% on timed random mode (last month of studying)
USMLERx: 85% tutor and timed mode
NBME 16: 243/570
NBME 15: 247/580
NBME 13: 249/600
UWSA1: 247/600
UWSA2: 262/740

Read FA(4+ times, mostly memorized), Uworld went over once, Kaplan I used for embryo, HY neuroanatomy is great for getting the nerve pathways, Step I secrets is great bedtime reading

Test day Late June:
1st section: really wasn't too terrible, some weird questions on worms but definitely doable, comparable to Uworld and NBMEs on a good day
2nd section: WTF WTF WTF, flagged about 25+ questions, almost ran out time and did not have time to review flagged questions
3rd-7th: Better but lots of weird pelvic anatomy and Renal topics, flagged about 12-15q's/section

Overall the exam was extremely challenging, far far more difficult than any of the NBMEs or Uworld questions, I'm used to finishing problem sets a good 20-15 minutes early during practice but I ran to the wire on many sections. Behavioral sciences was not too bad, but some ethics questions were pretty vague and could've have gone either way. The microbio really threw me off, I did not review parasites & worms that intensely and got about 10 questions on those subjects (F*cK!). Timing I feel was key, most of the sections I only had a max 5-6 minutes to review my flagged questions. My second section was ridiculously difficult, lots of random and rare diseases, so I ended up guessing way more than I felt comfortable with.

This entire exam at this point is such a crapshoot, lots of the questions were very wordy and had answer choices that required a way way deeper understanding than those offered in the qbanks or FA. Overall I felt like I knew maybe 65% of the exam, made educated guessed on 25%, and the remaining I pretty much christmas-tree'd. Big advice is to read as much as you can during your first two years and get subscriptions to journal articles and such. I was aiming for a 245+, but I'd feel lucky to pass. This exam is the spawn of Satan. Good luck to you all.

My prediction is a 245+ for you! 😉

I hear you on this test though. I feel like you pretty much just wrote out my experience. My first two sections were straight up gnarls gnarlington and had me thinking I was about to fail the whole darn thing and end up as the repeater with the ugly red flag waving in the breeze of failure. Took a break, drank some bulletproof coffee (awesome btw)… and gave myself a (mental) pep talk saying I didn't come this far and put in all of the hard work while sacrificing time with my wife and kid just to bitch out with negativity and fear and flop like a limp fish.

So, I walked in for block 3 with the stones needed for the rest of the day and started hammering away at that *ucker. Did I come across the WTF questions? Oh yeah. But I didn't let them put me into any type of panic mode nor did I let the feeling from one ridiculous question carry over to the next. Maybe it's my many years of playing baseball and my old man's tutelage: "One pitch at a time… one play at a time… once it happens- good or bad- it's gone." That's the same way you need to take this test- one question at a time.

You can NOT let it psych you out and create a snow ball effect that will keep you from getting the gimmies because you weren't in a still state, mentally-speaking. You need to have a still mind with this exam… as still as possible. Attack it with calmness but with sharp intent and focus. Attaining that approach is only possible on game day if you practice this way during the prep time leading up to it. And when game day comes, just treat it like any other blocks of question you've knocked out for the previous 4-6 weeks. When the WTF's come diving in at you like robot ninjas with poison-tipped stars, knock em down one at time, and forget about the bruises they tried to leave with you once you click the "next" button. Plus you can flag them suckas and go back for more lickings after a first run of 46. Still though… one at a time. No freakin'!

I may have not end up with an SDN brag-worthy score (another 2 weeks of FA may have had me close) but I think my mental approach (blocks 3-7) probably earned me a few points or at least didn't cost me the give-me's. Who knows, I may have even snagged a few lucky ones along the way.

Td;dr: Stay calm. Stay focused. Stay confident. One question at a time. ATTACK!

 

[Sunshines&Peaches89]

My prediction is a 245+ for you! 😉

I hear you on this test though. I feel like you pretty much just wrote out my experience. My first two sections were straight up gnarls gnarlington and had me thinking I was about to fail the whole darn thing and end up as the repeater with the ugly red flag waving in the breeze of failure. Took a break, drank some bulletproof coffee (awesome btw)… and gave myself a (mental) pep talk saying I didn't come this far and put in all of the hard work while sacrificing time with my wife and kid just to bitch out with negativity and fear and flop like a limp fish.

So, I walked in for block 3 with the stones needed for the rest of the day and started hammering away at that *ucker. Did I come across the WTF questions? Oh yeah. But I didn't let them put me into any type of panic mode nor did I let the feeling from one ridiculous question carry over to the next. Maybe it's my many years of playing baseball and my old man's tutelage: "One pitch at a time… one play at a time… once it happens- good or bad- it's gone." That's the same way you need to take this test- one question at a time.

You can NOT let it psych you out and create a snow ball effect that will keep you from getting the gimmies because you weren't in a still state, mentally-speaking. You need to have a still mind with this exam… as still as possible. Attack it with calmness but with sharp intent and focus. Attaining that approach is only possible on game day if you practice this way during the prep time leading up to it. And when game day comes, just treat it like any other blocks of question you've knocked out for the previous 4-6 weeks. When the WTF's come diving in at you like robot ninjas with poison-tipped stars, knock em down one at time, and forget about the bruises they tried to leave with you once you click the "next" button. Plus you can flag them suckas and go back for more lickings after a first run of 46. Still though… one at a time. No freakin'!

I may have not end up with an SDN brag-worthy score (another 2 weeks of FA may have had me close) but I think my mental approach (blocks 3-7) probably earned me a few points or at least didn't cost me the give-me's. Who knows, I may have even snagged a few lucky ones along the way.

Td;dr: Stay calm. Stay focused. Stay confident. One question at a time. ATTACK!

Thanks for the well wishes! I agree that staying calm and focused is extremely important. Towards the last section I felt as if I was about to throw up. Another advice is to scope out the testing center beforehand and see how busy they are with checking people in and out. A lot of my break time was eaten up cuz I couldn't get checked in on time. Now I'm gonna try to enjoy the last bit of my summer. Good luck folks!

 

[stewartln4]

I understand and respect what you're saying but I don't think step 1 should be the defining gauge of what field you or I will flourish in. More than half my questions were BS that I hardly think physicians give a thought to in their clinical practice.

I mean yea that's true but for some of my classmates who want to go orthopedics, a low step score isn't gonna cut it is what our surgery clerkship director said. You don't want the score to block you from anything but in reality that's what happens unfortunately. Hey who knows though, I'm just trying to match successfully lol

 

[Mom3910]

Just wait and suffer till results .... Arghhhh

 

[EazyE1907]

For those who have recently tackled the beast, Did you guys come across any EM slides asking you to identify RER, Mitochondria and such thanks!

 

[ManBroDude]

I'm 2 days out and just got a 252 on UWSA 2 ("assessment score": 670). Any idea what that should correlate to? I know it generally overpredicts, just not by how much.

And what the hell is "General Principles of Health and Disease"? Because I turded it up in whatever that's supposed to be.

 

[orchitisphlebitis]

I'm 2 days out and just got a 252 on UWSA 2 ("assessment score": 670). Any idea what that should correlate to? I know it generally overpredicts, just not by how much.

And what the hell is "General Principles of Health and Disease"? Because I turded it up in whatever that's supposed to be.

They can overestimate by up to 20 points or so. Really depends. If you're scoring higher on NBMEs they overestimate less (at least that's what I think).

 

[oingoboingo]

For those who have recently tackled the beast, Did you guys come across any EM slides asking you to identify RER, Mitochondria and such thanks!

Thank God, no I did not - I hate those EM questions, I've never gotten a single one of those right in UWorld.

 

[D0cHopeful]

Does anyone know if you can bring your iPad into the center to leave in your locker to have access to during breaks? Thanks.

 

[Apoplexy__]

Oh well. Like it's been said before, I still have my health and I'm still going to be a doctor. I have it ridiculously well in the grand scheme of things.

I think 25% of the people on SDN need to read this daily.

 

[purplelife]

They can overestimate by up to 20 points or so. Really depends. If you're scoring higher on NBMEs they overestimate less (at least that's what I think).

20 points? I searched on it and most say it's by 10 points.

 

[ChessMaster3000]

Does anyone know if you can bring your iPad into the center to leave in your locker to have access to during breaks? Thanks.

yes you can.

 

[jschirripa]

Taking July 29. You guys have been awesome. I really appreciate you all sharing your experiences (even though it has scared the **** out of me). I look forward to sharing as well.

 

[541266]

SO- Here is my evaluation of Step 1 after taking the test toady… 6/29/14

Just to clarify my prep, I took the Kaplan course given at UMHS and just did Uworld and First aid once I got home.

I completed the Kaplan Q bank once.
I completed the Uworld Q bank twice.
Read sections of FA multiple times with my Uworld notes written in.

I took NBME 11,12,13,16 (score range 180-246)
I took both Uwold Assessments (250 average).

NOW: For the test itself…

The first thing I noticed was that there were absolutely NO one liners. Sometimes in Uworld you’ll get a straightforward one liner question… these do not exist on the test.

Secondly, there were very few, if any, questions asking you to make a diagnosis. A lot of the path questions asked you to make a diagnosis, then explain what else you would find associated with the disorder.

Be prepared to explain the diagnosis in terms of pathology, as well as other ways of saying the diagnosis name. For example, some guy smoked and had transitional cell carcinoma. This was not an option, it was called urotheilal cell carcinoma. A lady had phecormocytoma, but this was not an option. The answer was neural crest derivates acted upon by preganglionic sympathetic fibers with Ach.

I found that the test asked questions in the same exact manor as Uworld. It was like taking another Uworld assessment and I always knew the answer. The challenge and the complete make or break was in the answers.

There was also a massive amount of anatomy on the test. Tons of CT scans (these were not hard), and TONS of vessel and nerve stuff (a patient has a congested renal vein. The vein is trapped posteriorly to what artery? => SMA).

Biostats was a breeze. a few sensitivity problems and one NNT.

There were no Pharm equations and I found that the pharm was either straight forward, or stuff i’ve never seen. There was no in-between. either you read 6 pharm text books or you know as much as the next guy.

Micro was really straight forward. There was one easy virus question, typical bacteria questions, no worm questions… a lot of toxin mechanisms, a lot of culture stuff

biochem was decent with the enzymes and stuff. There was a **** TON OF QUESTIONS ON NEOPLASM AND HOW THEY AFFECT CELL CYCLE ETC. like a LOT. I was not so happy about that ha.

Physio was physio. Tons of arrows and graphs etc. These were not hard.

Like I said before, if you do Uworld and can get good scores, you’re in good shape. If I could go back and study again, I would Do Uworld yet ANOTHER time, but when I chose the answer, I’d describe it’s path, associated symptoms, how it looked, and other names for the condition, because that is ALL the answers were. Nothing straightforward.

Thanks for your write-up. I very much appreciate how your honesty about the exam kills any sense of confidence in my soul. I think it's rather pathetic how the test writers expect us to know EVERYTHING in addition to 'other ways of saying the diagnosis name'; though this may sound simple to do, however, these 'names' are not in FA or my other text books... so this is really ****ed up. I've done UW three times and my scores are in the mid 70's. But if the exam is harder than UW and as not as straight forward then I'm screwed. Thanks again! Long live step 1.... lol

And if you don't mind me asking, and other step takers can answer this as well, what type of CT's were on the exam? Were they mainly CNS, Resp etc... cause I suck at CT's. Thanks!

 

[YeahNoMind]

SO- Here is my evaluation of Step 1 after taking the test toady… 6/29/14

Just to clarify my prep, I took the Kaplan course given at UMHS and just did Uworld and First aid once I got home.

I completed the Kaplan Q bank once.
I completed the Uworld Q bank twice.
Read sections of FA multiple times with my Uworld notes written in.

I took NBME 11,12,13,16 (score range 180-246)
I took both Uwold Assessments (250 average).

NOW: For the test itself…

The first thing I noticed was that there were absolutely NO one liners. Sometimes in Uworld you’ll get a straightforward one liner question… these do not exist on the test.

Secondly, there were very few, if any, questions asking you to make a diagnosis. A lot of the path questions asked you to make a diagnosis, then explain what else you would find associated with the disorder.

Be prepared to explain the diagnosis in terms of pathology, as well as other ways of saying the diagnosis name. For example, some guy smoked and had transitional cell carcinoma. This was not an option, it was called urotheilal cell carcinoma. A lady had phecormocytoma, but this was not an option. The answer was neural crest derivates acted upon by preganglionic sympathetic fibers with Ach.

I found that the test asked questions in the same exact manor as Uworld. It was like taking another Uworld assessment and I always knew the answer. The challenge and the complete make or break was in the answers.

There was also a massive amount of anatomy on the test. Tons of CT scans (these were not hard), and TONS of vessel and nerve stuff (a patient has a congested renal vein. The vein is trapped posteriorly to what artery? => SMA).

Biostats was a breeze. a few sensitivity problems and one NNT.

There were no Pharm equations and I found that the pharm was either straight forward, or stuff i’ve never seen. There was no in-between. either you read 6 pharm text books or you know as much as the next guy.

Micro was really straight forward. There was one easy virus question, typical bacteria questions, no worm questions… a lot of toxin mechanisms, a lot of culture stuff

biochem was decent with the enzymes and stuff. There was a **** TON OF QUESTIONS ON NEOPLASM AND HOW THEY AFFECT CELL CYCLE ETC. like a LOT. I was not so happy about that ha.

Physio was physio. Tons of arrows and graphs etc. These were not hard.

Like I said before, if you do Uworld and can get good scores, you’re in good shape. If I could go back and study again, I would Do Uworld yet ANOTHER time, but when I chose the answer, I’d describe it’s path, associated symptoms, how it looked, and other names for the condition, because that is ALL the answers were. Nothing straightforward.[/
QUOTE]

How were your behavioral questions?

 

[541266]

cts were straight forward body shots. No neuro at all actually. Some spinal X-rays and that's it

Thank you. What do you mean by body shots lol? Sorry I just googled it and I didn't get anything.
Anyway, why are you still on here lol, go out and celebrate! Congrats on being done.

 

[arda]

is FA enough for biochemistry and immunology ? if not what should i use ?

 

[rodmichael82]

is FA enough for biochemistry and immunology ? if not what should i use ?

It's enough.

 

[lissa 260]

SO- Here is my evaluation of Step 1 after taking the test toady… 6/29/14

Just to clarify my prep, I took the Kaplan course given at UMHS and just did Uworld and First aid once I got home.

I completed the Kaplan Q bank once.
I completed the Uworld Q bank twice.
Read sections of FA multiple times with my Uworld notes written in.

I took NBME 11,12,13,16 (score range 180-246)
I took both Uwold Assessments (250 average).

NOW: For the test itself…

The first thing I noticed was that there were absolutely NO one liners. Sometimes in Uworld you’ll get a straightforward one liner question… these do not exist on the test.

Secondly, there were very few, if any, questions asking you to make a diagnosis. A lot of the path questions asked you to make a diagnosis, then explain what else you would find associated with the disorder.

Be prepared to explain the diagnosis in terms of pathology, as well as other ways of saying the diagnosis name. For example, some guy smoked and had transitional cell carcinoma. This was not an option, it was called urotheilal cell carcinoma. A lady had phecormocytoma, but this was not an option. The answer was neural crest derivates acted upon by preganglionic sympathetic fibers with Ach.

I found that the test asked questions in the same exact manor as Uworld. It was like taking another Uworld assessment and I always knew the answer. The challenge and the complete make or break was in the answers.
thnks for the write up..good to know exam is more or less similar to uwrld..i feel more confident about the exam after reading ur experience...how about the WTF questions how many per block? how were the anatomy questions in terms of difficulty?how much did the kaplan q bank help i am thru with lyk 70 percent of it shud i do it again.?i am three weeks out thnks


There was also a massive amount of anatomy on the test. Tons of CT scans (these were not hard), and TONS of vessel and nerve stuff (a patient has a congested renal vein. The vein is trapped posteriorly to what artery? => SMA).

Biostats was a breeze. a few sensitivity problems and one NNT.

There were no Pharm equations and I found that the pharm was either straight forward, or stuff i’ve never seen. There was no in-between. either you read 6 pharm text books or you know as much as the next guy.

Micro was really straight forward. There was one easy virus question, typical bacteria questions, no worm questions… a lot of toxin mechanisms, a lot of culture stuff

biochem was decent with the enzymes and stuff. There was a **** TON OF QUESTIONS ON NEOPLASM AND HOW THEY AFFECT CELL CYCLE ETC. like a LOT. I was not so happy about that ha.

Physio was physio. Tons of arrows and graphs etc. These were not hard.

Like I said before, if you do Uworld and can get good scores, you’re in good shape. If I could go back and study again, I would Do Uworld yet ANOTHER time, but when I chose the answer, I’d describe it’s path, associated symptoms, how it looked, and other names for the condition, because that is ALL the answers were. Nothing straightforward.

hey thnks a lot for that write up..it makes me feel the exam is doable..how about the WTF kinda questions?how many per block?also how much did kaplan qbank help? thnks...and congrats on putting the exam behind you

 

[Arg10Messi]

I understand and respect what you're saying but I don't think step 1 should be the defining gauge of what field you or I will flourish in. More than half my questions were BS that I hardly think physicians give a thought to in their clinical practice.

I don't know who you are in class, but everything you say here is wonderful for my self-esteem.
lol

 

[J ROD]

He took a version that sucks and was hard as hell. I watched this with the MCAT after I got "that form" my first time. It cost me a retake. I pray everyday I do not get that one. But, it is the way it is so all you can do is play the game and prepare the best you can. I would be pissed too. But, with a hard form, if you could think through it you should be ok since I imagine everyone felt the same way.

No matter what all you can do is use what is recommended and take it. Not like it changes your prep. You have to stay positive during the test and have a short memory.

 

[541266]

QUESTION!

ALL STEROID RECEPTORS ARE FAT SOLUBLE. DO THEY ALL HAVE NUCLEAR RECEPTORS?

In FA '12 it says these steroid hormones all have cytosolic receptors except for T3/T4 which have nuclear receptors.
FA '14 does not specify if they are nuclear or cytosolic.
In my recent NBME's, I had questions on T3/T4 having a nuclear receptor (got it right) and also had a question on cortisol being cytosolic but being translocated to the nucleus and activation of transcription in gene.

SO..... Are all steroid receptors nuclear... because according to NBME's they're honoring the FA'12 information that says T3/T4 are the only ones that are nuclear.

Thanks in advance!