Official 2014 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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When you start considering adjunct resources (e.g., Kaplan videos, DIT, GT, Rx Express), you venture into territory where you'll get opinions across the spectrum. I know people who like/dislike all of those resources I've listed.

In terms of the Rx Express, although everything is reviewed/critiqued by senior FA staff, each subject has a different author and slide style, so comparing the micro slides to the biochem ones, for instance, would actually be like apples and oranges. I would recommend Express if you feel weak in a particular area and want some further elaboration. The Rx QBank is a great reinforcer of the FA text; Express can provide an additional layer, if you feel so inclined.
 
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ulikedaggers said:
You can't open them with VLC?
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Like they'd allow you to download the videos. Nope, no option to open them up with a media player as of a month ago.
Of course there are questionable methods to view these videos that would allow you to speed them up on a later viewing, but of course I would never endorse such illegal methods. Either way, unless you do some work on your own there is no way to speed them up.
 
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Phloston said:
When you start considering adjunct resources (e.g., Kaplan videos, DIT, GT, Rx Express), you venture into territory where you'll get opinions across the spectrum. I know people who like/dislike all of those resources I've listed.

In terms of the Rx Express, although everything is reviewed/critiqued by senior FA staff, each subject has a different author and slide style, so comparing the micro slides to the biochem ones, for instance, would actually be like apples and oranges. I would recommend Express if you feel weak in a particular area and want some further elaboration. The Rx QBank is a great reinforcer of the FA text; Express can provide an additional layer, if you feel so inclined.
Click to expand...

I've been doing Rx occasionally throughout the past few months, and I'm finding it pretty helpful.. though I'm only an MS1 so my "random" blocks cover a very limited number of topics. For me, listening to a lecture is great for times when I can't focus enough to read or do questions. Having someone talk at me is better than nothing and I usually pickup quite a few things. That's really the only reason why I'm considering any of these audio/lecture programs. I know Goljan audio is what a lot of people recommend for that though.

madcowz said:
Like they'd allow you to download the videos. Nope, no option to open them up with a media player as of a month ago.
Of course there are questionable methods to view these videos that would allow you to speed them up on a later viewing, but of course I would never endorse such illegal methods. Either way, unless you do some work on your own there is no way to speed them up.
Click to expand...

Mmm, like you I would never participate in illegal activity. The website says "over 40 hours" of lectures... and at 1x speed that's a pretty hefty time sink. Thanks for the heads up!
 
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Does anyone know of a solid list of the indications for the most commonly tested antibiotics? I have a pretty good handle on most of them, but want to make sure I'm not missing anything. For example, i just learned that fluoroquinolones are used for UTIs in sulfa-allergic patients. Stuff like that--I have heard step 1 likes to test some second line antibiotics
 
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ulikedaggers said:
Have you used/seen DIT? Do you like it? I'm curious what the difference is between the two (they both just seem like they read FA to you).
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Basically this. DIT does have a lot of quizzes that go along with it, which aren't bad, and they do add in the occasional fact here and there. When I was doing it I just felt myself spacing out while waiting for them to say, "pause and do questions x-y" and that was the only time I was learning, so I've quit doing it in lieu of doing just more questions.
 
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Donald Juan said:
Basically this. DIT does have a lot of quizzes that go along with it, which aren't bad, and they do add in the occasional fact here and there. When I was doing it I just felt myself spacing out while waiting for them to say, "pause and do questions x-y" and that was the only time I was learning, so I've quit doing it in lieu of doing just more questions.
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Yeah, I've seen people using it and it seems like a huge waste of $800. USMLE express is a lot cheaper though.. maybe worth it if they are similar. I know DIT apparently has good results.
 
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So I decided to treat myself this weekend with an NBME (1st time taking it). I did form 15, and it was standard-paced.
While taking it, I thought it was quite difficult. I'm not done with classes yet and I haven't gone through FA. I just recently bought my hard copy earlier this year. As I was answering questions, I was smacking myself for doing something so stupid. I kept thinking "u dumb ass, u should have waited!" I finished it anyways and before I got my results, I knew I was gonna get below 100 for sure.
Results = 460 which is equivalent to 212! Not too shabby. I'm actually pleased and proud AND surprised. I actually retained something.
I should be taking my exam is sometime mid year. I'm hoping that my score would improve between now and then.
 
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900829 said:
So I decided to treat myself this weekend with an NBME (1st time taking it). I did form 15, and it was standard-paced.
While taking it, I thought it was quite difficult. I'm not done with classes yet and I haven't gone through FA. I just recently bought my hard copy earlier this year. As I was answering questions, I was smacking myself for doing something so stupid. I kept thinking "u dumb ass, u should have waited!" I finished it anyways and before I got my results, I knew I was gonna get below 100 for sure.
Results = 460 which is equivalent to 212! Not too shabby. I'm actually pleased and proud AND surprised. I actually retained something.
I should be taking my exam is sometime mid year. I'm hoping that my score would improve between now and then.
Click to expand...
a 212 is great for not going through the material! It strengthens your problem solving skills too because you answered the questions using just what you know! Congrats! Keep up the good work.
Wrote nmbe 7 today; very challenging, esp with block 3! Still did well tho. 6 more weeks till this mess is over with!
 
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Fatalis said:
a 212 is great for not going through the material! It strengthens your problem solving skills too because you answered the questions using just what you know! Congrats! Keep up the good work.
Wrote nmbe 7 today; very challenging, esp with block 3! Still did well tho. 6 more weeks till this mess is over with!
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Thank u, thank u 🙂
Ya, it was very challenging. I feel like all the blocks almost had the same level of difficulty. Maybe it's because it was my first time and I was extremely nervous from the first question of block 1 till the last question of block 4.
I plan on emulating the real test by taking 2 NBMEs at once. Of course I plan on doing this a few weeks before my test date. For now, I'll keep doing uWorld and maybe take a few more NBMEs before the intense studying happens.
 
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900829 said:
Thank u, thank u 🙂
Ya, it was very challenging. I feel like all the blocks almost had the same level of difficulty. Maybe it's because it was my first time and I was extremely nervous from the first question of block 1 till the last question of block 4.
I plan on emulating the real test by taking 2 NBMEs at once. Of course I plan on doing this a few weeks before my test date. For now, I'll keep doing uWorld and maybe take a few more NBMEs before the intense studying happens.
Click to expand...

i also thought about doubling up on nbme's later on in prep to simulate the length of the exam (actually over-simulate since that would be 400 questions instead of step 1's 322)

but i was talked out of it by an upperclassman. his rationale was that nbme's are the best predictive tool since it uses the actual curve based on the difficulty of the test ...but if you do them back to back your 2nd one will likely underpredict since most everyone takes them fresh. so if you take 11 and 12 back to back your 12 score would likely be underpredicting because you're curved against people who took it fresh. i guess that's fine if you want extra motivation but i'd like to see where i am actually at and that would be taking it fresh.

anyway what i'm planning on doing to still maintain the integrity of the nbme's predictiveness but also simulate the length of the real test is to take a uwsa/3-4 rx blocks/kaplan full length/free 150 right after my nbme's.
 
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Leonidis I said:
i also thought about doubling up on nbme's later on in prep to simulate the length of the exam (actually over-simulate since that would be 400 questions instead of step 1's 322)

but i was talked out of it by an upperclassman. his rationale was that nbme's are the best predictive tool since it uses the actual curve based on the difficulty of the test ...but if you do them back to back your 2nd one will likely underpredict since most everyone takes them fresh. so if you take 11 and 12 back to back your 12 score would likely be underpredicting because you're curved against people who took it fresh. i guess that's fine if you want extra motivation but i'd like to see where i am actually at and that would be taking it fresh.

anyway what i'm planning on doing to still maintain the integrity of the nbme's predictiveness but also simulate the length of the real test is to take a uwsa/3-4 rx blocks/kaplan full length/free 150 right after my nbme's.
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Hmm, Interesting. I never would have thought that. Thanks for letting me know.
I guess uWorld and Kaplan assessments will suffice when it comes to mimicking the real deal.
Thank u once again, I appreciate it.
 
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900829 said:
Hmm, Interesting. I never would have thought that. Thanks for letting me know.
I guess uWorld and Kaplan assessments will suffice when it comes to mimicking the real deal.
Thank u once again, I appreciate it.
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Don't overthink it. If anything, the endurance required will better prepare you for the step; and I like things that under-predict - they make fore a pleasant surprise.
 
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Brain Bucket said:
Don't overthink it. If anything, the endurance required will better prepare you for the step; and I like things that under-predict - they make fore a pleasant surprise.
Click to expand...

IMO, I don't think doing back to back NBMEs or 1000 UWorld blocks is a good idea. I don't see any reason why someone would want to burn themselves out for day to "build endurance". My friends and I all did sets of only 20 at a time on Uworld and only did one NBME at a time, and none of us felt that we hadn't built enough endurance. Getting enough sleep, taking your break time, and bringing enough food is how you make it through 322 questions.
 
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001100010010011 said:
Anyone use the Kaplan diagnostic to actually determine what their areas of weakness are?
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The one that came with the qbank? I did it earlier this year. I got a 59% I believe. It essentially told me what I already knew. I was good with pathology, okay in micro, didn't know pharm (hadn't started the course yet), and less than stellar in the 1st year courses I had yet to review. I also didn't really review it so I'm not sure what I took out of doing it, besides getting a feel for what it feels like to take something that tests you from all the disciplines, since for the most part when I do qbanks to date it has been by subject.

900829 said:
Thank u, thank u 🙂
Ya, it was very challenging. I feel like all the blocks almost had the same level of difficulty. Maybe it's because it was my first time and I was extremely nervous from the first question of block 1 till the last question of block 4.
I plan on emulating the real test by taking 2 NBMEs at once. Of course I plan on doing this a few weeks before my test date. For now, I'll keep doing uWorld and maybe take a few more NBMEs before the intense studying happens.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised you did 15... I have written down in my "study plan," to make sure I hit NBMEs 11, 12, 13, and 15 as those are supposed to be the most accurate. I feel like I wouldn't have used one of the best predictive indicators so early in the prep?
 
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Bancrofti said:
The one that came with the qbank? I did it earlier this year. I got a 59% I believe. It essentially told me what I already knew. I was good with pathology, okay in micro, didn't know pharm (hadn't started the course yet), and less than stellar in the 1st year courses I had yet to review. I also didn't really review it so I'm not sure what I took out of doing it, besides getting a feel for what it feels like to take something that tests you from all the disciplines, since for the most part when I do qbanks to date it has been by subject.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that one.

I did better than I thought I would in one block and mediocre in the other two. I've been doing questions based on subject areas so this was good practice doing mixed subject areas. The explanations were decent too--it's funny how easy it is to make dumb mistakes. I just don't know how much emphasis to put on the areas it says I am weak in.
 
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[quote="Bancrofti,
I'm surprised you did 15... I have written down in my "study plan," to make sure I hit NBMEs 11, 12, 13, and 15 as those are supposed to be the most accurate. I feel like I wouldn't have used one of the best predictive indicators so early in the prep?[/quote]

Definitely didn't know that. I took it cos it said "new!"
Oh well, I'll take it again eventually. It will probably be the last one I take before my exam.
 
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Coug said:
IMO, I don't think doing back to back NBMEs or 1000 UWorld blocks is a good idea. I don't see any reason why someone would want to burn themselves out for day to "build endurance". My friends and I all did sets of only 20 at a time on Uworld and only did one NBME at a time, and none of us felt that we hadn't built enough endurance. Getting enough sleep, taking your break time, and bringing enough food is how you make it through 322 questions.
Click to expand...

By better prepare, I don't mean build. You should have the endurance required by this time.
 
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Coug said:
IMO, I don't think doing back to back NBMEs or 1000 UWorld blocks is a good idea. I don't see any reason why someone would want to burn themselves out for day to "build endurance". My friends and I all did sets of only 20 at a time on Uworld and only did one NBME at a time, and none of us felt that we hadn't built enough endurance. Getting enough sleep, taking your break time, and bringing enough food is how you make it through 322 questions.
Click to expand...

I think it could go either way. I did back to back NBMEs and am glad I did it. There's advantages to both. Once I get my score back I'll definitely put it all down and expand on that

Btw, good luck with your score result Coug, must be coming up
 
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Other than uWorld, Kaplan Q bank and the NBME what's another great source for
ChessMaster3000 said:
I think it could go either way. I did back to back NBMEs and am glad I did it. There's advantages to both. Once I get my score back I'll definitely put it all down and expand on that

Btw, good luck with your score result Coug, must be coming up
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U took it already?
 
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Hey guys got my score today

Nbme progression

Nbme 5 : 210 (2 months out)
UWSA1 : 232 ( 1 month out)
NBme 12 : 228 ( 3 weeks out)
Nbme 7 : 230 ( 3 weeks out)
UWSA 2 : 253 (2 weeks out)
Nbme 15 : 238 (10 days out)
Nbme 11 : 245 (5 days out)
free 150 : 91%

Books used : FA, Uworld, Usmle rx, pathoma, BRS physiology, Levinson immuno , Kaplan neuroanatomy section, HY cell biology (- this one is a waste of time in my opinion)

Uworld cumulative - 65%

REAL DEAL - 235

I am slightly disappointed with my score, I thought i would break a 240 but yeah, its over now. So, I am happy.

In the retrospect, I think I shouldve spent much time revising uworld and going through FA. Like as many times as possible. I did uworld 1 pass + did the incorrects again. FA - I went through it like twice with all my UW annotations.

My advice would be - to start uworld early in your prep , learn your basics in M1 and M2 , know FA cold.

I am thankful for this forum for all the information they share on here and the support . Thanks guys, it helped a lot !

All the best for everyone taking the exam
 
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Coug said:
Just took it. Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents

NBME 13 (Jan 2013 at the end of 1.5 yrs pre-clerkship pre-study period): 228
NBME 12 (Sept 2013: decided to see where I was randomly during my clerkship year): 250
NBME 15 (Nov 2013): 257
UWSA#1 (3 wks out and 1.5 wks into dedicated studying): 257
UWSA#2 (2.5 wks out): 264
NBME 11 (1.5 wks out): 268
NBME 7 (1.5 wks out): 268
NBME 5 (1 wk out): 261

Real deal:

I was pretty nervous going in because it seems that everyone feels like they failed after they come out of the test. In my opinion the actual test was way easier than Uworld, the UWSAs, and the higher numbered NBMEs. Friends who just took it agree. So if you're going to take it soon, just relax.

All you need for this thing is what's been said before: First Aid, Pathoma, UWorld, +/- UsmleRx. I did my first pass of Uworld and Rx during my clerkship year, and did a second pass of Uworld during dedicated studying. Seriously though, there is absolutely no need to go searching for all kinds of crazy resources. If there was something I didn't know, it wasn't because I hadn't seen it before in the above resources.

After the test I felt pretty good. I ended up finishing each section with at least 15 minutes to spare. I felt like 80-90% of it was straight out of FA. So far, I know I missed at least 4 (couldn't help looking some things up afterwards). I ended up marking quite a few, but that's mainly because I mark the ones I want to take a closer look at since I tend to try to take the test as fast as possible to reduce over-thinking questions.

Biochem: SUPER easy, FA is more than enough
Anatomy: no wtf questions. Felt like you could reason through most of the weird ones
Behavioral science: I had a ton of these including a ton of ethics questions. FA is still more than enough
Embryo: Maybe 2 questions. Both easy
Phys: some arrow questions.
Path: some required some extra thought but not too bad

Overall, I think the best thing you can do to prepare is relax the afternoon/night before and get sleep. I can't recommend enough the benefit of having a late start time.
Click to expand...

Just got it: 262. Super stoked!

Feel free to ask any questions!
 
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coolcatrina said:
Hey guys got my score today

Nbme progression

Nbme 5 : 210 (2 months out)
UWSA1 : 232 ( 1 month out)
NBme 12 : 228 ( 3 weeks out)
Nbme 7 : 230 ( 3 weeks out)
UWSA 2 : 253 (2 weeks out)
Nbme 15 : 238 (10 days out)
Nbme 11 : 245 (5 days out)
free 150 : 91%

Books used : FA, Uworld, Usmle rx, pathoma, BRS physiology, Levinson immuno , Kaplan neuroanatomy section, HY cell biology (- this one is a waste of time in my opinion)

Uworld cumulative - 65%

REAL DEAL - 235

I am slightly disappointed with my score, I thought i would break a 240 but yeah, its over now. So, I am happy.

In the retrospect, I think I shouldve spent much time revising uworld and going through FA. Like as many times as possible. I did uworld 1 pass + did the incorrects again. FA - I went through it like twice with all my UW annotations.

My advice would be - to start uworld early in your prep , learn your basics in M1 and M2 , know FA cold.

I am thankful for this forum for all the information they share on here and the support . Thanks guys, it helped a lot !

All the best for everyone taking the exam
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Congrats! 235 is still a good score! Did you use any other qbanks? How early is "early in prep" for UW?

Coug said:
Just got it: 262. Super stoked!

Feel free to ask any questions!
Click to expand...

Incredible score man, congrats! Have you already posted your study methods/suggestions?
 
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Coug said:
Just got it: 262. Super stoked!

Feel free to ask any questions!
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Congratulations !! Thats an awesome score !

Congrats! 235 is still a good score! Did you use any other qbanks? How early is "early in prep" for UW?
Click to expand...

I did usmle rx in the first few weeks of my prep. It really helped me drill down FA. I think once you finish rx you should start UW.
 
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I receive my score today!

NBME 15 : 216
UWSA1: 210
UWSA2 :211 week befor

Free 150 : ave 82% = 243 !! The day before

Kaplan qbank ave: 57%
UW qbank ave : 62%

Real score : 205 !!! Funny huh?
 
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coolcatrina said:
Hey guys got my score today

Nbme progression

Nbme 5 : 210 (2 months out)
UWSA1 : 232 ( 1 month out)
NBme 12 : 228 ( 3 weeks out)
Nbme 7 : 230 ( 3 weeks out)
UWSA 2 : 253 (2 weeks out)
Nbme 15 : 238 (10 days out)
Nbme 11 : 245 (5 days out)
free 150 : 91%

Books used : FA, Uworld, Usmle rx, pathoma, BRS physiology, Levinson immuno , Kaplan neuroanatomy section, HY cell biology (- this one is a waste of time in my opinion)

Uworld cumulative - 65%

REAL DEAL - 235

I am slightly disappointed with my score, I thought i would break a 240 but yeah, its over now. So, I am happy.

In the retrospect, I think I shouldve spent much time revising uworld and going through FA. Like as many times as possible. I did uworld 1 pass + did the incorrects again. FA - I went through it like twice with all my UW annotations.

My advice would be - to start uworld early in your prep , learn your basics in M1 and M2 , know FA cold.

I am thankful for this forum for all the information they share on here and the support . Thanks guys, it helped a lot !

All the best for everyone taking the exam
Click to expand...

CONGRATULATIONS!
Coug said:
Just got it: 262. Super stoked!

Feel free to ask any questions!
Click to expand...

FREAKING AWESOME! CONGRATS!
sharab said:
I receive my score today!

NBME 15 : 216
UWSA1: 210
UWSA2 :211 week befor

Free 150 : ave 82% = 243 !! The day before

Kaplan qbank ave: 57%
UW qbank ave : 62%

Real score : 205 !!! Funny huh?
Click to expand...

U took and passed it though. It's not the end of the world. Just gotta rock step 2 and 3! CONGRATS!
 
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Posted earlier, but I'll copy it here:

Just took it. Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents

NBME 13 (Jan 2013 at the end of 1.5 yrs pre-clerkship pre-study period): 228
NBME 12 (Sept 2013: decided to see where I was randomly during my clerkship year): 250
NBME 15 (Nov 2013): 257
UWSA#1 (3 wks out and 1.5 wks into dedicated studying): 257
UWSA#2 (2.5 wks out): 264
NBME 11 (1.5 wks out): 268
NBME 7 (1.5 wks out): 268
NBME 5 (1 wk out): 261

Real deal: 262

I was pretty nervous going in because it seems that everyone feels like they failed after they come out of the test. In my opinion the actual test was way easier than Uworld, the UWSAs, and the higher numbered NBMEs. Friends who just took it agree. So if you're going to take it soon, just relax.

All you need for this thing is what's been said before: First Aid, Pathoma, UWorld, +/- UsmleRx. I did my first pass of Uworld and Rx during my clerkship year, and did a second pass of Uworld during dedicated studying. Seriously though, there is absolutely no need to go searching for all kinds of crazy resources. If there was something I didn't know, it wasn't because I hadn't seen it before in the above resources.

After the test I felt pretty good. I ended up finishing each section with at least 15 minutes to spare. I felt like 80-90% of it was straight out of FA. So far, I know I missed at least 4 (couldn't help looking some things up afterwards). I ended up marking quite a few, but that's mainly because I mark the ones I want to take a closer look at since I tend to try to take the test as fast as possible to reduce over-thinking questions.

Biochem: SUPER easy, FA is more than enough
Anatomy: no wtf questions. Felt like you could reason through most of the weird ones
Behavioral science: I had a ton of these including a ton of ethics questions. FA is still more than enough
Embryo: Maybe 2 questions. Both easy
Phys: some arrow questions.
Path: some required some extra thought but not too bad

Overall, I think the best thing you can do to prepare is relax the afternoon/night before and get sleep. I can't recommend enough the benefit of having a late exam start time.
 
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got my score today! 253 !! 😀
so guys here is my exam experience ! total prep time 7months!
materials:
KLN 3x (excluding patho for which i used goljan)
FA 4x
conrad fisher 100 cases of ethics 2x
appleton and lange epidimiology and biostats( do only if u think ur biostats is weak! mine was )
kaplan qbank offline
uworld online!

so my exam was heavily loaded with patho and physio with lottssss of questions with pretty long stems!! so time management is important!micro was a big part as well so was immuno! pharma was pretty straight forward just make sure u know the side effects n mechanisms! biostats was straightforward too with simple calculations just make sure u know ur formulas n concepts!uworld does a pretty good job on it! anatomy was not a big part of my exam THANKFULLY! but i did get some weird questions i just made an educated guess and moved on! CT/MRI i think i got 2! simple! just make sure u know where the major organs are and the brain structures! uworld images are enough! lots of arrow questions !!! so making good concepts is very imp!!i think i got 2 murmurs! one i could guess from the question stem and the other i had to actually hear to know the answer!
all in all its a very doable exam! CONCEPTS ARE IMP!! dont panic everybody gets a few impossible type questions!

my scores:
kaplan qbank offline 78%
uworld 80% ( first time random timed)
UWSA 1 and 2 both 265
did NOT do any NBME !! cuz i didnt want to panic before i took the exam!
biglaugh.gif


GOOODLUCK!!
 
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Ms89 said:
got my score today! 253 !! 😀
so guys here is my exam experience ! total prep time 7months!
materials:
KLN 3x (excluding patho for which i used goljan)
FA 4x
conrad fisher 100 cases of ethics 2x
appleton and lange epidimiology and biostats( do only if u think ur biostats is weak! mine was )
kaplan qbank offline
uworld online!

so my exam was heavily loaded with patho and physio with lottssss of questions with pretty long stems!! so time management is important!micro was a big part as well so was immuno! pharma was pretty straight forward just make sure u know the side effects n mechanisms! biostats was straightforward too with simple calculations just make sure u know ur formulas n concepts!uworld does a pretty good job on it! anatomy was not a big part of my exam THANKFULLY! but i did get some weird questions i just made an educated guess and moved on! CT/MRI i think i got 2! simple! just make sure u know where the major organs are and the brain structures! uworld images are enough! lots of arrow questions !!! so making good concepts is very imp!!i think i got 2 murmurs! one i could guess from the question stem and the other i had to actually hear to know the answer!
all in all its a very doable exam! CONCEPTS ARE IMP!! dont panic everybody gets a few impossible type questions!

my scores:
kaplan qbank offline 78%
uworld 80% ( first time random timed)
UWSA 1 and 2 both 265
did NOT do any NBME !! cuz i didnt want to panic before i took the exam!
biglaugh.gif


GOOODLUCK!!
Click to expand...

:clap: CONGRATULATIONS!
 
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Also received my score today ladies and gentlemen. I got a ~270 after all that BS you guys had to put up with from me haha. I think a lot of people in this thread have a solid idea of what to study. I might swap Goljan (RR) for Pathoma IF you have time (I didn't, I assume a lot of people probably do not?), but FA + Pathoma + UWorld is your core, with images from Goljan, some radiology resource if you need a refresher course, Lippincott microcards, HYA Neuro, and UsmleRx being great supplements in my experience (all if you have time - you definitely DO NOT need this many resources, but I have... HIGH ANXIETY - +10 pts to anyone who gets the reference).

I'm in my "clerkship prep" course right now, so I'll try to stop in as much as possible over the next couple weeks. Got questions? Fire away!
 
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BioCF said:
Also received my score today ladies and gentlemen. I got a ~270 after all that BS you guys had to put up with from me haha. I think a lot of people in this thread have a solid idea of what to study. I might swap Goljan (RR) for Pathoma IF you have time (I didn't, I assume a lot of people probably do not?), but FA + Pathoma + UWorld is your core, with images from Goljan, some radiology resource if you need a refresher course, Lippincott microcards, HYA Neuro, and UsmleRx being great supplements in my experience (all if you have time - you definitely DO NOT need this many resources, but I have... HIGH ANXIETY - +10 pts to anyone who gets the reference).

I'm in my "clerkship prep" course right now, so I'll try to stop in as much as possible over the next couple weeks. Got questions? Fire away!
Click to expand...
Wow!
 
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BioCF said:
I might swap Goljan (RR) for Pathoma IF you have time (I didn't, I assume a lot of people probably do not?), but FA + Pathoma + UWorld is your core, with images from Goljan,
Click to expand...
So i can skip the blue boxes in goljan? The pics are enough?
 
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Hi. Thanks to all who contributed study advice and congrats to the people who have conquered the beast.
I'm am in my final days (<1 week), getting close to burn out but the fear factor is motivating. I am finishing up UW and have a massive Anki deck that I'm planning on plowing through.
I would appreciate any advice on the following:

Any suggestions for HY activities (eg Goljans 45 page HY)?
Should I make a plan of a "memory dump" of anything in particular to scribble on the white board?
Are the equations in the back of FA enough? Is there another HY equation source that's more encompassing?
Has anyone used WebPath this late in the game and if so what is the most effective way to use it?

Thanks in advance.
 
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BioCF said:
Also received my score today ladies and gentlemen. I got a ~270 after all that BS you guys had to put up with from me haha. I think a lot of people in this thread have a solid idea of what to study. I might swap Goljan (RR) for Pathoma IF you have time (I didn't, I assume a lot of people probably do not?), but FA + Pathoma + UWorld is your core, with images from Goljan, some radiology resource if you need a refresher course, Lippincott microcards, HYA Neuro, and UsmleRx being great supplements in my experience (all if you have time - you definitely DO NOT need this many resources, but I have... HIGH ANXIETY - +10 pts to anyone who gets the reference).

I'm in my "clerkship prep" course right now, so I'll try to stop in as much as possible over the next couple weeks. Got questions? Fire away!
Click to expand...

What's a "~270"? 😀

I thought most everyone uses Pathoma instead of Goljan (or uses both)? Did you use the newest version of Lippincott microcards?

Congrats on the score, btw! Don't know the reference though, sadly. We also have a clerkship prep course.. an entire week of it. Cuts down on prep time quite a bit.
 
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BioCF said:
Also received my score today ladies and gentlemen. I got a ~270 after all that BS you guys had to put up with from me haha. I think a lot of people in this thread have a solid idea of what to study. I might swap Goljan (RR) for Pathoma IF you have time (I didn't, I assume a lot of people probably do not?), but FA + Pathoma + UWorld is your core, with images from Goljan, some radiology resource if you need a refresher course, Lippincott microcards, HYA Neuro, and UsmleRx being great supplements in my experience (all if you have time - you definitely DO NOT need this many resources, but I have... HIGH ANXIETY - +10 pts to anyone who gets the reference).

I'm in my "clerkship prep" course right now, so I'll try to stop in as much as possible over the next couple weeks. Got questions? Fire away!
Click to expand...

Well god-freaking-damn!!!! Two freaking seventy!!!! Freaking ****t!
Freaking AMAZING!!!!
How long was ur prep time?
 
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Congrats to Coug, Ms89, BioCF on those stratospheric scores!

Question about the level of memorization needed walking into the exam. Did you have FA nearly rote memorized? Or did you have it mostly memorized? As I go through practice question banks, I'm finding I can often pick the right answer even though I don't know that piece of info in FA 100%. For example, for a question like:
In 5 yr old girl w/ abdominal pain, acts erratically, in an old house being remodeled, which enzyme is most likely not functioning properly.
A: aminolevulinic acid dehydratase
B: adenosine deaminase
C: glucose-6-phosphatase
D: porphobilinogen deaminase
E: sphingomyelinase

Obviously the girl has lead poisoning. If you were to ask me which enzyme is inhibited by lead, I wouldn't be able to tell you off the top of my head. But given the answer options, I can then recall aminolevulinic acid...I'd be tempted by prophobilinogen deaminase. But, I would select (A) with certainty.

So my question is did you:
(A) Rote memorize the whole heme pathway as listed in FA (ex: FA 2013,pg 358, FA 2014,pg 388), including hydroxymethylbilane, which has no clinical correlate (but is written out in FA).
(B) Rote memorize just the 5 enzymes listed in the diagram and the 5 diseases associated with each one.
(C) Did not rote memorize the whole pathway nor the 5 enzymes nor the 5 diseases (ex: if I asked you on the morning of your exam which enzyme is affected in acute intermittent porphyria, you wouldn't be able to answer 'Porphobilinogen deaminase'). Instead, over the course of reading/re-reading FA and doing 2 question banks, you were familiar enough to recall the info when prompted. You might confuse 'porphobilinogen deaminase' & 'uroporphyrinogen decarboxalyse' as causative for Porphyria cutanea tarda....but since they typically don't put those two answer choice together...you'd pick Uropor. decarb.
 
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^ HMG matters because errors below it lead to photosensitivity, but errors above it don't. Simple fact to memorize that could save you a question if you blank details of the pathway.

Edit: FWIW, I've read almost all of the 2013 thread and what I gathered was that it's important to know things from multiple vantage points. Using your example, you don't necessarily need to sit down and memorize FA verbatim, but you really can't have a good understanding of the sxs and etiology without memorizing (on some level) the pathway.
 
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Has anyone tried using step2 ck qbooks? I've heard/read that it's useful to do them and just skip the part about the treatment plan.
 
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