Official 2014 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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Pelvic anatomy - I would know what is in it. Also, the muscles and nerves in that area and what they control or do.

Murmurs - Can go both ways. Most seem to get some description, some do not. I took the chance I would since I can never tell most of them apart anyway. No Cardio for me....haha

Biochem - I thought FA was good enough. Just make sure to know it well and around the topics covered.

Images - Wish I did look at something. I got tore up there. My bad! lol
 
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J DUB said:
Pelvic anatomy - I would know what is in it. Also, the muscles and nerves in that area and what they control or do.

Murmurs - Can go both ways. Most seem to get some description, some do not. I took the chance I would since I can never tell most of them apart anyway. No Cardio for me....haha

Biochem - I thought FA was good enough. Just make sure to know it well and around the topics covered.

Images - Wish I did look at something. I got tore up there. My bad! lol
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Bro im sure u killed it, here I am hoping i just get a 220 lol
 
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You will most likely score 240+. I took Step 1 on 1 hr sleep, was half asleep during most of the test (mountain dew/energy bars and God saved me) and I still scored 245-250. I actually thought I failed or borderline passed. Due to fatigue, I confused "myoblast" for "myeloblast" and missed a piss easy question. I posted my experience here. You will be fine.

J DUB said:
I would feel better if my test was more like a NBME or even UW. About 40% was just different.....what's the next best thing, experiments, stuff not in review books, etc.....so I had to guess much more than usual. I am not a good guesser. I usually miss 3/4 of my guesses. I actually calculated it out one semester. haha. So, I expect I will score a good deal less and I missed a few too I should not have. Just a gut feeling. I do not feel I got 240+. I do better when I know the material covered and do not have to think....lol. But yeah, I was in the low 250's at the end. But, I guessed really well on NBME 15 and feel that 256 should be closer to a 248 and NBME 13 was too easy and straighforward so that 254 is relative. But, all of them, I cleared a 240+ but the real deal was just too different and went against my strengths.

I come from a business/psy background so I am weak in those subjects. Biochem, I have had 3 times so I should be stronger I just do not care to remember the details. I find it boring.

IF you get a version like I had, then you will understand how I feel after Step 1.

FYI:

EM is much more competitive now. My home program (regular state school) had a 240 average Step 1. 12 spots.

So, I would not be hoping for that. It would be a tough road. I have been hearing averages are above 230+ now.
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Test date: late June

Score: 261


Resources: I started Firecracker first year and did it every day. This was by far the most helpful resource. I made a point to add all cards for a given subject before starting that course. This made learning so much easier because I already hammered down the details. By the end of second year, Firecracker was 100% completed and ~90% mastered.


I also used Pathoma, Goljan audio, and Kaplan videos along with my classes. Pathoma is good, but I thought it was a bit overrated (I liked Goljan better). I really liked using the Pretest books and Robbin’s Review of Pathology.


In terms of Qbanks, I worked with Rx for most of second year. The questions are easy, but they were good for reinforcing things I was learning in Firecracker. I did my first pass of Uworld towards the end of second year and averaged 81% (untimed, tutor).


Dedicated Study Time (7 weeks):

I re-did Uworld at a slow and steady pace during my first two weeks, focusing on reading every explanation. I then proceeded to do Kaplan’s Qbank, which took about two and a half weeks (Average = 78%). I also spaced out practice exams and re-watched Pathoma. In the 3 days leading up to my test, I flagged all 2200-ish Uworld questions and did a final pass, focusing only on pattern recognition. I only read the educational objectives during this pass.


NBME 7 (6 weeks out): 251

NBME 11 (3 weeks out): 262

NBME 12 (2.5 weeks out): 262

NBME 13 (2 weeks out): 266 (coupled with UWSA 1 = 265)

NBME 15 (1 week out): 266 (coupled with UWSA 2 = 265)

NBME 16 (5 days out): 266 (coupled with the free 150 = 90%)


Test day: The test itself felt like a blur. The first two sets were tough for me because I was nervous. Most of my mistakes probably happened during these sets. I got into a rhythm by the 3rd set and everything else went smoothly. Compared to the practice NBME exams, I marked WAY more questions on the real thing. I had 4 questions about health insurance stuff, 3 heart sounds, and a handful of ethics questions. There was very little pharm on my test, which upset me. The micro questions were centered around giving you a picture of a rash, providing you with a vague history and then asking you to make a diagnosis or predict a possible consequence. My test also heavily tested biochem and immunology lab scenarios.


Overall, the real thing is just as hard as everyone says it is, but definitely manageable. Good luck!
 
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Exam tmrw. Pray for me.

Any last minute concepts I should be aware of. A lot of you mentioned urinary incontinece, pelvic anatomy...?

I have a few hours left to study so please let me know.
 
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Cali 916 said:
Exam tmrw. Pray for me.

Any last minute concepts I should be aware of. A lot of you mentioned urinary incontinece, pelvic anatomy...?

I have a few hours left to study so please let me know.
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Good luck. I looked over those topics and had 5 questions on them and got them right. Def worth a look. Took me like 20 min.
 
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J DUB said:
Good luck. I looked over those topics and had 5 questions on them and got them right. Def worth a look. Took me like 20 min.
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Thank you sir. How many hours of sleep do you recommend I get? Knowing me I'll be up the whole night looking at things I think I forgot... but didn't 🙁
 
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Cali 916 said:
Thank you sir. How many hours of sleep do you recommend I get? Knowing me I'll be up the whole night looking at things I think I forgot... but didn't 🙁
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I usually am lucky to get 2-3 hrs because I am so nervous. However, this is the first time ever I was not nervous. I slept like usual. I got about 6-7 hrs, which is norm for me. I felt rested and awake. Not nervous a bit for the test. I just sat down and took it. Took a break when I got tired or needed to regroup when I got a tough block. Make sure to rest and use your break. It is good to refresh during the test. I know that helped me on my last blocks.

I would try and get 6-8 hrs.
 
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Cali 916 said:
Exam tmrw. Pray for me.

Any last minute concepts I should be aware of. A lot of you mentioned urinary incontinece, pelvic anatomy...?

I have a few hours left to study so please let me know.
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Prayers up for you, I need prayers too, mine is on Saturday !
Def gonna look over these links, thanks !
 
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Hi you guys! I love this site! Sorry in advance for the enormous post but it's my first!
I am currently waiting for my exam date (applied reallly late), but am hoping to take it by the end of October.
I am a US citizen who studied at an Indian medical school and I feel like my basic science knowledge just isn't enough! I'm terrified of this exam!
So, to make myself feel better, I am posting here and I hope you guys can give me some good advice 🙂

My goal:240+
(I want Internal Medicine in a decent program but that's tough for IMGs without at least a 240, right? I would be over the moon if I got 250+,but I think most people would be?)
Study time: approx 2 months
Resources: FA, Uworld, Pathoma, RR Path, Goljian audio, Kaplan lectures (Micro, Biochem, Pharmac mainly).
So I had been semi-studying for the past month and listened to some Kaplan videos while I did a few observerships in US hospitals, but I really started studying like 1.5 weeks ago.
I got Pathoma a few days back. Really love it but I dont think its enough? So, what I do is... I do a section in Pathoma, read the same in RR path, listen to the Goljian audio while rereading RR path and then read/annotate the same in FA.
Then I do a 46 random but unused questions block in untimed tutorial mode. And I read/annotate/memorize the same sections in FA from the UWorld explanations.
If I have time to spare, I listen to some biochem/pharmac Kaplan lectures at the end before I sleep.
I thought I was doing okay, like getting 50% in UWorld which I hoped could only improve to 65% + at the end of 2 months.
But then I did this random, timed 46 question block yesterday and I got 39%. 39%!!!!!!!
A lot of the questions in that block that I absolutely didnt know seemed to be in genetics and epidemio and pharmac.
So now I think I'm doing something wrong. Any advice...please?
 
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nrimbbs said:
Hi you guys! I love this site! Sorry in advance for the enormous post but it's my first!
I am currently waiting for my exam date (applied reallly late), but am hoping to take it by the end of October.
I am a US citizen who studied at an Indian medical school and I feel like my basic science knowledge just isn't enough! I'm terrified of this exam!
So, to make myself feel better, I am posting here and I hope you guys can give me some good advice 🙂

My goal:240+
(I want Internal Medicine in a decent program but that's tough for IMGs without at least a 240, right? I would be over the moon if I got 250+,but I think most people would be?)
Study time: approx 2 months
Resources: FA, Uworld, Pathoma, RR Path, Goljian audio, Kaplan lectures (Micro, Biochem, Pharmac mainly).
So I had been semi-studying for the past month and listened to some Kaplan videos while I did a few observerships in US hospitals, but I really started studying like 1.5 weeks ago.
I got Pathoma a few days back. Really love it but I dont think its enough? So, what I do is... I do a section in Pathoma, read the same in RR path, listen to the Goljian audio while rereading RR path and then read/annotate the same in FA.
Then I do a 46 random but unused questions block in untimed tutorial mode. And I read/annotate/memorize the same sections in FA from the UWorld explanations.
If I have time to spare, I listen to some biochem/pharmac Kaplan lectures at the end before I sleep.
I thought I was doing okay, like getting 50% in UWorld which I hoped could only improve to 65% + at the end of 2 months.
But then I did this random, timed 46 question block yesterday and I got 39%. 39%!!!!!!!
A lot of the questions in that block that I absolutely didnt know seemed to be in genetics and epidemio and pharmac.
So now I think I'm doing something wrong. Any advice...please?
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Learn the basics and have a strong base before you start blowing through Uworld. Don't waste that great source. Use another Qbank first. Maybe consider something like DIT to help teach you the basics. Ideally, for the score you want, you want UW to be 70-80 %. I averaged 78% and NBME average right at 249.

Maybe other IMGs can tell you better how to prepare.
 
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J DUB said:
Learn the basics and have a strong base before you start blowing through Uworld. Don't waste that great source. Use another Qbank first. Maybe consider something like DIT to help teach you the basics. Ideally, for the score you want, you want UW to be 70-80 %. I averaged 78% and NBME average right at 249.

Maybe other IMGs can tell you better how to prepare.
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Hey! Thanks for your answer!
Okay, so would you recommend the Kaplan Qbank first?
And any idea where to find the DIT videos online?
Also, when do I start doing the NBMEs? I kind of wanted to know my baseline... Would an NBME be a good idea to start with?
 
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If you have it already, then use Kaplan. If not, I would use USMLE Rx along with FA until I felt I had a strong base. DIT can help get you there faster. 2-4 weeks. I just bought the 2014 version from DIT so I do not know where you can get.

I always think it is a good idea to get a nadar of where you are before you start. So, take NBME 7 as starting pt.

Also, a 4-6 week plan works when you are doing around 12hrs/day. You have to put it first and go after it.

And I find Kaplan to be crap for the most part. I heard they have some decent subjects but I was not impressed with the questions I have seen. I liked Rx and UW better.
 
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If I'm shooting to get a 220, what do you all think my performance needs to be like per section? (ex: aim for how many correct out of 46?)
 
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Just took this monster exam. On the way home. I'll write a more detailed and personal experience once I get my score and if God willing I did wellZ

And to those of you taking the exam soon... GET GOOD SLEEP BEFOREHAND! I got into bed at 11pm couldn't sleep until 1230am and woke up at 6am. Wasn't enough. Answering the questions is a lot easier if you're well rested. You've seen the material in at least these past two years and just think through it and you'll be fine. Only God knows how I did. Good luck to all of you taking the exam and congrats to those who decpitated it!

Adios.
 
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Cali 916 said:
Just took this monster exam. On the way home. I'll write a more detailed and personal experience once I get my score and if God willing I did wellZ

And to those of you taking the exam soon... GET GOOD SLEEP BEFOREHAND! I got into bed at 11pm couldn't sleep until 1230am and woke up at 6am. Wasn't enough. Answering the questions is a lot easier if you're well rested. You've seen the material in at least these past two years and just think through it and you'll be fine. Only God knows how I did. Good luck to all of you taking the exam and congrats to those who decpitated it!

Adios.
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Just write it now and repost later if you want. Most just want to hear your experience. Nobody knows you on here so feel free to post the truth even if you do not score well. There are others that can benefit and need to hear that I got a 215 and not another 250+. I will post my score no matter. I feel I owe that to this community. To know you can try your best and even if that is not the greatest outcome it was your best. That is all you can ask. Sometimes, on here, there are those that need to read that kind of post.

Congrats on being done and I hope you did well.
 
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is Rapid Review section of FA the best thing to do on the last day ???

So many things to review so little time !!!
 
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Watshoody said:
is Rapid Review section of FA the best thing to do on the last day ???

So many things to review so little time !!!
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I thought doing a few questions to keep me fresh was good. Going over my weak areas and then resting some. Clear your brain for the drain of an 8 hr test.
 
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J DUB said:
I thought doing a few questions to keep me fresh was good. Going over my weak areas and then resting some. Clear your brain for the drain of an 8 hr test.
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Tonight im going over all the random things to remember, eg GI ligaments and stuff, cardiac curves w random RX qs

Yea and tmw i was just gonna run through the Rapid Review section
 
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J DUB said:
I thought doing a few questions to keep me fresh was good. Going over my weak areas and then resting some. Clear your brain for the drain of an 8 hr test.
Click to expand...

Watshoody said:
Tonight im going over all the random things to remember, eg GI ligaments and stuff, cardiac curves w random RX qs

Yea and tmw i was just gonna run through the Rapid Review section
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I agree with JDub. Take it easy. Review high yield facts but relax man. I made the mistake of cramming 200+ pages of FA in 4 hours last night. I can't say that it helped. I also brought FA with me to the test center but I didn't even look at a thing in the morning, it wouldn't help anyway, it would just make me more tense. Take it easy man. I'm in California and it's 7pm for me. If your exam is tmrw then chill. God willing you'll do great. Seriously, close the books and get some sleep.
 
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Cali 916 said:
I agree with JDub. Take it easy. Review high yield facts but relax man. I made the mistake of cramming 200+ pages of FA in 4 hours last night. I can't say that it helped. I also brought FA with me to the test center but I didn't even look at a thing in the morning, it wouldn't help anyway, it would just make me more tense. Take it easy man. I'm in California and it's 7pm for me. If your exam is tmrw then chill. God willing you'll do great. Seriously, close the books and get some sleep.
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yea my test is on Saturday, thanks for the good wishes, Im sure u did great Cali 916, Im not gonna cram so much, just review a few topics tonight , rapid review tmw and then thats it, the rest is up to the man above !!! Enjoy yourself, hope to see u guys on the other side !!
 
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Watshoody said:
yea my test is on Saturday, thanks for the good wishes, Im sure u did great Cali 916, Im not gonna cram so much, just review a few topics tonight , rapid review tmw and then thats it, the rest is up to the man above !!! Enjoy yourself, hope to see u guys on the other side !!
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Honestly man, you can take this how you want, but rapid review is stuff most med students know. I had the choice to go over that or read small minutiae stuff that they DO love to ask. You know 95%+ of that rapid review stuff and when presented with a question with those buzzwords you'll answer it right. If your brain is active now... How can you expect to pass out right when you get into bed? I know how you feel, that was me 24 hours ago "no I have to review this and I have to solidify this and that" and it didn't help, it took me an hour and a half to fall asleep because I was visualizing pathways and what not in my head. Honestly man just wake up tmrw, Have a good breakfast and mentally prepare yourself for the exam. Call it a night man. You can rapid review in your sleep 😉
 
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I crammed hard until about 8 pm before my test. It is what I usually do for a regular test. Never have tried that before. I usually take the day off, etc. It never seemed to work for me so I tried my usual test deal, where I cram until I get tired of it and then rest my brain before the test. I crammed all of FA over the last 3 days and did a UW practice test and Free 138. Did I think the extra read actually help much? No. But I do think it helped me follow my regular routine in school where I cram until the night before and rest my brain. I felt no pressure and was not nervous like in school.

But, I would recommend for most to relax. I am different.
 
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J DUB said:
I thought doing a few questions to keep me fresh was good. Going over my weak areas and then resting some. Clear your brain for the drain of an 8 hr test.
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Guess I should clarify. I did a lesser amount the last day compared to the previous 2 days. I reviewed my weakest areas last and did some Free 138. But, it was still probably a 10 hr day compared to like 12 and 16 hr/days before that one.
 
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J DUB said:
depends on the difficulty of your test. really hard to guess. i would shoot for 30/46 at least.
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yeahh I've heard about 30/46 is somewhere mid-upper 220s range!

I'm one of those test takers that goes through the ones I know first (which is usually very little :/ ) and then I go back and do the more difficult ones; so i usually mark out a certain number as far as what i feel confident about, what i think i was write on, and what i either guessed/didn't know
 
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J DUB said:
If you have it already, then use Kaplan. If not, I would use USMLE Rx along with FA until I felt I had a strong base. DIT can help get you there faster. 2-4 weeks. I just bought the 2014 version from DIT so I do not know where you can get.

I always think it is a good idea to get a nadar of where you are before you start. So, take NBME 7 as starting pt.

Also, a 4-6 week plan works when you are doing around 12hrs/day. You have to put it first and go after it.

And I find Kaplan to be crap for the most part. I heard they have some decent subjects but I was not impressed with the questions I have seen. I liked Rx and UW better.
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Awesome I will try that. Thanks for your input!!! 🙂
 
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pavel13 said:
yeahh I've heard about 30/46 is somewhere mid-upper 220s range!

I'm one of those test takers that goes through the ones I know first (which is usually very little :/ ) and then I go back and do the more difficult ones; so i usually mark out a certain number as far as what i feel confident about, what i think i was write on, and what i either guessed/didn't know
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Just be careful on the real one because you are going to mark ALOT more. That's why I made sure to go through each one as they were presented to make sure I got at least a guess down and then went back over my marks and reviewed the section if I had time. Like I stated before, I had about 8-10 minutes left per section to go back and read over things. Most times I had time to skim the entire section. I only was not able to do that once. I just got to those I marked.
 
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Background: IMG, Singapore. 5 year course.
Resources used: FA Pathoma UWorld
Dedicated study period: 2 weeks
Total preparation : 3 mths, concurrent with year 4 clinical electives

Everything in FA is high yield, because it is edited and revised by students who have taken the exam!
Pathoma videos and text are superb to drill in key points, such as NADPH oxidase deficiency in chronic granulomatous disease.
Do UWorld when you are bored / to wrap up the day / in between topics. I created ~46 random timed sets, then created subject specific sets. Completed ~60% of qbank, mixed of random timed and subject specific timed sets, score started at ~75% and rose to ~90% closer to the date. Even if you don't have time to read the explanations, just drilling and a quick glance at your mistakes + those which you have marked can make a difference. I was struggling to read the explanations especially with my schedule.

UWSA1 (2 weeks before): >265
Free 138 (2 weeks before):~90%
UWSA2 / NBMEs / Kaplan Qbank: didn't manage to complete any of these
June 18 Step 1: 269 (score report delayed due to IMG student verification status issues)

Questions are usually straightforward. 90% in FA, Uworld, Pathoma. Was unsure or <=6 questions on each block. Completed each block with time to check and re-read all questions. Brought my own ear plugs, sandwich, granola bars, water. Rested, walked around, visited toilet in between each block just to refresh. Left the hall feeling ok.

No point going into question breakdown since we usually have unique questions sets.

A note about experimental questions (in my question set): ~75% is based upon modified mechanisms of physiology / pharmacology. e.g. a certain type of antibiotic efflux pump in the cell membrane. These can be deduced. The other 25% consist of options unheard of... such as specific biomolecules which even google couldn't provide me an answer with.

Have faith in your medical education and the 3 resources I mentioned. That's all you need!
 
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Took the exam on Saturday, whew, it was tough. There were some i knew right away, others i had to think, realized i made 4-5 dumb mistakes. Had 3-4 incontinence qs, thanks to u guys i think i got em. Had some pelvic qs which were tough. Had alot of images, tough micro qs, some pharm concepts, 2 EKGs, 3 Heart Sounds. I really dont know how well I did, Im hoping for 200 plus, I really wanted 220, but if I get above over 210 I ll take it. So nervous bc I have no idea how I did. Had to made educated guesses on some, Psych and Behavior was ok, Biostats wasnt terrible except for 1-2 tricky ones.. Hoping to get a decent score, good luck to everyone out there and thanks to everyone on here for the help! You guys are great, shout outs to J Dub and Cali 916 for the help !!! Best of luck to everyone taking this exam, its a dousy !!!

Will update after I get my score, appreciate prayers and good wishes cuz I need em !!!
 
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Watshoody said:
Took the exam on Saturday, whew, it was tough. There were some i knew right away, others i had to think, realized i made 4-5 dumb mistakes. Had 3-4 incontinence qs, thanks to u guys i think i got em. Had some pelvic qs which were tough. Had alot of images, tough micro qs, some pharm concepts, 2 EKGs, 3 Heart Sounds. I really dont know how well I did, Im hoping for 200 plus, I really wanted 220, but if I get above over 210 I ll take it. So nervous bc I have no idea how I did. Had to made educated guesses on some, Psych and Behavior was ok, Biostats wasnt terrible except for 1-2 tricky ones.. Hoping to get a decent score, good luck to everyone out there and thanks to everyone on here for the help! You guys are great, shout outs to J Dub and Cali 916 for the help !!! Best of luck to everyone taking this exam, its a dousy !!!

Will update after I get my score, appreciate prayers and good wishes cuz I need em !!!
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You are welcome. It sounds similar to mine. It really is hard to tell how you did. Just sit back and try and relax.
What is done is done. Congrats on being finished with it and on the other side.
 
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pavel13 said:
yeahh I've heard about 30/46 is somewhere mid-upper 220s range!

I'm one of those test takers that goes through the ones I know first (which is usually very little :/ ) and then I go back and do the more difficult ones; so i usually mark out a certain number as far as what i feel confident about, what i think i was write on, and what i either guessed/didn't know
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30/46 would be in the 220 range? I assumed it would have to be closer to 75-80% as < 70% is near failing on the nbmes. Is this the consensus?
 
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rjgennarelli said:
30/46 would be in the 220 range? I assumed it would have to be closer to 75-80% as < 70% is near failing on the nbmes. Is this the consensus?
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From the test I got, the curve can't be that harsh. I know folks missed more than that on NBMEs and got similar scores.
 
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Hi, I gave my usmle step 1 on 20 aug. it was a difficult exam. I kept on pondering over the wrong ones for few days after my exam. Expecting results on 10th sept..
my nbme scores were 15-260, 16-256, 12&13-258. The real exam was a little tougher than all my nbmes.
hoping for a decent score. I am a MD pathology graduate and aiming for a second residency in usa at any decent place.
 
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J DUB said:
You are welcome. It sounds similar to mine. It really is hard to tell how you did. Just sit back and try and relax.
What is done is done. Congrats on being finished with it and on the other side.
Click to expand...


Yea thanks man, praying for a decent result for all of us !!!
 
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Hey , I have just finished my first year , and I have to admit anatomy was such a huge problem for me
I did not study it like I should , only 3-4 days cramming before my exam ..althought that was enough in other subjects, my scores were in top 15-20 percentile in my college.
i passed, it was obviously the worst mark in that year ..
I did not study the abdominal region at all (we take anatomy be region) ..
and I don't think i can remmember most of what I studied regarding muscles ( insertion , innervation , action etc .. )
So my question is how can I strengthen this weakness in a a way orientated to be able to answer what i get in step 1 ( rumors say that some people get a heavy anatomy test ) ..
also what about histology ? i never read anything related to it here ..
 
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GoldenBoots said:
Hey , I have just finished my first year , and I have to admit anatomy was such a huge problem for me
I did not study it like I should , only 3-4 days cramming before my exam ..althought that was enough in other subjects, my scores were in top 15-20 percentile in my college.
i passed, it was obviously the worst mark in that year ..
I did not study the abdominal region at all (we take anatomy be region) ..
and I don't think i can remmember most of what I studied regarding muscles ( insertion , innervation , action etc .. )
So my question is how can I strengthen this weakness in a a way orientated to be able to answer what i get in step 1 ( rumors say that some people get a heavy anatomy test ) ..
also what about histology ? i never read anything related to it here ..
Click to expand...

anatomy heavy just means it's more common that people think which still isn't that much at all. the most I'd ever think about doing for anatomy is FA + HY neuro and blue boxes in Moore's and I think that's a bit of overkill. histo you get with path and your cell bio review stuff
 
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PL198 said:
anatomy heavy just means it's more common that people think which still isn't that much at all. the most I'd ever think about doing for anatomy is FA + HY neuro and blue boxes in Moore's and I think that's a bit of overkill. histo you get with path and your cell bio review stuff
Click to expand...
Thank you !! but i like learning with videos or at least a audio lectures (that comes with a text ) .. any suggestions ?
 
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I will post my step 1 experience, but I'm not sure if I'll report back with my score. I took my test recently. About 60-65% felt like it was out of FA/UW, the rest felt just kind of felt like it came out of nowhere. I felt like I had to rush through a few otherwise easier questions and probably got those wrong because of the time limit. I flat out guessed on several questions; I hope they were experimental, but I knew some of them were not. I didn't really do the NBME's, I only did UWSA1 and the free 150.

Uworld 1st pass: 72%
UWSA1: 236
Free 138: 82%

I was happy with my free 138 score, but what amazed me was the real exam felt literally nothing like the free 138 at all. The whole test feels like a blur; obviously you remember the harder questions that totally stumped you, or you remember the questions which were pretty easy, but there were two answer choices that were very similar. There were lots of easy questions obviously, but I cant recall what they were since they weren't an issue.

The questions felt longer, the answers were more vague, and in general it felt like the questions gave you less hints and more "fluff" to work with.
 
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Got my passing mark today and I just want to give back to the community since I've spent so much time reading other people's posts which helped me through some long studying days…
(I'm an IMG from a non-big 4 Carib school BTW)

List of resources used:
- FA 2014 x5
- Pathoma (videos only) x2
- DIT 2013 (videos only)
- UWorld (~5000 qs)
- Kaplan videos & qbank
- UsmleRx qbank
- NBME forms 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16
- UWSA 1, 2
- Picmonic

Timeline:
- 3 months of focused studying (10 hrs/day at the library)
- wrote exam on Aug 9, 4 weeks for results to come out

My exam:
- anatomy was my weakest subject and I got plenty of anatomy that day
- I had very little biochem/biostats/neuro
- behavioural was tricky!! I had 2 questions on elder/adult abuse with almost the same answer choices :/ also a lot of the questions asked for the next best step…
- pharm was straight forward out of FA
- micro was a little tricky. ignore the bugs that you've never heard of, they are most likely NOT the correct answer
- NBMEs felt like a joke compared to the real thing
- difficulty level comparable to UWorld and NBME 16

Stuff I wish I did:
- started studying earlier!!
- used more resources
- more questions = better understanding
- balance better between studying and still having a life outside of studying

My advice to those currently studying:
- take it one day at a time and try not to stress out about things you cannot control (ie. WTF questions on the exam)
- don't rush it! If you don't feel ready to sit for the exam you can always push back the date (for a fee). Just contact the Prometric centre. It still has to be within the 3 month window period.
- book a practice test at the Prometric centre to familiarize yourself with the testing environment

My advice for test day:
- arrive early to the Prometric centre. Check-in (photograph and finger scans) can take up to 15 minutes.
- bring food that will keep you awake and energized. I brought energy bars and energy drinks and a lunch but I barely ate anything that day because of the adrenaline that I didn't feel hungry.
- if you don't know the answer to the question after a 30-45 seconds then mark it and move on!
- you should leave 10-15 mins to review answers (if you have trouble with time then do more timed UWorld blocks of 46)

My advice to those who already wrote their exam and is waiting anxiously for results:
- you will feel like you failed so it's normal to feel miserably depressed for a day (or a few days in my case), but try to do something that will take your mind off by surrounding yourself with family and friends and positivity!
- relax! The biggest exam of your medical career is over!
- above all, trust in your NBME scores!

Anyways those are just some of the insights I've amassed from taking the exam.
 
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