Official 2014 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[900829]

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Too early? Pff nah it's not.
It's our time to shine bright like a diamond!
It's our time to make step 1 our Goliath.

. . . and may the odds be ever in your favor.
WE GOT THIS!

 

[Distant]

Just wish I would not have tried to study so hard when it basically came down to a guess game on half my test.

I wish You didn't say that,

Now I've Got One Big Reason To Study Less.

I do, However, Feel like I Owe you an Apology for insisting that you'll Score Higher than You Expect.

 

[pmp04]

Passed with a 228. Reeeeeelief

 

[Prince090]

Well, I told you all I was better on practice than real. I guess I did not guess right too many times.
211. Shocked but at least I passed. Does not affect my residency choice, etc. so in the long run it does not matter.

I just suck at standardized test. Apparently, always will. Anyways, there it is for all that wanted to know. I told you I would report my actual score regardless. Guess you should not take advice from me about how to do well obviously...lol.

Congrats to those that did well.

You were scoring in 240s in your last few nbmes .... What happened ....?

 

[J ROD]

You were scoring in 240s in your last few nbmes .... What happened ....?

I just can't bring it on test day. Always do worse. Not usually that much worse. But then again I never had to guess as much. I know what I know and tend to miss when I guess. I said that in here somewhere. I just apparently was off. I was not nervous. Just do not think as well when I am not comfortable maybe. Not sure. Wish I did so I could fix it. I thought I would get in the 220's but I guess I was off. Not much to do but move on. Like I said it really does not affect my end results anyway. Was more a pride factor. Wanting to do decent. But, I passed and it is over. I have shelf exams to worry about now.

 

[helpless99]

Well, I told you all I was better on practice than real. I guess I did not guess right too many times.
211. Shocked but at least I passed. Does not affect my residency choice, etc. so in the long run it does not matter.

I just suck at standardized test. Apparently, always will. Anyways, there it is for all that wanted to know. I told you I would report my actual score regardless. Guess you should not take advice from me about how to do well obviously...lol.

Congrats to those that did well.

I could only dream of one day passing with a 211 and knowing that the nightmare is over. I'm sure many members of the forum appreciate the honesty and the way you have handled things. Wish you nothing, but the best in the future, thanks for sharing your experience along the day.

However it is a bit scary knowing the NBME can be off by that much, especially for someone who has similar test taking issues🙁

 

[cruCiATE]

Roommate just got his grade, he wanted me to share...

Study time: 5 months 9 hrs avg
Last 3 NMBEs avg (13,15,16) - 224

Pathoma 2x
FA x Bunch
uWorld x2
Kaplan x.5
BRS Flashcards Micro, Pharmacolgy, Biochem (His secret weapon)

Real deal: 218

PS. I am doing the same, sitting test Nov. 15 (I ll post when I get mine)

Cheers

 

[4thQTHailMary]

I could only dream of one day passing with a 211 and knowing that the nightmare is over. I'm sure many members of the forum appreciate the honesty and the way you have handled things. Wish you nothing, but the best in the future, thanks for sharing your experience along the day.

However it is a bit scary knowing the NBME can be off by that much, especially for someone who has similar test taking issues🙁

His situation, while unfortunate, is more the exception than the rule in terms of the final score not being within +/- 5 points of the NBMEs. Stick with those and trust that they are giving you an accurate representation of where you stand in your studies. Hell, I know people who scored exceedingly higher on the real deal than the CBSE and NBMEs so know that's possible as well.

 

[Kboy2]

Just wrote mine.

First of all, let me say there is no such thing as high yield. I could have studied another year for this exam using the listed resources and been right where I am at.

Resources:
HY embryology (reference)
FA 2014
BRS Biochem (reference)
Pathoma
Uworld
KQbank
Select KLN books

Difficulty
Real deal >>>>>> Uworld > KQBank > NBME

Diagnostics
NBME 11 217
NBME 12 230
NBME 15 232
NBME 16 234
NBME 13 (2 days out) 247
UWSA 1 240
UWSA 2 238

All tests were done in an eight week period.


The experience
As I said, there is just nothing you can do to be ready enough for what they may throw at you. My form ended up being weighted between subjects in this order: Anatomy >>>> Genetics > Micro > Pharm > Phys (aka Cardio PathoPhys).
My first two blocks were probably ~40% of nothing but straight up Anatomy. Had LOTS of head and neck Qs, then quite a few upper limb Qs. The upper limb Q's were not the caliber of Q's you would get on NBMEs like "A guys scapula sticks out when he pushes a wall what nerve is dmged?". It was more about what muscles might this nerve travel between, or what muscle in the forearm might be immediately medial to that muscle etc. Lots of CT's, contrast dye images, and X rays.

Genetics, I will say FA was probably enough for about 60% of it. The rest was stuff youd need to read up in a textbook. I also used KLN for genetics and biochem, this stuff was not in there either.

Micro had your standard algorithm Qs, but there was a much greater emphasis on the parasites/nematodes etc. "A guy went to this place, got this rash [insert picture]. What drug to use? Whats the diagnostic finding? Whats the route of infection?"

Pharm was very straight forward and FA did it well. Had lots on thrombolytics and inducer/inhibitors.

Phys was very Cardio heavy. They would give a couple symptoms, then give PP/EF etc and either give me the up/down arrows for 3-5 parameters or ask what the condition was.

Everything else was a mash up.

I had TWO biochem pathway questions, both from TCA and both were super straight forward.
Had one hardy weinberg question
Maybe 8-10 biostats Qs
Some questions super random stuff: 1) Insurance 2) Requirements to conduct certain research 3) Random herbal medicine (This is very general, as I dont want to discuss the details of the Q's)
Path was very low yield in all honesty. Mainly just bleeding disorders. Everything else was not very representative.
Had one question on incontinence, and a handful of the 'whats the next best step in management?"


All in all, I will say if I studied BRS Anatomy + FA Pharm I would be pretty darn close to what my score will be anyway. My form was nothing like the NBMEs. Dont neglect the 'low yield' stuff because my exam was pretty much nothing but that.

Will post back in a month. GL to all that will write soon.

 

[HCTZ1221]

Interesting. I took it today as well, but it sounds like we had different tests. I figured everyone taking it on the same day would have the same test. I did have a decent amount of anatomy questions where I just had no idea, and there's probably very little I could have done besides go back to first year and start anatomy over. I had quite a few biochemistry questions, but very few pathways were required. More like descriptions of diseases and asking what enzyme is deficient.

 

[lxc]

Hey everyone, if I've got 6 days left before taking the exam, would you recommend taking NBME 16 along with 3 timed 46Q blocks of UWorld or using that time to review instead? I can see benefits of doing both. Given that the trend is Step 1 >>> NBMEs in terms of difficulty...maybe it's not worth doing other than for testing endurance for test day? But seeing new questions instead of using those hours to review flashcards might be useful as well?

Background: been taking NBMEs and the UWSA regularly throughout the past several weeks and getting scores ranging from 230 to 239. Also only 2.5 blocks of unused UWorld questions left, but figure I'll redo some incorrects over the following few days.

Thanks in advance, all.

 

[Apoplexy__]

Hey everyone, if I've got 6 days left before taking the exam, would you recommend taking NBME 16 along with 3 timed 46Q blocks of UWorld or using that time to review instead? I can see benefits of doing both. Given that the trend is Step 1 >>> NBMEs in terms of difficulty...maybe it's not worth doing other than for testing endurance for test day? But seeing new questions instead of using those hours to review flashcards might be useful as well?

Background: been taking NBMEs and the UWSA regularly throughout the past several weeks and getting scores ranging from 230 to 239. Also only 2.5 blocks of unused UWorld questions left, but figure I'll redo some incorrects over the following few days.

Thanks in advance, all.

Finish the remaining UWorld, then take the NBME 16 as soon as you can. From there, just spend the rest of your time hammering down stuff in FA according to what you're weak in.

 

[Phloston]

Well, I told you all I was better on practice than real. I guess I did not guess right too many times.
211. Shocked but at least I passed. Does not affect my residency choice, etc. so in the long run it does not matter.

I just suck at standardized test. Apparently, always will. Anyways, there it is for all that wanted to know. I told you I would report my actual score regardless. Guess you should not take advice from me about how to do well obviously...lol.

Congrats to those that did well.

You're a champion. You've clearly got a drive to work with and help others. You're going to be a caliber doctor, my friend, and would be glad to work with you in the hospital any day.

 

[hhh2014]

what should I do? I am so nervous........I need to do NBME13 today .........but I always feel I am not ready yet.
The last weekend prometric practice test: 89%. Not finished block 2 ( 6 questions left). I need more practice to manage time well.

 

[J ROD]

You're a champion. You've clearly got a drive to work with and help others. You're going to be a caliber doctor, my friend, and would be glad to work with you in the hospital any day.

Thank you. It means more than you know. Your post makes me feel so much better. I greatly appreciate the sentiment.

Obviously, I expected to do better and feel I could do better but again it is just one test. Patients are not tests and tests can't measure your desire, heart, drive, and true "clinical" knowledge in all cases . I am much better clinically than on some test questions I guess wrong that is not due to lack of knowledge.

I would work with you any day as well. Your dedication to helping others in this forum makes you the guru of Step 1. You are the mark here. Plus, I need someone around smarter than me to ask questions to...lol

The most important thing you can do for your patient is simply listen to their story and try and help them.

 

[J ROD]

what should I do? I am so nervous........I need to do NBME13 today .........but I always feel I am not ready yet.
The last weekend prometric practice test: 89%. Not finished block 2 ( 6 questions left). I need more practice to manage time well.

First calm down and relax. Then, come back and realize that you can't prepare for this test in a few days. All the work you have done for years and weeks have got you to this point. I am not sure where you are in your scores but if they are where you want them, then take the test since you are prepared. Eventually, you have to take it. We all never feel truly ready. And I don't think I could have ever prepared for what I saw. So, just trust your work and take it if your scores are where you want them. If not, then step back if you can.

 

[hhh2014]

First calm down and relax. Then, come back and realize that you can't prepare for this test in a few days. All the work you have done for years and weeks have got you to this point. I am not sure where you are in your scores but if they are where you want them, then take the test since you are prepared. Eventually, you have to take it. We all never feel truly ready. And I don't think I could have ever prepared for what I saw. So, just trust your work and take it if your scores are where you want them. If not, then step back if you can.

Thanks a lot for your reply! !

 

[meraj]

Just wrote mine.

First of all, let me say there is no such thing as high yield. I could have studied another year for this exam using the listed resources and been right where I am at.

Resources:
HY embryology (reference)
FA 2014
BRS Biochem (reference)
Pathoma
Uworld
KQbank
Select KLN books

Difficulty
Real deal >>>>>> Uworld > KQBank > NBME

Diagnostics
NBME 11 217
NBME 12 230
NBME 15 232
NBME 16 234
NBME 13 (2 days out) 247
UWSA 1 240
UWSA 2 238

All tests were done in an eight week period.


The experience
As I said, there is just nothing you can do to be ready enough for what they may throw at you. My form ended up being weighted between subjects in this order: Anatomy >>>> Genetics > Micro > Pharm > Phys (aka Cardio PathoPhys).
My first two blocks were probably ~40% of nothing but straight up Anatomy. Had LOTS of head and neck Qs, then quite a few upper limb Qs. The upper limb Q's were not the caliber of Q's you would get on NBMEs like "A guys scapula sticks out when he pushes a wall what nerve is dmged?". It was more about what muscles might this nerve travel between, or what muscle in the forearm might be immediately medial to that muscle etc. Lots of CT's, contrast dye images, and X rays.

Genetics, I will say FA was probably enough for about 60% of it. The rest was stuff youd need to read up in a textbook. I also used KLN for genetics and biochem, this stuff was not in there either.

Micro had your standard algorithm Qs, but there was a much greater emphasis on the parasites/nematodes etc. "A guy went to this place, got this rash [insert picture]. What drug to use? Whats the diagnostic finding? Whats the route of infection?"

Pharm was very straight forward and FA did it well. Had lots on thrombolytics and inducer/inhibitors.

Phys was very Cardio heavy. They would give a couple symptoms, then give PP/EF etc and either give me the up/down arrows for 3-5 parameters or ask what the condition was.

Everything else was a mash up.

I had TWO biochem pathway questions, both from TCA and both were super straight forward.
Had one hardy weinberg question
Maybe 8-10 biostats Qs
Some questions super random stuff: 1) Insurance 2) Requirements to conduct certain research 3) Random herbal medicine (This is very general, as I dont want to discuss the details of the Q's)
Path was very low yield in all honesty. Mainly just bleeding disorders. Everything else was not very representative.
Had one question on incontinence, and a handful of the 'whats the next best step in management?"


All in all, I will say if I studied BRS Anatomy + FA Pharm I would be pretty darn close to what my score will be anyway. My form was nothing like the NBMEs. Dont neglect the 'low yield' stuff because my exam was pretty much nothing but that.

Will post back in a month. GL to all that will write soon.

Hey thanx for a good review... So in your case for the anatomy questions regarding the muscles were you able to deduce the answers from the options given or the options were similar and you exactly have to remember your first year anat?

 

[almostmd88]

J dub, I'm in the same boat, but my score was worse..197, I'm crushed, because I know I'm better than that lousy score. I can never bring it on test day either, I totally feel you on that. But this just motivates me to kill step 2.

Lesson - don't trust your uworld assessments for step 1. I got a 221 on both and ended up 24 points lower on the real thing. If you plan on taking all the practice test, start off with uworld and save the nbmes for last so you can get a more accurate score prediction. I did the opposite and paid the price.

 

[Psai]

Well, I told you all I was better on practice than real. I guess I did not guess right too many times.
211. Shocked but at least I passed. Does not affect my residency choice, etc. so in the long run it does not matter.

I just suck at standardized test. Apparently, always will. Anyways, there it is for all that wanted to know. I told you I would report my actual score regardless. Guess you should not take advice from me about how to do well obviously...lol.

Congrats to those that did well.

bro you'll still be a great doctor

 

[lxc]

Finish the remaining UWorld, then take the NBME 16 as soon as you can. From there, just spend the rest of your time hammering down stuff in FA according to what you're weak in.

Thank you!!! 🙂

 

[Suture15]

Hey guys, I'm a new user here from a "Big 4" Caribbean institution. I'm currently in my 5th semester of BS and we have an exit comprehensive exam in December. Probably writing Step 1 in February or so. Nice to see the wealth of advice on this forum and notably, this thread.

Just one quick q about anatomy on step/nbmes and such - Is it sufficient to do FA for gross anatomy/neuroanatomy and embryo? Kaplan anatomy book seems overkill tbh.

Also, when they say "anatomy heavy" does that mean more resources other than FA should have been consulted or just that there were more qs than expected?

Lastly, any advice about the nbme comp is appreciated as well! Thanks and good luck to people awaiting results!

 

[Psai]

fa and uworld is not enough for anatomy in my opinion
anatomy heavy means that you should have paid close attention in your anatomy class

 

[mckinsey]

Hey guys, I'm a new user here from a "Big 4" Caribbean institution. I'm currently in my 5th semester of BS and we have an exit comprehensive exam in December. Probably writing Step 1 in February or so. Nice to see the wealth of advice on this forum and notably, this thread.

Just one quick q about anatomy on step/nbmes and such - Is it sufficient to do FA for gross anatomy/neuroanatomy and embryo? Kaplan anatomy book seems overkill tbh.

Also, when they say "anatomy heavy" does that mean more resources other than FA should have been consulted or just that there were more qs than expected?

Lastly, any advice about the nbme comp is appreciated as well! Thanks and good luck to people awaiting results!

Plenty have asked this question before. Never hurts to try out the search function:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-best-prepare-for-anatomy-question-in-step-1.1085061/

 

[Suture15]

fa and uworld is not enough for anatomy in my opinion
anatomy heavy means that you should have paid close attention in your anatomy class

Plenty have asked this question before. Never hurts to try out the search function:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-best-prepare-for-anatomy-question-in-step-1.1085061/

Thanks and that thread was also very helpful. I did well in anatomy and I'm getting probably 90-95% of the questions on kaplan q bank without reviewing anatomy so I guess I'll do FA and later uworld of course. If need be, use brs as reference. Our school kinda forces us to do kaplan [not that we have to but the course is sorta included in the tuition] but I still felt the anatomy book was way too much.

 

[PL198]

Roommate just got his grade, he wanted me to share...

Study time: 5 months 9 hrs avg
Last 3 NMBEs avg (13,15,16) - 224

Pathoma 2x
FA x Bunch
uWorld x2
Kaplan x.5
BRS Flashcards Micro, Pharmacolgy, Biochem (His secret weapon)

Real deal: 218

PS. I am doing the same, sitting test Nov. 15 (I ll post when I get mine)

Cheers

He averaged 9 hrs/day over 5 months studying for it?Jesus christ.

 

[fedore]

Thanks and that thread was also very helpful. I did well in anatomy and I'm getting probably 90-95% of the questions on kaplan q bank without reviewing anatomy so I guess I'll do FA and later uworld of course. If need be, use brs as reference. Our school kinda forces us to do kaplan [not that we have to but the course is sorta included in the tuition] but I still felt the anatomy book was way too much.

Get 90-95% of Q Bank then usmleworld and FA looks good.

 

[PapezCirDead]

Hey guys, I'm a new user here from a "Big 4" Caribbean institution. I'm currently in my 5th semester of BS and we have an exit comprehensive exam in December. Probably writing Step 1 in February or so. Nice to see the wealth of advice on this forum and notably, this thread.

Just one quick q about anatomy on step/nbmes and such - Is it sufficient to do FA for gross anatomy/neuroanatomy and embryo? Kaplan anatomy book seems overkill tbh.

Also, when they say "anatomy heavy" does that mean more resources other than FA should have been consulted or just that there were more qs than expected?

Lastly, any advice about the nbme comp is appreciated as well! Thanks and good luck to people awaiting results!

From my own experience with step 1 FA is never enough.. The only good use for first aid is to use with question banks it has the buzz words and reviews the key points in most high yield topics... I am sorry to say that FA had nothing for my real test, moreover the questions where nothing like Uworld or NBMEs but those help not just to memorize but also for reasoning so you can solve things you have never seen before so try to approach it this way...
In my real test anatomy was really hard and NO ... FA and KAPLAN got me non of the anatomy questions.. I would advise you to master CTs and MRIs for head and neck, chest and abdomen, lower limbs.. THE REAL PROBLEM THAT ANATOMY IS A BULKY SUBJECT and to master it, that is a really difficult job, and who knows what your test is going to be like ... So whether to use other resourses or to stick to FA AND UWORLD is pretty subjective depend on how much time and will you have among other things ... MY ADVICE IS DO NOT TRY TO RUN THROUGH THE UNGUARANTEED UNLESS YOU HAVE MASTERED THE GUARANTEED.. Most importantly first is to have a good control on pathology, physiology, Microbiology, pharma, biochem and neuro

This is my own opinion and experience and I have not got my score yet. I'll post my whole experience as soon as I get it .
Hopefully that would help
Wish every body the best of luck

 

[madeyedhl]

Hi all, I am a long time lurker here, just a few questions during my mid- preparation.
I have started FA + Kaplan videos but thought lets just go ahead with Rx. I have done most of Rx, subject based, untimed.
I tried to annotate stuff on Rx into FA, but found that a lot of stuff I haven't seen on Rx. Isn't Rx based on FA?

Also, since I am "those IMGs who have plenty of time on earth to prepare" I am planning to do UW next of course, but wasn't sure whether I should re-go through Rx again to reinforce the information.. or go right to UW?

It really pains me to say that 1) since it is subject based, I think I forgot 90% of stuff from the beginning... 2) still getting randomly 50-70%..
I think I am posting the above sentence just for the peace of my own mind or something, but it does get higher right? +_+

Thanks in advance, and best of luck to you all out there.

 

[pineal101]

result delayed due to verification issues !! hopefully getting the result soon

 

[pineal101]

fingers crossed !!

 

[pineal101]

Just wrote mine.

First of all, let me say there is no such thing as high yield. I could have studied another year for this exam using the listed resources and been right where I am at.

Resources:
HY embryology (reference)
FA 2014
BRS Biochem (reference)
Pathoma
Uworld
KQbank
Select KLN books

Difficulty
Real deal >>>>>> Uworld > KQBank > NBME

Diagnostics
NBME 11 217
NBME 12 230
NBME 15 232
NBME 16 234
NBME 13 (2 days out) 247
UWSA 1 240
UWSA 2 238

All tests were done in an eight week period.


The experience
As I said, there is just nothing you can do to be ready enough for what they may throw at you. My form ended up being weighted between subjects in this order: Anatomy >>>> Genetics > Micro > Pharm > Phys (aka Cardio PathoPhys).
My first two blocks were probably ~40% of nothing but straight up Anatomy. Had LOTS of head and neck Qs, then quite a few upper limb Qs. The upper limb Q's were not the caliber of Q's you would get on NBMEs like "A guys scapula sticks out when he pushes a wall what nerve is dmged?". It was more about what muscles might this nerve travel between, or what muscle in the forearm might be immediately medial to that muscle etc. Lots of CT's, contrast dye images, and X rays.

Genetics, I will say FA was probably enough for about 60% of it. The rest was stuff youd need to read up in a textbook. I also used KLN for genetics and biochem, this stuff was not in there either.

Micro had your standard algorithm Qs, but there was a much greater emphasis on the parasites/nematodes etc. "A guy went to this place, got this rash [insert picture]. What drug to use? Whats the diagnostic finding? Whats the route of infection?"

Pharm was very straight forward and FA did it well. Had lots on thrombolytics and inducer/inhibitors.

Phys was very Cardio heavy. They would give a couple symptoms, then give PP/EF etc and either give me the up/down arrows for 3-5 parameters or ask what the condition was.

Everything else was a mash up.

I had TWO biochem pathway questions, both from TCA and both were super straight forward.
Had one hardy weinberg question
Maybe 8-10 biostats Qs
Some questions super random stuff: 1) Insurance 2) Requirements to conduct certain research 3) Random herbal medicine (This is very general, as I dont want to discuss the details of the Q's)
Path was very low yield in all honesty. Mainly just bleeding disorders. Everything else was not very representative.
Had one question on incontinence, and a handful of the 'whats the next best step in management?"


All in all, I will say if I studied BRS Anatomy + FA Pharm I would be pretty darn close to what my score will be anyway. My form was nothing like the NBMEs. Dont neglect the 'low yield' stuff because my exam was pretty much nothing but that.

Will post back in a month. GL to all that will write soon.

I have almost same nbme score as u expect ur last nbme 13 score dont know what will i receive.. really tense. I want atleast 240 plus..

 

[Kboy2]

I have almost same nbme score as u expect ur last nbme 13 score dont know what will i receive.. really tense. I want atleast 240 plus..

Fingers crossed you get the score you are looking for bro. My NBME 13 I think had some lucky-fluke factor to it. I worked hard but I know the limits of my capabilities lol. This wait and feeling are absolutely agonizing and would be so crushing for anyone to be disappointed at the end. Wish you the best!

J DUB, saw your posts just want to say chin up man. Like others have assured you, you seem to have a ton going for you regardless of one test score. As long as it didnt put you out of the running for your desired field I am positive you will get where you want to be. Furthermore, you were very helpful and supportive of me and my questions leading up to my exam, just want to say a sincere thank you. One way or the other you will do great!

 

[PapezCirDead]

Hi all, I am a long time lurker here, just a few questions during my mid- preparation.
I have started FA + Kaplan videos but thought lets just go ahead with Rx. I have done most of Rx, subject based, untimed.
I tried to annotate stuff on Rx into FA, but found that a lot of stuff I haven't seen on Rx. Isn't Rx based on FA?

Also, since I am "those IMGs who have plenty of time on earth to prepare" I am planning to do UW next of course, but wasn't sure whether I should re-go through Rx again to reinforce the information.. or go right to UW?

It really pains me to say that 1) since it is subject based, I think I forgot 90% of stuff from the beginning... 2) still getting randomly 50-70%..
I think I am posting the above sentence just for the peace of my own mind or something, but it does get higher right? +_+

Thanks in advance, and best of luck to you all out there.

hi
You will not be able to know about how good you have been doing unless you are doing Uworld and at least one NBME
few tips:
1. never think in the way that you have all the time... you will always be short on time .... so start a timed plan made by you at a reasonable pace and never break the plan, after all you will have to give the test at some point... try to appoint the targeted month or couple of months for the test.
2. It is NEVER about studying too much materials or spending too much time doing that.... it is about studying in a smart organized way ... that's another reason why you should have a plan placed before going on. and try to avoid the temptation of berrying yourself in too much things to study. because unless done wisely this can back fire on you.
3. Question banks are the best way to do it,, so do as much as you can, I did Kaplan Qbank and UWorld respectively . Now I think if I will do it again I will Start by USMLE Rx, then first pass Uworld then fast rum on Kaplan then 2nd pass UWORLD. I did Qbank subject wise and then did Uworld random both timed and it was a good decision.. and NO doing it subject wise is not bad at all, as long as you are doing a second pass or another bank afterward (UWorld) in a randomized way. you will get surprised by hoe much questions leaned facts/concepts retained in mind.
4. always FA along side with the Banks they work together in a great way.. But I found it is almost worthless to do FA alone without having questions at the same time.
5. at an advanced point of your study you will figure what are your points of weakness those that despite going through the questions you still feel that you are not making it there.. at that point start to search ways to handle it..
6. memories / train your self on solving questions and handling questions that look bizarre / building confidence >>>> those are the way to prepare for the test ... So it not just about memorizing

7. good luck

 

[pineal101]

^ agreed 100%

 

[pineal101]

Fingers crossed you get the score you are looking for bro. My NBME 13 I think had some lucky-fluke factor to it. I worked hard but I know the limits of my capabilities lol. This wait and feeling are absolutely agonizing and would be so crushing for anyone to be disappointed at the end. Wish you the best!

J DUB, saw your posts just want to say chin up man. Like others have assured you, you seem to have a ton going for you regardless of one test score. As long as it didnt put you out of the running for your desired field I am positive you will get where you want to be. Furthermore, you were very helpful and supportive of me and my questions leading up to my exam, just want to say a sincere thank you. One way or the other you will do great!

Good luck to you too !! wish you best of the score.. Let us know the good news when it comes 🙂

 

[madeyedhl]

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate your thoughtful response. Good luck to all your endeavors.

hi
You will not be able to know about how good you have been doing unless you are doing Uworld and at least one NBME
few tips:
1. never think in the way that you have all the time... you will always be short on time .... so start a timed plan made by you at a reasonable pace and never break the plan, after all you will have to give the test at some point... try to appoint the targeted month or couple of months for the test.
2. It is NEVER about studying too much materials or spending too much time doing that.... it is about studying in a smart organized way ... that's another reason why you should have a plan placed before going on. and try to avoid the temptation of berrying yourself in too much things to study. because unless done wisely this can back fire on you.
3. Question banks are the best way to do it,, so do as much as you can, I did Kaplan Qbank and UWorld respectively . Now I think if I will do it again I will Start by USMLE Rx, then first pass Uworld then fast rum on Kaplan then 2nd pass UWORLD. I did Qbank subject wise and then did Uworld random both timed and it was a good decision.. and NO doing it subject wise is not bad at all, as long as you are doing a second pass or another bank afterward (UWorld) in a randomized way. you will get surprised by hoe much questions leaned facts/concepts retained in mind.
4. always FA along side with the Banks they work together in a great way.. But I found it is almost worthless to do FA alone without having questions at the same time.
5. at an advanced point of your study you will figure what are your points of weakness those that despite going through the questions you still feel that you are not making it there.. at that point start to search ways to handle it..
6. memories / train your self on solving questions and handling questions that look bizarre / building confidence >>>> those are the way to prepare for the test ... So it not just about memorizing

7. good luck

 

[Mleechu]

I just got a 260 on UWSA1 after finishing u world . My last nbme was 232 ( after doing 40% of uworld). My plan is to keep doing FA ( atleast 2x).

Do you guys think it'll be possible to get 250+ on the real deal? I will do another nbme but it'll be right before my test.

 

[blahblah56]

Hey guys, I'm scheduled to take the Step in a little over 3 weeks and wanted to see what you guys think so far...
CBSE1 (3 months) 220
CBSE2 (2 months) 235
Kaplan SA1 (7 weeks) 240/322 ~75%
NBME7 (6 weeks) 230
NBME11 (5 weeks) 239
NBME12 (4 weeks) 243
UWSA1 (3 weeks) 256
Uworld 1st pass 77%
Kaplan Qbank 80%
RX 85%
First aid 2x
Pathoma 2x

Im gonna take NBME15 tomorrow, but I think I seem to be hitting my plateau. After reviewing some of the NBMEs, my problem is that I'm making some really dumb mistakes that are preventing me from hitting 250. Any suggestions on what I can do these next 3 weeks? I plan on going over FA at least once more, read thru RR blue margins, and another pass thru UW.

 

[ozzfest]

Anyone expecting their results this Wednesday?

 

[Watshoody]

Im next Wed ------>>>>>>>>> Freaking out

 

[pavel13]

Im next Wed ------>>>>>>>>> Freaking out

Sameeeee 🙁
Fingers crossed!!
What date did you take it on btw? I took it on the 31st (sunday)! Just hoping my exam isn't being scored against a powerhouse like youu haha!

 

[PapezCirDead]

Me too
I am expecting it tommorrow, I gave it on August 26th..
Freaking out .... Last night dreams were a total mess of freaking science fiction I woke up in the morning like "WTF?"

Preparing now for the CK but Could not study for the last couple of days

 

[PapezCirDead]

Hey all,

What would you recommend as the best video supplement to FA? (Kaplan vs DITetc..)

Thanks

Kaplan videos are great ... Not all of them most of them
Physio, Pharma, behavioral and biosat are gold
Biochemistry, gross anatomy videos are silver
Immuno videos are bronze
Histo and microbiology are rust (i don't recommend them neither the videos nor the books)
Neurology (can't tell you cuz i did not do those)
But you need to do them along side with kaplan lecture notes because they are designed this way and are not designed for the FA... If you want to do videos do Kaplan with KLN but aviod the Rust... Do them quickly and do not waste too much time overdoing them or memorizing the lecture noted get the concepts and jump into FA..
The best (and I believe the only) way to do FA is along side with questions ... Togather they are great but FA can never stand alone
I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT DIT OR FA EXPRESS.. But I believe that there is a general agreement that Kaplan videos are the best lecture videos..

I hope that can help you making you mind

 

[PapezCirDead]

Hey guys, I'm scheduled to take the Step in a little over 3 weeks and wanted to see what you guys think so far...
CBSE1 (3 months) 220
CBSE2 (2 months) 235
Kaplan SA1 (7 weeks) 240/322 ~75%
NBME7 (6 weeks) 230
NBME11 (5 weeks) 239
NBME12 (4 weeks) 243
UWSA1 (3 weeks) 256
Uworld 1st pass 77%
Kaplan Qbank 80%
RX 85%
First aid 2x
Pathoma 2x

Im gonna take NBME15 tomorrow, but I think I seem to be hitting my plateau. After reviewing some of the NBMEs, my problem is that I'm making some really dumb mistakes that are preventing me from hitting 250. Any suggestions on what I can do these next 3 weeks? I plan on going over FA at least once more, read thru RR blue margins, and another pass thru UW.

First you are doing great, and you have already done everything... I believe you goals should be to maintain you current achievements and to try to add on as much as you can..
Any specific system or subject / discipline or pattern of questions (diagram questions, chart questions, theoretical questions, reasoning questions ) in which you are performing constantly under your avarage.. Set it as your point of weakness and try to work on that.
Let us know how will you do on your NBME 15.
Wish you the best of luck

 

[Mleechu]

I just got a 260 on UWSA1 after finishing u world . My last nbme was 232 ( after doing 40% of uworld). My plan is to keep doing FA ( atleast 2x).

Do you guys think it'll be possible to get 250+ on the real deal? I will do another nbme but it'll be right before my test.

Anyone?

 

[PapezCirDead]

Anyone?

Hi
Don't be pessimistic you can do it for sure.
You have 60% of uworld left you can work on that and definitly there will be marked improvement in you NBMEs
For me 60% of uworld gave me extra 10 points on NBME, but in my situation I have been through Kaplan Q bank before Uworld and I was almost reaching my potentials so, If you are only doing Uworld you will probably have much better improvement.. Try to focus on how to solve new question by resoning because the test is all new questions that you have never seen before, but don't worry if you use Uworld in a wise way and keep confident you will achieve your goal.

Best of luck

 

[Mleechu]

Hi
Don't be optimistic you can do it for sure.
You have 60% of uworld left you can work on that and definitly there will be marked improvement in you NBMEs
For me 60% of uworld gave me extra 10 points on NBME, but in my situation I have been through Kaplan Q bank before Uworld and I was almost reaching my potentials so, If you are only doing Uworld you will probably have much better improvement.. Try to focus on how to solve new question by resoning because the test is all new questions that you have never seen before, but don't worry if you use Uworld in a wise way and keep confident you will achieve your goal.

Best of luck

Thank you guys for your input. I already finished uworld with an average of 75% . I am sorry for the confusing post. I was trying to say that I got 232 on nbme when I was only 40% done with uworld. I did uwsa after completing uworld and got 260.

 

[PapezCirDead]

Thank you guys for your input. I already finished uworld with an average of 75% . I am sorry for the confusing post. I was trying to say that I got 232 on nbme when I was only 40% done with uworld. I did uwsa after completing uworld and got 260.

I think you have to give an NBME NOW...
I you have done uworld and FA each at least 1 once you are good to assess yourself now and to have an idea about where exactly you are standing now
Best NBMEs (despit the fact that they all have almost similar predictive values) i would suggect 15 and 16 becuse they resemble the pattern of the question in the real test more than other NBMEs.
Don't hesitate unless money is an issue I would suggest Doing one NBME now and the other few days before the big show day.. Try to do them online again if money is an issue try one online and the oter offline (despite the fact that doing it online is much better and i don't recommend offline as those are time consuming , inaccurate and illigal)
How much time left do you have 1. For you test 2 . For uworld subscription

 

[Watshoody]

Sameeeee 🙁
Fingers crossed!!
What date did you take it on btw? I took it on the 31st (sunday)! Just hoping my exam isn't being scored against a powerhouse like youu haha!

Haha me , a powerhouse?? ur funny ? Man im just hoping i get a decent score , Im def not one of those ppl who think I failed and will get a 260. Im more of a 200-220 range prob lol , hardly a powerhouse, best of luck to everyone getting their scores . I took mine on 30th (Sat)

 

[lxc]

I'll be taking Step 1 tomorrow. Will post my experience at some point over the next few days.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I kill it tomorrow, especially after seeing those Step 1 averages in the 2014 NRMP Charting the Outcomes!