Official 2016 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[Transposony]

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Let's continue the tradition for a very useful thread which has helped many.
Title says it all.
Good luck !

Must read thread:

Just took Step 1! It was a tornado of integration!!

My USMLE Step1 Thoughts and Experience, by Phloston

Official 2015 Step 1 Planning and Strategy Thread

 

[Transposony]

How long does it take to do a proper pass of uWorld...My exam is likely going to be middle July, I have 430 Rx, 1200 Kaplan left and all of uWorld to do and want to ensure I leave enough time to do a proper pass of it.

I would drop everything & start UW now.

 

[Qester]

I would drop everything & start UW now.

Thanks for the insight! Im going to try to up the amount of questions daily and start uWorld by June 1st (6-7 weeks left of prep), hopefully it doesnt backfire on me.

For NBMEs I still have 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, but money is a consideration.. I am thinking of doing 3-4 more, which ones should I be doing?

 

[Paeon]

UW is definitely easier. The real thing was more ambiguous and I felt the diagnosis could go a few ways and I always wanted like one more piece of information. UW practically forces you down the correct path. Oh, and UW is so buzzword heavy. Didn't see nearly as much of that on the real thing.

I don't know if UW correlates, but I do know that I was always hitting ~90% on my NBMEs and that is what my UW percentage was (93% average), so take that for what its worth. Don't even worry about how a percentage or whatever may correlate to a score on the real things. The forms are very different.

Biochem is something I hadn't made cards for before dedicated so I took the first two days to make and do them. Don't just memorize biochem though. I felt my questions had more to do with an in depth understanding of what state the body is in and what it needs and how that translates to enzyme regulation or levels of metabolites. Id stress a fundamental understanding of the concepts over just regurgitating facts about lysosomal storage diseases (know them though). Example: the regulation of key enzyme section in FA... don't memorize it (well you can as long as you also understand). Instead, look at the regulation and understand why that does what it does. Feedback issue? Feedforward issue? Energy state issue? etc. Also, FA presents biochem in a very patchwork fashion and its a shame (biased former biochem major). Make sure you know how to piece together all the pathways and how they connect.

Hey, man! Congrats on those great scores. Like you, I did UWorld throughout M2 and now I'm beginning my dedicated studying. During the year I read the explanations to every question and feel like I got a lot out of them. How did you move through UWorld during dedicated? Did you read everything in the explanations or did you skip what you already know?

 

[13132]

Hey, man! Congrats on those great scores. Like you, I did UWorld throughout M2 and now I'm beginning my dedicated studying. During the year I read the explanations to every question and feel like I got a lot out of them. How did you move through UWorld during dedicated? Did you read everything in the explanations or did you skip what you already know?

I did random times blocks of 44 (2 per day). I read the full thing for any question I got wrong or was unsure about even if I got it right. That ended up being a lot.


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[Paeon]

I did random times blocks of 44 (2 per day). I read the full thing for any question I got wrong or was unsure about even if I got it right. That ended up being a lot.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Thanks! I've been reading all the explanation for the questions I get wrong and the ones I'm unsure of too. It does get exhausting at times but it's probably worth it.

 

[Transposony]

Thanks for the insight! Im going to try to up the amount of questions daily and start uWorld by June 1st (6-7 weeks left of prep), hopefully it doesnt backfire on me.

For NBMEs I still have 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, but money is a consideration.. I am thinking of doing 3-4 more, which ones should I be doing?

UW is the single most important learning resource out there and IMHO you are giving it much less time than it deserves.
IIWY I'll drop Rx and only do Kaplan after finishing UW or mix it in with UW ( 5 days a week UW+ Kaplan on weekends).
Regarding NBMEs I suggest doing the last 3-4 NBMEs starting 2 weeks before the test to get in the mindset of the test style questions.

 

[W19]

UW is the single most important learning resource out there and IMHO you are giving it much less time than it deserves.
IIWY I'll drop Rx and only do Kaplan after finishing UW or mix it in with UW ( 5 days a week UW+ Kaplan on weekends).
Regarding NBMEs I suggest doing the last 3-4 NBMEs starting 2 weeks before the test to get in the mindset of the test style questions.

So you don't think 6 weeks is enough to do Uworld!

 

[Qester]

UW is the single most important learning resource out there and IMHO you are giving it much less time than it deserves.
IIWY I'll drop Rx and only do Kaplan after finishing UW or mix it in with UW ( 5 days a week UW+ Kaplan on weekends).
Regarding NBMEs I suggest doing the last 3-4 NBMEs starting 2 weeks before the test to get in the mindset of the test style questions.

Thats a great idea for the NBME, I will look to arrange my schedule to do that...How much time do you think is needed to do uWorld? At 2 blocks per day, one can finish 2200 questions in under a mont.

 

[Transposony]

@W19 @Qester
It depends on your definition of "doable" and your baseline knowledge as well as the amount of time you are able to spend in a day.
What I am trying to convey is that UW is more than a QBank. For other QBanks like Kaplan & Rx you just find out why your answer was right or wrong (they mostly copy & paste the relevant sections from FA/KLNs in the explanations without explaining much).
But with UW in addition you learn why the other choices were not the right answer and that's the skill you need to learn to do well on the real deal which takes time.
When I started UW it took me 4-5 hrs to go through a block but I learned a lot. Other QBanks are great for practicing your skills and knowledge but UW is the best for learning those skills/knowledge.
UW is not just a QBank, it's a learning tool.

 

[Tajima]

I used UW as my primary Qbank.
I also used Rx in conjunction with my first pass of FA and Pathoma, mainly because it was very affordable. I thought it was a decent bank but you could go without it if you so chose.

My recommendation is to do a first pass through FA, learning everything completely, and then use UW as a combined evaluation and learning tool by doing timed-random blocks in simulated testing conditions and reviewing all answers afterwards. Don't forget to take good notes.

I did not use Kaplan, and most high scorers I've read about or knew did not use Kaplan, so I think its safe to say you can do without it.

UFAP is your core. Don't stray from it unless you want to confirm or research a topic.

 

[Qester]

@Tajima @Transposony

Perfect thanks for the insight! My last two practice tests had me at a 248 and a 258. Since dedicated has started I've average an 82.5% on my Rx blocks and a 78.5% on my Kap blocks so I feel like there is still so much to learn from them.

 

[plasmodium]

UW is the single most important learning resource out there

A strong MS1/MS2 curriculum + high-quality textbooks is a better learning tool than UWorld.

 

[Tajima]

A strong MS1/MS2 curriculum + high-quality textbooks is a better learning tool than UWorld.

I'd just say preparation is required. You can't expect to do well on it if you start during the five or so weeks of dedicated. Doing well requires months of strong preparation using trusted sources like FA, Pathoma, Goljan, Najeeb and Costanzo. In my experience I did not use my class notes yet still did well on the exam with hard preparation.

 

[Transposony]

A strong MS1/MS2 curriculum + high-quality textbooks is a better learning tool than UWorld.

Undoubtedly but we are talking about dedicated prep here.😉

 

[GomerPyle]

Thats a great idea for the NBME, I will look to arrange my schedule to do that...How much time do you think is needed to do uWorld? At 2 blocks per day, one can finish 2200 questions in under a mont.

Thanks for the insight! Im going to try to up the amount of questions daily and start uWorld by June 1st (6-7 weeks left of prep), hopefully it doesnt backfire on me.

For NBMEs I still have 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, but money is a consideration.. I am thinking of doing 3-4 more, which ones should I be doing?

You need to spend more time on uworld. Theoretically you can finish it in under a month if you do 2 blocks thoroughly per day, but take into account the possibility that you may need to take longer to go through it because some of the questions can be incredibly difficult (the averages on some tests are mid 50%) and and the answer explanations can take a while to fully go through. As many have already, you may need to flag numerous questions to go through them a second time once you've completed your first pass. Uworld is by far the best resource for this exam and I suggest starting it early...

 

[plasmodium]

Undoubtedly but we are talking about dedicated prep here.😉

Fair enough, but as you already know I'm of the belief that not much learning should have to be done by the time dedicated rolls around 🙂.

 

[Transposony]

 

[aeruginosa]

NBME assessment taking tips anyone?

 

[13132]

A strong MS1/MS2 curriculum + high-quality textbooks is a better learning tool than UWorld.

Agree if you mean throughout the year before dedicated. A strong foundation makes the second pass with review resources exponentially easier and more efficient.

 

[aeruginosa]

Update: 3 days of studying left

What do I do?
Haven't looked at First Aid yet (hate the book but wanted to at least do a quick pass of weak areas and remind myself of everything that's out there)
Still have NBME 17
Still have 700 UWorld questions (Hit 75-88 on 19 out of my last 20 blocks)

I really wanted to take 17 to boost my confidence (which I think is important) since I took a hit on 18 and went down to 241 from 251s on 15 and 16. I planned on doing 350ish Uworld today, but it was more difficult than I anticipated. I've only done about 200 so far (although I do have a few more hours). Help me plan please!

@plasmodium @kirbymiester @walakin25 @msquaredb @tasar1898 @TBV @Phloston , I've appreciated everyones help thus far!

Did you take your exam? How did it go?

 

[col.hanslanda]

Hey guys,
First of all what a great thread! I wanted to get your advice on what I should do with my remaining time.

3 weeks of dedicated left ( 4 weeks total)
CBSE 245 ( 1 month prior to dedicated )
UWSA 1 - 255 ( 1 week into dedicated )

UW 1st pass 75% correct. ( Last 20 blocks was 79%)

I have 20 days left and was wondering what I should do next. I did not use pathoma throughout the year and am considering doing that any thoughts?

I used firecracker religiously since 1st year at around 250 cards per day.
Right now I'm working on my weaknesses pharm and whatever general principles is. Does anybody know what general priciples is?
I'm going to run through the Kaplan Qbank and then Redo UWorld. I'm Also taking back to back NBME's the next couple of weekends.

Historically I'm not a good standardized test taker, which is why I'm working my A$% off. Any tips from you Jedi masters who are able to interpret questions well? I seem to be solid on my content but often make stupid mistakes in interpreting the question or not recognizing a vignette or overthinking a simple question.

Goal 270

Thank you all in advance!
-CHL

 

[Qester]

Hey guys,
First of all what a great thread! I wanted to get your advice on what I should do with my remaining time.

3 weeks of dedicated left ( 4 weeks total)
CBSE 245 ( 1 month prior to dedicated )
UWSA 1 - 255 ( 1 week into dedicated )

UW 1st pass 75% correct. ( Last 20 blocks was 79%)

I have 20 days left and was wondering what I should do next. I did not use pathoma throughout the year and am considering doing that any thoughts?

I used firecracker religiously since 1st year at around 250 cards per day.
Right now I'm working on my weaknesses pharm and whatever general principles is. Does anybody know what general priciples is?
I'm going to run through the Kaplan Qbank and then Redo UWorld. I'm Also taking back to back NBME's the next couple of weekends.

Historically I'm not a good standardized test taker, which is why I'm working my A$% off. Any tips from you Jedi masters who are able to interpret questions well? I seem to be solid on my content but often make stupid mistakes in interpreting the question or not recognizing a vignette or overthinking a simple question.

Goal 270

Thank you all in advance!
-CHL

I don't know with only 20 days left if I would be adding a new resource like Pathoma at this point. I would probably focus on refining my knowledge with resources I was familiar with and doing more questions.

 

[col.hanslanda]

I don't know with only 20 days left if I would be adding a new resource like Pathoma at this point. I would probably focus on refining my knowledge with resources I was familiar with and doing more questions.

I was thinking the same thing, just wanted a confirmation 🙂 THanks!

 

[TBV]

I was thinking the same thing, just wanted a confirmation 🙂 THanks!

You could easily get through pathoma a few times in 20 days I would do it. A lot sticks with you with a low level of effort too.

 

[simbad8]

For those who have taken Step 1 already did you find UW assessments or NBMEs more accurately predicted your score? I've been seeing people say that UW assessments overpredict by 20ish points and NBMEs underscore but my NBME's are averaging >10 points higher than my UWAs... should I be worried? I have two weeks left and not really sure how to improve considering my weaknesses are different on every practice test.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

For those who have taken Step 1 already did you find UW assessments or NBMEs more accurately predicted your score? I've been seeing people say that UW assessments overpredict by 20ish points and NBMEs underscore but my NBME's are averaging >10 points higher than my UWAs... should I be worried? I have two weeks left and not really sure how to improve considering my weaknesses are different on every practice test.

I haven't taken the test so I can't give you a definitive answer, but if you have taken UWSA very recently, then it may be because the UW has readjusted their scales for the two UWSAs to be more reflective of step 1 score. Some people who took the UWSA two weeks ago had a significantly higher score for the same % correct than those who took it last week. Anyways, your NBME score is what you should be concerned with.

 

[simbad8]

I haven't taken the test so I can't give you a definitive answer, but if you have taken UWSA very recently, then it may be because the UW has readjusted their scales for the two UWSAs to be more reflective of step 1 score. Some people who took the UWSA two weeks ago had a significantly higher score for the same % correct than those who took it last week. Anyways, your NBME score is what you should be concerned with.

okay thank you haha that makes me feel a little better

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

 

[TheShaker]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

Were these gimmes more like things in FA that you forgot or things exclusively in UW/Pathoma? Because to be honest, I don't see myself getting through them all either...

 

[SCCBCCAK]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

You said firecracker was the best money spent, how/why so?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Were these gimmes more like things in FA that you forgot or things exclusively in UW/Pathoma? Because to be honest, I don't see myself getting through them all either...

I don't really know what's in First Aid sicne I didn't go through it, but I'm sure the stuff was probably in there. It was a mixture of things I forgot and things I should have known that I just didn't because I didn't study well (gross/cross-sectional neuro, tumors, etc)

You said firecracker was the best money spent, how/why so?


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It was just mainly what kept me focused throughout the first two years. I started out well first semester but then my studying dwindled, but firecracker was something I kept at constantly. And it basically had everything I needed to learn.

 

[SCCBCCAK]

I don't really know what's in First Aid sicne I didn't go through it, but I'm sure the stuff was probably in there. It was a mixture of things I forgot and things I should have known that I just didn't because I didn't study well (gross/cross-sectional neuro, tumors, etc)



It was just mainly what kept me focused throughout the first two years. I started out well first semester but then my studying dwindled, but firecracker was something I kept at constantly. And it basically had everything I needed to learn.

Thanks for the reply! Would you agree that if you are truly committed to firecracker (doing them everyday 200 cards) 250+ is pretty easily attainable. I have been seeing that people that are truly in it, always crushed the exam


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Thanks for the reply! Would you agree that if you are truly committed to firecracker (doing them everyday 200 cards) 250+ is pretty easily attainable. I have been seeing that people that are truly in it, always crushed the exam


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I think so. Definitely maximized my time. It was quick, efficient, and kept me engaged. It definitely has everything you need to know for a 250+, but it comes down to the work you put into it and school in general. 4 of my friends also used it consistently from my class and everyone had hit 250+ on at least 1 NBME, some even 260s and 270s

 

[okokok]

Congratulations on being done! I've been wondering if there are a lot of images (xrays/mri/ct/etc) on the exam?

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Congratulations on being done! I've been wondering if there are a lot of images (xrays/mri/ct/etc) on the exam?

Yeah, I probably had 6-7 just neuro images, plus a bunch of histo, micro, and diagrams. And to be honest, some of the picture qualities really suck.

 

[okokok]

Yeah, I probably had 6-7 just neuro images, plus a bunch of histo, micro, and diagrams. And to be honest, some of the picture qualities really suck.

Thanks for the response! I'll start paying more attention to them haha.

 

[GomerPyle]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

Congrats on being done. What do you think helped you jump from the 232 up to your 251 scores?

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Congrats on being done. What do you think helped you jump from the 232 up to your 251 scores?

Not really sure. Probably ramping up UWorld question usage and a lot of dumb mistakes on 13. I was questioning if I needed more UWorld or hooked on phonics. Reading ciprofloxacin as cephalosporin, pharyngeal puch as arch, etc. I think I just rushed through without paying attention much, plus refreshing my memory with UWorld

 

[Blue Flame]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

Congrats on finishing! How many difficult metabolic pathway questions would you say you had? I don't have the pathways down and I'm wondering if it would be worth it at all to spend the massive amount of time it would take to relearn all of them.

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Congrats on finishing! How many difficult metabolic pathway questions would you say you had? I don't have the pathways down and I'm wondering if it would be worth it at all to spend the massive amount of time it would take to relearn all of them.

I don't really remember any to be honest. Maybe 1 biochem question about pathways. Most were glycogen/lysosomal storage and maybe sugar metabolism

 

[GomerPyle]

Not really sure. Probably ramping up UWorld question usage and a lot of dumb mistakes on 13. I was questioning if I needed more UWorld or hooked on phonics. Reading ciprofloxacin as cephalosporin, pharyngeal puch as arch, etc. I think I just rushed through without paying attention much, plus refreshing my memory with UWorld

Thanks for your input. Anything you'd do differently the few days leading up to your exam?

 

[Tajima]

Stick with first aid biochem. The chapter is very disjointed so try to organize it as best you can.

 

[nymeria321]

I don't really remember any to be honest. Maybe 1 biochem question about pathways. Most were glycogen/lysosomal storage and maybe sugar metabolism

lol so I won't ask you what you did for anatomy, but was there a lot of it? I know I know, completely variable for each exam, but just curious.

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Thanks for your input. Anything you'd do differently the few days leading up to your exam?

Might've looked at more stuff I was weak at, but overall I was happy playing some call of duty and lightly reminding myself of things and doing some UWorld

 

[Ophthoseidon]

lol so I won't ask you what you did for anatomy, but was there a lot of it? I know I know, completely variable for each exam, but just curious.

Nope, I don't really remember much besides neuro, a few dermatomes, and maybe a couple msk questions. No pelvic anatomy at all, which is what everyone has been griping about recently

 

[nymeria321]

Nope, I don't really remember much besides neuro, a few dermatomes, and maybe a couple msk questions. No pelvic anatomy at all, which is what everyone has been griping about recently

I have 4 days left + struggling w what to do. I have sort of the same dislike for FA as you. I write in it a lot but I just can't force my ADD to behave for long enough to actually read it straight through. So not sure what to do these last few days. Been painstakingly trying to go through FA today and suuffferring.

 

[aeruginosa]

Just finished the exam yesterday, it was definitely a long day.

I'll tell you now, my dedicated sucked. Had a lot of life things happen that screwed up my plans pretty bad, sucked up time, and ruined my motivation to get back into the groove. I'll echo the advice of my superiors (insert long quote about doing well and preparing hard during first 2 years, etc.), otherwise I would have been screwed.

I used firecracker throughout the first two years. Best money I spent in school. Our school uses NBME Exams, so I basically used whatever I wanted to learn (Pathoma, firecracker, wikipedia, Rx, sketchy, etc.). Also, I never opened First Aid throughout dedicated until 2 days before to browse the rapid review associations, which I don't think helped too much to be honest.

School CBSE: 217 (9 weeks out)

I created a thorough, elaborate plan in an excel sheet down to the hour of what I would do. I didn't finish a single thing. I recommend planning time in OR allowing yourself to drop certain things if something ends up happening. I averaged about 5-5.5 hours of studying per day. Not ideal, but **** happens. Anyway, here's my breakdown of my scores. I basically only did half of sketchy, pathoma, and 3/4 of UWorld (At 77%correct), and most of the UWSAs and NBME (-17 because I was running out of time and kinda freaked out. I did UWorld timed tutor because I was too ADD to go back and review a block of 40 questions.

I took a test just about every week, near the end I did two per week.
UWSA1 baseline at beginning of dedicated- 232
UWSA2- 234
NBME 12- 239
NBME 13- 232 (freaked out and pushed my test back a few days to get more of UWorld done)
NBME 15- 251
NBME 16- 251
Free 150 (85%- made some dumb mistakes) and NBME 18- 241 back to back (1 week out)

The test itself wasn't bad. Way overhyped in my opinion. Wasn't any different than UWorld or NBMEs with the exception of 5 or 6 questions that I felt shouldn't be fair game for M2 students. Even though it felt pretty simple, there were obviously things I didn't know due to not maximizing my study potential. I marked 8-13 per block (of 40) when I marked 10-15 per block on the NBMEs, so it seemed fairly similar. I had 1 repeat from NBME 18, and three repeat images from NBMEs and Free 150 testing the same concepts, but different answer choices.

I have some regrets about dedicated, but I feel like I was in a good place. Just a bit upset at the thought of what could have been. Definitely some gimmes I should have known. Oh well, on to the monstrous 2 month wait :/. Everyone's gonna do great! Feel free to ask any questions! (Unless they are about what to do for anatomy, because I won't answer you, lol)

Thanks for sharing your experience! 2 months is brutal, I agree. How did you time your blocks and breaks? Also did you run out of time in any blocks? My concentration will definitely suffer toward the end of the exam. I'm thinking of following the plan below.

2 blocks
5 minutes break
3rd block
10 minutes
4th block
10 minutes
5th
20 minutes/lunch
6th
10 minutes
7th block.

 

[MCAT or bust]

Haven't been on here in a while, got my score back on wednesday, 229! Not too excited about the score, but not depressed it about it either

Want to apply to ophtho, and am currently conducting research so hopefully that helps!

First few nbmes i was scoring in the 200s, then shot up on UWSA2 and NBME15

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Thanks for sharing your experience! 2 months is brutal, I agree. How did you time your blocks and breaks? Also did you run out of time in any blocks? My concentration will definitely suffer toward the end of the exam. I'm thinking of following the plan below.

2 blocks
5 minutes break
3rd block
10 minutes
4th block
10 minutes
5th
20 minutes/lunch
6th
10 minutes
7th block.

I just went with the flow on test day. I had a plan beforehand but throughout my practice tests I realized it was hard to predict when I got hungry or needed to use the restroom, so I took at least a short break every block to empty the bladder and grab a snack. I had 12-20 minutes left per block that I used to review my marks and re-read every question to make sure I answered the question they asked, which was a common theme for mistakes on my practice exams

 

[simbad8]

Haven't been on here in a while, got my score back on wednesday, 229! Not too excited about the score, but not depressed it about it either

Want to apply to ophtho, and am currently conducting research so hopefully that helps!

First few nbmes i was scoring in the 200s, then shot up on UWSA2 and NBME15

Congrats! Do you mind me asking what your practice scores were? I'm two weeks out so i've officially entered freak out mode haha