Official 2016 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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Just took nbme 12 (first nbme) and got a 220. I'm 12 wks out from the real deal. I haven't done any dedicated study yet except some review during this semester and Christmas break of past topics (and I do firecracker somewhat). I plan to start uworld this week and start reviewing past topics more heavily (especially weak points). Weak points in the exam were pharm (expected) anatomy/embryo, and reproductive. I'm hoping for a 250+. Is this realistic/on track for such things? Any insights? (feel free to be brutally honest) thanks!


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zhopv10 said:
Just took nbme 12 (first nbme) and got a 220. I'm 12 wks out from the real deal. I haven't done any dedicated study yet except some review during this semester and Christmas break of past topics (and I do firecracker somewhat). I plan to start uworld this week and start reviewing past topics more heavily (especially weak points). Weak points in the exam were pharm (expected) anatomy/embryo, and reproductive. I'm hoping for a 250+. Is this realistic/on track for such things? Any insights? (feel free to be brutally honest) thanks!


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Click to expand...
I'm in the same situation. lets help each other in reaching that 250 mark
 
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From NBME:

Greetings,

None of the available forms are more predictive than the others. They are all developed to have the most accurate comparison in preparation for the USMLE Step 1.

We view the customer feedback to be positive and valued in reference to their effectiveness.

Regards,
Darryl Andrews
On Behalf of NBME Self-Assessment Services
Click to expand...
 
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tvelocity514 said:
Did y'all feel that 12 was a good one for baseline? I'm 6.5 wks out and trying to decide between 11 and 12. Haven't done uworld yet (using during dedicated)
@zhopv10

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Our school has vouchers for us so since 11 is no longer online I opted for 12. I think it was as good as any for baseline (as mentioned by plasmodium) I mainly wanted to save the newer ones, esp. 18, for a little later.


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tvelocity514 said:
Did y'all feel that 12 was a good one for baseline? I'm 6.5 wks out and trying to decide between 11 and 12. Haven't done uworld yet (using during dedicated)
@zhopv10

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Click to expand...

Nbme 11 isn't available anymore. And I wouldn't recommend taking any nbme offline, as you won't be stimulating testing conditions. So in IMO whatever score you get on the offline ones has no value.


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Was a 196 (NBME 17) pre study and then after 23 days of dedicated studying I was at 230 (NBME 16).
I'm hoping for a 260 after another 23 days of studying. Possible?
How bad do the gains plateau after a certain point?
 
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chillaxbro said:
Was a 196 (NBME 17) pre study and then after 23 days of dedicated studying I was at 230 (NBME 16).
I'm hoping for a 260 after another 23 days of studying. Possible?
How bad do the gains plateau after a certain point?
Click to expand...

Depends on the person. I had a friend who plateaued after a month. Some never did. Maybe wait a week or more then take 18 and see where you are?
 
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iceman55 said:
Nbme 11 isn't available anymore. And I wouldn't recommend taking any nbme offline, as you won't be stimulating testing conditions. So in IMO whatever score you get on the offline ones has no value.


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Even if you do it under timed conditions?


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perfectpurple43 said:
@chillaxbro - if you don't mind sharing, how did u study to make a jump from 196 to 230 in 23 days?
Click to expand...

The 196 was with no prior studying or preparation. Also the test was forced on me by my school after taking another 4 hour test right before it. I was exhausted and falling asleep at that point so I just rushed through it just to finish it and didnt check it. So it probably should have been higher and the jump wouldnt be as great.

What I did: Woke up every morning and watched some pathoma videos. Then did 2 blocks of Uworld and went over the exams. Didn't have much time to First aid because uWorld takes me so long (like 4 hours per block). Maybe the score jump was from taking the time to go over all the questions and answer choices (both right and wrong)
 
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plasmodium said:
I think I'm the only one left from our segment of test-takers in this thread who hasn't taken the test. It's so quiet and boring in here.
Click to expand...
I've been lurking round here watching you though haha.
You're almost there. Make sure you go into the test with a perfectly clear and energized mind.
It'll all be over before you know it

i think as most of the other US MD schools start studying for step this thread is gonna blow up
 
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Hi everyone I'm a 4th year international med student and just started my step 1 prep of 7 months (6days/week, 6-8hours/day)
And I've been using the following resourses:
Kaplan LN only (anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology)
CMMRS
BRS physiology
BRS behavioral science
HY neuro
Goljan rapid review pathology
FA2016

Going to start doing Qbanks upon completing the first read
Is my study going to pan out alright? Any input will be very much appreciated!
 
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StepNovice said:
Hi everyone I'm a 4th year international med student and just started my step 1 prep of 7 months (6days/week, 6-8hours/day)
And I've been using the following resourses:
Kaplan LN only (anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology)
CMMRS
BRS physiology
BRS behavioral science
HY neuro
Goljan rapid review pathology
FA2016

Going to start doing Qbanks upon completing the first read
Is my study going to pan out alright? Any input will be very much appreciated!
Click to expand...
I would do Pathoma and SketchyMicro too. Sketchy can replace CMMRS
Also Dr. Najeeb lectures are great but they take a long time. I would use it in areas you are weak in (depends on how strong your foundation is)
 
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Tri723 said:
I've been lurking round here watching you though haha.
You're almost there. Make sure you go into the test with a perfectly clear and energized mind.
It'll all be over before you know it

i think as most of the other US MD schools start studying for step this thread is gonna blow up
Click to expand...
Yeah. Just in time for me to dip out haha.

I'll prob be in and out giving my input. They're starting to flow in already.
 
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For those who used flash facts/Bros/any FA based deck and have already done dedicated, do you think it would be useful to spend 3-4 hours to do an entire section of the deck after viewing FA to really instill the knowledge? Not necessarily doing them again for spaced repetition (obviously ideal if possible) but as a better way to review FA then just passive reading? So for example, in the morning 2 blocks UW, review + annotate, lunch, browse neuro FA, pound out 500 cards quickly, identifying any weaknesses.

I've been going through a first pass of FA before dedicated but it is so dry and passive. Also finishing Rx.
 
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When you guys put up your NBME scores, do you mind also displaying how many questions you got right out of 200, with your percentage correct? I know each NBME is curved slightly different, but I think it will be easier for me and others on the forum to get a better grasp of how many questions to get right to get a certain score.
 
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worldbeater said:
When you guys put up your NBME scores, do you mind also displaying how many questions you got right out of 200, with your percentage correct? I know each NBME is curved slightly different, but I think it will be easier for me and others on the forum to get a better grasp of how many questions to get right to get a certain score.
Click to expand...

Whats your goal score champ?
 
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worldbeater said:
When you guys put up your NBME scores, do you mind also displaying how many questions you got right out of 200, with your percentage correct? I know each NBME is curved slightly different, but I think it will be easier for me and others on the forum to get a better grasp of how many questions to get right to get a certain score.
Click to expand...
This doesn't matter of anyone who took the exams before March 2. The scales have changed (although the scores before March 2 still have the same predictive utility according to NBME).
 
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plasmodium said:
This doesn't matter of anyone who took the exams before March 2. The scales have changed (although the scores before March 2 still have the same predictive utility according to NBME).
Click to expand...

So the scale they up on their site for a sample score report is not an updated one?


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iceman55 said:
So the scale they up on their site for a sample score report is not an updated one?


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Not sure, you would have to email them. Last time I e-mailed them, they said:

"All forms started on or after March 2nd will use the new scaled score, and those Self-Assessments will be compared to other assessments using the new scaled score when presenting your Longitudinal Feedback. The grading scale for all Self-Assessments has been updated. The previous scale is accurate for assessments taken under it, but cannot be used to score assessments going forward."

Hope this helps.

5 days.
 
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plasmodium said:
Not sure, you would have to email them. Last time I e-mailed them, they said:

"All forms started on or after March 2nd will use the new scaled score, and those Self-Assessments will be compared to other assessments using the new scaled score when presenting your Longitudinal Feedback. The grading scale for all Self-Assessments has been updated. The previous scale is accurate for assessments taken under it, but cannot be used to score assessments going forward."

Hope this helps.

5 days.
Click to expand...

What does it mean that the previous scale is accurate for exams taken under it, but can't be used to score assessments going forward?


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tvelocity514 said:
What does it mean that the previous scale is accurate for exams taken under it, but can't be used to score assessments going forward?


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I don't work for NBME lol, just e-mail them like I did they are pretty receptive to questions.
 
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walakin25 said:
Whats your goal score champ?
Click to expand...
lol, we shall see what happens. I am WAY better at explaining answers I got wrong (or sometimes correct) than marking questions right the first time I see them. Moving in the right direction every day though. If I could get even in striking distance of some of the lower scores on this thread (the SDN curve is ridiculous..haha), I would be thrilled.
 
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Hey SDNers,
Longtime lurker IMG here. I took the test on 25th Feb, after four to five months' preparation. I had hoped to write up my experience, but because I am enrolled in a very busy MSc program and really needed to take a few days off to deflate the steam, I haven't gotten round to it.

One word: INTEGRATION. I don't remember even one question that could be answered by simple recall. It's not just what you know or can remember; it's how you apply it. Two-step and three-step questions are the name of the game! You are given the clinical symptoms due to a certain bug > figure out the treatment > figure out the SEs > figure out the basis of the side effect? The question stem can start with a MicroB concept, cross over into pharm or patho... only for the final question to be based on a physiology principle.

On average, the question stems are shorter than UWorld but a little longer than those on most NBMEs. If your timing/speed on UWorld blocks is fine, you will have no difficulty completing each block comfortably. Also, take those NMBE assessments seriously, especially those questions you miss! UFAP+NBME is super, supplemented with whatever works for you. Overall, the best preparation for this beast is answering USMLE-like questions!

I hope to write a more exhaustive account soon. Good luck to everyone preparing and to those of us waiting for our scores.
And to the high-fliers like @plasmodium, go make us all proud!
 
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GyraseBeta said:
Hey SDNers,
Longtime lurker IMG here. I took the test on 25th Feb, after four to five months' preparation. I had hoped to write up my experience, but because I am enrolled in a very busy MSc program and really needed to take a few days off to deflate the steam, I haven't gotten round to it.

One word: INTEGRATION. I don't remember even one question that could be answered by simple recall. It's not just what you know or can remember; it's how you apply it. Two-step and three-step questions are the name of the game! You are given the clinical symptoms due to a certain bug > figure out the treatment > figure out the SEs > figure out the basis of the side effect? The question stem can start with a MicroB concept, cross over into pharm or patho... only for the final question to be based on a physiology principle.

On average, the question stems are shorter than UWorld but a little longer than those on most NBMEs. If your timing/speed on UWorld blocks is fine, you will have no difficulty completing each block comfortably. Also, take those NMBE assessments seriously, especially those questions you miss! UFAP+NBME is super, supplemented with whatever works for you. Overall, the best preparation for this beast is answering USMLE-like questions!

I hope to write a more exhaustive account soon. Good luck to everyone preparing and to those of us waiting for our scores.
And to the high-fliers like @plasmodium, go make us all proud!
Click to expand...
Very helpful man! And thanks for the shout-out 🙂
 
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Hey guys, took step 1 yesterday.. one piece of advice for everyone : Remain calm. this test is not impossible, if you've done UWorld(preferrably twice with thorough review) nothing will be foreign to you. Go in with an absolutely clear mind and understand that this test won't be completely out-of-the blue. Of course, expect 3-4 questions per block to be insaneeelyyy difficult (Had some anatomy that only an orthopedic surgeon would be able to analyze/answer, some weirddd graphs that were incomprehensible).

The test was a mixture of all disciplines. Had some odd Immuno questions (age related decline in immune function, very very specific on exactly what occurs...), a few biochem... some basics, some convoluted questions, lysosomal storage diseases. Had at least 3-4 behavior science/biostats/study design questions per block. A mixture of renal, CVS, and lung physio/patho. Roughly 15-20 microbio related questions, some of them were quite difficult (hence some people recommending SketchyMicro), but I felt confident in my answers having used Uworld/FA extensively. Could have been wrong on some of them, but oh well... Know the receptor stuff from UWorld (insufficient in FA15), the second messenger systems, tyrosine kinase etc. Tedious details but I had a few related questions. Be familiar with autonomic pharmacology.

Test was similar in question length/difficulty to : UWSA 2, NBME 16, 17 .
I Felt the Uworld Qbank was the absolute best way to prepare; tons of gold in that Qbank, really happy to have done it twice. Make sure to understand every single concept/explanation.


Now whats done is done, and hoping to have my result in a few weeks. Take my advice with a grain of salt as everyone studies differently... my main sources were : UFAP + DIT 2x (UWorld 2x). UWSA 1&2, NBME 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17.


TLDR; UWorld is gold

Special thanks to these guys for their support, advice and keeping me in it. best of luck to all of you in the future :
@Tri723 @plasmodium @tasar1898 @walakin25
 
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Tri723 said:
Hi everyone. Thanks for all the support. I've found this thread really useful.
I took the beast today. I'm tired haha, but I know some of you all have exams coming up and want to hear about it. Here we go:

My first block was insanely EASY (easier than any block ive seen on NBME 15, 16, 17, UWSA1 and 2). The block was basically regurgitation of HY first aid facts. I finished it in 35 mins, and I never finish early. I was beginning to wonder why people were posting horror stories
...
That was, until I reached the next three blocks. These were the HARDEST blocks I've ever encountered on any of the above exams. It was difficult for multiple reasons. First of all, there were a lot of random facts thrown in from diseases I've never studied, to drugs I've never heard of, to random biostats, and random anatomy. Some of this cannot be found in Golijian, FA, UW/Rx, NBME, sketchy, etc... i.e. any commonly used resource. It is almost as if they specifically went out of their way to bring in random material outside of these resources. Doing well in class comes in handy to have a wide net of knowledge. I even had a random ethics question that had me scratching my head.

The second and perhaps bigger problem with these blocks was the addition of "value based" clinical questions, as I call them .They may ask "what is the next best step? " They may ask " of the drugs which is the best to add?" They may ask, "which of the risk factors or predisposing conditions is the biggest contributor to a pathology." I definately guessed on these. I saw no pattern and have no idea how to prepare for it.

---
The last sections were toned down some bit and felt like UWSAs oddly enough. A mix of straight forward with a bizzare questions every so often. A lot of the application questions were here as folks have talked about. Sometimes, they may have a huge graph, chart, or a very long-looking question, but they are actually quite easy if you carefully read the question, so don't be intimidated by them!

I didn't have any issues with timing. I wouldn't have done anything differently in the last week ( i read FA) becasue I still don't know how I would have prepared for those "clinical value" questions or pick up those random facts.
Click to expand...


This is an excellent write up, I share a lot of the same sentiments. Some blocks were insanely difficult (my 3rd and 4th), some were toned down and manageable. It's really a game of stamina though, was definitely wearing down by the 5th/6th blocks.. Thank god for mass amounts of caffeine.
 
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drimo786 said:
This is an excellent write up, I share a lot of the same sentiments. Some blocks were insanely difficult (my 3rd and 4th), some were toned down and manageable. It's really a game of stamina though, was definitely wearing down by the 5th/6th blocks.. Thank god for mass amounts of caffeine.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your writeup buddy. I'm sure you did great 🙂
 
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Does the fact that my permit link is still visible mean I won't get my score tomorrow? Took the exam the week of the 15th... 🙁

Please let me know because the anticipation is brutal...
 
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drimo786 said:
Hey guys, took step 1 yesterday.. one piece of advice for everyone : Remain calm. this test is not impossible, if you've done UWorld(preferrably twice with thorough review) nothing will be foreign to you. Go in with an absolutely clear mind and understand that this test won't be completely out-of-the blue. Of course, expect 3-4 questions per block to be insaneeelyyy difficult (Had some anatomy that only an orthopedic surgeon would be able to analyze/answer, some weirddd graphs that were incomprehensible).

The test was a mixture of all disciplines. Had some odd Immuno questions (age related decline in immune function, very very specific on exactly what occurs...), a few biochem... some basics, some convoluted questions, lysosomal storage diseases. Had at least 3-4 behavior science/biostats/study design questions per block. A mixture of renal, CVS, and lung physio/patho. Roughly 15-20 microbio related questions, some of them were quite difficult (hence some people recommending SketchyMicro), but I felt confident in my answers having used Uworld/FA extensively. Could have been wrong on some of them, but oh well... Know the receptor stuff from UWorld (insufficient in FA15), the second messenger systems, tyrosine kinase etc. Tedious details but I had a few related questions. Be familiar with autonomic pharmacology.

Test was similar in question length/difficulty to : UWSA 2, NBME 16, 17 .
I Felt the Uworld Qbank was the absolute best way to prepare; tons of gold in that Qbank, really happy to have done it twice. Make sure to understand every single concept/explanation.


Now whats done is done, and hoping to have my result in a few weeks. Take my advice with a grain of salt as everyone studies differently... my main sources were : UFAP + DIT 2x (UWorld 2x). UWSA 1&2, NBME 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17.


TLDR; UWorld is gold

Special thanks to these guys for their support, advice and keeping me in it. best of luck to all of you in the future :
@Tri723 @plasmodium @tasar1898 @walakin25
Click to expand...


Congrats on being done!
 
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drimo786 said:
Hey guys, took step 1 yesterday.. one piece of advice for everyone : Remain calm. this test is not impossible, if you've done UWorld(preferrably twice with thorough review) nothing will be foreign to you. Go in with an absolutely clear mind and understand that this test won't be completely out-of-the blue. Of course, expect 3-4 questions per block to be insaneeelyyy difficult (Had some anatomy that only an orthopedic surgeon would be able to analyze/answer, some weirddd graphs that were incomprehensible).

The test was a mixture of all disciplines. Had some odd Immuno questions (age related decline in immune function, very very specific on exactly what occurs...), a few biochem... some basics, some convoluted questions, lysosomal storage diseases. Had at least 3-4 behavior science/biostats/study design questions per block. A mixture of renal, CVS, and lung physio/patho. Roughly 15-20 microbio related questions, some of them were quite difficult (hence some people recommending SketchyMicro), but I felt confident in my answers having used Uworld/FA extensively. Could have been wrong on some of them, but oh well... Know the receptor stuff from UWorld (insufficient in FA15), the second messenger systems, tyrosine kinase etc. Tedious details but I had a few related questions. Be familiar with autonomic pharmacology.

Test was similar in question length/difficulty to : UWSA 2, NBME 16, 17 .
I Felt the Uworld Qbank was the absolute best way to prepare; tons of gold in that Qbank, really happy to have done it twice. Make sure to understand every single concept/explanation.


Now whats done is done, and hoping to have my result in a few weeks. Take my advice with a grain of salt as everyone studies differently... my main sources were : UFAP + DIT 2x (UWorld 2x). UWSA 1&2, NBME 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17.


TLDR; UWorld is gold

Special thanks to these guys for their support, advice and keeping me in it. best of luck to all of you in the future :
@Tri723 @plasmodium @tasar1898 @walakin25
Click to expand...

Best wishes with results buddy! Now go and have some fun
 
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Do you keep all your snacks and drinks in your locker? And if you finish a section early does that time go into your break time?

I want to figure this out now so I don't have to schedule a practice test just to figure out how the break time works cause I'll lose a whole day of studying.

I understand it's 1 hour plus 15 min from the tutorial so that means I can take 15min between each section? With 7 sections of 44 questions being the total number of questions?

I'd rather have snacks between each section than one big lunch and get sleepy


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pre med 2014 said:
Do you keep all your snacks and drinks in your locker? And if you finish a section early does that time go into your break time?

I want to figure this out now so I don't have to schedule a practice test just to figure out how the break time works cause I'll lose a whole day of studying.

I understand it's 1 hour plus 15 min from the tutorial so that means I can take 15min between each section? With 7 sections of 44 questions being the total number of questions?

I'd rather have snacks between each section than one big lunch and get sleepy


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Click to expand...

I kept snacks and drinks in my locker. If you finish early, the time gets banked into your break time. I would take 10-15 minute breaks between sections because I usually finished with time left in every section.

Its supposedly 45 minutes plus the 15 minute tutorial. When are you taking it? If you're taking it before May 7th, its 7 sections of 44 questions. If you take it after, its 7 sections of 40 questions.
 
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tasar1898 said:
@walakin25 hahaha everything seems fun when you are done with step 1... You started Step 2 prep??
Click to expand...

just started now. theres no real sure fire method for this exam like there is for step 1 so im just gonna hit uworld hard and see what happens. will probably take it same time as some of the 2015 step 1 beasts so lets see how i fare. will be able to advise you better once im done with this crap haha
 
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I ll take it in around 1 year + .. Need lots of time to relax from step 1 , but I ll keep studying from english books to get a foundation or smth
 
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Hi all, I've been lurking for a while, could use some feedback/advice if possible!

I took UWSA1 2 weeks into my studying, got a 252.
Took NBME 13 & 15 3 weeks in, got 232 & 241, respectively.
Took UWSA2 today, at 4 weeks in, and got a 252.

I have 2 weeks til my exam. I'd be happy with a 252, but a) I've heard UWSA tend to over-predict (and my NBME scores seem to support that) and b) I apparently haven't improved at all in the past 2 weeks, even though I've been studying a lot and feel like I'm still learning. My plan is to finish UWorld & review all marked, take another 2 NBMEs next week (the most recent ones), and just keep chugging away, but it's a little demoralizing to have worked hard for 2 weeks and not see a change. Any suggestions on what to do?
 
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