USMLE Official 2017 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[WeedForLunch]

I know this is quite early but most American Students have finished giving the test for this year.
I am an IMG and have been prepping for the steps since quite some time and have seen Phloston, Transposony's and others' threads for their respective years and how helpful they have been.

I intend on giving step in Jan.. let's share timetables, plans and other stuff on how everyone intends on taking on this beast.

P.S. : I think it is not that early.. the 2015/2016 threads were started in September/October.. but in true SDN gunner style..i wanna start it in August..

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[Anti-PD1]

Had a drop in NBME 16 to 246 from 255 on NBME 15; anyone have any advice on how to overcome the hurdle and really recognizing that sometimes, the obvious answer really is the obvious answer?!

I had to tell myself, 'Don't be stupid' 100 times before I started catching myself.

I know this sounds silly, but I found if I approached a question with anger and annoyance, a what do you really want, what are you actually asking for? kind of attitude, I came to the right answer with more confidence.

Getting extended feedback to know your incorrects is key, because you can learn from the thought process that prevented you from getting to the right answer.

 

[Eagles6389]

UW Anatomy questions are killing me on the past couple blocks. Anatomy has been a weak spot of mine and while I'm now comfortable with Brachial Plexus / LE MSK questions, my anatomy knowledge for the rest of the body is somewhat lacking. For example, anatomical landmark for an appendectomy surgical procedure. I looked it up, and it's not in FA. Anyone have recommendations on a good Anatomy source that they used to improve their anatomy score (besides FA)? Are clinical correlates in Netter's worth going through?

 

[chromuffin]

UW Anatomy questions are killing me on the past couple blocks. Anatomy has been a weak spot of mine and while I'm now comfortable with Brachial Plexus / LE MSK questions, my anatomy knowledge for the rest of the body is somewhat lacking. For example, anatomical landmark for an appendectomy surgical procedure. I looked it up, and it's not in FA. Anyone have recommendations on a good Anatomy source that they used to improve their anatomy score (besides FA)? Are clinical correlates in Netter's worth going through?

I've heard BRS Anatomy is good.

 

[aladeen]

major SOS. been at it for four weeks now, and my score has only gone up by 25 points over the course of three practice tests (159 on nbme 15, 175 on school cbse, 183 on uwsa 1). uw cumulative percentage is 45%, and i'm 75% of the way through. i don't know what i'm doing wrong. ten hours a day, 120 questions a day, making flash cards and reviewing them daily. reviewing sections of first aid, watching sketchy daily. truly don't understand where the disconnect is. the worst part is that when i'm going through, i generally think i have a decent handle on things - then i get the report back and am crestfallen.

i'm 3 weeks away from the big day - i know i should reschedule, but by how much? started out shooting for 240s, now aiming for 220s. is that even doable? 40 points in 3 or 4 weeks? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gilaze]

Best way to improve in Pathophysio? I got Pathology over 80% in UWORLD but pathophysio is my worst with 70%, so I guess I should improve on it but I don't know how to study that

 

[TheOther]

major SOS. been at it for four weeks now, and my score has only gone up by 25 points over the course of three practice tests (159 on nbme 15, 175 on school cbse, 183 on uwsa 1). uw cumulative percentage is 45%, and i'm 75% of the way through. i don't know what i'm doing wrong. ten hours a day, 120 questions a day, making flash cards and reviewing them daily. reviewing sections of first aid, watching sketchy daily. truly don't understand where the disconnect is. the worst part is that when i'm going through, i generally think i have a decent handle on things - then i get the report back and am crestfallen.

i'm 3 weeks away from the big day - i know i should reschedule, but by how much? started out shooting for 240s, now aiming for 220s. is that even doable? 40 points in 3 or 4 weeks? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Definitely doable. Make sure you're spending more time in your weak areas. How are you doing with Pathoma?

 

[aladeen]

Definitely doable. Make sure you're spending more time in your weak areas. How are you doing with Pathoma?

went through 1.5x during courses and 1x at the beginning of dedicated. since then, i've only been reviewing flash cards i made during that second full pass and going over sections as needed, but that's been pretty sparse. honestly 3 uw blocks a day take up ~7-8 hours for me, and then the remainder of each day (~3 hrs) goes to sketchy and flashcards.

do you think i'll be able to pull off a 40 point increase without pushing my date back? my main concern is failing my practice again next week and then having to push back but not having any open dates to work with.

 

[Major procrastinator]

went through 1.5x during courses and 1x at the beginning of dedicated. since then, i've only been reviewing flash cards i made during that second full pass and going over sections as needed, but that's been pretty sparse. honestly 3 uw blocks a day take up ~7-8 hours for me, and then the remainder of each day (~3 hrs) goes to sketchy and flashcards.

do you think i'll be able to pull off a 40 point increase without pushing my date back? my main concern is failing my practice again next week and then having to push back but not having any open dates to work with.

i would focus on lectures, uworld is not gonna do it alone, you need a way stronger foundation


pathoma, kaplan, sketchy, first aid, questions
180-220 in 4 weeks is possible but its gonna be hard as hell

 

[TheOther]

i would focus on lectures, uworld is not gonna do it alone, you need a way stronger foundation


pathoma, kaplan, sketchy, first aid, questions
180-220 in 4 weeks is possible but its gonna be hard as hell

Mm I wouldn't say "hard as hell". Most people with a 4 weeks of dedicated go up 30-40 points and going from 180-220 is easier than 200-230. I went up 30+ points in 2 weeks of focusing on weak areas and I'm not even in dedicated study mode yet, still have classes going.
That said, I do agree that they should focus on the resources you listed and maybe cut down on UW by a block for the next 1-2 weeks until a stronger foundation is laid. Then go harder on questions the last 2 weeks.

 

[TheOther]

went through 1.5x during courses and 1x at the beginning of dedicated. since then, i've only been reviewing flash cards i made during that second full pass and going over sections as needed, but that's been pretty sparse. honestly 3 uw blocks a day take up ~7-8 hours for me, and then the remainder of each day (~3 hrs) goes to sketchy and flashcards.

do you think i'll be able to pull off a 40 point increase without pushing my date back? my main concern is failing my practice again next week and then having to push back but not having any open dates to work with.

I personally don't think pushing your date back is a good idea unless you're a week out and still failing practice exams. Plus there's a higher risk of burning out. 4 weeks is plenty of time to make stride in your studies so I would cut down to 2 blocks of UW for the next week and spend some more time on your foundation.

 

[aladeen]

i would focus on lectures, uworld is not gonna do it alone, you need a way stronger foundation


pathoma, kaplan, sketchy, first aid, questions
180-220 in 4 weeks is possible but its gonna be hard as hell

Mm I wouldn't say "hard as hell". Most people with a 4 weeks of dedicated go up 30-40 points and going from 180-220 is easier than 200-230. I went up 30+ points in 2 weeks of focusing on weak areas and I'm not even in dedicated study mode yet, still have classes going.
That said, I do agree that they should focus on the resources you listed and maybe cut down on UW by a block for the next 1-2 weeks until a stronger foundation is laid. Then go harder on questions the last 2 weeks.

I personally don't think pushing your date back is a good idea unless you're a week out and still failing practice exams. Plus there's a higher risk of burning out. 4 weeks is plenty of time to make stride in your studies so I would cut down to 2 blocks of UW for the next week and spend some more time on your foundation.

thank you so much for all the advice!

i actually have 3 weeks, not 4, until i'm currently scheduled to take it (sorry for the confusion). from what you're both saying, it seems i need at least 4 weeks to go up 40 pts - is that right?

ufaps is all i've been doing, so will cut down to 2 blocks as advised and focus on broader reviews this week. hopefully the next practice will show some more significant improvement!

 

[chromuffin]

Mm I wouldn't say "hard as hell". Most people with a 4 weeks of dedicated go up 30-40 points and going from 180-220 is easier than 200-230. I went up 30+ points in 2 weeks of focusing on weak areas and I'm not even in dedicated study mode yet, still have classes going.
That said, I do agree that they should focus on the resources you listed and maybe cut down on UW by a block for the next 1-2 weeks until a stronger foundation is laid. Then go harder on questions the last 2 weeks.

Hoping I go up 30 points in two weeks haha. I'd be pretty ecstatic to only be 20 points from my goal with a month left.

 

[mymembernames]

Any good resources for improving physiology and biochem? TIA!

 

[chromuffin]

Any good resources for improving physiology and biochem? TIA!

Boards and beyond for biochem I hear.
Physeo or BRS Physio for Physiology.

 

[goal270]

thank you so much for all the advice!

i actually have 3 weeks, not 4, until i'm currently scheduled to take it (sorry for the confusion). from what you're both saying, it seems i need at least 4 weeks to go up 40 pts - is that right?

ufaps is all i've been doing, so will cut down to 2 blocks as advised and focus on broader reviews this week. hopefully the next practice will show some more significant improvement!

I'd suggest DIT. I've heard from a lot of people that it helps boost your score by 15-20 points at the least!

 

[Gorne]

I'm taking my baseline exam this Friday, roughly 10 weeks out. Any suggestions for a good baseline exam? I was just going to do the first uworld assessment.

 

[chromuffin]

I'm taking my baseline exam this Friday, roughly 10 weeks out. Any suggestions for a good baseline exam? I was just going to do the first uworld assessment.

shoot for above passing! That's what my goal was when I took it yesterday.

 

[673441]

I'm taking my baseline exam this Friday, roughly 10 weeks out. Any suggestions for a good baseline exam? I was just going to do the first uworld assessment.

I think that's all based on your overall goal. Looking for a 240+? Maybe shoot for a 205/210, being 10 wks out


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[TheOther]

I'm taking my baseline exam this Friday, roughly 10 weeks out. Any suggestions for a good baseline exam? I was just going to do the first uworld assessment.

Silly posters above.

I would do UWSA 1 or NBME 15. Either should be good for a baseline.

 

[Brorthopedic]

Nothing ruins your day like scoring 15% below your usual average on a Uworld block...

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Silly posters above.

I would do UWSA 1 or NBME 15. Either should be good for a baseline.

I took NBME 12 as a baseline. I'm saving uwsa 1 or six weeks out.


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[Dr.Jekyll75]

Nothing ruins your day like scoring 15% below your usual average on a Uworld block...

Nothing is worse than when you get a question wrong that more than 70% of people get right


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[TheOther]

I took NBME 12 as a baseline. I'm saving uwsa 1 or six weeks out.


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I did 13 and 16. Just felt like 13 was so old that the questions were insanely different from UW questions -- really short stems and a lot straight forward questions.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I did 13 and 16. Just felt like 13 was so old that the questions were insanely different from UW questions -- really short stems and a lot straight forward questions.

i felt the same way about 12, im going to do 13 next week and see how it feel. Uworld much harder then nbme 12 is

 

[Brorthopedic]

When people say they simulate the real test by taking two practice tests (NBMEs/UWSAs) at the same time, are they doing both exams entirely? 400 questions seems excessive to do in one day

 

[Reperfused]

Can someone explain UW qid 12066 please?
So it's E, that's understandable. But why the hell is it not D?
Increasing Km definitely means decreased affinity of the enzyme for the substrate. Then why is the answer not D?

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

When people say they simulate the real test by taking two practice tests (NBMEs/UWSAs) at the same time, are they doing both exams entirely? 400 questions seems excessive to do in one day

thats what ive been told to do 2 weeks out. You basically are doing a full day of questions

 

[chromuffin]

thats what ive been told to do 2 weeks out. You basically are doing a full day of questions

I feel like 1 practice is pretty similar. What is two more blocks when you're in the mindset? Taking these will also prep you for longer blocks so you won't tire as easily.

 

[TheOther]

When people say they simulate the real test by taking two practice tests (NBMEs/UWSAs) at the same time, are they doing both exams entirely? 400 questions seems excessive to do in one day

NBME = 200q, UWSA = 160q.

Still 80 questions more than the real deal. I guess you can really just do UWSA + 3 extra blocks or NBME + 2 extra blocks.
I'm guessing people do the NBME+UWSA because you actually get an evaluation out of them to gauge how you did on each and to see if your stamina holds up based on how you perform in each block.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

NBME = 200q, UWSA = 160q.

Still 80 questions more than the real deal. I guess you can really just do UWSA + 3 extra blocks or NBME + 2 extra blocks.
I'm guessing people do the NBME+UWSA because you actually get an evaluation out of them to gauge how you did on each and to see if your stamina holds up based on how you perform in each block.

hm might have to do this on a weekend. Any combo you guys recommend of uwsa and nbme ? also stupid question but how do you structure your time ?

 

[chromuffin]

hm might have to do this on a weekend. Any combo you guys recommend of uwsa and nbme ? also stupid question but how do you structure your time ?

Time on NBMEs? I'm trying to do 2 blocks, 10 min break, 2 blocks, 30 min break, 1 block, 10 min break, 1 block, 10 min break, 1 block for the real exam.

So right now for NBMEs I just take a 10 minute break. After 2 blocks.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Time on NBMEs? I'm trying to do 2 blocks, 10 min break, 2 blocks, 30 min break, 1 block, 10 min break, 1 block, 10 min break, 1 block for the real exam.

So right now for NBMEs I just take a 10 minute break. After 2 blocks.

okay so on the real thing its 10 min break per block ?

 

[TheOther]

okay so on the real thing its 10 min break per block ?

Real thing is 45min total, you can split it up however you want.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Real thing is 45min total, you can split it up however you want.

hm alright im likley going to do this 2 tests one day idea, questions is what nbme and what uwsa to use

 

[TheOther]

hm alright im likley going to do this 2 tests one day idea, questions is what nbme and what uwsa to use

When are you sitting for the exam? Which ones have you done so far?

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

When are you sitting for the exam? Which ones have you done so far?

nbme 12 and early june . but i havent hit dedicated yet. School oesnt get out till april 14th. Uworld first pass is done, im going over my incorrects right now

 

[chromuffin]

Real thing is 45min total, you can split it up however you want.

Excluding the 15 minutes for the tutorial..

 

[TheOther]

nbme 12 and early june . but i havent hit dedicated yet. School oesnt get out till april 14th. Uworld first pass is done, im going over my incorrects right now

Gotcha. It would probably be best to do this within 3-4 weeks of your exam so really whichever you have left. Since it's closer to your exam, 17-19 could be used + either UWSA.

Excluding the 15 minutes for the tutorial..

Yeah, I guess I just don't know how that factors in. If you don't use the tutorial, does that time go toward your break?

 

[673441]

When people say they simulate the real test by taking two practice tests (NBMEs/UWSAs) at the same time, are they doing both exams entirely? 400 questions seems excessive to do in one day

Better off doing 7 UW blocks tbh


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[mymembernames]

How important is it to be using FA 2017? I already annotated FA 2015 and was hoping I can just stick to it?

 

[Anti-PD1]

When people say they simulate the real test by taking two practice tests (NBMEs/UWSAs) at the same time, are they doing both exams entirely? 400 questions seems excessive to do in one day

I just did 1 NBME, or 1 UWSA. An NBME is 200 questions, which isn't far from 280. Not sure how useful it is to simulate 280 questions, maybe once just to give you a feel of test day.

Definitely do not do 280 questions the day or 2 before, because it is exhausting, and you need that juice for the real deal. Save your juice.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I just did 1 NBME, or 1 UWSA. An NBME is 200 questions, which isn't far from 280. Not sure how useful it is to simulate 280 questions, maybe once just to give you a feel of test day.

Definitely do not do 280 questions the day or 2 before, because it is exhausting, and you need that juice for the real deal. Save your juice.

I will save the Juice for the real deal, so 2 weeks out a good idea ?

 

[Anti-PD1]

I will save the Juice for the real deal, so 2 weeks out a good idea ?

Yeah, that should be fine.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Yeah, that should be fine.

The Gronk has Spoken, all follow command

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Wrote my exam yesterday and I found the experience more challenging than the material tested. I'm a decent test taker, but not to the extent where I had enough gas to maintain quality for the last 3 blocks. After my (too short) lunch I made a bunch of unforced errors. If there's a clue, take it- they're probably not trying to trick you!

 

[Joanna1987]

Wrote my exam yesterday and I found the experience more challenging than the material tested. I'm a decent test taker, but not to the extent where I had enough gas to maintain quality for the last 3 blocks. After my (too short) lunch I made a bunch of unforced errors. If there's a clue, take it- they're probably not trying to trick you!

Congrats on being done!

So, you're saying that the questions were fairly okay? Was it like nbme 18 or something?


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[aladeen]

I'd suggest DIT. I've heard from a lot of people that it helps boost your score by 15-20 points at the least!

thanks for the tip! watched some of the cardio videos yesterday - they seem pretty helpful! i'd heard from others that it's basically just someone reading fa to you, but maybe that's what i need at this point.

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Congrats on being done!

So, you're saying that the questions were fairly okay? Was it like nbme 18 or something?


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Fairly okay is a good way to put it. I did UWorld, Pathoma, Goljan Audio, and FA and some of the concepts tested were a little bit out of the scope of those resources (but that's not the majority of the test!). I don't think it's good to compare NBMEs to the real thing, since on test day they have 80 more questions to work with and experimental ones that aren't counted. That said, I found individual blocks of NBME 18 and 19 to be more difficult than individual blocks on the real thing. Compared to earlier NBMEs I felt like there were fewer clues in the question stems (whereas the real thing sometimes made it so easy that you get paranoid and change your answer).

 

[Surgeria]

Fairly okay is a good way to put it. I did UWorld, Pathoma, Goljan Audio, and FA and some of the concepts tested were a little bit out of the scope of those resources (but that's not the majority of the test!). I don't think it's good to compare NBMEs to the real thing, since on test day they have 80 more questions to work with and experimental ones that aren't counted. That said, I found individual blocks of NBME 18 and 19 to be more difficult than individual blocks on the real thing. Compared to earlier NBMEs I felt like there were fewer clues in the question stems (whereas the real thing sometimes made it so easy that you get paranoid and change your answer).

Thank you for your input. I frequently think that what if real deal will be really tough? Reading posts like this, wanes anxiety a bit away.

When you stated compared to earlier nbme's there were fewer clues, you are speaking about hint points and things that make the stem clear? Like jaw pain + headaches in stem about temporal arteritis? And the last nbme's have more clues like this compared to 1-13 NBME? Thank you.

If you don't mind what are you nbme scores?

 

[The Helpful Aye Aye]

Also, if you're reviewing micro or hematology from those little boxes in FA, I suggest also looking at images of full slides of the condition you're studying. For example, you may know what one organism looks like but can you recognize a seriously invaded tissue on a full blood smear? Sketchy doesn't really help with that either, since you're getting adorable drawings of organisms.

pls don't arrest me nbme