Got my score back the other day and home from vacation now so here's my write up...
NBME15 (baseline 8ish weeks out)--237
Free 120 (3 weeks out)--88%
NBME 19 (one week out)--246
Real deal--263
I was honestly shocked to see my score. My goal was a 250 and I never dreamed of breaking into the 260s! I've already discussed my test day experience but to recap--felt just like an NBME, very similar to 19. I must have been very lucky in retrospect because there were no major surprises and I felt like I could reason through all the questions.
Resources used (in order of importance)
Uworld--nothing groundbreaking to say here. Did a first pass before dedicated which was helpful for me (69% first pass). About 1/2 was alongside of my organ system blocks, the other half I did random mode in the months leading up to dedicated. I did not take notes or anything the first pass. Second pass during dedicated I did 60-80 questions per day, mostly random tutor mode. Second pass was 84%. I took some notes which I compiled in Excel...but nothing too crazy because I forced myself to write them in my own words without looking at Uworld. This helped solidify things. I did not do any flashcards for Uworld. I did some of my incorrects during the week of my test, especially the hated topics of biochem and neuro.
Firecracker--I could do a really long, in depth discussion of this resource but I will keep it short here and just say that I feel this is hands down the best review resource out there. It is absolutely the most comprehensive without being too detailed. It is NOT simply first aid in flashcard format (I thought this until I actually used FA a little bit lol). There are really good explanations of topics not found anywhere else that helps you not have to memorize as much (understanding mechanism and the "why" behind stuff). I used it extensively alongside classes, and I did a lot of flashcards during dedicated. I also read through topics and used it like a review book which was helpful, but forced recall is undoubtedly the way to go if you can make the time for it. 1000% would do firecracker again, worth every penny.
Goljan--discovered this gem about 2/3 through my organ system curriculum. The beauty of this book is that Goljan explains the mechanism behind just about everything--there are so soooo many "ah hah" moments where you finally get to fully understand something you have tried to rote memorize in the past. For me, I think the key to my score was memorizing as little as possible, and trying to get as much information/mechanism as I could to stick long-term. Goljan was absolutely key for this!! (but doing questions is better/just as important...). I read through all the organ system chapters in Goljan 2-3x during dedicated, and the basic science stuff 1.5x. I was really kicking myself for not having started the basic science stuff earlier because there is some GOLD in there...overall this was a great resource for me and the most enjoyable to read/use.
All other resources were used sporadically/minimally:
Pathoma: watched on the treadmill, alongside classes and during dedicated. For dedicated I only watched chapters that I was weak on (like breast cancers, bone tumors, blood cancers, glomerulopathies, etc). I also did the foundational (first three chapters stuff) more in depth because I was very weak on this stuff and it kept coming up in NBMEs.
Rx Qbank: Did probably 80-90% alongside my classes. Honestly a very solid Qbank that helps drill in the most important concepts and facts. I did a few blocks in some of my weaker areas during dedicated (a good bit of neuro).
First Aid: Did not like the formatting/content of this book at all...Just was not working for me. I think I need more than just bullet points and phrases to engage my brain...That being said, I did one pass through the basic science section in the 3 days before my test, and having done a lot of questions at that point I was able to make more connections and engage my brain a little better. But it really freaked me out when I would come across random facts and stuff that I felt like I didn't know or had not seen before (FA has plenty of LOW YIELD crap that was never in Uworld, NBME, other resoruces, etc...). Moral of the story is YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THIS BOOK IF YOU DONT LIKE IT!!!
Robbins Qbank and text: Used extensively alongside classes. Time would have been better spend with GOLJAN (although the questions were probably pretty helpful, but a lot are on random diseases and crap that never comes up again).
Overall, the most important things for me were understanding mechanisms behind stuff (without going too crazy here) so that I could memorize as little as possible. Most of this was done alongside my classes and just refreshed in dedicated. I also had a really, really positive attitude on test day and totally pumped myself up! (test day soundtrack--We Are The Champions, We Will Rock you, A Country Boy Can Survive, etc...)
During classes I always did reasonably well but was nowhere near the top (except on one or two blocks like micro). I usually got low A's on test or high Bs. I actually completely stopped listening to lectures during my last semester and would only read through the powerpoints maybe twice or three times...AFTER having read the textbooks. I spent a ton of time during classes reading books, doing flashcards (firecracker), and doing practice questions. I realized that doing the lecture deal took the longest and was the least helpful for me...so I prioritized accordingly.
My goal in med school has always been to just learn stuff well, and the fields I'm interested in do not require a high step score. This allowed me to break away from the UFAPs mantra and lectures, which was a major risk in my mind but absolutely paid off. Good luck to everyone studying for this beast!!!!
