USMLE Official 2018 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[Foot Fetish]

I've always wanted to start one of these...So here we go!

My stats:

M2
Test time: June 2018
Goal score: 270

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[Nephronlearner]

hey guys, any recommendations on what NBME to take next? Will be done with first pass in a week or so.
After the soul-crushing NBME 19, it would be nice not to take on with such a harsh curve.
Going to take just 2 more NBMEs and maybe UWS1 or 2 during the middle of my second pass.

As far as NBMEs are concerned I would say 18 and 19 reflect the real test the most, although the curve on 19 does seem the harshest. 17 also has a harsh curve but I think the questions are overall easier. I am not sure I would recommend 13 and 15 if you don't intend to take them all.
UWSAs also reflect the real test quite well, although UWSA1 might be a bit too generous as far as scoring goes.

 

[Estranged]

can you elaborate a little on your prep? resources used ? timeline/duration of prep? IMG here thank you

I have used Kaplan for all subjects apart from Patho, fro which I used Goljan along with Pathoma videos. I also did BRS Physio and BRS Anatomy. I have done the 3 major Qbanks( uworld, Rx, Kaplan) and the NBMEs.
I'll do a detailed write-up If I get a good score cause right now I don't have time.
Good luck

 

[Estranged]

For those who took step 1 in 2018 : Does UWSA2 still overpredict? And by how much?

I got 264 in it with 90% correct, my last NBME (18) was 267.

 

[Elessar]

I took my test this week and have been feeling miserable about the numerous careless mistakes I made. I know I got about 30 questions wrong from the ones I remember, and there are a lot that I can't recall or I am not sure about. For the past couple days I've had these stupid questions randomly pop up in my head that's basically interfering with my day-to-day function. Rotations start in a week and this definitely won't help. I am pretty sure I fall into the category of being overpredicted by NBMEs/UWSAs. FWIW here are my scores on practice exams:

NBMEs
18: 210 (8 weeks out before any studying)
13: 240 (3.5 weeks out)
15: 248 (16 days out)
16: 252 (12 days out)
17: 259 (10 days out)
19: 244 (7 days out)

UWSA1: 258 (83% correct) (14 days out)
UWSA2: 264 (>89% correct) (5 days out)

Free 120: 87% (3 days out)

UW 1st pass: 73%
UW 2nd pass: 93% (meaningless I know)
Kaplan 1st pass: 82%

I felt fairly well rested on exam day and wasn't overly nervous during the exam. I marked between 4-10 questions per block and had 10 to 20 minutes at the end of each block to review. This was my normal pace - my average time spent on each question was consistently 60-70 seconds on UW/NBMEs. In retrospect, I might have rushed through many questions and didn't think clearly. Also, I changed at least 10 questions from correct to incorrect. Granted, many of these were 50/50 and my first instinct could've been wrong anyway, but somehow I had the uncontrollable urge to second guess myself. There were also some weird/WTF ethics questions that I'm not even including in the 30 incorrects. I would say overall the exam was fair, but the wording was definitely more confusing and tricky than UW/NBME, at least for me. I also did poorly in organ systems that I was strong at (those that I got stars on the NBMEs). Seeing how many people scored at/above their average NBMEs, I was hoping to get 250+ going into it but now I think I would be lucky to even break 240. Sorry about the rant, I just feel so disappointed at myself and I don't even know how to begin to move on.

100% guarantee you score >250. I look forward to you coming back with your score report in a few weeks and quoting this post..

 

[Foramenlacerum]

For those who took step 1 in 2018 : Does UWSA2 still overpredict? And by how much?

I got 264 in it with 90% correct, my last NBME (18) was 267.

Underpredicted for me. However, I took it after doing 3 blocks of UWorld and on an empty stomach so I was over it by the time I got to blocks 3 and 4. It’s possible my score would have been much higher had I not just flown through it. For example, I got a 90% on block 1 and a 77% block 4. Some of that variability is because I was hangry.

I know it is hard, but don’t worry anymore. Your practice tests are excellent and consistent. So assuming you’re not looking anything up or studying quizlet cards made from the exams, you are going to score >250 and probably >260.

 

[Foramenlacerum]

I took my test this week and have been feeling miserable about the numerous careless mistakes I made. I know I got about 30 questions wrong from the ones I remember, and there are a lot that I can't recall or I am not sure about. For the past couple days I've had these stupid questions randomly pop up in my head that's basically interfering with my day-to-day function. Rotations start in a week and this definitely won't help. I am pretty sure I fall into the category of being overpredicted by NBMEs/UWSAs. FWIW here are my scores on practice exams:

NBMEs
18: 210 (8 weeks out before any studying)
13: 240 (3.5 weeks out)
15: 248 (16 days out)
16: 252 (12 days out)
17: 259 (10 days out)
19: 244 (7 days out)

UWSA1: 258 (83% correct) (14 days out)
UWSA2: 264 (>89% correct) (5 days out)

Free 120: 87% (3 days out)

UW 1st pass: 73%
UW 2nd pass: 93% (meaningless I know)
Kaplan 1st pass: 82%

I felt fairly well rested on exam day and wasn't overly nervous during the exam. I marked between 4-10 questions per block and had 10 to 20 minutes at the end of each block to review. This was my normal pace - my average time spent on each question was consistently 60-70 seconds on UW/NBMEs. In retrospect, I might have rushed through many questions and didn't think clearly. Also, I changed at least 10 questions from correct to incorrect. Granted, many of these were 50/50 and my first instinct could've been wrong anyway, but somehow I had the uncontrollable urge to second guess myself. There were also some weird/WTF ethics questions that I'm not even including in the 30 incorrects. I would say overall the exam was fair, but the wording was definitely more confusing and tricky than UW/NBME, at least for me. I also did poorly in organ systems that I was strong at (those that I got stars on the NBMEs). Seeing how many people scored at/above their average NBMEs, I was hoping to get 250+ going into it but now I think I would be lucky to even break 240. Sorry about the rant, I just feel so disappointed at myself and I don't even know how to begin to move on.

You’re going to be just fine. I knew for sure I missed 21 questions. I probably really missed 40+. You were scoring much higher on practice exams than I was.

How you feel after the exam is not a good indicator. I am a perfect example. I have talked to people that scored >260 that felt great and those that felt liked they failed. I’ve talked to people that scored in the 230-250 range, same thing. Some felt great, some felt awful. And I’ve talked to people who scored < 230, again. Same thing. I’ve even talked to people who scored low 200s that felt great after the test. Clearly how you feel is not at all predictive, but your consistency on practice exams should be.

 

[MrTaco92]

Anyone have recommendations for someone looking to bring up their behavioral sciences score? More specifically the ethics questions. I'm a very unethical student, apparently. So unethical to the extent that I could probably bring my score up a decent amount even if I were to improve to "average" percentile on these questions. My plan as of now is to just get my hands on as many of those questions as possible between all 3 major qbanks and hope that pattern recognition will pull me through on these questions come test day.

 

[Foramenlacerum]

Anyone have recommendations for someone looking to bring up their behavioral sciences score? More specifically the ethics questions. I'm a very unethical student, apparently. So unethical to the extent that I could probably bring my score up a decent amount even if I were to improve to "average" percentile on these questions. My plan as of now is to just get my hands on as many of those questions as possible between all 3 major qbanks and hope that pattern recognition will pull me through on these questions come test day.

I would just pay very close attention to the Qbanks. I also struggled with behavior and the ethical questions, not because I’m unethical, but because I would typically do none of the things that they suggest. You will see a pattern after doing the qbanks. I went from having my NBME bar for this section in the lower performance to earning a star on the real deal. I only used Qbanks but I didn’t just do the questions to do them. I looked for a pattern. How are they asking the question? what type of question is it (i.e does it involve talking to or educating patients? End of life decisions? Withdrawing support? Translation?) then look at the answer choices. There is a pattern with the answer choices. Safest bet is to always go with the one that seems like you are being overly nice or accommodating.

 

[Krabbeman]

5 weeks out: Rx=83%, Kaplan 84%, nbme 13=232

2 weeks out: UWorld 84%

9 days out UWSA1: 279
8 days out UWSA2: 271
7 days out free 120: 85% (wtf)
6 days out nbme 15: 255

My wild inconsistency I fear will be the death of me

 

[pbrocks15]

If I were to do it over again, I would probably spend more time on Pathoma and really understand the histology of each disease, especially malignancies. I went through Pathoma videos once and read the book once, but still there were some gaps in my knowledge that came back to haunt me as my exam was image/pathology heavy. Pay close attention to those rare diseases. I also should have supplemented FA with other sources to strengthen my understanding of physiology as any weakness will definitely be exposed on Step 1. FA really doesn't do a good job at this. I did this in the final two weeks but it was too late. Also, instead of going through all of UW a second time, it might be better to focus on just the incorrect/marked questions to save some time. The Kaplan Q bank questions are very different from the real test but it has great explanations with references to FA, so I wish I had done it along with FA and regular classes during M2. Lastly, I think more than 3 NBMEs were an overkill and took away precious study time. Probably just 17/19 plus the UWSAs would be enough.

Good luck to you and everyone else!

I've heard that Step is heavily Path orientated overall. Is that true for most other testers? I'm considering adding in the Pathology Zanki and not sure if it's worth it or not

 

[Nephronlearner]

I've heard that Step is heavily Path orientated overall. Is that true for most other testers? I'm considering adding in the Pathology Zanki and not sure if it's worth it or not

I am not sure what Zanki deck is but I don't remember too many problematic path concepts (outside of FA/UW). I thought micro was the worst overall. There was also plenty of psych/behav and statistics on mine. Overall it seems to be pretty random.
I thought the number of questions with images was depressingly high, though (true for all the disciplines)!
Agree with yyll and cannot stress this enough: learn what every illness and microbe look like under the microscope (and in case of pathology - at the autopsy)!

 

[pbrocks15]

I am not sure what Zanki deck is but I don't remember too many problematic path concepts (outside of FA/UW). I thought micro was the worst overall. There was also plenty of psych/behav and statistics on mine. Overall it seems to be pretty random.
I thought the number of questions with images was depressingly high, though (true for all the disciplines)!
Agree with yyll and cannot stress this enough: learn what every illness and microbe look like under the microscope (and in case of pathology - at the autopsy)!

Zanki is an anki deck made from FA, pathoma and a few other resources. I do feel like everyone has a different experience with the content so I dont know if thats the best path but it has pathoma mainly in its path deck so thats why I'm considering it

 

[Nephronlearner]

Zanki is an anki deck made from FA, pathoma and a few other resources. I do feel like everyone has a different experience with the content so I dont know if thats the best path but it has pathoma mainly in its path deck so thats why I'm considering it

I really don't want to comment on the resources I am not familiar with. All I can say (also n=1) is that I did use Pathoma for my pathology course at med school (which was exactly 4 years ago - had no plans of doing the USMLEs back then but wanted some decent path lectures). During my Step 1 study period I focused on UW and FA. Path and physio were consistently my strongest subjects in UW and on the NBMEs. I also felt, those 2 were more than adequate for the path questions on the real test, with the exception of images.
I don't think any single resource is "essential" (except maybe UW) because to be fair most of the resources cover pretty much the same material and nobody knows exactly what questions are in the actual Step 1 bank so I suppose whatever resource anyone feels comfortable with should be fine. I did not find pathology questions overly detail-oriented.

 

[Foot Fetish]

Are the offline retired NBMEs considered easy? Because I've done a few of them now, and I'm consistently getting less than 10 questions wrong per exam (by online consensus answers). According to the old rule of thumb for scoring (# correct x 1.4), this is equivalent to 266+. To me, they basically just feel like a slightly trickier Rx (which projected my score at 290 lol).

So, I'm 6 weeks out now (not in dedicated yet). I feel like I could take it today and get a good score, but I want to be maximally risk-averse since I'm shooting for the stars. Like I said in a previous post, I don't believe in the notion of peaking prematurely. I've been studying for this test 8+ hours everyday for over a year now, and I'm still learning new things on a daily basis. If anything, I wish I had started sooner, like Day 1 of M1. The sheer volume of testable information for this test is simply enormous, and it's almost impossible to be fully prepared.

 

[ERDOC555]

Are the offline retired NBMEs considered easy? Because I've done a few of them now, and I'm consistently getting less than 10 questions wrong per exam (by online consensus answers). According to the old rule of thumb for scoring (# correct x 1.4), this is equivalent to 266+. To me, they basically just feel like a slightly trickier Rx (which projected my score at 290 lol).

So, I'm 6 weeks out now (not in dedicated yet). I feel like I could take it today and get a good score, but I want to be maximally risk-averse since I'm shooting for the stars. Like I said in a previous post, I don't believe in the notion of peaking prematurely. I've been studying for this test 8+ hours everyday for over a year now, and I'm still learning new things on a daily basis. If anything, I wish I had started sooner, like Day 1 of M1. The sheer volume of testable information for this test is simply enormous, and it's almost impossible to be fully prepared.

95%+ consistently is really impressive, but I don't think the 1.4 x scoring works well anymore since the NBME curves have slowly been adjusted upwards, at least for certain portions of the scale. For example, right around 90-91%, the 1.4 rule it overestimates by a solid 5 or more points (for 15 and 16). It may very well hold true once you get that high up (~95%), but I'm not sure. I would imagine that's at least 260+ minimum.

I've been collecting % correct scores to NBME Scores in a different thread (Official: NBME % Correct to 3 Digit Score Thread) where people who take them officially can post their results so that people who take them in PDF format can compare. Check it out as several people posted similar scores to yours which may give you a better estimate of how you're doing.

 

[SmallGirlBigDreams]

. I've been studying for this test 8+ hours everyday for over a year now, and I'm still learning new things on a daily basis. If anything, I wish I had started sooner, like Day 1 of M1. The sheer volume of testable information for this test is simply enormous, and it's almost impossible to be fully prepared.

Can I ask you when you began studying for Step? And how did you manage to study 8+ hours every day alongside your classes? I saw earlier that you finished 2 qbanks before dedicated.... just... how?!! You deserve an amazing score.

 

[Epicurusall]

Are the offline retired NBMEs considered easy? Because I've done a few of them now, and I'm consistently getting less than 10 questions wrong per exam (by online consensus answers). According to the old rule of thumb for scoring (# correct x 1.4), this is equivalent to 266+. To me, they basically just feel like a slightly trickier Rx (which projected my score at 290 lol).

So, I'm 6 weeks out now (not in dedicated yet). I feel like I could take it today and get a good score, but I want to be maximally risk-averse since I'm shooting for the stars. Like I said in a previous post, I don't believe in the notion of peaking prematurely. I've been studying for this test 8+ hours everyday for over a year now, and I'm still learning new things on a daily basis. If anything, I wish I had started sooner, like Day 1 of M1. The sheer volume of testable information for this test is simply enormous, and it's almost impossible to be fully prepared.

I know it's early but I would definitely appreciate a fully detailed write-up post about your prep so far. I'm an M1 and share that philosophy, hoping to be in your shoes walking into dedicated next year!

 

[Foot Fetish]

Can I ask you when you began studying for Step? And how did you manage to study 8+ hours every day alongside your classes? I saw earlier that you finished 2 qbanks before dedicated.... just... how?!! You deserve an amazing score.

Thank you. I've actually finished all 3 of the big q banks before dedicated (RX, UW, Kaplan). I started preparing for Step 1 towards the end of M1 (probably around March 2017 or so). It started with the Brosencephalon Anki deck, and then I switched to Zanki as soon as it came out. I started doing q banks day 1 of M2 while still chipping away at the Zanki deck (and adding new cards...it's up to 29,000 cards now, 95% mature). I ignored classes as much as possible. I would skip all non-mandatory lectures and just crush Anki and q banks everyday, up to 15 hours per day at times, until about 1 week before the final exams, at which point I would cram the class powerpoints in order to pass. We're true pass/fail, so I've been content to just score around the class average this year. I wish I would have done this since day 1 of M1, but foolishly I spent most of my M1 year chasing A's in worthless classes with nothing to show for it. Oh well, better late(r) than never. I just hope this will all be enough.

 

[Rahas]

I just finished all old NBMEs. It wasn't something I had planned, but I'm engaged in some family issues right now, and thought it a better alternative to completely stopping studies.

My mistakes range from 0-8. I dropped some very easy questions, probably due to being somewhat distracted while solving them. For someone like you, I dont believe old NBMEs will offer much. I can't really say if they benefited me at all. Their language is similar to that of newer NBMEs (vague/tricky), so for people having trouble transitioning from UWorld to NBMEs, they might help. But this wasn't the case for me.

I think this close to your exam, and considering your level of prep (I'm guessing you have more material to cover than most people), you should probably skip them. Not sure if you're planning on repeating UW incorrects or redoing all of it, but you do have all online NBMEs, UWSA 1 and 2, as well as the free 120. Thats more than enough imo.

To answer your question, I found them easier than the newer NBMEs overall. However, once you get into the 180+ range, you're down to those few questions that anyone can get wrong. The 180 I easily got correct in the old NBMEs were, on average, easier than the 180 I easily got correct in the newer NBMEs (16, 17, 18 etc). But my total no. of incorrects is similar between old and new NBMEs. But to be fair, I was MUCH more focused in the online NBMEs.

If you're consistently getting >190/200, I think you're set for a 260+ score. I hope I am too! The 1.4 multiplier is inaccurate, because the multiplier changes as you score higher. Once you're >190, its accurate. For someone scoring 170, he/she should probably try multiplying by 1.3.

 

[DubbiDoctor]

I just finished all old NBMEs. It wasn't something I had planned, but I'm engaged in some family issues right now, and thought it a better alternative to completely stopping studies.

My mistakes range from 0-8. I dropped some very easy questions, probably due to being somewhat distracted while solving them. For someone like you, I dont believe old NBMEs will offer much. I can't really say if they benefited me at all. Their language is similar to that of newer NBMEs (vague/tricky), so for people having trouble transitioning from UWorld to NBMEs, they might help. But this wasn't the case for me.

I think this close to your exam, and considering your level of prep (I'm guessing you have more material to cover than most people), you should probably skip them. Not sure if you're planning on repeating UW incorrects or redoing all of it, but you do have all online NBMEs, UWSA 1 and 2, as well as the free 120. Thats more than enough imo.

To answer your question, I found them easier than the newer NBMEs overall. However, once you get into the 180+ range, you're down to those few questions that anyone can get wrong. The 180 I easily got correct in the old NBMEs were, on average, easier than the 180 I easily got correct in the newer NBMEs (16, 17, 18 etc). But my total no. of incorrects is similar between old and new NBMEs. But to be fair, I was MUCH more focused in the online NBMEs.

If you're consistently getting >190/200, I think you're set for a 260+ score. I hope I am too! The 1.4 multiplier is inaccurate, because the multiplier changes as you score higher. Once you're >190, its accurate. For someone scoring 170, he/she should probably try multiplying by 1.3.

Hey, I saw in your post history that you said you were about to take step 1 at the end of March last year. Based on the practice scores you said you had gotten, you seemed set to do really well. So why are you saying now that you will be taking step 1 in the near future?

 

[Rahas]

Both my parents fell very ill. I'm the only child in the same city, so I had to put everything on hold.

 

[831929]

As far as NBMEs are concerned I would say 18 and 19 reflect the real test the most, although the curve on 19 does seem the harshest. 17 also has a harsh curve but I think the questions are overall easier. I am not sure I would recommend 13 and 15 if you don't intend to take them all.
UWSAs also reflect the real test quite well, although UWSA1 might be a bit too generous as far as scoring goes.

Thanks! I will probably take 17 and then 18 in that case. I might just squeeze UWSA 2 in between, unless I feel like I need to test more in which case I will try to do both.

 

[SmallGirlBigDreams]

Thank you. I've actually finished all 3 of the big q banks before dedicated (RX, UW, Kaplan). I started preparing for Step 1 towards the end of M1 (probably around March 2017 or so). It started with the Brosencephalon Anki deck, and then I switched to Zanki as soon as it came out. I started doing q banks day 1 of M2 while still chipping away at the Zanki deck (and adding new cards...it's up to 29,000 cards now, 95% mature). I ignored classes as much as possible. I would skip all non-mandatory lectures and just crush Anki and q banks everyday, up to 15 hours per day at times, until about 1 week before the final exams, at which point I would cram the class powerpoints in order to pass. We're true pass/fail, so I've been content to just score around the class average this year. I wish I would have done this since day 1 of M1, but foolishly I spent most of my M1 year chasing A's in worthless classes with nothing to show for it. Oh well, better late(r) than never. I just hope this will all be enough.

Thanks so much for the detailed write-up. It gives me hope that it's not too late for me (finishing M1). I hope to finish all the qbanks before dedicated also. Since you finished UWorld already, do you plan on doing it again during dedicated?

 

[DoctorG2020]

NBME 13: 198 (4/14)
NBME 15: 236 (4/29) - 7 weeks out

Has anyone ever seen a jump like this in 2 weeks? I'm terribly worried that NBME 15 was a fluke. In those 2 weeks, I basically just did mixed blocks of anatomy (weakness), embryo, and stats while revisiting some micro/passively reviewing a few organ systems in FA which has Pathoma annotated in it. I wouldn't say I did anything deserving of a jump like that though. I can't take another practice exam for 3 weeks, so I'm wondering if I should keep doing what I was doing or find out if there is some huge difference between those two exams.

What is a realistic goal?

 

[Krabbeman]

5 weeks out: Rx=83%, Kaplan 84%, nbme 13=232

2 weeks out: UWorld 84%

9 days out UWSA1: 279
8 days out UWSA2: 271
7 days out free 120: 85% (wtf)
6 days out nbme 15: 255

My wild inconsistency I fear will be the death of me

5 days out nbme 16: 255 (is it possible that I'm just like, selectively good at UWorld Qs?)

Just want that 240+ so I can apply into optho. 250 would be nice, but I just wanna do good enough to get what I want. That premed gunner for the sake of it attitude is long gone at this point friends.

 

[medgal1025201]

How common is it to do fairly well during dedicated (250+ on 3 consecutive NBME's) and bomb the real thing? Less than 2 weeks til my test & I'm starting to really freak out & feel like I know nothing.

NBME's 15-18: 238, 252, 259, 255.

 

[pbrocks15]

How common is it to do fairly well during dedicated (250+ on 3 consecutive NBME's) and bomb the real thing? Less than 2 weeks til my test & I'm starting to really freak out & feel like I know nothing.

NBME's 15-18: 238, 252, 259, 255.

From the looks of this thread and last years - not likely at all.

 

[medgal1025201]

From the looks of this thread and last years - not likely at all.

I'm just wondering if those people wouldn't post something if that actually did happen..

 

[pbrocks15]

I'm just wondering if those people wouldn't post something if that actually did happen..

True, but from what I've followed (and I've been following both pretty closely) I haven't seen many people do really well and then fall off the thread. Maybe others can speak to this

 

[Foot Fetish]

Thanks so much for the detailed write-up. It gives me hope that it's not too late for me (finishing M1). I hope to finish all the qbanks before dedicated also. Since you finished UWorld already, do you plan on doing it again during dedicated?

Yes, I am planning a second pass of UWorld for dedicated.
I'll do an even more detailed write-up after I get my score back.

 

[Nephronlearner]

How common is it to do fairly well during dedicated (250+ on 3 consecutive NBME's) and bomb the real thing? Less than 2 weeks til my test & I'm starting to really freak out & feel like I know nothing.

NBME's 15-18: 238, 252, 259, 255.

True, but from what I've followed (and I've been following both pretty closely) I haven't seen many people do really well and then fall off the thread. Maybe others can speak to this

According to some data posted here, very few people reported their scores dropping. Someone actually analysed last year's scores. I think there is a separate graph for each NBME on page 5 of this thread.
In fact it seems like of all the people on this forum with NBME 18 of 255 or higher only 5-6 scored below 250 on the actual test.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to be one of the few to see a significant drop given the rather... unpleasant experience, haha!

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

NBME 13: 198 (4/14)
NBME 15: 236 (4/29) - 7 weeks out

Has anyone ever seen a jump like this in 2 weeks? I'm terribly worried that NBME 15 was a fluke. In those 2 weeks, I basically just did mixed blocks of anatomy (weakness), embryo, and stats while revisiting some micro/passively reviewing a few organ systems in FA which has Pathoma annotated in it. I wouldn't say I did anything deserving of a jump like that though. I can't take another practice exam for 3 weeks, so I'm wondering if I should keep doing what I was doing or find out if there is some huge difference between those two exams.

What is a realistic goal?

I had a 196 on CBSE before dedicated, and then got a 252 on NBME 13 about 3 weeks in. So a large jump isn't impossible

 

[831929]

I had a 196 on CBSE before dedicated, and then got a 252 on NBME 13 about 3 weeks in. So a large jump isn't impossible

If you don't mind me asking since I had about a similar initial NBME score, how did you feel while doing uworld at the start of your dedicated? I am doing it by organ systems and just add on organ systems to the question pool as I go along but sometimes I'm worried I'm just not learning enough from questions because I make similar mistakes. Initial goal score was 250+ but these last few days have been slightly discouraging.

 

[DubbiDoctor]

Hi guys,
I needed some advice, I'm 4 weeks out but wanted some insight on if I should push my test or keeping going.
Scores have been :
NBME 15- 259 10 weeks back
UW1- 275 6 weeks back
NBME 16- 265 4 weeks back
NBME 19- 275 2 weeks back

Currently on by 2nd pass of UW- 50%, around 99%, first pass was 90%

Prefacing this by saying I've never taken or prepared for step 1, but it seems reasonable that if your practice scores are super high and you don't think there's anything more you can learn, then reschedule it for an earlier date. Do you plan on taking more practice exams? You don't need to, but I'm interested in how you do, as your scores are among the highest I've seen.

 

[Foramenlacerum]

5 weeks out: Rx=83%, Kaplan 84%, nbme 13=232

2 weeks out: UWorld 84%

9 days out UWSA1: 279
8 days out UWSA2: 271
7 days out free 120: 85% (wtf)
6 days out nbme 15: 255

My wild inconsistency I fear will be the death of me

I wouldn’t consider this wildly inconsistent. If you were scoring 209 then 279 then 220 that would be concerning. But after a certain point (maybe 250) only few questions can really drop or increase your score. You’ll score >250 easily.

 

[Krabbeman]

I wouldn’t consider this wildly inconsistent. If you were scoring 209 then 279 then 220 that would be concerning. But after a certain point (maybe 250) only few questions can really drop or increase your score. You’ll score >250 easily.

I took nbme 16 and got a 255 again, which was the same score I got the day previously on 15. So back to back 255s make me feel more confident for sure. When I was going over my uworlds, I noticed that somehow I got extremely lucky on every guess. So I only missed like literally 3-5 on each block. but my nbmes I think are closer to where I'm truly at. back to back same exact scores is pretty convincing to me. so I'm feeling much better now after a couple higher nbmes. It was just that 232 on 13 that was scaring me ( not that I think a 232 is terrible, I'd actually be fine with a 232 if I didn't want to go into Optho.. but unforunately step 1 being a huge factor for more competitive specialties is a reality). But it was like my first practice exam only 1 week into dedicated with no uworld done. So I'm taking it as an outlier. My goals a 245+ so I'm feeling pretty good atm.

I'm sure I'm not "burned out"... but I'm finding it much much harder to study. Like I skipped a practice exam today because I just couldn't make myself do it.

How did you guys do it the last week before your exam?? Do you think I'm okay to not take one of the nbmes? I originally was going to do them all but since I didn't take one today that's probably not gonna happen as I'm 4 days out and have 3 left. If I was gonna not do one, which one would be the best to leave out.

thanks for advice/suggestions. Much appreciated.

 

[Nephronlearner]

I took nbme 16 and got a 255 again, which was the same score I got the day previously on 15. So back to back 255s make me feel more confident for sure. When I was going over my uworlds, I noticed that somehow I got extremely lucky on every guess. So I only missed like literally 3-5 on each block. but my nbmes I think are closer to where I'm truly at. back to back same exact scores is pretty convincing to me. so I'm feeling much better now after a couple higher nbmes. It was just that 232 on 13 that was scaring me ( not that I think a 232 is terrible, I'd actually be fine with a 232 if I didn't want to go into Optho.. but unforunately step 1 being a huge factor for more competitive specialties is a reality). But it was like my first practice exam only 1 week into dedicated with no uworld done. So I'm taking it as an outlier. My goals a 245+ so I'm feeling pretty good atm.

I'm sure I'm not "burned out"... but I'm finding it much much harder to study. Like I skipped a practice exam today because I just couldn't make myself do it.

How did you guys do it the last week before your exam?? Do you think I'm okay to not take one of the nbmes? I originally was going to do them all but since I didn't take one today that's probably not gonna happen as I'm 4 days out and have 3 left. If I was gonna not do one, which one would be the best to leave out.

thanks for advice/suggestions. Much appreciated.

I thought the last couple of weeks were horrible and I definitely felt my productivity was getting worse. In fact at certain point I felt like I was forgetting too many details (genes, antibodies, drugs, etc). Even worse, I started missing "easy" questions as I started misreading them all the time!
I believe last year's data showed that UWSA2 is among the most predictive tests so you definitely are ready. I think you could check out NBME 18 and 19 as questions on those 2 reflect the real exam the most I think!

 

[theonlytycrane]

@Foot Fetish During your m1 summer did you do a lot of board prep on top of research work? If so was this zanki / q-bank?

 

[Foramenlacerum]

I took nbme 16 and got a 255 again, which was the same score I got the day previously on 15. So back to back 255s make me feel more confident for sure. When I was going over my uworlds, I noticed that somehow I got extremely lucky on every guess. So I only missed like literally 3-5 on each block. but my nbmes I think are closer to where I'm truly at. back to back same exact scores is pretty convincing to me. so I'm feeling much better now after a couple higher nbmes. It was just that 232 on 13 that was scaring me ( not that I think a 232 is terrible, I'd actually be fine with a 232 if I didn't want to go into Optho.. but unforunately step 1 being a huge factor for more competitive specialties is a reality). But it was like my first practice exam only 1 week into dedicated with no uworld done. So I'm taking it as an outlier. My goals a 245+ so I'm feeling pretty good atm.

I'm sure I'm not "burned out"... but I'm finding it much much harder to study. Like I skipped a practice exam today because I just couldn't make myself do it.

How did you guys do it the last week before your exam?? Do you think I'm okay to not take one of the nbmes? I originally was going to do them all but since I didn't take one today that's probably not gonna happen as I'm 4 days out and have 3 left. If I was gonna not do one, which one would be the best to leave out.

thanks for advice/suggestions. Much appreciated.

I wouldn’t stress about the last NBMEs they didn’t provide me with any content or help with strategy since my exam was nothing like the NBME. You have nothing to worry about. Give your brain a rest for a day and then go over whatever UW you have left. You’ll be fine. My highest NBME was a 241 and I got a 250. Also keep in mind that the highest average for matched residents is like in plastics or derm or something and is a 249. That’s the AVERAGE. That means that people scored lower and still matched. For most of the competitive specialties scores between 241-260 make up at least 50% of matched residents. So just breathe and you’ll be fine.

 

[Nephronlearner]

Aw man, I was one of them. I think I got 257 on 18 and went down to 248 on the real test.

But still, if you are getting above 250, you probably won't do poorly. Above 250, each question you get wrong brings you down a lot. Below 250, it takes more questions wrong before you drop

Yeah, that's very true. I got 12 wrong on 2 of my best NBME's and got 255 on one and 261 on the other... and considering that some people get >270 on NBMEs with 4-6 wrong - it probably makes a single answer worth ~2 NBME points.

That being said, it seems like experiences vary a lot. Even the perception of question style differs! I felt most NBME 18/19 questions "looked/felt" similar to most of the real ones. Although the real test had a significantly larger number of ridiculously hard questions and I am not confident at all about the outcome.

248 is nevertheless a great score and I would be very pleased if I got it! Congratulations!

 

[Foot Fetish]

@Foot Fetish During your m1 summer did you do a lot of board prep on top of research work? If so was this zanki / q-bank?

Yes, it was the most hellish but productive summer of my life. From 8 am to 4 pm I collected data, and from 5 pm to 11 pm, I did Zanki.

 

[510586]

Yes, it was the most hellish but productive summer of my life. From 8 am to 4 pm I collected data, and from 5 pm to 11 pm, I did Zanki.

How many cards/sections could you knock out and we'r you just doing them blind or as review of first year?

 

[theonlytycrane]

Yes, it was the most hellish but productive summer of my life. From 8 am to 4 pm I collected data, and from 5 pm to 11 pm, I did Zanki.

How did you do micro/pharm? brute force through Zanki or memorize Sketchy?

 

[Foot Fetish]

How did you do micro/pharm? brute force through Zanki or memorize Sketchy?

I actually prioritized those topics that summer. I would watch the Sketchy videos on 2x speed and then immediately do a first pass of the corresponding Zanki deck. For every other topic (i.e. biochem and organ systems), I would just do brute force Zanki. No pre-reading. No Pathoma. If a card wasn't clear enough, I'd just take a moment to Google it. Around class finals period, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters for that term line by line x1 and make some additional cards for the rare topics that were omitted from Zanki.

 

[510586]

I actually prioritized those topics that summer. I would watch the Sketchy videos on 2x speed and then immediately do a first pass of the corresponding Zanki deck. For every other topic (i.e. biochem and organ systems), I would just go do brute force Zanki. No pre-reading. No Pathoma. If a card wasn't clear enough, I'd just take a moment to Google it. Around class finals period, I would read the corresponding First Aid chapters for that term line by line x1 and make some additional cards for the rare topics that were omitted from Zanki.

I would like to imitate this over summer thanks a lot for posting. Glad many including you have said learning through zanki without prereading/vids is doable.

 

[Blunt Dissection]

I'm actually really curious about this, but has anyone ever thought about what the limitations of hard work is when it comes to studying for something like the boards? I think it's pretty safe to say that for the most part, if you made it to medical school, you either:

1. Are a fairly intelligent person with enough motivation to get you here.
2. Are of average intelligence and worked extra hard to get here.
3. Are some combination of the above.

When it comes to studying for these big standardized exams, how far could an average intelligence and hard work get you? I've met a handful of people that have gotten scores in the 260+ range, and 3 people to date that have gotten scores in the 270s - all of these people I would consider to be intellectually gifted and a number of them have what I would consider true photographic memories. I think for a person that is relatively average in the pool of medical students, sheer hard work could very likely push people into the 250s, but to fall over into the range of 260s or higher, the average person probably needs a little bit of luck. Does anyone have true savants in their class?

 

[DubbiDoctor]

I'm actually really curious about this, but has anyone ever thought about what the limitations of hard work is when it comes to studying for something like the boards? I think it's pretty safe to say that for the most part, if you made it to medical school, you either:

1. Are a fairly intelligent person with enough motivation to get you here.
2. Are of average intelligence and worked extra hard to get here.
3. Are some combination of the above.

When it comes to studying for these big standardized exams, how far could an average intelligence and hard work get you? I've met a handful of people that have gotten scores in the 260+ range, and 3 people to date that have gotten scores in the 270s - all of these people I would consider to be intellectually gifted and a number of them have what I would consider true photographic memories. I think for a person that is relatively average in the pool of medical students, sheer hard work could very likely push people into the 250s, but to fall over into the range of 260s or higher, the average person probably needs a little bit of luck. Does anyone have true savants in their class?

Many people who do poorly on the MCAT do quite well on Step 1 - 250+ certainly. But of the the three people I know of who posted on SDN, since 2017, that they scored above 270, their MCAT scores were 39, 40 and 40, with two of them stating that they got near perfect scores on the science sections. I don't think it takes a tremendous amount of intelligence to get a high score (one standard deviation above the mean or so), but to get to get an exceptionally high score, where you're essentially out-competing everyone else, you probably have to be brilliant - or exceptional in some other way. There are enough people working exceptionally hard that hard work with average to moderately above average intelligence won't earn you a 270, 100th percentile score.

 

[Blunt Dissection]

Many people who do poorly on the MCAT do quite well on Step 1 - 250+ certainly. But of the the three people I know of who posted on SDN, since 2017, that they scored above 270, their MCAT scores were 39, 40 and 40, with two of them stating that they got near perfect scores on the science sections. I don't think it takes a tremendous amount of intelligence to get a high score (one standard deviation above the mean or so), but to get to get an exceptionally high score, where you're essentially out-competing everyone else, you probably have to be brilliant - or exceptional in some other way. There are enough people working exceptionally hard that hard work with average to moderately above average intelligence won't earn you a 270, 100th percentile score.

This actually is also the exact case for the individuals that I know that have scored in the 260s and 270s. The lowest MCAT score out of the group was a 38 and the highest was a 41 with the lowest Step 1 being a 261 and the highest being a 272. The guy that got a 272 Step 1 actually went on to get a 277 Step 2 and when we studied together in undergrad, he triple majored and graduated with a 4.0. I find these people absolutely fascinating and wish there was more research done on the limits of human intelligence.

 

[ERDOC555]

Agree completely that normal people can't ever break into the 270s. It's always the 38+ MCAT people who get these scores.

However, I have seen multiple pretty smart but not genius students get between 260-265 just by working their asses off. Like insane amounts of studying and hardwork. Average MCATs (~32), top 1/3 of the class, but not freaky smart.

250 is easily attainable with above average intelligence and exceptional work ethic. However I doubt the percentage of sub 30 MCAT score students hitting 250 is super high, although I'm sure the gross number is still sizable.

I think that natural intelligence sets a ceiling for each student and then their work ethic determines whether they live up to that ceiling or fall short of their maximal potential.

 

[Krabbeman]

Agree completely that normal people can't ever break into the 270s. It's always the 38+ MCAT people who get these scores.

However, I have seen multiple pretty smart but not genius students get between 260-265 just by working their asses off. Like insane amounts of studying and hardwork. Average MCATs (~32), top 1/3 of the class, but not freaky smart.

250 is easily attainable with above average intelligence and exceptional work ethic. However I doubt the percentage of sub 30 MCAT score students hitting 250 is super high, although I'm sure the gross number is still sizable.

I think that natural intelligence sets a ceiling for each student and then their work ethic determines whether they live up to that ceiling or fall short of their maximal potential.

This is totally anectodal but the med school that I attend had an average mcat of 37 on the old mcat, and a 520 on the new, about 98th percentile. If you went on the msar the year after I was matriculated, our lowest 10th percentile of accepted students got a 516 which is like 94th %ile, I believe out 25th %ile was a 518, our 75th was a 522, and I cannot remember our 90th%ile but I think it was a 524 or 525. Even the bottom students at my school are mostly 94th%ile and up mcat’ers.

But our step avg every year is a 244. I know 244 is high, but When you consider like every student in our class was in the top 10% of applying students.... I feel like it’s kinda low. And maybe it’s just because step tests and requires a much different skill set. Idk.

But I believe it’s because our administration flat out tells us not to study for step until dedicated. There’s a shame culture. Like when I was studying for step in November people in my class all said I was being crazy, and too intense. They thought That “all the upperclassmen did fine, our average is a 244, so we’re all fine blah blah blah”. But it is a total false sense of security. Our “avg” of 244 isn’t a true average. The curve is technically bimodal so even tho the avg is a 244, there’s a higher group of 250s and a lower of 230s. Consistently our lowest score is in the 210s and our highest is in the 260s like magic every single year, the numbers never change.

Now the state school I attended for undergrad. I have friends that go there. Their step average is only a few points below us but their mcat and ugpa are much much much lower. This is totally a culture/hard work thing. Most of my friends who go there have been studying for step since day 1. Like first day of med school had a copy of FA. Their exams are designed to resemble step. Etc. the administration acts like it’s the biggest deal in the world. And so yea.

Anyways this is a long way to say I think hard work matters a ton. If you treat step as a joke your going to totally underperform. Even if your a damn wizard. This could also be interpreted to men that mcat and ugpa doesn’t predict step by any valid means. But I think it’s more so the culture of my school not being a “work hard” culture.