USMLE Official 2019 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[libertyyne]

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Lets get this started.
M2. Mid Tier everything.
Entertaining some surgical sub-specialties.

Goal 270
Happy with 245

 

[Diphyllobothrium latum]

Is there such a thing as regressing during dedicated? Or maybe I'm just having a bad week? My qbank average has stayed stagnant throughout dedicated which I wasn't really worried about, even though it sucks not seeing any improvements. But this past week, if anything, my average % is starting to tick downwards. I'm hoping it's just by chance that I got wrecked with questions targeting my weak points, but the whole idea of feeling dumber and dumber as time goes on is really getting to me.

I think this whole idea of idea of peaking and regressing is mostly a myth that stems from the studying practices most students taking the test use. The practice of starting without a (step 1 oriented) base and suddenly going balls to the wall during dedicated is a burnout recipe. Burnout IS real.

This is a mostly an exam of concepts, the more you put them into practice, the more familiar you 're with them. Sure everyone is going to forget random facts here and there, but are these really going to make the difference at the end of day when it comes to getting a question right? This is more about being able to apply knowledge rather than giving a lecture about all these topics. So in my opinion (and from what available data seem to suggest), more practice = better scores.

So unless someone either is completely burnt out or misuses their resources (like skipping explanations, not focusing on the big picture), he shouldn't regress at all in absolute terms. To come to your question, fluctuations are to be expected, both positive and negative ones.

While doing UWorld, I noticed a period where I'd have huge amounts of marked Qs per block (like 15) and struggled to hit the scores I'd usually get. It turned out I had an unproportionate amount of recently added Qs with totally new concepts, so this was to be expected. Right now, the balance is turned to the other side and I get lots of old Qs (judging from the QIDs) and I 've had many blocks in a row with like 2-4 marked Qs and very high scores. I don't think things would be much different if these two trends were switched in time and the difference in percentages would be minimal.

So suddenly getting percentages lower than usual does not mean you 're truly regressing necessarily. Check to see if they were just points you didn't know at all or you were weak on. I'd trust your overall percentage more than a few random trends of percentages. If your brain was able to decode and answer a Q on topic 2 weeks ago, why shouldn't it be able to do the same right now or in a week from now (unless it was a purely memorization one)?

 

[sunshinefl]

So just finished 18 and got a 248. I am debating moving my test up a week. I am scheduled to take it in 3 weeks but I don't know if that extra week will help me all that much, and man it would be nice to have an extra week's vacation. The only thing holding me back is I feel like there is still so much crap I don't know, and I'm worried about getting a form on the real thing that hammers my weaknesses. I might just take UW2 on Monday and see how that goes and make my decision off of that.

Any advice? Thoughts?

MOVE IT UP!!!!!!

 

[Scrubs101]

I think this whole idea of idea of peaking and regressing is mostly a myth that stems from the studying practices most students taking the test use. The practice of starting without a (step 1 oriented) base and suddenly going balls to the wall during dedicated is a burnout recipe. Burnout IS real.

This is a mostly an exam of concepts, the more you put them into practice, the more familiar you 're with them. Sure everyone is going to forget random facts here and there, but are these really going to make the difference at the end of day when it comes to getting a question right? This is more about being able to apply knowledge rather than giving a lecture about all these topics. So in my opinion (and from what available data seem to suggest), more practice = better scores.

So unless someone either is completely burnt out or misuses their resources (like skipping explanations, not focusing on the big picture), he shouldn't regress at all in absolute terms. To come to your question, fluctuations are to be expected, both positive and negative ones.

While doing UWorld, I noticed a period where I'd have huge amounts of marked Qs per block (like 15) and struggled to hit the scores I'd usually get. It turned out I had an unproportionate amount of recently added Qs with totally new concepts, so this was to be expected. Right now, the balance is turned to the other side and I get lots of old Qs (judging from the QIDs) and I 've had many blocks in a row with like 2-4 marked Qs and very high scores. I don't think things would be much different if these two trends were switched in time and I'm pretty sure the difference in percentages would be minimal.

So suddenly getting percentages lower than usual does not mean you 're truly regressing necessarily. Check to see if they were just points you didn't know at all or you were weak on. I'd trust your overall percentage more than a few random trends of percentages. If you brain was able to decode and answer a Q on topic 2 weeks ago, why shouldn't it be able to do the same right now or in a week from now (unless it was a purely memorization one)?

Thanks a bunch for the input, I really appreciate it! What you're saying definitely makes sense, and it's good to hear that these sort of fluctuations happen to others as well. I think a lot of what I'm thinking stems from irrational anxious thoughts, it's really quite helpful to see it broken down in a logical manner. Thanks!

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Is there such a thing as regressing during dedicated? Or maybe I'm just having a bad week? My qbank average has stayed stagnant throughout dedicated which I wasn't really worried about, even though it sucks not seeing any improvements. But this past week, if anything, my average % is starting to tick downwards. I'm hoping it's just by chance that I got wrecked with questions targeting my weak points, but the whole idea of feeling dumber and dumber as time goes on is really getting to me.

I have essentially been at 75-83 on UW for the last 5 weeks. Haven't moved at all with my overall percentage except a few decimals lol. My NBMEs have crept up though so something is working.

I wish we knew which of the new NBMEs is most predictive because as it stands right now I only have time to take 5 practice tests, UWSA1, UWSA2, NBME18, + 2 New NBMEs, but I'm not sure which ones. Any ideas or suggestions, would be appreciated.

I would do 23/24 honestly. 20-22 have a lot of repeats from the old ones and multiple people on Reddit have said they had 3+ questions word for word off of 23/24 on their real test. They are also more difficult and probably the most indicative of the question type we will encounter on the real thing. A lot more reasoning questions compared to the old ones. Harder but have a generous curve.

Thanks for the advice guys, I mostly just needed a little nudge to pull the trigger on moving my test. I've decided I'm going to move it up a week to the 29th. Basically going to do one more run through of Pathoma/Sketchy Micro and pharm, hit my weaknesses in FA/BnB, finish UW, and take UW2/NBME 24/Free 120 and then take my shot. I don't think my score will change much no matter what I do that extra week.

 

[FindersFee5]

I think this whole idea of idea of peaking and regressing is mostly a myth that stems from the studying practices most students taking the test use. The practice of starting without a (step 1 oriented) base and suddenly going balls to the wall during dedicated is a burnout recipe. Burnout IS real.

This is a mostly an exam of concepts, the more you put them into practice, the more familiar you 're with them. Sure everyone is going to forget random facts here and there, but are these really going to make the difference at the end of day when it comes to getting a question right? This is more about being able to apply knowledge rather than giving a lecture about all these topics. So in my opinion (and from what available data seem to suggest), more practice = better scores.

So unless someone either is completely burnt out or misuses their resources (like skipping explanations, not focusing on the big picture), he shouldn't regress at all in absolute terms. To come to your question, fluctuations are to be expected, both positive and negative ones.

While doing UWorld, I noticed a period where I'd have huge amounts of marked Qs per block (like 15) and struggled to hit the scores I'd usually get. It turned out I had an unproportionate amount of recently added Qs with totally new concepts, so this was to be expected. Right now, the balance is turned to the other side and I get lots of old Qs (judging from the QIDs) and I 've had many blocks in a row with like 2-4 marked Qs and very high scores. I don't think things would be much different if these two trends were switched in time and the difference in percentages would be minimal.

So suddenly getting percentages lower than usual does not mean you 're truly regressing necessarily. Check to see if they were just points you didn't know at all or you were weak on. I'd trust your overall percentage more than a few random trends of percentages. If your brain was able to decode and answer a Q on topic 2 weeks ago, why shouldn't it be able to do the same right now or in a week from now (unless it was a purely memorization one)?

I agree 90% about peaking/regressing being a myth. Fluctuations in UWorld score are pretty rarely about forgetting things. And if you're reading all the question explanations, and ESPECIALLY if you're continuing to use anki, the amount you're forgetting should be minimal compared to the amount you're learning.

The 10% I disagree with actually relates to how I scheduled my dedicated. As I've said before, I think seeing novel questions is important. It's important to be able to sit with that moment of uncertainty when you have no idea what's going on. It's important to be able to break down something you've never seen before, the WTF questions you will get on test day. It's important to not get flustered when you can't figure something out, or can't choose between two similar choices. I finished UWorld 3 days prior to my test and took the free 120 two days before.

You don't get any of those things from questions you've seen before. So when people finish UWorld 2-3 weeks out and basically spend that time doing a second pass of UWorld with few novel questions, I can see how their skill at answering new questions could increase. That decrease in test taking skill may or may not be compensated for by increased knowledge. This is where I believe the peak phenomenon does come into play.

 

[Epicurusall]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like a lot of these QBanks, even UWorld, is just (nearly) pure memorization. Sure you have to apply it, but to me it seems minimal application... What I mean by that is most of my errors are directly from either not having seen this info before (not anywhere in the books, cards, or notes I have, I've checked), or that I haven't kept up enough on that material (if I'm able to find it). Very rarely am I in the situation of looking at something and being confused conceptually. Even when these are multiple step questions, it is still recalling facts about that next step, rather than truly deducing an answer through reasoning. And when I'm stuck on a 50/50, it's because I can't recall a detail that makes a difference, not because I am thinking about the "problem" in potential different ways.

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

 

[Espressso]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like a lot of these QBanks, even UWorld, is just (nearly) pure memorization. Sure you have to apply it, but to me it seems minimal application... What I mean by that is most of my errors are directly from either not having seen this info before (not anywhere in the books, cards, or notes I have, I've checked), or that I haven't kept up enough on that material (if I'm able to find it). Very rarely am I in the situation of looking at something and being confused conceptually. Even when these are multiple step questions, it is still recalling facts about that next step, rather than truly deducing an answer through reasoning. And when I'm stuck on a 50/50, it's because I can't recall a detail that makes a difference, not because I am thinking about the "problem" in potential different ways.

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

I see both sides although I kind of lean towards your logic. I would assume the new exams are different ways of phrasing the same content though. But I haven't taken them.

I wonder though, if it really does come down to whether you know it or not, what separates the 260s from the 270s? I mean, there has to be a level of detailed conceptual understanding that some people brush over, or miss on an individual question that separates those extremely high scores. But hell, I'm no where near those scores so I have no idea, really.

 

[Neopolymath]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like a lot of these QBanks, even UWorld, is just (nearly) pure memorization. Sure you have to apply it, but to me it seems minimal application... What I mean by that is most of my errors are directly from either not having seen this info before (not anywhere in the books, cards, or notes I have, I've checked), or that I haven't kept up enough on that material (if I'm able to find it). Very rarely am I in the situation of looking at something and being confused conceptually. Even when these are multiple step questions, it is still recalling facts about that next step, rather than truly deducing an answer through reasoning. And when I'm stuck on a 50/50, it's because I can't recall a detail that makes a difference, not because I am thinking about the "problem" in potential different ways.

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

This has been my whole experience the first two years of school. There are literally zero inherently difficult things we learn. Maybe truly mastering the kidney. Miss a question, go in zanki, see fact, learn fact, repeat. I think that is why Zanki is a legit game changer. Someone would really have to convince me the new NBMEs are that radically different.

 

[Espressso]

This has been my whole experience the first two years of school. There are literally zero inherently difficult things we learn. Maybe truly mastering the kidney. Miss a question, go in zanki, see fact, learn fact, repeat. I think that is why Zanki is a legit game changer. Someone would really have to convince me the new NBMEs are that radically different.

And I think this is an underappreciated aspect of the p/f debate. Students just get better at memorizing everything and scores keep increasing. It forces test writers to start testing more on weird stuff that more or less can't be memorized, like ethics and stats. But even that, it's doable.

 

[FindersFee5]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like a lot of these QBanks, even UWorld, is just (nearly) pure memorization. Sure you have to apply it, but to me it seems minimal application... What I mean by that is most of my errors are directly from either not having seen this info before (not anywhere in the books, cards, or notes I have, I've checked), or that I haven't kept up enough on that material (if I'm able to find it). Very rarely am I in the situation of looking at something and being confused conceptually. Even when these are multiple step questions, it is still recalling facts about that next step, rather than truly deducing an answer through reasoning. And when I'm stuck on a 50/50, it's because I can't recall a detail that makes a difference, not because I am thinking about the "problem" in potential different ways.

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

This is a quote from first aid, but it really resonated with me: "Sometimes the questions are difficult, and the answers are simple." The test is designed in such a way that it can be difficult to understand what they're asking. This is where the reasoning comes in - you need to break down everything in the question to the simplest form and figure out exactly what they're actually asking you. Maybe it's not if a = b and b = c, then a = c kind of reasoning, but it's still a kind of reasoning to be able to say, "Huh, question X looks kind of like question Y that I've seen before even if Z isare , I think I can still apply my answer to that to this situation as well." Sure, you could just memorize that the answer in both cases is the same, but it's impossible to cover all the possible cases. Understanding and breaking down to core concepts is the type of reasoning this exam tests.

That being said, I do think super high scores (260+) are primarily a matter of how lucky you get on test day building on top of a very solid base.

 

[CharlieBillings]

.

 

[JooceMan137]

Just thought i'd chime in. Dedicated has me wanting to share some progress with people going through the same struggle 🙂

As of now i'm 4 weeks -1 day out.

School made me do two CBSE's: 245, 247 on the second.
I'm only doing the new NBME's:
NBME 20: 252
NBME 21: 246
NBME 22 (just taken today): 248.

Starting to realize that nitty gritty anatomy (specific nerve roots, mediastinum), and pulmonary physiology (chest wall mechanics) are my weakness, along with some biostats stuff I need to solidify but not too far off.

UWorld averages are 85%-95%, 80% when **** hits the fan.

Graduating Zanki+lolnotacop was probably the best investment of my time during the pre-dedicated period. I'm thinking I just need to build my test taking stamina, as I start feeling fried out at the 3rd+ block of my NBMEs.

I also need to manage my time better, as i'm having a hard time finishing my UWorld answer reviews and Zanki reviews every day.

 

[medicineman1234]

i'm curious if anyone has some encouraging words about worrying i'm gonna forget everything. i realize this is insane but as yall know it's so easy to worry.
i'm in my last few days of dedicated, enjoying a slowed up pace now that i've finished UWorld and i'm just keeping up with my anki cards and studying my weak points that were evident along the ride. for some reason, i'm freaking out that i'm gonna forget everything i've learned in the next 6 days before my test. is this normal? any advice on coping with this or how to not be crazy in general? on another note, i know i'm well prepared and could score what i want if i took the test tomorrow. part of me wants to reschedule and move it up 6 days to get it out of the way, but the other part of me wants to keep it so i can drill these last few points and try to squeeze another 4 or 5 points out of the test. any tips in that regard?

Following. im taking it during a time where I still have obligations for school/schedule reasons and fear I won't retain sometimes.

Just thought i'd chime in. Dedicated has me wanting to share some progress with people going through the same struggle 🙂

As of now i'm 4 weeks -1 day out.

School made me do two CBSE's: 245, 247 on the second.
I'm only doing the new NBME's:
NBME 20: 252
NBME 21: 246
NBME 22 (just taken today): 248.

Starting to realize that nitty gritty anatomy (specific nerve roots, mediastinum), and pulmonary physiology (chest wall mechanics) are my weakness, along with some biostats stuff I need to solidify but not too far off.

UWorld averages are 85%-95%, 80% when **** hits the fan.

Graduating Zanki+lolnotacop was probably the best investment of my time during the pre-dedicated period. I'm thinking I just need to build my test taking stamina, as I start feeling fried out at the 3rd+ block of my NBMEs.

I also need to manage my time better, as i'm having a hard time finishing my UWorld answer reviews and Zanki reviews every day.

What a baseline. Did you do anything other than zanki? How did you feel cbses compared to nbmes and uworld? Idk if I should use a nbme to practice for the cbse we have to take before we take step

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

See @FindersFee5 post below

I wonder though, if it really does come down to whether you know it or not, what separates the 260s from the 270s? I mean, there has to be a level of detailed conceptual understanding that some people brush over, or miss on an individual question that separates those extremely high scores. But hell, I'm no where near those scores so I have no idea, really.

To be able to hit those scores there is literally SO MUCH you have to know. The forgetting curve is real even for the most devout of students. I also think there is a good amount of luck involved based on what your test is heavy on. I mean people do Zanki for 2 straight years and start out hammering NBME's in the mid 250s and never really get passed that point so there definitely is some component of being able to approach completely novel situations with diseases and stuff you've never heard of and apply basic medical principles to it and reason through what the right answer would be as opposed to simply knowing all the little facts.

Someone would really have to convince me the new NBMEs are that radically different.

The old NBMEs are mostly one liners, the new ones (at least 23/24) at more paragraph type where you actually have to figure out what's going on. Same material, just presented different and often a lot more vague than UW. For me the reasoning comes into play in trying to decipher what in the world they are trying to get at. Usually the true question is pretty basic but it's wading through the vague presentation and awkwardly phrased answers to get there that requires some reasoning.

This is a quote from first aid, but it really resonated with me: "Sometimes the questions are difficult, and the answers are simple." The test is designed in such a way that it can be difficult to understand what they're asking. This is where the reasoning comes in - you need to break down everything in the question to the simplest form and figure out exactly what they're actually asking you. Maybe it's not if a = b and b = c, then a = c kind of reasoning, but it's still a kind of reasoning to be able to say, "Huh, question X looks kind of like question Y that I've seen before even if Z isare , I think I can still apply my answer to that to this situation as well." Sure, you could just memorize that the answer in both cases is the same, but it's impossible to cover all the possible cases. Understanding and breaking down to core concepts is the type of reasoning this exam tests.

That being said, I do think super high scores (260+) are primarily a matter of how lucky you get on test day building on top of a very solid base.

This.

 

[libertyyne]

Is there such a thing as regressing during dedicated? Or maybe I'm just having a bad week? My qbank average has stayed stagnant throughout dedicated which I wasn't really worried about, even though it sucks not seeing any improvements. But this past week, if anything, my average % is starting to tick downwards. I'm hoping it's just by chance that I got wrecked with questions targeting my weak points, but the whole idea of feeling dumber and dumber as time goes on is really getting to me.

it happened to me
mid way through i was at a steady 80, dropped to a 77 overall and clawed my way back to 80 over the past week or so with last 10 blocks of ~90.

Trust the process and power through it is just a sampling variation.

 

[libertyyne]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like a lot of these QBanks, even UWorld, is just (nearly) pure memorization. Sure you have to apply it, but to me it seems minimal application... What I mean by that is most of my errors are directly from either not having seen this info before (not anywhere in the books, cards, or notes I have, I've checked), or that I haven't kept up enough on that material (if I'm able to find it). Very rarely am I in the situation of looking at something and being confused conceptually. Even when these are multiple step questions, it is still recalling facts about that next step, rather than truly deducing an answer through reasoning. And when I'm stuck on a 50/50, it's because I can't recall a detail that makes a difference, not because I am thinking about the "problem" in potential different ways.

Some people have said that the new NBMEs are more conceptual-- can anyone comment on that specifically in relation to my above thoughts? Are they truly more reasoning-based problems, or are they just different ways of phrasing the same content / using multi-step processes?

I couldnt agree more.
Almost everything is memory based, and even conceptual questions require multiple pieces of facts that you need to remember to figure out the correct answer. Alternatively it is much easier just to POE the question and then when you are left with two pull the trigger on what you remember that fits the bill .

The new NBMEs are no different IMO. Just more context is given for the cases which is nice i suppose , but at the end of the day you either know it or you dont kinda thing which you expect from NBME questions.

I will say occasionally i will run across a question in Uworld that i think is absolutely fantastic and it tests understanding of a common topic in a novel way.

 

[Scrubs101]

it happened to me
mid way through i was at a steady 80, dropped to a 77 overall and clawed my way back to 80 over the past week or so with last 10 blocks of ~90.

Trust the process and power through it is just a sampling bias.

That's great to hear! I actually had to force myself to do a 3rd block today just because I needed to redeem myself after getting crapped on lol, ended up hitting my average which was better than my two earlier blocks today lol. Just gotta keep on keeping on I guess, thanks!

 

[getfat]

Currently at 25 days until my test exam. Wanted to get your guys thoughts on an idea to adapt my schedule for the final leg of this marathon.

I have noticed a recent trend based on my past NBMEs. I'm severely deficient at Biochem, Immuno, Heme/Oncology. Its got the point where the exact reviews of all my past NBME (13, 15, 16, 18, 19 + Free 120). All have pointed at the same exact subjects over and over again.

Originally. I was planning on finishing the rest of the NBMEs (18-24)+ UW1+2. Over a 3 week span (so approximately 1 every 3 days) but it feels like a waste of my time right now. The NBMEs don't give explanations. I end up googling them on this forum and others so i do learn or rehash the concept but it feels like an ineffective use of my time.

Right now I am debating not doing any more NBMEs until I have completed a hard pass of the subjects I am deficient in. and I think it could take me about a week to 1.5 weeks. My school doesn't give us dedicated study time, so I am juggling random OMM nonsense + primary care skills crap so it takes me a little longer. I'm finishing my first pass of UW by this week and hoping to complete a 2nd pass over the three week span.

What do you guys think if i saved the remaining NBMEs and UWs for the final 1.5 weeks.

I'm hesitant to do this change because I have been around barely passing according to the conversion scores. Averaging b/w 200-210. If i was not meeting the bar to pass I need the ability to push the exam. I feel like it would make me feel better to at-least see a passing score every once in a while.

 

[sunshinefl]

Currently at 25 days until my test exam. Wanted to get your guys thoughts on an idea to adapt my schedule for the final leg of this marathon.

I have noticed a recent trend based on my past NBMEs. I'm severely deficient at Biochem, Immuno, Heme/Oncology. Its got the point where the exact reviews of all my past NBME (13, 15, 16, 18, 19 + Free 120). All have pointed at the same exact subjects over and over again.

Originally. I was planning on finishing the rest of the NBMEs (18-24)+ UW1+2. Over a 3 week span (so approximately 1 every 3 days) but it feels like a waste of my time right now. The NBMEs don't give explanations. I end up googling them on this forum and others so i do learn or rehash the concept but it feels like an ineffective use of my time.

Right now I am debating not doing any more NBMEs until I have completed a hard pass of the subjects I am deficient in. and I think it could take me about a week to 1.5 weeks. My school doesn't give us dedicated study time, so I am juggling random OMM nonsense + primary care skills crap so it takes me a little longer. I'm finishing my first pass of UW by this week and hoping to complete a 2nd pass over the three week span.

What do you guys think if i saved the remaining NBMEs and UWs for the final 1.5 weeks.

I'm hesitant to do this change because I have been around barely passing according to the conversion scores. Averaging b/w 200-210. If i was not meeting the bar to pass I need the ability to push the exam. I feel like it would make me feel better to at-least see a passing score every once in a while.

I would hit your weak subjects hard, not take an NBME every other day.

 

[Espressso]

Currently at 25 days until my test exam. Wanted to get your guys thoughts on an idea to adapt my schedule for the final leg of this marathon.

I have noticed a recent trend based on my past NBMEs. I'm severely deficient at Biochem, Immuno, Heme/Oncology. Its got the point where the exact reviews of all my past NBME (13, 15, 16, 18, 19 + Free 120). All have pointed at the same exact subjects over and over again.

Originally. I was planning on finishing the rest of the NBMEs (18-24)+ UW1+2. Over a 3 week span (so approximately 1 every 3 days) but it feels like a waste of my time right now. The NBMEs don't give explanations. I end up googling them on this forum and others so i do learn or rehash the concept but it feels like an ineffective use of my time.

Right now I am debating not doing any more NBMEs until I have completed a hard pass of the subjects I am deficient in. and I think it could take me about a week to 1.5 weeks. My school doesn't give us dedicated study time, so I am juggling random OMM nonsense + primary care skills crap so it takes me a little longer. I'm finishing my first pass of UW by this week and hoping to complete a 2nd pass over the three week span.

What do you guys think if i saved the remaining NBMEs and UWs for the final 1.5 weeks.

I'm hesitant to do this change because I have been around barely passing according to the conversion scores. Averaging b/w 200-210. If i was not meeting the bar to pass I need the ability to push the exam. I feel like it would make me feel better to at-least see a passing score every once in a while.

Definitely chill on the exams. I was stagnant on my practice exam scores and then took a week only doing 40q a day so I had much more time for serious content review and then my next exam jumped 20 points. Hit biochem a little every day. Same with immuno. Just ripping through practice exams I don't think is that beneficial. You're better off to get through UW and some content review for weak areas.

 

[getfat]

Alright ill make that my goal for the upcoming week and then take an NBME next weekend. Thanks alot @EspressoDrip42 and @sunshinefl

 

[JooceMan137]

What a baseline. Did you do anything other than zanki? How did you feel cbses compared to nbmes and uworld? Idk if I should use a nbme to practice for the cbse we have to take before we take step

To be honest, I only did Zanki, USMLE-RX and kaplan pre-dedicated. I decided to save UWorld for dedicated. For context: I did an SMP program that allowed students who scored honors in their classes to not take the class again during their M1 year if they get accepted into the same school. I studied my ass off like my life depended on it, and got accepted getting the grades. That one year with essentially no classes (we still needed to do the service learning stuff, and the clinical things like OSCEs, clinical skills groups, assessments etc.) was so chill. However, I got way too used to just chilling and being lazy in addition to the burn out of trying my best to do good in pre-med, MCAT, and the SMP all back to back.

I started Zanki during the summer before M2 year, and just loved how I can just sit back with headphones and grind. During the system block right before winter break (so late October-ish) I started incorporating some old material from my Zanki + lolnotacop deck into my decks I used for my current system block. I literally did no other content review (keep in mind I had a year off after my SMP, so I essentially did the M1 material 2 years ago).

We did the first CBSE in late January after our winter break, and I was pleasantly surprised and realized how powerful the Zanki + lolnotacop deck helped me on it. There were questions that tested the nitty gritty stuff in the lol micro deck that you feel is low yield while actually doing the cards.

After that first CBSE I gained further trust in the Zanki + lol deck, and just kept doing what I was doing for the second CBSE - toss in old material into my current deck. I managed to graduate the Zanki+lol deck at around 6.5 weeks out from my exam.

To be honest, my personal opinion is that the CBSEs are like the NBMEs in terms of question style and answer choices. Some questions can be very ambiguous and very vague, that tests your ability to figure out what really is going on. An NBME/CBSE style question I can make up is something like this:

34 year old woman complains of swollen joints, fatigue, mouth ulcer, mild proteinuria. What is the mechanism of her disease? The answer would be "Immune complex disease" (lupus). This is a bad example obviously but I mean...there was no mention of dsDNA antibodies, nothing.

I would do at least one NBME to prepare for the CBSE, but others may think otherwise.

 

[libertyyne]

so i am on the Fence about doing 23. I feel like my time is better spent just grinding anki the last few days before the exam. Any suggestions?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

so i am on the Fence about doing 23. I feel like my time is better spent just grinding anki the last few days before the exam. Any suggestions?

I have seen a few people say they had a handful of word for word repeats from 23/24 on their real test. I don't think you really need to take it for practice or to see your score, although it could be beneficial on the off chance one of those questions pops up on test day. There probably isn't a wrong choice

 

[wonko]

so i am on the Fence about doing 23. I feel like my time is better spent just grinding anki the last few days before the exam. Any suggestions?

Do both?
I personally am 100% as many q as possible.

 

[libertyyne]

Do both?
I personally am 100% as many q as possible.

yeah, but at some point there are diminishing returns on doing NBMEs cuz you dont learn much from them. Ive done about 8k questions at this point already.

 

[medicineman1234]

To be honest, I only did Zanki, USMLE-RX and kaplan pre-dedicated. I decided to save UWorld for dedicated. For context: I did an SMP program that allowed students who scored honors in their classes to not take the class again during their M1 year if they get accepted into the same school. I studied my ass off like my life depended on it, and got accepted getting the grades. That one year with essentially no classes (we still needed to do the service learning stuff, and the clinical things like OSCEs, clinical skills groups, assessments etc.) was so chill. However, I got way too used to just chilling and being lazy in addition to the burn out of trying my best to do good in pre-med, MCAT, and the SMP all back to back.

I started Zanki during the summer before M2 year, and just loved how I can just sit back with headphones and grind. During the system block right before winter break (so late October-ish) I started incorporating some old material from my Zanki + lolnotacop deck into my decks I used for my current system block. I literally did no other content review (keep in mind I had a year off after my SMP, so I essentially did the M1 material 2 years ago).

We did the first CBSE in late January after our winter break, and I was pleasantly surprised and realized how powerful the Zanki + lolnotacop deck helped me on it. There were questions that tested the nitty gritty stuff in the lol micro deck that you feel is low yield while actually doing the cards.

After that first CBSE I gained further trust in the Zanki + lol deck, and just kept doing what I was doing for the second CBSE - toss in old material into my current deck. I managed to graduate the Zanki+lol deck at around 6.5 weeks out from my exam.

To be honest, my personal opinion is that the CBSEs are like the NBMEs in terms of question style and answer choices. Some questions can be very ambiguous and very vague, that tests your ability to figure out what really is going on. An NBME/CBSE style question I can make up is something like this:

34 year old woman complains of swollen joints, fatigue, mouth ulcer, mild proteinuria. What is the mechanism of her disease? The answer would be "Immune complex disease" (lupus). This is a bad example obviously but I mean...there was no mention of dsDNA antibodies, nothing.

I would do at least one NBME to prepare for the CBSE, but others may think otherwise.

Hm looks like a Kaplan question! Thanks a lot for the detailed response really appreciate it.

 

[wonko]

yeah, but at some point there are diminishing returns on doing NBMEs cuz you dont learn much from them. Ive done about 8k questions at this point already.

Oh absolutely the returns diminish. But so the returns on ANKI. For me, one question that shows me a disease in a new light and forces me to access information somehow differently is worth more than a couple of enforced factoids in ANKI. I would do the NBME and then read up/redo anki on whatever I messed up there.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Hey y'all. A little late to this party. If one doesn't have time for all NBMEs, which would you guys recommend? I've been goin' hard all year but this is a bit crazy having only 5.5 weeks of dedicated.

 

[YoungDoc25]

so i am on the Fence about doing 23. I feel like my time is better spent just grinding anki the last few days before the exam. Any suggestions?

FWIW, I felt the same way so I just perused reddit’s thread on 23 and got a feel for the topics most struggled with and made sure I agreed with someone’s answer and/or found the topic in first aid/online to brush up on. Saved me a day of working an entire NBME and I felt like I reviewed questions I had a high chance of missing since others did too.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

FWIW, I felt the same way so I just perused reddit’s thread on 23 and got a feel for the topics most struggled with and made sure I agreed with someone’s answer and/or found the topic in first aid/online to brush up on. Saved me a day of working an entire NBME and I felt like I reviewed questions I had a high chance of missing since others did too.

Yeah, good idea. I am thinking of doing 23 and 24 first before 20-22. But I probably have to drop at least 2 NBMEs at this point.

 

[YoungDoc25]

Yeah, good idea. I am thinking of doing 23 and 24 first before 20-22. But I probably have to drop at least 2 NBMEs at this point.

Ya it’s really tough to fit them all in and feel like you’re giving yourself time to go over weak spots in between. What I did probably isn’t the most ideal since I didn’t see the questions in a testing situation, but I felt like it was better than not seeing their way of testing certain topics at all.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

Ya it’s really tough to fit them all in and feel like you’re giving yourself time to go over weak spots in between. What I did probably isn’t the most ideal since I didn’t see the questions in a testing situation, but I felt like it was better than not seeing their way of testing certain topics at all.

Since you were pressed for time too, did you finish UWorld before starting practice tests?

 

[YoungDoc25]

Since you were pressed for time too, did you finish UWorld before starting practice tests?

I did not. I think I finished uworld ~2 weeks out from my test

 

[deleted706240]

Y'all think I'll be able to break 250? 6 days out with 249 on UWorld 2 (4 weeks out), 252 on NBME 18 (12 days out), 264 on UWorld 1 (today, 6 days out), and 77 % UWorld first pass. Planning on taking it pretty easy and just keeping up with the few anki cards i have left. gonna take Free 120 either saturday or monday, and probably one of the new NBME's. any suggestions on which new NBME to take?

 

[libertyyne]

Y'all think I'll be able to break 250? 6 days out with 249 on UWorld 2 (4 weeks out), 252 on NBME 18 (12 days out), 264 on UWorld 1 (today, 6 days out), and 77 % UWorld first pass. Planning on taking it pretty easy and just keeping up with the few anki cards i have left. gonna take Free 120 either saturday or monday, and probably one of the new NBME's. any suggestions on which new NBME to take?

it sure looks like it from where I am sitting. its 253+-5

 

[deleted706240]

it sure looks like it from where I am sitting. its 253+-5
View attachment 263057

amazing to hear, thank you! looks like i'll need to show up ready to perform

 

[Espressso]

Normal to feel like each day is getting less and less productive? Just over a week left and all I have left is uwsa2 and free120. But each day seems slower and slower

 

[Scrubs101]

Normal to feel like each day is getting less and less productive? Just over a week left and all I have left is uwsa2 and free120. But each day seems slower and slower

First week of dedicated I peaked in terms of productivity, its gone quickly downhill. So IMO yes, tougher to get out of bed in the morning. Less motivation to dive back into reviewing a UW set right after finishing it. Taking longer to get the same amount of stuff done, all classic dedicated stuff if you're like me lol

 

[Gurby]

First week of dedicated I peaked in terms of productivity, its gone quickly downhill. So IMO yes, tougher to get out of bed in the morning. Less motivation to dive back into reviewing a UW set right after finishing it. Taking longer to get the same amount of stuff done, all classic dedicated stuff if you're like me lol

I don't understand how anyone can productively "review a UW set". I find if I try to review more than 2-3 questions in a row, my eyes glaze over and I stop retaining anything. I really like tutor mode because I can think intensely about a question, immediately see where I went wrong in my thinking, and then move on to the next one.

I dread the day I'll have to start doing timed sessions and reviewing in bulk Hopefully at that point there won't be as much new information popping up all the time so it might be less painful.

 

[kb1900]

I don't understand how anyone can productively "review a UW set". I find if I try to review more than 2-3 questions in a row, my eyes glaze over and I stop retaining anything. I really like tutor mode because I can think intensely about a question, immediately see where I went wrong in my thinking, and then move on to the next one.

I dread the day I'll have to start doing timed sessions and reviewing in bulk Hopefully at that point there won't be as much new information popping up all the time so it might be less painful.

definitely felt that for the first 5-6 days of uw. there was so many obvious weaknesses and holes in my knowledge that it just took forever. i was making/resetting 80-100 anki cards per block. took like 6-8 hours for 2 blocks and i was spent for the day by the end because i just had so much new information to get down.

fastforward about 600 questions later and now i HATE doing random tutor because it takes sooo much longer. ive realized that i actually have strengths (thanks zanki and kaplan) and dont need to review questions i get right if i was able to eliminate every single other answer as well. so i just skim through the explanation. today i did 3 blocks of uw back to back (high 70s on all of them) and reviewed them (only 80 new cards + 20 reset for 3 blocks) in the same 8 hours and still had energy to do some pathoma and a block of kaplan to wrap up after


you get faster and better at somethin you do 10 hours a day every day...who woulda thunk it

 

[JooceMan137]

I don't understand how anyone can productively "review a UW set". I find if I try to review more than 2-3 questions in a row, my eyes glaze over and I stop retaining anything. I really like tutor mode because I can think intensely about a question, immediately see where I went wrong in my thinking, and then move on to the next one.

I too question wether or not I should read and take UWorld notes for the correct answers. With that said, reading the explanations is like a gold mine, and feels like good content review on its own.

 

[Gurby]

I too question wether or not I should read and take UWorld notes for the correct answers. With that said, reading the explanations is like a gold mine, and feels like good content review on its own.

The problem I run into is that reading the explanations is SO high yield, it overloads my brain. I can only handle 1 or 2 new facts at a time and hope they'll stick. Reading explanation after explanation, I think things would stop sticking very quickly.

 

[sunshinefl]

The problem I run into is that reading the explanations is SO high yield, it overloads my brain. I can only handle 1 or 2 new facts at a time and hope they'll stick. Reading explanation after explanation, I think things would stop sticking very quickly.

I’m with you Gurby, I LOVE using random TUTOR mode for this reason. I’m still answering the questions on avg ~50secs/each, it just lets me review my thinking right away and also not have back to back to back reviews. Goes much smoother for me.

 

[Frogger27]

I’m with you Gurby, I LOVE using random TUTOR mode for this reason. I’m still answering the questions on avg ~50secs/each, it just lets me review my thinking right away and also not have back to back to back reviews. Goes much smoother for me.

I did tutor mode one time.... I missed like 10 of the first 15 Qs and it freaked me out... ended up evening out at the end of the question set but I'll never put myself through that again lol

 

[JooceMan137]

The problem I run into is that reading the explanations is SO high yield, it overloads my brain. I can only handle 1 or 2 new facts at a time and hope they'll stick. Reading explanation after explanation, I think things would stop sticking very quickly.

I feel where you're coming from. I usually end up passively reading the knowledge I already know. Not intentionally, but my brain goes "F' this, I know it. I get it, ACE converts Angiotensin I to Angiotensin II.". But when I come across those sweet little high yield juicy bits, the info tends to stick, and leaves me with a grin 🙂

 

[libertyyne]

I love tutor mode, but the focus is not there to finish questions. It takes me longer than is necessary.
My scores actually went up by 10 points when i started using rando timed non tutor. Because nothing like a timer to force you to focus. I must admit that my reviews have gone down in quality since prep has continued. But i think I wasnt retaining much from the reviews since my NBMEs were stagnant.

Also NBME can go die under a rock. How hard is it to make a 5 40 question blocks vs the dumb 4 x50 question blocks.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I dread the day I'll have to start doing timed sessions and reviewing in bulk Hopefully at that point there won't be as much new information popping up all the time so it might be less painful.

Honestly you get to the point where you recognize what went wrong and then you just move on because sitting there and reading every word of explanation isn't productive anymore. I mean it's taken me a while to get there but with only 300 UW questions left I just do timed now and only look up the explanations for questions I had to sit and think about.

I did tutor mode one time.... I missed like 10 of the first 15 Qs and it freaked me out... ended up evening out at the end of the question set but I'll never put myself through that again lol

Same. Although it really does work out in the end, one of my best blocks ever I started 1/7 or something like that lol

 

[Neopolymath]

I think tutor mode is a far more efficient way of doing UW time-wise. You review the question right after so you don't need to reread the question and you can zone in on the crux of the issue. I think it is easier to check out the details that way and you aren't rereading a bunch of basic stuff 5 hours later when you review the block or the next day. I do not ever have problems with time though so I don't benefit from a timed mode.

 

[medicineman1234]

I think tutor mode is a far more efficient way of doing UW time-wise. You review the question right after so you don't need to reread the question and you can zone in on the crux of the issue. I think it is easier to check out the details that way and you aren't rereading a bunch of basic stuff 5 hours later when you review the block or the next day. I do not ever have problems with time though so I don't benefit from a timed mode.

Would be cool if they had a timed tutor option