USMLE Official 2019 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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bommer1389 said:
Sorry if this is not the right place to post: feel free to move

Is moving the actual date up by a few days a good idea? I'm totally getting burnt out, pretty happy with my scores lately, and feel like I have reached my peak:
Original goal: 240
CBSE: 220 (5 wks)
22: 223 (4 wks)
21: 240 (2.5 wks)
UW1: 258 (2 wks)
20: 250 (2 days ago)
18: 252 (today-5/13)
UW2: Considering taking it tomorrow after hopefully reviewing 18- I can't look at Anki without contempt right now (my only study source essentially) I just want questions at this point.

Test scheduled for 5/23, want to move it 5/20 (only open earlier date in my area)

Here's the meat/potatoes: I have a 3 y/o son and a ~2 month old baby boy that I would love to enjoy a few extra days of freedom with. Not to mention my wife, who has been so understanding of these past few weeks. Luckily she's on maternity leave, but the whole situation is going about as well as you could imagine with a toddler and a newborn. I essentially start rotations the week after Step, so a extra few days to enjoy with my family would be worth more than a few extra points (if that is/was even possible). Any advice appreciated from this crowd-TIA
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Update: 241 actual. Tested 5/20. Can’t be too disappointed since I hit my original goal and my prep was most likely sub-par as well. Probably didn’t have the best test day performance, but all in all satisfied. Thanks everyone for the help along the way.
 
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bommer1389 said:
Update: 241 actual. Tested 5/20. Can’t be too disappointed since I hit my original goal and my prep was most likely sub-par as well. Probably didn’t have the best test day performance, but all in all satisfied. Thanks everyone for the help along the way.
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Congrats! What was your UWSA2 score??
 
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bommer1389 said:
Update: 241 actual. Tested 5/20. Can’t be too disappointed since I hit my original goal and my prep was most likely sub-par as well. Probably didn’t have the best test day performance, but all in all satisfied. Thanks everyone for the help along the way.
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You're a hero for keeping that many balls in the air. I can barely feed myself over here.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Did you do any other studying between or just OMM? Also comquest or combank more similar?
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Nah just OMM and some COMQUEST questions to get back in the groove of answering vague questions. Honestly I though COMQUEST's questions were fairly similar.
Messengeri said:
Did you also use the green book?
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The only thing I looked at in it was the viscerosomatic chart.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
First time taking it last night (living on the wild side)

Also thanks on the congrats dog!! Sorry still in a daze lol stoked to be done no matter what happened!
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Congrats on being done! I know you did great!
bommer1389 said:
Update: 241 actual. Tested 5/20. Can’t be too disappointed since I hit my original goal and my prep was most likely sub-par as well. Probably didn’t have the best test day performance, but all in all satisfied. Thanks everyone for the help along the way.
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Congrats man, thats awesome!
 
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AnatomyGrey12 said:
Nah just OMM and some COMQUEST questions to get back in the groove of answering vague questions. Honestly I though COMQUEST's questions were fairly similar.


The only thing I looked at in it was the viscerosomatic chart.
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I'm due for comsae wednesday. Not a single date earlier available. Would take it tomorrow if I could. I just did a ton of combank. OMM questions make me irreasonably angry.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Cha boi coming at you post exam

Throwing in a warning for anyone taking their exam soon to not read this if youre bound to be a nervous wreck cuz this isnt what you wanna see



Had a mini panic attack last block and had to concentrate on not passing out but i survived! Still got a bit of lip and fingertip paresthesias but we’re gucci

Alright lemme hit you with it straight. I already know of 5+ slam dunks i missed, so yeah thats fun. Decent amount of embryo and too many novel lab techniques/cell bio qs. Like yo if i wanted to be an embrylogist or a phd wet lab cell biologist id have walked off a short pier by now nbme.

At certain points i felt like i wasted 2yrs studying the wrong things because everything i knew wasnt on there. But im THAT dude thats always pissed off after exams and may tend to over exaggerate because all i can think about (obsess about) are the qs i didnt know. The more i calm down the more i realize a decent amount of it was manageable, a lot of mistakes i know i made because i convinced myself they were pulling a UW trying to trick me (but they weren't).

Im probably gonna spend the next month googling questions i got wrong, but idk if i can even think of how to go about phrasing them and typing them into the google search bar without typing out “wtf”

Throw some Fs in the chat
Click to expand...

F

Scrubs101 said:
Yeah def,

So chapters 1-3 of pathoma are gold and a quick review the day before helped me solidify a decent amount of points alone.

Do a quick review of the sketchies youre weakest on if you can, i missed a couple easy points by just forgetting stuff that is 100% in sketchy.

Agreed with the above, everyone struggles with the hard ones. Knowing the easy one cold will set you up and coming into the exam with a clear mind will set you apart from the rest on the applied knowledge qs.

Little thing regarding rest, melatonin helped me a ton. I felt incredibly well rested and fell asleep at like 10pm last night (i usually stay up till 1-2). For reference two nights ago i was so anxious its took me for ever to fall asleep (no melatonin).

However i will say i had some ridiculously vivid scary dreams and woke up in a sweat several times, but fell back asleep right away every time. So IMO worth it for a being well rested
Click to expand...

I'm gunna go out & buy melatonin tonight I totally forgot to try that. Looking forward to... odd dreams? heh.

Also congrats my dude. I'm sure you absolutely crushed it. Chillax broda. 😎
 
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NecrotizingFasciitis said:
F



I'm gunna go out & buy melatonin tonight I totally forgot to try that. Looking forward to... odd dreams? heh.

Also congrats my dude. I'm sure you absolutely crushed it. Chillax broda. 😎
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Thanks brah!! Been a long time coming since our MCAT days ✊good luck out there brother!
 
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wonko said:
I'm due for comsae wednesday. Not a single date earlier available. Would take it tomorrow if I could. I just did a ton of combank. OMM questions make me irreasonably angry.
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Our school made us take an OMM COMAT at the end of this year (yeah wtf...) and the only thing I remember about it was just being super demoralized and angry about 15 questions in when I realized that I had 110 more straight OMM questions to go. It felt like The Shining or something. It was wild. OMM is whatever when it's a real OMM question for every 5 actual science questions and you can ignore the fake osteopathic parts of the rest of the stems, but that was an onslaught of vitriol that came over me that day.
 
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I got a week left and all I know for sure is this:

If there is anything that UWorld has taught me...it's how to overthink questions.

I get a pretty straight forward question:
"Nah, man. That's too easy...I think this one over here is technically a better answer"
>Gets Question Wrong. First answer instinct was correct. I overthought it.

"Okay...don't overthink the question..."
>Question has like 2 solid distractors in it and I get it wrong because I didn't think enough about it.

Bruh, Stop playing these mind games!
 
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About to take UWSA1, time to find out if all my studying over the past month actually worked or not!

I can already feel that the biochem and biostats are going to be painful because I haven't seen those topics in weeks thanks to UW's non-random question selection. Already planning to pick up the UW Biostats thing and hammer in some more biochem practice with Kaplan+Rx this coming week.
 
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chigirl23 said:
257 yesterday on NBME 18. Felt pretty good about it - just nervous with all this talk about there being a lot of cell bio/lab crap on the real thing lol. It’s by far my weakest area and idk how to even study for that. I’ve never been more ready to be done with something
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Wow thats beast! If you don’t mind me asking, what percent correct is that?
 
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Gurby said:
About to take UWSA1, time to find out if all my studying over the past month actually worked or not!

I can already feel that the biochem and biostats are going to be painful because I haven't seen those topics in weeks thanks to UW's non-random question selection. Already planning to pick up the UW Biostats thing and hammer in some more biochem practice with Kaplan+Rx this coming week.
Click to expand...

Let us know how it goes! I took UWSA1 a few days ago and got a 254, which was ridiculous considering I had gotten a 205 on the CBSE 3 weeks prior. I wonder if Zanki/LY spoils some of UWSA's in terms of recognizing content. Felt very fact recall based.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Little thing regarding rest, melatonin helped me a ton. I felt incredibly well rested and fell asleep at like 10pm last night (i usually stay up till 1-2). For reference two nights ago i was so anxious its took me for ever to fall asleep (no melatonin).

However i will say i had some ridiculously vivid scary dreams and woke up in a sweat several times, but fell back asleep right away every time. So IMO worth it for a being well rested
Click to expand...

Man, does Melatonin not make your head foggy as hell in the morning? I tried some for the first time a few days ago after I couldn't sleep and was basically useless the next day! Perhaps I just took too large a dose haha
 
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Alright guys last practice test done. Lemme know where you think I’ll end up. Reddit predictor bumped me up to 235 when I deleted my crap NBMEs from 2.5 months ago. If i can snag a 230+ I’ll be loving life

23: 200
18: 220 (with some pretty dumb mistakes)
UW2: 237
Free 120: 80%
Been through UW two times and did all incorrects.

Test on Monday. Probably gonna spend the rest of the day/weekend just looking over sketchy, FA, some biostats, and maybe squeeze in a third run through pathoma 1-3. Just passive though to rest up.
 
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Chibucks15 said:
Alright guys last practice test done. Lemme know where you think I’ll end up. Reddit predictor bumped me up to 235 when I deleted my crap NBMEs from 2.5 months ago. If i can snag a 230+ I’ll be loving life

23: 200
18: 220 (with some pretty dumb mistakes)
UW2: 237
Free 120: 80%
Been through UW two times and did all incorrects.

Test on Monday. Probably gonna spend the rest of the day/weekend just looking over sketchy, FA, some biostats, and maybe squeeze in a third run through pathoma 1-3. Just passive though to rest up.
Click to expand...

Same plan as you this weekend for my test Monday. I’m guessing by your scores you’ll be lovin life after all this!
 
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266 on UWSA1 just now!

Quite a few "fml I should know this" moments.

Also kind of got hit with a wave of not-giving-a-f halfway through the 4th block. I'm operating on <1 cup of coffee today, so I think more caffeine + the excitement of never having to do this again will keep me going on test day. Although, I also think a little bit of DGAF is helpful for the nerves.

Somehow have to keep up motivation for 7 more days :scared: :scared: :scared:

Kalam said:
Let us know how it goes! I took UWSA1 a few days ago and got a 254, which was ridiculous considering I had gotten a 205 on the CBSE 3 weeks prior. I wonder if Zanki/LY spoils some of UWSA's in terms of recognizing content. Felt very fact recall based.
Click to expand...

As a Zankier I worry about this too. I'm planning to take NBME 18 on Sunday as my first and only one, so we'll see...
 
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Frogger27 said:
Same plan as you this weekend for my test Monday. I’m guessing by your scores you’ll be lovin life after all this!
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Chibucks15 said:
I sure hope so haha I take the COMLEX 6/21 too but after that I’m finding a barstool and not moving for a while
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We got the same test schedule for step on Monday. I have comlex on the following Friday too. Try not to wreck the scale too hard for me, guys.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Cha boi coming at you post exam

Throwing in a warning for anyone taking their exam soon to not read this if youre bound to be a nervous wreck cuz this isnt what you wanna see



Had a mini panic attack last block and had to concentrate on not passing out but i survived! Still got a bit of lip and fingertip paresthesias but we’re gucci

Alright lemme hit you with it straight. I already know of 5+ slam dunks i missed, so yeah thats fun. Decent amount of embryo and too many novel lab techniques/cell bio qs. Like yo if i wanted to be an embrylogist or a phd wet lab cell biologist id have walked off a short pier by now nbme.

At certain points i felt like i wasted 2yrs studying the wrong things because everything i knew wasnt on there. But im THAT dude thats always pissed off after exams and may tend to over exaggerate because all i can think about (obsess about) are the qs i didnt know. The more i calm down the more i realize a decent amount of it was manageable, a lot of mistakes i know i made because i convinced myself they were pulling a UW trying to trick me (but they weren't).

Im probably gonna spend the next month googling questions i got wrong, but idk if i can even think of how to go about phrasing them and typing them into the google search bar without typing out “wtf”

Throw some Fs in the chat
Click to expand...

F

Edit: Also congrats on being done!
 
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Almost done with Uworld...finally.

It's frustrating because there seems to be a recent pattern over the last few days. If I do a random 40 question block the first half typically goes well....2...maybe 3 wrong. Then the second half just goes to utter S%&t. Not sure if its just luck of the draw or what...
 
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Just finished UW2 and have a predicted 230. Holy cow there was so much biochem and molecular nonsense haha. I really hope thats not like the real thing. Taking that test gave me massive anxiety. I feel like it was a good thing though because I was able to stay composed and complete the blocks. For most of these questions I felt like I was just guessing but i must have been guessing right.

Take my test on monday. Feel like i'm peaking at just the right moment. UW 1 and 2 I scored 230 and 234. If I can get within this for the real thing Ill be happy.

See you guys monday.
 
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Hitting a sweet combo of burnout and information hemorrhage. My UW blocks today were a lot lower than my average and I just couldn't concentrate at all. I know I really should take a day off to recoup. Test is in 12 days and the anxiety is setting in. Dedicated is such a wonderful time.
 
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neurodjent said:
Hitting a sweet combo of burnout and information hemorrhage. My UW blocks today were a lot lower than my average and I just couldn't concentrate at all. I know I really should take a day off to recoup. Test is in 12 days and the anxiety is setting in. Dedicated is such a wonderful time.
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I take it monday and my brain is mush. Motivation is low and since I don't have UW or any actual milestones to achieve my last few days have been useless. It is crazy how as soon as there isn't a "x amount of questions and videos" goal to get done today, my motivation has dropped below zero
 
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getfat said:
Just finished UW2 and have a predicted 230. Holy cow there was so much biochem and molecular nonsense haha. I really hope thats not like the real thing. Taking that test gave me massive anxiety. I feel like it was a good thing though because I was able to stay composed and complete the blocks. For most of these questions I felt like I was just guessing but i must have been guessing right.

Take my test on monday. Feel like i'm peaking at just the right moment. UW 1 and 2 I scored 230 and 234. If I can get within this for the real thing Ill be happy.

See you guys monday.
Click to expand...

Took step yesterday. My exam had no joke 3 EASY biochem questions. Micro on the other hand...FML
 
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Chibucks15 said:
I take it monday and my brain is mush. Motivation is low and since I don't have UW or any actual milestones to achieve my last few days have been useless. It is crazy how as soon as there isn't a "x amount of questions and videos" goal to get done today, my motivation has dropped below zero
Click to expand...

Pick like 1-2 things you think are manageable and do those. The honest truth is that there isn't much you will do at this point that will change your score much if at all. Trust your prep and roll in like a boss.
 
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Chibucks15 said:
since I don't have UW or any actual milestones to achieve my last few days have been useless. It is crazy how as soon as there isn't a "x amount of questions and videos" goal to get done today, my motivation has dropped below zero
Click to expand...

I feel this one so hard - I've been on grind mode super hard the past ~20(!?) days cranking out >100 UW/day. Today it's already 5pm and all I've done is ~250 anki reviews and looked over FA rapid review :smack: Not quite sure what happened during the last 8 hours.

Gonna dig deep, and try setting some tangible goals to keep myself on track for the next 6 days:
  • Every other day, timed practice: NBME18 -> UWSA2 -> free 120
  • Daily - go through >5 pages of FA rapid review, and quiz self on >20 UW diagrams/tables (I've been screenshotting and compiling the ones I seem to forget easily)
  • Do the UW biostats pack
  • Go over ~20 UW questions I wrote down the numbers for as important to review
  • Get 1 pass through the ~1100 anki cards I made based on UW info I didn't know
  • Do all Kaplan questions on biochem > biostats > embryo > immuno > micro
 
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Gurby said:
I feel this one so hard - I've been on grind mode super hard the past ~20(!?) days cranking out >100 UW/day. Today it's already 5pm and all I've done is ~250 anki reviews and looked over FA rapid review :smack: Not quite sure what happened during the last 8 hours.

Gonna dig deep, and try setting some tangible goals to keep myself on track for the next 6 days:
  • Every other day, timed practice: NBME18 -> UWSA2 -> free 120
  • Daily - go through >5 pages of FA rapid review, and quiz self on >20 UW diagrams/tables (I've been screenshotting and compiling the ones I seem to forget easily)
  • Do the UW biostats pack
  • Go over ~20 UW questions I wrote down the numbers for as important to review
  • Get 1 pass through the ~1100 anki cards I made based on UW info I didn't know
  • Do all Kaplan questions on biochem > biostats > embryo > immuno > micro
Click to expand...

That was me the week before my test lol.
 
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Started dedicated with a 205 CBSE and a 481 on COMSAE 105. Took UWSA1 last week (5 weeks in) and got a 247. Took UWSA2 yesterday and got a 251. Finished one pass of uWorld timed/random with a 75% average. USMLE is Tuesday and COMLEX is Friday. If I can hit above a 245 I will be ecstatic, but I know UWSA1/2 seem to over predict.

Was going to take NBME18, but I feel like I have nothing left in the tank now. I had planned to review the sketchy micro/pharm pdf today, but have only made it 20 sketches in. Going to review my uWORLD notebook so I won't forget some random points and call it good. Can't believe it is finally time to take these exams!
 
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goneriding said:
Started dedicated with a 205 CBSE and a 481 on COMSAE 105. Took UWSA1 last week (5 weeks in) and got a 247. Took UWSA2 yesterday and got a 251. Finished one pass of uWorld timed/random with a 75% average. USMLE is Tuesday and COMLEX is Friday. If I can hit above a 245 I will be ecstatic, but I know UWSA1/2 seem to over predict.

Was going to take NBME18, but I feel like I have nothing left in the tank now. I had planned to review the sketchy micro/pharm pdf today, but have only made it 20 sketches in. Going to review my uWORLD notebook so I won't forget some random points and call it good. Can't believe it is finally time to take these exams!
Click to expand...

Thoughts on your scores for UWSA 1 vs 2? Seems like most people score higher on 1. Was it just a question of 2 playing more to your strengths?

Almost there!

tenor.gif
 
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JooceMan137 said:
Just took the exam Tuesday and posted a write up on reddit here

On my phone now so don’t want to copy, paste, etc. here.

The uncertainty is killing me. I just want to see my score so this whole thing can finally be over with.
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Yo I'm exactly you with the went home to see fam+not getting all I want done done (but with way lower scores). Congrats on finishing and having ridiculous practice scores. I'm sure with baselines that crazy you could be studying in Disney world and still be 250+
 
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Gurby said:
Thoughts on your scores for UWSA 1 vs 2? Seems like most people score higher on 1. Was it just a question of 2 playing more to your strengths?

Almost there!
Click to expand...
I needed to see that GIF haha.

I think I did better on form2 due to an extra week of studying and I have also improved at not hitting the panic button when there are a few questions in a row that I do not know the answer to. I feel like half the battle on this exam is staying mentally strong-- the question you are on is the only thing that matters and when you hit next, it is over. You can't let a feeling of uncertainty carry from question to question as that destroys your focus on what is in front of you. That is something that uWorld has really helped me with.
 
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goneriding said:
Started dedicated with a 205 CBSE and a 481 on COMSAE 105. Took UWSA1 last week (5 weeks in) and got a 247. Took UWSA2 yesterday and got a 251. Finished one pass of uWorld timed/random with a 75% average. USMLE is Tuesday and COMLEX is Friday. If I can hit above a 245 I will be ecstatic, but I know UWSA1/2 seem to over predict.

Was going to take NBME18, but I feel like I have nothing left in the tank now. I had planned to review the sketchy micro/pharm pdf today, but have only made it 20 sketches in. Going to review my uWORLD notebook so I won't forget some random points and call it good. Can't believe it is finally time to take these exams!
Click to expand...

Got the same exact UWSA1/2 scores as you. Take my exam Monday! God luck we got this
 
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