USMLE Official 2020 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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There is a new update from USMLE, and prometric have assembled a FAQ of recent inquiries, check on their website. Before doing anything prematurely.
Me, clicking on the link and thinking there would actually be something useful there:
d1f.jpg
 
, but I feel I would waste a lot of time on sketchy pharm with pharmacotherapy not being tested.

Sketchy Pharm. Also there will be a lot of pharmacology on Step 1. Pharmacotherapy means there won't be any Step 2 like questions with regard to the nuances of the differences between two drugs for the same disease and when to give which one, I.e. more Step 2 stuff. You'll need to know the basics, and then all MOA and side effects.
So you think just save UWorld and keep grinding on Zanki and another Qbank?

As someone who in a similar predicament with Step 2 that's my plan. Just do other questions, keep up on cards and OME and then ramp back up UW as the date gets closer.
 
Sketchy Pharm. Also there will be a lot of pharmacology on Step 1. Pharmacotherapy means there won't be any Step 2 like questions with regard to the nuances of the differences between two drugs for the same disease and when to give which one, I.e. more Step 2 stuff. You'll need to know the basics, and then all MOA and side effects.


As someone who in a similar predicament with Step 2 that's my plan. Just do other questions, keep up on cards and OME and then ramp back up UW as the date gets closer.

you think Kaplan or Amboss is better to go with
 
when i checked online my test center number had changed. Everthing else is the same. Not sure if this means anything
 
you think Kaplan or Amboss is better to go with

I've done both and personally I like Amboss more, but Kaplan was still great. If you're into your stats like how UW does it, Amboss breaks down percentile for each block that you do while Kaplan just gives you a % correct but you don't know how you did compared to others. Kaplan had a larger proportion of anatomy (CT scans, brachial plexus, MRIs) which I found pretty helpful. One thing to consider though, is if you wanted to use Amboss during rotations for shelves, if you purchase Amboss and use their Step 1 Qbank now, you can just switch over for Step 2 questions when you finish Step 1 and move onto Step 2.
 
Some people in my class are saying if you don't get an email today from NBME then you're safe? Apparently found from a reddit post, but I haven't come across that yet.
 
Some people in my class are saying if you don't get an email today from NBME then you're safe? Apparently found from a reddit post, but I haven't come across that yet.

There's so much conflicting info out there I wouldn't believe anything. First it was cancellations through Thursday, then it was tomorrow then it was end of the day today. There was also the you won't be canceled at all if you make it through this week to at least 7 days notice if your appointment will be canceled but people today have gotten emails for cancellation of appointments 3-4 days from now. Prometric doesn't know, NBME doesn't know, NBOME doesn't know, I wonder if God even knows at this point.
 
TL;DR Step should be pass fail b/c lots of variables make it less fair to objectively use it as a tool to compare one another. Still most likely wont happen. Wanting it to be pass fail says nothing negative about you at all.

My input on the whole pass fail thing
Giving a score on an exam like this during a time like this has several implications:

1. While an incredibly high number of people have been have been affected by this virus, a disproportionately high amount of these people come from underserved backgrounds. That being said, students from underserved backgrounds are more likely to have to deal with the implications of COVID-19 which is more likely to affect their scores compared to others. And while thats always the case with anything, the magnitude of a global pandemic still changes things quite a bit.

2. If that doesnt convince you, not everyone has been affected by prometric closures the same. Some were able to take it beforehand, some will still be able to take it before staring clerkships, and some will be forced to study for step 1 while on rotations. That being said, these 3 groups should not be compared to one another on an exam of this magnitude. For example, if I were forced to take step during any rotation I probably wouldnt do as well as if I were able to take it during dedicated.

3. Uworld has been amazing and has extended the subscriptions of the students affected by COVID-19. While im incredibly thankful for that, at some point theyre going to stop extending subscriptions. At that point, only those who can afford to extend Uworld will be able to keep using it and not everybody can afford to do that and not every school can afford to extend Uworld for their students. i.e. how well you do may end up being related to your ability to afford to extend Uworld.

4. Dedicated is an incredibly dark place for many students. The fact that USMLE refuses to make it P/F after all of this really sucks because it really takes a toll on the mental health of a lot of students. Granted, med school does that in general. I figured id add this point because I, along with many other students have been in dedicated since the beginning of February and I have never been more depressed in my life. While I am still studying, no test is worth my mental health and I hope you all feel the same.

Ive worked incredibly hard studying for Step 1 and personally I would like a score in a normal situation. This is not a normal situation. Most of us work incredibly hard and are NOT just being lazy. There are several reasons why a global pandemic makes it nearly impossible to fairly compare step scores because it changes so many things. This is all just my opinion though. And honestly pass fail most likely wont happen.
Uh oh, weve got one of them here
 
Damn and im sitting over here with 48% halfway through my first pass feeling proud of myself 🙁 lol

That’s not a bad place to be honestly, it’s just that 70%+ off the bat is exceptional. I keep track of my 10 day average to see where I’m at, once you get past a few hundred questions it’s hard to change your percent.
 
That’s not a bad place to be honestly, it’s just that 70%+ off the bat is exceptional. I keep track of my 10 day average to see where I’m at, once you get past a few hundred questions it’s hard to change your percent.

Yeah my 10 day average fluctuates around my average.... I guess its good to know its not awful lol
 
Bruh, amboss is just as bad

Nahhhh. If you scour the interwebs there’s general agreement that AMBOSS > Kaplan. AMBOSS is just newer. That being said, all the Q banks have their low moments. And ultimately it comes down to what the person needs to work on and is looking for anyways.
 
Just did another 40 question block. Was going awesome, only missed like 4 out of the first 30 questions. Then missed 7 of the last 10....so still at 73% average lol. I've literally gotten the same score on all 3 blocks.
 
New conspiracy theory on Reddit (I live for these now): supposedly one school has heard from the NBME that Prometric still hasn't cleared all the non-essential exams out yet and will be opening those seats to the essential exams soon. Supposedly phase 1 was mass cancellation of 50% of all appointments then the next phase is them canceling the rest of the nonessential exams and rescheduling all the displaced essential examinees in those spots if centers still have room. I have no idea why they would do it this way as it makes no sense to me at all but this is Prometric we are talking about so maybe the weirdest and most backward way of doing things is actually how it's being done.
 
Just did another 40 question block. Was going awesome, only missed like 4 out of the first 30 questions. Then missed 7 of the last 10....so still at 73% average lol. I've literally gotten the same score on all 3 blocks.

Keep it up! I forget the % correct correlation or how accurate that is but that's gotta be around 250 territory
 
New conspiracy theory on Reddit (I live for these now): supposedly one school has heard from the NBME that Prometric still hasn't cleared all the non-essential exams out yet and will be opening those seats to the essential exams soon. Supposedly phase 1 was mass cancellation of 50% of all appointments then the next phase is them canceling the rest of the nonessential exams and rescheduling all the displaced essential examinees in those spots if centers still have room. I have no idea why they would do it this way as it makes no sense to me at all but this is Prometric we are talking about so maybe the weirdest and most backward way of doing things is actually how it's being done.
THIS IS THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD I am so angry ahhhh
 
Anyone have good resources for anatomy and phys for someone who's already done all of Zanki? I'm thinking BnB videos but I know they're a bit dense. But I gotta start doing some review because it's gotten to the point where I see an anatomy or phys question and just go "f***" 9 times out of 10 lol.
 
Anyone have good resources for anatomy and phys for someone who's already done all of Zanki? I'm thinking BnB videos but I know they're a bit dense. But I gotta start doing some review because it's gotten to the point where I see an anatomy or phys question and just go "f***" 9 times out of 10 lol.
I've been making a UWorld Anki deck out of the ones I miss and reviewing the appropriate portions in First aid. Really, those cards have been all I've been studying for anatomy. There is a several hundred card deck out there for clinically relevant/boards relevant anatomy but I can't remember where to find it.
 
Anyone have good resources for anatomy and phys for someone who's already done all of Zanki? I'm thinking BnB videos but I know they're a bit dense. But I gotta start doing some review because it's gotten to the point where I see an anatomy or phys question and just go "f***" 9 times out of 10 lol.

Yea those anatomy questions have been tough for me too since Zanki didn't focus too much on them. I've also been making anki cards out of them though. For example, If the question has a CT scan with structures labeled A-F, the review portion should have a second picture with A-F labeled for you. Since we can use the browser version of UW to copy/paste, I'll just create an anki card with the 1st picture as the question, then have the answer be the 2nd picture.
 
Yea those anatomy questions have been tough for me too since Zanki didn't focus too much on them. I've also been making anki cards out of them though. For example, If the question has a CT scan with structures labeled A-F, the review portion should have a second picture with A-F labeled for you. Since we can use the browser version of UW to copy/paste, I'll just create an anki card with the 1st picture as the question, then have the answer be the 2nd picture.

There's a powerpoint out there that has the 100 "must know" anatomy concepts/facts for Step 1 that is really popular. One of my classmates shared it a while ago. If anyone is interested, I can do some digging into our class group me. Just let me know!

EDIT: I found this on the web but I think it was the same from my class groupme. 100 Concepts Anatomy - Free Download PDF
 
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New conspiracy theory on Reddit (I live for these now): supposedly one school has heard from the NBME that Prometric still hasn't cleared all the non-essential exams out yet and will be opening those seats to the essential exams soon. Supposedly phase 1 was mass cancellation of 50% of all appointments then the next phase is them canceling the rest of the nonessential exams and rescheduling all the displaced essential examinees in those spots if centers still have room. I have no idea why they would do it this way as it makes no sense to me at all but this is Prometric we are talking about so maybe the weirdest and most backward way of doing things is actually how it's being done.

have also heard this from a non-reddit source
 
Got cancelled today for my May 14th test date, was originally scheduled for end of March and I rescheduled multiple times to avoid being cancelled before. Was sorta hoping I wouldnt be cancelled this time. I've lost all motivation to study today, already finished Rx and Uworld and not sure what I should be doing right now.
 
Someone posted in our class Facebook page that they rescheduled and contacted their new testing site. They were told that Prometric is still filling the site at full capacity and so more cancellations would come as people continue to book new spots. BUT then another person said they spoke with NBOME and were told that once you reschedule, the dates are limited to social distancing and you won't be cancelled again. So basically, another thing that no knows, or that's maybe site specific.
 
New in the USMLE COVID FAQs: Prometric can promise to give at least 48 hours notice if your exam is cancelled. Ha.

When they're writing the answers to these FAQs, I wonder if they realize how ridiculous they sound? All I'll say is that I want some of what they're smoking if they really think they have until June 30th to figure this out.
 
I've been making a UWorld Anki deck out of the ones I miss and reviewing the appropriate portions in First aid. Really, those cards have been all I've been studying for anatomy. There is a several hundred card deck out there for clinically relevant/boards relevant anatomy but I can't remember where to find it.

New and improved 100 concepts deck:
 
When they're writing the answers to these FAQs, I wonder if they realize how ridiculous they sound? All I'll say is that I want some of what they're smoking if they really think they have until June 30th to figure this out.

Yea I've gotten no emails yet, so I am possibly sitting on false hope. However, I interpreted the 48 hours prior to our exam date as following the lockdown situations in the differing states, and not as we could be part of the 50% that gets cut and we find out 48 hours before. I'm hoping the rumors are true and this is the week they're doing the cuts and there won't be anymore after that.
 
Yea I've gotten no emails yet, so I am possibly sitting on false hope. However, I interpreted the 48 hours prior to our exam date as following the lockdown situations in the differing states, and not as we could be part of the 50% that gets cut and we find out 48 hours before. I'm hoping the rumors are true and this is the week they're doing the cuts and there won't be anymore after that.

I was creeping on Dr. Ryan's Twitter since he's been pushing hard for the USMLE to allow schools to proctor board exams and seeing students' tweets about their experiences with Prometric even in non-pandemic circumstances has obliterated the small amount of faith I had in them. They've cancelled students on the day of their exams for much less than government-mandated social distancing so I think we should all expect to be on edge until we're actually sitting at a computer answering questions.
 
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