I'm currently working through Rx and Combank on random/untimed/tutor. My plan as of right now is to get through as much of Rx and Combank as I can before starting AMBOSS in November. I'm pretty much caught up to my next block on Rx so I'm going to have to start doing those questions before exams. Ideally, I will finish AMBOSS right before dedicated and just focus on Uworld at that point. Keeping up with Anki reviews as well. We got this!
Also aiming for 250+ and just hit 20k matured last week. Looks like were setting ourselves up to kill this exam!
i was to lazy to do it. i ended up with a 210 on school cbse. we will be getting clearance to register for step soon. i might still do something similar, your post inspired me to try it again. i will be starting rotations in january i think. will report back with step score, i think i will take the test mid november
How many questions have you done? When I started Rx I was consistently around 40-50% but now I am doing a lot better as I've finished more questions.
In house finals are NBME this year so I will be strictly doing bnb, pathoma and reinforcing with anking. My strategy is to front load the material then test myself on random timed with UWORLD/Amboss blocks. I heard from a ton of upperclassmen who scored 250 + that I shouldn't wait till dedicated to start uworld because their explanations are on point and you learn a lot from them.
Yeah agreed, there are advantages for both approaches.
255, firm believer in saving UWorld for dedicated. If I could do it all again, I would still save UWorld entirely for dedicated. You're right that it's vast and there's so much to learn from it, but I think-- particularly if you Zanki-- that it's best saved for the final stretch, since flashcards will take care of a lot of your learning beforehand. Point being, there are a million different approaches and just go with what feels best for you and how you learn! Lots of high scorers do it early, lots of high scorers save it.
I followed a similar approach. My first qbank was Rx and I did that untimed/tutor. I really wanted to use it as a learning qbank and just get exposure to some boards-style questions. Rx was basically like a trial run for me so I could see how my thought process worked and refine my approach to questions. Once you hit UWorld, it is my opinion that you 100% need to be doing it 40q blocks timed/random/non-tutor, as this will most simulate the real deal. Tutor mode takes you out of test taking mode because you're reading an explanation after each question and it's just not worth doing it with UWorld.
My performance on Rx fluctuated a lot. I definitely improved towards the end-- it was the first qbank I had ever done, so there was a sharp learning curve for me. I finished Rx with 74% correct. I really liked Rx because of how it breaks things down by discipline, so I was really able to see which areas were my weaker ones. I wouldn't stress too much about Rx % correct...if you want to focus on a number, look at how much better you're doing than the average on that block. For example, there were some blocks where my % may have been really low, but I was still 5+% higher than the average, which I took as a win (same principle is true for UWorld). I probably started out averaging in the low 60s. Rx is really best used as a learning tool imo, so try not to worry too much about your scores.
Thanks for the advice, I started to follow last years thread toward the end and saw how you all scored! I hopped on the anki train in the beginning of M1 so its good to see that you didn't waste your time doing it. Did you do any amboss or other qbanks aside from Rx and Uworld? Also curious if you were happy with your initial NBME scores because of the anki/qbanks you had been doing before dedicated? I'm having trouble balancing everything right now and still trying to get into a good daily schedule since our summer break.
Nope, no other qbank! I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to do more, but I didn't want to rush through UWorld. I really think UWorld is the gold mine and as long as you go through it well, it's all you need.
That makes sense I've read that the curves on some of those are insane. I'm just nervous of getting to my first NBME and not scoring in the range that I wanted. I'm hoping to get through most if not all of Amboss before my first NBME. When do most people generally take their first NBME? Our last block is respiratory which ends in March I think.
I took my first NBME the day after I finished Rx, before starting UWorld. I wanted a true baseline pre-dedicated. You can really do whatever you'd like as far as NBMEs go, and it'll also depend on how many of them you want to take.
lmao no worries this is pretty accurate for students who haven't thoroughly covered all of FA yet (no offense to you personally!). Rx is essentially a Qbank to practice alllllll the random FA facts. the questions are not as introspective/critical thinking as Uworld as they will spin the vignette around as much as possible to make the FA trivia fit. Nonetheless still very good practice for a solid foundation and some integration! i firmly believe Rx has improved their qbank to be more integrative and similar to real board questions. i'm about 5 days away from step 1 and i'm averaging high 70s, low 80s on Rx. Finished uworld twice earlier this year with around 75% correct.
From what we have heard, people are getting their scores much quicker lately. It is probably due to all the issues that came with the closures/cancellations with COVID
I guess thats helpful though. I wonder how much this changes things in terms of which NBMEs are historically most predictive. It kind of puts us in a tough situation in determining which ones are most important to do.
When do you plan on doing your first? Or have you?
Hell ya slowthai this is what i like to see. I got money on you hitting 260 bro!
I see you hitting 230s man! whats your goal
lmao ok so i was bored reading through these posts and just wanted to point out how crazy it is that we actually had the same exact NBME baseline score, overall Rx percent, overall UWorld %, NBME 18 score and were 1 point from each other on the real deal. Lets do the same for Step 2 260+ baby lets get itt!!
254 scorer here. Save it for dedicated. This is extemely important as it simulates the real deal the best. You want to be thinking the way UWorld makes you think leading right up to the exam. Best advice is to have done another qbank before Uworld. this way starting UW during dedicated is completely manageable. Doing UW 2x is less effective imo because youll remember questions. If you want to do UWorld again do your incorrects only
230s is definitely my goal! I felt really good about the exam just waiting now
