Step I Official 2021 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread
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blueberries6
New Member
Among the newer NBME's ( 25,26,27,28,29,30) which one is recommended to take as a baseline?
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Help me interpret my scores.
UW 60% finished: 67% correct
Baseline CBSE -1 week: 191
NBME 27 3 weeks in: 209
UWSA1 4 weeks in: 239
NBME 30 5 weeks in: 224
2.5-ish weeks to go. Am I on track for >230? Should I delay a week to be more secure in my score?
UW 60% finished: 67% correct
Baseline CBSE -1 week: 191
NBME 27 3 weeks in: 209
UWSA1 4 weeks in: 239
NBME 30 5 weeks in: 224
2.5-ish weeks to go. Am I on track for >230? Should I delay a week to be more secure in my score?
4 Weeks out as of today.
NBME 29: 214 (Taken on Saturday)
UWorld: 61% little less halfway done
TrueLearn: 60.5% little more than halfway done
Should I take a UWorld self-assessment this weekend? Really wanting to hit a 230 does this look promising?
NBME 29: 214 (Taken on Saturday)
UWorld: 61% little less halfway done
TrueLearn: 60.5% little more than halfway done
Should I take a UWorld self-assessment this weekend? Really wanting to hit a 230 does this look promising?
I would take UWSA1 since its known to over predict and maybe it'll predict where you will be in 4 weeks. Have you been going over your weaknesses? I definitely think a 230 is within your reach, you still have a lot of time!
So far yes. I've always struggled with Micro, antibiotic pharm, and behavioral science pharm so I have saved those for the home stretch here. So I am hoping I can inflate my score a bit once I hammer the majority of these "free" points down.
We still have one week of "school" left. But it includes a Final, the basic science NBME exam, and the COMSAE. So I was thinking about focusing on these and then taking the Uworld self-assessment on the 25th or 26th so I have time to review stuff my school thinks I am weak on.
Exactly 6 weeks out. My goal has always been 250+ but I would be happy with the mid 240s.
Amboss SA: 215 (11 weeks out)
NBME 24: 230 (8 weeks out)
NBME 26: 234 (6 weeks out)
Uworld: 78%, about 30% through.
Finished most of the AnKing deck but not exactly thrilled with where my NBME scores are along with the tiny score increase from 24-26. Do you think 250 is possible from where I'm at right now? My plan is to continue doing Uworld, keep up with my reviews and maybe finish up Amboss but doing more than 80Q a day + reviews is draining.
Amboss SA: 215 (11 weeks out)
NBME 24: 230 (8 weeks out)
NBME 26: 234 (6 weeks out)
Uworld: 78%, about 30% through.
Finished most of the AnKing deck but not exactly thrilled with where my NBME scores are along with the tiny score increase from 24-26. Do you think 250 is possible from where I'm at right now? My plan is to continue doing Uworld, keep up with my reviews and maybe finish up Amboss but doing more than 80Q a day + reviews is draining.
Yes, you are on track with PLENTY of time.
I did a set of 5 the other day and the stems seemed really long. I feel like they would be helpful but also a lot of work and I dont think I have the time for that.
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I went from 266 on NBME 27 to 253 on NBME 25. I took 27 two weeks ago and 25 today. 13 points is a big drop. Any advice is appreciated.
13 points isn’t much when you’re at that level.
Take more practice tests to get more data points and have circumstances average out.
Story of my life. I had a 30 point swing today. Usually they're much less extreme though.
I actually keep an Excel sheet with my block scores and average them by week, just to make sure the overall trend is in the right direction. It's less emotionally draining to have fluctuations based on the luck of the questions your draw.
It's fine for fluctuation. Those blocks where you do poorly in, why was it? (New info you've never seen? Then no big deal. A concept or two you regularly get wrong? Tells you to get better there)
I had a 236 on NBME 25 (3 weeks ago), then a 252 on NBME 30 (2 weeks ago), then a 264 on UW1 (this week). Did I really improve almost 30 points? Heck no. NBME 25 simply has a really really tough curve. Between those 3 tests I had like 80%, 83%, and 86% correct respectively for frame of reference
Wait!!! what? Who told you 230 is not good for Anesthesia? I know it was competitive this year, but I know many people in the low 230s that matched. What are you talking about?
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Based on your previous posts you seem very dedicated, I'm sure you can get there. I finished Anking and both Rx /Amboss qbanks before starting UW so I had a head start on UW-style questions
Not competitive for an IMG
240+ definitely possible if you still have most of UWorld to do. UWSA1 is known to overpredict, so taking it early can sometimes predict close to where you'll be at the end.
I only recently took UWSA1 after being >50% done with UW, and it spat out 264 lol so you're probably right in that it overpredicts. In comparison on NBME 30 I got a 252. But, I'm 73% through UW right now with an 82% average, plan on taking UW2 in a week. Hoping to get a 250+ on UW2 to confirm that I really am in that range
Not necessarily a stretch, definitely possible. For reference, I think I had a 249 on UWSA1 and ended up with a 255. It's a single data point, and I scored above my predicted on the Reddit spreadsheet, but my point is that it's definitely possible and you're on the right track this far out.
Dude. Lol. You're going to crush it. 250s on NBMEs is insane. My highest was a 247 (I think, don't recall exactly). Would be very surprised if you score less than 250 on the real thing. Try to take your test sooner than later-- there's a point of diminishing returns in my opinion where waiting longer actually starts to lead to a score decrease.
I'm taking mine 2 weeks from tomorrow (probably the first one in my class of nearly 200)! My UW1 was with <3 weeks to go. Taking my UW2SA end of this week will be 9 days out from it.
How did you do on UW2 in comparison to UW1 and your actual score?
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Trying to figure out my dedicated study schedule, those of you that are currently in dedicated what does your schedule look like? I was planning on doing 2 UW Blocks + Review, ANKI, Gym, then try to fill the rest of the time with content review. Really unsure how to go about content review, should I be watching BnB and Pathoma like periodically as I miss questions or should I go through every single video?
so far its
1. wake up somewhere btwn 8-9am
2. do some anki for a bit
3. have breakfast/chill for a little
4. do 2-3 UWorld blocks
5. do more anki
6. have food/take a break for an hour
7. review my blocks
8. chill/finish up anki till 11:30-12 and go to bed
I put a lot of time into reviewing my questions as I make flashcards for stuff or look up some things online so that's my "content review" I guess. Anki and all those UWorld questions takes a while which is why I don't really set aside time for other stuff
I did worse on UW2, but I kind of expected it going in-- it is heavy on biochem, which is arguably my weakest subject. My real test had almost no biochem, which is why at such high scores it really comes down to luck. I believe I got a 247 on UW2, and I think it was ~1 week out.
UWorld: 71%
UWSA1: 254
UWSA2: 245
Took a ton of NBME's starting maybe a month out, but average was a 236.
Taking STEP in 2 days on the 23rd.
Honestly can't complain since I didn't keep up with MS1 material at all (And that was when we did GI/Cardio/Pulm/Renal).
Hindsight 20/20 but here's to hoping I get a bit of luck my way and magically crack 250.
UWSA1: 254
UWSA2: 245
Took a ton of NBME's starting maybe a month out, but average was a 236.
Taking STEP in 2 days on the 23rd.
Honestly can't complain since I didn't keep up with MS1 material at all (And that was when we did GI/Cardio/Pulm/Renal).
Hindsight 20/20 but here's to hoping I get a bit of luck my way and magically crack 250.
Let us know how it goes! Based on other people's histories and your scores, 250 is within reach
Average probably in the 60's, up to mid-70's towards the end with a good number of low-to-mid 80's.
Fingers crossed! Definitely have some weak points to hammer out tonight/tomorrow but otherwise I'll just stay the course. Best of luck to you as well - you're absolutely going to kill it with those scores. Let us know how UWSA2 goes!
Alright y'all, I know I don't have too many data points but here's what I got
Amboss SA: 208 (19 weeks out)
NBME 22: 222 (12 weeks out)
Done a couple Uworld blocks at ~60%, and a few hundred questions in Amboss at ~60%. 75-80% of AnKing matured or will be matured in the next couple weeks. I hadn't finished all my systems classes for the Amboss SA but had just finished my last systems class for NBME 22. 11 weeks out from my test trying to do 40 questions a day while we finish some irrelevant classes and then will do 80 questions a day so I can finish U world. But I got a couple questions.
- Is a 250+ possible?
- How important is it to take NBME's? I bought 18, 22, and 24 and was planning on getting all the new ones as well, doing 1 per week. But is it necessary/helpful to do that many? I will also be taking UWSA 1 and 2
Amboss SA: 208 (19 weeks out)
NBME 22: 222 (12 weeks out)
Done a couple Uworld blocks at ~60%, and a few hundred questions in Amboss at ~60%. 75-80% of AnKing matured or will be matured in the next couple weeks. I hadn't finished all my systems classes for the Amboss SA but had just finished my last systems class for NBME 22. 11 weeks out from my test trying to do 40 questions a day while we finish some irrelevant classes and then will do 80 questions a day so I can finish U world. But I got a couple questions.
- Is a 250+ possible?
- How important is it to take NBME's? I bought 18, 22, and 24 and was planning on getting all the new ones as well, doing 1 per week. But is it necessary/helpful to do that many? I will also be taking UWSA 1 and 2
That's a good point. I think 250+ is possible for you Schwifty, just make sure to review all of UW carefully. I would also recommend sticking with Anki and making cards for incorrects or new material that wasn't in teh Anking deck. Stop doing Amboss for now. If you finish UW in time then you can go to Amboss (it's too late in the game to try and finish other blocks right now, make UW a priority).
I don't think you need to do 10 plus practice tests. Maybe do one very other week
okay, defiantly something I haven’t though of, thanks
ya I stopped amboss, just focusing on u world. I figured if I finish u world then I would work on some amboss. Thanks for the advice
Currently 4 weeks out from my test and looking for some advice. I've unsuspended roughly 90% of the anking deck but am at the point of doing 800 reviews per day plus 2-300+ from my missed questions deck which is continuing to grow. I'm looking to prioritize questions and finish like 4-5 new topics that I've never really covered(things like RTA, more immuno drugs, etc). Is there a good way to only spend 2-3 hours on reviews per day, without creating a backlog of cards? I thought about postponing whatever I dont finish, but if I finish say 700 of my 1000 reviews, postponing just 300 cards doesnt seem worth it. Or should I just continue to push through and try to finish my cards everyday?
My goal is 250+ and I recently got a 256 on UWSA1 but was really hoping to do better and thinking that prioritizing questions might help. Thoughts?
My goal is 250+ and I recently got a 256 on UWSA1 but was really hoping to do better and thinking that prioritizing questions might help. Thoughts?
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You could set a numerical limit on reviews in the settings. Anki then automatically prioritizes the oldest cards. You will not be on schedule but it is impossible to do fewer cards per day without having something get thrown off.
Whatever you end up doing, definitely prioritize questions right now. You have an excellent foundation.
How much time are you spending on these 800 reviews? I believe I was doing somewhere around there during dedicated and it would probably take me 2-3 hours, which is what you're trying to get to. If you can't find a way to do them faster, I would agree with the advice to either focus on reviews in your weaker subjects or set Anki to prioritize older reviews. Overall, don't sacrifice doing questions for Anki. Obviously doing both is the best option, but if you can't, new questions > Anki.
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In general, questions > finishing reviews. Definitely aim to finish UWorld, and hope to do Missed +/- Marked if possible.
Alternatively, since reviews are a lot more passive than questions, you could also pseudo-Pomodoro them. That's what one of my classmates did, and they've been doing well. (e.g. 40Q block, review, questions to "relax", another block, etc.)
I believe a 256 on UWSA1 on the Reddit score predictor already predicts you at a 250 or 251, so you're well on your way especially with 4 weeks left. Good luck!
This is what I did. Start off the day with half of my Anki cards, do a 40q block + review, have lunch and finish Anki, then another 40q block + review. End the day with some B&B or Pathoma if I felt I needed to brush up on anything. It worked better for me mentally to break things up.
I meant 800 + my missed Q deck but its usually around 2.5-3.5 hours. But once I try to cover these new topics I would be adding 4-500 cards with 4 weeks left. I guess I could always just watch the videos and take notes without doing the cards and review them a couple times before my exam so I at least have some recognition of those topics.
At my current pace Ill finish Uworld with 7-8 days to do incorrects, UWSA2 and free 120. The reason I'm struggling is because I have 660 more amboss Qs I would like to do so im currently doing 80Q of uworld and 25-40 of amboss per day.
Ill just keep pushing through them. I was hoping to have like an hour or so at the end of each night to review videos and things like that but anki is definitely a more active way of studying.
I've received advise from others on here because I was under a slightly similar time crunch. Everyone told me NOT to bother doing the incorrects (especially becaues you, like myself, have been making flash cards for questions answered incorrectly). So, don't bother with the bolded. As they say New questions >> Old questions you've already seen. I would also not do anymore Amboss until you've finished UW. If you end up having the time, THEN go back to Amboss
So you think I should use my timee that I currently spend on amboss which is like a little over 2 hours to focus on anki and finish the new cards I want to? Then finish amboss in those 7 days before my test?
