Part I score & confusion

[HupHolland]

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Ok- so, I got my Part I score yesterday and I'm happy with it: 82

Subject / # Correct / National Mean
Anatomy / 75 / 63
Biochem & Phys / 68 / 61.2
Micro & Path / 76 / 64
Dental Anatomy / 77 / 73

I'm no statistician, but my confusion comes in here: my average # of correct per section was 74. The national mean average # of correct per section was 65.3. However, according to my score report, my composite score of 82 falls in the 39.4 percentile of test takers.

How can I score, on average, 9 questions higher per section and fall in the 39.4th percentile??

I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out who the ****** is here.. me or the ADA? I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that if you're better than average, then you're in the top 50%.

I understand that there is a different difficulty between exams, but so much so that scoring 9% better on average still puts one in the bottom 40%?

-Hup!

 

[dentheartthrob]

Ok- so, I got my Part I score yesterday and I'm happy with it: 82

Subject / # Correct / National Mean
Anatomy / 75 / 63
Biochem & Phys / 68 / 61.2
Micro & Path / 76 / 64
Dental Anatomy / 77 / 73

I'm no statistician, but my confusion comes in here: my average # of correct per section was 74. The national mean average # of correct per section was 65.3. However, according to my score report, my composite score of 82 falls in the 39.4 percentile of test takers.

How can I score, on average, 9 questions higher per section and fall in the 39.4th percentile??

I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out who the ****** is here.. me or the ADA? I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that if you're better than average, then you're in the top 50%.

I understand that there is a different difficulty between exams, but so much so that scoring 9% better on average still puts one in the bottom 40%?

-Hup!

I dont think what's written on the back is updated. seems like the curve is getting tougher and tougher to score high

 

[Ibanez]

Ok- so, I got my Part I score yesterday and I'm happy with it: 82

Subject / # Correct / National Mean
Anatomy / 75 / 63
Biochem & Phys / 68 / 61.2
Micro & Path / 76 / 64
Dental Anatomy / 77 / 73

I'm no statistician, but my confusion comes in here: my average # of correct per section was 74. The national mean average # of correct per section was 65.3. However, according to my score report, my composite score of 82 falls in the 39.4 percentile of test takers.

How can I score, on average, 9 questions higher per section and fall in the 39.4th percentile??

I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out who the ****** is here.. me or the ADA? I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that if you're better than average, then you're in the top 50%.

I understand that there is a different difficulty between exams, but so much so that scoring 9% better on average still puts one in the bottom 40%?

-Hup!

Hey Hup,

You might want to re-phrase your question to something like, "I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out who the GENIUS is here RELATIVELY.. me or the ADA?"

ADA, in toto, is relatively genius. Thanks to a dozen (or more?) of Ph.D.s who construct the test and do the statistical analyses of the same.

Well if look at a prototypical percentile curve, you'll see many of the test candidates will score in the central region of the curve. This central region is clustered/crowded and is BROAD. And not to say there's a room for a little standard deviation as well. Irrespective of the SD... The more you score on the extreme sides of the exam, e.g. either 20 % or 95%, the more likely you'll be amongst the "sediments"-20%-ers (for the lack of a better word!) or the cream-95%ers of very few.
So scoring more than 9%-10% won't do much to improve your score cf. 20% more which can do the trick.

Well most people here will find me irresistible to swear at just because I asked you to consider NBDE score as a derivation from a PROTOTYPICAL curve. I know, you know and everyone knows, that isn't all true. If you look at their technical report (posted on ada.org under NBDE-NBDHE examinations), they have mentioned Item Response Theory as a parameter to derive your raw scores (Rasch Model). In the simplest of words, it means that it is based on the difficulty level of the PARTICULAR ITEM-TEST QUESTION and how you answer it (well right or wrong, that is!) .

Therefore it is likely for a person to score 9% more than mean but still be close to the central tendencies (mean/mode/median) or region of the percentile curve.

And I don't think you're happy... But I know, you know (?) and everyone knows (?) that NBDE scores are secondary parameters. Well the primary ones are... Your diligence; your ability to take failures and to take such in your stride and excel; well your LoRs (if you;ve a dental God to write-in your LoR, you'll be welcomed everywhere... Search for a Dental God and work for him); your presence; your ability to sell what the buyer is looking for (if you intend to specialize later)... That will suffice!

And you don't have to feel any bad if you see yourself with a 82... Well its likely that you'll compare yourself to people who post their results here or elsewhere. If you're comparing your scores to someone here on SDN, well most here are FTDs and their method of preparation is more or less different as yours' . They sit back home, take a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 months of "time-out"... And then they prepare for such an exam... And then write it... And then some of them do get somewhere in/around 90s. Given that you guys get a 2-3 weeks of time to write it (that too when you may have to sacrifice your well deserved summer break!), you're doing just fine.

Well its competitive for FTDs to apply for advance standing programs or residencies (plus a million things at stake), so it might be okay to take time-outs for FTDs.
(I personally did not... I'd a lot of stuff going on. I wanted to take a time-out though... Atleast for a month!)

If you have OMFS/ortho dreams or endo, you might have to re-write it... May be when you're done with your graduation you can, too, take some time-out and study for it and get a decent something score (?).

Good Luck!

Best-est Regards,
Mayank.

 

[shaby]

hi, can you please let me know what was the average and standard deviation of the exam when you took it?

 

[I'mFillingFine]

The stuff on the back has to be outdated. So far, the scores in my class are WAY lower than last year's. Perhaps it was too easy and they modified the scale and the questions; not sure! But 80 seems to be the average of what people are getting (my class is telling everyone their scores.) And the highest I've heard for this year is a 93. So it's totally different than in past years!

 

[BIG BULL]

Hi,
I am planning to take part-1 in Dec. I took the exam last year i got 69. I read for 40 days, I read decks, question papers. I am planning on taking it again in dec. I am really worried about the new pattern. Please help me, and advise me what to read,and how much time should i spend to read.
PLEASE HELP ME🙁