Are real deal questions ambigious, twisted and long like UW? Any time management and reading questions strategies? I have troubles in reading long stems and forget what the question is about as soon I reach the last sentence. Having many labs vitals meds...etc really confuse me!
Real deal vs UW
- Thread starter lordman
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I found the difficulty of real exam was more comparable to uwsa than the nbmes. To save time:
1) Read the question first. Then you will know what kind of information you need to look for and what will be important piece of info.
I tried reading from the beginning, like you, by the time I got to the question all the info were jumbled in my mind.
2) When you don't know the answer to questions, if you have no idea whatsoever, just mark an answer and move on. If you feel like you know it, but need more time to think it through then mark an answer and mark the question to get back later if you have left over time.
Being a type A, I marked all the questions I wasn't sure of. Regretted it. I only have like 5 min after each block, in the end I didn't know which question to focus on.
3) Once you're done with a block, forget it and move on. Nothing wastes time more than rehashing and second guessing your previous block while you do the new block.
4) I skipped all abstract and drug ad and did them last. They were doable just too long and intimidating.
That's all I can think of. Good luck!
1) Read the question first. Then you will know what kind of information you need to look for and what will be important piece of info.
I tried reading from the beginning, like you, by the time I got to the question all the info were jumbled in my mind.
2) When you don't know the answer to questions, if you have no idea whatsoever, just mark an answer and move on. If you feel like you know it, but need more time to think it through then mark an answer and mark the question to get back later if you have left over time.
Being a type A, I marked all the questions I wasn't sure of. Regretted it. I only have like 5 min after each block, in the end I didn't know which question to focus on.
3) Once you're done with a block, forget it and move on. Nothing wastes time more than rehashing and second guessing your previous block while you do the new block.
4) I skipped all abstract and drug ad and did them last. They were doable just too long and intimidating.
That's all I can think of. Good luck!
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I agree with what choc-mint mentions above. The issue with UWorld is that you become familiar and comfortable with the way the qbank tests you. Towards the end of the qbank you tend to develop a "feel" for the questions. The NBME practice exam questions did feel different from UW. However, their stems did not feel as long as that of the real test.
However, on the real test the questions may seem unfamiliar. Long question stems combined with test taking jitters can make the real test experience different. There is a distinct possibility that the test environment might be exaggerating my take on the real test. However, from perusing SDN many have a similar experience. In the end, you are being scored against others who most likely used UWORLD, NBME self assessments, UWSA as their primary sources during crunch time.
Time management and short memory span is key. You cannot dwell on your mistakes. Easier said than done! I had an incredibly hard time with this on test day. I finish with 15 minutes on the clock easy when I do blocks at home, but that is because I am comfortable making an educated guess at home. On the real deal I was cutting it close on every block. On test day, you have to train yourself, to move on. I would suggest that taking multiple NBMEs in a timed setting is the best way to prepare for this.
Caveat: Step2CK score pending (NBME4 @2wks out 250s, NBME3@4-5 wks out 220s), Step1 240s, MCAT mid30s
However, on the real test the questions may seem unfamiliar. Long question stems combined with test taking jitters can make the real test experience different. There is a distinct possibility that the test environment might be exaggerating my take on the real test. However, from perusing SDN many have a similar experience. In the end, you are being scored against others who most likely used UWORLD, NBME self assessments, UWSA as their primary sources during crunch time.
Time management and short memory span is key. You cannot dwell on your mistakes. Easier said than done! I had an incredibly hard time with this on test day. I finish with 15 minutes on the clock easy when I do blocks at home, but that is because I am comfortable making an educated guess at home. On the real deal I was cutting it close on every block. On test day, you have to train yourself, to move on. I would suggest that taking multiple NBMEs in a timed setting is the best way to prepare for this.
Caveat: Step2CK score pending (NBME4 @2wks out 250s, NBME3@4-5 wks out 220s), Step1 240s, MCAT mid30s
