Rough number of correct needed to pass Step 1 (2019 edition)?

[deleted604824]

I like to keep certain things in mind to help me stay calm during exams. One of them has been to ascertain the number of questions answered correctly to pass - of course, the goal is to aim higher but it helps knowing where the bar is. So, according to Dr Ryan there could be up to 20% experimental questions (ie 56 questions) on a given test (ref: Boards and Beyond | Dr. Ryan's Step 1 Tips) that don't count towards our score whatsoever. Also, the NBME states on their website that roughly 60% correct is needed to pass (194) (ref: United States Medical Licensing Examination | USMLE Bulletin | Score & Score Reporting)

To play it on the safe side let's say we are given roughly 10% of questions that don't count whether they're right or wrong. This leaves us with 250 weighted questions. So 250 * 0.6 = 150. So, spread over seven blocks we need an average of roughly 22/40 to pass Step 1. Is this correct or am I missing something?

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[ciestar]

Problem is that each exam is weighted differently. So a 60% might be passing on one exam while a 65% might be on another..

 

[deleted604824]

Problem is that each exam is weighted differently. So a 60% might be passing on one exam while a 65% might be on another..

Indeed, you're correct. So I think with the variability of the forms it's safe to say 23-24 correct per 40 questions is what to aim for to pass.

 

[libertyyne]

IDK, it's fine to intellectualize the pass line . But there is more peace in accepting and acknowledging your hard work and falling back to your practice scores. If you are passing easily on practice nbmes and uwsas you have very little to worry about during the exam. Maybe even rely on the fact that you had a healthy margin of error.

The problem with your analysis is that you don't know which questions you are getting right. You could get all the experimental questions right and only get 6 actual questions right to end up with 22/40 per block and still fail miserably.

Trust your prep.