Score Distribution?

[SeminoleFan3]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Someone posted on here that the SD for Step 1 was 23 pts or close to it. How does one come to this conclusion? Also, are scores based in a bell curve or something else?

 

[McGillGrad]

They take all the scores and then run a statistical analysis and that's where it comes from.

 

[fergustsi]

They take all the scores and then run a statistical analysis and that's where it comes from.

that not entirely correct. The process actually involves getting trained monkeys to throw their feces and a spinning wheel with a bunch of numbers. the avg of the ten throws then becomes the SD for step 1.

 

[McGillGrad]

that not entirely correct. The process actually involves getting trained monkeys to throw their feces and a spinning wheel with a bunch of numbers. the avg of the ten throws then becomes the SD for step 1.

That actually sounds more realistic

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Welll, I was just trying to figure where the 23 actually came from as I didn't see that anywhere in the score report.

 

[tdd340]

Its in the text portion of your 3 digit score

 

[Lespedeza]

Its in the text portion of your 3 digit score

Mine quoted a mean of 222 with a SD of 22.

 

[Deferoxamine]

http://bayes.bgsu.edu/nsf_web/jscript/normal_cdf/normal_icdf.htm

For Mean M, type in 0.221
For Standard deviation S, type in 0.023

Then for Probability, type in a percentile... i.e. say you want to know what the 60th percentile score on the exam was, type in 0.60

Click compute x and the score you need to be 60th percentile (divided by 1,000) will appear in the area labeled "x" - in this case, 226.8 (0.2268).

For some reason, I feel like I could have made those instructions much shorter.

 

[McGillGrad]

For some reason, I feel like I could have made those instructions much shorter.

Yeah, you could have just said "google it"...

 

[fergustsi]

this is just so much easier. less plugging in, more sliding. towards the bottom of the page.

http://www.*******************/welcome/resources/usmle-score-calculator.html

http://bayes.bgsu.edu/nsf_web/jscript/normal_cdf/normal_icdf.htm

For Mean M, type in 0.221
For Standard deviation S, type in 0.023

Then for Probability, type in a percentile... i.e. say you want to know what the 60th percentile score on the exam was, type in 0.60

Click compute x and the score you need to be 60th percentile (divided by 1,000) will appear in the area labeled "x" - in this case, 226.8 (0.2268).

For some reason, I feel like I could have made those instructions much shorter.

 

[igottaquestion]

Also, are scores based in a bell curve or something else?

Well I wouldn't expect the score distribution to be bell-curved, which would mean we really don't have enough information to calculate accurate percentiles.

 

[Blesbok]

According to SDN, there is a peak somewhere in the mid 260s, then another at right around 240, then another between 185 and 200. Rarely do people get anywhere between 200 and 235.

 

[igottaquestion]

peak in the mid-260s? wow (unless it's a small peak).