Someone explain this: 14 point increase in NBME with 30min left/section

[basupran]

K, I took NBME 4 very recently, and I just finished NBME 3. For my 1st NBME (#4), I found myself running out of time, and barely finishing within the time limit. For NBME 3, I finished the sections with 25-30 minutes left/section and scored 14 points higher (70 points on the CBSSA score). If I didn't know something, I just said 'whatever', and I just clicked the choice that stood out.

Both tests were taken in similar conditions (though I did have some coffee before NBME 3), but I am worried about my inconsistent peformance. It seems that the more I think, the worse I do. The day of the test, I know for a fact that I will be overthinking every detail.

Also, I have had huge variations in my UW scores (I am talking 40 percentage points). I am getting very frustrated with my inconsistency...

Any advice?

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[deleted113029]

K, I took NBME 4 very recently, and I just finished NBME 3. For my 1st NBME (#4), I found myself running out of time, and barely finishing within the time limit. For NBME 3, I finished the sections with 25-30 minutes left/section and scored 14 points higher (70 points on the CBSSA score). If I didn't know something, I just said 'whatever', and I just clicked the choice that stood out.

Both tests were taken in similar conditions (though I did have some coffee before NBME 3), but I am worried about my inconsistent peformance. It seems that the more I think, the worse I do. The day of the test, I know for a fact that I will be overthinking every detail.

Also, I have had huge variations in my UW scores (I am talking 40 percentage points). I am getting very frustrated with my inconsistency...

Any advice?

why don't you do 5-10 question blocks where you just had a whatever attitude and see how you do? then do them while overthinking. something tells me it's much more complex than just your approach to question blocks.

certain questions require just recall while others involve a 2- to 3-step process...maybe this could be one area you can investigate to evaluate your inconsistencies.