step 1 diagnostic score and redoing UW q's

[fijianpuppy]

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i just took my first NBME and got a 170...i'm sort of disappointed, i take the real deal in less than two months and have been trying to plug through first aid as diligently as i can with school in my way. also i've done a good chunk of the UW questions (~600). finals end in 2 weeks and i'll have 5 weeks to study hard core.

two questions-

1. is this diagnostic score a bad sign?

and

2. do you think redoing a good portion of q-bank q's is a bad idea? ie. getting questions right because i remember them? initially i wanted to do them twice because i thought knowing the explanations well would be to my benefit but now i am having second thoughts.

alright, any advice would be helpful...

 

[fijianpuppy]

bump - and another question i have is in making my summer schedule, should i keep nbme 5 + 6 for closer to the real thing and take UW world's assesments earlier as 5+6 sound like they're more indicative of the real thing?

thanks..

 

[davosPlatz]

i just took my first NBME and got a 170...i'm sort of disappointed, i take the real deal in less than two months and have been trying to plug through first aid as diligently as i can with school in my way. also i've done a good chunk of the UW questions (~600). finals end in 2 weeks and i'll have 5 weeks to study hard core.

two questions-

1. is this diagnostic score a bad sign?

and

2. do you think redoing a good portion of q-bank q's is a bad idea? ie. getting questions right because i remember them? initially i wanted to do them twice because i thought knowing the explanations well would be to my benefit but now i am having second thoughts.

alright, any advice would be helpful...

End of MS II NBME diagnostics range from 160 to 200 ballpark. 170 is fine, just focus on your block exam and ensure that you do every question available in your Qbanks (UW, Kap, Rx) related to your school final. Then, commence 5 weeks with a vengeance and be sure to do ALL of the questions. People who successfully accomplish this see scores that rise from baseline 180 to about 220-230. 230-240 would not be unheard of.

 

[davosPlatz]

On the matter of question recognition - as far as I am concerned, if you recognize the concept underlying the reason for which you are selecting the right answer to a question you have already seen: mission accomplished.

 

[Erina]

i just took my first NBME and got a 170...i'm sort of disappointed, i take the real deal in less than two months and have been trying to plug through first aid as diligently as i can with school in my way. also i've done a good chunk of the UW questions (~600). finals end in 2 weeks and i'll have 5 weeks to study hard core.

two questions-

1. is this diagnostic score a bad sign?

and

2. do you think redoing a good portion of q-bank q's is a bad idea? ie. getting questions right because i remember them? initially i wanted to do them twice because i thought knowing the explanations well would be to my benefit but now i am having second thoughts.

alright, any advice would be helpful...

my diagnostic was super low a couple of months ago when we finished second year classes...of course, i took it in the middle of the night instead of studying for out repro final so that probably played a role in my score. however, i was able to jump 40 points in a month and a half without even covering micro or pharm. i jumped another 10 by just reviewing more. hopefully i can jump more by this thursday...how much micro and pharm can i cram into my brain in 2 days?

anyway, i think it's good you've already started doing questions. now when you study, you'll have an idea of what sort of things to focus on. i didn't realize how much i needed to know about things. i think you'll be fine 🙂 i personally would take the UW assessments earlier since they will give you answers and explanations and give you a good idea of what you're still weak in.

 

[Captopril]

On the matter of question recognition - as far as I am concerned, if you recognize the concept underlying the reason for which you are selecting the right answer to a question you have already seen: mission accomplished.

Can you elaborate on this? I have had trouble understanding what the exact efficacy of UW (or qbanks in general) is. I've asked this before, but am still a bit confused. Are we supposed to be using UW to learn the underlying concept of the question, or to assess whether or not we are well versed in a particular area of study? Let me say that again in plain English:

If I am doing a UW question of anatomy that tests my knowledge of lymph drainage of the testes, and I get it wrong..what should be my objective? Learn the lymph drainage of testes by reading the explanation, then move on? Or should I open up a book and start reading lymphatics of pelvis/perineum/genitals because it's something I am weak in?

 

[fijianpuppy]

i appreciate your comments. captopril, i also have been wondering the same thing - ie. when reviewing question explanations - should we take these as discrete facts to be internalized and move on or actually read more about the concept?

 

[ZonaRidicularis]

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[Captopril]

One of the reasons UW is so great is because of their explanations. I think it would be enough to read the explanations and move on for the questions you get incorrect. You can reference another book if it's a concept that completely eludes you. UW seems to explain things well enough though. If you're confused on what "concept" the particular question is about, just click on the review questions after you're done and it will list out all the questions and what topic, sub-topic it was on. I hope that made sense.

That makes perfect sense. Glad to hear it too since it's what I've been doing since signing up for uw.