Step 1 exam Oct 9th - retaking it again, any advise

[Medschool2323]

Fellow medical colleagues

I took Step 1 on April 1st and failed pretty bad, got a 181 so re taking it again Oct 9th

What I have done so far:
NBME 16 (Standard Paced) July 2nd -> (260) (Step 1: 177)
NBME 15 (Standard Paced) Aug 1 -> (310) (Step 1: 188)
NBME 13 (Standard Paced) Sept 7 -> (390) (Step 1: 205)
USMLE Rx -> 75% and more
Uworld (80% and above) -> not using the score to evaluate since most of em are from my memory because second time doing it, first time was before my previos step 1 exam)
FA 2014 -> went over it once, going over it one more time
NBME 12 -> Will take it on Sept 29th

This is pretty much what I have done so far, I am aiming for a 220

I have 15 days left, please if there is any other prep that could benefit me, I would really appreciate it. Just do not want to go through the experience of failing, thank you very much

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[Transposony]

1. Postpone
2. Tell us more as to why do you think you failed.
3. Let us help you.

A crude analogy -- if your car's "check engine light" is on and you don't know where the problem is, it won't help to put premium gas into the tank.
You have to figure out the problem (with the help of an experienced mechanic). It may be transmission, it may be the fuel pump or timing belt etc.

My point is that unless you find out what caused the problem you are unlikely to find a solution.

 

[Medschool2323]

I failed the first time because I took this exam as a joke, thinking I knew my stuff and wasn't 100% focused towards prepping for this exam and I paid the price dearly but this time around I have completely isolated myself from anything and everything. 110% focused on passing this exam and determined! Thank you for the reply Transposony

 

[SBR249]

What I have done so far:
NBME 16 (Standard Paced) July 2nd -> (260) (Step 1: 177)
NBME 15 (Standard Paced) Aug 1 -> (310) (Step 1: 188)
NBME 13 (Standard Paced) Sept 7 -> (390) (Step 1: 205)

I looked at the first score and thought that was the scaled score and I was like...bro you got this. And then I looked at the next 2 scores and I was like...that's AWESOME

And then 5sec later I realized they were the raw scores and I was like...

But in all seriousness, have you done Pathoma? I feel like you are within sight of your goal and you just need a little extra push to get there. Maybe another pass through FA, maybe Pathoma, maybe intensive review in a weak area. You got 75% on the Rx which I'm assuming was the first time, so clearly you are remembering the stuff in FA. Maybe you just need to be a bit better at reading questions and making connections.

 

[Transposony]

My formula for USMLE score is --> your desired score +/-15 (+15 for good luck & -15 for bad luck) on an average of two NBMEs.
You already have 205 on last NBME (205+15=220).
You are quite close as SBR249 pointed out and Pathoma will tide you over if you haven't already done it. Maybe listen to Goljan audio while working out (he has the gift of making concepts stick onto your neurons by causing ?conformational change at the receptor level).
But my advice would be to do very focused prep on your weak areas.
Then, let's see how much you score on your next NBME.

 

[Medschool2323]

thank you for the replies. I have already one pathoma once, should i re do it again? maybe put it on fast forward?

 

[SBR249]

Did you take good notes the first time through? Did you understand the concepts? Do you remember most of it? If yes, then reading through the book again should be enough

 

[Medschool2323]

yes i took good notes, and remember most of it, I have no problem with recall, just the staring at the screen for too long without getting headaches and blurry vision and extreme fatigue, I need to overcome my mental endurance for the actual exam