Step 1 in 3 days, scoring low on NBMEs and UWSA1

[riamo11]

So I'm scheduled to take the exam on Thursday, but with all my NBMEs being in the 180s/190s and having scored 200 on UWSA1 yesterday, I feel like I will inevitably need to push back my exam. Granted while I was taking UWSA1 I began to panic and couldn't even read the questions properly/missed important details in the stem, which is even more reason to believe that i'm just not in the right head space to take the real thing. It's frustrating because my uworld average started to go up and i got to a point where i was scoring in the 80s and 90s on new blocks of random and finished the bank with a 61% average. I had hopes and dreams of scoring above a 230, but i'm an average/below average US IMG student, always just passed my exams. However, I don't want just a passing Step 1 score, I want to be able to match in either OB/GYN or IM or maybe something else. If anyone has advice as to what I should do these next 2 weeks, or a similar experience/success stories, please share.

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[Chibucks15]

So I'm scheduled to take the exam on Thursday, but with all my NBMEs being in the 180s/190s and having scored 200 on UWSA1 yesterday, I feel like I will inevitably need to push back my exam. Granted while I was taking UWSA1 I began to panic and couldn't even read the questions properly/missed important details in the stem, which is even more reason to believe that i'm just not in the right head space to take the real thing. It's frustrating because my uworld average started to go up and i got to a point where i was scoring in the 80s and 90s on new blocks of random and finished the bank with a 61% average. I had hopes and dreams of scoring above a 230, but i'm an average/below average US IMG student, always just passed my exams. However, I don't want just a passing Step 1 score, I want to be able to match in either OB/GYN or IM or maybe something else. If anyone has advice as to what I should do these next 2 weeks, or a similar experience/success stories, please share.

With those scores you may not even pass...postpone if you can

 

[Ho0v-man]

You’re not ready at all. But that’s okay. Doesn’t mean you can’t get there. I’d just completely repass through uworld. 80-100 q/day and anki everything you don’t understand/remember. Probably need another 4-6 weeks to do it. Good luck!

 

[studentdocftw]

Postpone. A step 1 failure + USIMG is an awful combination. Your scores indicate you aren't there yet....reschedule. Focus on your weakest subjects, practice your timing and get through some NBMEs and UWSA2. Dont just stop taking the exam seriously when you encounter a block of difficult questions..Right now is the time to practice pushing through difficult testing moments..cause you will inevitably have those moments on your actual test date.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

You absolutely cannot take the exam this week. Post-pone at least a month, if not two. As an IMG your entire future rests on you performing well on this test, and even if you managed to pass it now your career aspects wouldn't be very good.

 

[riamo11]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their advice, I delayed it a few weeks so hopefully by then i'll be in a better position to take the exam.

 

[libertyyne]

I would postpone some more, and try to figure out what is going wrong. If you could get a few months you could probably work on something like anki, or another question bank. Currently as it stands you are at high risk of failing the exam, and if you pass you are unlikely to get above a 205, both of which would not be beneficial for your overall goals of matching. At my school if you took an NBME and got 180-190 they would not let you even sit for the exam and force you to take a LOA.

 

[riamo11]

Just wanted to update since I received my score this week, I ended up getting a 225! Considering my average for UW was 60%, NBMEs was ~190 and UWSA was 200, I'm happy with the 225. The two additional weeks really helped calm my nerves and gain confidence in the knowledge I had; I don't think it did much in acquiring new knowledge, but more so in solidifying what I already knew.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

Just wanted to update since I received my score this week, I ended up getting a 225! Considering my average for UW was 60%, NBMEs was ~190 and UWSA was 200, I'm happy with the 225. The two additional weeks really helped calm my nerves and gain confidence in the knowledge I had; I don't think it did much in acquiring new knowledge, but more so in solidifying what I already knew.

Way to go! Very well done.