Step 1 in 4 days...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

MaxillaryCa

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
64
Reaction score
20
Well it's finally here. I have my test in 4 days from today.
I wanted to know from anyone if I'm ready to take this beast.
NBME 17- 223 (2 weeks ago)
NBME 19- 223 (2 weeks ago)
UWSA1- 256 (1 week ago)
NBME 18- 238 (4 days ago)
UWSA2- 245 (Today)
I'm slightly concerned because of how I scored on my previous NBMEs.
I was making a lot of silly mistakes (not reading the question properly, missing key points, couldn't do math).
If anyone can give me a good idea of where I stand that would be great! I'm hoping to score in the 240s (fingers crossed).

Members don't see this ad.
 
Well it's finally here. I have my test in 4 days from today.
I wanted to know from anyone if I'm ready to take this beast.
NBME 17- 223 (2 weeks ago)
NBME 19- 223 (2 weeks ago)
UWSA1- 256 (1 week ago)
NBME 18- 238 (4 days ago)
UWSA2- 245 (Today)
I'm slightly concerned because of how I scored on my previous NBMEs.
I was making a lot of silly mistakes (not reading the question properly, missing key points, couldn't do math).
If anyone can give me a good idea of where I stand that would be great! I'm hoping to score in the 240s (fingers crossed).

What was your first pass Uworld % correct and what mode did you do it in?

You’re ready to take the test.

I would suggest in the next few days:
-take the free 120. Some questions are often reused. 88-89% or above seems to be a good indicator for 240+
-spend a good full day really nailing down your weak subjects. I was pathetic at biochem (20th percentile in Uworld) but after a full day of just studying that I got every question on the test
-rewatch as many pathoma and sketchy videos as you can, especially in high yield and weak subjects.
 
I think you should hit 240. The Free 120 is a good indicator of "doing well" but I wouldn't use it to gauge your score. If you are >80% on it I think you have a good chance of scoring 240+. But for example, there were people on here who scored 90%+ and then 230 on real deal, and then I scored 85% and got 252...so I would use it more of a "ok, I feel comfortable on this material" or "s**t, I need more time to study" kinda deal.

P.S. I also HIGHLY suggest taking the Free 120 AT the testing center. It calms your nerves cause you know exactly how test day is going to go.

P.S.#2. I see you scored 245 on UW2 which is a good predictor. Everyone I know scored at or above their UW2. I got 250 on UW2 and 252 real deal.
 
Well it's finally here. I have my test in 4 days from today.
I wanted to know from anyone if I'm ready to take this beast.
NBME 17- 223 (2 weeks ago)
NBME 19- 223 (2 weeks ago)
UWSA1- 256 (1 week ago)
NBME 18- 238 (4 days ago)
UWSA2- 245 (Today)
I'm slightly concerned because of how I scored on my previous NBMEs.
I was making a lot of silly mistakes (not reading the question properly, missing key points, couldn't do math).
If anyone can give me a good idea of where I stand that would be great! I'm hoping to score in the 240s (fingers crossed).


Go for it. You'll be fine. Your NBMEs remind me of my own (last NBME I took before Step was a 230) and I got ~70% on the free 120. Ended up with 240+

I think the NBMEs are known to underpredict
 
Members don't see this ad :)
What was your first pass Uworld % correct and what mode did you do it in?

You’re ready to take the test.

I would suggest in the next few days:
-take the free 120. Some questions are often reused. 88-89% or above seems to be a good indicator for 240+
-spend a good full day really nailing down your weak subjects. I was pathetic at biochem (20th percentile in Uworld) but after a full day of just studying that I got every question on the test
-rewatch as many pathoma and sketchy videos as you can, especially in high yield and weak subjects.

Hey sorry for the late response. I actually was worried about getting some negative remarks. I didn't want to get discouraged for any reason days before the test. But I got 92% on the Free 120. Take that with a grain of salt because I had done a few of the previous year's free 120s. I used it as a confidence boost more than anything.
Dude I might've been even worse at biochem, biostats, and genetics. I did just what you said actually. I spent a day just going over those topics and I knew everything on the test. Along with the videos, just to go over my weak subjects.
Overall, I think it went well! I made a few silly mistakes, but I also got some hard ones right (I think). Lets see how things turn out in a month.
Thanks for all the help, I really appreciated it when I read it!
 
I think you should hit 240. The Free 120 is a good indicator of "doing well" but I wouldn't use it to gauge your score. If you are >80% on it I think you have a good chance of scoring 240+. But for example, there were people on here who scored 90%+ and then 230 on real deal, and then I scored 85% and got 252...so I would use it more of a "ok, I feel comfortable on this material" or "s**t, I need more time to study" kinda deal.

P.S. I also HIGHLY suggest taking the Free 120 AT the testing center. It calms your nerves cause you know exactly how test day is going to go.

P.S.#2. I see you scored 245 on UW2 which is a good predictor. Everyone I know scored at or above their UW2. I got 250 on UW2 and 252 real deal.

I got a 92% on the Free 120. I actually took a few previous year's versions of the Free 120, so I'm not sure how much weight it held. I really used it as a confidence boost like you mentioned.

I wish I did take it at the testing center! Since it took 7 days just to process the request, I wasn't able to. I just went in there and tried to keep my nerves calm, and did the best I could.

Dude I hope you're right. I made some silly mistakes on this test. It started making me think how anyone could give me a 240 with getting that wrong. I'm just hoping things turn out better in a month.
Thanks for all the encouragement! I read this a few days before the test, but I was worried about some negative remarks. I didn't want to lose confidence days before the test.
 
Go for it. You'll be fine. Your NBMEs remind me of my own (last NBME I took before Step was a 230) and I got ~70% on the free 120. Ended up with 240+

I think the NBMEs are known to underpredict

They're just more straight forward about particular stuff that they want to know about. The Uworld questions give you a long paragraph to analyze and try to figure out the answer. I had a mix on test day. I think it went relatively okay, but I made some silly mistakes. Lets see how it turns out in a month (fingers crossed). Thank you for the encouragement!
 
So did you take the exam? Can you share your score please? I actually scored similarly on nbmes

I got a 238. I wish I could’ve got a 240+, but I did make a significant amount of really dumb mistakes. In the whole test, those mistakes only would account for less than 1%. But that’s the margin you have to pass to get that 240+.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I got a 238. I wish I could’ve got a 240+, but I did make a significant amount of really dumb mistakes. In the whole test, those mistakes only would account for less than 1%. But that’s the margin you have to pass to get that 240+.

congrats on the score!! Mind sharing what resources you used and how long your preparation was? Also if possible would you mind sharing your exam experience (question style/ difficulty compared to UW)? Thank you!
 
Top