Hey guys I'm just curious as to if the NBME/CBSSA 3 digit step one score is accurate.... I took NBME 15 form got a 68.5% correct and that equates to a 184? And like a 75% is barely passing? Surely that isn't the case on the real test.. thoughts?
Step 1 NBME tests
- Thread starter Tommytom
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Do you have any idea how that will correlate? I was in complete shock that it wasn't around a 200-205
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I think NBME 15 is a bit dated...I’d say try the 18/19/UW1/UW2 if you want a better idea of what’s really going on.
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I scored a little bit higher on my actual step 1 the average of my nbme and uworld practice tests, but they're pretty accurate as a whole. If you're just starting your dedicated period, I wouldn't worry much about that score. If you're nearing your test date, you might want to consider extending your study period. And FYI- the curve is harsher on some of the newer nbmes.
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The data I've seen online as well as anecdotal experiences from my friends is that the NBMEs range from underpredicting to getting it fairly close. I would say that that you're probably somewhere between a 184 and 200 if you were to take the real thing today. As for the curve, the curve on the real thing is definitely more reasonable than on the NBMEs. There's no way you need to get 85-90% correct on the real Step 1 to get a decent score on this than on the NBMEs. Also, pure speculation: it's possible that the NBME scale is warped by some people who look up answers during the test, which artificially inflates their score and thus the overall curve. Finally, it's totally normal for people to have scores in that range before they've started seriously getting into dedicated. I know lots of people who started out sub-180 and went on to do great on the real thing!
I wouldn’t focus on percent correct. It’s all based on percentiles. Easier questions = harder curve. Vise versa.
Generally, the 3 digit score is pretty accurate of what you would get on the real thing if taken that day. Most people got +\- 5 on the real test when compared to NBMEs. In some rare cases +\- 10.
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I googled the ones I got wrong (which was sometimes really difficult to find a good answer), but you don't get to see the questions again if you get them right, so there's not really a way to look it up unless you remember the question. Googling every question would be overkill, but if one bothers you, it's worth looking up.
