Step 1 on June 15, practice test score 188... SH**

[niniel1]

I'm signed up to take Step 1 on June 15th -- we start rotations in July, so I don't think I can push it past then. I just took an NBME practice #19 and got a 188. I took #18 on April 24th and got a 167, so I guess I've improved??? lol...

I was aiming for a 240, and I'm pissed. Everyone is telling me it's too late, and I'm mad as hell:
"Your Step score is really determined by your grades in years 1+2"
"You can really only got up maybe 60 points max from the start of dedicated"
"You can't just study longer and do well. You have to study smart, not hard. Stop trying."
"Better Step scorers just think about things in a better way. They're just... smarter."

I reject that fatalistic viewpoint. I reject that I am inherently unable to get a decent score, that I was branded at birth with "will get terrible Step 1 score". I've built my life upon a rock-solid belief that hard work can make up for the circumstances of one's birth. Anyone telling me otherwise can take that blue pill and shove it where the sun don't shine.

But is it too late? Do I need more time? Do I need to tell the school administration I'm taking more time off to just study for Step 1?

I'd love to just accept a 200 and try to compensate with a killer Step 2 score, but I don't want to bet on the future. I'm already $250,000 deep in loans, will be over $400,000 by graduation. My parents are impoverished, and I'm their retirement plan. A family medicine doctor income of $150,000 will be tricky to stretch between three different households. I'm not aiming to be a plastic surgeon -- right now I'm thinking of EM, or maybe general surgery. I also have academic mentors that are really invested in my success, and have put time into trying to help my career.

Has anyone here taken a 6 month leave-of-absence or anything to study for step 1?

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[Arlyss]

You still have a few weeks to make some improvements, but you need to reach out to your school ASAP. Most schools have people who can help you -- someone needs to talk to you about how you are studying, what can be changed, what weak points to target, etc. It's really hard to do that online. Reach out and get help.

 

[Moose A Moose]

You’re all over the place. Just read what you wrote! It’s asinine.

If you want a higher score, you have no option aside from pushing your exam date back. End of story.

 

[niniel1]

You’re all over the place. Just read what you wrote! It’s asinine.

If you want a higher score, you have no option aside from pushing your exam date back. End of story.

Wow, that's really helpful advice. I never thought about doing that.

I'm literally asking how I can push the test date past when rotations are supposed to start. Test date = June 15. Rotations start= July. I can push to June 30th, no problem, but I doubt two weeks would make a huge difference. I was asking if anyone had pushed their date so far that M3 was delayed. I'm wondering how they did that-- did their school let them rearrange their rotations? Did they take a leave of absence? Did they have to repeat M2?

I did meet with school administration, and they were extremely unhelpful. They said "we can talk about delaying M3 if you *fail* Step 1". They don't want to discuss it unless we actually *fail*, never mind doing so badly that we might as well have failed. I'm wondering if I should just tell the school I'm taking a leave of absence and use the time to study for Step 1. After all, you can't retake it if you pass with a crummy score.

 

[mw18]

How long have you been studying? That will inform how well you can improve with an extra 2 weeks. Taking six months for step 1 is a huge red flag. Any score you get will be taken with a grain of salt. Take that time and still not do well? Looks very bad.

If you've been at it like 2 weeks, you can improve a lot with six weeks before rotations start.

 

[Moose A Moose]

Wow, that's really helpful advice. I never thought about doing that.

I'm literally asking how I can push the test date past when rotations are supposed to start. Test date = June 15. Rotations start= July. I can push to June 30th, no problem, but I doubt two weeks would make a huge difference. I was asking if anyone had pushed their date so far that M3 was delayed. I'm wondering how they did that-- did their school let them rearrange their rotations? Did they take a leave of absence? Did they have to repeat M2?

I did meet with school administration, and they were extremely unhelpful. They said "we can talk about delaying M3 if you *fail* Step 1". They don't want to discuss it unless we actually *fail*, never mind doing so badly that we might as well have failed. I'm wondering if I should just tell the school I'm taking a leave of absence and use the time to study for Step 1. After all, you can't retake it if you pass with a crummy score.

I know a lot of people who took Step 1 half way through third year. It’s an option you should seriously consider.

 

[y123]

You still have > 1 month. One can improve a lot in a month.

 

[Arlyss]

Wow, that's really helpful advice. I never thought about doing that.

I'm literally asking how I can push the test date past when rotations are supposed to start. Test date = June 15. Rotations start= July. I can push to June 30th, no problem, but I doubt two weeks would make a huge difference. I was asking if anyone had pushed their date so far that M3 was delayed. I'm wondering how they did that-- did their school let them rearrange their rotations? Did they take a leave of absence? Did they have to repeat M2?

I did meet with school administration, and they were extremely unhelpful. They said "we can talk about delaying M3 if you *fail* Step 1". They don't want to discuss it unless we actually *fail*, never mind doing so badly that we might as well have failed. I'm wondering if I should just tell the school I'm taking a leave of absence and use the time to study for Step 1. After all, you can't retake it if you pass with a crummy score.

In terms of pushing back the date so that it impacts your M3 schedule, the rules and consequences will depend on your school -- that's why no one can give you a direct answer to that. It really is school specific.

Either way, you need to find someone else at your school that you can talk to. Whoever you spoke to last time gave you bad advice -- no school should advise a student to take Step without having passed NBMEs, end of story. Find someone else, a mentor, faculty member, another administrative person, who can direct you to where you can get help. Ask them about how to delay, consequences of delaying, study tips, how you could improve in the next few weeks, etc.

Good luck.

 

[el_duderino]

I expect that you'll have to push back your test date, start M3 late, and ultimately have to decelerate and graduate a year late.

Which is much better than bombing Step 1.

As above, reach out to your dean immediately.

 

[afib123]

yup, i agree with the advice here. if you are still failing your nbme's after these 4 weeks, it's better to talk to your school about postponing it a few months. you will probably graduate a semester late but it's definitely better than failing

 

[studentdocftw]

Lose lose situation. You either take it on schedule and likely under perform, or delay it, but have to explain why you took time off, effectively reducing the weight of your score. It's better to pass than fail, so delay away. Also, 2 weeks of free time is a huge difference.

 

[chromuffin]

If your school gives you vacation months built into third year, you’ll likely just take your vacation month first. I know people who started a month late in order to study longer for step 1. Had I known that was an option, I probably would have done the same. Just stick to a plan and don’t make yourself sick over it. Relax and enjoy learning.

 

[Gurby]

Seems like research year would be a good option?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

You need to delay your exam. A Step 1 failure is very difficult to come back from (of course it can be done and there are success stories, but do not put yourself in that situation). Agree that research year would be a good option.