step 1 qbank

[ys]

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I believe this subject has been addressed before, but here's a new variant:
What percentage on qbank step 1 (first attempt at questions) would correlate with a passing score on the actual exam?

 

[ckent]

I believe that the consensus reached in the previous thread was that ~50% on the first run means that you will probably pass (probably 90% will pass). 60% is safer, that probably means 97% of people who score that will pass. I was scoring 65% of my q bank and I got a 230.

 

[scootad.]

I scored in the 70s consistently and got a 246.

 

[med stu slacker]

I guess there's no way of asking this question without showing my ignorance of the step 1 qbank so I'll be blunt. What is the step 1 qbank and how can I access it? Thanks.😱

 

[neilc]

go to the kaplan website and buy it. it is a question bank of a few thousand practice questions for the usmle. i, personally, consider it the single most important study tool for the test.

hope this helps.

i think www.kaplan.com is the site.

 

[ys]

I wanted some advice concerning qbank from those who have already used it: neilc, ckent or anyone else.

I am taking step 1 in 4 weeks. I have used 200 questions and have thus far averaged 55%- a bit disconcerting. Should I use the qbank as a study tool, or concentrate on review books, First Aid, and use the qbank merely to practice test taking skills and gauge any improvements in my score.

One more thing, I am finishing a block of 50 questions in about 35 mins. Is the qbank length of a question representative of the actual exam.

Thanks.

 

[neilc]

if you are finishing 50 question q-bank blocks in 35, tiime shouldn't be an issue on the real deal. i don't know of anyone that had problems with time, other than the fact that 8 hours of exam in one day is just a lot of work. but, i had plenty of time on all the blocks.

i think that for the last 3-4 weeks it is highest yeild to use q-bank to direct your studies. do the 50 question blocks, and read all the answers. learn the details surrounding the questions that you missed, know them cold. also, use first-aid to direct your studies.

if i could do it over, i would hit the stuff i missed, and the stuff i didn't like a bit harder. i also wouldn't even spend any time learning stuff that is not in first aid or tested in q-bank. think i paid too much attention to the stuff i sorta knew...very bad idea. the test covers a huge range of topics, but i think you have to really just know a lot of basic info very, very well. and almost every test question had a similar q-bank question and/or was in first aid. know all that cold before you start reading robbins cover to cover...

i started with average around 55% also, finished with an overall 60%, but more like 65% for the last two weeks. i even had a couple 90% blocks. also, i reccomend the NBME self assesment tests. they are very much like the real thing, and give you a decent idea about where you are.

as for correlation, i think that if you are over 70% q-bank the last week, you will beat the mean. if you are over 60% toward the end, you should pass. that area between 60-70% could be anything. i was doing 65%, and just at the mean on the nbme, and i was surprised and disappointed to get a 192/78 on the real test.

anyhow, best of luck. do you work, and the test is actually very passable. i was surprised that it didn't seem as hard as i thought. but, i think that to get a great score, you have to really do some serious prep work. and there is a lot of luck involved, whether you get a test that hits your strong or weak areas, whether you guess right on a lot of the 50/50 questions, etc. but, if you do your work, you WILL pass it.

hope this helps, knock em dead! the test deserves your respect, but not your fear....

 

[ys]

Thanks for your helpful reply neilc.

 

[jmattwilson]

I started out scoring in the upper 50's and low 60's and after 3.5 weeks of studying, I was scoring about 70% consistently. I got a 240 on the real thing!

My situation with kaplan was similar, ended up doing much better on the real thing as well. I thought the kaplan questions were somewhat more picky than the real deal. It seems my experience with kaplan MCAT was similar. Definately a good resource and plan on using it for step II.

 

[med stu slacker]

I'm a year and a half from taking step I, but I am considering using the qbank to help me w/ the material that I'm learning now. Does the qbank have exams that cover only specific disciplines, i.e. anatomy?

 

[doc05]

save your money. because of the number of question on qbank (about 2000) you'll get through too many well before it's time to being step-1 study. and while the website allows you to pick and choose among disciplines and/or organ systems, many questions are too involved and/or integrated for a 1st year.

I suggest the BRS and/or PreTest books.

best of luck.

 

[Harrie]

Qbank is really good for step 1 but I would definitely NOT recommend it for studying during 1st and 2nd year. The questions on Step 1 tend to be more general, so you won't get the detail you need for your anatomy test. Also, you pay for the subscription by month (~$130/month). That would get REALLY expensive after too long. I agree, save your money.
I would recommend using books like BRS and High-Yield during first and second year. It is good to start getting familiar with them so that they will be more useful when it does become time for Step 1 study.

 

[sailorgirl]

I think Qbank was a great tool--if you aren't taking step 1 until summer, wait and see if you school can get a group deal. My school got 9 months for the price of 3 (?) and it was great. Plus they raffled off a few free memberships. I was getting about a 55% at the beginning and at teh end varied between a 50%-70% with my average being like 60%. I basically got the national average.

 

[maxine]

my experience with q-bank was not as typical. I feel it was much easier than the real thing. I would advise not starting q-bank too early. In my analysis, maybe I was answering correctly at the end because I had "memorized" alot of the questions. Obviously, not intending to memorize. I failed the real thing by 1 point. I felt there were alot of WTF questions... and definitely alot of 2 step questions. I am looking for any ideas to improve my score. i studied kaplan exclusively, this time will add other texts. Would anyone recommend princeton at this point?

 

[ys]

What do you mean by "memorized the questions." The 60%+ on QBank that you were getting was it on unused questions only or on repeats.
I took step 1 last week, and felt the difficulty level on par with Q bank for 70% of the questions. The other 30% were more difficult and/or as you put it WTF questions.
I also felt that Q bank underemphasized biochem. and molecular topics.
You were so close to passing that your second attempt should be a piece of cake with a little review. You might want to look at BRS patho and physio.
Good luck.

 

[maxine]

thanks for your advice. I used only NEW questions in q-bank and did about 1000. I do not "memorize" well (or easily), but i did seem to notice a pattern to the questions... maybe some were similar. I agree, the biochem was under-estimated in q-bank. and it smoked me on the real exam; Direct science questions, not necessarily clinical scenarios. Good luck on your exam results... it is not fun having to face the prospect of taking it again!

 

[NebelDO]

a friend of mine gave me a disk that had a practice kaplan usmle on it. It had seven blocks of 50 questions. i did not work the test stright through but did a couple blocks here and there and another block or two the next day just leisurely until i had done all 7. i got 53% overall. is there any data out there on how it compares to the score if you make such and such.?
i know posts above mention scores as they relate to scoring during the qbank usage but i wasnt sure if anyone knew if there are correlations of scores for those who take diagnostic type test before studying and comparing its outcomes after the real deal in june.

thanks

 

[ys]

Since I initiated this thread I feel I should contribute my two cents to the debate of Qbank vs. actual exam scores.

I got my score report a couple days back, took the exam on 11-25.

217/88
65% Qbank- started at around 55%, by the last week was scoring 70%. I did about 1500 questions total.