The avg. Step 1 score Support thread

[Nuriko]

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Hey guys. Since weve gotten our scores back, Ive been following the Step 1 score thread, and it seems like everyone has been simply RAPING this test a new one! While I am very happy for everyone, regardless of how they did, I realize that seeing everyone do so well can be discouraging to those who didnt do so great.

I got an 'avg' score myself (215/89), and I feel very content with it.
I studied my hardest, and in the end, I realized that I put everything I had in it, and that I couldnt have asked any more of myself. So whatever my score was, Id be happy. As it turns out, this was actually very close to the 2 NBME exams I took, so there were no surprises.

To everyone else who didn't do as well as they might have wanted, I just want to say that I hope you guys dont get discouraged or upset. This isnt the end of the world. If you really feel like your score underestimates your ability, you can always make it up in other areas, and regardless, im sure you all did fine. Here's to closure, and the end of the beast! 😀

 

[SoCuteMD]

Hey guys. Since weve gotten our scores back, Ive been following the Step 1 score thread, and it seems like everyone has been simply RAPING this test a new one! While I am very happy for everyone, regardless of how they did, I realize that seeing everyone do so well can be discouraging to those who didnt do so great.

I got an 'avg' score myself (215/89), and I feel very content with it.
I studied my hardest, and in the end, I realized that I put everything I had in it, and that I couldnt have asked any more of myself. So whatever my score was, Id be happy. As it turns out, this was actually very close to the 2 NBME exams I took, so there were no surprises.

To everyone else who didn't do as well as they might have wanted, I just want to say that I hope you guys dont get discouraged or upset. This isnt the end of the world. If you really feel like your score underestimates your ability, you can always make it up in other areas, and regardless, im sure you all did fine. Here's to closure, and the end of the beast! 😀

I'm SoCuteMD and I approve this post!

👍

 

[jocg27]

good call...looking through posts on here, it's easy to start thinking 240 is average for this test...It'd be nice to hear from the whole range out there.

 

[SoCuteMD]

If it's any consolation, I think people who did as well as they expected or better are far more likely to come here and post. Those who didn't do as well as they'd hoped probably don't.

 

[71263]

Yeahh, thats what Im thinking too. If the natnl. avg. is 218, then there are ALOT of people who did worse than 240+ and arent posting. A score of 215 will have you set for ALOT of different programs. Good job! 👍

 

[Nuriko]

I really encourage more of you guys to post your scores. It would really put things into perspective and give alot of hope to some people out there!

 

[und]

Ok, so I'm another "normal" ... 219/91

nbme 1 [3.5 weeks out] -221
nbme 2 [2.5 weeks out] - 221
Kaplan full length simulated exam [1 week before test] - 70%
nbme 3 [5 days before test] 240

Q-bank - 61% [score] through 65% of the question bank. Towards end averaging in mid 60's [64%]...sometimes I would score 70%+ but would drop all the way back to 58% ...so, as mentioned I averaged out around mid 60's in last couple weeks

Also did ~ 30% usmlerx ...it's ok, really just tests if you know 1st Aid [which isn't a bad thing ...but I would use World instead of this q-bank after looking at this forum]

Books: 1st Aid, BRS Path, BRS Physio, Goljan audio [~2/3]; some flashcards [pharm, path, micro] in my "spare" time

I guess what frustrated me was that 1 week out I did well on the full length Kaplan exam, and then 5 days out I did very well [espec by my standards] on nbme form 3. however, I felt Kaplan's simulated exam was a little easier than when I would just randonly select 50 questions off of Q-bank, but maybe I just had a really good day when I took Kaplan's full length. As for nbme 3, I almost felt like they wrote that test for me ...for some reason it just tested what I knew, so I think I "overscored" ...ie even after I was done, I knew I did better than I should have ... I didn't really think I would score that on the real exam, and thought it was overestimating where I likely was by at least 10 pts [unless I got super-lucky and got the perfect test]. Anyways, perhaps these scores during the last week gave me a false sense of confidence heading into the test, bc I felt like if I had a solid day I should score high 220's, maybe low 230's

My goals from the beginning was 230, since everyone says that is the "screening" number, but would have been pleased with 225. On the test day I was confident going in but quickly got discouraged...the questions were quite different than Q-bank in my opinion. The format varied quite a bit, with some extremely long questions with pics or tons of labs, and then some really short, etc...not to say I couldn't adapt to this different style, but Q-bank doesn't have enough variation in their questions, and could add more photos among other things. I just got introduced to this website, wish I had seen in few months ago, but sounds like USMLE World is the way to go...so for future tester's, I recommend at least mixing up these question banks [World and Q-bank] to get a feel for different styles. One other thing was time - the actual test took me longer than Q-bank's questions, once again due in part to the variation ...I would spend too much time on some of the lengthy questions, and get discouraged/intimidated by them, even if the weren't that difficult. Once again, a familiarity issue...perhaps using World would have helped resolve that [I suspect so]. Anyways, the thing that hurt me the most was that I got fatigued and careless in the last 3 or so blocks [didn't sleep the night before], missing lots of concepts I knew [after thinking back on questions] ...the key is THINK THINK THINK ....all the way to the end. All they do is manipulate concepts you have seen in slightly different ways, you just have to clearly and logically formulate in your head what they are asking [oftentimes it's not all that complicated!!!]

One quick question, if someone gets a chance ...does anyone have an idea how Q-bank average relates to actual test [ie if you are scoring about 65% on average, does that correlate with a 220, etc?]. ok, that's all for now, quite a lengthy post....

 

[MedStuds]

Ok, so I'm another "normal" ... 219/91

nbme 1 [3.5 weeks out] -221
nbme 2 [2.5 weeks out] - 221
Kaplan full length simulated exam [1 week before test] - 70%
nbme 3 [5 days before test] 240

Q-bank - 61% [score] through 65% of the question bank. Towards end averaging in mid 60's [64%]...sometimes I would score 70%+ but would drop all the way back to 58% ...so, as mentioned I averaged out around mid 60's in last couple weeks

Also did ~ 30% usmlerx ...it's ok, really just tests if you know 1st Aid [which isn't a bad thing ...but I would use World instead of this q-bank after looking at this forum]

Books: 1st Aid, BRS Path, BRS Physio, Goljan audio [~2/3]; some flashcards [pharm, path, micro] in my "spare" time

I guess what frustrated me was that 1 week out I did well on the full length Kaplan exam, and then 5 days out I did very well [espec by my standards] on nbme form 3. however, I felt Kaplan's simulated exam was a little easier than when I would just randonly select 50 questions off of Q-bank, but maybe I just had a really good day when I took Kaplan's full length. As for nbme 3, I almost felt like they wrote that test for me ...for some reason it just tested what I knew, so I think I "overscored" ...ie even after I was done, I knew I did better than I should have ... I didn't really think I would score that on the real exam, and thought it was overestimating where I likely was by at least 10 pts [unless I got super-lucky and got the perfect test]. Anyways, perhaps these scores during the last week gave me a false sense of confidence heading into the test, bc I felt like if I had a solid day I should score high 220's, maybe low 230's

My goals from the beginning was 230, since everyone says that is the "screening" number, but would have been pleased with 225. On the test day I was confident going in but quickly got discouraged...the questions were quite different than Q-bank in my opinion. The format varied quite a bit, with some extremely long questions with pics or tons of labs, and then some really short, etc...not to say I couldn't adapt to this different style, but Q-bank doesn't have enough variation in their questions, and could add more photos among other things. I just got introduced to this website, wish I had seen in few months ago, but sounds like USMLE World is the way to go...so for future tester's, I recommend at least mixing up these question banks [World and Q-bank] to get a feel for different styles. One other thing was time - the actual test took me longer than Q-bank's questions, once again due in part to the variation ...I would spend too much time on some of the lengthy questions, and get discouraged/intimidated by them, even if the weren't that difficult. Once again, a familiarity issue...perhaps using World would have helped resolve that [I suspect so]. Anyways, the thing that hurt me the most was that I got fatigued and careless in the last 3 or so blocks [didn't sleep the night before], missing lots of concepts I knew [after thinking back on questions] ...the key is THINK THINK THINK ....all the way to the end. All they do is manipulate concepts you have seen in slightly different ways, you just have to clearly and logically formulate in your head what they are asking [oftentimes it's not all that complicated!!!]

One quick question, if someone gets a chance ...does anyone have an idea how Q-bank average relates to actual test [ie if you are scoring about 65% on average, does that correlate with a 220, etc?]. ok, that's all for now, quite a lengthy post....

Good job! Sometimes life is about the journey, not the destinations. To put things in perspective, I honestly think it's a lot more important to know how to take care of your patient and solve their problems than to figure out answers to some of the most esoteric NBME questions. I doubt you'll ever see a case of Zolinger-Ellison Syndrome (can't even spell it) even tho it was one of the "high-yield" topic in First Aid. A good clinician is so much more than a multiple-choice test!

 

[Miami_med]

Atleast according to Medfriends, a Q-bank average of 69 on the last 300 questions has roughly correlated with 230. Mine was a 72%, and I ended up with a 230, so this isn't too far off.

 

[heech]

I'll post on behalf of my wife's very pedandic (and below average) score, with which we are both extraordinarily, incredibly pleased.

My wife delivered our first child, a girl, on March 25th. She worked hard to get back to her studies as soon as possible, but as many can appreciate, was basically out of action for the next 2-4 weeks. When she took her CBSE at school, she scored something in the 150 range.

After she finally completed finals in early May, she worked her butt off for the following 5 weeks. Even so, the results weren't necessarily promising:

NBME form 1, 5 weeks before: 165.
NBME form 3: 2 weeks before: 180.

Final result: 212/88.

The final results, as uninspiring as they may be for some, are far above anything we could've hoped for. Our situation is a little unique, but in our case, her goal has always been to balance career and family. We hoped for a score that would give her flexibility *geographically*, and allow her to pursue a primary care program that matched her personality. With a 212, she's made it.

 

[treasurefull2]

I'll post on behalf of my wife's very pedandic (and below average) score, with which we are both extraordinarily, incredibly pleased.

My wife delivered our first child, a girl, on March 25th. She worked hard to get back to her studies as soon as possible, but as many can appreciate, was basically out of action for the next 2-4 weeks. When she took her CBSE at school, she scored something in the 150 range.

After she finally completed finals in early May, she worked her butt off for the following 5 weeks. Even so, the results weren't necessarily promising:

NBME form 1, 5 weeks before: 165.
NBME form 3: 2 weeks before: 180.

Final result: 212/88.

The final results, as uninspiring as they may be for some, are far above anything we could've hoped for. Our situation is a little unique, but in our case, her goal has always been to balance career and family. We hoped for a score that would give her flexibility *geographically*, and allow her to pursue a primary care program that matched her personality. With a 212, she's made it.

Being a single male with no true external responsibilities, I commend you and especially your wife for going through this and earning a very respectable score, especially considering the situation.

 

[PugnaciousF]

nbme 3 = 12 days b4 test = 186
UW ave = 48% cumulative (low 50's near last week)..

score = 210-215

I'll take it, considering I was probably in the bottom 10- 20% of my med class (I started looking at my old final scores). I wish I had scored a little higher ie 5-10 points, but nothing I can do about it now. I think the thing that bothered me the most is that people on this website would tell someone with my UW average or NBME score that I was going to fail. I can still do every specialty I want minus ophtho so I really can't complain too much.

I'm not sure if people give out bad advice here intentionally or if more likely, their sense of "passing" is so skewed based on their own lofty goals and anxiety. I mourned over my test score for a solid day... and thats it. I'm just too damn old to care about test scores anymore the way I did when I was younger (see SATs).

 

[Brian Griffin]

nbme 3 = 12 days b4 test = 186
UW ave = 48% cumulative (low 50's near last week)..

score = 210-215

I'll take it, considering I was probably in the bottom 10- 20% of my med class (I started looking at my old final scores). I wish I had scored a little higher ie 5-10 points, but nothing I can do about it now. I think the thing that bothered me the most is that people on this website would tell someone with my UW average or NBME score that I was going to fail. I can still do every specialty I want minus ophtho so I really can't complain too much.

I'm not sure if people give out bad advice here intentionally or if more likely, their sense of "passing" is so skewed based on their own lofty goals and anxiety. I mourned over my test score for a solid day... and thats it. I'm just too damn old to care about test scores anymore the way I did when I was younger (see SATs).

People would have probably said that with my Qbank average I would have failed too. I really wish no one had come up with those "score predictors" or whatever that are floating around on other websites... I just think it's ridiculous, how can you predict what someone's score will be on the real thing when for one, there is so much variation between the different Step I "forms", and for another, who really knows if the scores on these practice test banks reflect true knowledge/effort. I had my share of good days and bad days with Qbank. Anyway, I think people need to stop giving advice about what someone's test potential will be based on practice exams... very unnecessarily discouraging at times.

P.S. I have heard of people from my school with <200 who have matched in ophtho, just for your info. Just last year, in fact. This comes from a doc who is involved with ophtho advising and residency selection, so it's definitely legit. I have also heard of people with high scores NOT matching into their competitive field of interest. I think it's amazing that people are getting stellar scores on this board, but I think we all need to remember that an "above-average" score does not AUTOMATICALLY guarantee anything.

 

[SoCuteMD]

People would have probably said that with my Qbank average I would have failed too. I really wish no one had come up with those "score predictors" or whatever that are floating around on other websites... I just think it's ridiculous, how can you predict what someone's score will be on the real thing when for one, there is so much variation between the different Step I "forms", and for another, who really knows if the scores on these practice test banks reflect true knowledge/effort. I had my share of good days and bad days with Qbank. Anyway, I think people need to stop giving advice about what someone's test potential will be based on practice exams... very unnecessarily discouraging at times.

P.S. I have heard of people from my school with <200 who have matched in ophtho, just for your info. Just last year, in fact. This comes from a doc who is involved with ophtho advising and residency selection, so it's definitely legit. I have also heard of people with high scores NOT matching into their competitive field of interest. I think it's amazing that people are getting stellar scores on this board, but I think we all need to remember that an "above-average" score does not AUTOMATICALLY guarantee anything.

Just FYI, the medfriends Step 1 score estimator openly announces that it lacks data points on below average Step 1 scorers and their QBank averages. You can help! Anonymous Score Submission

 

[doctorp82]

For what its worth, a friend who graduated this year ('07) said a guy in her class had crazy test numbers but didn't get his first choice in the match because he was something of a jerk.

The moral of the story is, someone with a 215-220 who shows competency and initiative and works well with house staff in 3rd year will get much better letters of rec and get in some cases the same shot at the hard fields as someone with a 250.

 

[und]

I agree with previous post ....of course you want to meet expectations, so it's disappointing not to score what you were hoping, but sh** happens...and you can't be discouraged from doing whatever field of medicine that you want just based on a less than spectacular performance on the big day.

Changing the subject - most people tend to go up from nbme to the real test...which is what should happen, espec if you are "cramming all the info home" those last few days. however, I dropped ...considerably from form 3. I even did worse than form 1 and form 2 [ok, really about the same, but I took those several weeks before]...I guess there is just variation from person to person? I know that is the case, but so many people on this forum go up, that I feel like a huge anomaly. But, the real test vs practice tests in the comfort of your own home are two very different situations ... so, I guess I didn't step up quite like I should have... but anyways, anyone else who was overconfident based on nbme practice tests, feel free to share your story, bc I don't won't to feel like the only one that happened too 🙂