the "I think I failed" = 240+ phenomenon

[GeorgeMichael B]

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I really can't figure this out. Like many others, I also feel like I failed this test. I keep thinking about all of the questions that I didn't know, and it just really feels like I could have easily gotten less than 60-70% correct. And to clarify, I am not one of those people who takes a practice test pre study and nails a 260 (mine was more like 190) I have also NEVER felt like I was going to fail a school test.

Despite feeling this way, my logic keeps telling my I had to have passed, based on statistics, my last practice test (in the 220's) etc.....Anyone have any ideas why this happens?

Benefit of "dropping" hard experimental questions?
Not actually having to get 60-70% correct like USMLE says on the website?
Is it just natural to feel this way, for unknown reasons?


I just keep telling myself that I talk to so many people who think they failed and ended up with 220-260 scores.....but it really seems ridiculous considering how far away from failing some people end up...

 

[pseudoknot]

1. Even when I've done really well on UW, most of my correct answers come from guessing, not knowing for sure. This is partly because of the multi-step questions and partly because of their overall difficulty. Anyway, learning to guess more accurately is a huge part of what we do during board study and I don't think people seem to realize that.

2. People remember more the questions that were hard for them. After 336, I'm sure there are enough of those that it seems like the whole test.

3. Med students are whiney bitches.

 

[basupran]

The way I see it is that the more you know, the more you realize you do not know. So when you know a lot but you don't know everything, you focus on the things you don't know and *feel* like you bombed.

 

[Redrox]

3. Med students are whiney bitches.

Hells, yeah.👍

 

[qtpie055]

GeorgeMichael B,

I feel the SAME way. I had so many tick marks, it was unbelievable. I am seriously doubting whether I too got 60% right. Questions I didn't know or was unsure of keep popping up in my head. The worst is not the questions I had no idea, but the questions I had sort of an idea but not all the way or knew but got so unsure of myself (and changed answers). I think that is the worst part-- knowing the info but not fully or just so nervous you doubt yourself. I even am having thoughts of whether I read certain questions correctly. I can hardly remember questions I knew off the bat (so maybe it is true we only remember the bad Qs.)

I am also very scared b/c I had a TON of gross and neuroanatomy which I didn't really expect. I hadn't read an posts on SDN about the breakdown (only posted on SDN post baords). I studied them briefly at the beginning of my review 4 weeks ago and so wasn't fresh in my mind like path was. UGH...there goes tons of points.

Everyone tells me this is how everyone feels after the test,too. When I took my practice prometric, I felt pretty much the same way (but ended up getting 66 - 76% on the sections). Though I think the actual test was WAY HARDER than the practice test. I've talked to people in above grades and they said they felt like they failed but ended up getting 230+. How is that possible? I feel like I'm the one person who feels like I failed BECAUSE I ACTUALLY DID.

I'll be veryyy grateful if I passed and if so...something 205+...pleaseeeee....

 

[MJB]

GeorgeMichael B,

I feel the SAME way. I had so many tick marks, it was unbelievable. I am seriously doubting whether I too got 60% right. Questions I didn't know or was unsure of keep popping up in my head. The worst is not the questions I had no idea, but the questions I had sort of an idea but not all the way or knew but got so unsure of myself (and changed answers). I think that is the worst part-- knowing the info but not fully or just so nervous you doubt yourself. I even am having thoughts of whether I read certain questions correctly. I can hardly remember questions I knew off the bat (so maybe it is true we only remember the bad Qs.)

I am also very scared b/c I had a TON of gross and neuroanatomy which I didn't really expect. I hadn't read an posts on SDN about the breakdown (only posted on SDN post baords). I studied them briefly at the beginning of my review 4 weeks ago and so wasn't fresh in my mind like path was. UGH...there goes tons of points.

Everyone tells me this is how everyone feels after the test,too. When I took my practice prometric, I felt pretty much the same way (but ended up getting 66 - 76% on the sections). Though I think the actual test was WAY HARDER than the practice test. I've talked to people in above grades and they said they felt like they failed but ended up getting 230+. How is that possible? I feel like I'm the one person who feels like I failed BECAUSE I ACTUALLY DID.

I'll be veryyy grateful if I passed and if so...something 205+...pleaseeeee....

I'll just say it's good to know I'm not the only one. One week ago today was a traumatic experience to say the least. At this point, I'd be happy if I passed, and downright ecstatic if I cracked 200...

But, the odds of me going over 220 are slim to none...that I can virtually guarantee.

 

[Ihateverbal]

OK
no matter how hard the test is...95% pass......so relax.

 

[maybepsych]

I personally do not believe that 60-70% is passing.

I feel like I probably got 80% correct and ended up in the low 230's. Also, I have a friend who seriously said he marked at least 50% of the questions and he passed. Not by much, but he still passed.

 

[Ihateverbal]

You got 80% and ended up with low 230s? There's no way I got 80% rightt

 

[GeorgeMichael B]

I personally do not believe that 60-70% is passing.

I feel like I probably got 80% correct and ended up in the low 230's. Also, I have a friend who seriously said he marked at least 50% of the questions and he passed. Not by much, but he still passed.

Yeah, it just feels like maybe 55-60% is a better estimate these days. Maybe at one point it was 60-70 and they never bother to change it? I can't imagine getting near 70% on this test and not passing......

 

[Nematode]

80% right should be higher then 230 IMO so either you got more wrong then you think, or you had a relatively easy exam with not the best of curves

 

[defcon8]

80% right should be higher then 230 IMO so either you got more wrong then you think, or you had a relatively easy exam with not the best of curves

I agree.

 

[Deferoxamine]

I can see where people's paranoia comes from. Though not suffering from the "I think I failed" syndrome, today the post-test high is gone and I'm beginning to remember a lot more of those questions I marked or found difficult, and am realizing I might have gotten them wrong.

 

[McGillGrad]

Simple pop-psychology...

If you tell yourself you think you failed, you'll be happy if you pass and will be ready if you fail.

 

[GatorsWearJorts]

I definitely feel this way. I took the test today, and it seems I am about 40% right on questions I can remember and look up the answer to.

I must vent a little. I was pretty frustrated with one question. I wont say the exact question, but I thought the stem was clearly talking about placenta accreta. Then they said it was an uncomplicated pregnancy. All I remembered is FA saying how it causes massive bleeding, so I put a different answer.
Now, Im thinking they were going for accreta, and FA just didnt do a good job making it clear that the massive bleeding may occur after delivery.
Am I right about this?

 

[McGillGrad]

I definitely feel this way. I took the test today, and it seems I am about 40% right on questions I can remember and look up the answer to.

I must vent a little. I was pretty frustrated with one question. I wont say the exact question, but I thought the stem was clearly talking about placenta accreta. Then they said it was an uncomplicated pregnancy. All I remembered is FA saying how it causes massive bleeding, so I put a different answer.
Now, Im thinking they were going for accreta, and FA just didnt do a good job making it clear that the massive bleeding may occur after delivery.
Am I right about this?

Aren't there three different possibilities that each have a significantly different risk assessment for acute and devastating haemorrhage?

 

[cosine]

I definitely feel this way. I took the test today, and it seems I am about 40% right on questions I can remember and look up the answer to.

I must vent a little. I was pretty frustrated with one question. I wont say the exact question, but I thought the stem was clearly talking about placenta accreta. Then they said it was an uncomplicated pregnancy. All I remembered is FA saying how it causes massive bleeding, so I put a different answer.
Now, Im thinking they were going for accreta, and FA just didnt do a good job making it clear that the massive bleeding may occur after delivery.
Am I right about this?

Hey, i was looking at my 2008 first aid and it says that " may have massive hemorrhage after delivery". I gues you must have just overlooked it or it may not be in the 2009 version?

 

[GatorsWearJorts]

Yeah, I see that now. I think when I read that, I figured that would be in addition to massive bleeding during pregnancy.
Just something that frustrated me since I really did know the answer, just got spooked by something in the stem.

 

[Tiger26]

Here's my story from last year:

Got a 25 on my MCAT, somehow got into an MD school, but I was freaked out so much for step 1 because of that MCAT score that I was fairly OCD about studying all year.

Started off getting 55-60s on UW, finished in high 60s-70s for a 66 cumulative

Thought I failed the real thing--seriously, first section went great and the rest was a stomach punch

Actual Step 1 score=247

--You guys will all do much better than you think you did coming out of the test

 

[sendwich]

Here's my story from last year:

Got a 25 on my MCAT, somehow got into an MD school, but I was freaked out so much for step 1 because of that MCAT score that I was fairly OCD about studying all year.

Started off getting 55-60s on UW, finished in high 60s-70s for a 66 cumulative

Thought I failed the real thing--seriously, first section went great and the rest was a stomach punch

Actual Step 1 score=247

--You guys will all do much better than you think you did coming out of the test

wow congrats tiger! that's a massive improvement! did you take any practice test/150??

 

[Ihateverbal]

Thanks! That's a lifter....they say verbal score is supposed to be the most indicative of your USMLE performance...if that's the case I'm screwed, cuz I scored a "6" on verbal even after 2 attempts. 😱

 

[Medkid619]

Tiger, Thanks for the encouragement. I, too, had a similar experience. I'm not a great standardized test taker. On the MCAT I got a 27 with a 7 in verbal. I thought no way I was going to get into MD school. But, I did. After taking the test on Monday I came out thinking what just happened. I studied for 11 hours straight for 4 weeks and was progressively improving with each practice test, now its all down the toilet. Questions that gave me trouble keep popping into my head. I'm thinking to myself, what if it turns out like the MCAT again. I just have to keep thinking that with some strange formula that NBME has it will turn out alright. Thanks so much for the support. More stories like yours need to be posted up here until the July 15th release date!

 

[qtpie055]

Is it just me, or am I only remembering the ones I got wrong? Somehow, different conversations (note: normal everyday convos) somehow bring up more and more Qs that I got wrong. I can already think of 10-12 ones I ticked marked (which there were many) that I already got wrong (lots of gross and neuro, err). This is not looking good. I can only remember a few i know for sure. Is this happening to anyone?

 

[TaoistDoc]

......

 

[silas2642]

In light of this newly discovered phenomenon, I'm proud to say I think I failed😀

I think I might have passed, but I don't think I did very well at all. Every answer that I've looked up that I got wrong. If I broke 200, it will be a miracle. 🙁