This is what 800 on an NBME looks like

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nrosigh

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Not doing this to be annoying, but to show a point that you can still get a bunch wrong on the NBME and still come out with an 800.

This is NBME 4. I don't know how many I got right, but I would say somewhere between 80 and 90%. I marked about 5-6 per 50. I had no idea on about 2 or 3 on the set of 200. I did it timed and did not use any reference materials.

I'm taking the exam in a week and would obviously be thrilled with the same performance. Good luck to everyone, and thanks to everyone here for their helpful advice!

In case anyone's curious, I'm studying mostly Goljan stuff (his lectures 3x through, Rapid Review, and his BSS questions). I finished QBank a month ago with a low-seventies average. Also really like Robin's review of path question book.

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nrosigh said:
Not doing this to be annoying, but to show a point that you can still get a bunch wrong on the NBME and still come out with an 800.

This is NBME 4. I don't know how many I got right, but I would say somewhere between 80 and 90%. I marked about 5-6 per 50. I had no idea on about 2 or 3 on the set of 200. I did it timed and did not use any reference materials.

I'm taking the exam in a week and would obviously be thrilled with the same performance. Good luck to everyone, and thanks to everyone here for their helpful advice!

In case anyone's curious, I'm studying mostly Goljan stuff (his lectures 3x through, Rapid Review, and his BSS questions). I finished QBank a month ago with a low-seventies average. Also really like Robin's review of path question book.

How does attaching your 800 show anyone, any better than you can tell them, that you can miss a lot of questions and still get an 800?

This might be a little bit of pre-test stress here (in fact I'm sure it is, I take it tommorrow), but just the simple fact that you felt the need to state that you aren't trying to be annoying clearly shows that on some level you know this will be annoying to some people (especially those who've been working hard without similar results). No one even asked to see this. So I'm not trying to be rude here (see how this works), but posting your 800 (which you should be proud of by the way) serves no purpose besides stroking your own ego. Your study methods etc. are useful for others, however. Thanks and good luck.
 
Because it gives a rough idea that you can still feel that the test is very hard (which I did) and still get a good percentage wrong (which I did) and still do very well. That's the point. If the performance score was all asterisks to the right there would be no point in posting it, but since there was some variability in the bars I thought someone might find it interesting. Of course I'm proud of the score, but my motivation isn't to get my ego stroked - I've posted at least 50 times here in the middle of studying the past month to answer people's questions and give advice (in addition to answering several private messages about studying advice).

Anyway, this score doesn't mean anything. I just thought it would shed a little bit of light on the mysterious scoring process. Your point is well taken though, I certainly didn't mean to offend, and I'm sorry if I did. Good luck tomorrow - I mean it, and just remember that everyone thinks it's an extremely difficult test.

Beta_Hemolysis said:
How does attaching your 800 show anyone, any better than you can tell them, that you can miss a lot of questions and still get an 800?

This might be a little bit of pre-test stress here (in fact I'm sure it is, I take it tommorrow), but just the simple fact that you felt the need to state that you aren't trying to be annoying clearly shows that on some level you know this will be annoying to some people (especially those who've been working hard without similar results). No one even asked to see this. So I'm not trying to be rude here (see how this works), but posting your 800 (which you should be proud of by the way) serves no purpose besides stroking your own ego. Your study methods etc. are useful for others, however. Thanks and good luck.
 
Wow. Anyone looking for a great example of "displacement" can use my previous post although maybe not because it doesn't sound completely subconcious. Nonetheless, I don't think that frustration was meant for you nrosigh. Hey, at least this can be turned into something educational!
 
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nrosigh said:
Because it gives a rough idea that you can still feel that the test is very hard (which I did) and still get a good percentage wrong (which I did) and still do very well. That's the point. If the performance score was all asterisks to the right there would be no point in posting it, but since there was some variability in the bars I thought someone might find it interesting. Of course I'm proud of the score, but my motivation isn't to get my ego stroked - I've posted at least 50 times here in the middle of studying the past month to answer people's questions and give advice (in addition to answering several private messages about studying advice).

Anyway, this score doesn't mean anything. I just thought it would shed a little bit of light on the mysterious scoring process. Your point is well taken though, I certainly didn't mean to offend, and I'm sorry if I did. Good luck tomorrow - I mean it, and just remember that everyone thinks it's an extremely difficult test.

nrosigh, quick q. is there a huge difference between nbme 2 and 4 ? I took nbme 2 last week and pretty happy with what I got and I'm wonderig if it's worthwhile to take 4 given everyone's bad experiences with 3 and 4.

I still have about 3 weeks left to study and I definately don't need anything pysching me out =). Do you think it's worthwile brushing up on cell and molec/biochem before taking the beast?
 
funny... I just took nbme 4 and didn't do as well as I did on nbme 3 a few days ago, and then I see this thread.... what a kick in the ass

nbme 1 and 2 I found to be pretty different from forms 3 and 4... 1 and 2 seemed less straightfoward to me and not as conceptual (maybe it's because I took these in the 1st half of my studying) while 3 and 4 were more conceptual and had a higher amount of biochem/molecular... I did significantly better on 3 and 4

if I had to choose one I'd pick 4 given its heavy molecular emphasis and what I found to be tougher questions, you're better off being prepared for the worst case scenario come test day
 
Catalyst said:
funny... I just took nbme 4 and didn't do as well as I did on nbme 3 a few days ago, and then I see this thread.... what a kick in the ass

nbme 1 and 2 I found to be pretty different from forms 3 and 4... 1 and 2 seemed less straightfoward to me and not as conceptual (maybe it's because I took these in the 1st half of my studying) while 3 and 4 were more conceptual and had a higher amount of biochem/molecular... I did significantly better on 3 and 4

if I had to choose one I'd pick 4 given its heavy molecular emphasis and what I found to be tougher questions, you're better off being prepared for the worst case scenario come test day

I thought 1 and 2 were conceptual well some q's were.

I took nbme 1 - happy with the score.
Nbme 2 - drop in 9 points but still happy.


Ah thanks catalyst, looks like I'm gonna take 3 & 4. I guess they'll be worth taking so I don't freak out during the real thing. :thumbup: I'm guessing people got hurt with the molec cell/biochem stuff. I'll scan that stuff before i do those tests.

i hate to be nosy but was your score difference between 3 and 4 huge or a few points?
 
To be honest it's hard to remember the distinct personality of each test, but I thought that 3 was easier that 4 (even though I scored a few points better on 4). 4 features a fair amount of cell bio and neuro. I remember 3 as having a bunch of renal stuff (which also made a fair showing on 4 as well).

I felt pretty well prepared for the cell bio and biochem - I used HY Cell Bio based on bigfrank's advice. This is a weird book because it has a very good overview and nice pictures on some important concepts (like signal tranduction - lots of q's on that!), but then it goes into esoteric detail on crap like what HOX genes do what. So you sort of have to pick and choose what's important when you read it. It took me about 2 hours to get through - it's very short.

Even though Kaplan's biochem section doesn't have nearly as nice pictures, it built a very strong foundation. I read all 290+ pages of Kaplan at least 2-3 times.

Kashue said:
nrosigh, quick q. is there a huge difference between nbme 2 and 4 ? I took nbme 2 last week and pretty happy with what I got and I'm wonderig if it's worthwhile to take 4 given everyone's bad experiences with 3 and 4.

I still have about 3 weeks left to study and I definately don't need anything pysching me out =). Do you think it's worthwile brushing up on cell and molec/biochem before taking the beast?
 
Hey don't worry about it all - besides, I always get sublimation mixed up with displacement and reaction formation. So it was educational! Goood luck tomorrow!

Beta_Hemolysis said:
Wow. Anyone looking for a great example of "displacement" can use my previous post although maybe not because it doesn't sound completely subconcious. Nonetheless, I don't think that frustration was meant for you nrosigh. Hey, at least this can be turned into something educational!
 
nrosigh,
nice job. good luck on step 1.
I just have a question for you: which chapters in HY cell/mol are not worth reading?
 
Strong work man. I wouldn't be surprised if you break a 268/99 on Step 1 and quite possibly become the new "BigFrank" on SDN.

Btw, how much longer till D-day?
 
Thanks everyone for your encouragement: doctorsaib, if I did as well as bigfrank it would only be because of his advice that he so generously shared.

lealf-ye, about HY CMB, the only chapter that I would absolutely skip is the one on HOX genes (as long as you know what a hox gene generally does I don't think there is any point to reading what specific genes are expressed when). The rest depend on your comfort level with the material. The book is a nice quick read of stuff that generally is covered elsewhere - I really don't think there's much unique material. It's just nice to have frequently tested material all in one place.

Good luck everyone!
 
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I still don't see the proof of a 800. To be honest, that looked very similar to my NBME 770 score last year. I hate to say it but since you opened up this argument you seem to be obligated to prove your point.

nrosigh said:
Not doing this to be annoying, but to show a point that you can still get a bunch wrong on the NBME and still come out with an 800.

This is NBME 4. I don't know how many I got right, but I would say somewhere between 80 and 90%. I marked about 5-6 per 50. I had no idea on about 2 or 3 on the set of 200. I did it timed and did not use any reference materials.

I'm taking the exam in a week and would obviously be thrilled with the same performance. Good luck to everyone, and thanks to everyone here for their helpful advice!

In case anyone's curious, I'm studying mostly Goljan stuff (his lectures 3x through, Rapid Review, and his BSS questions). I finished QBank a month ago with a low-seventies average. Also really like Robin's review of path question book.
 
p53 said:
I still don't see the proof of a 800. To be honest, that looked very similar to my NBME 770 score last year. I hate to say it but since you opened up this argument you seem to be obligated to prove your point.
So you post your NBME scores, but not your Step I score. (( :yawn: ))

Anyway, to the OP, you did very well, will probably get a 270. You certainly deserve it!

Best of luck to you.
 
Ah, the famous p53 - glad to see you're still around!

Why would I lie about a test that counts for nothing? But you are right, it does look very similar to 770. I got 770 on NBME 3 last week and the chart looks practically the same (also relatively weaker in GI - you'd think I'd have learned). I have a feeling I just snuck into the 800 bracket.

Anyway, thanks for your posting back a while ago about some of the answers to NBME 1. Your call on tuberous sclerosis for that kid with the things on his nose was key.

bigfrank - I owe you a lot.

p53 said:
I still don't see the proof of a 800. To be honest, that looked very similar to my NBME 770 score last year. I hate to say it but since you opened up this argument you seem to be obligated to prove your point.
 
Actually, I still have my answer key for NBME form A and NBME from B.

Nrosigh did hit a goldmine. If you check deep into my posts, you will find answers and rationale for some of the answers on the NBME exam form A and form B.

P.S. Once I take the NBME Clinical Science Exam, I will once again write down my answers and have a "Ask p53 thread" to discuss tough questions for Step 2.
 
p53 said:
Actually, I still have my answer key for NBME form A and NBME from B.

Nrosigh did hit a goldmine. If you check deep into my posts, you will find answers and rationale for some of the answers on the NBME exam form A and form B.

P.S. Once I take the NBME Clinical Science Exam, I will once again write down my answers and have a "Ask p53 thread" to discuss tough questions for Step 2.

Quite the modest young lad, aren't we?
 
p53 said:
I still don't see the proof of a 800. To be honest, that looked very similar to my NBME 770 score last year. I hate to say it but since you opened up this argument you seem to be obligated to prove your point.

P53, What was your score on Step 1? Interested in seeing a score correlation with the NBME.

Thanks
 
NROSIGH,
Pls let us know what is BSS?U said , you read it a lot along with Goljan and RR.
Good Luck and thanks.
 
Hi,

Can anyone tell me how the free 150 questions released by NMBE compare to forms 1 through 4 (or even the real thing).

Judd
 
juddson said:
Hi,

Can anyone tell me how the free 150 questions released by NMBE compare to forms 1 through 4 (or even the real thing).

Judd

hey J.
I think in general the consensus is that the released questions are a bit easier than the NBME's and the actual test. Form 3 seems to be the hardest, and form 2 seems to be the best predictor. good luck, see you in the wards
 
exmike said:
hey J.
I think in general the consensus is that the released questions are a bit easier than the NBME's and the actual test. Form 3 seems to be the hardest, and form 2 seems to be the best predictor. good luck, see you in the wards

That figures, doesn't it. I got at 82% on the free questions. Where do you figure that puts me? I haven't taken any of the NBME tests yet (am taking one on Thursday and another on Saturday). My test is not for another 2.5 weeks or so.

Judd
 
nrosigh said:
Not doing this to be annoying, but to show a point that you can still get a bunch wrong on the NBME and still come out with an 800.

This is NBME 4. I don't know how many I got right, but I would say somewhere between 80 and 90%. I marked about 5-6 per 50. I had no idea on about 2 or 3 on the set of 200. I did it timed and did not use any reference materials.

I'm taking the exam in a week and would obviously be thrilled with the same performance. Good luck to everyone, and thanks to everyone here for their helpful advice!

In case anyone's curious, I'm studying mostly Goljan stuff (his lectures 3x through, Rapid Review, and his BSS questions). I finished QBank a month ago with a low-seventies average. Also really like Robin's review of path question book.

It's a practice test. It doesn't mean jack squat.
 
Catalyst said:
wow, harsh

No joke, especially considering these practice tests that don't mean "jack squat" are paid tests administered by the NBME, utilize almost exactly the same computer format, and are IMO extremely similar to the real thing I just took two days ago. The only difference is you're sitting in front of the computer for 7 blocks instead of 4. Not that much difference.
I took form 1 and 2, two and one week prior to the test, and scored 244 and 240 respectively. then reread First Aid to hopefully add a couple points. According to the score estimator which has been floating about on this site, this is within 4 points of my estimated score based off of my score on the free NBME practice test, MCAT and qbank.
Based on prior reporting, not only do the NBME practice tests tend to have a rather high predictive value and identify areas of weakness, they also decrease anxiety and boost self confidence by allowing testers to start off the test in a familiar environment.

In the future, it'd be more helpful to offer advice or constructive thought than to fire off negative retorts to issues with which one hasn't had a positive outcome.
 
oudoc08 said:
No joke, especially considering these practice tests that don't mean "jack squat" are paid tests administered by the NBME, utilize almost exactly the same computer format, and are IMO extremely similar to the real thing I just took two days ago. The only difference is you're sitting in front of the computer for 7 blocks instead of 4. Not that much difference.
I took form 1 and 2, two and one week prior to the test, and scored 244 and 240 respectively. then reread First Aid to hopefully add a couple points. According to the score estimator which has been floating about on this site, this is within 4 points of my estimated score based off of my score on the free NBME practice test, MCAT and qbank.
Based on prior reporting, not only do the NBME practice tests tend to have a rather high predictive value and identify areas of weakness, they also decrease anxiety and boost self confidence by allowing testers to start off the test in a familiar environment.

In the future, it'd be more helpful to offer advice or constructive thought than to fire off negative retorts to issues with which one hasn't had a positive outcome.

well said. :thumbup:
 
oudoc08 said:
No joke, especially considering these practice tests that don't mean "jack squat" are paid tests administered by the NBME, utilize almost exactly the same computer format, and are IMO extremely similar to the real thing I just took two days ago. The only difference is you're sitting in front of the computer for 7 blocks instead of 4. Not that much difference.
I took form 1 and 2, two and one week prior to the test, and scored 244 and 240 respectively. then reread First Aid to hopefully add a couple points. According to the score estimator which has been floating about on this site, this is within 4 points of my estimated score based off of my score on the free NBME practice test, MCAT and qbank.
Based on prior reporting, not only do the NBME practice tests tend to have a rather high predictive value and identify areas of weakness, they also decrease anxiety and boost self confidence by allowing testers to start off the test in a familiar environment.

In the future, it'd be more helpful to offer advice
or constructive thought than to fire off negative retorts to issues with which one hasn't had a positive outcome.

Think about it very hard. The OP was not seeking advice. They wanted you to be impressed with them.

It looks like they succeeded.
 
oudoc08 said:
No joke, especially considering these practice tests that don't mean "jack squat" are paid tests administered by the NBME, utilize almost exactly the same computer format, and are IMO extremely similar to the real thing I just took two days ago. The only difference is you're sitting in front of the computer for 7 blocks instead of 4. Not that much difference.
I took form 1 and 2, two and one week prior to the test, and scored 244 and 240 respectively. then reread First Aid to hopefully add a couple points. According to the score estimator which has been floating about on this site, this is within 4 points of my estimated score based off of my score on the free NBME practice test, MCAT and qbank.
Based on prior reporting, not only do the NBME practice tests tend to have a rather high predictive value and identify areas of weakness, they also decrease anxiety and boost self confidence by allowing testers to start off the test in a familiar environment.

In the future, it'd be more helpful to offer advice or constructive thought than to fire off negative retorts to issues with which one hasn't had a positive outcome.

I can't agree with you more. The NBME exams are extremely similar to the real thing in terms of question style and predominant themes... I was very surprised after remembering that the practice MCATs I took did not resemble the real thing at all, which was much harder. I think if someone wants to get a very high score on step 1, it's imperative to do all 4 NBMEs. I haven't received my score, but my feeling is that this exam is as much about knowing facts as it is about learning to be a very good test-taker.

As for the OP, it's possible that he/she is looking to have his/her ego stroked a little.. but I don't feel threatened by that... in fact if I got an 800 on NBME 4 I'd feel like I'm the **** too. A lot of hard work was certainly put into attaining that score.
 
i got all nostalgic reading p53 and bigfrank posts...where are they lurking now-a-days?
 
You could have bumped this BEFORE I went ahead and put myself out on a limb. :rolleyes:

You should have been more resoureful! :laugh:

i got all nostalgic reading p53 and bigfrank posts...where are they lurking now-a-days?

BF posts sometimes in the Rads forum. He's still here.

p53 disappeared after Step 1 scores came out. In one of his last posts he talked about going into an up-and-coming subspecialty -- interventional oncology. What a character that guy was!
 
You should have been more resoureful! :laugh:



BF posts sometimes in the Rads forum. He's still here.

p53 disappeared after Step 1 scores came out. In one of his last posts he talked about going into an up-and-coming subspecialty -- interventional oncology. What a character that guy was!

I should have been.

I know this must be stupid, but what field are you in DOCTORSAIB?
 
anyone have any high MCAT scores to show? Maybe a high BUN/cre ratio to show us...
 
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