Timeline for scores...

[gmendese]

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Hi all,

I don't know exactly how much stock to put into this, but someone I know's father works for the NBME and he said that people who have taken step 1 by June 30 (today) will be getting their scores by July 15.

Again, I don't know how true this is (it's second hand...), but I figured I would share it. Hopefully it's not just a bunk rumor. Best of luck!

 

[Jalby]

I've always heard that it takes about 4 weeks. So I'm not sure I would believe a 2 week turnaround. But then again, I didn't think I would believe a three week turnaround.

 

[OH58D]

I certainly don't find it hard to believe they can turn around scores in two weeks.... but it is hit or miss right now. My friend took it the last avail day in May and got her score back in less than 3 weeks... I took it two business days later and at best will get my scores 2 weeks later... (the five week point). More than likely I will have taken the USMLE on 02 JUN and not get my score until 14 JUL.... But it didn't take them any time at all to send me a survey..... that they want filled out and returned right away!! Sure, I'll be right on that!!!

 

[Jalby]

It's also the busiest time of the year right now, whereas May really wasn't. I'm betting 5 weeks for people who took it June 24th (out of my ass) or later.

 

[Coalboy]

Straight from the horse's mouth...

"Normal score reporting for Step 1 usually occurs in 3-4 weeks. However, because of necessary modifications to the test item pool as well as the processing load caused by a heavy volume of test takers, there will be a delay in score reporting for most Step 1 examinations administered in late May and June. The target date for reporting Step 1 scores for most examinees testing from May 26 through late June will be Wednesday, July 14 , 2004."


NMBE Announcement

 

[Idiopathic]

I think they could turn them around that day, actually...they just wait to do a mass mailing,

 

[imtiaz]

don't they have to throw out questions (those "experimental" ones, hopefully) and normalize it to 70% so it equals 217? i mean, i'm sure they use computers to do all that and it probably gets done real quick but i figured that's why they can't give it to you immediately. after all, computers are not perfect.

 

[Jalby]

Wow. In that case, two more weeks for me. I can't wait.

 

[Jalopycat]

Why is it that when you take the GRE you get your scores the same day, but the USMLE takes so much longer? It's all on computer.....

 

[Idiopathic]

don't they have to throw out questions (those "experimental" ones, hopefully) and normalize it to 70% so it equals 217? i mean, i'm sure they use computers to do all that and it probably gets done real quick but i figured that's why they can't give it to you immediately. after all, computers are not perfect.

Why...they already have the standardization for each test. they simply grade the ones that are pre-determined to be graded and place you where you go on the curve for that particular test. It should take about 5 minutes.

The 70 is not a 70% (actually it is 75), it is just an arbitrary number for licensing purposes, required by the states to say 'person X is competent to be a doctor'.

 

[cubs3canes]

Wait...217 is 75% of what?

I also thought that passing was the basic requirement for competency, not the average. Can you clarify?

 

[Discobolus]

Why is it that no one thinks a 36 on the MCAT means they only got 36% of the questions right, yet when a number of 70+ (ie shelf exam scores, 2 digit USMLE scores, etc.) is thrown out they all of the sudden think it is a percentage?

 

[imtiaz]

2 digit USMLE scores range from 70-99 very similar to percentages, this is what leads to mistaking them for percentages.

however what i was talking about is percentage. they say you need 65% right to pass, and as idiopathic said 75%? to get mean. this is not 2 digit USMLE but percentage that we're talking about here.

 

[Willamette]

2 digit USMLE scores range from 70-99 very similar to percentages, this is what leads to mistaking them for percentages.

however what i was talking about is percentage. they say you need 65% right to pass, and as idiopathic said 75%? to get mean. this is not 2 digit USMLE but percentage that we're talking about here.

I've heard that it's closer to 55% correct to pass...I for one hope to be well above that (but to be honest, at this point I'd also be pretty relieved just to see that I passed the stupid thing ).


Willamette

 

[imtiaz]

i don't know if any of you guys took the CBSE exam, but after they grade it, it comes with a table that shows how to convert from percentage to 3 digit score (they say it's a rough estimate, but i beleive it to be pretty accurate). according to this table, a 185 is 64%, that's pretty close to the "rumored" value of 65%. it also has scores/percentages all the way up to 260. some values from this table are 80%-225, 82%-230, 86%-240, 94%-260. i truly beleive these are accurate. but beleive what you want to.

 

[Willamette]

i don't know if any of you guys took the CBSE exam, but after they grade it, it comes with a table that shows how to convert from percentage to 3 digit score (they say it's a rough estimate, but i beleive it to be pretty accurate). according to this table, a 185 is 64%, that's pretty close to the "rumored" value of 65%. it also has scores/percentages all the way up to 260. some values from this table are 80%-225, 82%-230, 86%-240, 94%-260. i truly beleive these are accurate. but beleive what you want to.

Is the CBSE the basic science comprehensive exam? If so, I thought that those two-digit numbers were not actual percentages (I think babinski bob posted something to that effect a few months ago)...I could certainly be wrong though.


Willamette

 

[imtiaz]

Is the CBSE the basic science comprehensive exam? If so, I thought that those two-digit numbers were not actual percentages (I think babinski bob posted something to that effect a few months ago)...I could certainly be wrong though.


Willamette

are you sure they aren't percentages? i was under the impression that they were! if they aren't then i'm way off.

 

[Willamette]

are you sure they aren't percentages? i was under the impression that they were! if they aren't then i'm way off.

I'm not sure. I'm going to go see if I can find the email they sent me explaining the scores...I have my paper report around here somewhere, but my folks are visiting and are asleep in my study room...


Willamette

 

[Willamette]

This is from the email I got:

The table below provides approximate performance equivalents for USMLE
Step 1, making it possible for you to translate the Subject Test Scores
to the scale used for Step 1. A score of 182 is required to pass Step
1.

To use the table, locate your Exam Score in the associated column and
note the entry in the column headed, "Step 1 Equivalent." For example,
if a student's score is 62, the corresponding entry of 180 indicates
that the student's performance on the Exam is approximately equivalent
to a Step 1 score of 180.

Approximate Step 1 Equivalents
Your Comprehensive Basic Science Exam Score and the USMLE Step 1
Equivalent
>94 = >260
94 = 260
92 = 255
90 = 250
88 = 245
86 = 240
84 = 235
82 = 230
80 = 225
78 = 220
76 = 215
74 = 210
72 = 205
70 = 200
68 = 195
66 = 190
64 = 185
62 = 180
60 = 175
58 = 170
56 = 165
54 = 160
52 = 155
50 = 150
48 = 145
46 = 140
<46 = <140

It's kind of annoying that they left the two-digit scores' units ambiguous...


Willamette

 

[imtiaz]

yeah man i think it's percentage.

 

[Willamette]

yeah man i think it's percentage.

It sure does look like it...but who knows? As you can see from this link, I thought (still think) that the breakdown looks like a %-age, but for some reason babinski bob didn't think so (see his post in the same thread).

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=117998



Willamette

 

[inositide]

Do schools receive the scores every wednesday for the previous 1 week of test taker? I mean, do schools get the step 1 scores much sooner than the students?

 

[Idiopathic]

Wait...217 is 75% of what?

I also thought that passing was the basic requirement for competency, not the average. Can you clarify?

I just said 75 because that is the only 2-digit score that matters...passing. But it is NOT a percentage of anything. Of course, the two-digit for the mean is 82, which I think we will all agree has nothing to do with getting 82% of the questions right 😉

 

[JohnnyVegas]

I've heard that it's closer to 55% correct to pass...I for one hope to be well above that (but to be honest, at this point I'd also be pretty relieved just to see that I passed the stupid thing ).


Willamette

The USMLE site says passing is anywhere from 55 to 65% depending on the level of difficulty of the test.

 

[Idiopathic]

Do schools receive the scores every wednesday for the previous 1 week of test taker? I mean, do schools get the step 1 scores much sooner than the students?

They get them electronically, I believe, which means they see them a few days earlier.

 

[chandler742]

For what it is worth, I doubt that they Normalize the scores to a certain score i.e. 217. If that was the case why would the Step 1 average steadily increase every year? This doesn't make logical sense to increase the mean year by year.

Also, the "pass" rate has slowly increased too. If they normalize the exam, than they wouldn't have to increase the "pass" rate to keep up with the higher average. They would just "fix" the average at 210 for example, and keep the pass score at 180 etc.



Just my 2 cents

don't they have to throw out questions (those "experimental" ones, hopefully) and normalize it to 70% so it equals 217? i mean, i'm sure they use computers to do all that and it probably gets done real quick but i figured that's why they can't give it to you immediately. after all, computers are not perfect.

 

[meals]

Just to steer this thread back towards its original subject, I took the test on June 3rd and got my scores today. Good luck to everyone who's still waiting for theirs!!

 

[newbie5]

So is the 2 digit score a percentile? that wouldn't make sense because then lot of people would be failing. So what does the 2 digit and 3 digit score representative of? Is the three digit score correspond to the # of questions you got right out of 300 or 350?

 

[Idiopathic]

So is the 2 digit score a percentile? that wouldn't make sense because then lot of people would be failing. So what does the 2 digit and 3 digit score representative of? Is the three digit score correspond to the # of questions you got right out of 300 or 350?

The only thing we know the answer to is this: the states required a hard number to assign to their medical licensure, and they got together and set that number at 75, meaning that is the 2-digit score you need to get on USMLE to be licensed, or pass each step. It is a purely arbitrary number, and while this 75 doesnt change, the performance level required to achieve this score most likely does change from year to year, based on how the most recent test-takers perform.

The 3-digit score is likely solely for evaluation purposes, and to separate a 255 from a 268, when both would likely have 99 2-digit scores.