Timing between NBME test 1 and test 2?

[Ologist]

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I just took the NBME 1 self assessment exam and did much better than i expected to. I'm tempted to take the second test right away to see if i'm actually that well prepared. I've read on this forum that NBME 2 is harder than NBME 1, so i want to see if my performance was a fluke.

Should i take NBME 2 now or wait? My USMLE test is scheduled 4 weeks from now. I plan to study pretty intensely during that time. I'm scared that if i take it later (closer to the my actual test date) i might get a lower score and thus produce some unwanted psychological stress for myself ( a situation where i'll be thinking, 'how can i have gotten a lower score on NBME 2 with all this studying i just did?!').

Also i found NBME 1 to be straightforward and short (question length that is), I can't imagine the real USMLE to be anywhere similar to that. There were'nt any huge, impossible, PhD molecular bio questions on my NBME 1. ARe there stories out there of people who scored a lot lower on the USMLE than was predicted by their NBME scores? I only see people post that they did a lot better than their NBME predicted scores.

thanks everyone!

 

[bigfrank]

I just took the NBME 1 self assessment exam and did much better than i expected to. I'm tempted to take the second test right away to see if i'm actually that well prepared. I've read on this forum that NBME 2 is harder than NBME 1, so i want to see if my performance was a fluke.

Should i take NBME 2 now or wait? My USMLE test is scheduled 4 weeks from now. I plan to study pretty intensely during that time. I'm scared that if i take it later (closer to the my actual test date) i might get a lower score and thus produce some unwanted psychological stress for myself ( a situation where i'll be thinking, 'how can i have gotten a lower score on NBME 2 with all this studying i just did?!').

Also i found NBME 1 to be straightforward and short (question length that is), I can't imagine the real USMLE to be anywhere similar to that. There were'nt any huge, impossible, PhD molecular bio questions on my NBME 1. ARe there stories out there of people who scored a lot lower on the USMLE than was predicted by their NBME scores? I only see people post that they did a lot better than their NBME predicted scores.

thanks everyone!

I'm not sure it really matters on the relative timing of test I and test II. I took them a week or so apart (a few weeks before the real Step I) and my score improved a little but not tremendously.

These are good exams that will relate the TYPE OF THINKING necessary to do well on the Step I. Nothing more and I don't think they are that great in revealing relative strengths/weaknesses either, too few questions to be statistically significant. BOL to you.

 

[Nosa]

other than for curiosity's sake, what is the real point of taking the NMBE's? don't get me wrong, i took one myself last week... but mostly b/c i wanted to gauge how i was doing. but since you cannot get the answers, you don't really learn too much from doing it other than what type of questions to expect, right? am i missing something?

 

[joshua_msu]

It may give confidence, or take it away, but in the end, its just another way for the NBME to gouge students.

 

[HiddenTruth]

other than for curiosity's sake, what is the real point of taking the NMBE's? don't get me wrong, i took one myself last week... but mostly b/c i wanted to gauge how i was doing. but since you cannot get the answers, you don't really learn too much from doing it other than what type of questions to expect, right? am i missing something?

basically another way for NBME to gank another 90 bones from us. You know damn well that med students, being OCD and all, will pay whatever to see questions written by the test writers, per say. Granted, you can test your reasoning process, but u take those things towards the end of your study anyways, mainly to see where u stand and some kind of score correlation. Beyond that, I think it's NBME's way of robbin' us.

 

[idq1i]

I was about to buy access to the 2 exams today...until I realized my purchase would pad the wallets of people who came up with Step 2:CS.

 

[bigfrank]

There are a few reasons to pay the $90.

1. Questions are very similar in type of thinking you'll see.
2. I got 2-3 exact repeats on my real Step I. 🙂

 

[idq1i]

There are a few reasons to pay the $90.

1. Questions are very similar in type of thinking you'll see.
2. I got 2-3 exact repeats on my real Step I. 🙂

You do have a point.

I'll probably take the exams when I stop freaking out over my realization that I don't remember as much biochem as I thought I did...NINE days before the exam (I got 90+ on the shelf, and I was a biochem major)

 

[bigfrank]

there's not much of that kind of biochem anyways on the Step I. I seriously had 2-3 pure "biochem" questions (pathways, etc.). Lots of pathophysiology involving biochemistry/molecular bio. concepts, though.

 

[idq1i]

there's not much of that kind of biochem anyways on the Step I. I seriously had 2-3 pure "biochem" questions (pathways, etc.). Lots of pathophysiology involving biochemistry/molecular bio. concepts, though.

True, but I completely blew off biochem. Given that I have yet to review anatomy, I guess I'll just let my solid path/pathophys background carry me through the biochem part of the exam. I'll know soon enough if that works

 

[bigfrank]

True, but I completely blew off biochem. Given that I have yet to review anatomy, I guess I'll just let my solid path/pathophys background carry me through the biochem part of the exam. I'll know soon enough if that works

If you got 143/150 on the released items, I'm sure you'll somehow survive the exam. 😉

 

[bludeviled]

I have a question just slightly off topic,
when you take NBME 1 or 2 , in either timed or tutorial mode,
do you still have access to your computer's applications (i.e the internet) ?
Thanks in advance!

 

[InHoc]

I have a question just slightly off topic,
when you take NBME 1 or 2 , in either timed or tutorial mode,
do you still have access to your computer's applications (i.e the internet) ?
Thanks in advance!

No and yes. The test screen occupies the whole computer screen, even the toolbar at the bottom - so you can't directly access shortcuts as normal, but if you have Internet Explorer open before you start, you can hit (alt+tab) to toggle back and forth between programs. I just took form 1 yesterday and did this several times to look up answers via google.

Turns out that the several questions i had to look up were discussed on prep4usmle.com, so if you choose to use google to search, put in a unique segment of the question stem along with 'prep for usmle' and you might go right to a discussion about the question.

 

[bludeviled]

No and yes. The test screen occupies the whole computer screen, even the toolbar at the bottom - so you can't directly access shortcuts as normal, but if you have Internet Explorer open before you start, you can hit (alt+tab) to toggle back and forth between programs. I just took form 1 yesterday and did this several times to look up answers via google.

Turns out that the several questions i had to look up were discussed on prep4usmle.com, so if you choose to use google to search, put in a unique segment of the question stem along with 'prep for usmle' and you might go right to a discussion about the question.

sweet, thanks! - i wouldn't have known to do that otherwise 🙂

 

[Ramoray]

You do have a point.

I'll probably take the exams when I stop freaking out over my realization that I don't remember as much biochem as I thought I did...NINE days before the exam (I got 90+ on the shelf, and I was a biochem major)

dude and you wonder why i call you a tool. Who else thinks this clown is a tool? like who cares what you got on your biochem shelf, and at that you think people care to hear that you are freaking out over biochem but you got a 90 on the shelf and a 143/150 on the released items. Just tools like you deserve a good beating and since i cant make that happen i will just settle for calling you out on your complete toolness on sdn as often as i can.
peaceout toolman taylor

 

[fukdbyMIT]

You can actually copy the Q's off the NBME exams by taking a screenshot of your computer screen. That's what I did for the Q's that I guessed on or weren't 100% sure of. In theory you can take a screenshot of every Q, but that would take a lot of time. I don't plan on selling the Q's to anyone so don't worry about copyright infringements. Purely for self-education so I can figure out the answers to the Q's I guessed on.