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StepOneSucks

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Little history:

Didn't go to an US medical school
UW questions - Completed 100% in tutor mode, roughly 40% correct
FA - read thoroughly through only once (every page) with annotations and various chapters twice
Goljan - listened only Day 1 through 3 once
NBME Exams -
Form 2 ten days out (assessment score 240 = 145 converted estimate score)
Form 3 two days out (assessment score 230 = 142 converted estimate score)

The real exam, I felt that it can go either way (pass or fail). Finished the exam early around 3:30 PM with 60+ minutes for lunch break. Thought the first two blocks were tough, but later blocks were decent.

I only want to pass (185)

What do you think of my chances of passing? Positive or negative thoughts, please, love to hear them!

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I guess a pass is still possible if the actual exam plays to your strengths.

Good Luck! :luck:

P.S.: I assume that you already took the test? Otherwise postponing is still an option, I mean, 3-4 weeks may be very helpful to fill a lot of the gaps you seem to have.
 
If I were you I would cancel.
What's there to cancel? I already took the exam! Can one call NBME and cancel grading of an exam?

I know I did bad on the NBME assessment exams, but how true can those exams be, right? I guess we'll find out soon!
 
I guess a pass is still possible if the actual exam plays to your strengths.

Good Luck! :luck:
Thanks, I hope the real exam result will turn out in my favor! Man, I thought before taking the exam, studying is stressful, afterward waiting for the result is even worse!!
 
i admire and dislike your attitude at the same time.
admire cuz you are being brave and calm
dislike cuz step 1 is not a time to play roulette/ joke around
i wish you all the best may you get your 185!
 
i admire and dislike your attitude at the same time.
admire cuz you are being brave and calm
dislike cuz step 1 is not a time to play roulette/ joke around
i wish you all the best may you get your 185!
Flumazenil:

Oh trust me, I'm freaking out over here! I may seem calm over the internet, but I'm really worried that I've failed!

I know everyone says NBME assessment exams correlates with the real exam extremely well, but I had to take my real exam and couldn't postpone it. Now that the real exam is over, I can't do a thing but try to remain hopeful and "calm"!

Lets get that "PASS" first, then we'll worry about what type of residency I can pick from! First goal = pass, second worry about residency!

Anyone out there with a positive outcome with similar story to mine?
 
What kind of residency can anyone get with just a 187 anyway?

Any residency outside of the competitive ones.

I've seen students match in anesthesia and emergency medicine with a failed board score. Obviously, they must have had some connections... but there are options out there. I do know that a lot of residencies (maybe even the majority) are mostly concerned that you simply pass and they base their rankings largely on your visiting clerkship performance.
 
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yea damn dude...its already hard enough being an IMG to match. i dont even think family practice would take some foreigner with a 187 - i hope not atleast.
 
Do you guys think being this unsupportive and negative is really helping the OP? S/he are asking for honesty and reality...not waiting for everyone to criticize and make it seem as if there are NO professional options in the future - which we all know is not true.
 
Do you guys think being this unsupportive and negative is really helping the OP? S/he are asking for honesty and reality...not waiting for everyone to criticize and make it seem as if there are NO professional options in the future - which we all know is not true.

No worries, I'm here for any suggestions/comments/remarks/opinions! I just worry about passing at this point. Thanks for watching out though! :thumbup:
 
My honest opinion- if you were scoring that low on the NBME only a couple days before the test- there is no way in god's green earth that you passed.
Sorry :(
 
My honest opinion- if you were scoring that low on the NBME only a couple days before the test- there is no way in god's green earth that you passed.
Sorry :(
That's what I'm thinking too! We'll see. Hoping for a miracle here!
 
I'll cross my fingers for you man! I've heard of people (and two friends) getting very very low scores in qbank and nbme exams and then passing. One of my friends got around 188 and another 193. And they had <50% questions correct on qbank.
 
Had a dream last night that I passed! :laugh:

God, I hope so!!!

S.O.S., this is not to sound discouraging, just a recommendation.

Be on the safe side and assume you failed the exam. You have about 4-5 weeks before your results will be released. In that time, you should be hitting up the books... HARD.

Make sure you've figured out what high yield areas you are weak in and address them immediately. Or just start with path. I would start by buying Goljan RR Path and reading it cover-to-cover along with listening to his audio set. You should have plenty of time to finish it before your scores come out. When your scores DO come back, and if you failed... then you can schedule a re-test (which would probably be at least a month from that point). If you had been diligent enough, you would have already finished a thorough run through Goljan (book and audio) and you can hit up First Aid along with practice questions (you can re-do UWorld or you can start from scratch with QBank <--- underrated source, btw).

Best of luck... :oops:
 
Sorry to break it to you dude, but you have almost no chance. The random error for a step one score is probably << 40, and the NBME exams are reasonably accurate predictors (though it is common for people to improve over these by 10 points). You really had no business writing the exam after such scant studying and such poor practice exam results.

Possible recommendations for you:

1) plan a very serious lengthy preparation for you 2nd attempt.
2) Repeat the 2nd year of med school
3) Abandon your plan of practicing medicine in the US.

I wish you good luck in all your endeavors.
 
pretty harsh stuff. ouch. but its true. i think its better to cancel than show up and bomb it and have that score reported! i scored 430 on nbme (not converted and this was 4 weeks till exam and i was super nervous and started hustling after that. the point is PLAN YOUR TIME LINE. BE REALISTIC. if it takes you 6-8 months ,fine BUT at this stage youve got to know how to evaluate yourself .see how much you improve in a week and calculate from there. do questions,questions,questions .dont wait till last week. goodluck .just start studying now. i took mine sept 22 , exam felt easy at the time BUT... im still studying just in case..... :) ....knock knock on wood
 
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