Trouble With Timing on the 46 Question Test: Similar Experiences? (+Some Advice)

[flipasta]

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I took the Step 1 about a month ago, and found that on the day of the test, I experienced a lack of time on nearly every block (sometimes I had to rush through the last three or four questions, but sometimes it was much as 10+).

Timing was something I put a lot of effort into during my practice testing, whether on UWorld or on the NBME Practices, so it was incredibly frustrating to have this issue.

I'm a 'reader' in that I try to read through a question before answering it. Let me say to future test takers, I was definitely punished for that trait, especially with the long question stems that pepper the 46 question test in greater number than the NBMEs and UWorld.

The "read the last line first" bit of advice is definitely great, but even more: learning to scan questions for key words will benefit you greatly. Learn to do it early in your studying, even if you aren't having timing issues on the current UWorld questions.

I believe I had a good grasp on the material and was solidly getting 245-255 on the week before the test. I'm not a 'gunner' or 'hardcore' student by any measure, but now I'm having trouble sleeping on nights thinking about how I performed on that day (my defense for my current anxiety is, its tough accepting you'll be judged by a number that you believe you're better than).

I don't mean to freak anyone out. It should be noted that I don't think this is a problem most test takers have had (which makes this even more frustrating for me). By next summer, the practice materials should have adjusted to this new style of Step 1, which I believe isn't different in terms of difficulty at all. So don't over stress yourself by my experience. Just be aware, especially if you're consistently finishing with about 2-3 minutes to spare on 48 question practice blocks (which was where I was at walking into the test).

And if anyone has had a similar experience, I'd appreciate knowing. If nothing else, just because misery loves company 😉.

Also, if you could please spare me the 'you deserved it' stuff; I'm aware the score I get is the score I get and I'll get past it. Just leave it at that if thats the message you want to send.

 

[knuckles]

Is English your first language?

 

[flipasta]

Is English your first language?

Yes it is 🙂. What suggests that it isn't?

 

[ucbeachgal7]

I think its natural to feel this way, its hard to just scan the questions in the fear of missing something. With all the pressure of the exam some times its hard to keep track of the time. I'm sure u did great there is nothing u can do about it now, so just enjoy the fact that u accomplished such a big task. Hope that helps!!

 

[ucbeachgal7]

P.S i think the comment about "english being your first language" is a bit rude. There are people who can't even make proper sentences and their first language is english.

 

[yankeess]

If it is any consolation, I also had an issue with time constraints. The difficulty for me came with questions that had long vignettes and a large amount of information. I tend to eliminate all wrong answers when choosing the correct one (even if I am confident of the correct answer prior to reading the choices...). This concept worked well for me throughout the first 2 years of medical school, and I never had any issues with timed exams. The USMLE was another story, though... I also go nailed on a few arithmetic-based biostats questions and some molecular bio questions ---> 2 topics that I didnt know THAT well, but well enough to the point that if I thought about the question for like 3 minutes, I could determine the correct answer.

On Step 1, there were probably 3 blocks of questions where I had only 5 minutes to complete ~10 questions. It was frustrating, to say the least.

 

[golfman]

P.S i think the comment about "english being your first language" is a bit rude. There are people who can't even make proper sentences and their first language is english.

I don't think any offense was intended. I think the person who wrote that was just wondering if that possibly contributed to timing issues. Obviously someone who knows English as a 2nd language would most likely read a little slower than someone who knows English as a 1st language. Of course there are exceptions, but in my class and those who know English as a 2nd language they have told me they take a little longer to get through long stems because of the language problem.

 

[agw444]

I agree, for some reason I was pushed for time on most sections. In all my practice rounds, time was never an issue. Maybe for the real thing I wanted to be extra careful and read slower?

 

[aashkab]

thanks for the advice, i usually finish blocks with 10 - 15 minutes to spare. i think i am going to try to keep at this pace next week when i take the exam. and make sure that i've done 24 questions at the 30 minute mark.

i was going to post a similar thread about this but you have already begun so i thank you for it. i'm a speed demon for the most part and it does cause careless mistakes at times but when i'm fresh, its usually not an issue. i think i will be marking the long questions i see till the end. and pretty much trying to stick with my gut instinct for most questions and moving on

 

[hartbot]

For those who had timing issues on the real thing, how much time was left after completing a Uworld block?

I'm normally a slow test taker, but am consistently leaving myself 15 mins to run thru marked qs

 

[Vergie]

When I took NBME 7 I found I was pressed for time much more than UW practice tests. NBME 7 seemed to have longer stems in general, so about half way through, everytime I had a long stem I would read the last sentence, glance at the answer choices and then start from the top. Seemed to work pretty well actually. I found I was able to focus a little better on what they were asking. I'm gonna try it tomorrow so hopefully it works out.

 

[ar2388]

thanks for the advice, i usually finish blocks with 10 - 15 minutes to spare. i think i am going to try to keep at this pace next week when i take the exam. and make sure that i've done 24 questions at the 30 minute mark.

i was going to post a similar thread about this but you have already begun so i thank you for it. i'm a speed demon for the most part and it does cause careless mistakes at times but when i'm fresh, its usually not an issue. i think i will be marking the long questions i see till the end. and pretty much trying to stick with my gut instinct for most questions and moving on

yeah thats essentially me.. i usually finish med school exams in 1.5 hours when we may be given 2.5-3 hours... i dont know how worried i should be...

OP, im sure you still did great!!

oh and english is not really my first language although i did learn it when i was 5 so i cant say that that impacts me much wrt reading.. I think it is a bigger issue for people who learn english age 10+

 

[aashkab]

yeah thats essentially me.. i usually finish med school exams in 1.5 hours when we may be given 2.5-3 hours... i dont know how worried i should be...

OP, im sure you still did great!!

oh and english is not really my first language although i did learn it when i was 5 so i cant say that that impacts me much wrt reading.. I think it is a bigger issue for people who learn english age 10+

my kind of strategy or approach is to just to do the knee jerk/buzz word questions quickly as quickly as possible and try not to second guess myself. when it comes to the longer passages/thinking questions that's when i "let my mind wander" on the question and it helps me actually absorb bits and pieces of it. its like reading the question once straight through to get the image that the NBME wants you to have but then you like read bits and pieces (essentially scan) the question out of order for stuff to create your own picture, and hopefully they coincide. but like i said, i'm going to be ultrafocused for the knee jerks that hopefully don't require too much brain power (and there probably aren't too many knee jerks these days, so who knows).

and also fellow test takers, just want to say that my own personal survery of RL friends does also show that there are people who've had trouble with timing of the test so don't fear. this is exactly why the nbme is delaying grades. in fact, my hunch is that they will be VERY merciful in this case, and part of me is wishing i would have taken it earlier so i could be a guinea pig that was given a big freakin chocolate that underwent cruel experimentation

yeah. delirium has set in. good night.

 

[BenCarson]

me English 2nd luggge, but me read fast and no problem with stems. time reading broblema can be due to many factors however englisa is a littla factor given the fact that the student did SAT, MCAT..... It's highly probable that it was pressure-induced slowness. remember we all process at different rates depending on genetics and training.
me get insulted too.

 

[littlealex]

The real test spacing was very very similar to UWorld for me.

One tip I have is that if you're reading a long vignette and you have no idea what the hell is going on w/ the patient being described, don't stop to think it through. Push yourself through the vignette. The question asked is typically not too difficult and requires little information from the vignette.

I made the mistake of stopping to think through the patient presentation in the first few, only to realize I didn't need to know what disease the patient is presenting with to answer the question.

 

[aashkab]

thanks for the tips alex