USMLE and UWORLD correlation. And how to improve.

[dr.sparty123]

Hey there. I am averaging a low Uworld % ranking, somewhere around 51 with higher scores on certain tests. I am wondering how to determine potential score rankings from Uworld -> USMLE step 1. I am using Pathoma, B+B, First-aid, and anki to help in my review process, but man this is really tough. Any suggestions on how to strategically get a better score and keep improving my scores?

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[ricksimmonsrafowens]

1. How far from exam are you out?
2. What are your weak areas, any trends you've spotted? Are you struggling with physiology, anatomy, or a body systems?
3. Are you aggressively using FA, B&B, Anki decks or sort of doing light reviewing with them and then focusing on questions?

 

[dr.sparty123]

1. I am 5 weeks out.
2. I have a lot of weak areas. I feel the exams are so detail oriented, even the answer choices. I may know parts of the questions, but not the full question.
3. I am using FA, B+B, ANKI each day. Very thoroughly reviewing content. And then each day I have been doing a 40Q block of uWORLD and reviewing it.

 

[vernhart]

How far into UWorld are you?

 

[dr.sparty123]

How far into UWorld are you?

39%

 

[kb1900]

Imo you should not got more than a few questions wrong in uworld on the same topic (ideally, though obviously impossible in reality).

When you get a question wrong, review the entire topic of that and create flash cards for each part of that topic that you don’t have memorized. This means not just the uworld bolded words and tables but also relevant pathoma and first aid stuff.

E.g. I got a Hb electrophoresis q wrong -> I reviewed and memorized all the sickle cell and Thalesemia presentations/pathology in pathoma, the hemoglobin types for each, relevant genetics, electrophoresis of each Hb, and fetal Hb production.

And by memorize...it’s active recall not just reading something over and over again. Then the next morning review all of this stuff again from yesterday’s block via active recall. Then again a few days later


Just my two cents. I started out at 60-65 for the first few blocks of UW and am now at 75-85% but I am very early on ( less than 30% through could just be luck)

 

[ricksimmonsrafowens]

1. I am 5 weeks out.
2. I have a lot of weak areas. I feel the exams are so detail oriented, even the answer choices. I may know parts of the questions, but not the full question.
3. I am using FA, B+B, ANKI each day. Very thoroughly reviewing content. And then each day I have been doing a 40Q block of uWORLD and reviewing it.

Have you taken an NBME yet? Did you pass it?

 

[dr.sparty123]

Have you taken an NBME yet? Did you pass it?

No haven't tried one yet. When do you think is the best time to begin starting any of those practice exams?

 

[ricksimmonsrafowens]

No haven't tried one yet. When do you think is the best time to begin starting any of those practice exams?

Yeah I think you should definitely take an NBME to gauge your level of preparedness. If there isn't a specific area you're weak in (ie you have a generalized knowledge deficit) you might need more than 5 weeks of dedicated to pass or to reach whatever score you're aiming for.

 

[dr.sparty123]

Yeah I think you should definitely take an NBME to gauge your level of preparedness. If there isn't a specific area you're weak in (ie you have a generalized knowledge deficit) you might need more than 5 weeks of dedicated to pass or to reach whatever score you're aiming for.

How often do you think one should be taking these exams? My exam is June 17th...

 

[ricksimmonsrafowens]

you're asking the wrong questions. I definitely think you should take an NBME today or tomorrow and figure out if you can pass Step 1 with your current knowledge base. then you can figure out how often you want to take the NBMEs to gauge your progress in studying the material.

 

[anon6134]

Start pumping out 80-120 UWorld Q's/day and watch your scores creep up. And start doing weekly or biweekly NBME exams asap

 

[Goro]

1. I am 5 weeks out.
2. I have a lot of weak areas. I feel the exams are so detail oriented, even the answer choices. I may know parts of the questions, but not the full question.
3. I am using FA, B+B, ANKI each day. Very thoroughly reviewing content. And then each day I have been doing a 40Q block of uWORLD and reviewing it.

OP, I agree 100% with the wise advice that you've been given so far.

What was your pre-clinical GPA?

You answer to #2 is concerning. This hints at a knowledge base issue. Are you able to narrow down answers to two? If so, do you end up picking the wrong one? If so, that's a confidence and a second guessing issue.

if not, if you're really blindsided by the choices, then you need a better content review than just Anki. I think that you need to understand this material, not merely memorize it. For example, it's one thing to know that wilson's disease is a Cu++ metabolism issue; it's quite another to understand how cirrhosis leads to encephalopathy or esophageal varices.

If you can delay taking Boards, you should consider this strongly if you don't see an improvement in your practice scores.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Is the 51 your percentile score or is it your % correct? If % correct, that's a little more concerning, if it's percentile, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Honestly, my advice would be to streamline and consolidate your content review studying and do more questions. Ultimately, how well you're doing on the Qbank is somewhat meaningless. UWorld has about 2600 questions for Step 1 (maybe more now, idk) - I would try to do like 5000+ total questions in lieu of reading FA super in depth. Do new, marked, and incorrect questions frequently. I also agree with taking an NBME practice test ASAP to see where you are, then taking at least one per week for the remainder of your dedicated period.

If you get the answer right and feel pretty good about it, I would just read the learning point at the end of the explanation, and go on to the next question. No point reading about something you already know. If you get a question wrong or got it right on a guess, then consider reading more of the answer explanation.

IMO, spending time doing more questions is a better use of time than doing fewer questions and reading the explanations / First Aid more thoroughly. You'll address a lot of your weak areas by doing questions and you'll likely retain it better by doing questions than by reading FA/etc.

I think that Pathoma is great as a supplement - watch the lectures at 1.5x+ speed while looking at the book and making light annotations, especially in weak areas. Sketchy micro (ONLY bacteria - the rest are not high yield enough for the actual test) is great for bacteria and antibiotics. I would use First Aid pretty much only as a reference and not as a textbook that you read cover to cover. Use Anki for one off facts that you just need to remember and retain (like CD markings, drug side effects, causes of TTP, whatever), but use it judiciously. UWorld should really be the primary resource.

UFAP works for a reason, with the U by far being the most important. It's very possible to get bogged down with too many resources. UWorld + frequent practice tests will be the most efficient way to study by far. Doing 5-6k UWorld questions + FA + Pathoma + sketchy + minimal Anki bumped my score >70 points in 7 weeks of dedicated, and UWorld was by far the most valuable resource.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

No haven't tried one yet. When do you think is the best time to begin starting any of those practice exams?

Now.

How often do you think one should be taking these exams? My exam is June 17th...

I have been taking at least 1 a week since the start of dedicated with 2/5 weeks having two scheduled. My method is I do 60 UW questions a day, hit some anki for basic recall stuff like pharm, and then I hit the FA chapters for my weaknesses for the stuff I was weak on in UW the last few days or my practice test. I have seen steady improvement doing this. UFAP is the dogma for a reason.