Usmle Percentage Low Help!!!

[inmed]

After going thru a review of material last 4 weeks, I started doing my daily and nightly Q banks from usmle world. I am only at a cumulative average of 42-44% after doing 3 blocks. This worries me. My test is in roughly weeks and my nbme score taken a week ago was only 180(usmle score). What should i do? Is it normal to start out so low on world??? I am very worried.

Thanks guys

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[peppy]

In my experience, the USMLE World percent correct isn't a very good judge of how you'll do on test day. I think the NBME practice tests are the only thing that really does help you figure out where you are.
I personally felt the questions on the real test were more straightforward than the ones on USMLEWorld, and did a lot better on the real test than my percent correct on UW would have predicted.
My advice is simply to use UW in tutor mode and try to learn from the explanations that USMLE World gives you for why the answers are right or wrong.
Good luck. 🙂

 

[Terpskins99]

After going thru a review of material last 4 weeks, I started doing my daily and nightly Q banks from usmle world. I am only at a cumulative average of 42-44% after doing 3 blocks. This worries me. My test is in roughly weeks and my nbme score taken a week ago was only 180(usmle score). What should i do? Is it normal to start out so low on world??? I am very worried.

Thanks guys

Its natural.

After completing Kaplan Qbank, I started scoring in the mid-40's on UWorld also. Towards the end, I was getting in the low-mid 60's. Just keep working the questions and READ THE ANSWERS. Learn from your mistakes, and keep on studying.

Its a learning process, first and foremost. Remember, if you're constantly doing random timed unused questions, you'll always be quizzed on something new. So you could still be learning a ton and not showing an immediate improvement in your scores.

Btw, IMO UWorld was mostly representative of the more difficult questions on the real thing. The rest of the test was straight up regurgitation.

 

[SkylineMD]

Btw, IMO UWorld was mostly representative of the more difficult questions on the real thing. The rest of the test was straight up regurgitation.

I agree - difficult questions mimicked UW's style. But many questions were whether you knew the basic facts or not.

 

[TheEleventhReel]

I agree - difficult questions mimicked UW's style. But many questions were whether you knew the basic facts or not.

100% agreed. There were a lot of fact-based, regurg type questions on my exam.

 

[Tastebuds]

I took Step 1 a month ago and 98% of the questions on my exam were just like Qbank. I recommend also supplementing your studying with Qbank if you havent already. Also, my step 1 score was 40 points higher than my first NMBE I took!!!! So dont get discouraged, just keep studying and focus on your weak points. After taking NMBE 1, I started freaking out...and I tried to push myself harder.

Hope this helps.

 

[flumazenil]

hey UW % have no track record of predicting USMLE score. The best are the NBME 1-4. I have been told they are all very accurate perhaps 1 and sometimes 2 overpredicting your score and 3 and 4 underpredicting your score. I have read NBME 2 is the MOST accurate predictor, not sure if it is true as I will get my results soon. The test is NOT AS HARD IS UW in my opinion. A lot of questions were either you knew it or not, and that basically comes down to if you memorized the fact or not

 

[MaxMoonMD]

Oh boy, starting the day with two blocks of UW and getting 48% and 44% frustrates big time! (cumulative 53% after 450 Qs.)

But I´m "glad" about people scoring in similar regions ... 🙄

I kinda like UW, a lot of the Questions are very interesting and show you a new point of view about certain stuff.
And the explanations are good, remind me a lot of our german mediscript-preparation CDs.

 

[drstudychick]

I finished Kaplan QBank with a cumulative average of 53%, I started in the low 40%, and only finished in the mid to high 50s. My score on two of the NBMEs was 300 (which is equivalent to a 162 on the real thing). The second NBME I took was only one week before the real deal. I did 39 points better on the real thing. Don't sweat, from my experience, you'll be fine with the scores you have thus far. Good luck.

 

[kasra138]

I am almost in the same shoes, UW I get in the 50s and Kaplan I get in the 70s. My question to you all is if you say study the facts (First Aid) do you suggest I should get USMLE Rx which is the company making First Aid book and do their questions as well. Because the tend to ask these fact questions. I would truly appreciate your advice.
regards

 

[blz]

from what i have seen on these boards, if you can sustain an average of 75% on usmleworld (over 350+ questions), you should hit a 245+ and likely much higher. that seems to be the only correlation that stands. every other percentage seems a lot more variable.