UWorld Qbank

[richse]

So I'm a week and a half into studying for Step 1 and I've done about 300 UWorld questions with average percent correct of 55% (low of 43% and a high of 70%). My study group is in a similar range so I'm not worried yet, but I wouldn't mind hearing from people who have already taken Step 1. What do you think is a decent % correct to shoot for by test time? Also, what kind of improvements did you see from week to week?

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[mcatsucksss]

my actual test is in like 2 weeks and im averaging upper 60%...

 

[Vulcan]

65% with 3 weeks to go

 

[mcatsucksss]

yea i think we'll pass lol

 

[amakhosidlo]

When should incoming MS2's think about picking up access to UWorld? Our school's putting on a promo that knocks $50 off a year of access, and we can set that year ticking whenever we want. Should we go for it?

 

[Hoju]

When should incoming MS2's think about picking up access to UWorld? Our school's putting on a promo that knocks $50 off a year of access, and we can set that year ticking whenever we want. Should we go for it?

I think it depends on you and how you study. The questions in UWorld take a long time to review. I got a subscription a couple months before M2 ended, but ended up rarely using it. After going over the material presented in class I was usually lacking the time or too tired to do the time intensive UWorld questions. Ehh, they may have been helpful if I had put the time in, but some of the stuff they cover seems pretty left field. Looking back I would have saved my money and bought it when Step studying started. Now you have the opinion of n=1.

 

[lrkoehle]

When should incoming MS2's think about picking up access to UWorld? Our school's putting on a promo that knocks $50 off a year of access, and we can set that year ticking whenever we want. Should we go for it?

Really depends if you think you're going to use it. The difference between a 12 mo & 6 mo subscription is probably more than the $50 you'd be saving. The other thing I've heard is that a different Qbank like Kaplan or USMLERx is better for during the year, and that you should save UWorld for dedicated study time. So if you're really ambitious you try to get through USMLERx by like March or April, and then get UWorld and go through all of it in your 6-7 week dedicated time.

 

[raynor123456]

When should incoming MS2's think about picking up access to UWorld? Our school's putting on a promo that knocks $50 off a year of access, and we can set that year ticking whenever we want. Should we go for it?

I say go for it. It's a study tool. You've got NBME's to let you know how well you know the material. Use it with your class, and in your prep, etc.

However, having said that, perhaps a more appropriate qbank for studying along with a class is Kaplan qbank--it's a bit more "detail" oriented, with less conceptual questions.

Either way, I say it's fine to get a qbank early in the year--a good idea, even. If money isn't a problem, get a second one as you approach step 1, and after you've learned the 1st one well.

Those are things I wish I did.

 

[richse]

For the NBME self-assessment exams is it better to do the newest ones like 11 and 12 or should I do earlier ones like 3 and 5? Also, I purchased 2 of the UWorld tests and I'm not sure how many of these assessments I can fit in. Do you guys think it is more important to do the UWorld tests or some of the NBME tests? Thanks.

 

[da8s0859q]

For the NBME self-assessment exams is it better to do the newest ones like 11 and 12 or should I do earlier ones like 3 and 5? Also, I purchased 2 of the UWorld tests and I'm not sure how many of these assessments I can fit in. Do you guys think it is more important to do the UWorld tests or some of the NBME tests? Thanks.

NBME, and newest ones. UW is great for prep, but less so for figuring out where you are score-wise; that's best left for things directly from the source.

 

[deleted387928]

I think you should take the UW tests. There's threads in the step 1 forum that show that they're decently accurate. More importantly, they have full explanations. You'd be missing out on over 350 extra questions and explanations if you skipped them.

I bought a 6 month subscription and started questions in January. I feel like that's plenty of time as I'm halfway through my 2nd run through.

And I don't see the point of taking more than 1 or 2 NBMEs. You don't get explanations or even answers to the questions you miss. I think it wastes time that you could spend studying and actually raising your score.

 

[RememberWhen]

I say go for it. It's a study tool. You've got NBME's to let you know how well you know the material. Use it with your class, and in your prep, etc.

However, having said that, perhaps a more appropriate qbank for studying along with a class is Kaplan qbank--it's a bit more "detail" oriented, with less conceptual questions.

Either way, I say it's fine to get a qbank early in the year--a good idea, even. If money isn't a problem, get a second one as you approach step 1, and after you've learned the 1st one well.

Those are things I wish I did.

I've been contemplating the year Qbank too. My thoughts were start with UWorld to understand what the board questions will be like (to keep that in mind while studying for classes- I guess have a "big picture" of what I should expect.) Do that for fall, then in spring start a different one to catch details then UWorld for a second time during the dedicated period. Too ambitious?

 

[MossPoh]

I got it early on in the school year and tended to do questions along with the class. I used it a lot during our immuno block and then dropped over for some of the general stuff before kicking back in with cardiovascular in November-ish. My major goal was to do 10 questions a day to start. By the beginning of spring semester my goal was to average 25 questions a day and then by the last 2 months I was average a little more than a block per day.

I actually got 3 months of Kaplan and did those to intentionally pull myself away from the uworld qbank for a bit.

If I had to do it over again. I might do the Kaplan qbank throughout the year along with webpath, robbins review and then get uworld near the end.

 

[RememberWhen]

So it looks like Kaplan's better for the year, UWorld closer to study time. Anyone else agree?

 

[tmac11]

I got it early on in the school year and tended to do questions along with the class. I used it a lot during our immuno block and then dropped over for some of the general stuff before kicking back in with cardiovascular in November-ish. My major goal was to do 10 questions a day to start. By the beginning of spring semester my goal was to average 25 questions a day and then by the last 2 months I was average a little more than a block per day.

I actually got 3 months of Kaplan and did those to intentionally pull myself away from the uworld qbank for a bit.

If I had to do it over again. I might do the Kaplan qbank throughout the year along with webpath, robbins review and then get uworld near the end.

MossPoh, why did you choose Kaplan over USMLERx? I'm not sure which qbank would be better to use throughout the year.

 

[DrDrToBe]

So it looks like Kaplan's better for the year, UWorld closer to study time. Anyone else agree?

For sure. We go by systems, so during the year I used Kaplan system wise which really helps to hammer in the concepts. I just got UW a week ago, and I am happy I saved it until the end because it is so integrated that it would be very frustrating to do system wise. For example, if you tried to do a cardio block in UW, you would also get lots of renal questions related to diuretics etc, pulmonary questions related to cor pulmonale, etc. With Kaplan you're able to isolate systems better and pinpoint weaknesses. UW is good for putting it all together.

 

[ProtossCarrier]

Rx does that too.

In my understanding, rx is more about the basics, where as Kaplan drill you on useless minuates.

 

[lildave2586]

So it looks like Kaplan's better for the year, UWorld closer to study time. Anyone else agree?

This is what I did, and it worked very well for me. I did not do UW until the last month before the test. I bought Kaplan at the end of December and worked on that until right before the last month. This was the best strategy for me and I'd do it the same way again if I had to.

 

[armybound]

So it looks like Kaplan's better for the year, UWorld closer to study time. Anyone else agree?

I agree.

Our school gives us 6 months of Kaplan starting in January, but I unfortunately ignored it. I kept thinking to myself that the questions were to be an assessment of my knowledge and not an educational tool. I really, really wish I had been using the questions to help guide my Step studying for the past few months.

I also got 1 month of UWorld starting earlier this month (exam is on June 6). It's a fantastic resource for the final push.

My advice to upcoming classes will be to do Kaplan as you have time during the school year, then a month of UWorld right before your exam. And by all means, treat the question banks like learning tools. It doesn't matter what your score is, just learn the material. Do untimed tutor mode. Don't stress out about that score.

 

[lrkoehle]

Rx does that too.

In my understanding, rx is more about the basics, where as Kaplan drill you on useless minuates.

This is what I've read from multiple posters on here. I guess the details of Kaplan might be good for what you'll need in your classes, but is over-kill for step-I. I haven't used either USMLERx or Kaplan, so I don't really know the difference. I felt like in the past the consensus was USMLERx over Kaplan though, so that's probably the route I'll go.

Edit: This is assuming you're saving UWorld for the last 6-8 weeks of dedicated study time, which I also remember seeing recommended.

 

[Alvarez13]

How can I use Kaplan and Rx in conjunction with me classes next year? Can I do micro problems during micro and set it to go on GI path during GI path? Just want tons of practice...

 

[armybound]

How can I use Kaplan and Rx in conjunction with me classes next year? Can I do micro problems during micro and set it to go on GI path during GI path? Just want tons of practice...

Yes, you can do that.

 

[fahimaz7]

I did RX throughout the year. Switched to Uworld for the 7 weeks before the test. Wouldn't do it any other way (unless you sub kaplan for RX, which is fine).