Barely passing nbmes, low 60s on uworld, 5 weeks till exam

[deleted888443]

Hey everyone.

So I started my dedicated period like 2 weeks ago and im averaging about low 60s on uworld (first pass, timed and random) with a quite a bit of variance in scores (some in 50s, some in 70s, some 60s etc). I've done about 800 questions so far. I'm a carib IMG and I was in top 1/2 of class, and I'm aiming for about a 230-240 (nothing crazy because I know my own limits). I took 1 nbme exam (form 22) yesterday and I got a 194 on it, and I scored around the same on cbse before I started dedicated.

I'm a little scared because after 2 weeks of studying I haven't really improved my nbme scores. I will say I had lots of distractions while I was doing the exam, and I sort of did it out of the blue so I didn't plan on taking it today and wasnt mentally ready. Im planning on taking Uworld form 1 this week in a distraction free environment so lets see how I do on that.

I do feel like I still have lots of knowledge gaps even in the sections of FA/Pathoma ive reviewed so far.

Do you guys think 230+ is a realistic goal if I have 5 weeks left and I'm getting these scores?

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[Deecee2DO]

Hey everyone.

So I started my dedicated period like 2 weeks ago and im averaging about low 60s on uworld (first pass, timed and random) with a quite a bit of variance in scores (some in 50s, some in 70s, some 60s etc). I've done about 800 questions so far. I'm a carib IMG and I was in top 1/2 of class, and I'm aiming for about a 230-240 (nothing crazy because I know my own limits). I took 1 nbme exam (form 22) yesterday and I got a 194 on it, and I scored around the same on cbse before I started dedicated.

I'm a little scared because after 2 weeks of studying I haven't really improved my nbme scores. I will say I had lots of distractions while I was doing the exam, and I sort of did it out of the blue so I didn't plan on taking it today and wasnt mentally ready. Im planning on taking Uworld form 1 this week in a distraction free environment so lets see how I do on that.

I do feel like I still have lots of knowledge gaps even in the sections of FA/Pathoma ive reviewed so far.

Do you guys think 230+ is a realistic goal if I have 5 weeks left and I'm getting these scores?

800 questions of UW or 800 questions in general? 800 questions in total for boards studying is not a lot at all. Top scorers do like 7000+ questions so Id say if youre shooting for 240 you should postpone and dont take till your NBMEs and UW are rep of ur goal score. Dont take Step 1 till youre ready. Ballparking I think 4000-5000 practice questions with UW and Kaplan Rx or Amboss and thorough review of them should get you a 230+ for sure

 

[deleted888443]

800 questions of UW or 800 questions in general? 800 questions in total for boards studying is not a lot at all. Top scorers do like 7000+ questions so Id say if youre shooting for 240 you should postpone and dont take till your NBMEs and UW are rep of ur goal score. Dont take Step 1 till youre ready. Ballparking I think 4000-5000 practice questions with UW and Kaplan Rx or Amboss and thorough review of them should get you a 230+ for sure

800 of just uworld, I did about 2/3 of usmle-rx before I started uworld so ive done like 2500 total. Thanks for advice, I am definitely considering pushing it back 2-3 weeks.

 

[Deecee2DO]

800 of just uworld, I did about 2/3 of usmle-rx before I started uworld so ive done like 2500 total. Thanks for advice, I am definitely considering pushing it back 2-3 weeks.

Yeah def push back. For the number of questions youve done youre doing pretty well. Just keep grinding and push that test back. More questions the better!

 

[TenaciousX]

push back. you probably just have knowledge gaps. your NBME scores will increase as you do more Uworld. go hard on the uworld. Also nbmes tend to have a test taking skill component that you'll get better at as you do more questions and get familiar with the style. my uworld avg was 65% at the end. did uworld 1.5x. scored 240 on real deal

 

[deleted888443]

push back. you probably just have knowledge gaps. your NBME scores will increase as you do more Uworld. go hard on the uworld. Also nbmes tend to have a test taking skill component that you'll get better at as you do more questions and get familiar with the style. my uworld avg was 65% at the end. did uworld 1.5x. scored 240 on real deal

Ok so I did uworld form 1 today and I got a 71%/241. I was definitely happy with this score but I heard it overpredicts by about 10-20 points. I definitely thought it was similar to the question bank and that made me feel more comfortable. What trips me up about the nbme exams is that the questions are shorter and sometimes I dont have enough information to get to a definitive answer, so I think you're right about the test taking skill component required. Ill try another nbme form in about a week or two and see how I do. But for now I have pushed my exam back by about 3 weeks.

 

[TenaciousX]

Yea, I'd agree that it over-predicts by 10-20 pts. I felt that the actual test had a similar style to UWSA1 and 2 and less so NBME. But due to the shorter stems of the NBME exams, it teaches you to work with less info, get tricked less often, and form common differentials faster. There is enough info in each question to get the right answer. You'll just have to get better by taking more NBMEs, noticing patterns, and going over incorrects. I recommend NBMEs 23, 24, and 18, and Free 120, and UWSA2 in that order. Skip 23 if you don't have enough time. Prioritize UW 2x if you haven't yet. Don't just read through FA. Use it as a reference tool. I bet you can hit 240+ if you're diligent. Keep pushing through mate!

 

[hungrydoc710]

Quick question - how does a low 60% UW correlate to a 194? I was under impression that 60% UW was relative to a 230 score.
Congrats on that UW1 assessment.

I plan on taking my first full exam right before dedicated in a month or so. What exam do you suggest I do?
Also what exams moving forward should I take every week or week and a half, etc.

 

[deleted888443]

Quick question - how does a low 60% UW correlate to a 194? I was under impression that 60% UW was relative to a 230 score.
Congrats on that UW1 assessment.

I plan on taking my first full exam right before dedicated in a month or so. What exam do you suggest I do?
Also what exams moving forward should I take every week or week and a half, etc.

According to different score conversions online, 60% first pass on uworld probably correlates to like a 225-230. I actually don't think I was focused during that nbme and I sorta just winged it that day, and had lots of distractions, etc. I'll need to take another nbme this weekend to really see where im at now lol.