CBSE - Feb. 2023

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I got 77% on the cbse this time. (First time) should I retake the exam? Or not?
I wouldn’t. That’s a great score. Puts you right at the average for med students (232). If you think you can score 10+ points higher you could retake, otherwise I personally wouldn’t.

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the score report we were given stated the minimum EPC for passing was a 61%... low pass range was highlighted on the graph as 61 to 69%
Yeah not quite sure how the range works. Maybe because they also give the score in a range they give the LP as a range due to the variability in each exam. I was just told 204 is the new passing score for P/F step 1.
 
Once again, congrats to everyone for even completing the exam. It's mentally and physically exhausting, so cheers to you. I figured I might share a few more words to shed light on a couple details that were mentioned. A little background:

Score: 83% (87/240) - 1st Attempt
Length studied: 6 Months
Resources: UFAP, Sketchy, Boards
Background: Ranked, Non-Med Curriculum, 2nd Year

I never thought I would say this, but I don't think I would have done much better with a medical school curriculum. This exam takes effort and guts. Those classes might help, but it's your effort that will afford you a good score. That's all I'll say on that.
There are many ways to skin this cat, so find what works for you. UFAP and Anki are tried and true, but that might not be your thing. I hate flashcards, so I never touched a single one. Efficiency is key, so find ways to build your CBSE learning around dental school classes. Once you have a foundation, start ripping through UWorld. My first block was 25%. Who cares. Trust the process. Do at least 1 full and an incorrect pass. Complete as many practice exams as you can. No matter how good or bad you do on the practice exams, it's going to feel like a grenade went off in your ear after the real thing. In the end, do the best you can, and don't get hung up on comparing your score to somebody else's.
Quick write-up as these were invaluable for me when I was preparing to study:

Score: 84% (~243)
Length studied: 9 months
Resources: Anki, UWorld (2.5x), practice NBMEs
Background: Ranked school, no med school curriculum

Strategy: I essentially only used Anki to learn/review material, did not open First Aid once or watch any Pathoma / Boards and Beyond videos. I very rarely supplemented with 3rd party videos for concepts I did not understand through Anki (I'm talking less than an hour of total watching). To study this way comes at a price though, in the end I had just under 32k flashcards in my master deck, I had done over 330k total reviews, and matured 31k of my total flashcards. My average over the 9 months was about 1400 per day. I think there was a 2-3 week stretch where I averaged 3.5k per day, yeah....

My advice would be to compile the major resources, try them out for a month and then create a comprehensive game plan with the resources you like best for the remaining time you have. I learned very quickly that Anki was the way to go for me, but it will not be the best for everyone.

I took 5.5 months purely learning through Anki, then I used UWorld for the final 3.5 months and also did every NBME I could get my hands on (even the old ones and the Free120's). I ended up doing 2 passes of UWorld and my incorrects for the second pass. I also ended up doing around 15 total practice tests (under simulated conditions).

Practice Test Scores:

NBME 30:
76% / 225 (6 weeks out)
NBME 25: 74% / 220 (5.5 weeks out)
NBME 28: 73% / 219 (5 weeks out)
UWSA 1: 73% / 243 (4 weeks out)
NBME 27: 83% / 240 (3 weeks out)
New Free120: 85% (2 weeks out)
Old Free120: 87% (2 weeks out)
NBME 26: 80% / 234 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 82% / 251 (4 days out)
NBME 29: 86% / 247 (2 days out)

CBSE: 84% / 243

Final thoughts:

Something not talked about enough in all the breakdowns I have sifted through was the importance of life balance. I originally thought I would spend every waking moment grinding for this test, but looking back, the times I did this and neglected all the other aspects of my life (friends, girlfriend, gym, etc.) were ironically the weeks I performed the worst on my studying sessions, practice tests, and just felt crappy overall.

One thing I made sure to do was to have at least one weekend every month that had something I looked forward to (a trip, a big drinking weekend, guys night out, date night, etc.). It made it feel like I was working towards something every month, and gave me motivation on those early mornings and late nights.

Good luck to everyone taking it in the future and congratulations to everyone who never has to think about Leptomeningeal angiomas ever again.

Congrats to both of y'all - how did you guys feel walking out of the test? Did it feel like you knew most of the information or were you pleasantly surprised?
 
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Congrats to both of y'all - how did you guys feel walking out of the test? Did it feel like you knew most of the information or were you pleasantly surprised?
I got similar scores. I felt like I was going to end up in the high 70s because I had flagged so much and didn’t had time to go back and review any answers.
 
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Congrats to both of y'all - how did you guys feel walking out of the test? Did it feel like you knew most of the information or were you pleasantly surprised?

Definitely felt like a tough test, I averaged slightly higher on my last two practice tests so I knew I didn’t do as well as those, but I was pretty confident I broken 80%.

Overall I felt good walking out but I slowly started to spiral and get paranoid thinking about all the questions I missed lol.
 
Congrats to both of y'all - how did you guys feel walking out of the test? Did it feel like you knew most of the information or were you pleasantly surprised?
I could reason why I answered what I did, but couldn't predict where I landed. I thought it was quite difficult. My practice scores were all over the place since I took UWSA1 back in November and my last NBME the week before. I personally think practice test predictive value is limited. You're unlikely to score lower than your lowest practice score, but I wouldn't have set expectations based on a practice performance.
 
I could reason why I answered what I did, but couldn't predict where I landed. I thought it was quite difficult. My practice scores were all over the place since I took UWSA1 back in November and my last NBME the week before. I personally think practice test predictive value is limited. You're unlikely to score lower than your lowest practice score, but I wouldn't have set expectations based on a practice performance.
I agree with the limitations in practice tests. I did 20-30 points better on the CBSE than UWSA1/2 and NBME 30. Personally I take the score predictions with many grains of salt. Just use them to learn more information and practice your time management.
 
I was actually obsessed with predicting my score and predictmystepscore.com had me at 246 +/- 6

Was apparently very accurate for Med students before step went P/F. It’s meant for step 1 so probably not as predictive for us, but for me it was pretty spot on.
 
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First time taking it and scored 78%. I wanted a ~230 so I was happy with it and am not planning on taking it again. Studied for around 6 months UFAP and B&B. I think the NBMEs resembled the test the most, but under predicted my score. UWSA2 score was accurate, but the questions were different.
 
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Would it be safe to say if you scored a 75%+ a retake isnt necessary considering the rest of your app is well rounded?
 
Would it be safe to say if you scored a 75%+ a retake isnt necessary considering the rest of your app is well rounded?
Isn't 75 EPC equivalent to ~230 (or ~80) on the old scale? That's a great score. I'll even bet it's above the average of matched applicants. Lmao but botch your interview and I'm sure even an 80+ EPC won't save you.
 
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Would it be safe to say if you scored a 75%+ a retake isnt necessary considering the rest of your app is well rounded?
i wouldn’t retake if the rest truly is well rounded and you’re a normal person people don’t mind being around. humility, hard work, and personality go much further than a score imho
 
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Would it be safe to say if you scored a 75%+ a retake isnt necessary considering the rest of your app is well rounded?
Most people match with lower scores than that, so focus on becoming competitive in other ways
 
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When you say this do you mean things like rank, externships/internships? or something else?
Yeah. Class rank, externships, networking so you can get good letters, research if you’re into it. Stuff like that
 
I don’t think the recipe for matching is very complicated. It’s a series of checked boxes, ya?

CBSE
GPA/Rank
Externships and good LORs
ECs (clubs, Research, etc)
Don’t be a d**k

Seems like the issue is just more applicants than spots available. Med students have similar issues in that there are more MDs than there are spots. I could be wrong in all this ^ just what I’ve seen and am told. Just like studying for CBSE - no need to reinvent the wheel
 
i got a 53 EPC...i know its not great compared to all the other high scores here but I've completed an internship prior and couldn't apply at the time due to not having the exam written. Is this score worth applying with? or I have no chance at interviews? My goal is a 4 year program so not sure if they still emphasize the cbse heavily? any input/thoughts would be really appreciative
 
i got a 53 EPC...i know its not great compared to all the other high scores here but I've completed an internship prior and couldn't apply at the time due to not having the exam written. Is this score worth applying with? or I have no chance at interviews? My goal is a 4 year program so not sure if they still emphasize the cbse heavily? any input/thoughts would be really appreciative
I don’t know how they relates to the old scores, but when I was applying a couple years ago, the only people who matched with 50s tended to be those with multiple non-cat years.
 
i got a 53 EPC...i know its not great compared to all the other high scores here but I've completed an internship prior and couldn't apply at the time due to not having the exam written. Is this score worth applying with? or I have no chance at interviews? My goal is a 4 year program so not sure if they still emphasize the cbse heavily? any input/thoughts would be really appreciative
I know someone that matched to a 4-year program right out of dental school with a score slightly higher than yours (mid 60s on the old scale). Did it without a non-cat. So, I guess it's possible, especially with an internship under your belt.
 
53% correct would be a low 60s composite score
Yeah it corresponds to a 63 based off the leaked chart. But I’m just not sure if I can apply with this. And is it worth applying to see if I get interviews or is that a bad thing? not sure if programs look down upon writing this test multiple times etc
 
I know someone that matched to a 4-year program right out of dental school with a score slightly higher than yours (mid 60s on the old scale). Did it without a non-cat. So, I guess it's possible, especially with an internship under your belt.
Thank you I appreciate your response!
 
Yeah it corresponds to a 63 based off the leaked chart. But I’m just not sure if I can apply with this. And is it worth applying to see if I get interviews or is that a bad thing? not sure if programs look down upon writing this test multiple times etc
You only submit your highest score. Programs will not see that you’ve taken the CBSE multiple times.
 
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Yeah it corresponds to a 63 based off the leaked chart. But I’m just not sure if I can apply with this. And is it worth applying to see if I get interviews or is that a bad thing? not sure if programs look down upon writing this test multiple times etc
Applying costs thousands of dollars. It's something to consider.
 
Is it necessary to take cbse exam on the exact same date as mentioned on website? like it was on 4 feb so does everyone had to take it on feb 4?
 
63 EPC (equivalent to a 70 according to the chart), definitely not super happy based on how hard I studied, but it's at least a low passing score according to the curve. I'm in my third year and this is my third score (and highest). I am unsure whether a retake is worth it or if I should push toward solidifying the rest of my application (finishing my research manuscript, making sure my grades stay high and focusing on my externships). I go to an unranked school so I'm not sure if this also makes my score a higher priority since class rank isn't going to be reported. Mainly interested in 4-year programs. Any thoughts?
 
63 EPC (equivalent to a 70 according to the chart), definitely not super happy based on how hard I studied, but it's at least a low passing score according to the curve. I'm in my third year and this is my third score (and highest). I am unsure whether a retake is worth it or if I should push toward solidifying the rest of my application (finishing my research manuscript, making sure my grades stay high and focusing on my externships). I go to an unranked school so I'm not sure if this also makes my score a higher priority since class rank isn't going to be reported. Mainly interested in 4-year programs. Any thoughts?
I would keep studying and take it one more time if you have time
 
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63 EPC (equivalent to a 70 according to the chart), definitely not super happy based on how hard I studied, but it's at least a low passing score according to the curve. I'm in my third year and this is my third score (and highest). I am unsure whether a retake is worth it or if I should push toward solidifying the rest of my application (finishing my research manuscript, making sure my grades stay high and focusing on my externships). I go to an unranked school so I'm not sure if this also makes my score a higher priority since class rank isn't going to be reported. Mainly interested in 4-year programs. Any thoughts?
I personally would retake. Especially since time is on your side as a third year. I took this exam for the first time 1.5 years after graduating and let me tell you the longer the material is out of your head the harder it is to relearn.
 
Quick write-up as these were invaluable for me when I was preparing to study:

Score: 84% (~243)
Length studied: 9 months
Resources: Anki, UWorld (2.5x), practice NBMEs
Background: Ranked school, no med school curriculum

Strategy: I essentially only used Anki to learn/review material, did not open First Aid once or watch any Pathoma / Boards and Beyond videos. I very rarely supplemented with 3rd party videos for concepts I did not understand through Anki (I'm talking less than an hour of total watching). To study this way comes at a price though, in the end I had just under 32k flashcards in my master deck, I had done over 330k total reviews, and matured 31k of my total flashcards. My average over the 9 months was about 1400 per day. I think there was a 2-3 week stretch where I averaged 3.5k per day, yeah....

My advice would be to compile the major resources, try them out for a month and then create a comprehensive game plan with the resources you like best for the remaining time you have. I learned very quickly that Anki was the way to go for me, but it will not be the best for everyone.

I took 5.5 months purely learning through Anki, then I used UWorld for the final 3.5 months and also did every NBME I could get my hands on (even the old ones and the Free120's). I ended up doing 2 passes of UWorld and my incorrects for the second pass. I also ended up doing around 15 total practice tests (under simulated conditions).

Practice Test Scores:

NBME 30:
76% / 225 (6 weeks out)
NBME 25: 74% / 220 (5.5 weeks out)
NBME 28: 73% / 219 (5 weeks out)
UWSA 1: 73% / 243 (4 weeks out)
NBME 27: 83% / 240 (3 weeks out)
New Free120: 85% (2 weeks out)
Old Free120: 87% (2 weeks out)
NBME 26: 80% / 234 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 82% / 251 (4 days out)
NBME 29: 86% / 247 (2 days out)

CBSE: 84% / 243

Final thoughts:

Something not talked about enough in all the breakdowns I have sifted through was the importance of life balance. I originally thought I would spend every waking moment grinding for this test, but looking back, the times I did this and neglected all the other aspects of my life (friends, girlfriend, gym, etc.) were ironically the weeks I performed the worst on my studying sessions, practice tests, and just felt crappy overall.

One thing I made sure to do was to have at least one weekend every month that had something I looked forward to (a trip, a big drinking weekend, guys night out, date night, etc.). It made it feel like I was working towards something every month, and gave me motivation on those early mornings and late nights.

Good luck to everyone taking it in the future and congratulations to everyone who never has to think about Leptomeningeal angiomas ever again.
Can I ask what your UWorld percent correct (not UWSA) was at the beginning vs end? I had/have a similar study method to you (mostly Anki) and I'm averaging like 55% on first 10 blocks
 
2-3 M-F, 8+ weekends x 6 months. Usually 1 block each morning and review as much as I can before class. I started seeing the most promising results about 4 months into things. It's really just a function of time, effort, and trusting the process.

So without Flashcards, were you using UWorld fully as a learning mechanism and going in cold? How did you go ahead to set a knowledge base prior to this or did you just learn as you went along the questions?
Thanks!
 
So without Flashcards, were you using UWorld fully as a learning mechanism and going in cold? How did you go ahead to set a knowledge base prior to this or did you just learn as you went along the questions?
Thanks!
I learned the material from FA, pathoma, sketchy, boards, etc. In my mind, by doing a block each day x 6 months, I didn’t think I needed a recall mechanism like flashcards. I personally hate them. Some people love them. I never saw the sense of rolling through some massive flashcard deck to memorize small details I might not ever get asked. I wanted to learn concepts, rather than factoids. Whatever you choose, that’s one thing I’d stress. There’s no right or wrong answer here, so choose your poison.

As for UWorld percentages, they really don’t matter. Some might disagree. UWorld is simply a learning tool. Whether you get a 25% or 75%, always read the explanations and learn from them. If you’re scoring higher, it’s probably because you simply have prior experience with the material. When I started out, I was scoring in the 40% range because I wasn’t taught any of the material my first year. Don’t read into things, and do your best. In the end, it’s all about how you perform on test day anyway.
 
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Can I ask what your UWorld percent correct (not UWSA) was at the beginning vs end? I had/have a similar study method to you (mostly Anki) and I'm averaging like 55% on first 10 blocks

First pass average was 69%, second pass average was 84%. I was prob around mid 50s the first 10 blocks like you, but over time my average rose and by the end of the first pass I was getting mostly mid 70s to low 80s.
 
Quick write-up as these were invaluable for me when I was preparing to study:

Score: 84% (~243)
Length studied: 9 months
Resources: Anki, UWorld (2.5x), practice NBMEs
Background: Ranked school, no med school curriculum

Strategy: I essentially only used Anki to learn/review material, did not open First Aid once or watch any Pathoma / Boards and Beyond videos. I very rarely supplemented with 3rd party videos for concepts I did not understand through Anki (I'm talking less than an hour of total watching). To study this way comes at a price though, in the end I had just under 32k flashcards in my master deck, I had done over 330k total reviews, and matured 31k of my total flashcards. My average over the 9 months was about 1400 per day. I think there was a 2-3 week stretch where I averaged 3.5k per day, yeah....

My advice would be to compile the major resources, try them out for a month and then create a comprehensive game plan with the resources you like best for the remaining time you have. I learned very quickly that Anki was the way to go for me, but it will not be the best for everyone.

I took 5.5 months purely learning through Anki, then I used UWorld for the final 3.5 months and also did every NBME I could get my hands on (even the old ones and the Free120's). I ended up doing 2 passes of UWorld and my incorrects for the second pass. I also ended up doing around 15 total practice tests (under simulated conditions).

Practice Test Scores:

NBME 30:
76% / 225 (6 weeks out)
NBME 25: 74% / 220 (5.5 weeks out)
NBME 28: 73% / 219 (5 weeks out)
UWSA 1: 73% / 243 (4 weeks out)
NBME 27: 83% / 240 (3 weeks out)
New Free120: 85% (2 weeks out)
Old Free120: 87% (2 weeks out)
NBME 26: 80% / 234 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 82% / 251 (4 days out)
NBME 29: 86% / 247 (2 days out)

CBSE: 84% / 243

Final thoughts:

Something not talked about enough in all the breakdowns I have sifted through was the importance of life balance. I originally thought I would spend every waking moment grinding for this test, but looking back, the times I did this and neglected all the other aspects of my life (friends, girlfriend, gym, etc.) were ironically the weeks I performed the worst on my studying sessions, practice tests, and just felt crappy overall.

One thing I made sure to do was to have at least one weekend every month that had something I looked forward to (a trip, a big drinking weekend, guys night out, date night, etc.). It made it feel like I was working towards something every month, and gave me motivation on those early mornings and late nights.

Good luck to everyone taking it in the future and congratulations to everyone who never has to think about Leptomeningeal angiomas ever again.
What'd you do in those last 6 weeks of studying where you were taking NBMEs? Were you reviewing your NBME Qs and reading the associated FA pages or just reading the given explanations and moving on or were you doing UW?
 
What'd you do in those last 6 weeks of studying where you were taking NBMEs? Were you reviewing your NBME Qs and reading the associated FA pages or just reading the given explanations and moving on or were you doing UW?

Yeah I definitely went through each NBME thoroughly, for the rest of my free time I kept up with my anki reviews and cranked out UWorld.

My finals week finished 1 week before the CBSE so I took the last few weeks of CBSE studying relatively lightly.
 
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Quick write-up as these were invaluable for me when I was preparing to study:

Score: 84% (~243)
Length studied: 9 months
Resources: Anki, UWorld (2.5x), practice NBMEs
Background: Ranked school, no med school curriculum

Strategy: I essentially only used Anki to learn/review material, did not open First Aid once or watch any Pathoma / Boards and Beyond videos. I very rarely supplemented with 3rd party videos for concepts I did not understand through Anki (I'm talking less than an hour of total watching). To study this way comes at a price though, in the end I had just under 32k flashcards in my master deck, I had done over 330k total reviews, and matured 31k of my total flashcards. My average over the 9 months was about 1400 per day. I think there was a 2-3 week stretch where I averaged 3.5k per day, yeah....

My advice would be to compile the major resources, try them out for a month and then create a comprehensive game plan with the resources you like best for the remaining time you have. I learned very quickly that Anki was the way to go for me, but it will not be the best for everyone.

I took 5.5 months purely learning through Anki, then I used UWorld for the final 3.5 months and also did every NBME I could get my hands on (even the old ones and the Free120's). I ended up doing 2 passes of UWorld and my incorrects for the second pass. I also ended up doing around 15 total practice tests (under simulated conditions).

Practice Test Scores:

NBME 30:
76% / 225 (6 weeks out)
NBME 25: 74% / 220 (5.5 weeks out)
NBME 28: 73% / 219 (5 weeks out)
UWSA 1: 73% / 243 (4 weeks out)
NBME 27: 83% / 240 (3 weeks out)
New Free120: 85% (2 weeks out)
Old Free120: 87% (2 weeks out)
NBME 26: 80% / 234 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 82% / 251 (4 days out)
NBME 29: 86% / 247 (2 days out)

CBSE: 84% / 243

Final thoughts:

Something not talked about enough in all the breakdowns I have sifted through was the importance of life balance. I originally thought I would spend every waking moment grinding for this test, but looking back, the times I did this and neglected all the other aspects of my life (friends, girlfriend, gym, etc.) were ironically the weeks I performed the worst on my studying sessions, practice tests, and just felt crappy overall.

One thing I made sure to do was to have at least one weekend every month that had something I looked forward to (a trip, a big drinking weekend, guys night out, date night, etc.). It made it feel like I was working towards something every month, and gave me motivation on those early mornings and late nights.

Good luck to everyone taking it in the future and congratulations to everyone who never has to think about Leptomeningeal angiomas ever again.
Congrats on the great score. What anki deck did you use?

I'm about to start studying. I love anki for reviewing and it works well for me, but never tried to learn new material using it. Def want to try it after reading this. Was originally going to watch BaB and supplement with the lightyear anki deck.
 
Congrats on the great score. What anki deck did you use?

I'm about to start studying. I love anki for reviewing and it works well for me, but never tried to learn new material using it. Def want to try it after reading this. Was originally going to watch BaB and supplement with the lightyear anki deck.

I started with the lightyear deck but ended up adding around 10k additional cards based on my weaknesses
 
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lol idk if anyone has an answer to this but for those who took it multiple times, did you notice any differences in curve or difficulty level between feb and July tests?
 
I'm 10% through UWorld with ~58% average and just got 52% on first NBME practice with 22 days left to go...... someone tell me there's still hope for me :confused:
 
I'm 10% through UWorld with ~58% average and just got 52% on first NBME practice with 22 days left to go...... someone tell me there's still hope for me :confused:
The 10% part is probably why your nbme isn’t where you want it to be. Put your head down and keep grinding through UWorld like nothing happened. Don’t read too much into your practice scores. All that matters in the end is your real score anyway
 
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How much did it overpredict by? Curious since everyone says its v accurate (and past write-ups seem to indicate so)

I got a 243 on UWSA1 (1 month out) and a 251 on UWSA2 (4 days out), ended up with an 84 EPC which is a 243 by the conversion chart.

I think if you take UWSA1 4+ weeks out it should be pretty accurate imo. Historically UWSA2 is more accurate though
 
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How much did it overpredict by? Curious since everyone says its v accurate (and past write-ups seem to indicate so)
Scored 232 on UWSA1 two nights before the exam. 71 EPC (215) on the real thing.

Thing is I also scored ~190 on UWSA2 like a month out lol. My scores didn't make much sense to me.
 
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