BOTH Class of 2018 Board Study Group

[gobigorgohome22]

Hey fellow Class of 2018ers!

I hope everyone is enjoying the last free summer of your lives!

As the start of 2nd yr gets closer, I have started thinking a little about the infamous STEP 1 exams for USMLE and COMLEX (I'm an Osteopathic student). I thought it might be a good idea to have kind of a study group here to help keep me in check and keep each other in check as studying starts and decided to create this.

I would like to open this up to both USMLE and COMLEX discussion.

So, how's everyone spending their summer? Started thinking any about the hell that is going to be coming up over the next year?

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[gobigorgohome22]

Started doing uworld. Love the questions! Way better than COMBANK (COMLEX based question bank) question that I was doing previously.

 

[TheRobin]

By the way, I did none of the things I said I was going to do in my previous schedule lol.

I feel the same way! Im planning on testing in mid June already starting to get that test anxiety. I also really like firecracker and plan on using it through out my study. I was thinking like maybe 2hrs a day of firecracker. Im getting nervous about handling course load while trying to study. School doesnt really get easier for us till around may so it seems like its going to be hard to juggle both.

Same and same.

My revised plan is to hunker down on Firecracker and try to get as much banked as I can between now and mid-April. I'm also going to use DIT closer to dedicated to review my weaker subjects.

 

[ortnakas]

Started doing uworld. Love the questions! Way better than COMBANK (COMLEX based question bank) question that I was doing previously.

100% agreed. I'm just on tutor mode right now and doing about two parts UWORLD to one part COMBANK every day. The question quality and the explanation quality aren't even on the same playing field.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

100% agreed. I'm just on tutor mode right now and doing about two parts UWORLD to one part COMBANK every day. The question quality and the explanation quality aren't even on the same playing field.

What do you mean by "two parts Uworld to one part COMBANK"? Are you doing 2 sets (44 q/set of Uworld) and 1 set of COMBANK everyday?? Or that you split your questions to where you do a 2/3 of uworld and 1/3 of combank?

If its the former, how the heck do you have time right now to do that many questions?!

 

[ortnakas]

What do you mean by "two parts Uworld to one part COMBANK"? Are you doing 2 sets (44 q/set of Uworld) and 1 set of COMBANK everyday?? Or that you split your questions to where you do a 2/3 of uworld and 1/3 of combank?

If its the former, how the heck do you have time right now to do that many questions?!

Oh god, definitely not full sets right now! I'm doing random tutor mode, generally 10-20 questions on UWORLD and 5-10 questions on COMBANK. Then I review the information covered in First Aid/DIT videos/etc. Have not done a 44-question chunk yet.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Took my first practice test

NBME 5 (offline) - 187.

I didnt want to use a more recent test so I could keep that for later.

How are you guys coming along in your prep?

 

[BamaNicole]

Took my first practice test

NBME 5 (offline) - 187.

I didnt want to use a more recent test so I could keep that for later.

How are you guys coming along in your prep?

The first practice test is always interesting. I did mine right at the beginning of dedicated study time and got a 179 on NBME 16. I was glad to have one under my belt.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

The first practice test is always interesting. I did mine right at the beginning of dedicated study time and got a 179 on NBME 16. I was glad to have one under my belt.

Yeah it was kinda bitter sweet. I wish I had passed it but its not too bad considering I was closeeeee. This wasnt exactly a "diagnostic" test since Im close to being done with first pass of FA and have about 20% uworld under my belt. That's what worries me. I have ~3.5 months left so there is time to improve.

How long was your dedicated study period? Have you taken the real deal?

 

[BamaNicole]

Yeah it was kinda bitter sweet. I wish I had passed it but its not too bad considering I was closeeeee. This wasnt exactly a "diagnostic" test since Im close to being done with first pass of FA and have about 20% uworld under my belt. That's what worries me. I have ~3.5 months left so there is time to improve.

How long was your dedicated study period? Have you taken the real deal?

I wasn't expecting to pass because I had done only a bit of Uworld and hadn't started my studies yet. My study period was 4 weeks and I took the real deal on Monday.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Took my first practice test

NBME 5 (offline) - 187.

I didnt want to use a more recent test so I could keep that for later.

How are you guys coming along in your prep?

I will be taking my first NBME in 10 days. Planning on doing NBME 15. By that time, I will have done ~1500 USMLE Rx (my overall performance on the 1100 qs I've done so far is ~73%). I am hoping to get a passing score, but I'll be happy with a score like yours.

My plan is to start UWorld after taking the first NBME.

I'm scheduled to take Step1 at the beginning of second week of June.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

I will be taking my first NBME in 10 days. Planning on doing NBME 15. By that time, I will have done ~1500 USMLE Rx (my overall performance on the 1100 qs I've done so far is ~73%). I am hoping to get a passing score, but I'll be happy with a score like yours.

My plan is to start UWorld after taking the first NBME.

I'm scheduled to take Step1 at the beginning of second week of June.

Im on the same time frame as you for USMLE and COMLEX.

I was a little disappointed with my first NBME but not a lot. I would have liked to pass (~195) but I wasn't too far off.

I started doing uworld around january and have done ~500 questions (~20% of of the qbank) as well as ~600 COMBANK questions. I have a subscription to Rx but haven't had a chance to utilize it at all. I started uworld a little earlier because I'd like to be able to go through it twice. Its been tough trying to do board prep along with classes.. How long of a dedicated study period will you have? I will have around 4 weeks for USMLE + 1 for COMLEX.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Im on the same time frame as you for USMLE and COMLEX.

I was a little disappointed with my first NBME but not a lot. I would have liked to pass (~195) but I wasn't too far off.

I started doing uworld around january and have done ~500 questions (~20% of of the qbank) as well as ~600 COMBANK questions. I have a subscription to Rx but haven't had a chance to utilize it at all. I started uworld a little earlier because I'd like to be able to go through it twice. Its been tough trying to do board prep along with classes.. How long of a dedicated study period will you have? I will have around 4 weeks for USMLE + 1 for COMLEX.

We get about 6 weeks total. So, if everything goes well and I don't fail anything this semester, I'll have 5 weeks of preparation for USMLE and an additional 4 days for COMLEX. So, no much different from yours. I feel that I should've have started earlier on Rx so I could be doing UWorld already, but it is what it is, and I can do nothing at this point except trying to make the best of it.

Did you do any other boards prep prior to staring UWorld in January?

 

[gobigorgohome22]

We get about 6 weeks total. So, if everything goes well and I don't fail anything this semester, I'll have 5 weeks of preparation for USMLE and an additional 4 days for COMLEX. So, no much different from yours. I feel that I should've have started earlier on Rx so I could be doing UWorld already, but it is what it is, and I can do nothing at this point except trying to make the best of it.

Did you do any other boards prep prior to staring UWorld in January?

I had done majority of my COMBANK questions prior to Jan along with classes starting 2nd yr and during christmas/thanksgiving breaks. I had also been utalizing FA along with classes since 1st yr and during the summer before M2 so I was vaguely familiar with the book.

In January, I started doing uworld questions along with systematically going through FA while learning/memorizing as much as I could. I have maybe 20% FA to go through in my first pass.

 

[Ophthoseidon]

I take my CBSE from the school next week, so I'll keep you posted! I haven't done much UWorld yet and hate First Aid, btu I guess I'm gonna have to force myself on the horse! Hoping for 200ish. Test date May 17

 

[plasmodium]

I take my CBSE from the school next week, so I'll keep you posted! I haven't done much UWorld yet and hate First Aid, btu I guess I'm gonna have to force myself on the horse! Hoping for 200ish. Test date May 17

If you've worked hard for your first 2 years, you will very likely surprise yourself on the CBSE. When I took it I scored 98/260+ (I was aiming for 230+) and, at the time, I hadn't started UWorld.

Don't worry if you haven't used the review resources yet because they are for just that: review. If you've already learned the information, you'll do well on the CBSE.

 

[Blue Flame]

If you've worked hard for your first 2 years, you will very likely surprise yourself on the CBSE. When I took it I scored 98/260+ (I was aiming for 230+) and, at the time, I hadn't started UWorld.

Don't worry if you haven't used the review resources yet because they are for just that: review. If you've already learned the information, you'll do well on the CBSE.

How many weeks out did you take your CBSE?

 

[plasmodium]

How many weeks out did you take your CBSE?

My CBSE was at the end of November. I take the exam one week from tomorrow.

 

[Ophthoseidon]

My CBSE was at the end of November. I take the exam one week from tomorrow.

wtf, not human

 

[W19]

I forgot everything I learned in MS1... My plan is to do a first pass on Rx and then take a diagnostic exam... I think doing Rx first would put me on a good footing to attack UWorld...

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I forgot everything I learned in MS1... My plan is to do a first pass on Rx and then take a diagnostic exam... I think doing Rx first would put me on a good footing to attack UWorld...

That was my plan of attack too. I felt that I'd be doing myself a great disservice hitting UWorld cold turkey. I have been doing Rx for a month now, and boy, the learning curve has been super steep. In a week, I'm switching to UWorld and by that time I'll have ~60 of Rx done, so it's fair to say I'll have covered every major topic in FA.

 

[RENu'est]

Anyone here weak on Pharm? My Pharm scores in class are below average and the Pharm sections in FA seem so foreign to me even though we already went through those drugs in class. So I was wondering if you guys had any gems for the subject? I'm still a few months away from dedicated so I'm thinking of getting Raymon's Becker ecoach lectures and going through most of it during the holy week break... Or would just FA/Qbank-ing Pharm be better?... Anki?... Ugh I still have no clue how to study this subject properly . Thank you for any input.

 

[kenjixshadow]

Anyone here weak on Pharm? My Pharm scores in class are below average and the Pharm sections in FA seem so foreign to me even though we already went through those drugs in class. So I was wondering if you guys had any gems for the subject? I'm still a few months away from dedicated so I'm thinking of getting Raymon's Becker ecoach lectures and going through most of it during the holy week break... Or would just FA/Qbank-ing Pharm be better?... Anki?... Ugh I still have no clue how to study this subject properly . Thank you for any input.

You can try what I'm doing right now -- watch Sketchymedical the new pharm section, then read them up on FA, then do Bros' Pharm anki deck (updated version is somewhere on Reddit). The problem with Bros' Pharm deck is that it contains drugs that you don't need to know for Step 1. You can delete these cards if you don't recognize the drugs or able to find them anywhere in FA. Afterward, do Rx or Kaplan (whichever you have). For any question that you miss, read them up on FA again.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Entadus]

Most likely buying UWorld today -- 3 months till my exam!!!

 

[RENu'est]

You can try what I'm doing right now -- watch Sketchymedical the new pharm section, then read them up on FA, then do Bros' Pharm anki deck (updated version is somewhere on Reddit). The problem with Bros' Pharm deck is that it contains drugs that you don't need to know for Step 1. You can delete these cards if you don't recognize the drugs or able to find them anywhere in FA. Afterward, do Rx or Kaplan (whichever you have). For any question that you miss, read them up on FA again.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

Couldn't really get into SketchyMicro, but I'll go and check out the free vids for their Pharm to see how it goes. I will go with your FA+Qbank advice. I tried doing Bro's Pharm deck early Feb, but my foundation was so weak (is still weak lol) and I couldn't really understand or retain any info well... Or maybe I just gave up on it too easily because I hate Pharm lol. Will give it a shot again after reading whatever supplemental resource I choose. Thanks!

 

[ortnakas]

Anyone here weak on Pharm? My Pharm scores in class are below average and the Pharm sections in FA seem so foreign to me even though we already went through those drugs in class. So I was wondering if you guys had any gems for the subject? I'm still a few months away from dedicated so I'm thinking of getting Raymon's Becker ecoach lectures and going through most of it during the holy week break... Or would just FA/Qbank-ing Pharm be better?... Anki?... Ugh I still have no clue how to study this subject properly . Thank you for any input.

I'm <24 hours into having Sketchy Pharm and I was already a fan of SketchyMicro, but so far, I love it. I think this is the first time I've actually understood anti-arrhythmic drugs.

 

[jqueb29]

I'm <24 hours into having Sketchy Pharm and I was already a fan of SketchyMicro, but so far, I love it. I think this is the first time I've actually understood anti-arrhythmic drugs.

Probably gonna have to pick it up then. I finally tried Sketchy Micro this weekend and don't know how I survived without it.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I will be taking my first NBME in 10 days. Planning on doing NBME 15. By that time, I will have done ~1500 USMLE Rx (my overall performance on the 1100 qs I've done so far is ~73%). I am hoping to get a passing score, but I'll be happy with a score like yours.

My plan is to start UWorld after taking the first NBME.

I'm scheduled to take Step1 at the beginning of second week of June.

So, I ended up taking NBME 15 this afternoon. Scored 217 (CBSSA score is 450). Starting UWorld tomorrow.

 

[Entadus]

So, I ended up taking NBME 15 this afternoon. Scored 217 (CBSSA score is 450). Starting UWorld tomorrow.

UWorld is great -- have enjoyed it so far
At least you're already passing, eh? how much time for improvement? What are your goals for your next NBME?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

UWorld is great -- have enjoyed it so far
At least you're already passing, eh? how much time for improvement? What are your goals for your next NBME?

I have 6 more weeks till school is over and then 5 weeks of dedicated study. All in all, about three months.

I have no target score in mind tbh. I would love to end up with an above average score on the real thing though.

 

[Entadus]

I have 6 more weeks till school is over and then 5 weeks of dedicated study. All in all, about three months.

I have no target score in mind tbh. I would love to end up with an above average score on the real thing though.

Well if you can improve 12 pts in 11-12 weeks you would be sitting around average with a 230
If you can double that to 24 pts increase, you'd be sitting pretty with a 242, well above average.

Your progress may not be linear but at this point you probably should hammer out some targets/goals for upcoming NBME's as you approach the real deal.

 

[W19]

So, I ended up taking NBME 15 this afternoon. Scored 217 (CBSSA score is 450). Starting UWorld tomorrow.

You should definitely aim for 240+ with such diagnostic score without touching UWorld... GL

 

[gobigorgohome22]

So, I ended up taking NBME 15 this afternoon. Scored 217 (CBSSA score is 450). Starting UWorld tomorrow.

Congrats!

An upper classmen I know, who's schdule I'm using, took his first NBME about now and got the same score as you. He ended up >250+ on the real deal.

You have the potential for a very high score. Keep working hard!

 

[AlgernonMed]

Is anyone here using BRS Physiology? What do you all think about it? From what i've seen, the attitude towards it is pretty mixed, with some people using the book as a staple of review while others rely solely on UWorld and FA. I still have four weeks of classes until dedicated and have been able to do the first couple chapters at the pace of a chapter/day...I just noticed that my UWorld physiology scores and category are significantly lower than anything else.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

.

 

[W19]

Is anyone here using BRS Physiology? What do you all think about it? From what i've seen, the attitude towards it is pretty mixed, with some people using the book as a staple of review while others rely solely on UWorld and FA. I still have four weeks of classes until dedicated and have been able to do the first couple chapters at the pace of a chapter/day...I just noticed that my UWorld physiology scores and category are significantly lower than anything else.

The majority of med students I have talked to have said good things about BRS physio as a review book for step1. I have read the first two chapters so far in that book and I agree with their assessment.

Does anyone know a good review book for neuroanatomy?

 

[LiveA133]

Hello Fellow Step 1-Takers,

I was wondering if anyone who has taken the test this year or who is comfortable with their study schedules may share them.

I am coming into my dedicated study time before taking my test at the end of May and am still trying to find a schedule that works. Previously, I was doing Firecracker and USMLERx alongside class/work and did not finish either.

Best Wishes,
Live

 

[AlgernonMed]

The majority of med students I have talked to have said good things about BRS physio as a review book for step1. I have read the first two chapters so far in that book and I agree with their assessment.

Does anyone know a good review book for neuroanatomy?

I'm planning on using Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple. I used it alongside our neuro classes and I felt like it made a difficult subject easy to understand and remember. Plus it can be read in just a couple hours!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Took my first official NBME today

• NBME 15: 225 (~7 weeks out)
• UWA 1: 195 (~9 weeks out)
• COMSE: 395
• NBME 5 (offline): 187 (4 months out)

Looks like Im making progress. 1 more week till dedicated time!

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Took my first official NBME today

• NBME 15: 225 (~7 weeks out)
• UWA 1: 195 (~9 weeks out)
• COMSE: 395
• NBME 5 (offline): 187 (4 months out)

Looks like Im making progress. 1 more week till dedicated time!

Congrats! that's a big jump from 187.

How far are you into UWorld and what's your %? Which NBME will you be taking next and when will you be taking it?

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Congrats! that's a big jump from 187.

How far are you into UWorld and what's your %? Which NBME will you be taking next and when will you be taking it?

Thanks bro!

I think I have ~45% of uworld remaining with an average exactly at 60% I think. My average has been dropping lately .

Plan is to take practice test every 2 weeks from now on but it may vary on how much im getting done. Right now I have UWA 2 planned as my next test but im not sure anymore. The 1st one was significantly different than NBME 15 I thought and my score kinda reflected that. I went up 30pts in 2 weeks! That doesn't jive with me. I might just stick to NBME even though it would be a waste of $30 since I already bought UWA 2. What do you think?

How is your prep going?

 

[TheShaker]

Oh wow, I didn't know we had a thread like this. 7 weeks out, still haven't taken any NBME's and still trying to get through FA. Step studying sucks, that is all.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Thanks bro!

I think I have ~45% of uworld remaining with an average exactly at 60% I think. My average has been dropping lately .

Plan is to take practice test every 2 weeks from now on but it may vary on how much im getting done. Right now I have UWA 2 planned as my next test but im not sure anymore. The 1st one was significantly different than NBME 15 I thought and my score kinda reflected that. I went up 30pts in 2 weeks! That doesn't jive with me. I might just stick to NBME even though it would be a waste of $30 since I already bought UWA 2. What do you think?

How is your prep going?

Yeah, UWorld, despite being a great learning tool, its qs are not reflective of NBME qs. I feel that NBME doesn't try too hard to trick you. However, you need to get a significantly higher % correct on NBME to get a good score compared to UWorld. Therefore, I feel that doing as many NBME qs as possible is the best way to prepare for the real test. With that said, I still think you should do UWSA-2. It's a great learning experience, especially that they provide you with the explanations and all.

I, too, have done just a little over 50% of UWorld Qbank. I'm planning on taking UWSA-1 on Saturday. After that, I'll probably do an NBME test every week or so.

Keep up the hard work. You haven't started the dedicated study time and you are already scoring around the national average. There's still a lot of room for improvement and you can definitely get 250+.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Yeah, UWorld, despite being a great learning tool, its qs are not reflective of NBME qs. I feel that NBME doesn't try too hard to trick you. However, you need to get a significantly higher % correct on NBME to get a good score compared to UWorld. Therefore, I feel that doing as many NBME qs as possible is the best way to prepare for the real test. With that said, I still think you should do UWSA-2. It's a great learning experience, especially that they provide you with the explanations and all.

I, too, have done just a little over 50% of UWorld Qbank. I'm planning on taking UWSA-1 on Saturday. After that, I'll probably do an NBME test every week or so.

Keep up the hard work. You haven't started the dedicated study time and you are already scoring around the national average. There's still a lot of room for improvement and you can definitely get 250+.

How are you doing on uworld? Im worried about my uworld avg being so low!

I think I might start doing full exams (2 practice tests on one day) to build up stamina for the beast. I'll probably end up using uworld 2 as one of the afternoon blocks.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Oh wow, I didn't know we had a thread like this. 7 weeks out, still haven't taken any NBME's and still trying to get through FA. Step studying sucks, that is all.

Lol yes, step studying is a horrible process. Sometimes I think there is something wrong with us to actually WANT to go through this insane process of being a doctor.

How are you studying? Are you just reading FA? Started uworld or another qbank yet? If not, you should definitely do questions along side reading. Just reading is a passive way of studying.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

How are you doing on uworld? Im worried about my uworld avg being so low!

I think I might start doing full exams (2 practice tests on one day) to build up stamina for the beast. I'll probably end up using uworld 2 as one of the afternoon blocks.

I'm at 71% now. My score fluctuates a lot. One day I'd get 80% and then the next day I'd get 64%, so I don't know what to make of that.

Not sure if taking two tests on the same day would be a good idea. You don't want to use up all of the NBME tests in 3 days then have none left. I could be wrong though.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

I'm at 71% now. My score fluctuates a lot. One day I'd get 80% and then the next day I'd get 64%, so I don't know what to make of that.

Not sure if taking two tests on the same day would be a good idea. You don't want to use up all of the NBME tests in 3 days then have none left. I could be wrong though.

Oh i was going to do offline (the retired ones) tests for afternoon.

 

[TheShaker]

Lol yes, step studying is a horrible process. Sometimes I think there is something wrong with us to actually WANT to go through this insane process of being a doctor.

How are you studying? Are you just reading FA? Started uworld or another qbank yet? If not, you should definitely do questions along side reading. Just reading is a passive way of studying.

Yeah, I'm just reading through FA. I'm realizing that it probably would have been a better idea to do UW along with it but I only have two sections left so I might as well power through. I'm planning to just be doing UW once I'm done with my first pass of FA but I have been doing a block or two of USMLErx when I finish a section.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Oh i was going to do offline (the retired ones) tests for afternoon.

In that case, yeah. This should be very beneficial.

 

[apr27]

8 weeks out. Any of you guys ever just take a day off? I feel so guilty.

 

[okokok]

Thanks bro!

I think I have ~45% of uworld remaining with an average exactly at 60% I think. My average has been dropping lately .

Plan is to take practice test every 2 weeks from now on but it may vary on how much im getting done. Right now I have UWA 2 planned as my next test but im not sure anymore. The 1st one was significantly different than NBME 15 I thought and my score kinda reflected that. I went up 30pts in 2 weeks! That doesn't jive with me. I might just stick to NBME even though it would be a waste of $30 since I already bought UWA 2. What do you think?

How is your prep going?

I was planning on doing NBME 15 as a baseline this weekend, but then I decided not to because I've only done 35% of UW and I thought it'd be better to wait a couple weeks til I have more done (I'm still in classes so it won't be substantially more though). I have the exam in 7.5 weeks from now (classes end in 2 weeks). But I see you took 15 with quite a few left of uw to do--so do you think there's no point in waiting? I was worried about doing 15 before I have a good grasp on the material and "wasting" it since there's so few practice tests. I'd love your opinion (and anyone else's).