USMLE failed step 1...

[theNinjaDr]

The title says it all.

I am an IMG. When I started my Step 1 prep, I bought FA, BRS physio, subscribed to UW. I took a baseline NBME and got the most dismal score (equivalent to less than 100 in Step 1). I was definitely shocked. I guess I didn't learn anything in med school. So I read FA, read BRS physio, watched Pathoma videos, did 1 pass of UW (untimed in tutor mode per system and annotated my FA). I took an NBME and my score improved (I think it was now a 140) but still failing. So I reread FA with all my notes. Took a couple more NBME's and each one was better than the last but still not passing. I did a UW reset and went over it again (this time in timed mixed to try to resemble the real thing). My score average was about a 75% but my individual scores were inconsistent. I had scores that was as low as 30% but got 80's as well. Took both UWSA and scored 200+ for both. A week before my actual exam, I took another NBME and scored a 192. The day before my actual exam, I was having anxiety and I wanted to reschedule it but I couldn't because I had to change my exam period too. I had no choice but to take the exam the following day and ended up failing. It was poor planning on my part thinking I could still boost up my score in that last week. I should've rescheduled.

In any case, I'm here and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong to perform so poorly. Can anyone recommend how I can go about studying now? I bought the 2017 version of FA (I used a 2016 during my first time). I am currently reading and annotating again. I also bought Goljan to supplement my Patho, although I haven't started that one yet. I just skimmed through it. I'm planning to watch sketchy videos as well. Any other suggestions? I really really need to do well the second (and the last) time. I know I have to do some observerships too but it's really hard to try to get into that knowing I have to retake the exam. My original plan was to do observerships after I pass. But, here I am. Please. Any help would be appreciated.

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[CrystallineX]

Hey @theNinjaDr! As hard as it must be for you right now, realize that everyone has the ability to improve and so can you! Since you were hovering over the 190s and 200s, there are some issues with your foundational knowledge. When you were taking the tests, what areas popped up as your weaknesses? Try to understand why you're getting those questions wrong. A 75% on UWorld is pretty good, so there seems like quite a bit of discrepancy... I'd say tackle one subject at a time. For instance, you realize you suck at Renal--> just do focused study and only do questions for that subject. Then as you start getting comfortable with topics, then do a mix batch. DEF do Sketchy, will help you a lot with the pharm!

 

[theNinjaDr]

Hi @CrystallineX! Thank you for replying. Yes I forgot to add to my post that will be studying Sketchyvidoes too. I just downloaded the vidoes - both micro and pharm. i will go over again my NBME score reports and figure out my areas of weakness. Same thing for my Step 1 report. During my first pass at UW, I only focused on per system. Same thing with FA. But I guess I wasn't grasping the topics well enough. That's why I was trying to figure out other resources especially videos. On top of Sketchy, I am also looking at Boards and Beyond.

 

[trs88]

I recommend boards and beyond. It's helped introduce me into the topics quite well. But, by itself - it's not enough. Other than that, sorry I don't have any advice other than I wish you all the best

 

[theNinjaDr]

Thank you @trs88. I am definitely looking at Boards and Beyond on top of Sketchy. Another resource recommended to me was usmlesimple. Just seems like there's a lot more resources piling up now. Lol. I was able to get a hold of someone's 8-wk schedule and in it, his resources were: Pathoma, BRS physio, usmlesimple for microbio, biochem and biostats, high yield neuroanatomy, UW, NBME and FA. I do want to give Boards and Beyond a try but I don't know which of these one I would have to exchange it for. The same for Sketchy.

 

[Gorne]

An IMG like a real IMG or a Caribbean American student IMG?

 

[wdoc]

Like others have said, it sounds like you need to work on your foundation first. I personally used Doctors in Training to review all of the high yield topics and to make sure I had a good foundation before starting my dedicated study period. I think you should look into some of the prep courses and give one of those a shot doing exactly what they tell you to do.

 

[theNinjaDr]

An IMG like a real IMG or a Caribbean American student IMG?

Hi. I am a US citizen but a real IMG.

 

[CrystallineX]

I agree with whatever has been said. Use B&B and sketchy and learn the heck out of FA and Pathoma.

 

[theNinjaDr]

Thanks everyone!

Does anyone have any other sources for practice Biostat questions? I notice I tend to be slow in calculating.

 

[Blunt Dissection]

While I can't give you an true board advice since I haven't taken it myself, I can give you some solid advice on how to better approach the material from a scientific standpoint. Learning can essentially be broken down into 3 aspects - comprehension, retention, and application.

Using things like B&B, Pathoma, and sketchy are your tools for comprehension. During this time, your ultimate goal should be to understand and see the big picture.

Following this, you need to retain what it is you've just learned. You can accomplish this through flashcard programs such as Anki, memorang, quizlet, Firecracker, etc. Repetition is the key to memory and requires time over a period of time. You're more likely to remember something in the long run if you do it for an hour a day for seven days than doing it one day for seven hours.

Then finally you have application - which are your qbanks like UWorld, Kaplan, Usmle-Rx etc. The purpose of the qbank are to help you put the pieces together and to train your brain to make connections. Hence why they say the more practice questions you do, the better you get at standardized exams. However, if you do practice questions without adequately doing the above 2 steps, you have no connections to be making - you essentially at that point are just hoping that the question you're seeing shows up on the test.

At this point, I don't know when you're planning on retaking, but I would really consider holding off until you get a solid chance to do the above.

 

[Nucleus Accumbens]

The title says it all.

I am an IMG. When I started my Step 1 prep, I bought FA, BRS physio, subscribed to UW. I took a baseline NBME and got the most dismal score (equivalent to less than 100 in Step 1). I was definitely shocked. I guess I didn't learn anything in med school. So I read FA, read BRS physio, watched Pathoma videos, did 1 pass of UW (untimed in tutor mode per system and annotated my FA). I took an NBME and my score improved (I think it was now a 140) but still failing. So I reread FA with all my notes. Took a couple more NBME's and each one was better than the last but still not passing. I did a UW reset and went over it again (this time in timed mixed to try to resemble the real thing). My score average was about a 75% but my individual scores were inconsistent. I had scores that was as low as 30% but got 80's as well. Took both UWSA and scored 200+ for both. A week before my actual exam, I took another NBME and scored a 192. The day before my actual exam, I was having anxiety and I wanted to reschedule it but I couldn't because I had to change my exam period too. I had no choice but to take the exam the following day and ended up failing. It was poor planning on my part thinking I could still boost up my score in that last week. I should've rescheduled.

In any case, I'm here and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong to perform so poorly. Can anyone recommend how I can go about studying now? I bought the 2017 version of FA (I used a 2016 during my first time). I am currently reading and annotating again. I also bought Goljan to supplement my Patho, although I haven't started that one yet. I just skimmed through it. I'm planning to watch sketchy videos as well. Any other suggestions? I really really need to do well the second (and the last) time. I know I have to do some observerships too but it's really hard to try to get into that knowing I have to retake the exam. My original plan was to do observerships after I pass. But, here I am. Please. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm so sorry. Consider a prep course or B&B as others have said. I hope you pull through OP, I really do.


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[860793]

Can you please share your 8 week study plan?

 

[Dare2Dream]

Thanks everyone!

Does anyone have any other sources for practice Biostat questions? I notice I tend to be slow in calculating.

This is the best video to start on biostats, a must watch:



After watching, review FA and go from there.

 

[samsamani]

This is the best video to start on biostats, a must watch:



After watching, review FA and go from there.

how many questions of biostats are usually on the exam?

 

[Nucleus Accumbens]

how many questions of biostats are usually on the exam?

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[theNinjaDr]

This is the best video to start on biostats, a must watch:



After watching, review FA and go from there.

Thank you!

 

[theNinjaDr]

Can you please share your 8 week study plan?

Hey @Kardar! This is a study plan that I got from someone else. I just tweak it based on what areas I need to focus more on so you can just customize it based on what you need.

 

[Med student 18]

Hey I am real sorry you got stuck in this situation but worry not! You can definitely improve. All the resources you mentioned are ones that seem to be super popular and thus they probably work. I myself have used Uworld, FA and Lecturio. FA and Uworld were the core and lecturio helped me where I felt I was weak and needed to supplement.

As for the method: I think that you should really focus on doing questions and focalizing on your weak subjects. keep annotating your FA but also make sure that your study method is an active one. Meaning you don't copy things as they are on FA nut change it up to your own words thus helping retention. I would also experiment with recalling information using different techniques to really burn that info in. I would draw it a concept map for it, write it down in passage form, explain it outloud to myself or a friend, etc. For me variety was always important in establishing information. I always tried to do all these different techniques from memory thus doing active recall. Don't just reread your FA with your notes, try to recall it (using whatever method you like).

Finally, make sure your study time is quality. Meaning no distractions from your phone, computer, friends. I know it seems too obvious to even be mentioned but do an honest auto reflection on your surrounding and make sure they are conducive to learning.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dare2Dream]

how many questions of biostats are usually on the exam?

It varies based on your luck, I only had a few

 

[kb0275]

The title says it all.

I am an IMG. When I started my Step 1 prep, I bought FA, BRS physio, subscribed to UW. I took a baseline NBME and got the most dismal score (equivalent to less than 100 in Step 1). I was definitely shocked. I guess I didn't learn anything in med school. So I read FA, read BRS physio, watched Pathoma videos, did 1 pass of UW (untimed in tutor mode per system and annotated my FA). I took an NBME and my score improved (I think it was now a 140) but still failing. So I reread FA with all my notes. Took a couple more NBME's and each one was better than the last but still not passing. I did a UW reset and went over it again (this time in timed mixed to try to resemble the real thing). My score average was about a 75% but my individual scores were inconsistent. I had scores that was as low as 30% but got 80's as well. Took both UWSA and scored 200+ for both. A week before my actual exam, I took another NBME and scored a 192. The day before my actual exam, I was having anxiety and I wanted to reschedule it but I couldn't because I had to change my exam period too. I had no choice but to take the exam the following day and ended up failing. It was poor planning on my part thinking I could still boost up my score in that last week. I should've rescheduled.

In any case, I'm here and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong to perform so poorly. Can anyone recommend how I can go about studying now? I bought the 2017 version of FA (I used a 2016 during my first time). I am currently reading and annotating again. I also bought Goljan to supplement my Patho, although I haven't started that one yet. I just skimmed through it. I'm planning to watch sketchy videos as well. Any other suggestions? I really really need to do well the second (and the last) time. I know I have to do some observerships too but it's really hard to try to get into that knowing I have to retake the exam. My original plan was to do observerships after I pass. But, here I am. Please. Any help would be appreciated.

What were your grades in medical school?
Are you having problems memorizing fast enough for medical school?

 

[theNinjaDr]

What were your grades in medical school?
Are you having problems memorizing fast enough for medical school?

I guess I was average? My friends said I'm the type of person who teaches in the group study but a sucky test taker

 

[860793]

Hey @Kardar! This is a study plan that I got from someone else. I just tweak it based on what areas I need to focus more on so you can just customize it based on what you need.

thank you

 

[sleepas2ndcareer]

I guess I was average? My friends said I'm the type of person who teaches in the group study but a sucky test taker

Ninja,
I had trouble with step 1 and 2 and the mcat. Everyone has a different study method that worked for them. It has been 15+ years for me so i dont remember what books i used.

For me two things worked. 1. I did every practice question put out by nbme that i could get my hands on and every other practice test. I did them In blocks of 50 or 60, timed like real test. Then i reviewed every answer explanation of the questions no matter if i got it right or wrong.

Second i studied my main resources and any section review or notes i had, i read them out loud so i had to read and hear them.

Sorry you failed, it's a huge attack on your self esteem, very expensive and just a pain.
But you have to do what works for you. Consider taking screening tests to see which way you learn best if you don't know that already.

 

[redcharger2904]

Sorry about your situation
Next time, make sure you read First Aid BACK TO BACK, WORD BY WORD, INCLUDING THOSE SMALL ONES NEXT TO A PICTURE. But don't just do plain memorization. Understand and integrate as well
For UWorld questions, make sure you read the whole explanation for each choice in each question, and truly understand it.
It takes time to build up foundation. Don't rush it. Just stay strong and hopefully you'll do well your next time around.
Again I'm sorry to hear this. Just keep your heads up and you'll bounce back. Good luck.

 

[12glaucoma34]

The title says it all.

I am an IMG. When I started my Step 1 prep, I bought FA, BRS physio, subscribed to UW. I took a baseline NBME and got the most dismal score (equivalent to less than 100 in Step 1). I was definitely shocked. I guess I didn't learn anything in med school. So I read FA, read BRS physio, watched Pathoma videos, did 1 pass of UW (untimed in tutor mode per system and annotated my FA). I took an NBME and my score improved (I think it was now a 140) but still failing. So I reread FA with all my notes. Took a couple more NBME's and each one was better than the last but still not passing. I did a UW reset and went over it again (this time in timed mixed to try to resemble the real thing). My score average was about a 75% but my individual scores were inconsistent. I had scores that was as low as 30% but got 80's as well. Took both UWSA and scored 200+ for both. A week before my actual exam, I took another NBME and scored a 192. The day before my actual exam, I was having anxiety and I wanted to reschedule it but I couldn't because I had to change my exam period too. I had no choice but to take the exam the following day and ended up failing. It was poor planning on my part thinking I could still boost up my score in that last week. I should've rescheduled.

In any case, I'm here and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong to perform so poorly. Can anyone recommend how I can go about studying now? I bought the 2017 version of FA (I used a 2016 during my first time). I am currently reading and annotating again. I also bought Goljan to supplement my Patho, although I haven't started that one yet. I just skimmed through it. I'm planning to watch sketchy videos as well. Any other suggestions? I really really need to do well the second (and the last) time. I know I have to do some observerships too but it's really hard to try to get into that knowing I have to retake the exam. My original plan was to do observerships after I pass. But, here I am. Please. Any help would be appreciated.

Who cares what edition of FA you have? That is concerning to me that you thought this would matter, I can assure you that no one will miss any questions or get anymore questions correct because they wasted money on a 2017 FA edition when they already had a 2016. What is the point to "skim"? This doesn't help you understand anything. Select a few limited sources and UNDERSTAND THEM!!!! Read about cardiovascular physiology and then close the book and draw it out/explain it to yourself. Understand how flow, resistance, and pressure are related; understand which vessels have the greatest flow (lowest resistance) and which vessels provide the lowest flow (greatest resistance). Which environment favors gas exchange? You can't just "skim, watch, read."