Got a 190 (Step 1 conversion) on the NBME 19 Exam. Disappointed, any advice?

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cardio879

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Hey all MS2 here, I registered for Step 1 for the end of May. Obviously disappointed. Do not know what I am doing wrong. Been 50% done with uworld averaging about a 50-55, but I have an upward trend to about 65-70%. I have been using first aid, pathoma, goljan sometimes for reference, B&B Sometimes. I use sketchy for micro. My prime resources are First aid and UWORLD.
I am going through UWOrld very in depth but for some reason I do not know why my grade does not reflect it.
I really am going through every single answer choice on UWorld.
Very concerned about what to do. Anyone have any advice?
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Check out the thread “Official 2019 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread” if you want more opinions/advice/read about what others are doing. It’s okay too if you don’t want to if it will negatively effect you.
 
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NBME 19 underpredicts, possibly by 20 ish points or so. Based on your uworld percentage you are currently at a 210-220.

You have knowledge deficits. If you have enough time utilizing ANKI might be helpful.
 
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cardio879 said:
Hey all MS2 here, I registered for Step 1 for the end of May. Obviously disappointed. Do not know what I am doing wrong. Been 50% done with uworld averaging about a 50-55, but I have an upward trend to about 65-70%. I have been using first aid, pathoma, goljan sometimes for reference, B&B Sometimes. I use sketchy for micro. My prime resources are First aid and UWORLD.
I am going through UWOrld very in depth but for some reason I do not know why my grade does not reflect it.
I really am going through every single answer choice on UWorld.
Very concerned about what to do. Anyone have any advice?
Click to expand...

Hey there. So before I begin, I want to say that my experience only represents one individual (n=1), but I think you may benefit from hearing me out.

I understand your frustration with low NBME scores; I was in your shoes and my HIGHEST NBME was a 196 on NBME 16. I took NBME 19 as my first exam right before dedicated, and I think I scored in the 150s. If you search around, the consensus seems to be that all the NBMEs have harsh curves, 19 being particularly brutal. Also, you still have 2 months left to study, which is plenty of time even if you have other light to moderate responsibilities.

Your uworld average is looking good, and I can say with personal experience (again, n=1) that uworld questions are much closer to the actual exam (in terms of length, style, and difficulty) compared to NBMEs. If your overall uworld average is consistently above a 60%, a 220-230 score is well within expectations. One recommendation that I highly suggest is that you take the UWSA 2, preferably close to your actual exam. That exam is a very good overall representation of what you will likely encounter on test day.

Lastly, I can say with great confidence (though I can't be 100% certain) that the actual exam has a fairly generous curve, as in a 75% correct or higher gets you in the upper 220s. I scored a 233 on my exam, with a UWSA 2 score of 228 and a NBME 16 score of 196.

TLDR: You are on a good track in terms of preparation. Don't put too much weight into your NBME scores, definitely do UWSA 2, and be reassured that the actual exam most likely has a better curve.
 
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strugglingmedstudent40 said:
Hey there. So before I begin, I want to say that my experience only represents one individual (n=1), but I think you may benefit from hearing me out.

I understand your frustration with low NBME scores; I was in your shoes and my HIGHEST NBME was a 196 on NBME 16. I took NBME 19 as my first exam right before dedicated, and I think I scored in the 150s. If you search around, the consensus seems to be that all the NBMEs have harsh curves, 19 being particularly brutal. Also, you still have 2 months left to study, which is plenty of time even if you have other light to moderate responsibilities.

Your uworld average is looking good, and I can say with personal experience (again, n=1) that uworld questions are much closer to the actual exam (in terms of length, style, and difficulty) compared to NBMEs. If your overall uworld average is consistently above a 60%, a 220-230 score is well within expectations. One recommendation that I highly suggest is that you take the UWSA 2, preferably close to your actual exam. That exam is a very good overall representation of what you will likely encounter on test day.

Lastly, I can say with great confidence (though I can't be 100% certain) that the actual exam has a fairly generous curve, as in a 75% correct or higher gets you in the upper 220s. I scored a 233 on my exam, with a UWSA 2 score of 228 and a NBME 16 score of 196.

TLDR: You are on a good track in terms of preparation. Don't put too much weight into your NBME scores, definitely do UWSA 2, and be reassured that the actual exam most likely has a better curve.
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thanks, trying to work hard.
 
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Current tutor here! One month is plenty of time to turn it around-- don't get too discouraged by that number just yet.

As has been mentioned here, NBME 19 is known to underpredict. The fact that you're trending upwards on UWorld is very reassuring, and a better indication of what your score might be. I would try to make sure and review some big organ systems to start -- really important to have a good grasp on cards, pulm, renal, GI. Start with those topics and make sure you have a good idea of identifying those pathologies. Hammer down on the Pathoma and FA for those. I might take another exam in a week to get an idea of where you're more accurately at!

Sana M.
USMLE Tutor, Med School Tutors
 
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libertyyne said:
Click to expand...


So im just a first year and I will tend to do like 30-40 question blocks on off days of all the material we have learned up to that point in Rx. So according to that chart if Im average ~75% on the questions, that means Im in a decent spot?

Like I said im just a first year who has finished like 50% of the material needed for step 1, so im a little far from saying "I want a 240" or something because I don't have a feel of how hard that is, bc I never have taken a full length test. So I guess what im asking is what % should you aim for in Q banks in order to be "on-track" for a 240? (if that makes sense)
 
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CyrusHabs7695 said:
So im just a first year and I will tend to do like 30-40 question blocks on off days of all the material we have learned up to that point in Rx. So according to that chart if Im average ~75% on the questions, that means Im in a decent spot?

Like I said im just a first year who has finished like 50% of the material needed for step 1, so im a little far from saying "I want a 240" or something because I don't have a feel of how hard that is, bc I never have taken a full length test. So I guess what im asking is what % should you aim for in Q banks in order to be "on-track" for a 240? (if that makes sense)
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RX means squat. That chart is for uworld. Just focus on learning the material the first time, do well in school. The rest will fall in place. Start worying about it half way through m2.
 
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libertyyne said:
RX means squat. That chart is for uworld. Just focus on learning the material the first time, do well in school. The rest will fall in place. Start worying about it half way through m2.
Click to expand...

I meant more of an assessment of where Im at to see if what I am doing is working. Theres gotta be something other than uWorld for me to just get the feel if im on a good path
 
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CyrusHabs7695 said:
I meant more of an assessment of where Im at to see if what I am doing is working. Theres gotta be something other than uWorld for me to just get the feel if im on a good path
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If you are learning the material well , doing well in classes that is your assessment. According to most of the data I have seen RX correlates poorly with anything.
 
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CyrusHabs7695 said:
Do you think Kaplan is better than Rx?
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I personally like Kaplan better. The problem is m1 is a long way away from boards and even if you are doing well during m1 on these qbanks it doesnt mean much since you will forget a large chunk. Doing more questions is good but you cant really measure your performance in any meaningful way until you take an actual NBME or start doing uworld once you have completed your m1 and m2.
 
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libertyyne said:
I personally like Kaplan better. The problem is m1 is a long way away from boards and even if you are doing well during m1 on these qbanks it doesnt mean much since you will forget a large chunk. Doing more questions is good but you cant really measure your performance in any meaningful way until you take an actual NBME or start doing uworld once you have completed your m1 and m2.
Click to expand...

That said, I think you can still take away some rough idea: If you're getting 80% on Kaplan/Rx for sections you've covered, you're probably doing okay. If you're getting 50% on things you've learned already then maybe you need to reassess how you're learning.
 
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