Official 2009 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[VFib911]

Two days premature, but I thought I would get it started anyway as I just took the exam this morning!!!!!

Overall impressions:
- Path, path, path - been said before and I'll say it again "know it Goljan style"
- Don't forget the biostats. I prob had 10-13 questions here.
- UW is gold... both for content and material presentation. Get comfortable with the interface and it will help you test day as it is very similar.
- FA was very helpful, but I used it for review rather than primary study source.

Today:
- In at 8:30, out at 2:30.Finished each block with 10-15 minutes left.
- Three breaks, one quick trip to the BR, one 10 minute Red bull/ powerbar refresher, and one 20 minute monster/ MetRx "lunch" and walk.
- I didn't find a large difference in content difficulty between the different module. The second-to-last was my most difficult and I was have ing a little difficulty concentrating, but I think my brain was pre-toast.

I'm feeling pretty relieved at the moment as it was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. In NO WAY was it easy, but certainly doable. I had planned on taking this in July after the COMLEX, but I convinced myself I was not ready for it. Retrospectively, I feel I still would have done well after my COMLEX prep, but the last 6 months has filled in a lot of gaps.

Pre-COMLEX:
- Goljan mp3's 1st and 2nd years commuting to-from school. I did a ton of commuting. Highly valuable.
- Kaplan Biochem DVD(felt it was my weakest) and Micro DVD(lots of content).
- MedEssentials and FA for system-based content review. Big Robbins for reference only.
- CMMRS, know the virus charts, staph and strep algorithms, systemic mycoses, immunocompromised opportunistics.
- Costanza text for physio. Tried to review BRS physio (also Costanza), but I am strong in physio and I felt I was wasting my time.
- Lippincott pharm. Cover-to-cover, but overkill. Easy read though if you know your pharm.
- Kaplan and FA for biostats.
- Flash cards from eBay, both electronic and paper. Great way to review - at least for me - but be aware there are occasional errors. Prob went through 5-7000, really.
- BRS flash cards - Micro, Pharm, Biochem.
- (Savarese for any DO's - know the green book and you are golden.)

COMLEX - 06/08.

Post- COMLEX

UWorld - Thank god I did this. Wish I had done this before the COMLEX. Did tutor mode, took notes, looked each unknown up. I ended up with about 40 pages of topics with key notes written next to each topic. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
HY Histo, Cell Bio, Immuno. By this time it was mostly review, but they all helped tie things together and are quick reads.

One week before test:

Goljan cover-to-cover. Goes quick when it is review.
HY Neuroanat - overkill for my exam. Still good topics if you have the time.
FA cover-to-cover.
Reviewed UW notes/ answers.

UW - 100% completed, overall 68%. Last 450 questions mid 70's. Tutor, random, unused.


That's it. I have been meaning to post this for a while after my COMLEX grade posting, but never got around to doing it... been too damn busy reading. I'll update when result is in.

BTW - anyone know if it takes longer to receive your grade this time of year since fewer people are taking the exam?

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[BodyMechanic]

I posted how I studied sometime in Mid June. Finally got scores back.

Real Deal: 231/96

 

[Lamborghini1315]

I am over it finally, it was a fair test..you had to know your stuff. Infact, i felt like it was easier than my practice exams but then again its relative. My exam had a a whole lot of neuro, while biochem, biostats were barely tested. I did biochemistry, molecular pretty intensely and they didn't seem so bad on the test. USMLE focuses on getting you to understand concepts..infact some questions would just explain the pathogenesis and you have to have a good differential to eliminate the wrong choices to arrive at the right one. I basically went in really knowing what to expect..it comes down to the amount of work you put in through out your time in med school and understanding material as you go along. I did the NBME forms that were available online, so i couldn't quite accurately gauge where i stood. I did the uworld form 2 weeks out into my step. Here are the sources i used:-

Rapid Review (3 stars)
USMLE Roadmap NeuroAnatomy (2 stars)
Lipincott Biochem (5 stars, but excessive)
Levinson's Immuno (5 stars)
Uworld qbank (4 stars)
CMMRS (2 stars)
Big Costanzo Physio (5 stars)
First Aid (3 stars)

I will not disclose any studying strategies yet since it would be silly to offer advise without knowing my score. Anyways before i forget pharm, micro were straightforward even if they ask you in the form of graphs..your basic understanding of mechanism of action, side effect is suffice. Biochem, biostats were too easy for me, neuro gave me a bit trouble but again nothing too crazy, i saw questions from every organ system and it was a fair representation of everything. I had about 500 pages of notes i wanted to go through last night but i couldn't get through it all..still it didn't seem like it would have helped since everything on the exam is really a test of your long term knowledge. Alright for those who are yet to take this monster just don't freak out, if you have read consistently and dedicated enough time you should be good. Alright i will edit this post once i get my score...good luck fellas!




UWORLD Form 1: 560/232

 

[TMP-SMX]

UW: 71%
Free 150: 92%
Actual: 245/99

I used First Aid, UW, BRS Path, and BRS Pharm. I was already strong in Micro, Immunology, and a lot of path so I could rely on quick reviews of FA and going through UW completely with all of the answers. I probably studied overkill on pharm but the questions were conceptual rather than pure memorization besides the normal side effect questions.

I think that the exam was just made for my strengths. I didn't have any especially weak spots according to the score report but I think my strong subjects were well represented. I felt prepared by my course studies by using BRS books/FA during the M2 year.

 

[Hyperlite2011]

I used this site a lot to figure out how to prepare for the test, so I feel like I should contribute my part:

Started preparing / annotating First Aid 10 weeks before the test. Started studying hard-core the week after second year ended, which gave me 5 weeks. Honestly, I was ready to take the test about a week before the real thing. 4-5 weeks of intense studying is all you need.

Typical day: 7am-12pm USMLE World questions and studying; 12pm-2pm lunch / gym break; 2pm-7pm studying; 7pm-9pm dinner / TV followed by another hour or so of studying until I'd go to bed. In my opinion, the breaks (especially going to the gym) were just as important as the studying. Also, Sunday was a half-day.

Resources: First Aid, USMLE World, Rapid Review Pathology, BRS Physiology, Microcards, Brenner Pharmacology Cards and High Yield Neuro (pretty much just skimmed it). I used Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple for the pictures only and Rapid Review Biochemistry to explain anything I didn't understand in First Aid. I also listened to Goljan's audio lectures while working out during the last couple months of second year - I was planning on listening to them again for a second time during the last 5 weeks, but the thought of hearing all those jokes again made me want to shoot myself in the face.

My advice: Make a strict schedule and stick to it (ie, if you're planning on taking a break at 12:00, put down the book at 12:00... no earlier, no later). Exercise every day. Exhaust USMLE World completely. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many books. Don't worry about what other people are studying or getting on practice tests. Don't worry if you have some bad USMLE World question blocks here and there.

Also, everyone feels like crap after this test, so don't let it get to you. Everyone remembers the questions they tripped over and got wrong. I knew I passed, but I was preparing myself for a 220 based on how I felt about it afterward.

Here are my stats:

USMLE World Q-Bank Average: 68% (randomized)

NBME test offered by my school (10 weeks before test date): 195-200
NBME test offered by my school (6 weeks before test date): 220
USMLE World Sim Exam 1 (4 weeks before test date): 242
USMLE World Sim Exam 2 (2 weeks before test date): 259

USMLE Step 1: 260/99


My goal was 240, so needless to say I'm very happy and very surprised. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or anything.

 

[Proverbs31]

I used this site a lot to figure out how to prepare for the test, so I feel like I should contribute my part:

Started preparing / annotating First Aid 10 weeks before the test. Started studying hard-core the week after second year ended, which gave me 5 weeks. Honestly, I was ready to take the test about a week before the real thing. 4-5 weeks of intense studying is all you need.

Typical day: 7am-12pm USMLE World questions and studying; 12pm-2pm lunch / gym break; 2pm-7pm studying; 7pm-9pm dinner / TV followed by another hour or so of studying until I'd go to bed. In my opinion, the breaks (especially going to the gym) were just as important as the studying. Also, Sunday was a half-day.

Resources: First Aid, USMLE World, Rapid Review Pathology, BRS Physiology, Microcards, Brenner Pharmacology Cards and High Yield Neuro (pretty much just skimmed it). I used Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple for the pictures only and Rapid Review Biochemistry to explain anything I didn't understand in First Aid. I also listened to Goljan's audio lectures while working out during the last couple months of second year - I was planning on listening to them again for a second time during the last 5 weeks, but the thought of hearing all those jokes again made me want to shoot myself in the face.

My advice: Make a strict schedule and stick to it (ie, if you're planning on taking a break at 12:00, put down the book at 12:00... no earlier, no later). Exercise every day. Exhaust USMLE World completely. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many books. Don't worry about what other people are studying or getting on practice tests. Don't worry if you have some bad USMLE World question blocks here and there.

Also, everyone feels like crap after this test, so don't let it get to you. Everyone remembers the questions they tripped over and got wrong. I knew I passed, but I was preparing myself for a 220 based on how I felt about it afterward.

Here are my stats:

USMLE World Q-Bank Average: 68% (randomized)

NBME test offered by my school (10 weeks before test date): 195-200
NBME test offered by my school (6 weeks before test date): 220
USMLE World Sim Exam 1 (4 weeks before test date): 242
USMLE World Sim Exam 2 (2 weeks before test date): 259

USMLE Step 1: 260/99


My goal was 240, so needless to say I'm very happy and very surprised. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or anything.

CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS!! Way to go!

Did you use FA 2008 or 09? Just curious
Great Job! Thanks for sharing

 

[Hyperlite2011]

CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS!! Way to go!

Did you use FA 2008 or 09? Just curious
Great Job! Thanks for sharing

Thanks! 2009. I used 2008 during most of 1st / 2nd year, but decided having the most up-to-date version was worth the $30 for me.

 

[Lamborghini1315]

I used this site a lot to figure out how to prepare for the test, so I feel like I should contribute my part:

Started preparing / annotating First Aid 10 weeks before the test. Started studying hard-core the week after second year ended, which gave me 5 weeks. Honestly, I was ready to take the test about a week before the real thing. 4-5 weeks of intense studying is all you need.

Typical day: 7am-12pm USMLE World questions and studying; 12pm-2pm lunch / gym break; 2pm-7pm studying; 7pm-9pm dinner / TV followed by another hour or so of studying until I'd go to bed. In my opinion, the breaks (especially going to the gym) were just as important as the studying. Also, Sunday was a half-day.

Resources: First Aid, USMLE World, Rapid Review Pathology, BRS Physiology, Microcards, Brenner Pharmacology Cards and High Yield Neuro (pretty much just skimmed it). I used Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple for the pictures only and Rapid Review Biochemistry to explain anything I didn't understand in First Aid. I also listened to Goljan's audio lectures while working out during the last couple months of second year - I was planning on listening to them again for a second time during the last 5 weeks, but the thought of hearing all those jokes again made me want to shoot myself in the face.

My advice: Make a strict schedule and stick to it (ie, if you're planning on taking a break at 12:00, put down the book at 12:00... no earlier, no later). Exercise every day. Exhaust USMLE World completely. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many books. Don't worry about what other people are studying or getting on practice tests. Don't worry if you have some bad USMLE World question blocks here and there.

Also, everyone feels like crap after this test, so don't let it get to you. Everyone remembers the questions they tripped over and got wrong. I knew I passed, but I was preparing myself for a 220 based on how I felt about it afterward.

Here are my stats:

USMLE World Q-Bank Average: 68% (randomized)

NBME test offered by my school (10 weeks before test date): 195-200
NBME test offered by my school (6 weeks before test date): 220
USMLE World Sim Exam 1 (4 weeks before test date): 242
USMLE World Sim Exam 2 (2 weeks before test date): 259

USMLE Step 1: 260/99


My goal was 240, so needless to say I'm very happy and very surprised. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or anything.

Great score buddy!

 

[Lamborghini1315]

UW: 71%
Free 150: 92%
Actual: 245/99

I used First Aid, UW, BRS Path, and BRS Pharm. I was already strong in Micro, Immunology, and a lot of path so I could rely on quick reviews of FA and going through UW completely with all of the answers. I probably studied overkill on pharm but the questions were conceptual rather than pure memorization besides the normal side effect questions.

I think that the exam was just made for my strengths. I didn't have any especially weak spots according to the score report but I think my strong subjects were well represented. I felt prepared by my course studies by using BRS books/FA during the M2 year.

Congrats, awesome score!

 

[Lamborghini1315]

I posted how I studied sometime in Mid June. Finally got scores back.

Real Deal: 231/96

Congrats, great score!

 

[omarm]

275
No words honestly...THANKS TO THE BIG GUY!! I'm still staring at my score report...

Congratulations,, thats great bola wish you all the best

Can you please tell us about USMLEWORLD!! how did you use it??
I'm few weeks before exam and i find it really time consuming to annotate on FA while reading the explanations of UW?? Its taking longer time than planned just to read explanations for each answer n annotate on FA?? what do u think??

Thanks a lot

 

[doogoshly]

lol reading these posts, my 240/99 feels like nothing.

 

[fergustsi]

lol reading these posts, my 240/99 feels like nothing.

hmmmm. 85%ile? yeah youre worthless. hang yourself right now.

 

[Orthodoc40]

.

 

[NCF145]

I'm pretty sure you're joking, I know - but careful - someone in our class killed themselves on Wed after getting their score. Some people really must think their life depends on this.

wtf? Seriously?

 

[Orthodoc40]

wtf? Seriously?

Yes, seriously. As much of a shock as it is to us (here), I doubt it is the first time it has happened.

 

[bola]

Congratulations,, thats great bola wish you all the best

Can you please tell us about USMLEWORLD!! how did you use it??
I'm few weeks before exam and i find it really time consuming to annotate on FA while reading the explanations of UW?? Its taking longer time than planned just to read explanations for each answer n annotate on FA?? what do u think??

Thanks a lot

Thanks a lot omarm!

In terms of UWorld - I mainly focused on the questions I got wrong and marked - for these ones I read the entire explanation and added whatever new info I got into FA.

For those I got right, I really just read the educational objective portion for some of them (and the detailed one if I needed clarification) but for those that were not very difficult or were testing a concept for the third or fourth time, I didn't read the explanations at all - just glanced at the question and my answer again so it registers.

It probably took about 45min-1hr to finish 48 questions and 30-45 minutes to go through the explanations. Also later on as you know where things are in FA you will not have to annotate as much b/c you know where to find the explanation vs re-writing into FA what is already in there.

In all honesty, I felt a bit uncomfortable b/c I did not go through it as thoroughly as everyone seems to but I tried this initially and realized it jeopardized my efficiency. I don't know if this will work for everyone.

All the best on your test.

 

[Deferoxamine]

Got my score on Wednesday, but have been on vacation so I couldn't post til now. I was absolutely ecstatic, and still am, especially considering how I felt after the test.

243/99!!!

Score: 243/99.

ZOMG, TWINZ!

 

[SMA]

Wanted to post my experience. The first thing I would like to say is that I feel like when I read this forum I actually got more stressed out than when I didn't. Just throwing that out there. There is no way you can prepare for everything they throw at you and everyones exam is so different.

NBME 2: 242 Before studying, 2 months out
NBME 4: 242 Right after school ended and studied some
NBME 3: 253 4 weeks out
NBME 6: 258 3 weeks out
UW self assessment 1: 265 1 week out
UW self assessment 2: 263 1 day out
NBME free 150: 93%
UW qbank: 83%
Kaplan qbank: 72%

My advice about Kaplan qbank is DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. The questions were very poorly written and a lot of minutae. Their answers were basically just a description of the disease process without telling you why the others weren't right. I didn't learn anything from it and actually quit using it halfway through. I only did 50% of the questions. If anything, do the UW questions again.

My exam was very fair and straight forward. I don't know if I had psyched myself out, but they had tons of buzzwords and straight forward presentations. The questions were NOT long at all. It was just like UW, some are short 1 liners and others are longer. I didn't finish anything early, but I had time to look back over everything. The key is to not linger on a question you don't know. Oh yeah, I am also a very slow test taker.

I had probably 50 behavioral/stats/psych. I used BRS for this and am so glad I spent time here. I have no idea what I got right and wrong. The psych was really straight forward. The stats were really straight forward. The quote questions weren't bad, its just unfortunate that I am not good at that part.

I had A LOT of biochem. It was all really straight forward stuff and I'm glad I had it because it is something I am really good at.

I had A LOT of micro/immuno. I didn't really have anything obscure. Very straight forward.

I had quite a few pharm questions. Most of the drugs were in FA, but the mechanisms and side effects were not. So I missed a few here. I had a lot of questions about what is the appropriate treatment for a certain disease or microbe. Nothing really far out, but I had trouble here.

I had a lot more anatomy than I would have liked. I probably had 30 questions. Unfortunately I am afraid this ruined my score. Every anatomy question I looked up, I got wrong. I had the classic brachial plexus/leg anatomy. But I also had ligaments. I had only 1 muscle insertion and it was really easy. I didn't have any pelvic anatomy. I had Head and neck anatomy and thats where I missed a bunch.

Embryo was very easy and straight forward.

Physio was just what would be expected.

I had a lot of neuro. It was all very easy stuff. There was one question where they described the deficit and I couldn't think of where it would be. It was also on my last block. So, I know I missed that one. I had MRI's, brainstem slices. Study this, because everyone seems to say they have had a lot of neuro.

Now, to the part I am most dissapointed about. I didn't have very much path. I can't believe it!!! I am incredibly good at path. I may have had 30 path questions and that is pushing it. I didn't have very many path pictures, maybe 3. Most of the path I did have was testing basic concepts like apoptosis or dysplasia, metaplasia, etc.

The body system most represented on my exam was cardio. I can't even think of another body system because I had so much general first year crap.

As for the experimental questions, everything represented on my exam was stuff that we should have known. There wasn't a single ambiguous, poorly written question. I'm not even sure I had a question that I had never heard of. Unfortunately, I didn't know that answers to all of them.

I also had quite a few repeat questions from UW, UW self assessments and NBME's. That was kind of cool.

I am very disappointed. I will be lucky to pull off a 220/230. I have already looked up tons that I got wrong. The 2 things that I hope I echoed in this post is that you never know what you will get and to study everything if you want to do well. I mean, I've never even heard of an exam without pathology. But the point is, it is very doable. Eventhough I had a bad experience, I still think the exam was very straight forward. Don't psych yourself out!!!

Thought I should update. 264/99. I guess I overreacted post-exam. Any questions, let me know.

 

[abecedarianMD]

251/99.

studied a few months; middle of road in med school... you can blow off class, but take this test to town.

uwsa's right on money

 

[Blesbok]

What the f.

That's gotta be like the 10th 270+ score I've seen on here today. Makes me feel like my score is child's play.

SDN = Steroid Doctor Network

I think the change in sections over the last year ended up changing the scoring. I find it hard to believe that the scoring is the same when we have had like 2 people with 270s in the last 5 years and now there are like half a dozen in this year alone.

 

[ENThopeful]

251/99.

studied a few months; middle of road in med school... you can blow off class, but take this test to town.

uwsa's right on money

wow im praying that i get what i got on the uwsa's... i would literally run down the street naked screaming at the top of my lungs, mark my words.

seems like UW > goljan at this point. i was freaking out cause there is tons of crap in goljan that i didnt know but it doesnt seem to be the real focus of the test...

 

[doogoshly]

hmmmm. 85%ile? yeah youre worthless. hang yourself right now.

time for SIG E CAPS. seriously though, 240 just feels so mortal compared to these scores. not that i'm complaining, just sayin

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

For a guy like me who's in the midst of studyin for the comlex, and then is contemplating taking the usmle in a few months ... what should I do?

I've gone thru FA 09 about 3 times ...
I did kaplan comlex qbank (63%)
took a comsae, not so hot, but passed ...

I'm thinking about taking the DIT online class ... and do a 2 month subscription (if they have a 2 month one, if not, then 3 months) to UW. I've not done a lot of Goljan, should I squeeze that in? What else besides that and FA? I'm thinkin I need to smoke the usmle b/c I may be middle of the road for the comlex ....

 

[Deferoxamine]

For those wondering about the validity of score predictors (from the other score release thread):

Score = 243/99.

Last NBME (6): 6/16 = 244
Clinical Review calculator prediction = 245 +/- 9
USMLE Avg Prediction: 2.44 (71) + 70 = 243.24

Pretty spot on for me.

 

[doogoshly]

For a guy like me who's in the midst of studyin for the comlex, and then is contemplating taking the usmle in a few months ... what should I do?

I've gone thru FA 09 about 3 times ...
I did kaplan comlex qbank (63%)
took a comsae, not so hot, but passed ...

I'm thinking about taking the DIT online class ... and do a 2 month subscription (if they have a 2 month one, if not, then 3 months) to UW. I've not done a lot of Goljan, should I squeeze that in? What else besides that and FA? I'm thinkin I need to smoke the usmle b/c I may be middle of the road for the comlex ....

i found the DIT class to be helpful for me to get me through FA the 2nd time. he does point out a lot of HY topics so it may be worth it for you. or you could do what i did and piggyback on someone else's subscription (since you get 3 viewings) and pay them whatever.

get UW and just go through all of it. i think it's higher yield than kaplan qbank. i also did the UWSAs which were about 10 pts higher than my actual score but simulated the real test quite well.

you can try to squeeze in goljan but i didn't find that very good once i finished FA. FA + UW are seriously all you need.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

i found the DIT class to be helpful for me to get me through FA the 2nd time. he does point out a lot of HY topics so it may be worth it for you. or you could do what i did and piggyback on someone else's subscription (since you get 3 viewings) and pay them whatever.

get UW and just go through all of it. i think it's higher yield than kaplan qbank. i also did the UWSAs which were about 10 pts higher than my actual score but simulated the real test quite well.

you can try to squeeze in goljan but i didn't find that very good once i finished FA. FA + UW are seriously all you need.

Sounds good. I will do UW and just use the FA and maybe Goljan (if needed) to supplement what I dont understand from UW explanations for the 1st month ... then the 2nd month I was thinking about doing DIT and using the HY info he mentions to supplement what I have and to tie things together. Continue with UW and FA as well. What do you think? I dont know of anyone who's done DIT at my school since Kaplan was part of our school's board prep, so I dont know who I can piggyback off of. Any further suggestions? I thought covering FA as much as possible would help, but apparently, I'm just not that "bright" like y'all. So any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[ENThopeful]

Sounds good. I will do UW and just use the FA and maybe Goljan (if needed) to supplement what I dont understand from UW explanations for the 1st month ... then the 2nd month I was thinking about doing DIT and using the HY info he mentions to supplement what I have and to tie things together. Continue with UW and FA as well. What do you think? I dont know of anyone who's done DIT at my school since Kaplan was part of our school's board prep, so I dont know who I can piggyback off of. Any further suggestions? I thought covering FA as much as possible would help, but apparently, I'm just not that "bright" like y'all. So any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

i would do goljan before DIT. cause he doesnt explain much in DIT, just helps you memorize it. i found i knew the material somewhat but didnt have strategy for studying. goljan to understand everything, then DIT to hammer in the info really helped me in my practice scores. then i did UWorld a 2nd time and that took it to the next level..

 

[aequanimitas11]

I want to share my experiences, as I searched this board for study strategies and used the information I found to shape my study plan for the Step 1. I paid less attention to people posting with 260+ scores and more attention to people that made a huge jump from their original predicted scores to their final outcome. In my opinion those people probably demonstrated a more effective study strategy than the person who made a 250 on their original NBME and then made a 265 on the real exam. That is only a 15 point swing.

My goal was to make a score that would be competitive for the mid to lower tier ortho programs. I did some research and decided that I would be happy with a 230 or above. My lower limit for the score was a 220 because I fell like anything below 220 would put me at a huge disadvantage in matching ortho.

I studied for six weeks, and took NBME's at 5 weeks out, 3 weeks out, and 1 week out. I tweaked my study strategy slightly according to the trends of the NBME's and what I was weakest in. Here are my results:

NBME 1 (5 weeks out): 340; 188 predicted
NBME 2 (3 weeks out): 470; 216 predicted
NBME 3 (1 week out): 510; 225 predicted

Kaplan, 100% completed, 66% correct, tutor mode
Uworld, mostly completed, last 12 blocks in random, timed mode averaged about 64-65%

Goal: 230
Step 1, 6/24/09: 244/99

Obviously the biggest jump I made was during weeks 1-3, and then again in the last 7 days. I studied for 13-15 hours each day, and I tried to keep it fresh and keep my brain stimulated. I took regular small breaks, and tried to exercise 5 days out of the week. I did a combination of questions, reading, and flashcards. I had a lot of success by doing practice questions in the books or online on subjects that I had just studied in the last day or two because it helped cement the concepts in my head.

I have always been an above average test taker, but I got really burned out during my first two years of med school. I am an active person and really struggled to stay focused in lecture and while studying. I made a few A's and several poor/mediocre grades. I did not fail any courses but my GPA is not that great either. Here are my study materials:

First Aid: Kind of a necessary evil. I basically used it like everyone else, read it and made notations while studying from other sources, then reviewed it at the end. The book makes no sense unless you already have a good grasp on the subject you are studying.

Goljan's RR Pathology: Pure gold, lots of good information and pictures, a must have when studying for the Step 1.

Lange Pharm Flashcards: I was weak on Pharm so I reviewed these throughout the study period and made it through the whole set several times.

Microcards: I was also weak in Micro so I used these with the same strategy as the pharm cards.

RR Biochem: I skimmed through certain sections really quickly and then did most of the questions provided in the online question bank that comes with the book. Don't spend much time on biochem, and most of the questions are integrated.

High-Yield Neuroanatomy: I was very weak on neuro, so I read this book and did all the questions. It is a very dense book to read but using it and the included online question bank helped me bring Neuro from one of my weakest subjects to one of my strongest.

High-Yield Behavioral Sciences: I read this whole book in one night toward the end of my studies. Behavioral Sciences remained weak for me until the very end when I read this book and read the section in First Aid for BS. I got a star on my score report for this subject on the Step 1 and it was my highest subject. There aren't a ton of questions in this field and most of them on the Step 1 were much easier than the ones in the question banks.

USMLE World Q-bank: pure gold, one of the must have's in addition to First Aid and especially RR Path. My interface was exactly like the Fredv2 interface on the test. I started off doing random tutor mode, scoring around 30-35% and then finished the last week doing random timed mode getting around 64-65% correct. The explanations are great and the interface works well.

Kaplan Q-bank: I didn't plan on purchasing this, but I hit a wall with Neuroanatomy and wanted some more questions aside from UWorld to practice with. I actually was very pleased with it and completed 100% of their questionsin a subject based manner alongside my studying for that particular subject. Their questions tend to be more esoteric and detail focused, but it forces you to dig in and learn the subject in depth. There are three things they have going for them that UWorld doesn't: 1) they have First Aid page numbers in the answer explanations which makes it much easier to annotate, 2) they have media questions, and 3) Their "What Would You Do" ethics questions are wonderful. For these reasons alone it is worth a 30 day subscription. Their video explanations for selected questions are also pretty nice.

Goljan Audio: These were very helpful for me. I listened to all of the lectures several times. I listened to them while running and while going to sleep at night. I would also use them when I just could not stay focused while reading but I didn't want to lose the study time. There were several questions on the Step 1 that I answered correctly because I could remember him talking about a similar question in my head. I also skimmed his high yield notes that usually come in pdf form with the audio.

Kaplan Videos: I bought a hard drive on eBay with all the Kaplan videos and a bunch of other review material. I only watched the videos that focused on areas I was weak on, such as Neuro and Pharm. I thought they were pretty good, and definitely helped me push through on a couple of tough subjects.

I think the key to my huge point swing was setting a goal and then constantly evaluating what it would take to reach that goal. You have to set up a strategy but then you have to be flexible enough the adjust it later on. You also have to wake up each day and ask yourself what you need to do to reach your goal. It is tough to stay motivated around week 4 or 5, so it takes extra effort to stay on task. I almost quit studying neuro completely because I felt I was wasting my time and getting nowhere. I finally decided to add a couple of extra days of studying for that subject and I bought the Kaplan videos and questions. It finally just "clicked" with me and ended up being a real asset for me on the actual test.

The final week, I adjusted my schedule according to a rigourous combination of reviewing first aid, flaschards, and performing questions in random, timed mode. I found that timed mode was very tough for me and completely changed the game. I did several 48 question blocks in a row about 4 days out and then tapered down to just one block the day before the test.

That week, I adjusted my sleep/wake schedule to match exactly what it would be on the day of the test. I visited the test center and visualized myself in the cubicle taking the test. I also got their about an hour early that morning and listened to relaxing music in the car. During the test, I took a 10 minute break between each section and ate a quick snack each time to try and keep myself as fresh as possible. The Step 1 is a mental, physical, and emotional challenge. A big part of the test is battling to keep your focus throughout all 7 sections of the test. There will be certain questions you get that will make you feel like crap, but you have to stay on your game. It also helped that I had transitioned into timed question blocks because I was able to pace myself much better during the test.

 

[SIQ]

Score >250. Here's what I used (not in any particular order):
USMLE World, Robbins Review of Patholgy, Rapid Review: Pathology, Rapid Review: Biochemistry, FA (2009).

One of my good friends got >270 and I know the sources he used so if there's anyone looking to destroy this test PM me and I can share his secret.

 

[Mortal_Lessons]

Summited today. I've been using this forum (and recently this thread) for a while now and thought I'd share my experience.

I'm a US allopathic student and spent approximately 7 weeks studying with a 1 week travel interruption.

Pre-test:
Qbanks:
Kaplan Q-bank (100 % complete): 78% (subject-specific, timed)- I started using this over winter break after having won a subscription. I answered subject-specific questions along with the remaining blocks left in school, as well as during my dedicated summer study time.
USMLEWorld (100 % complete): 80% (random, timed, unused)- I started this during the last 4 weeks of my study time after having gone through the subjects.

Practice Tests:
NBME 3: 560/236: I took this with approximately 3 weeks left of school.
NBME 4: 670/260: I took this approximately 3 weeks into my dedicated study time.
NBME 5: 660/258: I took this approximately 5 weeks into my dedicated study time.
NBME 6: 720/271: I took this approximately 6 weeks into my dedicated study time. (1 week before the test)
Free 150: 93 %/266 (per medfriends calculator): 6 days before the test.
UWSA 2: 800/265+ (I got antsy): 2 days before the test.

Overall, I went through the first half of FA (basic principles) and annotated HY Embryology, HY Behavioral Sciences, and RR Biochemistry into it. I also read the Immunology portion of Levinson. I then went through the second half of FA (organ systems) and annotated Goljan and HY Neuroanatomy into it. I was concurrently answering questions in Kaplan Q-Bank related to the subject of the day.

Afterwards, I purchased a subscription to UWorld and answered questions everyday (~3-5 blocks) with annotation into FA.
UWorld is the best and I highly recommend it. Kaplan Qbank was useful for hammering in some of the fine details but might be a little overkill if you're already reading through the material.

In general, the most important thing is learning the material well during your first two years of medical school. There's really no way around it. Aside from that, FA + USMLE World is excellent. Also, you'll be sure to see very similar (if not duplicated) questions from the NBMEs on the real exam. There wasn't anything on my exam that wasn't covered within these two sources (aside from a few questions I don't imagine seeing in any review source).

Test:
Overall, it was very fair. I think it was most similar in style to NBME 6. After having reading some of the early experience posts, I was expecting a lot more long-winded clinical vignettes with lots of lab values (there were some but not a ridiculous number). There were many straight-up questions that you'll come across in FA and USMLE World. I left the exam feeling well overall but am definitely apprehensive about several I'm sure I missed. In terms of timing, I had approximately 10-15 minutes left at the end of each section (I'm an average test taker) and my sequence was: 2 blocks/short break/2 blocks/longer break/1 block/break/1 block/break/1 block.

Post-test:
I'll update this section soon (hopefully).

Thanks again for making this thread so useful during this important time in our careers.

 

[ENThopeful]

i vote mortal lessons for the most intense and one of the brightest on sdn... holy smokes those test scores are awesome.

 

[supersleuthMD11]

NBME 6, after 2 weeks: 223
Free 150: 85%
NBME 5, two weeks out: 244
NBME 4, one week out: 241
UW: High 60%, but heavily weighted towards the start of my studying (was getting 70s consistently by the end)

Real Deal: 245/99

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

i would do goljan before DIT. cause he doesnt explain much in DIT, just helps you memorize it. i found i knew the material somewhat but didnt have strategy for studying. goljan to understand everything, then DIT to hammer in the info really helped me in my practice scores. then i did UWorld a 2nd time and that took it to the next level..

Right. I was thinking about taking 1 week off following my COMLEX. Then taking NBME 3 to see where I stood. Then, subscribe to UWorld and begin doing as many Qs (timed, random) and supplement with FA and Goljan (w/e I miss and don't understand from explanations). I'd do that for the 1st month. Then the 2nd month - I'd do DIT ... and continue with UW (with FA/Goljan supplementation) and those quizzes he apparently gives. Then I'd take the DIT diagnostic and a week later the NBME 6, and soon after take the USMLE. I've never been good with studying in general for standardized exams (or that's how I feel) ... so let me know if this plan sounds good or is a horrible idea. You, or anyone else with amazing scores that is. Thanks!

 

[Whats_up_doc]

i vote mortal lessons for the most intense and one of the brightest on sdn... holy smokes those test scores are awesome.

He probably teached the USMLE Step 1 a mortal lesson by killing it.

 

[WAOZA]

Started looking at review books in January, but didnt go XXX hardcore until about March. My test was mid June, which our school only gave us less than 4 weeks to prepare after our last final exam.

Resources:

1)Uworld (random and timed) = 65% (approx)-->> BEST RESOURCE EVER!!
2)RR Path
3)BRS Path
4)BRS Physio
5)RR Biochem
6)USMLE Road Map (anatomy)
7)First AID (Tried to memorize word for word.. good enough for pharm and micro)---however, if u use this as your only source, you are screwed.. imo of course
8) HY Behavioral Science (used only for the shelf exam)

Did no NBMEs due to time and I heard they were pretty useless anyway. If anything, use it as a confidence booster. If you havent done an NBME with 1 week to go, I would recommend to not do one at all.

Honestly, after coming out of the exam, I felt I got hit by a train and thought I failed. My test was WAY harder than UWorld. It was like I was guessing about 50% of the exam. The best way you could study for this exam is to destroy 1st and 2nd year because many of the questions came randomly out of stuff I remembered from my class notes. Obviously, you have to use resources like the ones above to review high yield material, but try not to use so many for one subject, as you could spread yourself too thin with the amount of study time you have.

Also, make sure you do nothing Step I related during the day before the exam. There is really nothing you can do at that point. Oh yeah, don't bother reading material during your exam day breaks. You will just stress yourself out and it MAY do more harm than good.

Real deal... 249/99

 

[Colposcope]

Pretty much just studied from FA and UW.
Final UW %: 66 (timed, random, started in 50's, ended up in 70's).
NBME1: 236 (3.5 weeks prior)
NBME2: 242 (3 weeks prior)
UW1: 252 (2.5 weeks prior)
NBME3: 255 (2 weeks prior)
NBME4: 253 (10 days prior)
Free 150: 90% (7 days prior)
NBME5: 255
NBME6: 251 (taken right after 5, 3 days prior)

Actual: 257

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Right. I was thinking about taking 1 week off following my COMLEX. Then taking NBME 3 to see where I stood. Then, subscribe to UWorld and begin doing as many Qs (timed, random) and supplement with FA and Goljan (w/e I miss and don't understand from explanations). I'd do that for the 1st month. Then the 2nd month - I'd do DIT ... and continue with UW (with FA/Goljan supplementation) and those quizzes he apparently gives. Then I'd take the DIT diagnostic and a week later the NBME 6, and soon after take the USMLE. I've never been good with studying in general for standardized exams (or that's how I feel) ... so let me know if this plan sounds good or is a horrible idea. You, or anyone else with amazing scores that is. Thanks!

Any further advice? Good or bad idea?

 

[blackpager]

Thought I would share some thoughts on my Step 1 experience.

About me:
Top 10 school, very busy with lots of extracurriculars, always scored at the average on my school's exams
SAT 1430, MCAT 35
Goal was 240+
Spent 6 1/2 weeks studying extremely intensely
Score = 255

First Aid was my bible - I suggest you make it yours as well. I bought a 2008 edition and had it three-hole punched and thought this method was HORRIBLE so I bought the 2009 when it came out and had it spiral bound after taking out the waste pages in the front. There is more than enough white space on the pages so you definitely don't need to 3-hole punch for extra paper.

Did all of USMLEworld (excellent) and 78% of Kaplan (useful but not as good)
I started World in February and did 15-20 questions every few nights during the week correlating with the organ system we were studying. When studying came around I did 48 or 96 a night by organs systems. Then I started up my Kaplan subscription and did those on random. I liked having one qbank for organs system and one for random, and during the few weeks when the subscriptions overlapped I would do 48 from one and 48 from the other. World was overall better, but I did like that Kaplan gave page references to FA.

I had Goljan RR Path but did not make much use of it. I listened to Goljan audio 3 times in total, once over winter break, 2nd time during the 2nd semester usually while working out, and 3rd time during boards again mostly when I would run but also occasionally with meals or between home and library. It was hell on earth to study like this non-stop, but it was worth it to me to get the score I wanted. Definitely listen to Goljan audio!

I was usually up around 8, library or Starbucks (I owe them at least 15 of my points) at 9, sometimes a lunch break with classmates but often brought food with me and kept studying through lunch, then more studying until 4 or 5. Went for a run on some study days, other days took a brief break and cooked dinner. During the morning/afternoon I studied FA with extreme intensity, writing and writing and writing on scratch paper until things made sense to me, and I often had something supplemental to look up things that didn't make sense (i.e. Lilly for cardio, CMMRS for micro, UpToDate or occasionally Wikipedia) but those materials were only if I got stuck and not something I utilized to a great extent. I was usually done with dinner by 7:30 or 8 and then would do 2 blocks of questions; World I did by organ system untimed, and Kaplan I did random timed. Often studied until a few minutes before I went to sleep - like I said, it was absolute hell, but I feel like it paid off.

Final note is that I highly recommend making a schedule in advance and sticking to it. I took 4 NBME tests, one a week and reviewed afterwards with some friends, and I also took the 2 Uworld assessments back-to-back about 10 days before my test. I scheduled a "catch-up" day after every exam day, and then I took the number of days I had between the end of school and my vacation and divided the pages in FA by the number of days to create my daily goal of what to get through. Some days it was too much and I spilled over, other days it was less than filled my time and I got to chill out a bit. I did two rounds of FA, first time through about 12 pages per day, and then a second time in the 10 days before the test about 50 pages per day. The first slow round was helpful for me to really ensure that I understood the concepts, and the second round was helpful for cramming in all those crazy facts that we're expected to know. This was a good strategy for me and I recommend it to anyone who has a very high goal.

NBME1 = 83% (literally the % I got right on the pirated PDF version b/c I was not about to pay those fools at NBME to give me a grade after I already paid $500 for a test I didn't want to take)
NBME2 = 85%
NBME3 = 91.5%
NBME4 = 89.5% (I remember this being higher but my calculation just now suggests this was it... oh well)

Uworld 1 = 256
Uworld 2 = 253
My Uworld tests were nearly exactly predictive of my score.

Uworld qbank overall (organ system untimed) = 68%
Kaplan qbank overall (random timed) = 73%
(my range on Kaplan was 60%-90% and it fluctuated a lot from day to day; don't freak out about that)

This is buried so far down on a crazy long thread that I'll be surprised if many people read it, but just in case someone gets to this before starting 2nd year then my recommendation for 2nd year studying is:
- Take time for extracurriculars; the board score is just a number but the things you do outside of the library are truly valuable
- Take time for exercise, partying, friends, family and sleep (in any order you prefer)
- Read Robbins, preferably before you start the organ system (I often read along with the lectures but the few times I read before we started I got way more out of the lectures/workshops)
- Go to lecture, review the notes when you get home, and make the most of your education
- Read Goljan RR by the end of the organ system (I didn't do this but in retrospect with that I had)
- Do the Robbins Review questions and go over them with a friend
- As you do all these studying things, write A LOT and always ask yourself questions about what you have just read. It is easy to read something and think that you understand it, so you have to ensure that you have learned something and not simply seen a bunch of words with your eyeballs. Test yourself as often as possible, make flashcards, etc etc.
- Last point: take everything you hear from anyone else with a major grain of salt. You know yourself better than anyone, and anonymous advice from SDN or advice from a "trusted upperclassman" is not necessarily good advice. It might be good advice, but try not to accept everything you hear as gospel. Some people gave me great tips but many people had no clue what they were talking about and caused me some problems.

Final thought: I didn't work very hard 1st year, I worked fairly hard 2nd year, and I worked harder than I imagined I ever could during boards study. It's not for everyone, but my view is that several weeks of nonstop intensity are well worth the peace of mind knowing that my board score will be an asset to my application and not a roadblock. Remember not to gloat over classmates who scored lower because people are sensitive about this exam. Thanks for reading, and good luck!

 

[Vonsmack]

So I am your typical average med student from a public state school. I studied enough to get by first year, but I studied pretty hard 2nd year. Got a 9 month discounted Kaplan Qbank so I used that along with my classes along with BRS phys, BRS Gross Anatomy, Goljan RR Path/Audio, and Robbins Path Questions.
I only had a little less than 4 weeks to study due to moving and planned vacation before 3rd year. It took me two weeks to get through all the material and annotate it into First Aid. I also used HY Cell bio, RR Biochem, CMMRS, Levinsons Immuno. I also did Qbank questions along with each subject I was studying. After the first pass, I took NBME 4.

NBME 4 - 214
That was a tougher test, and I was not used to the format or types of questions tested. At this point I started my second pass and UWorld. After about a week I finished my second pass and took NBME 2

NBME 2- 226
Way easier form, plus I think UW prepared me more for the format. I had about a week left and I entered cram mode. I went through the systems that I scored lower on one more time. My last 3 days consisted of cramming pharm and micro from FA. I did not take a break the day before my test because I felt I couldn't afford it, I still had cramming to do. I was planning on taking another NBME, but I didn't think I had the time plus I wanted to go into the think with confidence.

Step 1- 236/99
The best thing I did was cram pharm and micro right before the test. They were tested pretty heavily and those subjects were still fresh on my mind. The worst thing I did was only finish 50% UW. I feel that if I had another week to study-I could've cleaned up some more weak spots and finished up UW. I think my score would've gone up another 5-10 points. I am very satisfied though with my score. I worked pretty hard over those 4 weeks, and if I can pull off a decent score than any of you can- you just have to put in the blood, sweat, and tears and it will pay off.

 

[doc4Jesus]

Hey guys...I have been reading this thread for a while now and it has really helped me in preparation for this exam so I felt as though I needed to add my experience in hopes that it would help someone else...

A little about me...I have studied pretty hard the past two years and have done well in school. As someone earlier mentioned, there is NO REPLACEMENT for working hard before studying for boards. With that said here are a few scores that I had leading up to the exam:
After finals (3.5 weeks to exam): NBME 6: 212
1 week in: UWSA 1 : 226
2 weeks in: UWSA 2: 236
UW: started around 60% and finished with a combined 65% (timed, random, 1st time through)
NBME 5 (5 days before): 231

The Experience: The exam was much easier than UW but harder than NBME. All in all if you are used to UW you will be happy with these questions. IMPORTANT: In school, I would finish all my exams probably in the top 5 (in terms of time) out of 100...I take exams very quickly. On random UW blocks of 48 I would finish with 20 MINUTES left. On the real thing there were 3 blocks that I BARELY FINISHED. MAKE SURE YOU ARE USED TO THE TIME FRAME. The clinical scenarios can be very long but there are key words within them that throw up red flags so read quickly but don't skip through them. YOU CAN STUDY ALL YOU WANT AND KNOW EVERYTHING BUT IF YOU DON'T MANAGE YOUR TIME ALL THAT KNOWLEDGE WILL BE USELESS FOR THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU DID NOT GET TO SPEND ADEQUATE TIME ON.

The exam was very well written...all fair questions...there were both VERY in depth questions and very easy questions that people not in med school could answer. Be prepared for anything by being prepared to think! Don't expect to know everything going into this exam but your knowledge should be able to guide you through answers that are obviously wrong and answers that might be right.

Here is my advice: If you are a memorizer...BEWARE of this exam. This exam is about thinking. MEMORIZING FA if you don't understand what you are memorizing is a WASTE OF TIME. Probably less than 10% of my exam involved regurgitating a random fact. The rest of the exam was pure application. FA + Goljan + UW = success!! There is no doubt about this. There is a thread somewhere else but these three things are all you need if 230-260 is an ok score for you.
The best advice that I can give is to use FA as your resource of the major topics that you SHOULD know. Go through Goljan annotating into FA ALL OF HIS BLUE NOTES (probably 50 questions on my exam straight from here). Make sure you do ALL of UW questions AND UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GOT QUESTIONS WRONG. When you are finished if you were to do another random block of 48 you should easily break 90%...or you didn't learn from your mistakes. ANNOTATE IMPORTANT FACTS FROM UW INTO FA AS YOU READ EXPLANATIONS.

I spent around 3.5 weeks preparing for this and I felt as though this was plenty of time (granted I am only shooting for a 220-250). So if you want to be efficient with your time...don't study things that you already know...study things that you dont' know (i.e. don't memorize sections in FA that you are already solid on).

THE WEEK BEFORE THE EXAM: NO NEW RESOURCES, plan your time accordingly and study the high yield facts that you annotated into FA. UNDERSTAND THEM!! Be able to think through how the patient would present, how you would treat them, etc. If you haven't annotated Goljan into FA...THE LAST WEEK MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT HIS BLUE NOTES AND BLUE BOXES. These are very high yield and a lot of them are not in FA.

a quick note: I know two people who scored around 260 using ONLY UW AND FA...so when people say focus your time on these resources, this is why.

I hope this has helped at least someone...I will be praying for you all to do well and to have peace through this experience. If there are any other questions you have, feel free to ask me.

Step 1: 236/99

 

[ENThopeful]

I can finally post in this thread. Thank goodness I'm D O N E, although it hasn't hit me yet.... I dont think.

Sources used:
Anatomy - Road maps (don't bother with this book, wasted time reading it)
Immuno - Lange - I would recommend this book as a general guideline to understanding. Annotate what you need but don't dwell on it. It took me 2 days to finish.
Micro - MMRS - don't bother.
Biochem - Kaplan - HIGHLY recommend this book. It is well written and well thought out. It took me a second read to full understand this book.
Path - Goljan - very mixed. I listened to all the tapes and he was the center of my universe for a bit, but really, he isn't as high yield as before. Path is much less important as it was in 02, I would suggest not reading it 4 times like I did.
Behavior - BRS - quick read, don't dwell
Cell bio - 1999 - don't bother.
Embryo - high yield - don't bother.
Physio - costanzo big and small - I didn't have a good grasp on physio so I read both. But I did it pretty far out from my test date. I dont regret doing it so early, as the physio on my test was either stupidly hard or ridiculously easy.
FA 2009, DIT, UWorld - these were my best resources.

UWorld - 70% completed first run through, 87% second run through, mid-high 80s during the last few blocks of my first run through.
NBME-230 3 months out, 242 1 month out, 250 1 month out, I can't remember the exact dates or forms.
UWSA - 261 2 weeks, 263 1 week
Free 150 - 250 according to the converter. Did this 3 months out.. stupid decision should have saved it to the end.

I am no superstar and my first ever practice test was a whopping 200. I had to really bust my ass to get scores like above, but in the end, I'm glad I did. Work hard and good things should come.. My scores in school fluctuate, my first year was rough, my second year I was pretty safe in the upper quartile. I didn't have a solid grasp on any concept and really didn't enjoy lectures at all. Hopefully my work pays of.. we will see in a few weeks!

My test was very weird to say the least. I had tons of neuro anatomy, and tons of cell bio, very little pharm. I got most of the cell bio from reading first aid, and from resources on the internet. The thing that was so weird about my test, was that most of it was very single step reasoning - either you know it or you don't. tons of seemingly not high yield facts that you quickly expunge out of your mind showed up on my test, ESP with neuroanatomy. I brought my neuro book with me so I was able to look them up over break (I wouldnt recommend this if you freak out easily). I had 2-3 questions like that, where I looked them up and I thought to myself, "Well... got that wrong". Nothing like UWorld where they force you to think. I am pretty unsure how I did. I went through it so fast with 15 minutes left in the first 2 blocks. Im pretty worried I made tons of careless mistakes. If I could give advice, its to anyone, its to read slowly. At least for my test, they had tons of those very very tricky questions not seen in world. You can easily make a mistake if you don't read the question carefully.

My saving grace I think was doing world a 2nd time. I really began to understand how to answer questions, etc. I had about 4-5 questions per block I had flat out no idea, 10-12 I was unsure of because of the weird way they asked the question. Most of the questions I had were literally straight out of left field, not major concepts, just things you can easily read over when you are preparing.

I am hoping Im just another statistic and my practice scores play out. Seems the UWSA are predictive.. I guess we will see in a few weeks. I would like to thank DwayneWade, BluntDissector, GMSmithers, and anyone else who put up with my stupid questions! Feel free to PM me whatever question you have: I asked a ton, and its time for me to give back!

In any case, good luck everyone. Its a tough test, but not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Stay strong, focused and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Always have confidence in the work you did, and remind yourself that you worked to the best of your ability. Do what you are supposed to do, and things will work out (hopefully).

edit: score report came back and did very well! exceeded my expectations. i cant post the exact score cause my identity has been made aware but its greater than 90th percentile.

 

[ENThopeful]

He probably teached the USMLE Step 1 a mortal lesson by killing it.

no joke!

 

[KYMedGuy2011]

Free 150 (my very first day of studying): 75%
NBME 1 (half-way through studying): low 240's
NBME 2 (one week from test): 253
Actual: 255 (taken on 6/12)

My school has cumulative finals which forced me to re-assemble everything in my mind the last 3-4 weeks of school before I actually started studying for "the" test.

For my studying I organized everything around FA. I did Biochem (using Lippincot), Micro (using Ridiculously Simple), and Immuno (using BRS) first. In the review texts for these subjects I normally stuck to sections that only pertained to what was in FA.

For organ systems, I went through them in the same order as in FA. For each system, I read the corresponding sections in BRS Path, Pharm, and Physio. I'm not sure BRS Pharm was that helpful but Path and Physio were for me.

I also used High Yield Gross Anatomy a few times (but didn't spend too much time with it) and I used High Yield Neuroanatomy as my text for neuro (used it pretty frequently).

I spent 2-3 weeks going through everything in FA once (using the method above) and then I spent my next couple of weeks going through FA twice more (each time more rapid and with the review texts still handy) for a total of 3 times. For me, I think getting through everything in FA at least 3 times was crucial. I spent just under 5 weeks reviewing.

Biggest piece of advice: Find what review texts work for you and use them. Sounds simple but it can be very stressful hearing other people in your class (or on here) swear by something that you aren't using or even knew existed. Try to tune it out after you've found a text that is working well for you, and don't hesitate to drop something that isn't.

 

[KYMedGuy2011]

Free 150 (my very first day of studying): 75%
NBME 1 (half-way through studying): low 240's
NBME 2 (one week from test): 253
Actual: 255 (taken on 6/12)

My school has cumulative finals which forced me to re-assemble everything in my mind the last 3-4 weeks of school before I actually started studying for "the" test.

For my studying I organized everything around FA. I did Biochem (using Lippincot), Micro (using Ridiculously Simple), and Immuno (using BRS) first. In the review texts for these subjects I normally stuck to sections that only pertained to what was in FA.

For organ systems, I went through them in the same order as in FA. For each system, I read the corresponding sections in BRS Path, Pharm, and Physio. I'm not sure BRS Pharm was that helpful but Path and Physio were for me.

I also used High Yield Gross Anatomy a few times (but didn't spend too much time with it) and I used High Yield Neuroanatomy as my text for neuro (used it pretty frequently).

I spent 2-3 weeks going through everything in FA once (using the method above) and then I spent my next couple of weeks going through FA twice more (each time more rapid and with the review texts still handy) for a total of 3 times. For me, I think getting through everything in FA at least 3 times was crucial. I spent just under 5 weeks reviewing.

Biggest piece of advice: Find what review texts work for you and use them. Sounds simple but it can be very stressful hearing other people in your class (or on here) swear by something that you aren't using or even knew existed. Try to tune it out after you've found a text that is working well for you, and don't hesitate to drop something that isn't.

I also used U-world. My average at the end was in the upper 60s I believe (after starting out in the low 50s). I recommend doing questions from all areas (not just ones you've reviewed) from the start as you can better follow your progress that way, but everyone is different. I finished the qbank with 3 days left on my subscription and I spent those last few days going over missed questions in areas I was still having problems in (this seemed to be high-yield for me). I didn't do either of the U-world practice exams.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Free 150 (my very first day of studying): 75%
NBME 1 (half-way through studying): low 240's
NBME 2 (one week from test): 253
Actual: 255 (taken on 6/12)

My school has cumulative finals which forced me to re-assemble everything in my mind the last 3-4 weeks of school before I actually started studying for "the" test.

For my studying I organized everything around FA. I did Biochem (using Lippincot), Micro (using Ridiculously Simple), and Immuno (using BRS) first. In the review texts for these subjects I normally stuck to sections that only pertained to what was in FA.

For organ systems, I went through them in the same order as in FA. For each system, I read the corresponding sections in BRS Path, Pharm, and Physio. I'm not sure BRS Pharm was that helpful but Path and Physio were for me.

I also used High Yield Gross Anatomy a few times (but didn't spend too much time with it) and I used High Yield Neuroanatomy as my text for neuro (used it pretty frequently).

I spent 2-3 weeks going through everything in FA once (using the method above) and then I spent my next couple of weeks going through FA twice more (each time more rapid and with the review texts still handy) for a total of 3 times. For me, I think getting through everything in FA at least 3 times was crucial. I spent just under 5 weeks reviewing.

Biggest piece of advice: Find what review texts work for you and use them. Sounds simple but it can be very stressful hearing other people in your class (or on here) swear by something that you aren't using or even knew existed. Try to tune it out after you've found a text that is working well for you, and don't hesitate to drop something that isn't.

Congrats, KY. I'm guessing we go to school together

 

[bluntdissector]

I am hoping Im just another statistic and my practice scores play out. Seems the UWSA are predictive.. I guess we will see in a few weeks. I would like to thank DwayneWade, BluntDissector, GMSmithers, and anyone else who put up with my stupid questions! Feel free to PM me whatever question you have: I asked a ton, and its time for me to give back!

In any case, good luck everyone. Its a tough test, but not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Stay strong, focused and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Always have confidence in the work you did, and remind yourself that you worked to the best of your ability. Do what you are supposed to do, and things will work out (hopefully).

My pleasure, just glad I could give something back to the people on this forum, who helped me so SO much!

I'm sure you'll do well, if you don't then the system is messed up!

 

[PBandJ]

I took the exam yesterday (6/30). It feels fabulous to be done. It's been a long 6 weeks...plus around 2 months beforehand preparing for shelf exams and finals.

My approach:
Books --> First Aid, Goljan RR Path, Goljan Biochem (only had time to look at a few pathways and charts), BRS Physio, and High Yield Neuro. I had a bunch of other books around for reference, but I really only used these 5.
Questions:
UWorld (completed 84%, average 66%, 70% on the last 10 blocks)
Kaplan (completed 45%, avg 69%; most of that was preparing for my path shelf exam)
NBME 1 (beginning of study period): 220
UWSA 1 (3 weeks prior): 232
Free 150 (1 week prior): 84% (medfriends estimates 247)

I mapped out a schedule by introductory topics (biochem, embryo, pharm, micro, immuno) and systems (cardio, resp, ...). I dedicated 3-4 days to each topic (or less if I felt necessary, like musculoskeletal). For my shelf prep, I had already read through Goljan RR Path at least twice, and I had listened to the audio twice too.
Throughout my organ system study time, I incorporated the relevant First Aid sections, read through Goljan again (and listened to the audio again), and read BRS Physio.
I am so glad I listened to the upperclassmen at my school and bought UWorld. I bought Kaplan back in January, and I was kind of unsatisfied by the quality of the explanations. I did a 1 month subscription to UWorld and it was definitely the best thing I could do to prep for this exam. It really got me used to the 2nd and 3rd order question style, and it's a great learning tool (especially for topics not covered in First Aid).

In general, I thought the exam was pretty fair. The questions were significantly shorter and less complex than UWorld, but I still felt like it was really great preparation. The questions were more like NBME 1 and some of the harder questions from the free 150. It might have been worth it to pay for a few more NBME exams, since I'm sure some of the topics were similar, but all in all I really don't feel too bad about it.

If any one has questions, feel free to PM me. Since I don't have to start 3rd year now, I'm on vacation for 3 weeks, woohoo!! Good luck to those who have yet to take it. The best advice I got right before the test is that this is all about YOUR hard work and showing what you know, so don't be nervous...just show your stuff!

Real deal: 244/99! i am so stoked!!

 

[Deferoxamine]

just got my scores...244/99! i am so stoked.

Nice work, and way to represent for the June crowd!

 

[bluntdissector]

just got my scores...244/99! i am so stoked.

Congrats! I'm SO glad you got your score, that means I only have to wait a week!

 

[SeminoleFan3]

Congrats, PBandJ!