Official 2010 USMLE Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[FMD212]

Good luck all. I have my exam end of March and hope to be the 1st one to post here for 2010.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[coxsackie]

I dont think USMLERx is a complete waste of time...I too had a friend who had given me her last 3 months to use since she was done with them. I noticed they were simpler than World but I feel that for me at least the difficulty level of USMLERX matched the actual exam than World did. World gives you the content ofcourse and Rx has the content but the questions are easier and when taking the actual exam I felt the questions were so much easier than World and somewhat the same with USMLERx. I didnt go through all of Rx but made use of it when I wanted more questions on a particular system that I was weak in.

doing more questions wont necessarily hurt you unless you have no extra time to spare

Ok that's good, i think that's what i wanted to hear. Thank you!

 

[match2011]

Hi, Coxsachie

I just began my 2nd round of UW and I can not get all the questions right. I am combining the UW and Rx together to fit into FA.

match 2011: It was more like 2 and a half...after i saw the questions repeating themselves..there was no point to keep doing them..i was getting them all right...

 

[coxsackie]

Hi, Coxsachie

I just began my 2nd round of UW and I can not get all the questions right. I am combining the UW and Rx together to fit into FA.

Good luck studying today..i'm having one of those days where i just can't study today!! aaah.. you will get them all correct eventually.. my 2nd round was just doing all the incorrect ones

 

[physics junkie]

Guys, this is a scores and experiences thread. Please don't clutter it with chit chat and questions about question banks and studying. Make your own thread or post in another existing thread.

 

[coxsackie]

Guys, this is a scores and experiences thread. Please don't clutter it with chit chat and questions about question banks and studying. Make your own thread or post in another existing thread.

Yes, we are talking about our studying experience...it will help someone out there. It's easy to weed out what you are looking for in this forum. Who made you the forum police? Honestly!!!

 

[pranav22]

eshas are very very wrong. A dude called Sarim made a correct answer sheet.

Can you please e-mail that to me, ([email protected])
Thank you

 

[macabi]

So... Any last minute suggestion on which nbme form would be a good one to start with? Thanks!

 

[coxsackie]

Can you please e-mail that to me, ([email protected])
Thank you

Hey he sent it to me a while ago..i emailed it to you.

 

[coxsackie]

So... Any last minute suggestion on which nbme form would be a good one to start with? Thanks!

1 2 and 3 are the more "easier" ones...4 5 6 and 7 are a bit "harder". From what i've looked into about NBME's..they say to do one from the easier ones, and another form the more harder ones. Then, take the average of that. So, start with either 1 2 or 3.

 

[macabi]

1 2 and 3 are the more "easier" ones...4 5 6 and 7 are a bit "harder". From what i've looked into about NBME's..they say to do one from the easier ones, and another form the more harder ones. Then, take the average of that. So, start with either 1 2 or 3.

Thank you!
Is it worth it to pay the extra $15 to have the answers?

 

[coxsackie]

Thank you!
Is it worth it to pay the extra $15 to have the answers?

Yea, I think so...since they're saying that some questions get repeated

 

[ikimoh]

So... Any last minute suggestion on which nbme form would be a good one to start with? Thanks!

I did 6 and 7 (those were the ones where they offered you the ability to see answers you got wrong if you paid the extra 15)...dont know if they were harder than the first 5 but from those two alone at least 5 pictures/questions were on my actual exam and the score I got on form 7 was my exact score so for me it was an exact guesstimator

 

[ikimoh]

Thank you!
Is it worth it to pay the extra $15 to have the answers?

For me it was worth it because I made use of it. I looked up the answers to the questions I got wrong and of course learned or reviewed whatever concept I didnt quite have a grasp on. Definitely glad I did that because majority of the repeated questions that I saw on my actual exam were the ones I got wrong on the practice forms. Since I went over those questions seeing them again was definitely not new and having gone over the information and figuring out the right answer (using multiple sources) alone gave me buffer.

 

[macabi]

I appreciate it. Will do it today after doing my little memorization routine. Hehe hope it works. Thanks again.

 

[Noone123i]

For me it was worth it because I made use of it. I looked up the answers to the questions I got wrong and of course learned or reviewed whatever concept I didnt quite have a grasp on. Definitely glad I did that because majority of the repeated questions that I saw on my actual exam were the ones I got wrong on the practice forms. Since I went over those questions seeing them again was definitely not new and having gone over the information and figuring out the right answer (using multiple sources) alone gave me buffer.

How many of the questions were repeated on your actual exam? And from exactly which forms did they come from (NBME 7 or 6 or 5 or the earlier ones)? Thanks for your help!

 

[sumyounguy]

does anyone know if there is a way to reset a 3 month uw membership? I know you get one reset on the 6 month but has anyone emailed uw and gotten a reset?

 

[WhiteHatDoc]

anyone take the test on sept 26th? know when the scores gonna come out for that?

 

[ikimoh]

How many of the questions were repeated on your actual exam? And from exactly which forms did they come from (NBME 7 or 6 or 5 or the earlier ones)? Thanks for your help!

not many at all I'd say around 5 or 6 questions. I only did forms 6 and 7 and saw repeats from both exams. It could have been more repeats but the ones I noticed as repeats were of course the ones I got wrong on the practice form and went over.

 

[macabi]

Just finished my first NBME 4 form.
Not too bad...
227/520
My eligibility period expires in 3 weeks. I think i'll push it to have a couple more weeks. Aiming for 240. What do you think?
Currently finished my 2nd review of FA. But need to listen goljan once or twice more. And plan to go through margin blue notes too. Still got >50% of uw questions available. I feel my weakest subject as shown by the performance has been biochem/molecular bio, pharm, and neuro(not weak on nbme but need to see more pics!)
Any particular recommendations. Thanks!

 

[elelith]

I dont think USMLERx is a complete waste of time...I too had a friend who had given me her last 3 months to use since she was done with them. I noticed they were simpler than World but I feel that for me at least the difficulty level of USMLERX matched the actual exam than World did. World gives you the content ofcourse and Rx has the content but the questions are easier and when taking the actual exam I felt the questions were so much easier than World and somewhat the same with USMLERx. I didnt go through all of Rx but made use of it when I wanted more questions on a particular system that I was weak in.

doing more questions wont necessarily hurt you unless you have no extra time to spare

Do you mind telling us your actual Step 1 score? Thanks

 

[macabi]

Just finished my first NBME 4 form.
Not too bad...
227/520
My eligibility period expires in 3 weeks. I think i'll push it to have a couple more weeks. Aiming for 240. What do you think?
Currently finished my 2nd review of FA. But need to listen goljan once or twice more. And plan to go through margin blue notes too. Still got >50% of uw questions available. I feel my weakest subject as shown by the performance has been biochem/molecular bio, pharm, and neuro(not weak on nbme but need to see more pics!)
Any particular recommendations. Thanks!

Does anyone have any suggestions for my current situation? I've been reviewing some of my weak biochm/ mol bio. Also doing around 100 uw qs per day and have bumped my % a lil from 63 to 65. Still got 34% of qs left most of which are path/pharm. Been listening to Goljan again too. Planning to take form 6 next week to see any improvements.
What do you guys think? Do i have a chance of getting >240 by the 1st wk in nov or should i move it another wk?
Thank you

 

[2012mdc]

Does anyone have any suggestions for my current situation? I've been reviewing some of my weak biochm/ mol bio. Also doing around 100 uw qs per day and have bumped my % a lil from 63 to 65. Still got 34% of qs left most of which are path/pharm. Been listening to Goljan again too. Planning to take form 6 next week to see any improvements.
What do you guys think? Do i have a chance of getting >240 by the 1st wk in nov or should i move it another wk?
Thank you

You can definitely increase 15-20 pts in 2-3 weeks if you are studying hard and hitting those weak areas like you said

 

[macabi]

You can definitely increase 15-20 pts in 2-3 weeks if you are studying hard and hitting those weak areas like you said

Thanks. That's what i was hoping to hear. needed a word to keep going.

 

[ikimoh]

Do you mind telling us your actual Step 1 score? Thanks

Took it June 7, 2010 Posted experience earlier but here's a shortened version
Studied with Goljan Path+ UWorld+USMLERx+FA for 4 weeks
I used miscellaneous books for reference
Goljan Biochem
BRS Path
HY Neuroanatomy
HY Gross Anatomy
BRS Behavioral Science
HY Biostat Review Book
Step Up to Step 1

Took Form 6 month out 212 (baseline)
Took UWSA Simulation#1 2 weeks out 235
Took NMBE Form 7 3 days out 244

Actual Exam 244/99

 

[Pink Candy]

Hey guys!!!! First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to all of u for doing such a great job in your USMLE!!! I wanted to ask for advice about my particular situation, since many of you seem to be very organized and have such great results. I finished my first year of med school, and did not start second year because I am pregnant and am due before I can take my finals in December, so I decided to take this year off. I am an average student, but I feel that I have forgotten a lot of the info that I learned during my first year. I just started reviewing pathology from the big Robbins, and is taking me a freaking long time because I am also taking notes. I feel that I am re-writing the book b/c I am afraid to leave out details that might be important later.

My question is: What can I be doing now to prepare myself for the 2nd year, and most importantly, to smoke the USMLE? Should I buy the review books are read them/take notes? Should I read/take notes directly from my textbooks?
Sooooo..... What should I do in these months that I have off to better prepare myself for 2nd year and the boards?

I really appreciate all of your inputs!!!! Feel free to PM me if u need to!!!!

 

[nomadicDOC]

hey pink candy
well you can do two things depending on which one you can get. 1. Get all second year lecture notes from a friend or from your school or 2. Get Kaplan material for step 1 with the videos and just watch all of them. If you have both options I would strongly advise the kaplan option because you won't get bored. basically it's like sitting in a lecture hall. If both these options are not there then buy RR path Goljan with his audio and read it multiple times. Make sure you buy FA and read multiple times. with this approach you will for sure get good grades in 2nd year and step1 too. hey maybe this pregnancy is a blessing in disguise. Perhaps God is giving you enough time to prep for step 1 and get super score. Take advantage of this opportunity. A lot of people don't get more than 6 weeks of prep time. gl.

 

[Pink Candy]

Thanks so much nomadicDOC for your input!!! Yes may it is a blessing in disguise, especially now that I found out that we will finish our second year in mid may, and they expect us to take the boards at the end of may, which is insane!!!!!

Do u think that using those books will be enough? or should I also study from the textbooks as well? Thanks a lot!!!

 

[macabi]

Thanks so much nomadicDOC for your input!!! Yes may it is a blessing in disguise, especially now that I found out that we will finish our second year in mid may, and they expect us to take the boards at the end of may, which is insane!!!!!

Do u think that using those books will be enough? or should I also study from the textbooks as well? Thanks a lot!!!

Hi,
I agree with nomadic. Those resources should be more than enough for you to learn the basics of medicine. I would only go to other texts if needed to clarify a specific subject in which you feel weak. Set your goal and get going. Sooner than later you'll know lots of stuff and things are going to start to make sense. Another point, if i were you i would start reviewing ob/gyn and peds since those are the subjects you can relate to most right now. At least that's my opinion.
Good luck! And happy pregnancy.

 

[Pink Candy]

Thanks macabi!!! My pregnancy is going super. I know that you will smoke step 1, Good luck!!!

 

[clarisa]

I graduated in 2002 can i take the step 1? I would like to make the residence in surgery

 

[physics junkie]

Yes, we are talking about our studying experience...it will help someone out there. It's easy to weed out what you are looking for in this forum. Who made you the forum police? Honestly!!!

The thread title is "Step 1 Experiences and Scores"...as in you report on your step 1 experience and score--not "post your experience studying". And yes, it was easy to weed out what you were looking for until people stopped caring about appropriately labeling discussion topics. The "forum police" echoed my sentiment in last year's 2009 thread btw.

Honestly!!

 

[coxsackie]

The thread title is "Step 1 Experiences and Scores"...as in you report on your step 1 experience and score--not "post your experience studying". And yes, it was easy to weed out what you were looking for until people stopped caring about appropriately labeling discussion topics. The "forum police" echoed my sentiment in last year's 2009 thread btw.

Honestly!!

LOL I'm not going to argue with someone I don't even know. But, whatever people talk about in this forum helps someone out there...That was all I was trying to say. Good luck dude

 

[rankin]

Can the people who have taken the exam tell me about their mindset on exam day?

Of course I know its good to be calm and maybe a bit anxious to get in the high performance zone of the anxiety performance curve but I can't help but think my whole life and tons of money are riding on this 1 exam? If I do bad on it I'm beyond screwed.

What was your thinking when you were going into the exam and during the exam etc?

Thanks!

 

[ikimoh]

The thread title is "Step 1 Experiences and Scores"...as in you report on your step 1 experience and score--not "post your experience studying". And yes, it was easy to weed out what you were looking for until people stopped caring about appropriately labeling discussion topics. The "forum police" echoed my sentiment in last year's 2009 thread btw.

Honestly!!

What has been said in this forum that hasn't touched based on experiences and scores? All I have read through this entire forum was just that, students experiences (i.e. recommended books, practice exams, tips during actual exam) and scores. I dont see anyone else talking about buying or selling cats, now that would have been off topic.
Me addressing your comment has nothing to do with STEP 1 scores and experiences. Now this you can get mad at.

 

[Joe Waitlist]

I'm going to frustrate the thread police with this question, but whatever....

Can anyone give me the rundown on the NBME practice exams? I've heard lots of conflicting opinions--some say they are great preparation because questions are repeated and others say they are a waste and expensive. Also, people often talk about incorrect answer keys floating around---do the NBMEs not show you what you missed and what the correct answers are? I'm confused and would appreciate any info.

Message me if you are afraid of thread police

 

[bbydoc]

I'm going to frustrate the thread police with this question, but whatever....

Can anyone give me the rundown on the NBME practice exams? I've heard lots of conflicting opinions--some say they are great preparation because questions are repeated and others say they are a waste and expensive. Also, people often talk about incorrect answer keys floating around---do the NBMEs not show you what you missed and what the correct answers are? I'm confused and would appreciate any info.

Message me if you are afraid of thread police

no, you wont get NBMEs with the right aswers. for a few extra bucks they will show you which questions you got wrong. you should have posted your question in a thread on its own, you would have gotten more replies and it would not have affected the nature of this thread, even posting it in the NBME thread would have given you more replies.

 

[physics junkie]

What has been said in this forum that hasn't touched based on experiences and scores? All I have read through this entire forum was just that, students experiences (i.e. recommended books, practice exams, tips during actual exam) and scores. I dont see anyone else talking about buying or selling cats, now that would have been off topic.
Me addressing your comment has nothing to do with STEP 1 scores and experiences. Now this you can get mad at.

I'm not just being a stick in a mud here. Proper organization of questions in to threads makes it easy to search for advice. There is a format laid down for these yearly threads that is exemplified by the first few pages of this thread. Posting in the wrong thread causes a few problems:

1) If I have a question chances are another person has the same question. It is easier to see the question in its own thread and allow a discussion to build over time.

2.) By 'hiding your question' in an inappropriately labeled thread you are less likely to get answers from people who can't see your question.

3.) It saves time for people looking for information. The 2009 thread was awesome because there was a density of information. Here, there is no density.

Some questions that deserved their own threads:

1752: If I want advice on what NBME form is best would I check the step1 experiences thread or one of the dedicated NBME threads?

1751: If I wanted advice on a qbank would I check a scores and experiences thread or any of the dedicated question bank threads?

1702: Is anyone taking step1 in september?

 

[sumyounguy]

So I took the test yesterday (oct. 24). I only slept 5-6 hours 2 nights before thinking that I will be really tired and will be able to sleep early the night before the test. Went to bed at 9 pm, tossed and turned until 1 am when I started getting scared so took a diphenhydramine and passed out around 2 am?

Woke up at 6 am and couldn't go back to sleep. I was tired as hell, sleepy (but couldn't sleep) and drowsy because of the diphen. Here I was thinking that I've already messed up the most important exam of my life before it had even started!

So, I head to the the testing center at 8:30 and pick up a 5hr energy drink on the way. I drank the 5hr before starting the exam at 9:30. Man am I glad I prepared for this thing well, because I was completely going by instinct and familiarity with having seen similar questions/scenarios on old nbmes/uworld because otherwise my brain was pretty much half dead.

I took a break between each and every block to go back to my locker and have a couple sips of red bull and some food If I was hungry. In the end I ended up finishing 3 red bulls, a 5hr and a couple chocolate bars along with a sandwich I had packed for lunch.

I think the test went well, specially considering the condition in which I took it in. I was happy to see about 4 word-to-word repeat questions from nbmes 6/7. I'd say overall it was exactly like nbmes 6/7 in terms of difficulty; certainly a lot easier than the uworld assessments.

Words of advice: get some benzos (or zolpidem?) just in case. It's funny because a couple days ago I was actually thinking about going to the doctor and getting some sleeping pills...

 

[watcher34]

Im just beginning my search for strategies for step 1 // reads like alot of good info available here // will definitely add my own experiences and info as i find it while preparing for step 1 // thanks!

 

[macabi]

Took form 6 today. Hell was it difficult! Certainly harder than form 4.
Scored 530/229 on this one. Not exactly what i planned but at least increased 10 from my previous (520/227).
I brushed on my weaknesess and bumped them up on this one but behavioral and hemat went down.
I'm still hopeful that i have enough time (2 wks) to score >240 or at least a 99!
Well i'm watching some Nba tonight.
Anyone has an idea of what should i do now?
Thanks

 

[TheCraic]

I used First Aid, Rapid Review Pathology and a couple of the high-yield books.

I went through about 70% of the USMLEworld questions and wish I'd done more.

NBME Form 6 - 218 (4 weeks out)
NBME Form 3 - 240 (2 weeks out)

Actual exam - 241/99

 

[jhaquett]

Hey everyone,

This forum helped me out a lot while I was preparing for Step 1, so I thought I would share my progress report with anyone who could potentially find it helpful/encouraging.

I used some of Goljan audio (just while driving or when I didn't want to read, I listened to maybe 40% of the available audio), I attempted to read through Goljan RR and found it to be a truly miserable book. I did DIT and found that after a while I really had little interest in paying attention to Brian or filling out his little quizzes.

In hindsight, the only part of my plan that I would probably do over again would be going through and annotating every question from Kaplan Qbank and USMLE World (maybe also USMLERX though I didn't use it) into the newest version of FA. Then read that FA a half dozen times. Doing practice exams was also helpful as a few of those questions showed up verbatim on my exam.

Anyway, my progress:

USMLE World First Pass (Finished w/ 3 weeks to go): 63%
Kaplan qbank first pass: 58%

First NBME comp from my school (July 1): 71% (~205)
Second NBME comp from my school (July 23): 69% (~199)
Kaplan Diagnostic (August 26th): 64% (~235)
NBME 6 (3.5 weeks before test): ~230 (did it offline)
UWSA1: 226 (2 weeks before test)
DIT Predictive Exam (10 days before test): 81% (239)
UWSA2: 234 (2 days before test)

Real Deal, taken on October 7th: 236/99

 

[somk]

I have been planning to take the Step 1 examination the week before Christmas. Now others are telling me that it is not a good idea to take the exam toward the end of the year, or for that matter at the beginning of the new year.
Thinking goes along the lines that the last questions available for the exam for not necessarily representative and the "poorer questions", the last ones remaining in the USMLE data base so to speak. Further, taking the exam early in the year exposes you to an unusual number of experimental questions that over the year will be weeded out.
Are these just rumors that have grown up around the test, or is there truth to the comments?

 

[ChimpanzeeMinky]

I have been planning to take the Step 1 examination the week before Christmas. Now others are telling me that it is not a good idea to take the exam toward the end of the year, or for that matter at the beginning of the new year.
Thinking goes along the lines that the last questions available for the exam for not necessarily representative and the "poorer questions", the last ones remaining in the USMLE data base so to speak. Further, taking the exam early in the year exposes you to an unusual number of experimental questions that over the year will be weeded out.
Are these just rumors that have grown up around the test, or is there truth to the comments?

I would suggest you disregard these comments. There is a big pool of questions from which they make the individual exams. They don't set certain questions as "good" and certain as "bad" and then prioritize the good ones for earlier exams. As the year progresses, different exams are created from different sets of questions. I am not sure how much variation there is between individual exams administered at the same time, but the important point is that the question set will be random at the beginning or end of the year.

Each exam is comprised of a certain number of experimental questions that do not affect your score. Even if the experimental questions per exam were to decrease through the year, as I'm pretty sure they don't, it would not have any affect on your score.

Thus, take the exam when you're ready. Early in the year or the week before New Years; what's going to make the difference is your preparedness.

 

[a winner is you]

I have been planning to take the Step 1 examination the week before Christmas. Now others are telling me that it is not a good idea to take the exam toward the end of the year, or for that matter at the beginning of the new year.
Thinking goes along the lines that the last questions available for the exam for not necessarily representative and the "poorer questions", the last ones remaining in the USMLE data base so to speak. Further, taking the exam early in the year exposes you to an unusual number of experimental questions that over the year will be weeded out.
Are these just rumors that have grown up around the test, or is there truth to the comments?

Those rumors are likely not true, but even if they are, the scoring is scaled based on your fellow test takers for those exact questions so in the end it doesn't matter how hard or easy the exam is.

 

[costalgroove]

This forum helped ease a lot of my anxiety and gave me confidence so I thought I would contribute.

07/01/10 Schools NBME BSE(comp) 220
08/11/10 Schools KAPLAN BSE(comp) 242
09/05/10 NBME Form #3 225
09/12/10 NBME Form #4 220
09/19/10 NBME Form #6 240
09/26/10 UWSA#1 256
09/27/10 Free 150 253
10/03/10 NBME Form #7 247
10/11/10 USMLE Step 1 245/99

and my MCAT was a 22 ( but I was a ER physician assistant before starting medical school)

I am a caribbean IMG in top 10% of my class. For prep I did Kaplan Q bank all 2nd year. I took 6 weeks to study for Step 1. During that time I finished UW q-bank with 71% (random, timed blocks). I also ran through FA once (slowly). I picked out certain sections in Kaplan lecture notes to read. I listened to Goljan audio on my runs 3-5x/week. Usually I would read through rapid review a little when I got back from my runs.

Looking back at the test, I finished all the blocks with 5-10 minutes/block. I marked 3-6 q/block. Questions that I had no clue on I didn't bother to mark. I thought my test was harder than Uworld. Perhaps this was because I thought UW was too predictable. I could usually read the first and last sentence of UW vignettes and in 5-10 sec pick out which one they wanted. NBME 6 and 7 were pretty similar to the real thing. Leaving the test I felt like I could have gotten anywhere from 210-260. I wish they gave immediate results.
3 weeks later got results.

Actual score 245/99
( I am satisfied/happy with my score, now on to clinicals)

 

[zoedog]

Recommendations for 2010 takers (from an '09 Step 1 taker):

My 3rd Yr peers and I are at that point where we are choosing which specialty to go for. I cannot stress this enough right now: KILL STEP 1. No questions asked, no whining, no "what ifs". Just do it. I was pleased with my 243 last year, but man I sure wish I had a 250+ to my name right about now. The competition for residencies is getting tougher than ever. When asking people since October about possibly applying for two semi-competitive to competitive specialties, whether it be a 4th year student, a resident, an attending, an advisor, etc., what's the one thing they've asked me right off the bat? What was your Step 1 score? This seems to be all anyone cares about, even once you're halfway thru 3rd year.

My point being this: Odds are you are going to have to sacrifice quite a bit to get the score you want. If you're dumb like me, you'll have to sacrifice even more than that. And you'll need to have all your bases covered... I could have destroyed Biostats, Endocrine, Micro, and Embryology on my exam and saw almost ZERO questions total from these 4 topics (not making this up). Afraid you might have a weak spot? Do not take the chance. Don't ask how, don't ask why. Just do it. The crap people give about "still having a life", etc. is meaningless for the 2 months before your exam, unless you are a genius. Otherwise, it simply does not matter. Life will go on after this exam. So take care of business and keep chugging along no matter how much it sucks... you'll have lots of time to lick your wounds later.

Good luck.

Your 243 is nothing to sneeze at. What did you do for prep? And how can one prepare, as I have heard that recently micro, micro-pharm and biostats are significantly on the rise. The only consistency I see is the prevalence of Path (which is a good thing being my strongest subject), but would love to know what resources, plan you used.

 

[knuckles]

So I took the test yesterday (oct. 24). I only slept 5-6 hours 2 nights before thinking that I will be really tired and will be able to sleep early the night before the test. Went to bed at 9 pm, tossed and turned until 1 am when I started getting scared so took a diphenhydramine and passed out around 2 am?

Woke up at 6 am and couldn't go back to sleep. I was tired as hell, sleepy (but couldn't sleep) and drowsy because of the diphen. Here I was thinking that I've already messed up the most important exam of my life before it had even started!

So, I head to the the testing center at 8:30 and pick up a 5hr energy drink on the way. I drank the 5hr before starting the exam at 9:30. Man am I glad I prepared for this thing well, because I was completely going by instinct and familiarity with having seen similar questions/scenarios on old nbmes/uworld because otherwise my brain was pretty much half dead.

I took a break between each and every block to go back to my locker and have a couple sips of red bull and some food If I was hungry. In the end I ended up finishing 3 red bulls, a 5hr and a couple chocolate bars along with a sandwich I had packed for lunch.

I think the test went well, specially considering the condition in which I took it in. I was happy to see about 4 word-to-word repeat questions from nbmes 6/7. I'd say overall it was exactly like nbmes 6/7 in terms of difficulty; certainly a lot easier than the uworld assessments.

Words of advice: get some benzos (or zolpidem?) just in case. It's funny because a couple days ago I was actually thinking about going to the doctor and getting some sleeping pills...

Former posters have done this and have suggested that it screws with their head. The quality of sleep on drugs is not the same as regular sleep.

The night before my exam, I watched a movie before going to bed. That took my mind off things and allowed me to sleep easier. I'd recommend avoiding studying the night before your exam. Stop around 6pm and just relax. You can study in the morning before as a warmup. I did around 25 practice questions just to get the neurons firing. Anyway, good luck to all.

 

[WashMe]

Former posters have done this and have suggested that it screws with their head. The quality of sleep on drugs is not the same as regular sleep.

The night before my exam, I watched a movie before going to bed. That took my mind off things and allowed me to sleep easier. I'd recommend avoiding studying the night before your exam. Stop around 6pm and just relax. You can study in the morning before as a warmup. I did around 25 practice questions just to get the neurons firing. Anyway, good luck to all.

Oh man, that would freak me out. What if you only get like 15 correct out of those 25 and you instantaneously soil yourself???

 

[llsprings]

Hey jmcappleby did you get any specific "new knowledge" questions in your exam like the MecA gene or related stuff that is not actually dealt with in regular textbooks?

mec gene is mentioned in Jawetz, G&G, and another textbook which I cannot recall right now.