Official 2015 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[KushWeedNuggetsStankyLeg]

M2 here. Starting today, I am just going to be reviewing for Step 1 which I am taking next May, and nothing else. Here is my plan:

Oct 23-Dec 31: Memorize FA2014, Watch all of Pathoma
Jan 1-Jan 31: FA2015, Pathoma (pass 2), Kaplan QBank
Feb 1-Feb 28: FA2015 (pass 2), Pathoma (pass 3), USMLERX
March 1- March 31: FA2015 (pass 3), Pathoma (pass 4): UWorld
April 1- Mid May: FA2015 (pass 4), Pathoma (selective topics), UWorld (pass 2), all practice tests

Goal: High number

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[Dr.serotonin]

i am doing Rx and UW at the same time, first i review a subject and then do Rx subject wise and then UW

 

[Dr.serotonin]

hope i am not hurting my self ?

 

[Silverish]

i am doing Rx and UW at the same time, first i review a subject and then do Rx subject wise and then UW

You might be hurting yourself. Uworld is so much more similar to STEP1 compared to Kaplan and Rx. Thats why everyone says to use Uworld AFTER at least one other Qbank has been finished. Hell, even my clinical dean said so. Try supplementing Rx with Kaplan instead of Uworld. Kaplan has a lot of the harder points established in Uworld. I've seen repeats of the same concepts, so it's not a terrible idea.

 

[Apoplexy__]

why so?

I follow your logic as well but I still don't see why I should wait either. Upperclassmen from my school have emphasized how crucial it is to start UW ASAP but at the same time, I'm starting to think that I may not be able to knock out the UW qbank in that time span. I'm doing Rx and Kaplan right now but what's so bad about doing UW early? Is it the integration of topics? Or is it bc of the high yield learning points?

I totally agree with @Khorreed; 2-4 months before dedicated, in my opinion though. If you have a >5 week dedicated prep time period, you could make this closer to 2 months.

It's because of both the integration of topics and the high-yield learning points -- they'll be lost on you if you start too early. Then, when you're ready for the Q's on round 2, you'll recognize the questions and you'll not only lose their diagnostic value on this 2nd run but you might not pay as close attention to them as you would if it were your first time seeing them while ready for them.

...That all being said, this is a somewhat neurotic decision to make and isn't make-or-break. Different strokes for different folks -- who knows, maybe different learning styles would benefit from it. It's the type of thing I wouldn't stop if you were already doing, but would personally consider waiting until 2-4 months before dedicated if you haven't started yet.

And no matter what you do, it's a good idea to study non-UWorld board prep stuff before this 2-4 month time period. Non-UWorld QBanks are great, as are FC, Goljan, Pathoma, FA, etc.

 

[Dr.serotonin]

You might be hurting yourself. Uworld is so much more similar to STEP1 compared to Kaplan and Rx. Thats why everyone says to use Uworld AFTER at least one other Qbank has been finished. Hell, even my clinical dean said so. Try supplementing Rx with Kaplan instead of Uworld. Kaplan has a lot of the harder points established in Uworld. I've seen repeats of the same concepts, so it's not a terrible idea.

thank you for your advise. I dont have that much time, i have to sit in exam in Feb. that's why i am doing both simultaneously.

 

[allojay]

I totally agree with @Khorreed; 2-4 months before dedicated, in my opinion though. If you have a >5 week dedicated prep time period, you could make this closer to 2 months.

It's because of both the integration of topics and the high-yield learning points -- they'll be lost on you if you start too early. Then, when you're ready for the Q's on round 2, you'll recognize the questions and you'll not only lose their diagnostic value on this 2nd run but you might not pay as close attention to them as you would if it were your first time seeing them while ready for them.

...That all being said, this is a somewhat neurotic decision to make and isn't make-or-break. Different strokes for different folks -- who knows, maybe different learning styles would benefit from it. It's the type of thing I wouldn't stop if you were already doing, but would personally consider waiting until 2-4 months before dedicated if you haven't started yet.

And no matter what you do, it's a good idea to study non-UWorld board prep stuff before this 2-4 month time period. Non-UWorld QBanks are great, as are FC, Goljan, Pathoma, FA, etc.

Thanks! I definitely agree with your point.

 

[EmetyreUSMLEStep1Tutor1]

Hello guys, IMG learning from scratch(I mean from total scratch) here
I am sticking to UFAP+rx(after najeeb lectures)
My first pass of FA was with DIT(without qbank)
My second pass was with pathoma(on picture) and I got average 56 on 15 blocks
Now I am on my third pass with pathoma and as you see I have minimum at least 66.
all are tutor untimed(yeah yeah)
I know that qmax is very easy and after I finish it(with errors) I plan to take 1 month Kaplan(but I dont know how with my speed I could do 3 blocks a day).
Can anyone please tell me is UFAP enough for IMG(from scratch) to score 250+? I want to take step 1 on late May.
My learning day schedule is like read chapter of FA very carefully till pathology then watch pathoma on section then do 1 block
Can anyone please give me some advice on schedule? Like should I do it blocks in timed mode and only then read explanations? Or should I do 2 blocks in a row? Oh should I dont read FA before block?

 

[SOMBound13]

Very late to the game here. Got Step 1 score back in May. I got a 256.

We all had about 6 weeks off to study for it, but I felt absolutely sick while taking it, and felt like throwing up after. I seriously thought I failed. Not only were there questions that I couldn't answer, but I was angry at myself for running out of time and seeing that I didn't get to some "gimme" questions (which I noticed too late.)

Thankfully, a friend had warned me that she had also felt sick afterwards, yet still did well, so that is my advice for those who will be taking the exam this spring. Expect to feel overwhelmed. Don't mentally give up.

If I hadn't been warned ahead of time, I think I would have done worse....my morale would have been totally shot.

Good luck to all who will be testing in the future.

 

[PhillyMed777]

Very late to the game here. Got Step 1 score back in May. I got a 256.

We all had about 6 weeks off to study for it, but I felt absolutely sick while taking it, and felt like throwing up after. I seriously thought I failed. Not only were there questions that I couldn't answer, but I was angry at myself for running out of time and seeing that I didn't get to some "gimme" questions (which I noticed too late.)

Thankfully, a friend had warned me that she had also felt sick afterwards, yet still did well, so that is my advice for those who will be taking the exam this spring. Expect to feel overwhelmed. Don't mentally give up.

If I hadn't been warned ahead of time, I think I would have done worse....my morale would have been totally shot.

Good luck to all who will be testing in the future.

nice job -- how'd you study for it?

 

[Ophthoseidon]

I follow your logic as well but I still don't see why I should wait either. Upperclassmen from my school have emphasized how crucial it is to start UW ASAP but at the same time, I'm starting to think that I may not be able to knock out the UW qbank in that time span. I'm doing Rx and Kaplan right now but what's so bad about doing UW early? Is it the integration of topics? Or is it bc of the high yield learning points?

Same thing for me. Everyone that uses it late swears by using it late. Everyone that uses it early swears by using it early. I can tell you one thing though, I have never heard a single person say I wish I would have not used UWorld for a few more months. I have, however, heard dozens of students say they wish they would have started earlier. Out of all the students from my med school who have mentored me (All scored 250+) 2 used it 2-3 months before, 2 used it 9 months before, and one started early during M1. I haven't started it yet (7 months out) but I will probably start relatively soon. Like Kirby said, different strokes for different folks.

 

[USMLEA2015]

Very late to the game here. Got Step 1 score back in May. I got a 256.

We all had about 6 weeks off to study for it, but I felt absolutely sick while taking it, and felt like throwing up after. I seriously thought I failed. Not only were there questions that I couldn't answer, but I was angry at myself for running out of time and seeing that I didn't get to some "gimme" questions (which I noticed too late.)

Thankfully, a friend had warned me that she had also felt sick afterwards, yet still did well, so that is my advice for those who will be taking the exam this spring. Expect to feel overwhelmed. Don't mentally give up.

If I hadn't been warned ahead of time, I think I would have done worse....my morale would have been totally shot.

Good luck to all who will be testing in the future.

Congratulations..
cold you please tell us about your experience?

 

[spicysoup55]

I skimmed some of the previous threads and noticed that people often did different NBME tests (#11-17). Just wondering how you decided which tests to do? For example, doing 11, 15, 17 as opposed to 12, 16?

Also do you spend the day after NBME tests going over it?

 

[doctorbunny]

Hi- a couple questions for those who have taken the exam in the last few months-

Do I need to memorize both the new and the old names for specific diseases/items that have had name changes... ex. MPO-ANCA is P-ANCA, Churg-Strauss is Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, etc. -- will both of those names be used, or should I learn the new names?

Also, I have heard that the cardiac sounds on Step 1 are given by showing you a chest and then letting you scroll your mouse over the different auscultation areas to hear the sounds you would here in those areas... I was wondering if anyone could verify this, or if anyone has seen any question banks with similar questions for practice.

Thanks for any response!

 

[doctorbunny]

Just to

I skimmed some of the previous threads and noticed that people often did different NBME tests (#11-17). Just wondering how you decided which tests to do? For example, doing 11, 15, 17 as opposed to 12, 16?

Also do you spend the day after NBME tests going over it?

Some of the tests are more updated and close to Step than others. I have been told that you should save test 17 to take just before your step 1, as that one is the most recently released and should most closely reflect the material actually on step 1. I am not sure if this is true, but the testing advisor at my school advises we take #17 within 2 weeks of our exam date, and if we don't score where we want to score, push back our date a week or two.

I am sure you could find out information about the other tests release dates, validity, reliability to predict scores, etc on a forum here on SDN.

 

[deleted500612]

Uworld 100% completed: 70%
NBME 17: 222 (6 weeks before exam)
UWSA 1: 228 (4 weeks before exam)
UWSA 2: 236 (1 week before exam)
NBME 16: 234 (2 days before exam)
Real deal: 228
I really wanted a score in 230s since First Aid mentions that average score of non US IMG matched into internal medicine is 231 I dont want to lose hope but its hard to stay focused. Any advices?

231 is the average score, so half the people who matched had a score below 231 dude. You still have a strong chance to match, just apply broadly and don't be picky about low end programs.

 

[malin]

I skimmed some of the previous threads and noticed that people often did different NBME tests (#11-17). Just wondering how you decided which tests to do? For example, doing 11, 15, 17 as opposed to 12, 16?

Also do you spend the day after NBME tests going over it?

do as many NBMEs as you can b/c some of these questions appear word for word on the real thing. If you're limited on time, do the most recent ones b/c those are most close to what the real exam is like.

I'd do the $60 version where you get more feedback on questions you got wrong. then i had to look up those questions on message boards to know the exact answer. i just really spent time on questions which i didn't really understand since there's 200 and you're somewhat limited on time.

 

[Leafcolonel]

Contributing to the thread as I was a lurker and benefited from the advice given here.

Step 1 Result: Mid 260s

FMG with 3 months dedicated prep time(with serious studying 2 months out). 2.5-3 year gap from basic sciences. Goal was 250+

Resources used in prep time:
First Aid x2
Pathoma x1(on x1.5-2 speed, used it before prep), Goljan Audio x2-3
UWorld, USMLE Rx, Kaplan Qbank x1 each
Kaplan Videos(Except Pathology replaced with pathoma, on x2 speed) x1
Kaplan Lecture notes x1, BRS Pathology and BRS physiology to replace Kaplan LN of those series x1

Study Plan:
Started off using Pathoma and FA to get a quick overview of things (1.5-2 weeks)
NBME11 to gauge level approx 3 months out(245)
Rx Qbank 2-3 blocks per day + Kaplan Videos, was going through this slowly, approx 1 month?
NBME12 after completing Rx 262(5-6 weeks out)
Dedicated reading period to reinforce basic science principles, Kaplan Lecture Notes for all subjects except Pathology and Physiology replaced by BRS Path and Phys.( approx 2 weeks)
Kaplan Qbank(3-4 blocks per day) with FA Run ( approx 2 weeks)
NBME 16 271 2.5 weeks out
UWorld cram(3-6 bloks per day) 2 weeks
UWSA1 + 2, 265+ on both
Qbank averages 88%-90% on all 3, done mainly on random subject tutor mode, I dont have timing problems on exams(I finished NBME blocks 20 min early, 10-15 on the real thing), so I felt I benefited from tutor mode more.

Recommendations:

Do as many questions as possible. That's the most important and beneficial thing to do. UWorld is the best Qbank obviously, but Rx is great on the start of prep to hammer down your basics and help you memorize + understand FA with some clinical vignette context, Kaplan Qbank helps you learn to think with many excellent graph based questions(better than uworld for pharm, neuroanatomy, behavioral, physiology). As a FMG you have to beat the average, and you won't beat the average doing UFAP with a large gap between your exam and basic sciences.

Do as many practice assessments as possible, I would've done more NBMEs, I never did a 8 hour simulation, that's something I recommend doing before the exam too. The real thing is exhausting and taxing mentally especially with lack of sleep anxiety. Always take a 5 minute breather between blocks.

Goljan Audio is underrated, Pathoma is overrated if you have strong basics, but doesnt hurt to go through it once. Kaplan videos are a good refresher if you have a large gap between basic sciences, but contain a lot of low yield minutiae.

FA is the main book you need, everything else is low yield. If I had to redo my prep I'd prefer using BRS books as they have more MCQs than Kaplan Lecture Notes. All in all it's probably a better idea to go through FA more times than do other review books,( I missed 2 questions on the exam that were only in FA and not in other review book).

The low yield questions in the exam will really be random obscure minutiae you haven't heard of, and won't be material that's in the review books. In my test experience I would say 50% of the questions are easy with similar concepts to what you see in qbanks/nbmes, 35-40% harder questions but also similar concepts. 10-15% minutiae you cant prepare for and have to depend on your luck on. My first few blocks felt awful, last 3 felt around UWorld difficulty. You can probably guarantee scoring 255-260, above that it's luck dependent in my opinion with the questions, I could've scored better or worse depending on my guessing or what subjects the exam focused on.

tl;dr Do as many questions as you can and focus on FA.

Good luck!

 

[Leafcolonel]

Hi- a couple questions for those who have taken the exam in the last few months-

Do I need to memorize both the new and the old names for specific diseases/items that have had name changes... ex. MPO-ANCA is P-ANCA, Churg-Strauss is Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, etc. -- will both of those names be used, or should I learn the new names?

Also, I have heard that the cardiac sounds on Step 1 are given by showing you a chest and then letting you scroll your mouse over the different auscultation areas to hear the sounds you would here in those areas... I was wondering if anyone could verify this, or if anyone has seen any question banks with similar questions for practice.

Thanks for any response!

Sorry but I don't remember my exam regarding the first part, but I think it's probably safer to memorize both, not only for step 1, but for your future exams in med school/career.

But for your 2nd question, the exam software has you looking at a dummy model and allows you to auscultate the murmur in the aortic/tricuspid/pulmonary/Mitral areas, and you can auscultate with the bell/diaphragm on the mitral. No Qbank uses the same software unfortunately, but I recall Kaplan/Uworld had a few similar multimedia murmur questions with them putting the stethoscope on the correct position. The murmurs in the exam and Qbanks will be clear and obvious so don't worry too much regarding that.

Hello guys, IMG learning from scratch(I mean from total scratch) here
I am sticking to UFAP+rx(after najeeb lectures)
My first pass of FA was with DIT(without qbank)
My second pass was with pathoma(on picture) and I got average 56 on 15 blocks
Now I am on my third pass with pathoma and as you see I have minimum at least 66.
all are tutor untimed(yeah yeah)
I know that qmax is very easy and after I finish it(with errors) I plan to take 1 month Kaplan(but I dont know how with my speed I could do 3 blocks a day).
Can anyone please tell me is UFAP enough for IMG(from scratch) to score 250+? I want to take step 1 on late May.
My learning day schedule is like read chapter of FA very carefully till pathology then watch pathoma on section then do 1 block
Can anyone please give me some advice on schedule? Like should I do it blocks in timed mode and only then read explanations? Or should I do 2 blocks in a row? Oh should I dont read FA before block?

UFAP is probably tight for a IMG to score 250+ if you have a large gap between your basic sciences, however, if you just came off basic sciences in uni and have a strong foundation it's probably good enough. I never did Najeeb and DIT, but that would probably help with your foundations. The most important thing to see in your prep is improvement, and you are improving. Always reassess yourself when getting questions wrong, why am I getting this wrong? Is it because I don't have the knowledge? Or do I have the knowledge and had a cognitive error? Do this and you'll see yourself improving.

I recommend using random tutor mode or random timed(if you have timing issues). The real exam will have a mess of subjects and you have to be prepared to shift your orientation from histology to behavioral science to physiology equations. But as long you are learning and improving that's most important. Make sure you do UWorld on random at least.

 

[seminoma]

Hi- a couple questions for those who have taken the exam in the last few months-

Do I need to memorize both the new and the old names for specific diseases/items that have had name changes... ex. MPO-ANCA is P-ANCA, Churg-Strauss is Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, etc. -- will both of those names be used, or should I learn the new names?

Also, I have heard that the cardiac sounds on Step 1 are given by showing you a chest and then letting you scroll your mouse over the different auscultation areas to hear the sounds you would here in those areas... I was wondering if anyone could verify this, or if anyone has seen any question banks with similar questions for practice.

Thanks for any response!

Yes you should know both names, both for step 1 and moving forward into clerkships. Most of the older docs I've worked with don't know the newer names for things. On the other hand, many residents and attendings like to ask "also known as?". Third, if you refer to something using a term your evaluator isn't familiar with they may think you're completely wrong. For example I had an attending ask me about the anatomy of polio. I said something about the "ventral horn" and he said "no, it's the anterior horn". Obvi they're the same thing, but he wasn't familiar with the term "ventral" and I was stuck in the awkward position of correcting him or letting him think I'm a ******.

You're right about heart sounds.

 

[Ogbuefi]

Hey all
Long time lurker here. I really learnt a lot here and I just got my score so I'll just give my 2cents
Background: IMG from Nigeria
NBME 15: 251
NBME 16: 247
NBME 17: 249
UsmleRX: 78%
Uworld: 78%

My thoughts:
IMHO, nothing truly mimics the real deal perfectly. I had timing problems in >5 blocks on the real deal yet I finished all my NBME and Uworld blocks with time to review
NBMEs and QBanks can only come close but they are the most important part of your prep. If you can find old NBMEs, do them.
Do as many questions as possible. If you can, do as many QBanks as possible. I regret not doing the Kaplan QBank - not because it is the best, but because I had two Qs on the real deal I had seen in my diagnostic kaptest.
Scout the online forums. As an IMG, this was my only portal of advice. I gained a ton of wisdom here. Many thanks to @seminoma @Phloston et al.
In summary, if you wanna pass, do UFAP and then questions, questions and more questions!!

Real Deal: 245
Was hoping for a 250, but I'm content and thankful to God

I have a question. Is there any difference in matching between scores of 231 and 239, 241 and 249 e.t.c?
Matching outcomes seem to work with 230s, 240s, 250s e.t.c

 

[weegie]

.

 

[apr27]

hey guys-
I've been skimming a few posts. I noticed a lot of concern with anatomy and images. Does someone mind talking a little bit about this. Is anatomy the only section where we can expect cross sections/images? More importantly, what is the best way to prep for this as many find UFAP to be the bare minimum?

 

[addidas]

Seeking advice here! Aiming to break 250 (IMG/FMG - omfg!).

Just got 234 on NBME 16, and have rescheduled to do the real thing just over 2 weeks.
Averaging 71% on Uworld at the moment.

Plan:

• Finish the 1/3rd of Uworld I have left by beginning of next week.
  
• Review some FA everyday (+ flashcards)
  
• Finish off some Kaplan qbank Q's I have left
• ...and try another quick round of UWorld.

Have done pathoma- annotated into FA, and also have sketchy that I look at from time to time (love it). Anki did not work for me- have made many paper flashcards (old school) that work well.

From my NBME's, I appear to get flustered easily by the odd terminology they use and second guess myself/ freak the F out internally.
I know I need to step up my game these last few weeks. Felt a burnt out earlier so have been taking it a little slow of late.

Does this plan sound reasonable? Any advice from those on the other side would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Are you a UK student?

 

[weegie]

Are you a UK student?

I am indeed from the UK, but a few years out from being a student.

 

[Mango season]

You are my step twin. I'm also an FMG, just did Nbme 16 last week and scored 237 (disappointed). Currently halfway through UWorld. Exam in 3 weeks. Planning to finish up UWorld and then review FA and my own flashcards. Also was hoping for 250+ (if it's even possible to jump that much in 3 weeks).

I'll be checking to see what feedback you get! Good luck to us!

Seeking advice here! Aiming to break 250 (IMG/FMG - omfg!).

Just got 234 on NBME 16, and have rescheduled to do the real thing just over 2 weeks.
Averaging 71% on Uworld at the moment.

Plan:

• Finish the 1/3rd of Uworld I have left by beginning of next week.
  
• Review some FA everyday (+ flashcards)
  
• Finish off some Kaplan qbank Q's I have left
• ...and try another quick round of UWorld.

Have done pathoma- annotated into FA, and also have sketchy that I look at from time to time (love it). Anki did not work for me- have made many paper flashcards (old school) that work well.

From my NBME's, I appear to get flustered easily by the odd terminology they use and second guess myself/ freak the F out internally.
I know I need to step up my game these last few weeks. Felt a burnt out earlier so have been taking it a little slow of late.

Does this plan sound reasonable? Any advice from those on the other side would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.

 

[dorjosam]

You are my step twin. I'm also an FMG, just did Nbme 16 last week and scored 237 (disappointed). Currently halfway through UWorld. Exam in 3 weeks. Planning to finish up UWorld and then review FA and my own flashcards. Also was hoping for 250+ (if it's even possible to jump that much in 3 weeks).

I'll be checking to see what feedback you get! Good luck to us!

Seeking advice here! Aiming to break 250 (IMG/FMG - omfg!).

Just got 234 on NBME 16, and have rescheduled to do the real thing just over 2 weeks.
Averaging 71% on Uworld at the moment.

Plan:

• Finish the 1/3rd of Uworld I have left by beginning of next week.
  
• Review some FA everyday (+ flashcards)
  
• Finish off some Kaplan qbank Q's I have left
• ...and try another quick round of UWorld.

Have done pathoma- annotated into FA, and also have sketchy that I look at from time to time (love it). Anki did not work for me- have made many paper flashcards (old school) that work well.

From my NBME's, I appear to get flustered easily by the odd terminology they use and second guess myself/ freak the F out internally.
I know I need to step up my game these last few weeks. Felt a burnt out earlier so have been taking it a little slow of late.

Does this plan sound reasonable? Any advice from those on the other side would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Good luck guys. I'm on the same boat! Don't get disappointed by just one NBME. Cover weak points and do another. We can do it!

 

[alkaabi]

Any rough estimate about how long does it take to do
DIT vidéos?
Pathoma videos?
Kaplan videos?

 

[TheNsg300]

Been a long time since the last exam experience post,,

 

[Enkolo]

Longtime lurker on these threads. Right now I'm 2 weeks out from exam day. My practice test scores UWSA1, NBME17, and estimated from both Kaplan simulated exams have plateaued in the 248-252 range this past week and a half. Does anyone have any tips for pushing my score higher? I'm aiming to break 260 but will be happy with a 255.

 

[Enkolo]

Here's a background of the studying I've done. Gone through pathoma twice (once with classes, once during dedicated prep), gone through FA multiple times with classes and one pass during dedicated. Watched biochem DIT videos as this was previously a weak area. Have done usmlerx twice, uworld once, and have about 900q's left in Kaplan qbank. Right now my weakest area is pharmacology. Any advice on how my last 2 weeks of study time should be spent is much appreciated.

I will post a more detailed write up of my study plan and eventual score when it's available as I found those posts by others to be very helpful.

 

[Leafcolonel]

Wrap up Kaplan qbank and do UWSA2(it's pretty much 4 extra uworld blocks so doesnt hurt). Another nbme 1 week before wouldnt be a bad idea.

Focus on FA otherwise, it's the highest yield book with the highest yield info and it's worth doing a 2nd pass, pharma from the 3 qbanks and FA is more than enough for the exam.

As whether you break 260 or not honestly I feel scores at that point depend on your luck on the day itself and performance. You can gurantee something like 255-260, but above that you have to get pretty lucky with subjects and guessing as there are plenty of wtf questions you'll never encounter.

 

[african_queen2015]

Just got my result and I failed by 1 point any advice on how to proceed?

 

[SoneSNSD]

Just got my result and I failed by 1 point any advice on how to proceed?

First relax for a couple of days. What was your study plan?

 

[doctorknownothing]

3rd wednesday from a friday exam, and no go on the score... I like to think they needed the extra time to review my game tape because i literally broke 300!! haha... but honestly i could live with out the mike tyson anxiety gut punches every hour, when i think about medicine or the future! C'mon boards i think this constitutes torture by the Geneva Convention

 

[cabergoline2]

I scored a 267 ..got results last month...

here is my experience


Step 1 Experience

Duration of prep : June to October 30 2015 (about 4.5-5 months)

Practice tests

NBME 11 : (5 weeks out) 266

NBME 12: (4.5 weeks out) 258

NBME 17 (3.5 weeks out) 256

NBME 15 (3 weeks out) 270

NBME 13 (20 days out) 272

NBME 16 (2 weeks out) 274



UWSA1: > 265 88%

UWSA2:>265 91%



Background :

Med school: India (MB;BS)

Surgical residency ( april 2015)



I began my prep a few weeks after finishing my residency exams in India. I just wanted a comprehensive review of the basic sciences portion. I had a pretty solid foundation in med school and pure sciences but the rigors of surgical residency are such that it seemed that I had forgotten lot of the stuff I once new. I tried to schedule it in the end of September because I had to be in the US before October .(green card requirements). I kind of underestimated the course requirements and decided that I needed 1 more month. So I changed my testing region to the US.

I started using Kaplan Notes for behavioral science and portions of physiology. I found a lot of them to be quite verbose. But hidden within all the chit-chat were occasionally gems. I also found Daugherty’s lectures quite interesting. A friend had bootlegged version of these. While these are by no means indispensable, I listened to them as I liked his voice. I felt like a trained therapist was talking to me. But on a more serious note he taught the subject solidly , clarifying all the fundamentals. He put in the “science” part in behavioral science.

For biochem I quickly read Kaplan biochem along with a cursory perusal of my copy of lippincotts biochem from med school days. I was always good at it and it did not need a lot . I occasionally used turco’s lectures . He is quite decent. But the lectures are too lengthy. If you are really rusty , you ll find these lectures useful.

I began pathology/pathophysiology with Goljan. I supplemented it with pathoma videos when a friend introduced them to me. They were good in general, but had minor errors. I don’t know if he has corrected them in recent versions. Half of the pathology questions in the exam are of the general principle type. The examiners want you to understand core of the matter and be able to apply it in variety of situations. Many pathology questions were integrated with biochemistry and physiology.

Biostatistics: this was quite simple . First aid is enough for review along with uworld qbank questions. Keep in mind that they expect you to be consumers of research and they don’t expect you to be able to design research methodologies . The questions in step 1 mainly emphasized diagnostic testing and normal distribution along with some questions of study methodology . Most of them were straight forward .

The physiology questions were tough . They needed a combination of memory of basic principles along with agile thought and ability to manipulate the principles in a variety of situations. BRS is pretty much useless except for the questions. If you need videos , Britt Wilson has done a decent job in Kaplan and covers the basics phenomenally well . If you prefer reading on your own , Costanzo’s physiology text provides a decent review . (the same author as BRS, but a larger better explained books).

Genetics: Kaplan provides a good review. U don’t need anything else. Questions were quite simple.

Immunology: You could use Kaplan. Or u could use Abbas. The material in first aid is enough for this subject though. If you have a few months before your exams , I recommend going through abbas. Dr. Moscetello(kaplan) provides a good exam oriented review. But I stopped using this after her lousy and incorrect explanation on CLIP dissociation in MHC class 2 loading . But I later realized that the detail was not necessary and she may have oversimplified on purpose. The questions while not requiring molecular level details are still quite tough. Info in FA is enough .But you need a solid understanding of it.

MICROBIOLOGY: FA is enough. One could supplement it by other resources as and when needed.Kaplan is lengthy and largely irrelevant.

Anatomy: There will be some tough questions. Don’t bother about those. FA could answer 60-70% of the material .You could get 2-3 more questions by shelf notes. You can use any good online resource for transverse section imaging. Some of the questions could be managed by common sense and elimination. Kaplan notes also covers majority of the portion of this section especially neuroanatomy.





Qbank:



Uworld: by far the best. Don’t bother memorizing the trivia. Understand the core of the question. Don’t bother wasting time annotating much. FA has most of the info in the qbank. Just highlight what you need .

Kaplan: has some good questions .But not very relevant for the test. Do it if u have more time.

Test day: My past demons had began to haunt me in the last weeks.While I was fairly accustomed to being a loner , this time around I had a sense of impending doom. I was not able to sleep well the night before.

I panicked a good deal during the exams. And I overanalyzed a lot of simple questions. I made round 7 stupid mistakes because of that.


In a nutshell


Concentrate of basics. 90% of questions are from very high yield stuff.

Concentrate on atypical disease presentations and correlations of pathophysiology with clinical features.

Forget the trivia.

Use NBMEs as diagnostic only. Some of the questions turned up on the real deal. Other thing is that uworld makes you overanalyze every question as there is a twist in all their questions. Real exam is a lot more straight forward. NBMEs should help you transition from uworld to the real deal. I suggest you to cease using uw in the last week , except for doing any new questions that may have been added by them. Don’t be too anal about NBME predictions.

After exams:



The stupid mistakes began to haunt me.

 

[deleted500612]

Other thing is that uworld makes you overanalyze every question as there is a twist in all their questions. Real exam is a lot more straight forward. NBMEs should help you transition from uworld to the real deal. I suggest you to cease using uw in the last week , except for doing any new questions that may have been added by them. Don’t be too anal about NBME predictions.

I am going through UWorld right now and am finding myself doing the exact same thing!! I am starting to overanalyze every question, thinking there must be a catch if the question looks too simple because so many of them require third-order thinking. I am missing several of the easier questions because I end up psyching myself out and thinking it must be a trick.

 

[DrPicard]

Thats a solid score, cabergoline. I think you were in for 270+ had you held your nerves better, but I hope you're not allowing yourself to feel even a bit of disappointment. Congrats!

 

[medschoolrookie]

I scored a 267 ..got results last month...

Dangggggg. that's one highhhhh score you got there buddy! congrats. what did you do for pharm? also, what exactly do you mean by not memorizing the trivia of Uworld?

 

[cabergoline2]

thanks folks...

 

[cabergoline2]

Dangggggg. that's one highhhhh score you got there buddy! congrats. what did you do for pharm? also, what exactly do you mean by not memorizing the trivia of Uworld?

For drugs first aid is enough... For general pharmac ,autonomics and CVS i supplemented with kaplan... I had calculations of pharmacokinetics and some conceptual questions about them..There were some experimental questions of ANS..for newer drugs and monoclonal antibodies First aid is enough...overall pharamc questions were quite straightforward ...so if u have a solid understanding of CVS and general pharmac , rest can easily be managed from FA...

Uworld explanation has a lot of Info that is way to0 specific and not likely to be tested...Like for instance ezetimibe is "Niemann-Pick C1 like 1 (NPC1L1)" inhibitor ...or the new drug alirocumab is a Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor...(boy that is quite a mouthful) ..I saw people trying to annotate every single detail of this sort into their FA...It wastes a lot of time..And it is not going to turn up on the test...

While uworld does mimic the real deal closely , there is one major difference...actual test questions are more general type...

 

[cabergoline2]

Thats a solid score, cabergoline. I think you were in for 270+ had you held your nerves better, but I hope you're not allowing yourself to feel even a bit of disappointment. Congrats!

thank you very much ...i was not at all disappointed ...it was better than what i expected...270 was not my goal...i was surprised at my nbmes...and i thought i bombed the real deal...

 

[tasar1898]

@cabergoline2 Congratulations , amazing score! I would sell my soul to the devil for 267...

 

[cabergoline2]

@cabergoline2 Congratulations , amazing score! I would sell my soul to the devil for 267...

thanks..it is not worth selling your soul for this..

 

[medschoolrookie]

For drugs first aid is enough... For general pharmac ,autonomics and CVS i supplemented with kaplan... I had calculations of pharmacokinetics and some conceptual questions about them..There were some experimental questions of ANS..for newer drugs and monoclonal antibodies First aid is enough...overall pharamc questions were quite straightforward ...so if u have a solid understanding of CVS and general pharmac , rest can easily be managed from FA....

I super doper highly appreciate the help! thanks a lot my good sir. A lot of people with that score would not offer adjust like you did. you remind me of my "brown" friends. I've gotten this far because of them.

 

[kay5455]

Hey guys,
(outlier here)

My exam is in 2 weeks and I wish to get some advice on how to bump up my score. Currently:
UW avg: 58% (First time pass, almost half way through)
NBME taken via school (4 weeks ago): 200
NBME 15 (2 weeks ago): 209
NBME 16 (1 week ago): 222

I've gone over pathoma 1.5x, FA 1.5x as well.

How should I be studying now to make sure I can keep the upward trend? Also, I feel like I don't remember FA word for word the way I sense people say they do. Am I ...uh, lacking there as well? And lastly... since there isn't much time till I write my exam, what/how should I study to understand the general concepts type questions on the exam?

Are 2 weeks still enough to pass? Kinda getting worried here now :/

EDIT: Sorry guys, just another issue of mine i've been seeing on my test taking skills. Often times, I narrow it down to 2 answer choices but end up picking the wrong one 90% of the times even though the gut *sometimes* leans towards the right answer choice. My thinking (during the exam) is that since I dont remember or recall knowledge, I cant back up the answer choice my gut says is right and therefore, end up being wrong. What do you guys do when you approach a question like this?

I feel like it'll screw me over in the exam because I've heard they keep the *hints* to minimum and throw distractors to confuse you. Help please?

 

[cabergoline2]

Postpone if you can. You need to rework your strategy and improve basic concepts...however if you only intend to pass , you are quite ok..

 

[tasar1898]

I agree with cabergoline.. Postpone if you aim for high scores , also you don't need to memorize first aid word for word , except maybe for pharm , anat , embryo , micro.. But you must be able to recall stuff when doing questions.. Also when in doubt , ALWAYS listen to your gut.. It has access to subconscious knowledge you may be completely unaware off..

 

[12172015]

I'd be interested in a consult on why this is happening:

11/1 - 234 (UWSA 1)
11/22 - 239 (NBME 12)
12/6 - 239 (NBME 17)
12/16 - 232 (NBME 15)

The lack of improvement is troubling.

Test is in nine days.

 

[greatsurg]

guys

 

[SukiPirate]

Hey guys, looking for suggestions on which NBME Forms to take? Unfortunately when I scheduled everything I really only accounted for 5 practice exam days (must have been looking at an old example before form 17 was released).

If you had to chose a top 5 out of the 6, which one would you recommend skipping? I already took the Free 150 at Prometric to get a baseline and get a feel for test conditions. I'm trying to figure out which one out of 11,12,13,15,16,and 17 is most similar to one another or the Free 150 and can be skipped.

Alternatively thinking about combining 2 forms for a "full-length" run through. Thoughts and experiences appreciated (particularly about which forms you combined for the "full length" practice exam).

Thank you for everyone's thoughts and suggestions!