USMLE Official 2017 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[WeedForLunch]

I know this is quite early but most American Students have finished giving the test for this year.
I am an IMG and have been prepping for the steps since quite some time and have seen Phloston, Transposony's and others' threads for their respective years and how helpful they have been.

I intend on giving step in Jan.. let's share timetables, plans and other stuff on how everyone intends on taking on this beast.

P.S. : I think it is not that early.. the 2015/2016 threads were started in September/October.. but in true SDN gunner style..i wanna start it in August..

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[anthonymmd]

Although I m expecting my results tomorrow, I entered oasis to discover that it doesn't even mention when I took the exam, everything is blank. Is this natural? Should I be worried?

 

[nanitch]

Although I m expecting my results tomorrow, I entered oasis to discover that it doesn't even mention when I took the exam, everything is blank. Is this natural? Should I be worried?

How do u check that? For example, if I go in ecfmg ---> online services ---> what should i put next? Oasis or iwa?

 

[anthonymmd]

O

How do u check that? For example, if I go in ecfmg ---> online services ---> what should i put next? Oasis or iwa?

oasis and then score report information or something like that

 

[nanitch]

Something i would do was go in a lot in the forums and read advices and experiences before taking the exam. After taking the exam my advice is for those who havent taken it to use this more as a support system instead of applying the experiences in the exam. I mention it because my exam was very very different vs all the experiences of friends of mine and from people who put posts post taking step in forum. Maybe mine was new or maybe one of the harder ones but the point is every step 1 exam is different and for example i had only 3 questions of pharm and 2 of biochem and a lot of neuro questions VS other people who had a lot of pharm and nothing of neuro. I would just focus on studying everything with first aid pathoma and uworld(the less respurces the better and these are a must and more than enough if u know the topic well and use it wisely). If you have trouble with a certain topic then maybe use another resource like kaplan videos or bb or physeo or a book you find most helpful. I would definitely do sketchy for pharm and micro if u have time to get it out of the way. I didnt have pharm which got me mad bc i wasted the last week in pharm but obviously i did not know that.. i couldve gotten an exam with a lot of pharm so i would just be in the safe side and do all sketchy micro and pharm first or in the middle before reviewing everything again but not at the end(at the end its better to review it not have it for first time; with studying it once and reviwing it a few weeks later is more than enough (if u are tired and bored at night then review them). Also. For some people the exam is similar to nbmes and for others, uworld. I focused a lot in nbmes thinking it would be similar and to be honest mine was nothing like them. The style of questions was super different. Mine was so similar to uworld style so i would say that its better to do at least the most recent nbmes and uworld assesment + bank questions just to be in the safe side.

 

[nanitch]

O

oasis and then score report information or something like that

When did u take it

 

[nanitch]

When did u take it

Omg mine is

O

oasis and then score report information or something like that

mine is blank too omg now im nervous

 

[anthonymmd]

Omg mine is

mine is blank too omg now im nervous

Haha probably everything's ok then when did you take it?

 

[nanitch]

Haha probably everything's ok then when did you take it?

I sont think i get it yet im just a psycho checking lolll. I took it april 7 which was a friday so i think i get it next week (wednesday 26) but for some reason im still nervous hahaha

 

[anthonymmd]

I sont think i get it yet im just a psycho checking lolll. I took it april 7 which was a friday so i think i get it next week (wednesday 26) but for some reason im still nervous hahaha

Took it on march 28, expecting my results tomorrow so I won't get any sort of sleep today

 

[nanitch]

Took it on march 28, expecting my results tomorrow so I won't get any sort of sleep today

Good luck!!

 

[anthonymmd]

Good luck!!

Thanks, good luck to you too

 

[nanitch]

What time normally do scores get in. Example: what time to expect the scores of tomorrow

 

[Karasu]

6wks out 65% done with Uworld, 49% correct so far. I've done my blocks by system, haven't reviewed FA or Pathoma yet. I am aiming for 250+.

Those around me that know their stuff seem to think and understand things on a deeper level than I do. They obsess about details in FA, things that I seem to gloss over. Our class average is usually a B+ to A- on system exams, on the exams where I tried my hardest I was a B+, when I slack off I'm a C.

How do I fundamentally change the way I learn and understand material for this exam? What am I not doing correctly here?

 

[ridethecliche]

6wks out 65% done with Uworld, 49% correct so far. I've done my blocks by system, haven't reviewed FA or Pathoma yet. I am aiming for 250+.

Those around me that know their stuff seem to think and understand things on a deeper level than I do. They obsess about details in FA, things that I seem to gloss over. Our class average is usually a B+ to A- on system exams, on the exams where I tried my hardest I was a B+, when I slack off I'm a C.

How do I fundamentally change the way I learn and understand material for this exam? What am I not doing correctly here?

1) Take an NBME to establish a baseline.
2) 49% average with 65% done isn't a great sign to me, especially when you've been doing everything by system.
3) Why the heck haven't you done FAP yet? Like, why are you using UWorld without those other two things? 49% implies content knowledge isn't there. Those little details are the reason they do well.

I'm around where you are right now as well, but I've been doing blocks on random. Doing blocks by system is supposed to inflate your score, so I think there's a good chance you don't know things as well as you think you do.

If I were in your position, I would:
1) Take an NBME to get a baseline. This will help you be realistic as well.
2) Go back to doing content review and dial down the UWorld. I.e. if you want to keep doing it by systems, then go study 2-3 systems and come back and take a 10-20 question UWorld examination on them. Burning through UWorld right now without a deeper understanding is imho doing yourself a disservice. I'm doing a lot more content brush up this week because I'm scoring in the 50's on random.

Keep at it!

 

[Karasu]

1) Take an NBME to establish a baseline.
2) 49% average with 65% done isn't a great sign to me, especially when you've been doing everything by system.
3) Why the heck haven't you done FAP yet? Like, why are you using UWorld without those other two things? 49% implies content knowledge isn't there. Those little details are the reason they do well.

I'm around where you are right now as well, but I've been doing blocks on random. Doing blocks by system is supposed to inflate your score, so I think there's a good chance you don't know things as well as you think you do.

If I were in your position, I would:
1) Take an NBME to get a baseline. This will help you be realistic as well.
2) Go back to doing content review and dial down the UWorld. I.e. if you want to keep doing it by systems, then go study 2-3 systems and come back and take a 10-20 question UWorld examination on them. Burning through UWorld right now without a deeper understanding is imho doing yourself a disservice. I'm doing a lot more content brush up this week because I'm scoring in the 50's on random.

Keep at it!

My school is giving us an NBME in a couple weeks. I've been using Uworld as a resource to learn, material. The Qbank is huge, and I wanted to make sure I get through it before starting my dedicated and make Anki cards on missed concepts. Unfortunately, my school seems to do everything in their power to assure we only have 4-6wks to prep for STEP 1.

I've hit Pathoma and Sketchy through the years, and bits and pieces of FA organ systems and basic principles. Starting this week I am doing content review with FAP, and other "High-Yield" resources. There was just no way for me to be thumbing through FAP months ago as if the curriculum wasn't time consuming enough.

 

[blueforest]

Good luck to all of us expecting scores tomorrow! I forgot about the exam for the past week but today i'm feeling that terrible ache in my stomach and it's only getting worse... trying to keep myself busy before the stress hits my bowels fully. I'm nauseous just thinking about opening that damn score report. I've been having lucid dreams of me opening my results.. 2-3 times it was a nightmare where I failed miserably and recently I dreamt that I ended up passing with a low score. I think i'm almost psychotic. Don't mind me.

 

[anthonymmd]

Good luck to all of us expecting scores tomorrow! I forgot about the exam for the past week but today i'm feeling that terrible ache in my stomach and it's only getting worse... trying to keep myself busy before the stress hits my bowels fully. I'm nauseous just thinking about opening that damn score report. I've been having lucid dreams of me opening my results.. 2-3 times it was a nightmare where I failed miserably and recently I dreamt that I ended up passing with a low score. I think i'm almost psychotic. Don't mind me.

I'm there with you, tomorrow's the big day and I can't see myself getting any sort of sleep tonight. Wish you the best anyway, do you know around what time we should expect our results coming out?

 

[ridethecliche]

My school is giving us an NBME in a couple weeks. I've been using Uworld as a resource to learn, material. The Qbank is huge, and I wanted to make sure I get through it before starting my dedicated and make Anki cards on missed concepts. Unfortunately, my school seems to do everything in their power to assure we only have 4-6wks to prep for STEP 1.

I've hit Pathoma and Sketchy through the years, and bits and pieces of FA organ systems and basic principles. Starting this week I am doing content review with FAP, and other "High-Yield" resources. There was just no way for me to be thumbing through FAP months ago as if the curriculum wasn't time consuming enough.

4-6 weeks of dedicated is pretty normal for most schools. UWorld is used and reviewed during dedicated as well. I just don't see the utility of doing a lot of it while still being unsure of concepts. IMHO, you should be scoring higher doing it by organ systems and you should be reviewing those organ systems outside of UWorld questions as well.

 

[Karasu]

4-6 weeks of dedicated is pretty normal for most schools. UWorld is used and reviewed during dedicated as well. I just don't see the utility of doing a lot of it while still being unsure of concepts. IMHO, you should be scoring higher doing it by organ systems and you should be reviewing those organ systems outside of UWorld questions as well.

Well I guess at this point I just have to wait and see. I wanted to make sure I got 2 passes of Uworld; which I will be able to do.

Furthermore, I have an idea of the things that trip me up globally going forward.

Thanks for the reply, and suggestions.

 

[blueforest]

I'm there with you, tomorrow's the big day and I can't see myself getting any sort of sleep tonight. Wish you the best anyway, do you know around what time we should expect our results coming out?

Thanks, I wish you the best as well. I have no idea about what time scores come out, can others please post what to expect on score release day? Does the email come first or is the score available on the website earlier? Just trying to prepare myself mentally for tomorrow.. not sure if any of this is helping to be honest.

 

[TheOther]

Ah, I see. So instead of trying to pick two days during the 'work week' to cram in questions, you'd recommend just doing a block of like 20 or so everyday just to keep the style going? Review the questions then use whatever time is left to FAP around?

Yeah, but this is just my personal opinion. If you have 4 hours that day, I'd use 1 hour for however many questions you can do and 3 hours for FAP. Just for those 2 weeks. If you can somehow get through one quick pass of FAP in the next 2.5 weeks, that would be gold. Then the next month is spent hammering out UW + 2-3 more passes of FAP.

 

[ridethecliche]

Yeah, but this is just my personal opinion. If you have 4 hours that day, I'd use 1 hour for however many questions you can do and 3 hours for FAP. Just for those 2 weeks. If you can somehow get through one quick pass of FAP in the next 2.5 weeks, that would be gold. Then the next month is spent hammering out UW + 2-3 more passes of FAP.

Yeah... Getting through 2 more passes of FA would be fantastic. I feel like I'm slipping because I haven't looked at things in a while. Definitely going to try to get through a bulk of that this week. Going to cut down questions to 2 blocks a day instead of 3. I think I'm going to take your advice re: making sure to do questions everyday. It's important to stay in that mindset since it definitely impacts how you study/read/learn.

Thanks so much.

 

[nanitch]

I have a question. I see some people say they had 268 questions. I had 280. Why is that? Like for example. If i had 280 and lets say i couldnt finish the blocks. Always had to guess last 3 questions so probably wasted time in experimentals vs questions i had to guess probably part of exam VS people eho had 268 questions probably didnt have experimental and maybe answered all questions without problem. I dont think thats fair to be honest...... bc maybe i wasted time in experimentals sacrificing those questions part of the exam vs the person who got 268, 260, 265 questions. I dont know if people are understanding what im saying but i tought everyone had the same amount but now im reading and ita not the case. Can someone explain this to me. Is the curve more fair for the ones who had 280 questions and probably wasted time in the experimental va other people who did not have to waste time in experimentals?

 

[pathlologist]

I have a question. I see some people say they had 268 questions. I had 280. Why is that? Like for example. If i had 280 and lets say i couldnt finish the blocks. Always had to guess last 3 questions so probably wasted time in experimentals vs questions i had to guess probably part of exam VS people eho had 268 questions probably didnt have experimental and maybe answered all questions without problem. I dont think thats fair to be honest...... bc maybe i wasted time in experimentals sacrificing those questions part of the exam vs the person who got 268, 260, 265 questions. I dont know if people are understanding what im saying but i tought everyone had the same amount but now im reading and ita not the case. Can someone explain this to me. Is the curve more fair for the ones who had 280 questions and probably wasted time in the experimental va other people who did not have to waste time in experimentals?

Isn't the time given per block determined by the number of questions, like roughly 80s per question? Or do I have that wrong?

Edit: Maybe I misread. Are you more concerned with spending more time on experimental questions that might be flawed and leaving less time for the others (even if you have the correct alotted time)?

 

[nanitch]

Isn't the time given per block determined by the number of questions, like roughly 80s per question? Or do I have that wrong?

Edit: Maybe I misread. Are you more concerned with spending more time on questions that might be flawed and leaving less time for the others even if?

Yeah exactly i say it more because of that bc i didnt know some people get less questions vs others get more questions. So for example since i had more which means more experimentals i probably wasted more time in experimentals. I just feel it shouldnt be graded the same. I mean i hope not. I was even already tired the last block. 20 questions less wouldve been nice.

 

[pathlologist]

Yeah exactly i say it more because of that bc i didnt know some people get less questions vs others get more questions. So for example since i had more which means more experimentals i probably wasted more time in experimentals. I just feel it shouldnt be graded the same. I mean i hope not. I was even already tired the last block. 20 questions less wouldve been nice.

I certainly understand that. I'd like to think they have a way to account for that.

 

[TheOther]

Yeah... Getting through 2 more passes of FA would be fantastic. I feel like I'm slipping because I haven't looked at things in a while. Definitely going to try to get through a bulk of that this week. Going to cut down questions to 2 blocks a day instead of 3. I think I'm going to take your advice re: making sure to do questions everyday. It's important to stay in that mindset since it definitely impacts how you study/read/learn.

Thanks so much.

Exactly. Half of the game is knowing the material, the other half is learning how they want you to think about the material. You got this, fam. Keep at it.

I have a question. I see some people say they had 268 questions. I had 280. Why is that? Like for example. If i had 280 and lets say i couldnt finish the blocks. Always had to guess last 3 questions so probably wasted time in experimentals vs questions i had to guess probably part of exam VS people eho had 268 questions probably didnt have experimental and maybe answered all questions without problem. I dont think thats fair to be honest...... bc maybe i wasted time in experimentals sacrificing those questions part of the exam vs the person who got 268, 260, 265 questions. I dont know if people are understanding what im saying but i tought everyone had the same amount but now im reading and ita not the case. Can someone explain this to me. Is the curve more fair for the ones who had 280 questions and probably wasted time in the experimental va other people who did not have to waste time in experimentals?

I have a real hard time believing that there are exams that aren't 280 questions. That's the standard. I saw one person report 278 but I wonder if they're mistaken.

Can anyone else who's taken it verify this?

 

[tymont12]

Exactly. Half of the game is knowing the material, the other half is learning how they want you to think about the material. You got this, fam. Keep at it.


I have a real hard time believing that there are exams that aren't 280 questions. That's the standard. I saw one person report 278 but I wonder if they're mistaken.

Can anyone else who's taken it verify this?

I got 280 but classmates reported 278 & even 272. They said they had questions with vignettes that required them to scroll in order to read completely.

 

[firewerkkk]

Scores usually come out at 5am PT. Good luck, guys! I'm expecting mine as well @blueforest @anthonymmd

 

[firewerkkk]

Got a total of 280 questions, too @TheOther

 

[anthonymmd]

I got a total of 268(!!) Questions. Only 28 questions on my last section with the same time allotted as if they were 40! To be honest though I felt those last questions were extraordinary, certainly more difficult to answer than the rest and I m pretty sure I messed up a lot of them

 

[Indirect&Passive]

The last section of mine only had 32 questions, but the same amount of time as the other blocks


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[nanitch]

I got 280 but classmates reported 278 & even 272. They said they had questions with vignettes that required them to scroll in order to read completely.

Yeah two friends just told me that one had 272 and another had 276. I had 280 questions but they were longer than uworld + nbme for sure. It was the weirdest exam ever. Felt all of them were experimentals. Thats why I hope the curve is fair. I dont know how they do it but I didn't even know people get a different amount of questions. Mine had a lot of them scrolling too and it was 280 questions, and a lot of audio ones. It makes me sad because I changed it. I keep thinking if I would've taken it the week before and I was going to. Karma for changing it i guess haha

 

[nanitch]

Wow its incredible how the day before getting scores one can feel so anxious. I wasn't feeling like this at all till today. I have a question. People waiting for scores tomorrow, does your permit still appear or disappeared? I heard it should disappear but mine is still there.

 

[TheOther]

Dang, I had no idea. I assumed all exams were 280 questions. Thanks for sharing, everyone!

 

[nanitch]

I got a total of 268(!!) Questions. Only 28 questions on my last section with the same time allotted as if they were 40! To be honest though I felt those last questions were extraordinary, certainly more difficult to answer than the rest and I m pretty sure I messed up a lot of them

Wow so people had less questions in last block with same time as me and i had 40 questions. I have to admit im a little jealous hahahahah. I just hope they take that in consideration because he last block i couldnt answer like 4 and had to guess them.

 

[TheOther]

Wow so people had less questions in last block with same time as me and i had 40 questions. I have to admit im a little jealous hahahahah. I just hope they take that in consideration because he last block i couldnt answer like 4 and had to guess them.

If there were less questions, there must be some caveat to it -- longer stems than even you had, more difficult concepts, etc. Something to make up for the fewer questions. And I bet the exams as a whole can only be weighted against those of the same form/same questions. I wouldn't worry about it, it'll be graded fairly.

 

[nanitch]

If there were less questions, there must be some caveat to it -- longer stems than even you had, more difficult concepts, etc. Something to make up for the fewer questions. And I bet the exams as a whole can only be weighted against those of the same form/same questions. I wouldn't worry about it, it'll be graded fairly.

I hope so i dont even know when i get my score but im still nervous for tomorrow hahaha

 

[TheOther]

I hope so i dont even know when i get my score but im still nervous for tomorrow hahaha

Haha I can imagine! Hang in there

 

[ridethecliche]

Re: number of questions.

I didn't know that there were differences, but I think the questions are studied and averaged to see how long it takes people to answer them. There are a ton of different combinations of questions that can still get to an average 60 minute block. I don't think anyone is getting taken advantage of for time. I think that the questions are standardized by difficulty (% correct) and by average time of completion. Look at how UWorld is able to track all that data. I'm sure the NBME goes ham with all this data.

The process is nerve wracking enough without creating additional hoops to run through. Trust in the process a little!

Exactly. Half of the game is knowing the material, the other half is learning how they want you to think about the material. You got this, fam. Keep at it.

Thanks so much for the advice. I think I've been spread a little too thin lately with sources, so I'm going to try to pare it down with sources and come up with a more FA oriented plan instead of trying to fit a bunch of random crap in.

 

[TaroBubbleTea]

Good luck to those getting their scores today. I still have 3 weeks to wait, and it's slowly killing me inside.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[blueforest]

The last block on the exam varies. I can't remember exactly now, but I had 34-36 questions on my exam and 1 hour. It was not my hardest block and I finished with plenty of time to go over some of my answers. I remember being stuck on a few questions, but it was a relief to have a shorter set at the very end.

 

[anthonymmd]

About an hour and a half til our results come out, haven't had any shuteye at all, I feel kinda like a zombie. lol anyway best of luck to everybody expecting today, oasis seems to be down at the moment and I m having a panic attack

 

[nanitch]

I hope so i dont even know when i get my score but im still nervous for tomorrow hahaha

I willupdate and give a good revoew overall when i get it for those who havent taken it

About an hour and a half til our results come out, haven't had any shuteye at all, I feel kinda like a zombie. lol anyway best of luck to everybody expecting today, oasis seems to be down at the moment and I m having a panic attack

mine is definitely next week because I can still see the permit there in ecfmg, best of luck today!!! let us know how it went

 

[blueforest]

233!!!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My best NBME was a 225!!!! I thought I failed I made so many stupid mistakes!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Anything is possible!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

 

[pathlologist]

233!!!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My best NBME was a 225!!!! I thought I failed I made so many stupid mistakes!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Anything is possible!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Congratulations!

 

[nanitch]

233!!!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My best NBME was a 225!!!! I thought I failed I made so many stupid mistakes!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Anything is possible!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Omg congratulations!! My nbmes where like yours and i get scores next week i hope i can say the same thing u should feel sonproud of yourself!!

 

[nanitch]

Omg congratulations!! My nbmes where like yours and i get scores next week i hope i can say the same thing u should feel sonproud of yourself!!

Congratulations!

233!!!!! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My best NBME was a 225!!!! I thought I failed I made so many stupid mistakes!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Anything is possible!! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Did u have 280 questions or leaa?

 

[pathlologist]

Did u have 280 questions or leaa?

I take step tomorrow (AHHHH) so I'll let you know!

 

[conversed15]

257!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for letting me lurk guys. I'll post my nbme stuff later today