USMLE Official 2017 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

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WeedForLunch

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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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Anyone have any tips on how to go though UWorld quicker? I'm trying to do 80 a day and it's taking me forever. I feel like I am forgetting stuff because I don't have much time to review after doing questions


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Don't do tutor. Do timed. Then review. That was my biggest problem that I realized today.
 
I am doing timed. But it takes me so damn long to review. Like literally 3 hours
Are you doing all of your blocks in a row? As I'm coming to the end of my first pass through Uworld I tend to go more quickly through questions if I take all my blocks in a row and then spend the rest of the day going over them. Otherwise I'll do a block of 40 and then take a small break, then grade it, then a small break, then take another block, then a small break, etc. If I treat my blocks of Uworld as a mini 1/4 of the real exam I found myself to get much more efficient. Also, I found that I was spending too much time going over questions where I made a silly mistake like read the actual question wrong or something like that (wasn't a gap in knowledge, I just needed to slow down) or on questions I knew 90%+ I got right because I knew the answer cold or had seen the topic before on Uworld. I know everyone says that you its just as important to know why all the other answers are wrong vs why the right answer is right, but that can be extremely cumbersome sometimes and it is not as important as knowing the main topic their asking (ex: when they ask you a bacteria question and some of the answers are fungi, you don't need to go over why a fungus isn't correct because it's intuitive).

How far are you into Uworld? I was really slow going at the beginning and only only doing 1 block per day, but I was able to ramp up quickly once I got all this stuff figured out and finally went through enough material so that the subtleties of questions were becoming more clear. Take all this with a grain of salt! YMMV.
 
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Are you doing all of your blocks in a row? As I'm coming to the end of my first pass through Uworld I tend to go more quickly through questions if I take all my blocks in a row and then spend the rest of the day going over them. Otherwise I'll do a block of 40 and then take a small break, then grade it, then a small break, then take another block, then a small break, etc. If I treat my blocks of Uworld as a mini 1/4 of the real exam I found myself to get much more efficient. Also, I found that I was spending too much time going over questions where I made a silly mistake like read the actual question wrong or something like that (wasn't a gap in knowledge, I just needed to slow down) or on questions I knew 90%+ I got right because I knew the answer cold or had seen the topic before on Uworld. I know everyone says that you its just as important to know why all the other answers are wrong vs why the right answer is right, but that can be extremely cumbersome sometimes and it is not as important as knowing the main topic their asking (ex: when they ask you a bacteria question and some of the answers are fungi, you don't need to go over why a fungus isn't correct because it's intuitive).

How far are you into Uworld? I was really slow going at the beginning and only only doing 1 block per day, but I was able to ramp up quickly once I got all this stuff figured out and finally went through enough material so that the subtleties of questions were becoming more clear. Take all this with a grain of salt! YMMV.

I am 1/3 of the way through


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NBME SPOILER ALERT


I didnt even take this nbme but this is driving me nuts.
Can anyone clarify when peak flow is for the left and right coronary arteries?
Sources say peak for the right is systole, and for the left is diastole.

NBME answer for the RCA was early diastole
 
I am 1/3 of the way through

Advice that I have seen is that as you get through more Uworld, you get quicker at reviewing. I have found this to be true of myself as well.

NBME SPOILER ALERT


I didnt even take this nbme but this is driving me nuts.
Can anyone clarify when peak flow is for the left and right coronary arteries?
Sources say peak for the right is systole, and for the left is diastole.

NBME answer for the RCA was early diastole

I had always been told/read that peak coronary perfusion is maximal during diastole. I would assume this is the same between RCA and LCA. What source are you using that says peak RCA flow is during systole?
 
Advice that I have seen is that as you get through more Uworld, you get quicker at reviewing. I have found this to be true of myself as well.



I had always been told/read that peak coronary perfusion is maximal during diastole. I would assume this is the same between RCA and LCA. What source are you using that says peak RCA flow is during systole?
I agree that OVERALL the greatest flow is diastole.
But separately its different for RCA.

The source was Ganongs physiology. Ive attached their diagram "Blood flow in the left and right coronary arteries during various phases of the cardiac cycle. Systole occurs between the two vertical dashed lines. "

upload_2017-5-21_12-23-46.png
 
How do you guys schedule your study day? Do you set specific goals for example "alright, i don't care how long it takes but I HAVE to cover chapter 4-5 from pathoma, then do 5 sketchy bugs, and then a block of uworld today," or do you go about with your 8-10 hours of studying for the day and see how much you end up covering?
 
The convoluted way and/or assumptions you have to make on some questions despite knowing everything on a topic and then STILL getting the question wrong because of wording is just frustrating and stupid. Uworld seems to especially do this. Is the real STEP 1 just as dumb?
 
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The convoluted way and/or assumptions you have to make on some questions despite knowing everything on a topic and then STILL getting the question wrong because of wording is just frustrating and stupid. Uworld seems to especially do this. Is the real STEP 1 just as dumb?
I really hope not. I miss questions all the time because of poor diagrams and poor graphics on UWorld.
 
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The convoluted way and/or assumptions you have to make on some questions despite knowing everything on a topic and then STILL getting the question wrong because of wording is just frustrating and stupid. Uworld seems to especially do this. Is the real STEP 1 just as dumb?

nothing worse than this lol drives me nuts.
 
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Repro Emvryology question: if SHH is involved in anteroposterior plane development, then how does a mutation cause holoprosencephaly?
 
How do you guys schedule your study day? Do you set specific goals for example "alright, i don't care how long it takes but I HAVE to cover chapter 4-5 from pathoma, then do 5 sketchy bugs, and then a block of uworld today," or do you go about with your 8-10 hours of studying for the day and see how much you end up covering?
Always do your best to schedule based on material covered, not time spent. Otherwise you risk not covering everything in a timely manner. I'd study 6 days a week with the 7th day being "catch up" for anything I'm behind on then resting. I used excel to make my study schedule, which was fluid and constantly revised based on my progress.
 
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Advice that I have seen is that as you get through more Uworld, you get quicker at reviewing. I have found this to be true of myself as well.



I had always been told/read that peak coronary perfusion is maximal during diastole. I would assume this is the same between RCA and LCA. What source are you using that says peak RCA flow is during systole?
There's a uw question where systole (edited) is the answer for RCA flow because of the much lower pressure in the RV. I answered diastole and got it wrong. Seems the nbme was reversed.
 
Just sharing my Step 1 experience to those who are yet to sit for it. Took the beast a month ago and got my score report back last week.

Prep duration: 6+ months
Study Resources:
1. First Aid
2. UWORLD
3. USMLERx
4. NBME
5. DIT videos + Workbook
6. Goljan Audio

- Started my prep by going through DIT along with FA, annotated important points from DIT right into FA at the same time, which took me ~3months
- After completed DIT, I finished USMLERx in a month and proceeded with UWORLD
- I took quite awhile to complete UWORLD, taking an average of 5-6 hours to review each block and annotate into FA. Did UWORLD just once, without having time to go through it twice or the incorrects
- Took a NBME before I started UWORLD and several NBMEs nearly a month leading to exam date
- Goljan Audio during my workouts in the gym or whenever I am on the go!

Qbank percentages & Self assessment scores:
- USMLERx (timed, randomed): 67%
- UWORLD (timed, randomed): 67%
- NBME 12 (10 weeks left): 203
- NBME 16 (3 weeks left): 238
- UWSA 1 ( 3 weeks left): 245
- NBME 18 (2 weeks left): 240
- UWSA 2 (10 days left): 245
- Free 120 (5 days left): 87%
- NBME 19 (3 days left): 236
---> USMLE Step 1 Score: 250 :)

My 2cents on Step 1:
--> What would I have done differently?
- As mentioned above, I didn't use Kaplan lecture notes or videos which are highly recommended by most people and have been proven to be very helpful for setting up a foundation for step 1. If I have more prep time, I would definitely incorporate it into my study plan
- Casually read Goljan Rapid Review Pathology before my prep for Step 1 but I found it too dense and decided to stop using it halfway. It is Gold but it might not be the book for everyone. Would definitely go for Pathoma. Once again, due to time constraint, I was not able to fit Pathoma into my study plan but i managed to sneak in just a couple of videos in between my break time just to find out why it is one hella resource for Step 1
--> Qbanks, NBME, Self assessment:
- Many have said that going through UWORLD twice is recommended but personally I think that as long as you do it properly and without rushing for the first time, a 2nd bank might be a better investment
- Mind that I was constantly feeling demotivated throughout my run through for UWORLD as I have a relatively low percentage but now looking back retrospectively, I strongly believe that as long as you do UWORLD with heart, the percentage does not fully reflect where you stand to your actual step 1 score. So, for those who are still prepping, don't get too bothered with the percentages
- I personally think NBME should be done online if possible in order to have a real feel of sitting for the real exam. In terms of predictive value, I think it can be quite predictive but it can sometime be highly varied among individuals. Most importantly is to stay calm during exam day and hopefully perform on the actual exam

Lastly, for all future Step 1 takers, keep pushing hard everyday, keep up the good work and strive for the best. It is all about the struggles and picking yourself up after every let down. I have gone through much struggles during my prep and I am just so lucky to have got the score I wanted. I believe everyone can achieve their goals with hardwork & perseverance. All the best everyone! :)
 
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How do you guys schedule your study day? Do you set specific goals for example "alright, i don't care how long it takes but I HAVE to cover chapter 4-5 from pathoma, then do 5 sketchy bugs, and then a block of uworld today," or do you go about with your 8-10 hours of studying for the day and see how much you end up covering?

Task based/Goal based studying x1000. This stretches to everything imo. Doing things for simply a certain amount of time is a sure fire way to be inefficient. Figuring this out was my "Aha!" moment in regards to studying in general and happened when I took the MCAT the 2nd time (amazing that it took me that long in reality).
 
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Just sharing my Step 1 experience to those who are yet to sit for it. Took the beast a month ago and got my score report back last week.

Prep duration: 6+ months
Study Resources:
1. First Aid
2. UWORLD
3. USMLERx
4. NBME
5. DIT videos + Workbook
6. Goljan Audio

- Started my prep by going through DIT along with FA, annotated important points from DIT right into FA at the same time, which took me ~3months
- After completed DIT, I finished USMLERx in a month and proceeded with UWORLD
- I took quite awhile to complete UWORLD, taking an average of 5-6 hours to review each block and annotate into FA. Did UWORLD just once, without having time to go through it twice or the incorrects
- Took a NBME before I started UWORLD and several NBMEs nearly a month leading to exam date
- Goljan Audio during my workouts in the gym or whenever I am on the go!

Qbank percentages & Self assessment scores:
- USMLERx (timed, randomed): 67%
- UWORLD (timed, randomed): 67%
- NBME 12 (10 weeks left): 203
- NBME 16 (3 weeks left): 238
- UWSA 1 ( 3 weeks left): 245
- NBME 18 (2 weeks left): 240
- UWSA 2 (10 days left): 245
- Free 120 (5 days left): 87%
- NBME 19 (3 days left): 236
---> USMLE Step 1 Score: 250 :)

My 2cents on Step 1:
--> What would I have done differently?
- As mentioned above, I didn't use Kaplan lecture notes or videos which are highly recommended by most people and have been proven to be very helpful for setting up a foundation for step 1. If I have more prep time, I would definitely incorporate it into my study plan
- Casually read Goljan Rapid Review Pathology before my prep for Step 1 but I found it too dense and decided to stop using it halfway. It is Gold but it might not be the book for everyone. Would definitely go for Pathoma. Once again, due to time constraint, I was not able to fit Pathoma into my study plan but i managed to sneak in just a couple of videos in between my break time just to find out why it is one hella resource for Step 1
--> Qbanks, NBME, Self assessment:
- Many have said that going through UWORLD twice is recommended but personally I think that as long as you do it properly and without rushing for the first time, a 2nd bank might be a better investment
- Mind that I was constantly feeling demotivated throughout my run through for UWORLD as I have a relatively low percentage but now looking back retrospectively, I strongly believe that as long as you do UWORLD with heart, the percentage does not fully reflect where you stand to your actual step 1 score. So, for those who are still prepping, don't get too bothered with the percentages
- I personally think NBME should be done online if possible in order to have a real feel of sitting for the real exam. In terms of predictive value, I think it can be quite predictive but it can sometime be highly varied among individuals. Most importantly is to stay calm during exam day and hopefully perform on the actual exam

Lastly, for all future Step 1 takers, keep pushing hard everyday, keep up the good work and strive for the best. It is all about the struggles and picking yourself up after every let down. I have gone through much struggles during my prep and I am just so lucky to have got the score I wanted. I believe everyone can achieve their goals with hardwork & perseverance. All the best everyone! :)

Thanks for the write up and congrats on the insane score man! It's super motivating to see the possibility of seeing someone start from 200 on NBMEs, to getting a 250 on the real deal with hard work and dedication!
 
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The convoluted way and/or assumptions you have to make on some questions despite knowing everything on a topic and then STILL getting the question wrong because of wording is just frustrating and stupid. Uworld seems to especially do this. Is the real STEP 1 just as dumb?

There are definitely questions like this on Step. One of the questions I spent a solid 5 minutes looking at a graph because the question step was super convoluted and I couldn't understand the time frame of which they were asking the question and they didn't specify. There weren't too many like this, but very frustrating.
 
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Anyone have any tips on how to go though UWorld quicker? I'm trying to do 80 a day and it's taking me forever. I feel like I am forgetting stuff because I don't have much time to review after doing questions


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I have an interesting UWorld review strategy since I learned from the beginning UW is NOT an assessment of your knowledge. It's just another book.

1) do blocks on untimed do not grade at end
2) go back and grade 1 by 1 by clicking end block
3) go to the first block and write down what you got incorrect without looking at the answer
4) resume the block and re-read the question you got wrong while also notating any questions you change (from what to what)
5) end block again (note an improvement)
6) then only review the questions you got wrong in extended detail
7) read the learning objectives only on the questions you got wrong.

Overall this brings your review time to about 1.5hrs.


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So I took Step on Thursday. I was supremely nervous going in, but once I was there autopilot took over my emotions. I read someone else talking about going in like an emotional robot, which I tried to emulate since I get testing anxiety. I started the exam around 7:20 (well, first I wrote my dump sheet) and finished up around 3:40. I took nearly full time for each block, but had a bit of break time left at the end. First block didn't shake me up too bad, which helped my confidence. Although the subsequent blocks weren't so nice. Lot of convoluted questions and just highest of orders. Seems like every other question I knew 90% of what they were talking about, just wasn't sure about the last 2% that they were asking about. Feel like I made toooons of "educated" guesses, some were out of right field, and a very select few were home runs.

No idea how I did. Feel pretty terrible about it. My practice scores leading up weren't great but I wasn't allowed to delay since the scores were passing. Gonna pass away time until June 28 when we find out. Hopefully I'm completely done with Step. I feel like I'm in a much better place figuring out how to study for Step 2 because of this though. I knew coming in I wasn't aiming for a super high score like the rest of the website, just hope I get within 1 SD of average.
 
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So I took Step on Thursday. I was supremely nervous going in, but once I was there autopilot took over my emotions. I read someone else talking about going in like an emotional robot, which I tried to emulate since I get testing anxiety. I started the exam around 7:20 (well, first I wrote my dump sheet) and finished up around 3:40. I took nearly full time for each block, but had a bit of break time left at the end. First block didn't shake me up too bad, which helped my confidence. Although the subsequent blocks weren't so nice. Lot of convoluted questions and just highest of orders. Seems like every other question I knew 90% of what they were talking about, just wasn't sure about the last 2% that they were asking about. Feel like I made toooons of "educated" guesses, some were out of right field, and a very select few were home runs.

No idea how I did. Feel pretty terrible about it. My practice scores leading up weren't great but I wasn't allowed to delay since the scores were passing. Gonna pass away time until June 28 when we find out. Hopefully I'm completely done with Step. I feel like I'm in a much better place figuring out how to study for Step 2 because of this though. I knew coming in I wasn't aiming for a super high score like the rest of the website, just hope I get within 1 SD of average.
Congrats on being done. So everyone from this point on receives scores june 28??
 
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So I took Step on Thursday. I was supremely nervous going in, but once I was there autopilot took over my emotions. I read someone else talking about going in like an emotional robot, which I tried to emulate since I get testing anxiety. I started the exam around 7:20 (well, first I wrote my dump sheet) and finished up around 3:40. I took nearly full time for each block, but had a bit of break time left at the end. First block didn't shake me up too bad, which helped my confidence. Although the subsequent blocks weren't so nice. Lot of convoluted questions and just highest of orders. Seems like every other question I knew 90% of what they were talking about, just wasn't sure about the last 2% that they were asking about. Feel like I made toooons of "educated" guesses, some were out of right field, and a very select few were home runs.

No idea how I did. Feel pretty terrible about it. My practice scores leading up weren't great but I wasn't allowed to delay since the scores were passing. Gonna pass away time until June 28 when we find out. Hopefully I'm completely done with Step. I feel like I'm in a much better place figuring out how to study for Step 2 because of this though. I knew coming in I wasn't aiming for a super high score like the rest of the website, just hope I get within 1 SD of average.
How did you study? Feedback while it's fresh? : P
 
Does anyone have any tips on how to memorize all these developmental milestones for kids? Whenever these come up on UWorld I am doomed.
There is like 1 question about it on Uworld and another on NBME 18, but you can literally rule out other answer choices to pick the right one. I wouldn't stress about it. There are much higher yield info to remember.
 
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Anyone who is still around this thread and scored 240+.. how often did you feel like you didn't know anything? And how man you of you crammed things in until the night before?..
 
Anyone who is still around this thread and scored 240+.. how often did you feel like you didn't know anything? And how man you of you crammed things in until the night before?..
from what i read, most people hit rapid review the last two days and are usually done after that
 
Anyone who is still around this thread and scored 240+.. how often did you feel like you didn't know anything? And how man you of you crammed things in until the night before?..
I had a list of rote memorization stuff from FA that I just wrote/drew on my white board the day before. Briefly looked at a couple Sketchs and that's about it.

No idea on my score yet though haha.
 
I had a list of rote memorization stuff from FA that I just wrote/drew on my white board the day before. Briefly looked at a couple Sketchs and that's about it.

No idea on my score yet though haha.

how'd you feel right after the real deal? I'm hoping for a 240 and have NO IDEA how to gauge how I did.
 
plasma cells to me have once been described like that
Ahh yes. I remember hearing this.
supposedly dysgerminoma's also and i feel like theres others
Good thing i still have to do another pass of reproductive hahaha. Although I thought dysgerminomas were the female seminoma.. so do seminomas also?
 
Ahh yes. I remember hearing this.

Good thing i still have to do another pass of reproductive hahaha. Although I thought dysgerminomas were the female seminoma.. so do seminomas also?
yea. FA says "Fried egg" again under seminoma...
 
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Anyone else feel like their date just snuck up on them? I feel like I was just 6 weeks out and blinked and my test is in 2 weeks. I'm in that holy **** I don't know anything panic mode.
 
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Anyone else feel like their date just snuck up on them? I feel like I was just 6 weeks out and blinked and my test is in 2 weeks. I'm in that holy **** I don't know anything panic mode.
Haha I feel the same in terms of being like well I know nothing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but also Friday cannot come soon enough! I am so ready to be done with this beast hoping that my brain recalls more than I think it will!
 
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