Official 2021 Step 1 Experiences and Scores Thread

[slowthai]

Goal weight: 250+ lbs
I've been eating a lot everyday so I think I have a chance

On a serious note, we just might be the last ones to take it pre-P/F. Let's rock.

Edit: As of today, we ARE the last ones to take it pre-P/F.

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[fldoctorgirl]

Anyone felt like as each day goes by, they convince themselves they’ve completely bombed step 1 even though their practice scores were all fine? Asking for a friend...asking for myself

I thought it was very possible I got a 205 in the weeks leading up to score release. Ended up with a 255. Trust your practice scores.

 

[Future_HeartMD]

I thought it was very possible I got a 205 in the weeks leading up to score release. Ended up with a 255. Trust your practice scores.

Ok good I'm glad I'm not going insane.

 

[cptsam]

anyone know whats up with these bonus amboss practice questions? I haven't tried any but it seems to add almost another 1000 questions to the step 1 bank

 

[deleted1082375]

Anyone have trouble completing uworld before dedicated started? I'm about 40% done and will have about 80% of it done by time I start dedicated. I have 1/4 combank done too.

 

[Captain_Falcon]

Anyone have trouble completing uworld before dedicated started? I'm about 40% done and will have about 80% of it done by time I start dedicated. I have 1/4 combank done too.

A lot of people don't even start Uworld until dedicated

 

[deleted1082375]

A lot of people don't even start Uworld until dedicated

then what in the hell are they doing to study for boards???

 

[Captain_Falcon]

then what in the hell are they doing to study for boards???

I did 2 question banks before starting Uworld. Then you have Anking premade deck, Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and beyond to get your foundation.

Saving Uworld for dedicated means I only need to do 70-80 questions on average a day. A little more actually because of days where I'll do NBME or Uworld practice tests

 

[deleted1082375]

I did 2 question banks before starting Uworld. Then you have Anking premade deck, Sketchy, Pathoma, Boards and beyond to get your foundation.

Saving Uworld for dedicated means I only need to do 70-80 questions on average a day. A little more actually because of days where I'll do NBME or Uworld practice tests

I thought you meant they were doing no question banks at all. I'm aware of saving uworld for dedicated. It just feels like there's too many questions to get through before dedicated starts.

 

[WashingtonR]

230 on UWorld Sim2 today. 217 on NBME 21 yesterday. That's a big difference. Any advice? Which one should I trust more? I'm supposed to take Step1 this Thursday, so I'm trying to decide if I should delay.

 

[Captain_Falcon]

230 on UWorld Sim2 today. 217 on NBME 21 yesterday. That's a big difference. Any advice? Which one should I trust more? I'm supposed to take Step1 this Thursday, so I'm trying to decide if I should delay.

I've heard UW2 is the most accurate predictor

 

[deleted1082375]

230 on UWorld Sim2 today. 217 on NBME 21 yesterday. That's a big difference. Any advice? Which one should I trust more? I'm supposed to take Step1 this Thursday, so I'm trying to decide if I should delay.

nbme underpredicts.

 

[Peaches44]

Those of you who are doing the Anking deck, how important do you feel it is to finish the deck? I have about 3k cards left and tbh not sure if its worth stressing over them aside from pharm and micro. I'm 10 weeks out and have been making cards on my incorrects from amboss and am doing close to 1k cards per day. Its getting tough to do those, plus news and 80 Qs + review. I'd also like to have some time rewatch pathoma/BnB/Sketchy but really havent had the time yet.

 

[cptsam]

Those of you who are doing the Anking deck, how important do you feel it is to finish the deck? I have about 3k cards left and tbh not sure if its worth stressing over them aside from pharm and micro. I'm 10 weeks out and have been making cards on my incorrects from amboss and am doing close to 1k cards per day. Its getting tough to do those, plus news and 80 Qs + review. I'd also like to have some time rewatch pathoma/BnB/Sketchy but really havent had the time yet.

kind of stuck in the same boat, I'm prioritizing bugs and drugs and once I finish those I'll only unsuspend cards that directly pertain to my missed questions

 

[Peaches44]

kind of stuck in the same boat, I'm prioritizing bugs and drugs and once I finish those I'll only unsuspend cards that directly pertain to my missed questions

Thats a good plan. I think I only have a few more pharm vids to watch and ill probably look through some of high yield pathoma that I missed and call it. Maybe ill try to do a small amount of cards today like 30-50 just to see how far I get. I'm gonna have FOMO if I dont finish the deck haha.

 

[cptsam]

Thats a good plan. I think I only have a few more pharm vids to watch and ill probably look through some of high yield pathoma that I missed and call it. Maybe ill try to do a small amount of cards today like 30-50 just to see how far I get. I'm gonna have FOMO if I dont finish the deck haha.

yeah same, but more questions>>>>>more anki as we get closer and closer to our test dates

 

[greentealeaves]

How are you guys approaching some of the more complex histopathology in UWorld. For example, sometimes the answer choices will be five histological descriptions (like subperiosteal bone resorption and cystic degeneration) and I won’t really know what they are referring to. I feel like Pathoma nor Anking really cover any of this. Any way to improve on this front or just histopathology overall?

 

[Peaches44]

How are you guys approaching some of the more complex histopathology in UWorld. For example, sometimes the answer choices will be five histological descriptions (like subperiosteal bone resorption and cystic degeneration) and I won’t really know what they are referring to. I feel like Pathoma nor Anking really cover any of this. Any way to improve on this front or just histopathology overall?

I struggled with this in amboss as well and I just started making anki cards for histopath descriptions. Its has definitely helped a lot and most of the descriptions will be reused in other questions.

Your other option is to really delve into why these histopathologic changes are happening and personally I don't know of a good resource for that.

 

[blueberries6]

What is the best NBME to take to get a baseline score? Like right after finishing UWorld once, before starting dedicated.

 

[4thtimeretaker]

Was also wondering the same thing, which NBME do most people take as baseline? Wanted to purchase something as the old ones are going away soon.

 

[Future_HeartMD]

Was also wondering the same thing, which NBME do most people take as baseline? Wanted to purchase something as the old ones are going away soon.

I followed what the Anking did and took 23 first. Its a difficult test with a harsh curve but I figured that would be better to take early and motivate me than take it late and crush my confidence.

 

[cptsam]

how many questions are in each NBME?

thinking of buying 18, 20, and 23 today

 

[Peaches44]

how many questions are in each NBME?

thinking of buying 18, 20, and 23 today

200 i believe. I bought 24 yesterday and now I'm considering 18 but idk.

 

[4thtimeretaker]

I went ahead and purchased 18 and 24 yesterday, might purchase 23 if Anking recommended it as baseline. People on reddit say that 18/24 are pretty predictive.

 

[blueberries6]

What about the older NBME's? 13, 17, 15, 16 Are they still available?

 

[CleverAdvisor]

Did my step 1 yesterday so just wanted to share my experience.

I was supposed to do it last summer but cancellations due to covid and school abroad meant I begrudgingly had to delay it. I did it now because I'm on GP and have a fair bit of time to dedicate for studying.
Like many people I primarily used UFAP (+B&B). I felt this is sufficient to cover 99% of the questions on my test. Certainly not saying I knew 99% of the answers, but at one point in time during the past 2 years I would have individually lol. My exam did have 3-4 social questions per block which was nice (except 1) whereas my friends who wrote last year had maybe 3-4 total.
I got 243 on UW1, 220 on NBME 18, 239 on UW2, 85% on Free 120 as a reference. I found UW2 best represented the questions I saw on the actual thing.

Didn't manage to get a great sleep the night before the exam, wasn't able to get a good breakfast in, and threw up in my sink before I left the hotel.
I did feel like my stamina overall was okay, except I hit a weird wall during the second block.
Overall I don't feel great about the whole thing as an IMG given the impact it will have on matching, but I'm happy it's out of the way.

I will recommend reading the explanations for free 120 the day before your test. I think they helped me get 2-3 questions right that I may not have otherwise. Good luck everyone!

 

[cptsam]

dang even after 3000+ questions i still get wrecked on amboss sometimes

I've been making anki cards on stuff I've been struggling with, which in theory should be helping me, but I may have to switch to another strategy

 

[Captain_Falcon]

dang even after 3000+ questions i still get wrecked on amboss sometimes

I've been making anki cards on stuff I've been struggling with, which in theory should be helping me, but I may have to switch to another strategy

How "wrecked" are you getting? And is it your first qbank?

 

[cptsam]

How "wrecked" are you getting? And is it your first qbank?

I was trending upwards for the past couple of weeks with 60-70% and this week I've been getting 40-50%

I've done 1300 Rx and 1000 kaplan questions

 

[Captain_Falcon]

I was trending upwards for the past couple of weeks with 60-70% and this week I've been getting 40-50%

I've done 1300 Rx and 1000 kaplan questions

Well maybe it's just helping show your weaknesses

 

[cptsam]

Well maybe it's just helping show your weaknesses

yeah possibly, just thought I was making some real progress lmao

just gonna keep grinding

 

[Captain_Falcon]

yeah possibly, just thought I was making some real progress lmao

just gonna keep grinding

If I recall a 60% on Amboss is 50th percentile so if you end up around there that's a solid place to be depending on what your target score is. Also when is your step 1 testing date?

 

[cptsam]

If I recall a 60% on Amboss is 50th percentile so if you end up around there that's a solid place to be depending on what your target score is. Also when is your step 1 testing date?

step 1 is in 8 weeks

well a 58% is 67th percentile according to amboss

 

[DontTradOnMe]

Wow my step experience was really a nightmare, just need to vent. My UW % correct was almost 90%, and I heard a lot of peope say "it's like UWorld but more straightforward" so I was feeling very confident. Only took 1 NBME but got a 265 on it. Then on test day it felt like I couldn't even figure out what most of the questions were asking, very vague and confusing, constant time pressure which nevers happens to me. Flagging 50% of each block, the whole nine yards. Trying to take solace in the stories of people who swear they failed and end up doing well, but it's hard to imagine at this point.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Wow my step experience was really a nightmare, just need to vent. My UW % correct was almost 90%, and I heard a lot of peope say "it's like UWorld but more straightforward" so I was feeling very confident. Only took 1 NBME but got a 265 on it. Then on test day it felt like I couldn't even figure out what most of the questions were asking, very vague and confusing, constant time pressure which nevers happens to me. Flagging 50% of each block, the whole nine yards. Trying to take solace in the stories of people who swear they failed and end up doing well, but it's hard to imagine at this point.

Yes, this is a common experience.

Most likely you will do very well.

 

[cptsam]

Does anyone recommend NBME25 as a baseline? I've done close to 4000 questions, haven't started Uworld yet, and I'm a little under 8 weeks out

 

[Peaches44]

Does anyone recommend NBME25 as a baseline? I've done close to 4000 questions, haven't started Uworld yet, and I'm a little under 8 weeks out

I'm also a little under 8 weeks out and plan on taking it next weekend. I heard its brutal so I'm going to use it for motivation and probably take UWSA1 the following weekend to recover.

 

[cptsam]

I'm also a little under 8 weeks out and plan on taking it next weekend. I heard its brutal so I'm going to use it for motivation and probably take UWSA1 the following weekend to recover.

yeah i'm a little nervous ngl, been trending up in kaplan, but I've been blowing hot and cold on Amboss..so we'll see what happens

 

[Peaches44]

yeah i'm a little nervous ngl, been trending up in kaplan, but I've been blowing hot and cold on Amboss..so we'll see what happens

Amboss is hard lol. I jumped 10-15% once I switched from amboss to uworld so I wouldnt stress it.

 

[Elite Medical Prep]

How are you guys approaching some of the more complex histopathology in UWorld. For example, sometimes the answer choices will be five histological descriptions (like subperiosteal bone resorption and cystic degeneration) and I won’t really know what they are referring to. I feel like Pathoma nor Anking really cover any of this. Any way to improve on this front or just histopathology overall?

These are especially challenging questions because there are SO many ways they can describe pathological findings and they love throwing in complex words to increase the difficulty. A useful strategy that a lot of students find is to break the answer options down into individual phrases and/or individual words. Start with the ones that make sense to you, and use process of elimination and what you memorized from Pathoma/Anking to help you cross out options that are obviously wrong. Oftentimes in the answer options, they love to pair a correct phase with an incorrect one (ie. subperiosteal bone resorption might be correct and will bait many students into picking it, but cystic degeneration might be flat out wrong), so it's important to then to look at the combinations of phrases in the options you haven't already ruled out and work from there.

Unfortunately there isn't an easy way to tackle these questions because requires you not only to have had solid memorization of buzz-words from path resources, but then also an understanding of what you memorized beyond recognizing the buzz-word. The best way to prep is just drill path questions and make Anki cards so that you get familiar with different ways certain path findings can be described.

Hope this helps and good luck!

-Darius, Elite Medical Prep tutor

 

[cptsam]

Hey guys, I just wanted to get some advice from you. I am taking the test in 8 weeks. I've done 92% of UWorld, all of Amboss, Kaplan and RX. I just took my first NBME. I'm only able to review about 40-50 questions per day because I go through them relatively thoroughly (cross reference Big Robbins / Costanzo / Sketchy for all of my weak areas). The only thing I have left is NBME 25-30 (I've already done NBME 27 though), UWSA 1/2, Free 120. How valuable do you think NBME 1-24 is? Are they all equally high yield? Should I focus on NBME 13-24 and keep reviewing things thoroughly? Would love to hear any thoughts.

god dang, you're a beast for getting through all that

i think you should focus on the newer NBME's, they have repeats from the older ones too so if you literally take them all of them your scores for the newer ones will be inflated.

 

[Captain_Falcon]

Hey guys, I just wanted to get some advice from you. I am taking the test in 8 weeks. I've done 92% of UWorld, all of Amboss, Kaplan and RX. I just took my first NBME. I'm only able to review about 40-50 questions per day because I go through them relatively thoroughly (cross reference Big Robbins / Costanzo / Sketchy for all of my weak areas). The only thing I have left is NBME 25-30 (I've already done NBME 27 though), UWSA 1/2, Free 120. How valuable do you think NBME 1-24 is? Are they all equally high yield? Should I focus on NBME 13-24 and keep reviewing things thoroughly? Would love to hear any thoughts.

You should move your test up before you burn out

 

[greentealeaves]

You should move your test up before you burn out

I studied for the MCAT hard for 8 months and didn't burn out. The trick is taking a day or two off when you get tired. I don't think burnout is a permanent state.

 

[Captain_Falcon]

I studied for the MCAT hard for 8 months and didn't burn out. The trick is taking a day or two off when you get tired. I don't think burnout is a permanent state.

If you havent already purchased old NBME forms 1-24 you cant buy them anymore. If that's the case you only have NBME 25-30 minus the one you took. So you only have 5 practice exams and 8 whole weeks left. You literally are a monster for getting through it all but you dont have much else to fill the time. I would move up your test and take some well earned vacation days

 

[Peaches44]

What are your guys' strategies for reviewing uworld/amboss? I've used 20% of uworld and feel like sometimes I'm still missing questions on topics I've already missed them on. Overall I'm happy with where I started but I want to make sure I get the most out of my reviews. Generally I read the explanation and all other answer choices, cross reference first aid if I got it wrong, and then make cards based on what I dont know. But I'm finding that if I read it and dont make a card, I wont remember it. But at the same time I'm trying to limit the amount of cards I'm making since I'm already doing 600-800 a day from anking.

 

[blueberries6]

If you havent already purchased old NBME forms 1-24 you cant buy them anymore. If that's the case you only have NBME 25-30 minus the one you took. So you only have 5 practice exams and 8 whole weeks left. You literally are a monster for getting through it all but you dont have much else to fill the time. I would move up your test and take some well earned vacation days

Is there any way to get access to the older NBME's? What about for people who are taking step 1 late august/September? Will they only have the 5 practice exams? And of course UWSA 1 and 2. But will that be enough? How do people do enough practice NBME's when they get deleted right before their exams. And only the newer ones are available

 

[Captain_Falcon]

Is there any way to get access to the older NBME's? What about for people who are taking step 1 late august/September? Will they only have the 5 practice exams? And of course UWSA 1 and 2. But will that be enough? How do people do enough practice NBME's when they get deleted right before their exams. And only the newer ones are available

If you didn't purchase them before they expired they are gone forever. You still have 6 NBMEs + 2 UWORLDs = 8 practice exams. If you want more there are Amboss, Kaplan, USMLERx too. 8+ exams is wayyyyy more than you need imo

 

[Captain_Falcon]

Update

Completed Anking deck 10 weeks before date (currently 98% matured)
Completed Rx at 79%
Completed Amboss at 69%
37% done with UW so far, 82% correct
Amboss assessment - 242 (9 weeks out)
NBME 25 - 236 (5 weeks out)
NBME 30 - 252 (4 weeks out)

Plan on taking UW1 in a week (3 weeks out), UW2 one week out, and Free 120 a few days before. Not sure if I should take another NBME 2 weeks before though (sandwiched between UW1 and 2). Thoughts?

 

[cptsam]

Update

Completed Anking deck 10 weeks before date (currently 98% matured)
Completed Rx at 79%
Completed Amboss at 69%
37% done with UW so far, 82% correct
Amboss assessment - 242 (9 weeks out)
NBME 25 - 236 (5 weeks out)
NBME 30 - 252 (4 weeks out)

Plan on taking UW1 in a week (3 weeks out), UW2 one week out, and Free 120 a few days before. Not sure if I should take another NBME 2 weeks before though (sandwiched between UW1 and 2). Thoughts?

nah I dont think you need another NBME, you're on track for 250+ it looks like

how was nbme 25 as an exam?

 

[Captain_Falcon]

nah I dont think you need another NBME, you're on track for 250+ it looks like

how was nbme 25 as an exam?

It was pretty rough scoring wise. I got >80% correct and it still only gave me a 236. There were a handful of questions on topics I've never seen. Form 30 was much closer to everything boards related (Rx Amboss UW Sketchy Pathoma B&B and other NBME exams through school)

 

[CleverAdvisor]

I ended up with a 230, which is lower than uworld but still in the ballpark of practice tests.
Unfortunately I was not one of those students that felt awful coming out of the exam but ends up killing it.
I wanted to do anesthesia but no longer feel that's reasonable so I will be hoping to match FM which I also enjoy. On to step 2!