"Randomized" isn't really so randomized

[rxfudd]

I'm 62% done with QBank, I've done only RANDOMIZED blocks of 50 the entire time, and I'm already out of behavioral, biostats, biochem, genetics, and molecular biology questions. What the hell???

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[kedhegard]

There are far fewer questions in exactly those categories, though. There are probably 600 path questions, 400 pharm, but only like 100 biochem, 70 behavioral, etc. Just luck of the draw.

What I want to know is how different tests on the USMLE can equate to fairness for everyone. The questions must be categorized into different difficulty levels and pulled from at certain frequencies, because it would be really easy otherwise for some people to get a much easier test.

 

[Scooby Doo]

hey fudgeman,

it's b/c they only have like 20 biostat questions...they organize it according to how heavy the tests usually are....

I'd not do randomized if i were you anways..randomized sucks ass cuz it takes longer...
plus then you get those lame ass behavioral science ones in there that slow you down...

doing it in isolated segments helps you speed through it a little quicker...after taking it today, it really wasn't that hard to switch between ideas between questions....just make sure you get the info down..which i think happens by doing ..ah i can't type...drinkin...

 

[Jalby]

lol. I noticed that same thing this morning, too. Annoying. But I'm good in the remaining catagories, so it should bring my score up.

 

[jed2023]

It's only randomized in the sense that it pulls from all categories that you include on the test design screen. But, the catch is, it runs out of the minor subjects pretty fast (when I was 2/3 done it had run out of nearly half of the subject categories). So then it won't pull from those subjects.

I agree, somewhat of a weakness. Either this is a design flaw in the bank or they purposely did this so that at the end of the bank (if done randomized) you are only left with the big subjects and no longer messing around with "minor" subjects like biostats, molecular bio, histo, etc, etc.

 

[mountaindew2006]

by the way rxfudd, good luck! esp since we were in the same class! hope u nail it...as for me...boy am i a long ways..........

 

[Jalby]

You know, I bet that is the reason sooooo many people get higher scores at the end. It's all Path and micro.