Failed 180/73... - Page 2

AUCMD2006 · #11 (**permalink**) 09-07-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by step1sucks

SOE,

Even if the exam was nothing like NBME.... Are they still good predictors whether you will pass or fail?

emperically yes, nothing scientific just asking around other people and our own experince the NBME exams have consistently been +/- 10 points for most people. mine was right in the middle of my range for both exams

now the content is irrelevant and you shouldn't try to find the answers and study off the sample exams, just use it as a predictor of success. i would say if you have a 200 on the simulated score from the nbme sample exams then you are almost guaranteed to pass...i have yet to hear anyone with >200 fail the exam though i am sure there are some

there is also a formula floating around for your usmle world question that i tried and was within 12 of both my tests. now this usmleworld formula comes with the caveat that your usmle world score is "real" and not fluffed up by looking answers up as you answer them or using tutor mode to check answers before submitting to grade

immotile-cilia · #12 (**permalink**) 09-07-2007, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by step1study

thats more like it my friend....I applaud you million times for being very strong. Just trust in yourself and you can do it. Among all of us, you're gonna enjoy your MD degree the most because you know what kind of trouble you had to go through to get that degree.

APPLAUD ONE MORE TIME. make us proud.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Even though we have not met, these words will still be with me and in my thoughts when I sit for the Step again!

immotile-cilia · #13 (**permalink**) 09-07-2007, 08:15 PM

Quote:

I am sorry you failed, but why did you take the exam when your NBME scores indicated that you were unlikely to pass? Your NBME scores are the best predictor of your performance and, according to those scores, you were not ready. Thus, the result is hardly surprising.

It appears that you are doing something right because your score improved considerably (about 1.5 standard deviations); however, I recommend that hold off on retaking the test until you are confident that you can pass. Your NBME scores will tell you when you are ready.

Brenda,

Thanks for the advice! My plan is to get a minimum of 200 on the NBME's BEFORE taking the Step again. I'm sure others will agree, but when it comes to NBME's the questions are worded quite differently than on the actual exam and therefore present themselves in an intimidating manner. This is why I have not been a huge fan of the NBME's, however, I have also noticed the correlation in scores between NBME's and the actual Step.

For example, my highest NBME score the first time I took the Step was 157 and my actual Step score the first time was 152! The 2nd time my highest NBME score was 184 and my actual Step score was 180. Therefore, it is my personal goal this time around to get a minimum of 200 on the NBME's to allow for a comfortable margin to accommodate the unexpected on exam day.

immotile-cilia · #14 (**permalink**) 09-07-2007, 08:27 PM

Update:

I signed up for Kaplan's center prep at my local center (90 days/unlimited visits). I will begin on Monday. I plan on going for 6 weeks and reviewing ONLY those subjects I am weak in according to my recent Step 1 score report (i.e. those with an "*" next to them: Physio, Pharm, GA/Embryo, Respiratory, GI, and Renal).

I plan on doing about 6-8 hours of videos on Monday thru Thurs, take Friday off (or maybe review), and questions on Sat/Sun along with Goljan's audio and Rapid Review book. I may also do a general high yield review of my strong subjects as well.

If everything goes according to plan, I plan on sitting for the Step 6 weeks from starting Kaplan (i.e. October 17th - October 24th).

This time around, I will definitely not sit for the Step 1, unless I have scored a minimum of 200 on the NBME's! I truly believe going from a 180 to 185 is very possible, and perhaps if I do even better, residency programs will take that into consideration when applying. It's not everyday you hear of a med student going from 152 to 185+!

God bless!

stateofequilibrium · #15 (**permalink**) 09-07-2007, 10:04 PM

Best of luck to you. I also recommend finishing off the other two NBMEs as well as you go along your studies. If at the end, your last NBME says you are borderline or below, you may want to delay again.

immotile-cilia · #16 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007, 12:31 PM

So I've been prepping now for about 3 weeks doing the Kaplan videos at the center. The Physio professor is amazing!

So far I've gone through Anatomy (Histo, Cell Bio, Neuro) and Physio. I've been doing 50 question blocks (timed/unused) of UW per day and so far averaging 55% (with a high of 62% and low of 48%).

I want to take an NBME tomorrow, but I'm not sure which one I should start off with. Can someone please advise on which NBME form I should take tomorrow?

Thanks in advance

immotile-cilia · #17 (**permalink**) 09-29-2007, 12:46 AM

Just took NBME Form 1 today and here are my results: 350/178. I know it's low, however I did improve from the last time I took it on 07-23-07 on which I got a 290/160.

I will be taking Form 2 in 2 weeks from now after having completed review of Pharm and Biochem.

deoriveraMD · #18 (**permalink**) 09-29-2007, 09:01 AM

hi immotile cilia

hope everything is doing good w/ your step 1 prep..i have a good vibration that you will have a better chance of passing step1 now that you are preparing much better...i got score of just 300 on NBME 1 30 days before my exam date& i got step 1 score of 204/84& i did good on the subjects that according to NBME 2 i did poor...your on the right track coz your focusing now on the subjects that you need to improve according to your recent step 1 results...

just continue what you are doing& take again NBME 2 to evaluate yourself...ok..

BTH · #19 (**permalink**) 09-30-2007, 04:25 PM

Salutations "immotile-cilia":

First off let me applaud you for having this much persistence. Don't give up! The others have given such great advice that there's nothing I can add to it so I just wanted to let you know we're all pulling for yah. Good luck!

stateofequilibrium · #20 (**permalink**) 09-30-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deoriveraMD

hi immotile cilia

hope everything is doing good w/ your step 1 prep..i have a good vibration that you will have a better chance of passing step1 now that you are preparing much better...i got score of just 300 on NBME 1 30 days before my exam date& i got step 1 score of 204/84& i did good on the subjects that according to NBME 2 i did poor...your on the right track coz your focusing now on the subjects that you need to improve according to your recent step 1 results...

just continue what you are doing& take again NBME 2 to evaluate yourself...ok..

There are always exceptions of course, but the trend is that the NBMEs are good predictors of how well you will do on your boards. If you're consistently scoring low on the NBMEs, it's a good indicator that something's up.

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