Update:

Just took NBME Form 2 today and here are my results: 410/195.

I'm so proud that I have actually passed an NBME exam! The last time I took NBME Form 2 was 08-06-07 and I got a 370/184. Although, not a drastic improvement, I'm definitely now in the passing range. This score sure gave me the extra boost of confidence and reassurance that I desperately needed.

I will be going through Pathology (Kaplan followed by Goljan) this coming week and then NBME Form 3 next Friday (10-19-07), followed by a week of review (i.e. First Aid, etc.) and then NBME Form 4 on the last Friday (10-26-07), then Step 1 on Tuesday (10-30-07)!

Stay tuned...

Congratulations on your improvement. You may be doing this already, but I suggest that you spend the next week or so concentrating on the areas of weakness that were identified by the NBME. While Goljan is a fine resournce, there is no point in simply plowing through Goljan if you are already doing well in pathology. I think you will find that you will improve your score more rapidly if you use this approach.

MAJOR disappointment!

Just took NBME Form 3 today and scored a 310/166.


I'm really disappointed in my score. There was a lot of molecular bio (the first 4-6 questions per block). I'm still in final review. I'm doing Goljan (audio and RR book), 50-100 UW questions per day (averaging 54% new/unused/50 question/timed), rapid review of Kaplan books, and finally First Aid review.

I plan on taking Form 4 in the middle of next week, then based on that final score I will schedule my Step 1 date. I was aiming for Monday November 5th, but I'm not sure how I'll do on the next NBME exam. So far, my highest score was on Form 2 (410/195).

All advice is more than welcome!


God willing, if I pass the Step 1 this time around, I will definitely be in debt to all of you that have helped me along in this painstaking and circuitous process!

I would recommend that you postpone. Your NBME scores indicate that you have a chance of passing; however, that is not good enough. I would wait until your scores show you are likely to pass. The consequences of three fails are significant. Thus, I would not take the exam until you are fairly confident that you will pass. I would wait until you have obtained a passing score on several NBME exams in a row.

Also, how are you studying? Are you using the information from your NBMEs to focus your study on areas of weakness or are you simply doing sets of random questions from USMLEWorld and going through Goljan? In my opinion, doing random sets of questions is a waste of time. Random questions will not help you learn -- which is what you need to do.

HI IMMOTILE CILIA ,iam also in similar situation as u , i have also have to take nbme with in 10 days .My suggestion would be since its ur third time taKING THE STEP1 u should score atleast 450 in one of the nbme before taking the real one to be sure that u pass this time i will also suggest reading goljan 100 page highyield With FA AND UW
GOOD LUCK will update u about my nbme score

What do you suggest I do? I'm pretty much fresh out of options. Apparently something is not working; either I am not processing the material appropriately or just not learning it efficiently

I have already completed the Kaplan videos at the center in the following subjects: Physio, Pharm, Path, Biochem (ONLY metabolism and high yield enzymatic pathways i.e. galactosemia, heme synthesis, etc.), Micro, and Anatomy.

I am currently on Chapter 9 (Goljan) and doing First Aid. Here are my NBME scores:
Form 1 (178)
Form 2 (195)
Form 3 (166)

Thanks for your help and advice.

It's a tough position, your previous step score shows you're borderline and normally you would stand a good chance of passing the second time around. But your NBME scores are still quite low (actually, below borderline). How are your UW scores? Do you understand WHY you get questions wrong?

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My UW average (only 50% completed) is 54% on new/unused/timed/50 question blocks. The majority of the time, I'm missing the simple questions (i.e. where 60% or more got it correct). I think if I can master those questions, then my scores will improve drastically.

Also, should I maybe try another question bank like USMLE Rx?

waste of time.

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