Thread: Just took Step 1

Hi everyone,

I just took Step 1 yesterday so I thought I'd share my experience.
I've never been a very active participant in this forum but I've learned a lot from the posts here so I figured I should give something in return.

OK, no1 - test center:
not a great one I must admit. I arrived 30 minutes earlier (just like it says on the permit) but I had to wait over an hour to start my exam. They had a "slight technical problem" with my test. And then they misplaced my permit so I ended up being the last person to start the exam.
It's just an 8 hour exam so you'd expect they'd let you go in first, but... oh well. Another thing is they didn't have a place where you could have lunch, just a small table in the waiting area. Not even a coffee machine, so nothing hot to drink for the whole day. I think I'll pick a different place for my step 2 exam.

No 2 - testing room:
the monitors were a little old so I got a headache from looking at it after like 3 hours. Plus the noise, even with earplugs (which I took, thank god) I could hear the computers, wentilators etc. But the worst part was the typing from other boxes. Some exams I guess require a lot of typing so it can be pretty distracting.
My advice: take earplugs with you and find good ones.
If you're not used to them, wear them at home a few days before the exam. That should help.

Alright, onto the test itself:
I'm not going to go in details on the questions, just the basic content and format.
First of all I had tons of statistics and behavioral sciences. I had on an average 1q on statistics per block. And a lot of questions where they describe a patient-pchysician situation and ask "the pchysicians best initial responce would be...". Some legal issues concerning minors and treatment, some qs on medicare/medicaid etc.
Another thing that I had a load of was pharmacokinetics/dynamics.
Ago/antagonists interactions, a few graph with the right curve to pick etc. These were tough. And basic biochemistry principles like enzyme inhibitors, Vmax, etc.
Not a lot of anatomy or neuro, just a little psychiatry. Mostly asking about Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy.
The rest was mostly pathology. Just a little micro and histo, some embryo.
Very few pictures or slides, maybe 10 in total?

What really killed me were the vignette-type questions which a lot of times gave me half-a-page description of a clinical situation and at the end they were asking for a simple thing like "what is the site of action of a drug that we prescribed for this patient". So watch out for those because they waste a lot of your time when you try to focus on the load of info they give you and then it ends up to be worthless.
There were a few questions where I simply had to guess. Something I just had no idea about so I picked a random answer. Not a lot though.
Very few questions were straightforward like a line or two and a few answers to choose from. It's almost all vignettes now.

When it comes to time: first couple blocks seemed easier, i had like 10 or more min. left to review my answers. But after the 3rd block I was really strapped for time. I barely managed to review the marked items at the end without running out of time.

My final comment: it was just exhausting. I had the worst headache after I got out of the center. Everything was too loud and too bright for me, and every time I tried to get up my head was pounding. Definitely the longest and toughest exam I ever took.
How do I think I did?
Honestly, I have no idea. This is that kind of an exam where I just can't tell. It's a biiiiiiig question mark.
I took Kaplan simulated exam before the real thing and I did around 70%.
On some other software prep tests I averaged between 75 and 80%.
How does that correspond with the real test? I'll let you guys know in a month.

Good luck to everyone, study hard and show them what you got!

And feel free to pm me if you have any Qs.

Congratulaaaaaaaaaaaaaaations Venus! You are great! Also thanks for sharing.
I have one question about the test. Is the tutorial part of the real test the same as the sample CD released by USMLE? If so, did you skipped the tutorial part and reserved 15minutes for your total rest time?
Thanks again!

Yes, that's exactly what I did.
It's the same tutorial as on the CD with the monitor adjustment feature etc.
So if you're familiar with the CD tutorial yo're all set.
Good luck!

hi, venus,, congratulations,,,
i read yur story,, i agree with you,,,in study pattern,, as i hv much less time to study too,,go ahead ,and win the way yu are in next,,
yu will,,,,,,,,,,best of luck

Thanks Venus. I believe you will do well also for Step2!!!

Thanks guys.
I'm preparing for step 2, but my score made me a little lazy

Hi, Venus, how about having a huge party first?!
If you have time, I need your more help.
1. Is the Question-showing-Screen of sample CD the same as the real test? Such as how to mark, how to make notes, timing and the questions list on the left column... Also the text size? (sorry for so detail)
2. How did you allocate your time during the test?
3. How did yourQBank or NBME score match your final score?
Thanks a lot!

Ok, here are some answers:
1) yes, it's exactly the same. u can mark, skip etc. and it shows on the side. I never made any notes so that feature was useless for me.
2) i took my first break after 2nd block (100qs). that was a short one - maybe 5 min. then i took another short one after the 3rd block. after 200 Qs a took a longer one - like 20 min. after that I still had around 30 min. left. a took another 10 min. after 250 Qs, and around 10-15 after 300. I was already very tired then so I walked outside to get some fresh air and clear my mind. It was very cold and refreshing so that helped.
I was left with around 7 min. at the end to complete the survey (test experience).
3) I didn't take the NBME but on Qbanks I averaged around 70-75%.
and the interesting part was that even after I studied more and I thought I knew more my performance didn't improve (??)
Hope that helps.
So when is your test Cliff?

Thanks Venus for more details!!! I got only ~60% for QBank and just like you said it is hard to get the score improved. Also I keep forgetting things. I am going to take the test in 3 weeks no matter how bad I am feeling now. The worse thing is that I am kind of loosing confidence. You really did great job, I admire you kind of people could bash the test easily. The only thing I could do now is to encourage myself and get nice wishes from other people. I Wish you a better score for step2!!! @^_^@

Thanks. I appreciate it.
And I think you should take the test.
You see a couple weeks before the exam I got sick. Just a flu. But for a good 3-4 days I was out of it. I started panicking because that messed up my schedule and I wanted to reschedule my exam. But the earliest available date was over 3 weeks after my scheduled date! So I said to myself - use those sick days to your advantage. Clear your mind and go back to studying with a refreshed attitude. And it worked.
I'm sure you'll do just fine.
Keep your head up and stay positive.
Good luck!

p.s. of course you'll keep forgetting, that's normal. Don't worry about it too much, the knowledge is there and you'll be able to reach for it when you need it!

Venus,

Good Job on your exam! You did great! I admire and applaud your excellent score!
I'm actually doing qbank at the moment,did you do subject first and then random? i'm doing subject right now. After I finish a subject I do qbank after that subject is done. And then 1 month before the exam I will do random questions...In the subject performace i'm getting between 70-80..Is that good cuz that isn't random but subject..and I know in random it is harder and 70-80 is a good score in random but is it good in subject? I know random is what really tests your skill but if you could give me some advice and let me know how i'm doing I would appreciate it..

thanx and good luck studying for step 2!