HELP!!! failed step 1 3x, dismissed from school

[pmkin]

I have taken step 1 3 times...and i was sure i passed this las time..but i ended up with 181/73. I now findout that my school is dismissing me. can anyone pls tell me what schools offer transfers to ppl in my situation. im dyin here..ive come to far..wasted too much time, effort, money and energy to give up now...thank you

[stateofequilibrium]

Can you tell us how you prepared for your steps? Did you do all the NBMEs and focus on your weak spots? Did you do USMLE World? Did you try taking any review courses?

[pmkin]

i did nbme form 1 and 2 the 1st time i wrote, and didnt score too well, dont remember the scores, but did not find this useful b/c there are no answers, and i didnt know where i was going wrong. on both my 2nd and 3rd attempts i took uw..which were very useful and in the 3rd time..was scoring around 50% uw using unused questions. and no review course, except for the mandatory kaplan review course at school using kaplan videos, and end test, scored 46, at the end of basic sciences, prior to usmle prep

[stateofequilibrium]

Please see this thread

http://www.valuemd.com/usmle-step-1-...mes-early.html

To be blunt, not finishing or paying attention to the NBMEs was not a very wise move.

[pmkin]

i understand that, but i explained why i did not find this useful, also i thought uw was also a good indicator of one's performance

[stateofequilibrium]

Originally Posted by pmkin

i understand that, but i explained why i did not find this useful, also i thought uw was also a good indicator of one's performance

Apparently not, 50% in Uw should be more than enough to put you into the safety zone of passing.

The NBME shelf exams are not about learning to understand the questions, it's testing DO you know the answer and evaluates your performance based off of it. Your score, which is based off of how they calculate the real USMLE will give you a good idea of where you stand, plus the distribution chart at the end is infinitely helpful.

[pmkin]

thank you, this clears up this issue for the future

[caliber38]

If i were u i would look into one of the kaplan retreats or extended prep classes. I think having someone teach u in person in an intense environment might be more helpful than videos alone.

[Ella]

Originally Posted by pmkin

i did nbme form 1 and 2 the 1st time i wrote, and didnt score too well, dont remember the scores, but did not find this useful b/c there are no answers, and i didnt know where i was going wrong.

The NBMEs are not designed for you to find the answers and learn from them. They are there to stimulate a "dry run" of the exam for you. On the real exam you will not be given the answers later on....nor will you know which questions you got right or wrong - just like the NBMEs. Do not think that those 4 hours are time wasted just because you are not learning the content. Question banks are for learning. Infact those 4 hours you are learning where your weak areas are – and I think after the countless hours one spends studying for the exam, these 4 hours are worth the investment.

I suggest that when you re-start your studies you take all of the NBMEs but space it out. Take one before you start studying. Look at your weak points. Then take another one a month later. Look at your weak areas again....continue to do this until you are passing the NBME's with the score you want.

I have not taken the exam yet....will do so at the end of this month - but regardless, I know using the NBME's in this manner has worked for many students before you and will work for many after you as well.

Good luck! All the best. Don't give up. You can do it!!

[Ella]

oops....sorry SOE....i didn't see that you had pasted the link to the thread you started about the NBMEs. Didn't mean to repeat what you said...!! But I still stand by it!