I’m starting my step 2 prep in 2 days…. And I was wondering how u all keep a track of ur uworld incorrects or any information in an organized way??
Do I start on random mode or system wise? How do I use uworld and how do I keep a track of the information I come across
Also is it possible for me to give the exam with 4.5 months of prep?? I’m aiming for 255+ hopefully
I’m gonna be full time home
Any advice would be appreciated 😭😭
I was considering starting my Step 2 prep soon… I can’t help but wonder if I should get coursology this time instead of Uworld since we need access to Amboss as well.
How similar is it to the real qbank? And do the NBMEs on coursology give an evaluation with a 3 digit score?
Any advice would be great 🥺🥺🥺
I was considering starting my Step 2 prep soon… I can’t help but wonder if I should get coursology this time instead of Uworld since we need access to Amboss as well.
How similar is it to the real qbank? And do the NBMEs on coursology give an evaluation with a 3 digit score?
Any advice would be great 🥺🥺🥺
Before I start, if anyone thinks I’m lying or bluffing u can feel free to stop reading because I know the effort that I put in to make this possible and it wouldn’t have been possible without this Reddit community. I only think it’s fair to give back and help everyone out there in this journey.
Just to give an idea, I’m a fresh graduate who started my prep few days after my graduation on April 16th (the day I purchased Uworld) and gave my Step 1 exam on August 1st. I was full time home and was not working.
I wasn’t the smartest in my medical college, there were people who told me I couldn’t do it, I knew this is what I wanted and I’m gonna give every minute of my day until August for this.
Resources I used:
I know sounds like a lot I’ll give u all a break down of how exactly I used and approached it.
First 2 months (April 16th to June 18th):
So the day I purchased Uworld, I calculated the number of questions by the number of days I wanted to finish my first pass of Uworld by (ik sounds crazy), it came up to be around 60 questions a day, even on my worst days when I faced burnout I would at least do this.
So this is how my daily routine looked:
Woke up around 9am
9:30-1pm - did a system, chose to start with endo as it felt a little easier for me to start with, I only used Bnb, to connect the dots on what I couldn’t understand on FA (my physio was weak in general so I used it mainly for physio in most systems)
1pm-2pm - did a block of 20 questions, only questions related to the subject or topics that I’ve studied so far.
2-4:30pm - took a break
4:30-6pm - did a block of 40 questions, again only on the topic I’ve studied so far
6-8pm - reviewed my incorrects and corrects, annoted any relevant stuff on my FA (with a green pen)
8-10pm- took a break
10pm- 2am- continued studying from FA and if needed would use BnB
Again BnB is a very dense resource, I used it only to connect the stuff I didn’t understand on FA.
So my Uworld started with endo alone, then as I progressed to other systems (eg: GIT) it would become endo+GIT and so on, so it transitioned from a system wise to random mode gradually
Calculated the number of pages in FA (yes call me a maniac), and decided I needed to do at least 10-14 pages a day to finish at least 1 pass of FA in 1.5 months, but again I didn’t really stick to this heavily I tried my best to do at least 10 pages a day.
Finished my system part of FA by May 2nd week, general took me sometime I was a little weak in that part, used pathoma for general path didn’t do it from FA.
For micro, I used sketchy (literally saved my life), mainly used it for bacteria (again I didn’t watch each and every sketchy video), I only watched the ones which I felt were volatile for me.
Biochem used a little bit of dirty medicine for the DNA part, little bit of BnB.
Finished my 1st pass of FA around June 1st week, and started my 2nd pass the very next day, completed my first pass of UW on June 18th.
Last 1.5 Month:
Took my first NBME on 19/6,
Here’s a breakdown of my NBMEs
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
NBME 31 (15/7)- 71%
NBME 32 (19/7) - 72%
NBME 33 (23/7) - 73%
Free 120 (27/7) - 69.5%
Had been annoting my NBME incorrects and some concepts I found relevant or new on my FA (with a black pen), I flipped through these parts during my final days of prep.
Yess I scored a 68%, I was over the moon but realized soon I fcked up bad, I knew I was doing something wrong when my scores weren’t rising and couldn’t figure out what was going on, that’s when I turned to Reddit.
I spoke about this and got a lot of hate on how my score pattern looked sus, guys I have one request please stop hating on people for absolutely no reason u have no idea the kind of burnout and issues one’s going through, I hit my lowest by the time I reached NBME 30, I hadn’t booked my test date yet, I live in the Middle East and was already facing issues with the war situation and unstable situation here.
I decided to take a day off completely from prep, thought this could be from burnout, and some people on Reddit suggested I start Mehlman PDFs (which I think helped me), I also was still doing my second pass of FA in the background along with the second pass of uworld incorrects daily around 40 questions I hadn’t finish all of it, I just did it as and when I felt like.
I realized i need to focus on reviewing my NBMEs better, and focus more on my weak systems rather than just doing a second pass of FA (which I completed by NBME 30 anyway honestly), I realized it’s best to review ur weak systems well rather than just trying to finish a second pass for ur peace.
And just like that boom NBME 31 - 71%, booked my step 1 date immediately, continued the same strategy, reviewed the NBME very well (corrects and incorrects), did my weak systems again and by the time I reached NBME 33 I had a score of 73%.
Felt over the moon confident, chose to take things a little slow, I didn’t wanna feel too burnt out by the time of the exam, clearly backfired as I had a score drop in my free120 which broke me (literally cried after that), but I honestly feel I didn’t test properly when I took it, I was super sleepy, took it at 6am (I’m really not a morning person), ik it was dumb but I wasn’t expecting such a drop.
Anyway posted on Reddit; I was really stressed, thankful to each and every soul over here who calmed me down and told me to go for it anyway, which is true as anything above 68% is fine.
On my last 5 days, I honestly just reviewed my free 120 and did a rapid review of my weak areas in FA, didn’t do any Uworld on my last week btw.
Did some biostats, biochem (in general volatile stuff) and general path, hematonc and immuno (my most weak areas)
31st July; decided to stop studying completely after 8pm, wanted to take some time off and feel light, didn’t wanna overburden myself as I knew I had a long day coming. Slept around 10:30pm.
1st August (test day):
Chose not to review anything in the morning, woke up around 6am, exam was scheduled on 8:30am, went to the test center around 7:30am, realized I WENT TO THE WRONG CENTER at 7:50am (yes guys call me dumb I should’ve checked the location better), made it to the correct center around 8:10am (cried on the ride as I was worried I’m gonna miss the exam), shout out to my mom who drove fast 😂😂.
FOOD (yes I’m gonna talk about this):
Took a crossiant, 2 protein bars, a coffee, juice and some savory snacks.
How I planned my breaks:
Completed block 1-6 at a stretch
Break 1 (15 min): had a protein bar, used the washroom, I was quite active and positive I’m gonna be fine around this time
Completed block 7-10
Break 2 (25 min): had a croissant and my juice, spoke to my bf, i felt some fatigue hitting me and wasn’t feeling so active and some reason started panicking and called my bf to calm my nerves down
Completed block 10-12
Break 3 (15 min): by this point my brain was literally on autopilot mode, the fatigue hit me and I was really tired and was trying my best to power through, listened to some music and went back in.
Completed block 13-14
DONE!! The sense of relief and fear started taking over, I was blank, wasn’t sure how to feel as I felt I fcked up in the last blocks due to fatigue and being tired. Wasn’t sure what was coming and as the days went by my anxiety only grew. But all that kept me strong was my belief that I gave my 100% in this and I have absolutely nothing to regret here.
August 12: PASSED!!!! 😭😭😭
How was the exam?
A lot of u have DMed on how the exam felt,
It felt like just another NBME, with some soap notes (which yes were very long), the format was quite similar to a free120, the concepts were similar to NBMEs.
I personally feel ppl tend to exaggerate on how ALL their questions were super long. Yes there were some questions like that but not all. Just read the last para and a part of the first para the answer usually lies there.
And to ones who said TRUST UR NBMEs, I completely agree, getting 3 consistent 70s, was only what carried my through the day, please be aware there r some experimental questions which will throw u off too, just tick what u feel is the most appropriate, flag, and move on, if u have time u can always come back and change it later, time is gold.
My form unfortunately had a lot of ethics, I really wish I could give some advice on this but I just learned from my mistakes on NBMEs and uworld when it comes to ethics, and honestly just went with my gut.
The exam overall felt doable, but left me tired and confused in the end.
To everyone in this journey, don’t let anyone define on what ur capable of, if someone told me im gonna crack this exam in a span of 3.5 months I would literally laugh at them.
What got me through my worst days? Closed my eyes and imagined the life and dream that im doing this for
Here’s to moving on to the next step and matching into residency (Dream about this moment every single day) 🥹🥹🧿
All the best guys!!!! I hope to see u all on the other side soon 🤗🤍🤍
Just checked myusmle and it says the result will be available tmrw, tested on 1/8
The anxiety is kicking in 😭😭😭
All the best guys, I hope we all get the P tmrw 🥺
When do u guys think we r getting the results? 12th or 19th Aug? Im really hoping its 12th Aug wby guys?
I can’t with this anxiety anymore 😭😭😭
8/1 test takers
Just gave the real deal today… I’m surprised no one warned me about the fatigue and brain fog that hits u especially towards the last 3 blocks
I took multiple breaks as well but was unsure of what do I even do in that time, my brain was literally in autopilot mode, I’m unsure of what I even ticked towards that time, I srsly hope I pass cuz now I’m beyond terrified.
The question lengths weren’t as long as ppl told it would be… yes they were some long ones but not all of them.
Overall I’m just confused on how to feel about this, I srsly don’t know how people sit through such long hours and never mention about the fatigue post exam or maybe it’s just me. 😭😭😭
How was the experience overall for u guys?
Also when do u guys think i will get my test results 🥲🥲🥲
Just gave the real deal today… I’m surprised no one warned me about the fatigue and brain fog that hits u especially towards the last 3 blocks
I took multiple breaks as well but was unsure of what do I even do in that time, my brain was literally in autopilot mode, I’m unsure of what I even ticked towards that time, I srsly hope I pass cuz now I’m beyond terrified.
The question lengths weren’t as long as ppl told it would be… yes they were some long ones but not all of them.
Overall I’m just confused on how to feel about this, I srsly don’t know how people sit through such long hours and never mention about the fatigue post exam or maybe it’s just me. 😭😭😭
How was the experience overall for u guys?
Also when do u guys think i will get my test results 🥲🥲🥲
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
NBME 31 (15/7)- 71%
NBME 32 (19/7) - 72%
NBME 33 (23/7) - 73%
Free 120 (27/7) - 69.5%
What do I do in these remaining days to ensure I improve… as I don’t want to delay my test
Honestly the free 120 format was an issue for me as in people told me I don’t get the answer key in the end so after I ended the block I would correct my answers and move to the next block and this was overall not a helpful way of doing it. I feel that’s what affected my test the most
So I’m testing on 1st Aug
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
NBME 31 (15/7)- 71%
NBME 32 (19/7) - 72%
NBME 33 (23/7) - 73%
I’ll be doing the free 120 2026 tmrw
I’m confused on what do I do until then like I’m done reviewing my NBMEs so do I re review them? Like what do people do in this time? Also there are a few systems that I haven’t reviewed since June mid so do I do that? Or do I focus on only NBME incorrect related topics? I’ve done Mehlman Arrows and Risk factors as well…
Do I do my uworld incorrects as well? As u can see I’m clearly confused 😭😭 and I worry that my lack of prep in between the time leading to the exam can lead to a poor performance
Any advice would be appreciated 😮💨😮💨
Hey
So I’m testing on 1st Aug with a score of 73% on NBME 33 (23/7) and planning on taking the Free 120 soon.
I can see that there r two options, either to only enable timer, or enable timer and show correct answers
If I only enable the timer does that mean it wont show my correct answers towards the end?
Or if I enable both would it show me the correct answers as I move ahead like in the tutor + timed mode on uworld? Because I would prefer knowing my correct answers in the end rather 😅
Can someone help me understand what this means?
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
NBME 31 (15/7)- 71%
NBME 32 (19/7) - 72% (EPC with 98% chance of passing)
I still have NBME 33 and free 120 to go and my exam is scheduled for 1st Aug… I’m concerned if I’m cutting it too close.
And I don’t get what’s the difference between EPC and raw and which one to rely on.
Any advice would be appreciated especially on what to do on the last few days?
Any advice would be appreciated.
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
NBME 31 (15/7)- 71%
I still have NBME 32, 33 and free 120 to go and my exam is scheduled for July 29th… is it possible for me to finish these within the given time frame or do I push the date 😢. I’m concerned if I’m cutting it too close.
Any advice would be appreciated.
So I’ve been planning on taking Step 1 soon but my NBME scores have been stuck in the high 60s, personally I was waiting until I touch at least 70 to book the exam.
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
Honestly I had really high hopes on touching 70s by the time I reach NBME 30 but right now it’s just frustrating me, I’ve literally reviewed each NBME well and idk what’s going on, would it be an issue if I take it without touching 70s?? How important is it?
Any advice would be appreciated 🥲
So I’ve been planning on taking Step 1 soon but my NBME scores have been stuck in the high 60s, personally I was waiting until I touch at least 70 to book the exam.
NBME 26 (19/6)- 66%
NBME 27 (24/6)- 68%
NBME 28 (29/6)- 66%
NBME 29 (4/7) - 68%
NBME 30 (9/7) - 67%
Honestly I had really high hopes on touching 70s by the time I reach NBME 30 but right now it’s just frustrating me, I’ve literally reviewed each NBME well and idk what’s going on, would it be an issue if I take it without touching 70s?? How important is it?
Any advice would be appreciated 🥲
So I’ve been doing some NBMEs, I’ve not yet booked my exam date, I’m confused on whether I should proceed to book for end of July.
NBME 26 (19/6): 66%
NBME 27 (24/6): 67%
NBME 28 (29/6): 66%
So I’m worried that my NBMEs have been too constant and I’ve been trying my best to review them well, but again I’m in the middle of completing my second pass on FA. I’m confused whether I should go ahead and book my exam date or wait till I start hitting 70s and then book the date within 2 weeks (like book the exam date 2 weeks from the time I start hitting 70s).
Any advice would be appreciated, I’m currently confused on why my scores r so stagnant as well, which is what is making me delay booking the date but should one month from now be good?
Also I haven’t stopped using Uworld yet, I’m done with 100% of it but I’m just doing random blocks once in awhile… should I stop using Uworld, I think I’m just overwhelming myself with too much now 😭😭
Ok so I’m done with 100% Uworld, with an average of 55%, I’m not yet confident on taking the nbmes yet, I’m looking forward to testing on August 1st week. Currently on my 2nd pass of FA, I don’t think I have enough time to redo an entire pass of Uworld again. What do I do next to ensure that I’m ready to test on August first week. I don’t really think my knowledge is good enough for an nbme right now.
I’d like any advice at this point, I srsly can’t help but keep stressing on what to do next….
Hey
Ive currently been preparing for my Step 1 exam, im full time home and aim on giving it around August 2026. Ive taken my permit till Sept.
Im currently done with 40% of uworld (not yet done with all the systems tho) and been scoring a maximum of 56% on my good days. This usually stresses me out a lot as I feel I’m no where near ready for this.
I’m almost done with my first pass but there’s still a lot of knowledge gaps to fill and I’m really stressed. Should I just postpone my exam to Sept?
And I wanted to know how important is biochem as that’s the one thing that just doesn’t stick for me 😭😭😭
Do people prefer using UWSAs for self assessment or should I not waste anytime and stick to only nbmes.
And is it compulsory that I need to score above 70% at least in the nbmes as this keeps stressing me considering I’m nowhere near ready.
I’m also applying for rotations sideways so this process feels stressful currently.
Any advice will help