Passed step 1 with only 60% UWorld complete and mid nbme scores
GOT THE BIG FAT P on 1st July!! took the exam on 1st june.
the exam was similar to nbme concepts, it was a good mix of 100 word ques, two line ques and big SOAP questions. i think i got like max 6-7 SOAP questions, but they’re actually easier cos they give so much information. please practice in 20 ques per block format, cos i was running out of time in some blocks. probably got max 1-2 min spare time per block. so yeah pls get into habit of doing it the new way.
also ETHICS! boy it was a cramp in the arse. i still don’t know how else i could’ve been better prepared for the questions that came on my day. never seen those, atleast 2-3 options seemed viable, vERY VAGUE. i just chanted god’s name and picked an option. just do UWorld and trust your gut i feel.
FIRST AID: Needless to say, the GOAT. the bible. each and every line. religiously. don’t just by heart every line. know the entire concept behind every line. what i did was took a picture of a para i didn’t understand and asked chatgpt for explanation. so yeah please integrate it with chatgpt and grind it. also annotate it from uworld. i took my book from a friend so it was alr annotated. so that saved me a lot of time.
UWorld: DONT be scared of your score. it’s actually just a learning tool, treat it as one. use NBMEs for assessing yourself not UWorld. explanations are gold. annotate your FA with it. doing 100% uworld is not necessary. but doing every type of question that is in there is, so make sure to do LOTS of random blocks. don’t stratify the blocks too much and end up doing a specific type of question only.
bootcamp: this is the only extra resource is used apart from UWorld. no BnB, Pathoma, Sketchy. my micro was strong from 2nd year so i didn’t use sketchy but if it helps you, go ahead. however i don’t think BnB is at all necessary, pls go for bootcamp. i used it for neuro, cardio, renal, msk.
NBMEs: start with 26. it’s kinda irrelevant now. so if you do bad it’s no big deal right? you’ll get acquainted with the format. then do 28. then 30, 31, 32, 33. i found 33 kinda tougher than the rest. keep 29 for the last it’s easy peasy. you’ll love the boost it gives you at the end of your preparation. my nbme scores were always in mid 60s to low 70s. it kept me humbled down so i revised a lot. so yeah don’t stress you’ll pass with those scores. just put in a hefty amount of time to review. these are your highest yield concepts and show up most on the exam.
Free 120: do the new free120 7 days out. then the old one you can just do the unrepeated ques. you’ll save a lot of time. i got 81% by some stroke of luck on the new free 120. but a lot were lucky guesses so i reviewed it aggressively.
Last week: keep the last week just for revision. i also did the amboss 200 high yield concepts. everyday 40 ques along with revising FA.
keep faith in your nbmes. and trust the process. the exam is difficult but doable. it’s something you’ll only understand after going through it. also please trust your gut feeling. there were so many questions i could do just based on my instinct. something you heard in some lecture in class, some random concept from 1st year, everything will lead you to one answer you’ll feel called towards. pick that one.
goodluck gang! see you on the other side.