u/mydvlwrsgcc

hello !! i promised myself that if i passed i'd make a post here because reading posts like these helped keep me somewhat calm throughout my prep period :)

NBME 29: 43% (took this as a baseline before dedicated)

NBME 28: 50%

NBME 30: 52%

NBME 31: 53%

NBME 32: 61%

NBME 33: 65%

Free 120 (2024): 65%

Free 120 (2026): 75% (had a fair amount of repeats so im not sure this counts as a data point really lol)

i was always an average med student, and was never one of those people scoring 70s and 80s. my highest NBME was 65%, and i spent a huge chunk of my prep convinced i wasn't ready. i ended up delaying my exam for 2 weeks when i scored the 53% on NBME 31, amd im soooo glad i did. those extra two weeks i got were crucial. i spent this time dissecting my NBMEs, making sure i fully understood every question i got wrong, and i made an anki deck with all my incorrects to be able to review the info so i didn’t just forget it after i studied it. i also did the HY arrows pdf, the 100 concepts anatomy pdf, pathoma chapters 1-4, and went through all of sketchy micro once again as i’d done it quite a while back and felt like i’d forgotten a lot of it.

i tested on july 1, and going into the exam, i was pretty apprehensive cos i'd read so many posts saying the real deal was nothing like NBMEs or Free 120 and that the questions were vague and very long. there were definitely questions i had noooo clue about, and plenty where i had to reason my way through and eliminate choices.

but !!!! there were also a surprising number of straightforward questions where i was fairly confident about my answer.

the stems were also much shorter than i expected. i only had around 5–6 questions in the entire exam where i actually had to scroll. i finished every block with a couple of minutes left to review flagged questions and never felt rushed.

as for resrouces:

- FA, of course

- UWorld, also of course lol

- dirty medicine !!!!! my holy grail, saved my ass for biochem cos i had no frikkin clue wtf FA was on abt when it came to biochem. i had around 4/5 biochem Qs on my test which i was able to answer with the dirty medicine videos. its also a really good channel for other stuff, if i had any topic i didn't understand, i'd search to see if he's made a video on it

- randy neil biostats, soooo good. i only watched the 2 summary videos (around 30 minutes each) and it was more than enough

- 100 anatomy concepts pdf: i loved this. i had a solid bit of anatomy on my exam and around 90% of those questions was stuff that was in the pdf. its a really good way to sort of consolidate / refresh a whole bunch of HY anatomy points in your brain. i did the pdf once over the span of 2.5 days, then i made use of an anki deck i found for it online over the next 2 weeks, really helped

- mehlman: i only did the HY arrows pdf, but i wish i'd maybe done more cos it really was helpful

- sketchy !!! the love of my life. soooo good for micro and pharm

my scores did not fit the "3 above 65%" rule i've seen here on reddit, but i just knew i was ready and that if i delayed it any more i'd just get sick of it all and it'd go south lol

MOST importantly, don't underestimate how much your mindset matters on test day !!! i kept telling myself while i was taking the exam that i'd already passed and even tho thats a bit delusional it really helped me keep my confidence up which im sure helped me with a lot of questions

thank you to everyone on this subreddit who answered my questions, shared advice, and posted their experiences !!!

wishing everyone reading this a pass ! you've got this. :)

i just tested today, and i went in vvvv apprehensive because of all the posts i'd seen on here about how the questions were nothing like the NBMEs & free 120, and that they were super vague and tricky.

i was honestly pleasantly surprised. there were a decent number of genuinely straightforward questions. of course there were also plenty of questions i wasn't sure about and had to reason my way through by eliminating answer choices, and a good handful where i genuinely had noooo idea wtf they were talking about lol

overall though, i thought it was very, very doable. the stems really weren't that long at all, and i probably only had 5–6 questions in my entire exam where i actually had to scroll. i didn't run out of time on any block and always had a couple of minutes left at the end to look over some flagged questions.

maybe around 35% was stuff i felt pretty solid on, around 50% was stuff where i had to reason through it or make an educated guess, and the rest was stuff i just told myself was probably experimental lol

i also didn't have the strongest practice scores going in (my highest NBME was 65%), so if anyone’s in my position, i hope this reassures you a little bit

ultimately the exam felt fair. that obviously doesn't mean i’m saying i passed lol i have absolutely no idea yet of course. this is just my personal experience, and everyone gets a different form. but i wanted to share anyways

my scores:
NBME 29: 43%
NBME 28: 50%
NBME 30: 52%
NBME 31: 53%
NBME 32: 61%
NBME 33: 65%
Free 120: 65%

i’ve already delayed once, and after thinking it through i’ve decided i’m sending it. i think another delay would leave me mentally exhausted and burnt out, so my focus now is making the most of these last couple of days.

for anyone who tested with similar scores, what last minute advice made the biggest difference? any high yield review tips or exam day advice would be really appreciated !

thank you !!!

Hi everyone,
My Step 1 is scheduled for July 1 and I can't postpone it anymore. I'm looking for some honest feedback because I'm having trouble interpreting my NBME trend.

My scores:
NBME 29: 43%
NBME 28: 50%
NBME 30: 52%
NBME 31: 53%
NBME 32: 61%
NBME 33: 65% (took this today)
The upward trend is encouraging, but I'm worried because the jump from 53% to 61% and then 65% feels so large compared to my earlier scores that part of me keeps wondering if it's a fluke.

I spent the 3 weeks between NBMEs 31 and 32 hammering down on my weak spots, reviewing my incorrects, the 100 anatomy concepts pdf, mehlman’s HY arrows pdf, pathoma chapters 1-4, and a revision of sketchy micro.

I know this isn't the most ideal scenario to be in, and if I had more flexibility I probably would have preferred to be scoring higher at this point. However, my exam is scheduled for July 1 and I can't postpone it anymore, so I'm trying to get an honest assessment of where I stand and how best to use the remaining time.

What would you focus on between now and July 1 to maximize the chance of passing?

Would really appreciate honest opinions from people who have been in a similar position.

Thank you in advance.

I'm 23F and in my final year of medical school. I have a younger sister (16F) who's in 11th grade and a brother (21M). I've always been very academically inclined and was a straight-A student growing up. My brother also does well academically. My sister, however, has always struggled in school. I'm not saying that judgmentally, just that school just doesn't seem to come naturally to her.

The problem is that my parents have always placed a lot of importance on academics, so her grades have become a major source of stress in our household.

Another layer to this is that my mom and sister don't have the best relationship. My mom has a habit of snapping at her and making sarcastic jokes at her expense. I've told my mom multiple times that I think this pushes my sister away, and I spoke to her about it again today. Nothing seems to change for long. Although my mom does a lot for my sister. She buys her things she wants, orders food she likes because she's a picky eater, drives her to see friends, etc. She clearly cares, but I think the communication between them has become really unhealthy.

Over time, my sister has developed a coping mechanism where she just shuts down. She barely talks to my mom, only occasionally to my dad, and while she talks to me more than anyone else, I usually have to really encourage her to open up. Sometimes she ignores me too.

Today she had a math exam. My mom teaches at the same school and happened to be invigilating that exam. Apparently my sister left more than half the paper blank.

The confusing part is that she had been telling us for days that she was studying. We've tried to be involved and ask how her preparation is going, if she needs help, or what's making school difficult, but whenever we try she just shuts down or ignores us.

I go to university in another country, so I'm only home for a couple of months each year. I feel caught between understanding why my parents are worried and understanding why my sister withdraws from them.

I love my sister and I don't want her to feel like she's only valued for her grades, but I'm also genuinely worried.

I'm also aware that this could be more than just an academic issue and might involve her mental health or anxiety, but I genuinely don't know. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to support her without pushing her further away.

Is there a better way to approach my sister? Is there anything I could be doing better to help her?

Thank you.

hello!

i’m currently scheduled to take step 1 on june 15, but going to delay it to july 1 after my recent NBMEs.

NBME 29: 43%

NBME: 28: 50%

NBME 30: 52%

NBME 31: 53%

i’ve been reviewing my old NBMEs and doing content review (mainly pathoma, sketchy pharm, and uworld), and i can see that i’m starting to close some knowledge gaps. when i revisit missed questions, a lot of them feel like things i now understand, but it hasn’t translated into a big jump in my practice scores yet.

is it possible to get myself into a more comfortable position by the 1st of july?

i would really appreciate any and all advice please

thank you in advance !!

Hi!

I've been seeing quite a few people mention that the Mehlman PDFs may be a bit outdated now, especially since the NBME seems to be moving away from relying heavily on classic buzzwords.

With that in mind, would it still be worthwhile to go through the PDFs? Right now, I'm planning to do arrows, RFs, biochem, and immunology.

Are there any other PDFs that you'd consider particularly high yield that I might be overlooking?

I'd really appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance! :)

I’m trying to solidify the difference between acute stress disorder and PTSD.

I understand the main cutoff is duration (ASD: 3 days to <1 month, PTSD: >1 month), but I’m wondering if there are any other clues in question stems that can help distinguish the two, like specific symptom patterns or question stem hints that favor one over the other?

Basically, when both seem possible except for timing, what should I actively look for to confidently pick one over the other?

Thanks in advance!

hello :)

i have a friend who has celiac disease and was diagnosed around a year ago, and it's been such a struggle for her to find gluten free food options here in islamabad.

we live in a hostel, so it’s not really feasible for her to cook all her meals. the issue is that most hostel food contains wheat or gluten in some form. sometimes the kitchen is kind enough to make her a gluten-free version of meals using ingredients she provides (like gluten-free flour/pasta), but that’s not always possible on a daily basis.

even when ordering food, it’s quite difficult, because most options like wraps, pizza, dumplings, etc. contain gluten. and even some dishes that seem safe end up having gluten because of sauces they use or cross-contamination.

so i wanted to ask, does anyone know of any reliable gluten-free restaurants or meal options in islamabad (or any other practical solutions for this situation)?

thanks in advance!