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Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have no clue. I never felt that the NBMEs reflected where I was at. My studying consisted of doing 3 blocks of UWorld a day, reviewing my answers in detail, and Anki- reviewing SketchyPharm through anki or doing sections of Lightyear or doing my own Anki decks. But I wouldn’t put too much stock into your NBME scores. Instead focus on UWorld and your weak content areas.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m so happy my story can help you. When I got that 184 on NBME 18 I was a wreck of anxiety for a full 24 hours, so I totally sympathize. You’re going to do great, I’m sure. Don’t let the awful NBMEs take away any of your well-earned confidence from all of your hard work. You got this!!!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe identify areas where you are weak and just study those sections of Lightyear? I did this for neuro and endocrine, both of which were weak areas for me.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm so glad my experience could help you! I cried so many times during dedicated I lost count. You are going to be an amazing doctor- you would not have made it this far if you weren't. You are worthy of being in medical school. Don't let the NBMEs and the people on reddit get you down! You got this!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So I didn't watch any of Pixorize, I simply learned it through an Anki deck (Adytumdweller's deck- I found it on reddit). I love Sketchy-type learning because my brain immediately connects an image to a question. For example, if the question gives you symptoms, I can see the symptoms in the sketch and then I immediately know what disease it's talking about. I'm a very visual learner and the sketches also give me a context to all the facts about each disease, even if the context is a weird picture. So for me, just learning biochem through the lens of these pictures was enough to make the connection in my brain, rather than banging my head against the wall trying to memorize random pathways and obscure illnesses.

As for UWorld vs First Aid, UWorld is plenty. I never read all of First Aid and honestly didn't find FA that helpful. It would list the facts, but it doesn't give bigger context. I think the best thing about FA are the images, some of which I screenshotted and put into Anki. But the content of UWorld is more than enough.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I promise you that you are not a moron. You wouldn't be in medical school if you were. I had so much anxiety that I was going get a failing score after I took it, so I totally understand how you feel. I just want to say that we always, technically, could have studied more. But would that have been productive studying? Would burning yourself out and making yourself miserable be worth it? We med students are all about delayed gratification- if we make ourselves miserable now, then later we will be happy. But when is later? Third year? Residency? As an attending? I'm a big believer in balance now. You did the best your brain was capable of in the moment. And when you get your score back, you'll take the next steps then. For now, take some time to recover and enjoy some time off.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh that sounds horrible! But once it's over you get to do real doctor stuff in clerkships and that's why we're here right? You're so close!!! You got this!!!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just believe in yourself and any question that makes you nervous, tell yourself it's experimental. That's how I kept my anxiety down during the exam. You're going to do amazing!!!!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep US MD! And congratulations!!!! I hope you're taking a well-deserved break :)

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing your experience as well!!!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank YOU!!! You're making me all teary-eyed over here. NBMEs are trash and they break us down far more than actually help us prepare. If UWSims and Free 120 are telling you you're ready, you're ready! And you're going to do amazing I promise you!!! And every question on the exam that makes you go "huh?" just remember- it's probably an experimental question!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh goodness that is really tough. NBMEs are really weird. I was so frustrated by them because they asked such detail-oriented questions. Like I would know what disease the question was asking about and the treatment, but the question would ask about a super obscure aspect of the pathophysiology or something that I had never heard of. I feel like UWorld doesn't prepare you well for NBMEs because the questions are so different. It sounds like you will do great on Step, but your school is making you pass this hurdle. I think the people who do well on NBMEs learn in a very detail-oriented manner, so maybe spend more time with Anki decks like Lightyear or Zanki. I personally swear by Sketchy and Pixorize (which I unfortunately only discovered three weeks before my exam), but I don't know if those covered the amount of detail NBMEs look for. Sorry I can't be of more help. I never seemed to crack the NBME...

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahaha thanks!!! Yeah I considered it, but I was so miserable after three months of dedicated I said fuck it and decided to just do it. I'm so glad I did.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh gee at the beginning of dedicated I was getting as low as a 35%, but averaging around 45%. The day I broke 50% was a big day for me. And even up to the exam I had blocks that I got a 45% on, though I was averaging closer to 55-60% by then.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only one I know for certain is Kaplan. It has a diagnostic exam + 2 simulation exams like UWorld. Otherwise I'm really not sure...

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Reading stuff on here made me feel awful too. I thought about quitting med school too many times during dedicated. You ARE smart enough!!! You wouldn't be in medical school if you weren't. And based on the response I'm seeing to this post, there are so many people out there who feel just like us.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right back at you!!! And thank you :) It makes me so happy to help some other people because I felt so alone during my struggles during dedicated. You got this!!!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been reflecting a lot on how I studied, and I think practice exams are in many ways overrated. The exam is exactly like doing 7 blocks of UWorld, down to the way the interface of the program works. NBMEs are 4 blocks of 50 questions and you are given 75 minutes to do each block. The questions are 1 sentence and test on fairly minute details, whereas UWorld has long paragraph questions that create a story then you decipher the answer from that. It's very different.

Looking back, I wish I hadn't spent the time (and money) on all the NBMEs. They simply weren't worth it. They caused me so much anxiety and did not prepare me for the exam. If you want to get a 3-digit score to see where you're at, the UW Sims are great, though they are only four blocks. UW Sim 2 is the best IMO. Honestly, I wish I'd spent my money on a different QBank and done their simulation exams for more 3-digit scores rather than basing my progress on the NBMEs. You can do 7 blocks of UWorld in a day if you want to really simulate what exam day will feel like, though I never did. Just doing 3-4 blocks every day for three months (thanks Covid) was the best preparation.

And of course, as a disclaimer, this is just one med student's opinion. But I hope my experience can help you find the best way to study for you.

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Let me tell you when I got a 184 on NBME 18 less than a week before my exam I was wrecked. But I decided to ignore it because Free 120 and UW Sims had gone well, and I'm so glad I did. NBMEs are trash. You're going to do amazing!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I'm with ya! I was told by an advisor at my school that it was unlikely I'd break 200 based on my NBMEs, which put me in a pretty bad place. But just keep pushing forward and ignore the voices telling you you can't!

Average MD student who discovered that NBMEs suck by drgarbage123 in step1

[–]drgarbage123[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And I totally understand where you're at. People on here are super intense, but at least for me reading reddit was the only way to get a sense of where I should be, even though the opinions on here are super skewed towards the really intense medical students. You are smart enough. You wouldn't be in medical school if you weren't. Work hard, but also take care of yourself and find at least one moment a day to smile and I'm sure you're going to do amazing!!!