Having a strong preparation plan for the USMLE Step 1 is important to secure the highest marks and make yourself eligible for the residency program. To whoever said the CARS section predicts your Step 1 score, LIES! My CARS score was 124, which is below average.The USMLE Step 1 is one of the most important factors that can make or break your chances of getting into a competitive residency program. I could have done more practice exams, but I studied hard for it and even enrolled in an expensive MCAT course.įor Step 1, if you study hard AND study effectively, you will receive the score you deserve. In hindsight, the exam was nothing like the MCAT. Your actual Step 1 score is typically higher than any other NBME or practice test you take, which is reassuring! Reflections My goal was a 240 at first, but I felt like I performed at 225.
Although our trip was cut short due to Trump’s announcement that they would be restricting travel to European countries, I still had a good time. I booked a trip to Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece) a few days after Step 1, which is what most people do! It’s a great way to keep your mind off of it for a 1 month, which is about how long it takes to receive your score. If you can help it, don’t do this! But if you feel compelled to, just be prepared with a bucket of ice-cream and plate of cookies for comfort. It’s not a good feeling when you find that you answered >50% of your unsure questions wrong. Coming out of the exam, I was praying for a 225 or higher.Īs I said before, I’ve always been one of THOSE students that look up answers to questions they fixated on during the exam. Going into the exam, my goal score was 240. With that said, expect to feel demoralized after the exam, but know that everyone feels this way. Even people on Reddit who end up with a score of 270+. No one comes out of that exam feeling like they killed it. It’s hard, but you just have to move on! After the Exam I don’t recommend doing this because that affected my focus for the following block. I was crazy enough to remember some of my unsure questions and look up the answers during break. Usually the answer I choose first is correct, but somehow I convince myself otherwise. I rarely had time to go back to them, which was probably for the best because something that I often do is second-guess. My marked questions came out to about 10-15 questions per block. For these ones, your best bet was just guessing based on the info you COULD understand and moving on. The what-the-heck questions were questions that most likely were the experimental questions because 1) you didn’t know what it was asking or 2) have never heard of the disease before or 3) the question had answer choices with words/phrases you’ve never heard of before. The hard questions were often vaguely worded and felt like poorly written NBME questions or the hardest UWorld questions. I’d say they were similar to UWorld questions. It wasn’t easy, but you needed to use critical thinking and analysis skills to arrive at the answer. The workable questions were, well, workable. The easy questions were typically your microbiology or pharmacology questions (thank you, Sketchy).
I’d say the exam was 20% easy, 50% workable, 20% hard, and 10% what-the-heck-I’ve-never-seen-this-before. But I learned to avoid second-guessing and just move on. I never felt sure about any of my answers, even the easy ones. At my test center, you could apparently use your phone and look at your notes, which sounds bizarre to me, but I found myself doing that a couple times to look up answers to questions I thought I had missed. Keep in mind that your break starts the second you leave your computer and will feel shorter than it is. I highly recommend driving to the test center if you are not familiar with the roads! During the Exam It’s always a struggle to fall asleep the night before a big day, but if you need a sleep aid, a tablet of Benadryl 1 hour before bed should do the trick. Double check that you have everything you need! The night before, pack your snacks, lunch, outfit, and other belongings that you will be bringing. I found it helpful to read the USMLE’s bulletin on Examination Day and Testing to go over the rules, personal belongings, admission to the exam, etc.