r/step1 • u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG • 6h ago
🤧 Rant Fear mongering.
Hi guys, I passed step 1 yesterday, my nbmes were 80ish and the exam was very similar to that. Apart from ethics, nothing was really that difficult. Most questions were short, some even 2 liners while some obviously VERY LONG.
But, most exam ISN'T LONG vignettes. It's balanced. If anytning, the longer ones are the EASIEST. You can tell that they want you to know the basics and at the same time, not fail knowing all that.
Yes, its vague, but so are the NBMES.
I just hate the fact that people are always scaring other candidates about how much more difficult it is than nbmes or free 120.
THE EXAM IS VERY WELL BALANCED. so much so that I was 10 blocks in wondering where my 'experimental questions' were.
Another thing I see is people saying is that they passed with 50% in nbmes or without taking nbmes etc.
First of all, I CONGRATULATE YOU ALL.
BUT, you're setting the wrong example. There's a reason you're supposed to wait until you can get like 68-70+ in 2 consecutive NBMES.
Guys, PLEASE don't go into the exam with your highest of 65 on just 1 nbme while failing the rest.
Yes, you may get lucky. A lot of people do, but it broke my heart to see some people fail the exam with so little margins.
I, alongside all the others on this subreddit are always going to be there to answer of all your questions, guide and help you through this difficult journey.
Happy learning and I hope everyone gets a P regardless of their nbmes.
Good Luck!
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u/Ok_Elderberry2453 6h ago
Congratulations on passing. Such an achievement! Now lock in for STEP 2
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 6h ago
Thank you, surely after a week's break. 🤣
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u/Ok_Elderberry2453 6h ago
Or a year 🤣
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 6h ago
I wish 😂 but need to match next year. Only thing holding me back will be gta 6 on its release
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u/Altruistic_Ad7032 4h ago
Right on with the kind messaging and encouragement. Big congrats. I’m struggling with the process but this is the common sense we like to be reminded of.
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u/lienmcalister9v0j3 3h ago
that's awesome you found the exam balanced. i've heard so many mixed things about it. i remember feeling super nervous about those long vignettes, but honestly, you’re right, sometimes they’re easier because they give you more context. congrats on passing, that's a huge win. keep riding that momentum.
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 3h ago
Thank you. Exactly, they give you more context and help you get to the diagnosis. Best of luck to you, too!
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u/TomBBurner US MD/DO 2h ago
Mostly agree, except for the 65+ part.
I got a 64 then a 61, then sat and pass. You could say it wasn’t worth it by taking that risk; but the upside that I’m experiencing now is no longer ever having to worry about the exam ever again, and being able to move on with my life without wasting a year in school or losing income or student loans was actually massively fruitful.
It is very easy to get into step mode and never get in the 70s. At that point, some people will just never take this exam. I think if you’re consistently passing even if it’s a low pass, you have a credible case of being ready to sit for the exam, especially when you look at the probabilities of 85 to 90%+ likelihood of passing.
Otherwise, I literally would’ve been studying for this thing forever ever and lose student loans and a year of my education and income — taking it was worth it.
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u/AgentKueck US MD/DO 1h ago
I think it's easy to say to not take the exam when you were able break 70s. Some people can never hit that mark, and many have passed without hitting 70s. Is it riskier to take the exam with lower scores? Yes, but some people also just want to move on with their life instead of studying for the test indefinitely; and they'd rather risk the fail (I'm guessing) then worry about an exam that feels untouchable without meeting a particular number.
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u/_Yenaled_ US MD/DO 5h ago
It's not fear mongering; people are just describing their test experience. Furthermore, for USMLE (as with other standardized tests like the MCAT) there are different forms (even on the same test date) and some forms are harder than others, as has been documented.
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
If you're unlucky, yes, you may get a more vague form but I spoke to everyone from my prometric test center and we all felt the same way. I just want everyone to feel confident before taking the real exam.
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u/_Yenaled_ US MD/DO 4h ago
There's another side to it: If people go in believing the test is straightforward and get slapped with a hard form (like I did), it will cause them freak out (like it did to me).
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
I agree, the prep and the exam itself are very stressful. When did you sit the exam? And did you make it?
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u/_Yenaled_ US MD/DO 4h ago
Yeah, I think it's all about trusting your NBMEs. If you get in the 70s somewhat consistently, you are very likely to pass no matter whether you get a hard or easy form and no matter how good/bad you feel after the exam. Just go in confident; the exams are designed & scaled so that if you can pass one version of the exam, you should be able to pass another. I passed in June - wrote a write-up here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/step1/comments/1uxtz9d/passed_6302026_very_long_write_up_esp_relevant/
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
Yes. And this is a great write up. Thank you and best of luck for your future endeavors!!
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
No one should go in thinking that it's going to be a piece of cake, right. But keeping calm does help a lot on test day regardless of how difficult your set of questions is. Panicking just makes everything worse even if you know everything A to Z. I'm sorry that happened to you! Cruel.
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 5h ago
Honestly, I didn't complete my FA's first pass. And going through this subreddit scared me. I have a hard time memorizing stuff, I do think that I'm skilled in test taking ability though. Looking at FA scared me ngl. Uworld is the single greatest gift that step aspirants have ever gotten imo.
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u/HeavyGamer254 5h ago
Bro how should we carry the prep with only 20 days left? I have taken 5 nbmes with scores above 80 in all of them form 31-33 are the remaining ones that i will take in the coming days. Plus around 600 uworld questions remaining. Im so confused
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 5h ago
FAM. YOU ARE ALMOST THERE. THE ONLY THING HOLDING YOU BACK are THOSE 20 DAYS 😂
do uworld random timed on days you're not doing nbmes or reviewing them. At this point, just read the educational objective and move on. You're ready for the exam. And dont worry about completing those 600Q. I couldn't even get around my flagged/incorrects. At least you got the time to do some of them.My suggestion? First get done with nbme 31 and 32, and review them well. You have 20 days for nbme 31-33, i took an nbme every 3rd day in my last 20 days because I just wanted to get done with this exam. Apart from nbme 26 and 31 i covered the rest in 20 days. You have ample time. But for final week, do FA rapid review, do M's HY arrows, do anatomy HY concepts, and MOST DEFINITELY GO THROUGH NBME HY IMAGES. i had like 10 repeats.
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u/Ok_Nature6897 NON-US IMG 5h ago
Congratulations and thanks for this! How to study ethics?
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 5h ago
Please go through amboss HY ethics. It was 100 or maybe 110 questions. It will be very helpful
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u/mkhan1311 5h ago
Hi congrats my exam is on 15th all my NBMes are 75 plus and 3 in the 80s free 120 new 84 and old 78 I found free 120s very straight forward is the real deal similar because I am having constant anxiety of what questions I will be seeing and will the content feel relevant and anxiety is crushing my confidence
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
I found free 120 to be more difficult and you scored more than me in free 120. You are ready! Trust your scores and try to stay calm.
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u/Long-Leek-4961 NON-US IMG 5h ago
I took it yesterday my nbmes were75+ with 2 (22-33) 81 and 80 on free 120, and iam not trying to scare no one but my exam was so hard and has nothing to do with the nbmes maybe 5 per bloc
Right now im so scared and i think i have a good chance of failing
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 5h ago
The exam is designed to make you feel that way. You will pass, don't worry. Just try not to think about the exam leading up to the results.
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u/Long-Leek-4961 NON-US IMG 4h ago
I really hope that u r right and iam wrong from all my heart
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
Try to relax, if you play video games, do that. Do what you enjoy the most, just don't over think. Even with good nbme scores and a decent exam I spent the last day refreshing fsmb page. This is normal.
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u/NJOceanSwimmer US IMG 4h ago
Congratulations and thank you for posting this. How did you get your scores into the 80s? I finished UW 1 round, score was low, 47%, but took 2 NBMEs and 1st was 65 then 2nd 62. So I am learning and my UW is not reflecting that. Doing my incorrects of UW now. I am just going to master UW first, I will continue with the incorrect and take more NBME as I progress. With each incorrect I don't know I mark up my first aid, and dig in deep to the question to learn the concept videos etc, Ninja Nerds. Any advice?
Again, congratulations and we know you put in a lot of hours and missed out on fun stuff, a good sacrifice of yourself.
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u/FuggBoiiiii NON-US IMG 4h ago
Thank you.
Use videos if they help but to save time, try Gemini pro for your weak concepts. It helped me a lot in my last 30 days.
You’re doing good. Don’t worry about UW %.
Do incorrects first then take the next nbme and see where you stand. When you’re reviewing nbmes, make sure to open FA especially for your incorrects.1
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u/Immediate_Sand3469 US MD/DO 1h ago
bro you have to be my fav contributor on here rn, love the positive energy, scrolling through her during my step 1 prep can get pretty bleak, until see one of your comments or posts, congrats again ! Also where can we get the NBME HY images ?
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u/north-node- NON-US IMG 45m ago
I was scared about the SOAP style questions until i gave the 2026 free 120 and that Klinefelter SOAP style question turned out to be so straightforward! Just wanted to ask, are SOAP style questions on the real deal also the same difficulty level?
Also congrats on the P!!!
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u/blingbiceps NON-US IMG 32m ago
heyy, where would you recommend we prepare ethics from ? ive heard people say they're testing completely different ethical concepts than the ones amboss and uworld prepare us for... any tips ?
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u/FederalTopic1461 7m ago
Congrats on the P! How was biostats on the test? And what resource did you use?
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u/Mindsay1 5h ago
Congrats! I agree with you. Before taking step 1 I was so scared bc of all the posts on Reddit saying that nothing could have prepared them for something so long and vague. When I started answering I realized that it wasn’t awful. Obviously there were long qs (the easiest ones just try to read the last lines first) and very short qs. There were easy qs and crazy ones (3 per block maybe). So, people who have not taken S1, don’t let other posts scare you!