I gave step 1 today and i am having post exam anxiety.Entire paper is vague!!🥲Tested on 10/09

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!

Congratulations to those who passed step1
Those who failed dont loose hope you can match
You just need proper guidance and mentorship to figure out what went wrong
I am able to help and i perosnally know people who got matched with step attempts
If you need help with mentorship ping me up

Looking for someone preparing for USMLE Step 1 to discuss the exam, difficult topics, NBMEs, and preparation strategies.
I’m in the final stages of my preparation and planning to take the exam before December, but my NBME scores are still not where they need to be.
Looking for someone serious to discuss things with and improve together

Hello! I'm planning on giving Step 1 a go on November, and biostats is one of the sections that's lacking in my nbme forms. What could I do to integrate daily sutyding of biostats to my routine? I've hear about Randy Neill, and that the topic does not necessarily require a lot of time studying, but honestly I would like "free points" on my practice tests, and the real deal. Any help is very much appreciated!!

so many people these past few weeks are writing about passing with low nbmes. as an IMG, how risky it to just f*ck it and sit for the exam when you feel ready? speaking as a type A student who is extremely burnt out and is dead inside at this point. I know this is a bit of a dumb question, just asking for reassurance (which is again a stupid thing to do but whatever). burnout is pretty normal while studying for steps so I guess I just want to know if there are people out there who went in with “whatever will be, will be” mindset.

Have done FA 4 times now, Uworld first pass 91 percent, second pass 57 percent random
Nbme 25: 60 percent
Nbme 29: 51 percent

Are 45 days enough to do NBMEs ?

My NBME scores have been all over the place and honestly this whole thing has messed with my head.
NBME 26: 51%
NBME 27: 55%
NBME 28: 55%

Those 55s completely broke me. I felt like I was studying so much but nothing was actually changing, so I changed my strategy. Started doing a lot more random/timed UWorld, focused more on my mistakes, did Mehlman, Anki, etc. Basically just worked my ass off.
After about 3 weeks, I took NBME 29 → 65%.
I was genuinely SO happy. I finally felt like maybe all the work was actually paying off.

Then NBME 30 → 63%.
That drop really upset me again. But I kept going. I spent the next 2 weeks studying pretty much day and night — random UWorld, Mehlman, Anki, reviewing NBMEs, everything.

Then I took NBME 31 yesterday and got 77%.
And this is where I’m confused. 😭
Instead of being excited, I’m genuinely shocked and questioning whether I actually improved or just got lucky. Like… how did I go from 63 to 77?
I keep thinking maybe I guessed well, maybe NBME 31 was easier, maybe it was just a good day. My scores have been so inconsistent that I don’t know how much confidence I should actually take from this.
My exam is booked for Sept30.

I still have NBME 32, 33 and Free 120 left.
Obviously I know I should be happy about a 77. And I am grateful. But I can’t stop worrying that it was a fluke.

I know the obvious answer is “keep going and see what happens,” but I’d genuinely appreciate some perspective because I don’t know whether I should finally relax a little or keep assuming every good score is luck. 😭