I am a third year DO student scheduled to take Step 1 in two days, this Thursday. I have been preparing for months alongside clinical rotations and have postponed my exam several times. I dont want to take the exam and fail it since we dont need to take it. Nevertheless I am feeling pretty discouraged by my inconsistent practice scores and burning through thoroughly reviewing exams, especially after todays Free 120.

My score progression throughout third year

5/18 NBME 30: 50%

6/8 NBME 31: 61%

7/9 NBME 29: 61%

7/14 NBME 32: 50%

9/27 NBME 28: 61%

10/15 NBME 33: 62%

10/19 NBME 34: 65%

10/23 NBME 27: 69%

10/27 New Free 120: 62% (74/120)

UWorld: 77% completed (2,805/3,655 questions), 46% correct overall (been hovering at 50s-65s mostly with occasional floor of 45% each 40 block)

COMLEX Level 1: Passed in June.

Free 120 block breakdown: 70%, 45%, 70%, 60%, 55%, 70%.

I was finally feeling encouraged by my recent NBME improvement, particularly the 69% on NBME 27, but the Free 120 really shook my confidence.

I think one of my biggest weaknesses is making quick decisions under timed conditions. I tend to reason through questions rather than immediately recognize patterns, and I sometimes second-guess myself. The new 20-question block format felt particularly challenging, and Block 2 completely threw me off.

I have already pushed this exam back multiple times, and it is frustrating to feel like Im getting closer but still not achieving consistent results. I really want to get it over with but I also don’t want to rush into the exam if I’m not ready.

For those who recently took Step 1:

Would you sit Thursday with these scores or postpone?

Open to all suggestions, thank you guys!!

Is there anyone expecting their results tomorrow?
Tested on 12/10

Hi. I took the exam on 10/15 as an IMG. Immediately afterwards I emailed NBME about a short malfunction that caused a pause for about 15' and afterwards a question got un-checked while I had previously answered it, resulting in me seeing only 5" before the block ending so it went unanswered. They responded the usual "please allow up to 15 days for the investigation". Normally, my results are supposed to come out tomorrow, but I've seen posts about delays, and other saying the results weren't delayed and just got a response back about the investigation yielding unsignificant findings, like an hour after the on-time results release. Has anyone experience with this? Were your results on time?

Anyone feel like shit doing Uworld (like avging 50 on recent blocks) then did an NBME and get surprised with a decent score (>60%)???

Stupid question but are the NBME’s on coursology the real deal? Since these are paid tests and i already have them as a part of my subscription to coursology (life time sub)

I also took the nbme 25 on it, had the usual 200q, 10 blocks of 20 each, and it gave me a 3 digit score too

Seemed a lil too good to be true so wantwd to make sure

hi before 5 month. I made onenbme it was 26 and I scored 45 then I repeated the whole uworld and I made the half of incorrect what should I do now ? should I make nbme and which is the best one to evaluate myself?

A 58-year-old man with type 2 diabetes and persistent microalbuminuria takes metformin and lisinopril. An additional oral glucose-lowering drug is started.

Four weeks later:

• HbA1c: 8.4% → 7.8%
• Serum creatinine: 1.0 → 1.24 mg/dL
• Urine glucose: negative → 3+

He feels well, has no edema or signs of volume depletion, and his BP is 126/76 mmHg.

Which physiological change within the juxtaglomerular apparatus best explains the acute change in renal hemodynamics?

A. Increased NaCl delivery to the macula densa → afferent constriction
B. Decreased NaCl delivery → efferent dilation
C. Reduced Ang II signaling → efferent dilation
D. Reduced prostaglandins → afferent constriction
E. Increased nitric oxide → efferent constriction

I'm not looking for some reassurance but I mean to ask people in 60s or people who closely know someone who was scoring in 60s in nbmes, did you/they pass or fail?

Basically what the heading says. I’m 18 days out

I Have been using the Free 120 website to do the timed NBME forums, I compared the questions to the pdf files and they seem similar, but my scores are high when i did it on the free 120 website. are nbmes accurate and updated?

They also have a section called q world, qmelhman, are the questions on that the same as uworld or mehlman

Its just that it is too good to be true to me lol, they ask for 60 dollars for 6 months!

im planning on taking step 1 in march/april. i haven't done any prep at all and a big reason is because i genuinely have no idea where to start. everyone recommends so many resources like pathoma amboss sketchy uworld and it seems so daunting. i also dont know which study tools to purchase especially because theyre pretty expensive so i cant just commit hundreds to tools im not sure will help.

The green tick boosts my dopamine, I look forward to seeing it. If it shows, I’m happy and I feel great and proud. If it doesn’t, my mood crashes down and i feel like yanking my hair out/flipping the table/breaking the tablet…etc.

Help?

Hi everyone! I am currently planning out my upcoming dedicated period but am struggling to decide how to plan around a friend’s 4-day bachelorette trip and could use some advice!

Basically, if I try to fit my dedicated period in the time before the trip, it would be about 4 weeks, which I know is common, but feels like it could be a bit rushed. Although I’ve gotten through 100% of UWorld for shelfs so far during MS3, I haven’t taken any practice exams, am ending on OBGYN. I have scored in the low to high 70s so far on my shelf exams and halfway done with rotations. I am thinking of rads/anesthesia, so my goal is most likely a 260+.

My other option is to give myself 6 weeks of dedicated, with the last day of the trip being 8 days away from my test date. 6 weeks is honestly what I was hoping for, but I am a little worried about how a trip might mess up my studying/scores. Would 8 days be enough time to catch up if I need it?

Of note, the bachelorette trip is in a cabin in the mountains and I could most likely find downtime to study and avoid alcohol during, even though that’s not ideal.

Any advice is appreciated!

Posting this as I am currently on the fence between freaking out and feeling I have plenty of time to improve. My class (US MD school) just received our first CBSE exam results before finishing preclinical this December, and mine were pretty rough. 41 overall, struggled significantly in pathology, physiological, and nutrition disciplines. Throughout preclinical I’ve passed all of our NBME-based exams +/- 4 points from the class average, so I feel that I decently understood the material at the time I was actively working on it. However, I have a bad tendency to brain dump and immediately move on after finishing a block, and while I knew this would come back to bite me, I didn’t expect it to bite this much. For additional context, I hadn’t studied prior to taking the CBSE, we haven’t covered neuro/psych (which was on the exam), and had very poor sleep the night before. While I’m still months out from taking actual Step 1, I’m still slightly freaking out, worried I’m screwed, and looking for any advice. Thanks in advance!

As i heard recently anatomy is heavily tested for step 1?

So which system is more spotted on???

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice and reassurance. My exam is in exactly 10 days and I just experienced a score drop on NBME 33, which has me feeling pretty anxious.
Here are my scores
NBME 26 (Baseline): 60%
NBME 29: 68%
NBME 30: 73%
NBME 31: 76%
NBME 33: 69% (Recent drop)

I felt like my upward trend was solid until this last form. I still have the New Free 120 left to take. What should i do ??

I’ve heard people say the exam felt similar to the NBMEs, Free 120, or even UWSAs, but I’m curious how much of that similarity was in the actual questions versus the underlying concepts.

My take is that we might be looking at it the wrong way. The person writing your actual exam isn't necessarily using the same wording or clinical scenarios you've practiced in UWorld or the NBMEs. You might recognize the underlying concept, but the way it's presented could be completely different from what you're used to.

That can feel uncomfortable at first because you're suddenly applying familiar knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios. But if you've prepared thoroughly, worked through the NBMEs, and consistently scored in a range that suggests you're ready, you should have the foundation to reason through questions you've never seen before.

For those who've taken the exam, did this match your experience? Did the questions feel familiar because you'd seen similar concepts before, or did the exam genuinely challenge you with unfamiliar ways of testing them?

I recently scored a 45% on an nbme. I’ve scheduled the test as far out as possible without having to pay $700. I am open to rescheduling i just dont know what to do. I’ve been studying for step for months, going through uworld section by section, I just need advice on how to proceed. How can I raise my score im so exhausted plz help. What should my game plan be?

Reading the explanation feels like learning, but a week later it is gone.

Do you rewrite it, make cards, or test yourself again later?

Ive got 20 days til my exam. I’ve done one pass of FA and revised a few systems but doing it again cover to cover seems like SUCH A HASSLE i genuinely cannot bring myself to study or read it.

Is there a better way or maybe another resource to do last minute revision

Hey everyone i was just curious is FA +uworld are enough to pass step 1 i also watch bootcamp videos
And does i have to memorize every single word in the book or a first or a second read are enough

hey everyone. I just scored 51% raw correct on NBME 27, my first NBME, taken timed and closed-book. I've completed around 70% of UWorld, and my exam is tentatively scheduled for January 12, 2027.

I'm feeling anxious and would really appreciate honest advice.

• Is January 12 still realistic with around 11 weeks left?
• Should I focus on reviewing NBME mistakes, finishing UWorld, or revising weak subjects?
• Has anyone started with a similar score and passed within this timeframe?

I'd appreciate advice from people who've been in a similar situation. Thank you!

Is there any UWorld discount group, folks???

If not, let's organize it.