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Had to delay my exam. Now in weird situation.

2K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  qirkergaard 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

I am in a weird situation. I was scheduled to give my exam on 31st oct but I decided not show up because I wasnt feeling well and I didnt want to mess up my test. It was the last day of my extended eligibility period. I didn't study much since 31st oct. And just recently started studying again after I reapplied and got my new permit. The problem is I feel like my knowledge has been reduced drastically and would never be able to regain the same level confidence. Is it normal? My scores were:

UW Avg 75% ( completed in sept)
NBME 13 - 242(25 Aug)
UWSA 1 - 260 (15sept)
NBME 15 - 247 (7 oct)
UWSA 2 - 265 (20 oct)
NbME 16 - 241 (25 oct)


I have used most of the nbmes and i only have nbme 12 to assess my performance. Does it have any predictive value? I resubscribed to UW and did around half of it and my avg is 92%. Do you people think I should finish it or just focus on FA? I plan to take my test by 20th dec. Do you guys think if I do one more round of FA I'd be in 240s range?
 
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#2 ·
Your scenario is EXACTLY THE SAME as mine, how coincidental! I was scheduled to take it on the 31st of Oct though but due to a family problem, couldn't give it. Had to wait for 15 days (Nov. 15) before I made a new application, and they've accepted it and said I should get my permit by the end of this week.

Trust me, I'm in the same boat with my knowledge going down this unstoppable drain. I just don't know how to control it but I know that I've forgotten a significant amount of stuff (the smaller details, some mechanisms of path etc.) Made me downright depressed for a month but I kept doing something or the other everyday.

As of now, I'm just doing a review of FA with DIT, UW q's whenever I get the chance, some NBMEs I did already for q exposure (I did 11 and 12 recently), Kaplan books for some select chapters etc.

I have only NBME 15 to assess myself along with UWSA2 but from what I've read, here's the thing. All NBMEs are scaled according to difficulty, so no matter what the score, it should be in the same range as your Step 1 score. So I wouldn't worry about it being predictive or not. You have very good NBMEs scores so I'm pretty sure you can still pull yourself up and do well on the last NBME.

On a side note, how was NBME 15?
 
#3 ·
Your scenario is EXACTLY THE SAME as mine, how coincidental! I was scheduled to take it on the 31st of Oct though but due to a family problem, couldn't give it. Had to wait for 15 days (Nov. 15) before I made a new application, and they've accepted it and said I should get my permit by the end of this week.

Trust me, I'm in the same boat with my knowledge going down this unstoppable drain. I just don't know how to control it but I know that I've forgotten a significant amount of stuff (the smaller details, some mechanisms of path etc.) Made me downright depressed for a month but I kept doing something or the other everyday.

As of now, I'm just doing a review of FA with DIT, UW q's whenever I get the chance, some NBMEs I did already for q exposure (I did 11 and 12 recently), Kaplan books for some select chapters etc.

I have only NBME 15 to assess myself along with UWSA2 but from what I've read, here's the thing. All NBMEs are scaled according to difficulty, so no matter what the score, it should be in the same range as your Step 1 score. So I wouldn't worry about it being predictive or not. You have very good NBMEs scores so I'm pretty sure you can still pull yourself up and do well on the last NBME.

On a side note, how was NBME 15?
Hey. Yea I was following your posts on the oct test takers thread. I found nbme 15 easier than 16. It had more conceptual questions than the recall ones. How was your recent nbmes ? Did your scores drop significantly in comparison to earlier nbmes?

I wouldn't recommend you doing DIT at this point if your nbmes are >230. I don't think it adds much to your knowledge. Goodluck!
 
#9 ·
8th read of FA? That's amazing. I am on fourth and I cant even imagine doing it one more time. I am just gonna finish this read and give my exam. I don't have any date yet but most likely I'd take it by the end of next week.

I re-subscribed to UW but didn't really spend much time on it. I just can't that momentum again. I feel exhausted and just can't wait to get it all over with. How much pages are you guys doing per day? I am doing around 30 pages/day. :(

Let me know how you do on nbme 15. I hope we don't end up losing marks because of this gap.
 
#11 ·
Interesting conversation. I know a person with same situation. I am sure you guys will do fine just don't loose confidence, a month or two shouldn't make that huge difference, the concepts that you know, it's just right there. But yes just keep on revising your weak areas and the forgettables since the exam comprises of lesser recall stuff and more of the conceptual questioning. Good luck. God be with you.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I hear ya man. I'm going through the same damn thing. Re-subscribed to UW but I hardly made any use of it, which is depressing. I've learnt a huge lesson in my life: never cancel a date coz that can play a havoc with your momentum. I have a hard time focusing as well (which I had no problem doing prior to my original exam date.) I actually don't do a set number of pages. Rather I do a topic a date (eg. micro 1 day, cardio 1 day) and for topics that are short, I would try and do 2 topics a day. So it can go from anywhere between 30-50 pages a day depending on the topic .

On a side note, I FINALLY got my scheduling permit. So the pressure is ON. Now I just need to find a date (hoping for the 19th or 21st). I found a date in the neighboring state but I'm debating if I should actually fly there and take the exam or just wait for a date in my city. This whole exam business is such a mind game coz you wait until you get a date but once you do, you feel like you aren't ready enough (at least in my case) but at the same time you just wanna get it over with coz of all the frustration and burnout you've been through. Ughh, sucks.

Did you book your date already?
 
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