How To Use NBME Exams To Boost Your USMLE Prep

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Wondering how to use NBME exams to not only crush your USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam, but make it an easier feat to accomplish?
In my experience, most students don't know how to use NBME exams in a way that completely maximizes their efforts. That's not your fault... Your school likely didn't talk to you about this once.
That's why I'm here and why I'm going to walk you through exactly what to do with your NBME exams to maximize your exam day results.
I'll explain when to use them, how to use them, and what to do with your results in today's video!
Learn how you can work with us to crush your USMLE Step 1 exam at usmleguys.com
Video timestamps:
0:00​ - Introduction
1:03​ - The real purpose of the NBME exams
1:50 - Should you dissect your entire NBME exam
5:00​ - Do you take an NBME before starting your dedicated Step 1 or Step 2 CK prep?
8:45 - The specific sequence of events that lead to a higher score on your USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam
13:00 - Conclusion and final steps for maximize your USMLE results.
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(1) 100 Days of Free USMLE Step 1 Practice Questions: dailyusmle.com
(2) Medical Student Survival Guide: medstudentsurvivalguide.com
(3) Weekly USMLE Videos & Practice Questions Newsletter: usmletimes.com
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[@usmleguys]

Join our free 'The Dr. Paul Daily' newsletter for daily practice questions, drill sessions, and Q&As to help position yourself for USMLE exam success! Get started at theusmleguys.substack.com

[@KDYT31]

I really appreciate the input on Student Type Bs like me. Most information is specific to Student Type A. This gives a more realistic persepective and emphasis to make sure to value the NBME resources we have.

[@ravneetgill2572]

Wow I wish I had known these during my step 1 preparation. But I'll definitely implement these for step 2 now & hope to score well on it 🤞🙏

[@shriramjawahar22]

Dr. Paul, you are the GOAT, thank you for your help and opening my mind to reviewing NBMEs in a faster/more comprehensive way! I will tweak my study strategy based on this and I'm sure it will pay dividents

[@usmleguys]

🙏🏻 thanks doc for the kind words! I hope it helps 👊🏼

[@carmenrasquinigrassiotofil1517]

Thank u so much for your help

[@usmleguys]

My pleasure Doc!

[@Noah-zs9wt]

Great Video! What are your thoughts on going through and thoroughly reviewing the new NBMEs (released later this month), given that answer explanations are now included?

[@usmleguys]

If you’re doing the NBME with the explanations, then definitely go through them. Otherwise, it’s a king and tedious process that isn’t an efficient use of your time. Hope that answers your question.

[@Naomi-dz4uk]

🤦‍♀️ I wish I saw this earlier. I spent so much time reviewing (and not reviewing) NBMEs. Definitely subscribing and turning on notifications so I don’t miss anymore videos!

[@usmleguys]

Better late than never! Glad to have you here doc!

[@dr.dsquare8223]

Hi, thanks for the great video! If one is studying for step 2ck ,what books/videos/programs do you recommend to fix one’s weaknesses?

[@usmleguys]

The BRS books are great for tackling the clinical sciences topics in much more detail (ie. To address weaknesses). Aside from that, UW and Amboss are great qbanks for CK.

[@yaramaia3831]

Hey, Dr. Paul! It's me again! In this video you said that we should spend about 75% of the time (after the first and second NBME) improving our weaknesses, deep diving, but I would like to know about Q bank like UW. After my first pass, should I use it like a source of re- assessment/ reviewing/ practicing?

[@usmleguys]

Hi doc, no, you shouldn't go through the same qbank twice. If you want to test yourself, use a fresh qbank. :)

[@rosalynnmanophinives5107]

Hi great video, just in time also. I was just about to review my third NBME and dreading it how long it was going to take. But when you say, identify weaknesses, would that mean just going through the weaknesses shown in the score report or should I be going through the questions and seeing which type of questions I missed specifically? Also what are your recommendations on going through Uworld questions? I finished one pass and now going through my incorrects. Do you recommend that? Thank you

[@usmleguys]

Happy to help. By identifying weaknesses I mean looking at the score report and seeing which categories as a whole are demonstrably weak based on your overall performance (meaning don’t go through each question, it’ll take forever). As far as your UW goes, doing a second pass is a mistake... I put out a video a few days ago about this, check my recent releases to find the UW video and it’ll go over exactly what you need to do from this point. Hope this helped!! 😁 thanks for watching

[@usmleguys]

Here’s a link to the video I mentioned in my initial response: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anfJZWWqmpmMosU

[@rosalynnmanophinives5107]

@@usmleguys Ok great! This will save me tons of time and sanity. I'll check out your Uworld video as well. I appreciate your advice and all the videos you put out. Again, thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

[@dyananasif1097]

Hi Dr. Paul! I just took step2 and am applying through the MATCH, studying for step3.. I was wondering if you are still hiring another tutor? I can email you my CV, scores etc..

[@melissaf4891]

Hi Dr. Paul, I’m student “C” I finished my core rotation, currently getting ready for my comp before I’m able to sit for step 2CK, What would you recommend?

[@usmleguys]

Hi Melissa... Depends on a lot of things... Have you been studying hard during your cores? How are you doing on your other comps/shelfs? How strong were the rotations (ie. Did you learn a TON or were they average?)... To guide you properly based on your own unique circumstances would require a conversation and a deeper dive into what you need based on those factors above... If you want some general advice for the CK, here is what I'd recommend as some basic guidelines: 1) Study HARD in your rotations and treat each core's comp/shelf like the actual CK (this ensures that you're learning the info and will make life easier when it comes time to study for the CK), 2) Work on USMLE World with each core and use a BRAND NEW question bank for your dedicated prep (ie. UW to help you learn during cores, a new qbank to help you get stronger during dedicated CK prep), 3) TONS of review (you should dedicated at least 1hr per day to reviewing information you've already seen so that you continue to reinforce those details while you continue to learn new info). Whether you're a C student as you say or an A+ student, the basic strategies don't change much... What would change with each student are the small, subtle tweaks that would help you to address specific needs, weaknesses, learning styles, etc (if you want that level of help, visit our website and see if you want help from us in this area). I hope that helps... I know it's not super-detailed, but like I said, without knowing a lot more about you, it's hard to give super-specific advice. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions! Thanks for watching :)

[@geraldhinelopez847]

My exam is in 3 weeks I’ve scored max 70% on NBME. I’ve already gone through the whole study process. What do you recommend for this last few days ?

[@Carsal6116]

hello sir can u tell which NBME should i do first thanku?

[@ravneetgill2572]

So do you suggest taking nbmes only after second pass of uworld for step 2 ? Since I'v been dragging the first pass since 6 months already, so I wouldn't be as fresh on everything if I take nbme after completing my first pass. Would really appreciate your suggestion regarding this :)

[@usmleguys]

I’d suggest you watch this video about doing 2 passes of UW, then if you still have the same questions let me know: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGGnaYp3oJyEaqM

[@MrVevo73]

Say that I haven't studied for a while now, like 2 years, everything is basically new to me. In this case, would you still apply the revision method you mentioned in the other video regarding focus on weakness in the morning and evening during first pass of knowledge but no NBME? Or better to scan through all the basic knoledge everything without revision and only do revision after taking a NBME? May I also have the link to the video that you mentioned regarding starting after a 6 months or more gap?

[@usmleguys]

Assuming you're starting out from scratch essentially, I'd typically say you're better off doing a review of everything prior to getting into a dedicated type of strategy such as you're referring to here. Using strategy & tactics will work better for you once everything is fresher and you're not trying to figure out what's going on every few minutes. Hope that helps.

[@MrVevo73]

@@usmleguys thank you for your response! I was asking because whenever I was reading some topics at the beginning to freshen things up, I usually encounter things that would make me think, “yea I am definitely going to forget about this after a week”, and as I read on, that feeling just piles up more and more, to the point where my mindset end up like, “I am just wasting time trying to read these thick books, because those details that are quizzed on the exam won’t last longer than a week if I don’t somehow grab them”. It feels like it takes so long to finish a main topic like anatomy or biochemistry, where by the end I finish reading them, I will prob only just remember the last two chapters, because the first 2 chapters was read like at least 2 weeks ago. Sure maybe I can briefly recall the vague big picture of the concepts, but those minute details are just gone. Sorry if it sounded like a vent, but this has been my biggest struggle over the years.

[@tariqtariq3208]

hi i have a question if an nbme shows you are low in most of concepts should we dive in each topic again and learn all facts again? eg you get 192 on nbme and now you have to identify ur weakness

[@usmleguys]

If everything is low, then you don't really have weaknesses, you're moreso in need of starting from scratch and building the foundations for each subject. You can't really focus on a specific weakness if everything is weak, so in this instance, I'd say go back to the drawing board, figure out what you did the first time that didn't work, craft a new plan based on your results, and go from there.

[@Be1smaht]

I've been writing notecards for Uworld questions is it good ?

[@usmleguys]

As long as you’re reviewing them regularly then definitely. Don’t make the mistake many students make of creating study cards but not reviewing them regularly. Good luck

[@suereepmeyer6819]

I will be finishing my M1 year in June, and then will be taking a year to do research before starting M2 in June of 2022. I registered for the Step 1 exam in December, and am aiming for an elite score with using the knowledge of my M1 preclinical curriculum plus lecturio review and kaplan self study of my M2 courses. Do you guys know the best way to approach this unique situation? Thanks!

[@usmleguys]

It would be best to finish your basic sciences prior to taking the Step 1 exam. I'm not even sure if any school would allow you to take Step 1 prior to finishing the basic sciences. And if that's the case, you'd be finishing M2 in 2023, which brings you to the Pass/Fail era of Step 1. Thus, I'd recommend that you simply wait until you finish the basic sciences prior to taking Step 1. No review program, prep course, etc, will be sufficient to substitute for what you'll learn in class, so achieving an outstanding score without having done the actual medical school curriculum will be extremely challenging. I don't advise that you do it this way, especially when there's no reason for it. Good luck!

[@suereepmeyer6819]

@@usmleguys Hi there, actually the reason I am taking it this December is because I would like (hopefully) a high 3 digit score rather than simply a pass as it would look better in the eyes of PDs. I have already reviewed the systems courses of my school's M2 curriculum through Lecturio, which teaches these systems exceptionally well. I understand I am at a disadvantage compared to a traditional med student by not having taking formal coursework for M2 yet, but at the same time I have a much longer time to prepare for the Step 1 exam and don't have to worry about information taught in my med school's curriculum that won't be on the Step 1. Are you guys available for paid coaching through this process? Thank you.

[@usmleguys]

@@suereepmeyer6819 got it! Hopefully your school will sign off on that plan. Reach out or visit our website for coaching options when the time comes (USMLE.online) or message me on IG (Instagram.com/realdrpaul)

[@user-nr3xi1xc6z]

Does it make sense to take all new NBMEs since they will be coming with explanations?

[@usmleguys]

You should use the old ones if you still can, simply because it's more opportunities to assess yourself. Going through explanations on the new versions is a nice bonus, but it's not the most important aspect of accessing the NBME exams. So yes, do the new ones, but if you can, try to take advantage of the old ones as well (only if you can take them online and gain the feedback). Good luck!

[@user-nr3xi1xc6z]

@@usmleguys The issue I've seen is that the new forms have 20% repeated questions from old forms. I feel like this could inflate the scores and decrease the predictability of the score assessment.

[@basharomary3728]

If the problem was memory problem , is it ok to review first aid actively and then review the nbme question , If the student still do not understand or still weak then go into deeper resources ?

[@usmleguys]

Sure but what do you mean by actively reviewing the FA?

[@basharomary3728]

@@usmleguys reviewing actively is understanding the mistake and start reviewing first aid and ask questions what do you know about this

[@usmleguys]

Yes that works

[@bhavikpatel5881]

Melman disagrees

[@usmleguys]

😂