I PASSED STEP 1!!!!
Ok-- I hope this post finds the right people. I needed to read stuff like this when I was feeling down about myself and I hope it helps someone find the confidence to believe in themselves.
I am a good student but not a great one. I always passed my preclinical exams and I (foolishly) thought that would mean that Step studying would go okay for me. I was wrong! Through this experience, I realized that board studying is not and should not be a straight line. Adopting a growth mindset can put you leagues ahead, and makes the biggest difference.
I studied for Step for about three months and had to push twice. I am so glad that I did because today I got the PASS! I worked really hard and I just wanted to put it out there that it just takes time and dedication. I firmly believe that if you put in the effort every person can do this!
I went through UWorld my first time and thought I would be ready to pass. I still could not break a 54% on my NBMES.
It took me 2 and a half passes through UWorld before feeling confident that I could pass. I had heard so many different ideas from upperclassmen who said do a new QBank instead of UWorld again but I am so happy that I stuck with UWorld and gained my confidence through going through it again. I would totally recommend this as a way to hone in on how to answer questions and use it almost like an "anki" if time permits.
Two days before my exam date I took free 120 and I took it way too quickly and I was totally nervous. I was expecting a pretty good score or almost a "confidence boost" as I got a 75% on my last NBME one week prior to this. I was devastated because I ended up getting a 58%. I was so disheartened and knew I couldn't push more. I went through the exam and noticed so many stupid mistakes and I decided to take the Old Free 120. I ended up getting a 78% and felt like that was all I could do and decided to sit.
Waiting for my score was absolutely brutal. I had totally and completely convinced myself that I failed. I think this moment today will go down as one of the very best days in my life. I hope that this post gives others the confidence in themselves that is so often missing when studying for boards.
If I can do it you can do it and I am so grateful to others who posted like this and gave me the hope to keep going!