For IMGs who open Reddit to feel better about their NBME scores and close it feeling worse. Nobody on there is accountable for your result.
By Dr. Marish Asudani · Published
No. Reddit will tell you 60–65% is fine. It isn't. Book Step 1 only when you are above 68% on all 3 of NBME 31, 32 and 33, taken offline and timed, and you finish every block with 3 to 4 minutes left. Until then, close Reddit and fix the score.
Reddit does a lot of damage to IMGs. It does it in 2 ways, and they pull in opposite directions: it destroys your confidence, and then it tells you to book the exam too early.
My rule with every one of my students is simple: never look at Reddit. Always look at the articles. Whether you are a Vault student or my direct student, these are the only articles I recommend about when you're ready and how to pass Step 1.
You open a thread at midnight after a bad block. Someone failed with a 72%. Someone says the new forms are impossible. Someone says IMGs never match. You close the app more anxious than when you opened it, and tomorrow's study day is already gone.
If the anxiety is about how much is left to study, read "I'm so anxious about how much I have to study". If it's about a score that just dropped, read what to do after a bad NBME. Both end with something to do today.
This is the advice that actually fails people. On Reddit, a lot of people tell students to take the exam at 60–65% on their NBMEs and say it's fine, usually with the argument that the NBMEs underpredict anyway.
All of that is wrong. A score you have hit once is a possibility. A score you have hit consistently is your level, and you take the exam on your level.
Even 70% on 1 form isn't a guarantee. 1 of my students was above 70% on her NBMEs before her first attempt and still didn't pass. Her preparation had gaps, and nobody had a strategy for her NBMEs. She passed the second time, with a plan. 3 tips to avoid failing Step 1 covers the mistakes that fail students who were already scoring well.
Your NBME order and readiness, laid out for youSet your exam date and the Vault schedule places every NBME, both mock days and the assessment, and tells you what to do after each score. Free for your first 3 days.
Build my schedule →Don't book. Don't panic either. 60–65% is a plateau, not a verdict, and it breaks with the right moves:
Already past 68% and want a strong score, not just enough? How to score more than 75% on your NBMEs.
Find your weak systems before the real exam2 full-length Vault Assessments, 280 questions each, with an honest report that names the 2 or 3 systems to fix next.
Open Vault Assessment →The person who told you 63% was fine will not be there when your result says FAIL. They won't audit your attempt, rebuild your plan or check your scores every day. You carry the attempt on your transcript. They carry nothing.
If that has already happened to you, start with if you failed Step 1 once. It begins with finding out why, not with studying more.
When are you ready for Step 1? Read how to know you're actually ready. It is the only article on the internet you need on that question, because my students pass at 96%, and you can't argue with that.
Then, depending on where you are:
How to know you're actually ready — the exact bar, and why the trend beats the number.
Stuck at 62–65% on NBMEs — the 3 moves that break the plateau.
3 tips to avoid failing Step 1 — the mistakes that fail students who were scoring well.
"I'm so anxious about how much I have to study" — what to do with the anxiety instead of scrolling.
If you failed Step 1 once — find out why first.