Hi all!
I have never posted on this forum… only have followed and read along with others who have posted helpful insights. I decided I would sign up for an account today so I could share my step 1 success story… Hoping to help others in the process. Even though I came out on top, this journey was a difficult one. I would like to share how I finally achieved the score I wanted. I started to see improvement once I began with my tutor from FutureMD | USMLE Step 1 Tutor
I have seen A LOT of inquiries on the forums about tutoring services and considering my success with FutureMD, I thought I should share my experience. FutureMD improved my score drastically. I figured if my effort helps at least one other person who is in a similar position that I was then it would be worth it. I know how it feels to be stuck and frustrated with stagnant scores and no matter what you do to improve you still get the same results. such a horrible feeling! But I also knew my goal was achievable and I was not going to take the exam until my NBMEs were where I wanted them to be.
For the most part, I remain inactive from an outward standpoint on the forums and just read other students postings and helpful tips/advice. I have turned to the forums as an extremely helpful resource. I was referred to FutureMD and ever since then the most impactful resource for my studying has been my tutor. I have received such POWERFUL feedback from other students that I have referred to FutureMD that it prompted me to create this posting. The students that I have referred to FutureMD have seen significant improvement and are just as appreciative as I am! We all understand how these scores impact our career and the heavy weight they carry. They also have a cheat sheet that is very useful for get your resources aligned and organized for studying that can be accessed on the homepage or here http://bit.ly/1l3wHbl
My experience:
I was hesitant about FutureMD at first as obviously there are a lot of options for preparation out there. As well as many tutoring services available. I decided I would check out the website and do some research. What I found was that FutureMD offers webinars. I watched one of their webinars when I was trying to decide if I wanted to sign up for tutoring full time. The webinar was a good indication of what a study session with one of their tutors will be like. The webinar is free and like I said was the perfect way for me to see if I would like the program and tutoring style. FutureMD also offers a free initial consultation where you can ask questions and discuss in detail what your plans are. So right after the webinar, I scheduled this consultation to get more information. My initial consult was very motivating to say the least!! After we talked about my goals etc., I was suggested a tutor. My tutor was very helpful with organizing my thought process, answering questions and generally feeling confident going into the exam. I made sure I took advantage of as many hours ! could get, especially when i saw my scores going up on the NBMEs! I didn't feel limited or like I was missing out on anything based on the mode of tutoring (i.e. Skype etc), because I was skeptical about this at first since bc it wasn’t what I was used to; but that was not the case at all. I wished I heard about FutureMD sooner, I feel I could have saved time (months of prepping for step 1); but better late than never! :) Working with FutureMD to prepare for my step 1 exam was a great experience. And now I am using them for tutoring for step 2!
Here’s my progress:
Beginning-
NBME Score: 168
Started with ‘Kaplan’ 7 week classroom review; followed by ‘Doctors in Training’ course
NBME Score: 171
Continued taking NBMEs throughout course and self study
Plateaued w/ 3 NBMEs in the 170s over a 8 week period
Began tutoring with Future MD-
started with 20 hours to focus on improving my cardio, renal, and hematology foundation
NBME- 194
just passing!
once I saw the initial drastic improvement I knew I could achieve so much more with the help of FutureMD. so, after the review of these subjects was completed, I elected to then enroll in FutureMDs full course review option, the 80 Hour Course
After the first 20 hours of full course
NBME: 213
40 hours
NBME: 229
60 Hours
NBME: 240
80 hours
NBME: 242
Then I completed a one month intense review on my own- direction and study schedule provided by FutureMD
NBME (1 week prior to exam): 245
Final Step 1 Score : 243!
Tutoring has helped me immensely and I'm positive you will see results as well. Hope this helps!
Good Luck!!!
I have never posted on this forum… only have followed and read along with others who have posted helpful insights. I decided I would sign up for an account today so I could share my step 1 success story… Hoping to help others in the process. Even though I came out on top, this journey was a difficult one. I would like to share how I finally achieved the score I wanted. I started to see improvement once I began with my tutor from FutureMD | USMLE Step 1 Tutor
I have seen A LOT of inquiries on the forums about tutoring services and considering my success with FutureMD, I thought I should share my experience. FutureMD improved my score drastically. I figured if my effort helps at least one other person who is in a similar position that I was then it would be worth it. I know how it feels to be stuck and frustrated with stagnant scores and no matter what you do to improve you still get the same results. such a horrible feeling! But I also knew my goal was achievable and I was not going to take the exam until my NBMEs were where I wanted them to be.
For the most part, I remain inactive from an outward standpoint on the forums and just read other students postings and helpful tips/advice. I have turned to the forums as an extremely helpful resource. I was referred to FutureMD and ever since then the most impactful resource for my studying has been my tutor. I have received such POWERFUL feedback from other students that I have referred to FutureMD that it prompted me to create this posting. The students that I have referred to FutureMD have seen significant improvement and are just as appreciative as I am! We all understand how these scores impact our career and the heavy weight they carry. They also have a cheat sheet that is very useful for get your resources aligned and organized for studying that can be accessed on the homepage or here http://bit.ly/1l3wHbl
My experience:
I was hesitant about FutureMD at first as obviously there are a lot of options for preparation out there. As well as many tutoring services available. I decided I would check out the website and do some research. What I found was that FutureMD offers webinars. I watched one of their webinars when I was trying to decide if I wanted to sign up for tutoring full time. The webinar was a good indication of what a study session with one of their tutors will be like. The webinar is free and like I said was the perfect way for me to see if I would like the program and tutoring style. FutureMD also offers a free initial consultation where you can ask questions and discuss in detail what your plans are. So right after the webinar, I scheduled this consultation to get more information. My initial consult was very motivating to say the least!! After we talked about my goals etc., I was suggested a tutor. My tutor was very helpful with organizing my thought process, answering questions and generally feeling confident going into the exam. I made sure I took advantage of as many hours ! could get, especially when i saw my scores going up on the NBMEs! I didn't feel limited or like I was missing out on anything based on the mode of tutoring (i.e. Skype etc), because I was skeptical about this at first since bc it wasn’t what I was used to; but that was not the case at all. I wished I heard about FutureMD sooner, I feel I could have saved time (months of prepping for step 1); but better late than never! :) Working with FutureMD to prepare for my step 1 exam was a great experience. And now I am using them for tutoring for step 2!
Here’s my progress:
Beginning-
NBME Score: 168
Started with ‘Kaplan’ 7 week classroom review; followed by ‘Doctors in Training’ course
NBME Score: 171
Continued taking NBMEs throughout course and self study
Plateaued w/ 3 NBMEs in the 170s over a 8 week period
Began tutoring with Future MD-
started with 20 hours to focus on improving my cardio, renal, and hematology foundation
NBME- 194
just passing!
once I saw the initial drastic improvement I knew I could achieve so much more with the help of FutureMD. so, after the review of these subjects was completed, I elected to then enroll in FutureMDs full course review option, the 80 Hour Course
After the first 20 hours of full course
NBME: 213
40 hours
NBME: 229
60 Hours
NBME: 240
80 hours
NBME: 242
Then I completed a one month intense review on my own- direction and study schedule provided by FutureMD
NBME (1 week prior to exam): 245
Final Step 1 Score : 243!
Tutoring has helped me immensely and I'm positive you will see results as well. Hope this helps!
Good Luck!!!