Final year medical student in England - USMLE planning help

[ugm12]

Hello. I've just started final year of medicine in the UK (as a British citizen). After doing my elective (overseas placement) in the U.S. this summer, I'm considering applying for residency there.

I have read the many IMG USMLE threads on here, but actually coordinating a residency application seems extremely tricky time-wise.

I passed the first round of finals last year (paeds, OBGYN, psych, emergency med, oncology). But given I am also studying for medicine and surgery finals this year, does anyone have any suggestions on the best time to sit steps 1 and 2 (for me)?

Also what sort of time frame should I expect between sitting steps 1 and 2? (I understand step 2 CS has to be sat in the U.S.)

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

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[justin1390]

The fact you still are studying for medicine and surgery is a big advantage for you on Step 2 CK, because there is a TON of medicine on that exam. I would give it at least 2 months between exams so you can brush up adequately on either exam. That amount of time should bring you into the passing range and allow you to do reasonably well provided you study hard.

For CS, yes, you need to take it in the US. I would do it in LA or Houston, as it's easy access and there is going to be less competition than NY or Atlanta. The LA testing site is also literally 5 minutes from LAX, which helps a lot, too.

If you are looking for resources, here is what I would recommend:

Step 1:
First Aid - it's a go to study book with enough to do reasonably well
Uworld Qbank - excellent practice questions
Kaplan - Again a ton of questions

For Step 2 CK, you are going to be under massive time crunch, so you'll need to be selective. For that reason, I would not recommend messing around with Kaplan, as the sheer volume will bog you down:
First Aid - still an excellent resource for Step 2
Uworld Qbank - the tried and true, ton of questions, most of them medicine
Synaptec Qbank - this is a newer resource that I heard just launched. It's defined by algorithm-guided testing, so that sets it apart a bit.

For Step 2 CS:
I would just practice a ton of H&Ps. If you speak English and are reasonably good at time management, then you'll be fine. Keep in mind these are mostly targeted exams, not full ones. Download the guidelines from the USMLE website and go over them, they are very helpful, in my opinion, in terms of knowing what to expect.

 

[ugm12]

Thank you so much! That is extremely helpful. Particularly your advice on resources.

I'm trying to plan the USMLEs around the residency application. I graduate from the MD (here in UK) in April 2017. Would I have time to sit steps 1, 2CK and CS in time for the 2018 residency rank order list deadline?

 

[ugm12]

My game plan at the moment is as follows (could anyone comment on whether this is a realistic time frame or not?):

- start studying for step 1 now (sept 2016) a couple of hours a day plus full weekends (weekdays dedicated to studying for UK med school finals)
- revise full time May 2017 - Aug 2017. Sit step 1 in Aug 2017.
- sit steps 2 ck and cs Aug - December 2017

 

[justin1390]

That would work, but keep in mind if you do poorly on step 1, you will not be able to get your step 2 score in on time with your current plan. If you score well, you won't need to, though. Just some thoughts. But you should be in for the 2018 rank list.

 

[ugm12]

thank you for your help. Do you not think the step 2 score will be in on time with my current plan?
As I'm an IMG, all step 1, 2 CK and CS scores need to be in for my ECFMG verification BEFORE the rank order deadline (end of February)

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/For-IMG-Eligibility-and-Verification.pdf

 

[justin1390]

You'll need to take Step 2 CK and CS by late September if you don't want to sweat bullets. I'd go for mid to early September. And please take step 2 a little seriously. I've heard if you speak English as your native language, you have a greater than 92-95% pass rate (American pass rate is like 97%, I believe). That said, you MUST be familiar with a FOCUSED history and FOCUSED physical exam in addition to writing notes. You are from the UK, you'll be fine, but practice a bunch the few months leading up to be sure. It would suck to pass everything and then have CS hold you up. :-/