List your top 4 study resources for Step 2...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Pox in a box

Pox in a box

1K Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2005
Messages
1,345
Reaction score
1
Points
4,551
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
List your top 4 study resources for Step 2:

1.
2.
3.
4.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
1. USMLEworld
2. NMS Review Questions
3. Step 2 Secrets
4. B&W

This is probably overkill but in retrospect USMLEworld and Secrets is all I would use.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. Kaplan Notes/CD simulation test/QBOOK/QBANK
2. Step-Up Medicine
3. MKSAP
4. Pre-Test in each subject matter and the Pre-Test for Step 2.

A ridiculous amount of questions is what helped me out (I think USMLEworld has alot, but our school paid for Qbank only)... I figured there's only so many ways of asking about a disease, and repeating helped me get the "easy" questions faster. Good luck!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1.) First Aid for Step 2, Supplemented by First Aid for Medicine and Surgery
2.) Boards and Wards
3.) Some pharm book I haven't bought yet
4.) Some question bank I haven't bought yet

I'm studying for 2 months. I had only intended to study for one, but the rotation I'm on now turned out to be much much lighter than I thought it would be. I'm doing 1st aid the first month, and then boards and wards and questions the second month. Maybe this is overkill, but it's also one more chance to improve my application or at least show a trend.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. Kaplan Q Bank
2. Kaplan Q book
3. Step 2 Secrets
4. Prescription for the Boards
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. QBank, MKSAP
2. Crush Step 2
3. Boards and Wards
4. Secrets for USMLE Step 2
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1)Kaplan Q-Review
2)Boards and Wards
3)Crush
4)BluePrints Peds and OB
5)NMS (as a reference)
6)Dubin's EKG Made Simple (as a reference)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1) Q-Bank
2) Boards and Wards
3) Secrets
4) Blueprints for Peds and OB-GYN
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I'm just starting to study for Step II CK, and need some advice. I already am certain that I'll use Secret's, the NBME questions, and certain supplementary books for each individual subject, and plan on giving myself enough time to study. However, I had some questions:

First Aid Step II vs Crush Step II? Or is Lippincot's Secrets enough of a summary book entirely? Do I need Boards and Wards as well?

Do I need Blueprints Emergency Medicine?

Do I need anything for biostatistics?

What should I use for questions? USMLEasy, USMLE woorld, or Q Bank?

I'd appreciate any and all replies.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. First Aid for Step 2 - I studied a chapter each AM.
2. Kaplan Q-bank - I did questions in the afternoon and evening.
3. USMLEasy - I did these questions once I ran out of Q-bank questions (probably overkill).
4. I also stayed away from SDN during my 3 weeks of studying - too distracting! 😉
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Pox in a box said:
List your top 4 study resources for Step 2:

1.
2.
3.
4.
Click to expand...

Didn't you just take step 1? And you never even posted your score. I hate parasites like you that take and take and take but never offer your own support to the SDN nation. The perfect example of a gunner.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scholes said:
Didn't you just take step 1? And you never even posted your score. I hate parasites like you that take and take and take but never offer your own support to the SDN nation. The perfect example of a gunner.
Click to expand...

Hey, I'm pox. Who are you? Perhaps you should re-read all 500+ posts I've made in this forum helping people in the "SDN nation" before you make a stupid comment like that again.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Pox in a box said:
Hey, I'm pox. Who are you? Perhaps you should re-read all 500+ posts I've made in this forum helping people in the "SDN nation" before you make a stupid comment like that again.
Click to expand...


Nice edit. I liked your first post better. All the advice you give is meaningless if the advisee has no idea what your advice accomplished.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scholes said:
Nice edit. I liked your first post better. All the advice you give is meaningless if the advisee has no idea what your advice accomplished.
Click to expand...

You must mean how I originally worded my reply to your ignorant comment with "Who the **** are you?" I really want to know, how does not reporting a three-digit score equal "parasite"? How does this make you a "gunner"?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scholes said:
Didn't you just take step 1? And you never even posted your score. I hate parasites like you that take and take and take but never offer your own support to the SDN nation. The perfect example of a gunner.
Click to expand...

I personally don't mind giving advice about study aids when asked, even to "gunners". There is a plethora of different study aids out there; all will probably give comparable results to the same user. I think the factor that has the most impact on a person's score is motivation - motivation not only with studying the few weeks before boards, but also studying during the preclinical years and clerkships.

So if somebody wants to pick my brain about study aids and not reciprocate... fine. Because I think 90% of it how hard you've put your nose to the grindstone, and you can't advise someone how to do that 3 weeks before an exam.

My 0.02 cents.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yaaay! I have have just finished STEP 2!!! :clap:
my top 4:
1) Kaplan Lecture notes: very comprehensive overview, did not review epi, ethics or psych as they seemed unecessary because I was doing well in without review. I wish that I would have focused on dementia a bit more. Surgery, med and peds was very good. Did not use QBook.
2)Firstaid for step 2: Used as a review after taking my own notes from all the lecture notes. Good gap filler, but not comprehensive enough since it doesn't go into great detail.
3) Kaplan Qbank: I did all 1250 questions and found that compared to the real test that the K Q's were much longer like 2-3 times longer and contained much more detail. From comparing the FRED test of released items to kaplan, it seems that the FRED test Q's were much more vague, and the K Q's led you to a specific dx. I had to generate a lot more Ddx when doing FRED than with Kaplan.
4) Secrets: again good gap filler, but watch out for some small things, such as he claims that psoriasis is not itchy, well...I guess same goes for all these books.

My thumbs down:
Int med Qbank. Some wrong and contradictory answers and way out there specific questions. Waste of time. Did all 1000, not as good as Qbank and not worth the Xt money.

My study strategy:
4weeks of half day rotation, go home and study until sleep (more or less)
4weeks off. Study from 9am (ish) until 9-10 weekdays and weekends. A little time off here and there to decompress.
Read and took notes from kaplan lecture notes, watched kaplan videos. Qbank Q's UNtimed and subject specific. Re-reviewed specific deficits.
Finished Qbank, did some review and then re-did all incorrect questions.
Started Int Med Qbank and reviewed subject area deficits.
Last 3 days: reviewed my notes, polished up on problem areas and read secrets.

Total Q's done: 1250 + 1000 + 2 rounds of FRED "released items" 92
Total weeks studied: 7.5
Never having to take this test again: priceless

I'll post again in 4+ weeks and see if this worked. 223 on step 1 so lets see.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. Boards and Wards
2. Secrets
3. blueprints OB
4. blueprints peds

good luck
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scholes said:
Nice edit. I liked your first post better. All the advice you give is meaningless if the advisee has no idea what your advice accomplished.
Click to expand...
Pox likes to do that.

And, by the way, you're right Scholes. No one is EVER going to take Pox's advice seriously, and that is for a variety of reasons (including the reason you alluded to). 😉
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
bigfrank said:
Pox likes to do that.

And, by the way, you're right Scholes. No one is EVER going to take Pox's advice seriously, and that is for a variety of reasons (including the reason you alluded to). 😉
Click to expand...

Glad you made your 2:30 AM rounds on my posts this morning...thanks!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scholes said:
Didn't you just take step 1? And you never even posted your score. I hate parasites like you that take and take and take but never offer your own support to the SDN nation. The perfect example of a gunner.
Click to expand...

Exactly.........for all the BS pox spits out about not caring about step1 scores she still comments on almost every post in the step1 results thread. If you dont want to reveal your score fine..............but stop commenting on posts in the results thread.
Most of us used almost the same materials and pox is one of the few who actually paid for a goljan course. She was very hesitant to say if the course was helpful when Hiddentruth asked. As far as I know she never did a step one feedback or materials used post to help SDN with Step1. And here she is starting fifty step2 threads when she has not put out her own step1 guide. 🙄
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Woo hoo!!! Step 2 D*O*N*E!!!!!!!!

1. Kaplan Qbook
2. usmleworld qbank
3. secrets
4. kaplan question cd
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
chak_de_phatee said:
Exactly.........for all the BS pox spits out about not caring about step1 scores she still comments on almost every post in the step1 results thread. If you dont want to reveal your score fine..............but stop commenting on posts in the results thread.
Most of us used almost the same materials and pox is one of the few who actually paid for a goljan course. She was very hesitant to say if the course was helpful when Hiddentruth asked. As far as I know she never did a step one feedback or materials used post to help SDN with Step1. And here she is starting fifty step2 threads when she has not put out her own step1 guide. 🙄
Click to expand...
Exactly. :laugh:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
While the hate-pox-hijack continues, I have a dumb@ss question about the thread topic.
I started the year w/ medicine and like a good automaton bought First Aid for the medicine clerkship. When y'all talk about using 'First Aid' and Crush, are you talking about purchasing the entire set? (one for each rotation) or Is there some mother-of-all First aids that I'm missing?

FA for Step I was a pretty great odyssey, but the material in this medicine module seems pretty beefy on its own.
Thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I guess they all mean the 'First Aid for the Step 2' book. By the way, my list
1. First Aid for the Step 2
2. Crush the Boards (I found a little more comprehensive if too basic)
3. Blueprints Med, Surg
4. Q book
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Does anyone have breakdown on what percentages you should make and what the real correlation will be? Thanks
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
JKP said:
1. Secrets
2. B+W
3. Kaplan
4. Crush
Click to expand...

A bunch of people seem to be listing both Crush and Secrets. They have the same author so i would guess that the content is similar. Is it worth using both? thanks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
No it's not worth getting both. It mostly depends on your learning style. Secrets is in the question format. But they have pretty much EXACTLY the same material.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. Crush the Board, Step 3
2. First Aid, Step 2
3. Kaplan QBank
4. Boards and Wards

Worked well for me...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
1. B+W (this book is trully amazing)
2. Secrets (great of a more relaxing read: I barely skimmed it and really focused on 1.)
3. Qbank (great resource)
4. NMS Step 2 (did these questions first)

Glad I'm done with Step 2!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pox probably did not do very well on step 1 so he/she is ashamed to post his score but he/she still wants help so he/she can improve on step 2 and then maybe will have a good enough score to post so keep helping him or else we may never see a score posted by pox. Do not worry pox, a low step 1 is not the end of the world!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TheCat said:
pox probably did not do very well on step 1 so he/she is ashamed to post his score but he/she still wants help so he/she can improve on step 2 and then maybe will have a good enough score to post so keep helping him or else we may never see a score posted by pox. Do not worry pox, a low step 1 is not the end of the world!
Click to expand...

Whatever you say, chief. :laugh: It's funny people are jealous without me even giving a hint at my score!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Can all you idiots stop talking a bunch of crap on here. It is bad enough that I have to wade through a bunch of useless ego massaging just to find a decent peice of information. Now, this crap is on multiple threads.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Study Partner for Kaplan Lecture Notes USMLE Step 2 CK
Replies
1
Views
2K
dreroberts8888
D
D
Dedicated time to study for Step 2 CK?
Replies
3
Views
5K
USMLE_Pro
USMLE_Pro
J
BOTH Heme/Onc & Biostats Resources
Replies
0
Views
950
jstargirl17
J
Smeralda Karameta
USMLE STEP 2 study partner
Replies
1
Views
2K
dreroberts8888
D
Paradise City
  • Poll Poll
Study Plan T - ~55 Days Step 2
Replies
1
Views
2K
Cornfed101
Cornfed101
Top Bottom