CK Assessments all over the place

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Houmd

Houmd

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So I've been studying off and on with much more dedicated time recently to Step 2 CK and would like to take it before July but I'm not sure what to make of my NBME scores.

NBME 2: 190 (3mos ago, zero studying)
NBME 4: 214 (2wks ago)
NBME 3: 206 (1wk ago)
UWSA: 230 (today)

Not sure how that happened but I'm wondering if anyone has any insight or guidance as to how I should move forward or expect any outcomes.

Also I should mention I'm a carib IMG aiming at IM anywhere in the country. Step 1 was 209 and was aiming for 220+ for CK. Just not sure whether or not I can trust the progression given the abnormal form 3
 
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You still have Form 6. Hit weaknesses, do UW incorrects. Trust your prep. Take the exam.

NBMEs and even UWSA don't seem like great predictors for most (except to tell you you're above or below a 250), I'd just trust in your progress and prep. I don't think its as easy an exam to 'tweak' as Step 1 was. Meaning reading a topic more might not really equate to more correct with this exam, as odd as that sounds.
 
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thx for the advice. I have definitely improved in my weakest areas and been studying pretty intensely. Finished DIT & Step Up which helped quite a bit and UWorld has filled in most of the gaps, I guess I'll just keep studying uworld and my notes for another two weeks driving the points home and hope I hit somewhere near my UWSA. WIll definitely save NBME 6 for a day or two prior to the real deal
 
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I agree, just keep reading your UW notes and the review book you are using. Take your time while reading the questions, if you're not sure, mark it. When you return to the question you may pick something up you didn't previously. Good luck.
 
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CDI said:
You still have Form 6. Hit weaknesses, do UW incorrects. Trust your prep. Take the exam.

NBMEs and even UWSA don't seem like great predictors for most (except to tell you you're above or below a 250), I'd just trust in your progress and prep. I don't think its as easy an exam to 'tweak' as Step 1 was. Meaning reading a topic more might not really equate to more correct with this exam, as odd as that sounds.
Click to expand...

Been following this advice went through all incorrects and been reviewing notes, now going back to random all timed at least 4 blocks/day

Took NBME 6 today 227

6 days to go
 
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Form 3 is notorious for under predicting. You're not all over the place. You're Improving. With two tests in a row around 230, you either need to focus on weaknesses, or you've maxed out (more likely a plateau and the former will help).
 
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This happened to me too.

NBME 2 on Sunday & got 202.
Today I took NBME 4 & scored 250.

What's going on here?

Is NBME4 actually reflective of the real thing? I'm a fast learner but not that fast. Something weird happened & I'm really confused about what to do.
 
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I am starting to think that performance on the NBMEs isn't a good predictor of performance on the actual exam...
 
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Took CK yesterday. Honestly I know I'm not the SDN average here of a 250's person so I'm hoping to score around my assessments as listed above and honestly anything above 220 will make me happy.

Will let y'all know how I did once I get my score back in a few weeks but honestly walking into it, I held a level head and didn't freak out or hold this thing to such a high pedestal that I did on Step I. That certainly helped me a lot because at no point in the exam was I nervous or worried.

As far as length and endurance I've always been a fast test taker/reader and so I actually had no problem with timing. I finished every single block with a lot of time to spare, only marked a few questions and reviewed them before submitting each block but then if I didn't know an answer I would rule out anything that I could definitively rule out and make a guess (usually from two options) there were a few of these but not too many and I knew that there would be so I never let it stress me out or scare me. Again my goal was to have as level of a head as possible.

Also the endurance surprisingly wasn't an issue, as CDI and others have mentioned doing 4 blocks/day in uworld really helped me be able to power through those block with no problems at all. I surprisingly didn't get tired. Took a 10 min or so break every two blocks though, overall ended up finishing in about 6.5hrs when you include the breaks. Thought there would be more biostats and drug ads but not as many as other people mentioned having. Overall I would say it was pretty evenly spread and that it was certainly fair. It felt a LOT like I was just doing more UWorld blocks and if anything felt the closest to this exam it was probably UWorld. Some of the stems were a bit longer but I always read the last sentence first to find out what they are looking for (Dx, Next Step, Most specific test, most sensitive test, RX) and look at my options, then go in looking for clues. It definitely helped.

As far as length, I had 7 blocks that ranged from 43-45 questions each, then my final block was only 28 questions which was awesome. Definitely nice to have a more relaxed final block length-wise.
 
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Just took UWSA. Didnt do too well, but oddly for me it felt a lot like facts that came straight out of FA for Step 1! My mind kept referring back to those book pages, albeit I couldnt remember them very well. I feel like for this particular assessment, had I reviewed my FA step 1 notes it would have helped inflate my score moreso than it would a regular Uworld block. Maybe thats why averages for those blocks are all relatively higher (67) compared to normal Uworld qbank blocks (63-65)? at least from my experience. who knows.
 
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Hi guys, my USMLE step 2 CK is next week.
UW qbank used 73%. Overall average:63% Last 10: 67%
UWSA: 240
NBME2: 233
NBME4: 208
I am very nervous about my exam. Any thoughts if i should take another NBME?
THANK YOU!!
 
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mamb said:
Hi guys, my USMLE step 2 CK is next week.
UW qbank used 73%. Overall average:63% Last 10: 67%
UWSA: 240
NBME2: 233
NBME4: 208
I am very nervous about my exam. Any thoughts if i should take another NBME?
THANK YOU!!
Click to expand...


This is the advice I followed, and wait for NBME 6 until 2-3 days prior if you're going to take it. I'd stray away from NBME form 3

CDI said:
You still have Form 6. Hit weaknesses, do UW incorrects. Trust your prep. Take the exam.

NBMEs and even UWSA don't seem like great predictors for most (except to tell you you're above or below a 250), I'd just trust in your progress and prep. I don't think its as easy an exam to 'tweak' as Step 1 was. Meaning reading a topic more might not really equate to more correct with this exam, as odd as that sounds.
Click to expand...
 
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I am aiming at >240, I really hope I can get a score around there. Will let you know how it was with NBME 6 and the day of the exam!
Thanks!
 
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Houmd said:
I'd stray away from NBME form 3
Click to expand...

Can I ask why? That was the pre-studying test that I took to find my baseline, and I haven't seen many opinions on it at all. I'm hoping it's because it's a poor indicator, because my score on it certainly leaves a lot of room for improvement!
 
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Houmd said:
This is the advice I followed, and wait for NBME 6 until 2-3 days prior if you're going to take it. I'd stray away from NBME form 3
Click to expand...

I guess I have to listen to my own advice. NBMEs are really all over the map! 👍

I now see why UW deserves FAR more time and focus than MTB or any other book for CK. It makes sense why those who do UW and nothing else still seem to score well overall.
 
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CDI said:
I'm considering postponing by a month to go through UW a 2nd time. Just not sure I'd be happy with my score otherwise. May risk not applying on time.
Click to expand...

There will be a delay for those taking the exam after July 27th. Scores will be available at the end of September
 
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CDI said:
Right, that's why I said I'd be applying later as a result.
Click to expand...

Are you an IMG? Either way just make sure everything is uploaded and done by sept 15th with your CK pending since most people don't have it anyway. If anything I doubt 10 days or so is gonna hurt you since most people wont have a CK in at that time anyway, even IMGs.
 
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Houmd said:
Are you an IMG? Either way just make sure everything is uploaded and done by sept 15th with your CK pending since most people don't have it anyway. If anything I doubt 10 days or so is gonna hurt you since most people wont have a CK in at that time anyway, even IMGs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am.

My Step 1 was low (217) so another 210-220 result won't do me much good even if it is on time.
 
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CDI said:
Yeah, I am.

My Step 1 was low (217) so another 210-220 result won't do me much good even if it is on time.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't necessarily call 217 low even for an IMG (last summer's step 1 avg was 221 I believe) so long as you apply broadly and your step II doesn't decline. Just remember that the #1 thing that kills us IMGs is people not apply broadly enough. The match is a very expensive thing for us, while our US counterparts can apply to 30 places and get 15 interviews, it will be more likely we have to apply to 150+ to get those same 15 interviews. Just remember not to be picky at all on location and be reasonable with your specialty and pick programs that have a history of having taken IMGs in the past. This will help the most.
 
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Houmd said:
I wouldn't necessarily call 217 low even for an IMG (last summer's step 1 avg was 221 I believe) so long as you apply broadly and your step II doesn't decline. Just remember that the #1 thing that kills us IMGs is people not apply broadly enough. The match is a very expensive thing for us, while our US counterparts can apply to 30 places and get 15 interviews, it will be more likely we have to apply to 150+ to get those same 15 interviews. Just remember not to be picky at all on location and be reasonable with your specialty and pick programs that have a history of having taken IMGs in the past. This will help the most.
Click to expand...

I agree with you.

Saw my cousin go through the process last year with average scores. Applied to 150-180 programs, got 5 interviews on his own and 5 via contacts. Matched at his #2 where he had a contact. The other 2 programs that ranked him high enough to match were both ones where he had contacts.

And I think having a Green Card/US Citizenship helps a lot in the final outcome.
 
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CDI said:
I agree with you.

Saw my cousin go through the process last year with average scores. Applied to 150-180 programs, got 5 interviews on his own and 5 via contacts. Matched at his #2 where he had a contact. The other 2 programs that ranked him high enough to match were both ones where he had contacts.

And I think having a Green Card/US Citizenship helps a lot in the final outcome.
Click to expand...

wow that's depressing to someone like me who has no major contacts. Hopefully all goes well though, I plan on applying to as many IM programs as I can afford to and will take my 3yrs of exile absolutely anywhere in the country without complaint so long as I get something. Fortunately as you mentioned I'm a US Citizen with all US rotations so I'm hoping that will work in my favor
 
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Houmd said:
wow that's depressing to someone like me who has no major contacts. Hopefully all goes well though, I plan on applying to as many IM programs as I can afford to and will take my 3yrs of exile absolutely anywhere in the country without complaint so long as I get something. Fortunately as you mentioned I'm a US Citizen with all US rotations so I'm hoping that will work in my favor
Click to expand...

Your US rotations will probably do some good in that, try to use the contacts you made there as your 'connections'.

IM is a tough one for sure. The interviews are even more annoying as some of the crappier programs will pimp your rapid recall. Not a good time to be an IMG. (Then again, I'm not sure if there ever was a good time.)

No matter how we spin it...50% of IMGs won't match. There's no way around that one except having better stats, IMGs have very cookie-cutter applications/resumes.
 
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Oh cool, I just checked it out... I've never seen that sticky/thread before.

Wow it looks like UW is a very accurate predictor for most!
 
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This thread has been an interesting read thus far. My CS results, according to the USMLE website, will be reported in October. Is there a place on the residency application for us to indicate that we have taken CS, but just the results are not in yet? (since apps go out in September)
 
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CDI said:
It's stickied at the top 'Step II 100 Cases' or something. It seems the NBMEs are under-predicting those who are under a 250. Example ppl who have 53-54% in UW are scoring 220-230 on the exam, but only 200-210 range on NBMEs.
Click to expand...
I just took NBME 4, and I think you might right about underpredicting. From what it seems I got anywhere in 60's-70s on the blocks and it came out below 230. I think its underpredicted because people probably do really well.

I didnt find the exam too hard, somethings felt contradictory (like <5 items) to Uworld q's, but most of it was VERY similar. almost as if Uworld made sure to cover those questions. So with people doing Uworld then taking an NBME test, you're bound to get many items correct, hence curve may lowered as a result due to generally higher perecentages on blocks...if that makes sense?

I dunno. Admittedly, I'm kind of crapping my pants, I'm hoping that correlation Uworld qbank correlation is right.
 
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happyfeet123 said:
I just took NBME 4, and I think you might right about underpredicting. From what it seems I got anywhere in 60's-70s on the blocks and it came out below 230. I think its underpredicted because people probably do really well.

I didnt find the exam too hard, somethings felt contradictory (like <5 items) to Uworld q's, but most of it was VERY similar. almost as if Uworld made sure to cover those questions. So with people doing Uworld then taking an NBME test, you're bound to get many items correct, hence curve may lowered as a result due to generally higher perecentages on blocks...if that makes sense?

I dunno. Admittedly, I'm kind of crapping my pants, I'm hoping that correlation Uworld qbank correlation is right.
Click to expand...

I think subsequent repeats of UW are far more valuable (and correlate) on CK than they were for Step 1, and should probably even be a priority.

Some people would go through Step 1 UW 3-4 times and they'd still wind up with low-average scores. I think anyone who takes the time to go through UW CK 2 or more times is looking at an above average score though. Even those going through it 1.5 times are showing some really solid scores.
 
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Houmd said:
Took CK yesterday. Honestly I know I'm not the SDN average here of a 250's person so I'm hoping to score around my assessments as listed above and honestly anything above 220 will make me happy.

Will let y'all know how I did once I get my score back in a few weeks but honestly walking into it, I held a level head and didn't freak out or hold this thing to such a high pedestal that I did on Step I. That certainly helped me a lot because at no point in the exam was I nervous or worried.

As far as length and endurance I've always been a fast test taker/reader and so I actually had no problem with timing. I finished every single block with a lot of time to spare, only marked a few questions and reviewed them before submitting each block but then if I didn't know an answer I would rule out anything that I could definitively rule out and make a guess (usually from two options) there were a few of these but not too many and I knew that there would be so I never let it stress me out or scare me. Again my goal was to have as level of a head as possible.

Also the endurance surprisingly wasn't an issue, as CDI and others have mentioned doing 4 blocks/day in uworld really helped me be able to power through those block with no problems at all. I surprisingly didn't get tired. Took a 10 min or so break every two blocks though, overall ended up finishing in about 6.5hrs when you include the breaks. Thought there would be more biostats and drug ads but not as many as other people mentioned having. Overall I would say it was pretty evenly spread and that it was certainly fair. It felt a LOT like I was just doing more UWorld blocks and if anything felt the closest to this exam it was probably UWorld. Some of the stems were a bit longer but I always read the last sentence first to find out what they are looking for (Dx, Next Step, Most specific test, most sensitive test, RX) and look at my options, then go in looking for clues. It definitely helped.

As far as length, I had 7 blocks that ranged from 43-45 questions each, then my final block was only 28 questions which was awesome. Definitely nice to have a more relaxed final block length-wise.
Click to expand...

Step II CK: 242
 
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Hello, so here is my exam result, very happy with it:
USMLE Step 2 CK: 241
UW: 66 % overall correct, 51st percentile
Last 10: 72.3%
UWSA: 240 (pretty close!)
NBME2: 233
NBME4: 208
 
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wow! I just want to thank the people posting in this thread! I didn't realize the stark difference in percentages in uworld for step 2 vs step 1. After completing step 1 with a 222 and getting avg scores in uworld of 70+ towards the end, I was totally unprepared for the percentages to be so low for step 2. Started with cardio blocks after having read cardio, done flash cards, and watch videos. Got destroyed with mid to low 40's and only on the last cardio block did I improve to what I thought was a measly 64% Guess I am not in too bad shape for starting out.... Thanks guys, I been too afraid to touch uworld for the past few days...
 
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