BOTH Class of 2018 Study Thread

[ortnakas]

A lot of us loved our study thread for Step 1, so why not recreate it for Step 2?

I know we won't be thinking hardcore about USMLE/COMLEX until next spring/summer, but figured we could use this for strategizing now, and for shelf exams too.

Paging: @W19 @gobigorgohome22 @Entadus @Ibn Alnafis MD @AlgernonMed @TheShaker @Mad Jack @NontradCA

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[Postictal Raiden]

@Ibn Alnafis MD that makes more sense! I couldn't figure out why you'd study 5 months in advance otherwise. Hope you're enjoying your relaxing block... although I don't know if I'd personally find a month of OMM to be relaxing.

Haha, my upcoming OMM rotation is considered very rigorous actually (~10 hrs a day, weekly case presentations, etc...). However, I just had my month vacation and I'm now on Radiology (very cool but chill rotation).

How are you doing on shelf exams? Does your school administer NBME or NBOME tests?

 

[ortnakas]

Haha, my upcoming OMM rotation is considered very rigorous actually (~10 hrs a day, weekly case presentations, etc...). However, I just had my month vacation and I'm now on Radiology (very cool but chill rotation).

How are you doing on shelf exams? Does your school administer NBME or NBOME tests?

Ten hours of OMM a day sounds like torture. Jealous of the vacation month though; I gave mine up for Step 1 studying (which was definitely the right choice, but sucks now).

So far so good. I've passed 3/3. Did reasonably well on FM and psych, scraped by on surgery. We do the NBMEs. I have IM next in about 5 weeks, and then OB and peds 4 and 8 weeks after that respectively.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Ten hours of OMM a day sounds like torture. Jealous of the vacation month though; I gave mine up for Step 1 studying (which was definitely the right choice, but sucks now).

So far so good. I've passed 3/3. Did reasonably well on FM and psych, scraped by on surgery. We do the NBMEs. I have IM next in about 5 weeks, and then OB and peds 4 and 8 weeks after that respectively.

Damn. You've got the tough ones left. I'm jealous that you guys do NBME tho. I wish our school administered NBME. I know they are harder but they at least prepare you better for step2.

Have you done any NBME CMS tests for the shelf exams you had? I'm curious to see how they compare to the real shelf tests

 

[ortnakas]

Damn. You've got the tough ones left. I'm jealous that you guys do NBME tho. I wish our school administered NBME. I know they are harder but they at least prepare you better for step2.

Have you done any NBME CMS tests for the shelf exams you had? I'm curious to see how they compare to the real shelf tests

You know, I've heard every one of them is "one of the tough ones." So at this point, I think they all suck about the same, and it's just individual strengths/weaknesses (or the strengths and weaknesses of the rotation you just had) that make them easier or harder.

I've done NBMEs for psych and surg (they don't have one for FM), but I'd have to check online to see how my score ended up correlating. I only took them to make sure I was in passing range. I will say the questions on the shelf felt more similar to the NBMEs than to UWorld, especially for psych. Neither really prepared me for the difficulty of the surgery one, but I passed it and I plan on being in the OR as little as possible in my future, so it's all good.

 

[Entadus]

I signed up for Step2CK (mid-late July) and CS (mid Sept)!
But still in shelf mode

 

[recycledpaper]

How's everyone doing on UW % for their first pass? Just for comparison sake.

 

[Bobcat18]

Kind of frustrated- only at 70% right now (almost half way done). I feel like UW for Step 2 CK is a lot harder when compared to step 1. Hoping average improves...

I'm taking Step 2 at the end of July and was thinking about using First Aid Step 2 CK + Onlinemeded + Uworld + SketchyPharm. Any thoughts on this plan?

Hope all is going well with everyone! Glad to see we've got the Class of 2018 Study Thread up and running

How's everyone doing on UW % for their first pass? Just for comparison sake.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

How's everyone doing on UW % for their first pass? Just for comparison sake.

66% overall (73% done). IM is at ~63% though.

How are you doing?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Kind of frustrated- only at 70% right now (almost half way done). I feel like UW for Step 2 CK is a lot harder when compared to step 1. Hoping average improves...

I'm taking Step 2 at the end of July and was thinking about using First Aid Step 2 CK + Onlinemeded + Uworld + SketchyPharm. Any thoughts on this plan?

Hope all is going well with everyone! Glad to see we've got the Class of 2018 Study Thread up and running

70% is really good, man. How were you scoring on UW for step1?

 

[Bobcat18]

My final average was around a 72-73. The reason I'm pretty bummed about the percentage isn't so much because of the numerical score but how it compares to everyone else. UW for Step 2 seems to have a higher average when compared to step 1; a 70% overall for step 1 was like 75% when compared to everyone that took it whereas a 70% Step 2 is only in the low 60s.

70% is really good, man. How were you scoring on UW for step1?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

My final average was around a 72-73. The reason I'm pretty bummed about the percentage isn't so much because of the numerical score but how it compares to everyone else. UW for Step 2 seems to have a higher average when compared to step 1; a 70% overall for step 1 was like 75% when compared to everyone that took it whereas a 70% Step 2 is only in the low 60s.

True. People tend to do UW CK multiple times though, so that can easily bring up the average by 10 or so percents.

Overall I'm doing about 5-6% lower on UW now than I did for step1, so that kinda worries me.

 

[W19]

70% for Uworld step2 is good. I am in the 60s with <20% done. I guess it's still early though!

 

[cluelessmedstudent411]

Sitting at 66% overall and 66% medicine w/ 21% completion.

How are y'all done with so much of uworld already! I need to get my ass in gear!

On a separate note, Found out that I passed my PE (Equivalent to Step 2 CS)!!!!!

 

[W19]

Sitting at 66% overall and 66% medicine w/ 21% completion.

How are y'all done with so much of uworld already! I need to get my ass in gear!

On a separate note, Found out that I passed my PE (Equivalent to Step 2 CS)!!!!!

Wow... You already got PE out of the way as a 3rd year student!

 

[cluelessmedstudent411]

Wow... You already got PE out of the way as a 3rd year student!

yea I signed up right after I got my COMLEX 1 score back and was able to get a date early 3rd yr.

You honestly dont need much prep for it. I did it without having done any Medicine or FM rotations. Studied lightly for about 4 wks.

 

[ortnakas]

Legit asking for a friend who has shelves in a different order than I do: how much overlap is there between the IM shelf and the FM shelf (NBME ones)? Outside circumstances led her to have to delay the IM shelf, and now she's deciding between taking both on the same day while on her FM rotation or spreading them out by a month, which would mean studying for one while on the first month of a busier rotation. I've only had FM so I can't help her much, but I figured the SDN hivemind might have tips.

yea I signed up right after I got my COMLEX 1 score back and was able to get a date early 3rd yr.

You honestly dont need much prep for it. I did it without having done any Medicine or FM rotations. Studied lightly for about 4 wks.

Congrats! Jealous you got it out of the way early. My school makes us come back to the mothership for a review workshop beforehand, and I got the very last workshop, so I'm not taking it until the very end of May (during what's basically a study elective).

 

[MackandBlues]

So I'm going to have only 4 days of dedicated Step 2 study time due to fourth year schedule. Oh well. Mid June it is then! I'll have spent 8 weeks on family prior to that so using that as my dedicated time while studying.

I've been doing very well on the NBOME shelves (except omm) but UWorld can be so difficult and time consuming. I need to step up the pace, less than 3 weeks to the shelf and only 320 medicine questions in!


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[AlgernonMed]

So I'm going to have only 4 days of dedicated Step 2 study time due to fourth year schedule. Oh well. Mid June it is then! I'll have spent 8 weeks on family prior to that so using that as my dedicated time while studying.

I've been doing very well on the NBOME shelves (except omm) but UWorld can be so difficult and time consuming. I need to step up the pace, less than 3 weeks to the shelf and only 320 medicine questions in!


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I'm in the same situation for Step2/Level2.... I'll have about a week to take both after I finish my OMM rotation. I'm hoping it will be light enough that I can study during that rotation.


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[recycledpaper]

I'm sitting at 73% with 80% complete. Breakdown is as follows: IM 72%, Peds 75%, Psych 77%, Surg 76%.

I haven't done much reading, though, so I'm going to take a break and hit MTB and SUTM this week. The plan is to finish UW when clinicals are over, then I have 4 weeks dedicated to redo UW plus mistakes, and maybe read through MTB or Secrets one more time.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I'm sitting at 73% with 80% complete. Breakdown is as follows: IM 72%, Peds 75%, Psych 77%, Surg 76%.

I haven't done much reading, though, so I'm going to take a break and hit MTB and SUTM this week. The plan is to finish UW when clinicals are over, then I have 4 weeks dedicated to redo UW plus mistakes, and maybe read through MTB or Secrets one more time.

Impressive man. I don't know how you do it.

Keep up the hard work. You are on your way to scoring 260+

 

[ortnakas]

So I'm going to have only 4 days of dedicated Step 2 study time due to fourth year schedule.

I'm in the same situation for Step2/Level2.... I'll have about a week to take both after I finish my OMM rotation.

I thought my 4 week study block was bad! Well, 3 weeks because I need to take them during week 4, and I take the PE during week 1. I'll stop complaining now, you guys have it rough!

 

[AlgernonMed]

I thought my 4 week study block was bad! Well, 3 weeks because I need to take them during week 4, and I take the PE during week 1. I'll stop complaining now, you guys have it rough!

The PE isn't too bad...it just takes a couple days out of any other study schedule you might have had to travel to Chicago/Philadelphia. Plus the entire time I had running in the back of my mind..."This day is costing me more than $2000...." That alone made me sick. haha

 

[AlgernonMed]

Has everyone figured out what they want to go into yet? I feel like it's super hard having not rotated through every service and yet having to plan out 4th year. At this point it's almost like we just need to go with that gut feeling!

 

[recycledpaper]

Impressive man. I don't know how you do it.

Keep up the hard work. You are on your way to scoring 260+

Hah, thanks dude. Just trying my best. At this point, gotta finish strong. Don't want all that hard work to be in vain. Pedal to the metal, we're almost there. 260+ would be a dreaaaam.

Has everyone figured out what they want to go into yet? I feel like it's super hard having not rotated through every service and yet having to plan out 4th year. At this point it's almost like we just need to go with that gut feeling!

I was locked into Radiology my first month of med school, and so far it is still the clear choice. I did, however, really really enjoy my anesthesia rotation, but I can't justify going into it with the CRNA drama. Yes, Radiology has it's own problems, but not as imminent as CRNA encroachment IMO.

 

[AlgernonMed]

I was locked into Radiology my first month of med school, and so far it is still the clear choice. I did, however, really really enjoy my anesthesia rotation, but I can't justify going into it with the CRNA drama. Yes, Radiology has it's own problems, but not as imminent as CRNA encroachment IMO.

Is radiology something that requires a lot of audition rotations? Right now I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for setting up aways and navigating VSAS with all the hoops we have to jump through... Woo!


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[recycledpaper]

Is radiology something that requires a lot of audition rotations? Right now I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for setting up aways and navigating VSAS with all the hoops we have to jump through... Woo!

From what I've been told, auditions aren't that important because they know you can't really contribute. It helps to have a couple at your reach programs so you can show your face and express your interest. At the end of the day, though, it could hurt you more than it could help.

 

[W19]

There are only spots in July where and within the time I want to take my CS... Hoping my school verify my enrollment ASAP so I can sign up for a spot.

It's important that people take that test early so they can have another shot at it if something goes wrong the first time. Many programs won't rank you if you don't have CS by February end... Not that I am setting up myself for failure, but this test has become so unpredictable lately.

 

[cluelessmedstudent411]

There are only spots in July where and within the time I want to take my CS... Hoping my school verify my enrollment ASAP so I can sign up for a spot.

It's important that people take that test early so they can have another shot at it if something goes wrong the first time. Many programs won't rank you if you don't have CS by February end... Not that I am setting up myself for failure, but this test has become so unpredictable lately.

Same with PE. Its such an unpredictable exam. The other problem is that there are only 2 centers to take the exam so the dates go away incredibly fast!

 

[AlgernonMed]

Same with PE. Its such an unpredictable exam. The other problem is that there are only 2 centers to take the exam so the dates go away incredibly fast!

Seriously...I signed up to take the PE in January several months ago. When I didn't feel quite ready for it, I tried to reschedule and didn't find any reasonable openings until next October, which would be WAY too late.


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[cluelessmedstudent411]

Seriously...I signed up to take the PE in January several months ago. When I didn't feel quite ready for it, I tried to reschedule and didn't find any reasonable openings until next October, which would be WAY too late.


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So what did you end up doing? Did you take it Jan?

 

[AlgernonMed]

So what did you end up doing? Did you take it Jan?

Yeah I realized I was probably (hopefully) freaking out about it unnecessarily and just took it in January. We'll see how I did in a couple of weeks. I mainly just wanted to get it done and over with. Have you taken your's yet?


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[cluelessmedstudent411]

Yeah I realized I was probably (hopefully) freaking out about it unnecessarily and just took it in January. We'll see how I did in a couple of weeks. I mainly just wanted to get it done and over with. Have you taken your's yet?


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yup took mine. Made bunch of silly mistakes that I thought would be costly. Ended up passing.

 

[recycledpaper]

Wait, if I take the PE, do I need to take CS too?

 

[ortnakas]

Wait, if I take the PE, do I need to take CS too?

Nope! I think under 20 DO students per year take the CS. There's no point is us spending the extra $1300 (or whatever).

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Taking CS as a DO is pointless IMO. Aren't they proposing to get rid of it anyways?

 

[W19]

60% in peds (Uworld)... Am I in trouble for the shelf?

 

[Bobcat18]

Absolutely not.

Wait, if I take the PE, do I need to take CS too?

 

[recycledpaper]

Unrelated, but has anyone ever pondered with the idea of doing something less competitive, and not something you would terribly like less, to be in a better area?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Unrelated, but has anyone ever pondered with the idea of doing something less competitive, and not something you would terribly like less, to be in a better area?

Are we the same person?

I'm currently considering two specialties. One is relatively competitive while the other is not. I'm leaning a little towards the competitive one. My stats would get me a lot of interviews from top-tier places in my geography of interest if I choose to apply to my second choice specialty. On the contrary, I'd most likely need to relocate to a much less desirable area to attend a not-so-reputable program if I decide to do my first choice specialty.

It's quite a dilemma, I tell you. Even more if you factor in the future job prospects (my second choice is in a super high demand and will continue to be for the foreseeable future).

 

[recycledpaper]

Hahaha, we might be, dude, we might be.

How much time are you guys giving yourself for dedicated? I'm currently setup to take CK on 5/22, with my last shelf on 4/21 (OBGYN) followed by my PE on 4/22 (flying out right after my shelf). That'll give me about 3.5 weeks of dedicated for CK, which seems OK to me since that's how much time I had for Step 1. However, I do have the option to push it back to 6/2. The only downside is no vacation unless I take June off to "study" lol. Thoughts/advice?

 

[W19]

Peds shelf 80+... I am happy with it. I thought I failed that exam.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Hahaha, we might be, dude, we might be.

How much time are you guys giving yourself for dedicated? I'm currently setup to take CK on 5/22, with my last shelf on 4/21 (OBGYN) followed by my PE on 4/22 (flying out right after my shelf). That'll give me about 3.5 weeks of dedicated for CK, which seems OK to me since that's how much time I had for Step 1. However, I do have the option to push it back to 6/2. The only downside is no vacation unless I take June off to "study" lol. Thoughts/advice?

I'm doing 4 weeks of dedicated studying for Step2/Level2. I'm scheduled to take both in mid July. For PE, I'm scheduled to take it in late september, hoping to find an earlier spot.

I think 3.5 weeks is enough time, giving that you've been studying all year long + you've been scoring well on UW first pass. You are in good shape.

 

[cluelessmedstudent411]

I only have 2 weeks for both Step 2 and level 2. Im a little worried about this. Im gonna have to basically blow off my last rotation. Thankfully its not something Im passionate about.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I only have 2 weeks for both Step 2 and level 2. Im a little worried about this. Im gonna have to basically blow off my last rotation. Thankfully its not something Im passionate about.

Two weeks of disciplined studying is enough if you have been doing Qbank questions throughout the entire year. Is your last rotation OMM ?

 

[recycledpaper]

I'm doing 4 weeks of dedicated studying for Step2/Level2. I'm scheduled to take both in mid July. For PE, I'm scheduled to take it in late september, hoping to find an earlier spot.

I think 3.5 weeks is enough time, giving that you've been studying all year long + you've been scoring well on UW first pass. You are in good shape.

But... vacation... lol

 

[cluelessmedstudent411]

Two weeks of disciplined studying is enough if you have been doing Qbank questions throughout the entire year. Is your last rotation OMM ?

hahaha I wish my last rotation was OMM. Its actually peds

 

[Postictal Raiden]

hahaha I wish my last rotation was OMM. Its actually peds

Be careful for what you're wishing for. My OMM rotation is 830am to 630pm plus we have to do ppt presentations and we take our notes home to finish them every night.

 

[recycledpaper]

OMM is such a buzzkill.

 

[ortnakas]

I decided three audition rotations should be enough for IM (even for a DO) so I ended up deciding to move USMLE and COMLEX into July and schedule an easy rotation in July instead of a fourth audition to net myself some more study time. Thought a good/improved Step 2 score would likely help me more than one more audition. Hoping that's the right call.

Be careful for what you're wishing for. My OMM rotation is 830am to 630pm plus we have to do ppt presentations and we take our notes home to finish them every night.

Every time you post about your OMM rotation I die a little inside. My condolences.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I decided three audition rotations should be enough for IM (even for a DO) so I ended up deciding to move USMLE and COMLEX into July and schedule an easy rotation in July instead of a fourth audition to net myself some more study time. Thought a good/improved Step 2 score would likely help me more than one more audition. Hoping that's the right call.


Every time you post about your OMM rotation I die a little inside. My condolences.

3 auditions are more than enough. With your step1 score and a similarly solid step2 score, you are in a very good position for getting a healthy number of interviews from reputable programs.

Yeah, this OMM rotation is very very involving. I wouldn't advice anyone doing it unless he/she loves OMM and plans to practice osteopathy. Oh well, I had to pay my dues.