Common to feel like you failed?

[call me x]

So I just took Step 2 CK yesterday and walked out fairly certain I bombed it. I never leave tests feeling good, but I can recall multiple STUPID mistakes, got basically all the first parts of the 2-part questions wrong, and marked over half the test. I am always a heavy marker- 50% is not really unusual for me, but I just feel so defeated. I feel like my usual strengths went out the window and I forgot everything I had studied. I cried the entire way home from the center! I feel just as bad if not worse than I did leaving Step 1, but everyone I've talked to said Step 2 was so much better than Step 1/"not so bad."

I really don't know what to do with myself right now- someone please tell me it's not uncommon to feel this terrible and manage to pull out a passing score?

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[algrandeezy]

Don't worry, I felt the same way walking out as well... took mine 6/26 got my score back yesterday....in the 240's I'm satisfied.

Rely on your NBME/UW% it was a reliable predictor for me.

NBME4:550/246
UW% - 1st pass random/timed 68%

 

[QuackaDO]

Yeah, not downplaying your feelings but literally over and over I see people say pretty much the same thing in the Step 2 scores thread and then report a 250-260. Regularly. I agree with call me x... use your Uworld average and likely expect +/- 10 based off what score that should translate to.

 

[momgracea]

I sure hope you all are right. My first pass with UWorld was 72% with almost all but 50-60 questions left. I got 221-238-242 on my practice NBME's. Honored 3/6 rotations. But I walked out of that exam going WTF was THAT?? I literally felt like I had been punched in the face.

I wasn't looking for super gunner score... just around the 240 mark. But now, I'm just not sure. Honestly, the easiest part of my exam were the biostats questions (which I had at least 3 of on each section) and psych. The other stuff was just... hard.

Praying for a decent score!!

 

[dhavalp]

I had barely any biostats on mine, wish I had more.

 

[phoenixmd]

I took the test on 7/27, there were so many questions, I felt that I was just using my reflexes. I was really nervous while doing the first block, I thought the anxiety would dissipate after the first 10q max. but was nervy the entire block! hope my nerves didn't get the best out of me

 

[evilbooyaa]

As others have stated, it is very common to think you failed. Based on this board, however, very few people actually do fail.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Agreed, the exam was challenging. It was a lot harder than UWorld I thought. Hoping that accordingly there is a nice curve!

 

[call me x]

Thanks to everyone who replied, I'm not optimistic for a great score but I'm hoping for at least passing at this point.

I think the main problem was that I didn't anticipate feeling as miserable walking out of Step 2 than I did for Step 1, but I definitely did! Also, questions I normally breeze through (OB-GYN and Psych), were also throwing me off, and then I started to panic. I did most of my Qbank questions while reviewing or recently after reviewing a certain subject in timed-tutor, which I know wasn't ideal but there's nothing I can do about it now. I did do relatively well on first pass, overall 73% I believe, but again the way I did the questions did probably falsely raise my average. AND of course I can remember MULTIPLE very easy questions that I somehow managed to get wrong....

Just hoping for the best at this point.

 

[link2swim06]

I felt like I got between 70-80% correct on each section. Which sucks because passing is around 70%?

I wonder what a 75% correct translates to score wise.

 

[dhavalp]

Which sucks because passing is around 70%?

How do you know this?

 

[rule out normal]

I took it today and my worst fears were confirmed. The questions were longer, more difficult, and sometimes downright odd. I was pressed for time on all but one block. In comparison, I made a 256 on NBME 4 two weeks ago, and finished those blocks with like 5+ minutes each time. I made a 262 on the UWSA last week and finished each section 5 minutes early. Not today. Coming upon a 3-question drug ad or research abstract with 5 minutes left is not a good feeling.

 

[link2swim06]

How do you know this?

I don't but I thought kaplan implied this at one point. I think 'passing' for the nbmes is in the 70%s range.

I thought this test was just as hard as uworld. It would only make sense that the average % correct is in the high 60s%. But I guess nobody really knows.

 

[CDI]

I don't but I thought kaplan implied this at one point. I think 'passing' for the nbmes is in the 70%s range.

I thought this test was just as hard as uworld. It would only make sense that the average % correct is in the high 60s%. But I guess nobody really knows.

I'm confused about this as well.

The passing score on UWSA for CK is I think in the low 60s% and that seems to be the most predictive test of all.

So either we're getting more gimmes on the real exam or its not as the passing % isn't as high as we think it is.

Regardless we know the curve is a bit nicer than Step 1.

 

[drk]

Why is the curve nicer? I always assumed the only reason Step 2 CK scores are generally 10-15 points higher than Step 1 is because well...you have a whole extra block of questions to get right...or wrong 😛 That might not make sense if the max score is the same for both exams but does anyone even know the max score?

Oh and yeah some Kaplan books state that 60-70% right is equivalent to a passing score.

 

[CDI]

Why is the curve nicer? I always assumed the only reason Step 2 CK scores are generally 10-15 points higher than Step 1 is because well...you have a whole extra block of questions to get right...or wrong 😛 That might not make sense if the max score is the same for both exams but does anyone even know the max score?

Highest we've seen here is that recent 280. Yet to see Step 1 go that high. So, you may be right.

 

[drk]

I also read somewhere that when they are scoring the exam, when you are around the borderline passing area points/question get a little different and you need more questions right to get past that 'passing point.' Then it's about 1point/question? Not sure where I read this but I was under that impression.

 

[link2swim06]

Why is the curve nicer? I always assumed the only reason Step 2 CK scores are generally 10-15 points higher than Step 1 is because well...you have a whole extra block of questions to get right...or wrong 😛 That might not make sense if the max score is the same for both exams but does anyone even know the max score?

Oh and yeah some Kaplan books state that 60-70% right is equivalent to a passing score.

I am curious to see if this new batch of questions recent test takers got were harder, easier, or the same level of questions.

 

[drk]

I'm taking the exam this Thursday so we'll see how it compares to NBMEs/UWORLD.

 

[link2swim06]

I'm taking the exam this Thursday so we'll see how it compares to NBMEs/UWORLD.

Took it last week....I thought it was just as hard as uworld.

Yes there were gimmies but they exist frequently on uworld too.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Average continues to climb (for mine it was 237) so I don't think we're going to see a drop in the average due to harder questions.

 

[mybubbles14]

*

 

[Mwalk7]

But my question is how do they curve these things? I had heard the average was up to 237. So do they just set the average higher with the pass/fail marker moving up 7 points or what?