Help with timeline and other issues

[STUCKinUCR]

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I am having issues, and any input would be appreciated

im currently a third year medical student coming out of a caribbean med school, one of the big 4

im in the middle of my third year, and have no clue when to schedule my CK/CS

I did well on my step 1, where i thankfully got a 99

so my questions are this

Should I take my CK right after my internal medicine clerkship? However, I will not have completed my surgery rotation, will that hurt me?

Also, I have heard that you shouldnt take step 2 if you have a good step 1 score as it can hurt a residency application. is this true?

how much study time is average for CS? i have heard 2 days to 2 weeks, but I dont know

How about for CK?

I know its a lot of questions, but my school doesnt really offer a lot of advice or help, so Im kinda lost.

Also if my school doesnt offer shelves, are there ways to get shelf like questions before i purchase a qbank? like any online sources specific for some rotations?

Any and all help appreciated. Thank you

 

[AFDuck]

I can't really offer much advice because I'm not too familiar with what is typical for caribbean students. However, that brings me to why I am posting, which do you consider to be the "big 4" schools down there? I'm just curious...

 

[Labslave]

1) I did well on my step 1, where i thankfully got a 99

2) Should I take my CK right after my internal medicine clerkship? However, I will not have completed my surgery rotation, will that hurt me?

3) Also, I have heard that you shouldnt take step 2 if you have a good step 1 score as it can hurt a residency application. is this true?

4) how much study time is average for CS? i have heard 2 days to 2 weeks, but I dont know. How about for CK?

5) Also if my school doesnt offer shelves, are there ways to get shelf like questions before i purchase a qbank? like any online sources specific for some rotations?

Any and all help appreciated. Thank you

As numbered in your post above...

1) I've never really understood why you guys focus on the two digit rather than the three digit score (it seems like the vast majority of FMGs/IMGs do this). Your three digit step one score is the one that matters (i.e., a 255 and a 235 could both be 99s, but the 235 will be less than the average for a specialty like radiology, while the 255 would put you in very good standing). Your 99 does not refer to your percentile.

2) In general, it's a good idea to finish all your third year clerkships before taking step 2. Understand, however, that you will have little to no time to study for a standardized exam while on your surgery rotation, so plan accordingly.

3) You're going to have to take step 2 one way or the other. There are (at least) two schools of thought on when to take step 2. The first says take it while all the material from third year is fresh on your brain and you'll likely do your best. The second says you'll be taking a huge risk of getting a significantly lower score if you did well on step 1, prompting questions such as, "WTF is going on here? Can this person synthesize clinical knowledge?"

I don't know how important step 2 is for foreign grads, so I'd ask your upper classmen whether or not you could benefit from having that extra data point on your resume.

4) CS study time depends on the person. If you're fresh off your clerkships and your English is proficient (seems so from your post), you'll probably be golden with just a few days studying. Others need more prep time.

CK study time also depends on the scenario...most people probably study somewhere around 2-4 weeks.

5) You haven't been taking shelf exams with third year clerkships?!?! 😱