USMLE How long do I take to study for STEP 2 CK?

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nebuchadnezzarII

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Hey guys. I struggled with STEP 1 studying and I scored only a 234 on the real deal (NBME average in the 210s) with 7 weeks of studying.

I don't want to fail STEP 2 CK. I have Family Medicine (6 weeks) as my last rotation so I'll study then. After that, I have 4 weeks off to take STEP 2 CK. Is this sufficient time? I can try to take 6 weeks off if I want to, but I am not sure if that is necessary.

Also, should I schedule time off to take my CS exam? Or should I just try to get a day or two off of my rotation in 4th year to take the exam? Thank you all. Sorry for asking vague stuff here, we just have not had the same type of guidance in terms of scheduling STEP 2 with new advising deans stepping in this year.

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Take the 6 weeks. Use 4.5 weeks to study and take CK (but also study during family med) and use the other 1.5 weeks to study and take CS. Don't take CS lightly as failing it will catastrophically affect your chances of matching if you can't find another exam date in time.
 
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Personally, I think 4 weeks is fine. Step 2 CK is not like Step 1. As long as you have a plan and you can finish UWorld, you'll do fine. After that, why not take CS right after? Your clinical knowledge will be at its peak right after CK and all you would have to do is look at First Aid CS for a few days to get an idea of what kind of questions they're looking for in each kind of patient encounter (having a partner to role play a SP is helpful).
 
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