I got a 281 on Step 2 CK, ask me anything

[USMLE_Pro]

Hey guys, I've been giving a lot of advice to people on the Reddit thread R/Step2, and SDN has been really helpful to me in the past so I figured I'd post here as well.

Feel free to ask me anything!

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[Tunnelvision_1]

Hello! USMLE pro it's very nice of you to be proactively helping fellow students in these communities. Hope the very best comes your way always and you get every good thing you want and more. Anyway coming to the point, I have read a couple of your posts at different places emphasising the importance of NBME self assessments for step 2 CK. You said that's the best resource out there even ahead of UW. So when you say the NBMEs are so vital, do you say that because of the style of thinking they help to develop or the content that they test? The purpose of this question is to try to find the right approach to using the NBMEs. I hope I am able to make myself clear. Thanks in advance

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hello! USMLE pro it's very nice of you to be proactively helping fellow students in these communities. Hope the very best comes your way always and you get every good thing you want and more. Anyway coming to the point, I have read a couple of your posts at different places emphasising the importance of NBME self assessments for step 2 CK. You said that's the best resource out there even ahead of UW. So when you say the NBMEs are so vital, do you say that because of the style of thinking they help to develop or the content that they test? The purpose of this question is to try to find the right approach to using the NBMEs. I hope I am able to make myself clear. Thanks in advance

Thank you so much for the kind words!

I believe the NBMEs (Comprehensive Clinical Science Self Assessments, or CCSSAs in the case of Step 2 CK) are so vital both for the style of thinking they help you develop and the content that they test. While UWorld is a great resource and I highly recommend everyone complete at least 1 pass of the entire Qbank for Step 2 CK, it isn't written by the test makers.

As far as style, after getting really familiar with these NBME exams, you get a sense for how the NBME "likes" to test certain topics, how often certain answer choices are incorrect (you will see that there's at least a handful of diagnoses that frequently come up as the 2nd best answer--but are almost never the correct answer). This does take some finesse as a test taker, but I think anyone can pick up on these cues to some extent if you spend enough time really trying to understand these exams.

While I can't speak to the content of actual examinations, in my experience both as a student and as a tutor, the content of these exams, particularly the images, are historically extremely high yield.

I think it's important to review both the questions you get right and the ones you get wrong (you can screenshot during the exam, as long as you don't distribute those screenshots to others). Fortunately, the NBME now shows you the correct answers (highlighted) for the questions you get wrong. Unfortunately, they still don't provide explanations. To understand the questions, I spent a lot of time (hours and hours) on my own Googling and cross-referencing FA (for Step 1, I never used FA for Step 2 CK and I don't think it's a good resource) and UW. I didn't rely on what I saw in various forums as I knew these explanations could be incorrect but rather tried to come up with the explanations on my own using trusted resources.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

I believe the NBMEs (Comprehensive Clinical Science Self Assessments, or CCSSAs in the case of Step 2 CK) are so vital both for the style of thinking they help you develop and the content that they test. While UWorld is a great resource and I highly recommend everyone complete at least 1 pass of the entire Qbank for Step 2 CK, it isn't written by the test makers.

As far as style, after getting really familiar with these NBME exams, you get a sense for how the NBME "likes" to test certain topics, how often certain answer choices are incorrect (you will see that there's at least a handful of diagnoses that frequently come up as the 2nd best answer--but are almost never the correct answer). This does take some finesse as a test taker, but I think anyone can pick up on these cues to some extent if you spend enough time really trying to understand these exams.

While I can't speak to the content of actual examinations, in my experience both as a student and as a tutor, the content of these exams, particularly the images, are historically extremely high yield.

I think it's important to review both the questions you get right and the ones you get wrong (you can screenshot during the exam, as long as you don't distribute those screenshots to others). Fortunately, the NBME now shows you the correct answers (highlighted) for the questions you get wrong. Unfortunately, they still don't provide explanations. To understand the questions, I spent a lot of time (hours and hours) on my own Googling and cross-referencing FA (for Step 1, I never used FA for Step 2 CK and I don't think it's a good resource) and UW. I didn't rely on what I saw in various forums as I knew these explanations could be incorrect but rather tried to come up with the explanations on my own using trusted resources.

Thanks again for the comprehensive response. Exactly what was needed. God bless you.

 

[Bully Ball]

Thank you for starting this thread and being willing to help out the rest in this community! I really appreciate the posts I've read from you

1) As a tutor, I'm assuming a lot of people hired you because they had low scores on step 1 (196-220) and are looking to improve. While everyone has their own baseline, is there a common formula you've seen for success in improving their scores? For example, multiple passes through UWorld, another QBank, OME or something else?
2) Which NBME/USMLE self assessments have been a good predictor of actual performance?
3) How soon after you've reached your desired score should you schedule and take the test so you don't forget everything or burn out?

Thanks again!

 

[USMLE_Pro]

You're welcome! I greatly appreciate the positive feedback

1) Yes, I definitely work with a fair number of students with low Step 1 scores. For people with low scores, the main issue is usually a combination of inactive learning and poor test-taking strategy. I have my students make flashcards based on their UW and NBME incorrects, and just by doing this their retention usually improves dramatically (they were previously just taking notes in FA for Step 1, which is very passive, and then for Step 2 just reading the explanations, which again is passive). Most need a little help with how to make effective cards (I have a fairly different approach from Yousmle, and make much more succinct cards). The second issue, test-taking strategy, is easy to teach some people and slightly more difficult for others, particularly those with low confidence (they are really hesitant to guess or use POE). But almost everyone gets better when you point out the systematic test-taking errors they're making. A lot of people consistently narrow down to the 2 most likely answers, but then often pick the wrong one. I show them how to make cards that train them to highlight the differences between these two answers, and that also helps. For some people, test-taking anxiety is actually the main issue, and for that I recommend a guided meditation app called Headspace.

2) For Step 2, I feel all the NBMEs under-shoot slightly for most, and dramatically for some, especially those at the high end of the curve. In my case, I got a 240 on NBME 8 days before the test, then 281 on the real thing. I probably wasn't trying my hardest on that practice test, but even if you account for that, that's a pretty crazy discrepancy. UWSA1 and UWSA2 tend to over-predict a little (and obviously there are always exceptions to this; it can over-predict a lot for people with severe test-taking anxiety). I usually feel comfortable with students taking an exam if their UWSA2 is around 10 points over their goal score.

3) I think many people can benefit from moving up tests (on the other hand, many people need to push them back but initially feel like they have to take the exam when they are not ready). If you're getting close to your goal on NBMEs, then you can be pretty comfortable moving up your exam. Maybe still give yourself a week so you don't make yourself panic, but I see too many people over-studying, then burning out and becoming too tired on the real deal. It's a long test, I had to take a double shot espresso during the break and still felt like I was going to fall asleep for most of the exam. Obviously, I'm very happy with my end result, but if I had been stubborn and not moved my test up, I would have been even more burnt out and probably done (relatively) worse on test day.

 

[Bully Ball]

You're welcome! I greatly appreciate the positive feedback

1) Yes, I definitely work with a fair number of students with low Step 1 scores. For people with low scores, the main issue is usually a combination of inactive learning and poor test-taking strategy. I have my students make flashcards based on their UW and NBME incorrects, and just by doing this their retention usually improves dramatically (they were previously just taking notes in FA for Step 1, which is very passive, and then for Step 2 just reading the explanations, which again is passive). Most need a little help with how to make effective cards (I have a fairly different approach from Yousmle, and make much more succinct cards). The second issue, test-taking strategy, is easy to teach some people and slightly more difficult for others, particularly those with low confidence (they are really hesitant to guess or use POE). But almost everyone gets better when you point out the systematic test-taking errors they're making. A lot of people consistently narrow down to the 2 most likely answers, but then often pick the wrong one. I show them how to make cards that train them to highlight the differences between these two answers, and that also helps. For some people, test-taking anxiety is actually the main issue, and for that I recommend a guided meditation app called Headspace.

2) For Step 2, I feel all the NBMEs under-shoot slightly for most, and dramatically for some, especially those at the high end of the curve. In my case, I got a 240 on NBME 8 days before the test, then 281 on the real thing. I probably wasn't trying my hardest on that practice test, but even if you account for that, that's a pretty crazy discrepancy. UWSA1 and UWSA2 tend to over-predict a little (and obviously there are always exceptions to this; it can over-predict a lot for people with severe test-taking anxiety). I usually feel comfortable with students taking an exam if their UWSA2 is around 10 points over their goal score.

3) I think many people can benefit from moving up tests (on the other hand, many people need to push them back but initially feel like they have to take the exam when they are not ready). If you're getting close to your goal on NBMEs, then you can be pretty comfortable moving up your exam. Maybe still give yourself a week so you don't make yourself panic, but I see too many people over-studying, then burning out and becoming too tired on the real deal. It's a long test, I had to take a double shot espresso during the break and still felt like I was going to fall asleep for most of the exam. Obviously, I'm very happy with my end result, but if I had been stubborn and not moved my test up, I would have been even more burnt out and probably done (relatively) worse on test day.

Thanks for the prompt and thorough reply! Best of luck wherever you're at in your training!

 

[USMLE_Pro]

You're welcome and thank you! I'm on a research year now (hence all the extra free time for advice giving and tutoring) and planning to apply in IM this coming cycle, ultimately planning to do GI.

 

[snow9]

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[snow9]

If I could add a 4th question - opinion on taking a NBME before doing any studying to assess your baseline?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

If I could add a 4th question - opinion on taking a NBME before doing any studying to assess your baseline?

I think particularly for Step 2 CK, you should definitely take an NBME (I recommend 6) to establish your baseline. If you've taken third year recently and done well on shelf exams, you may not need that long of a dedicated period at all. If you've done poorly on Step 1, it will help you assess if your poor Step 1 score was Step 1-specific or, more likely, related to a systematic issue that may also affect you on Step 2 CK if you don't change how you're studying and/or how you're approaching questions.

 

[Eagles6389]

I think particularly for Step 2 CK, you should definitely take an NBME (I recommend 6) to establish your baseline. If you've taken third year recently and done well on shelf exams, you may not need that long of a dedicated period at all. If you've done poorly on Step 1, it will help you assess if your poor Step 1 score was Step 1-specific or, more likely, related to a systematic issue that may also affect you on Step 2 CK if you don't change how you're studying and/or how you're approaching questions.

To add to that, is there a particular order to take the NBMEs in, and do you recommend taking every NBME available for Step 2 or are some better than others?

Separate question: Aside from UWorld, are there any other question banks that are valuable for Step 2, like USMLE-Rx or Kaplan? I guess I’m asking if doing UWorld 2x or doing UWorld 1x with another QBank would be best.

Also, since you brought up flash cards for Step 2, are there any current Step 2 anki decks or other flash card decks that you would recommend for Step 2 besides making your own?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

To add to that, is there a particular order to take the NBMEs in, and do you recommend taking every NBME available for Step 2 or are some better than others?

Separate question: Aside from UWorld, are there any other question banks that are valuable for Step 2, like USMLE-Rx or Kaplan? I guess I’m asking if doing UWorld 2x or doing UWorld 1x with another QBank would be best.

Also, since you brought up flash cards for Step 2, are there any current Step 2 anki decks or other flash card decks that you would recommend for Step 2 besides making your own?

These are all great questions!

I just recommend taking them in order (6 -> 7 -> 8). I would talk all available NBME Comprehensive Clinical Science Self Assessments, in addition to the 2 UWorld Self Assessments.

I don't recommend other Qbanks for Step 2. I would favor doing UW 2x vs. trying to find another Qbank.

I'm not aware of existing Step 2 Anki decks, and I highly recommend making your own. The process of making the cards is very active and requires you to process information in a way that makes you far more likely to remember it, even if you never review the cards.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

You said ask you anything so since my thread in the EMS forum isn't getting any attention...

(Resuscitation) Titrate ventillations to maintain high ETCO2 but ignore that SpO2 is in the 40's?

I'm seeing a lot of resuscitations where the patient's are satting at 40% or less for 25-35 minutes. I'm told this is to keep their ETCO2 level high; but (and I'm only asking) it would make sense to initially titrate ventillations to raise SpO2 to a reasonable level to make up for the down-time. It seems to me that maintaining high ETCO2 and avoiding raising intrathoracic pressure is secondary because what's it matter if you do these things but have abysmal Oxygen Saturation the whole time?

Is 40% not as abysmal as I am thinking? For example, if you have a patient in V-tach which you can't break, why not try raising the oxygen as that's probably the underlying problem (It's my understanding v-tach is a hypoxic rhythm, so...)

 

[snow9]

.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

You said ask you anything so since my thread in the EMS forum isn't getting any attention...

(Resuscitation) Titrate ventillations to maintain high ETCO2 but ignore that SpO2 is in the 40's?

I'm seeing a lot of resuscitations where the patient's are satting at 40% or less for 25-35 minutes. I'm told this is to keep their ETCO2 level high; but (and I'm only asking) it would make sense to initially titrate ventillations to raise SpO2 to a reasonable level to make up for the down-time. It seems to me that maintaining high ETCO2 and avoiding raising intrathoracic pressure is secondary because what's it matter if you do these things but have abysmal Oxygen Saturation the whole time?

Is 40% not as abysmal as I am thinking? For example, if you have a patient in V-tach which you can't break, why not try raising the oxygen as that's probably the underlying problem (It's my understanding v-tach is a hypoxic rhythm, so...)

I’m going to have to defer this one!

There’s a lot of physiology here to discuss, but on first glance 40% O2 sat does indeed sound abysmal to me! This is a little out of the scope of what we talk about as medical students, and certainly not something to concern yourself for for the USMLE.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Not sure if you had a chance to see these questions above, thanks again:

1) Any opinion on using MTB Step 3 instead of MTB Step 2 in preparation for Step 2 CK?

2) What’s your opinion on Step Up to Medicine? Overkill for Step 2 CK?

3) What’s your opinion on videos for prep (OnlineMedEd, Emma Holliday)?

My apologies for not initially answering, I thought you had added a 4th question to someone else’s 3.

1) I don’t use or recommend MTB and my students and I have been doing well without it (that doesn’t mean it’s not a good resource, I just think there are better ones). The only supplement to UW and NBMEs that I recommend for Step 2 are OME and in some cases a little bit of FA for Step 1.

2) Yes, Step up to Medicine is overkill for Step 2. I think it’s a very well done resource and you should feel welcome to read it for your medicine clerkship, particularly if you’re planning on IM.

3) I love Emma Holliday’s PPTs for shelf exams (I actually just used, and now recommend, the PDF of her PPT rather than watching the video), but I don’t feel these are high yield in the same sense for Step 2 CK, so I don’t use them as a Step 2 resource. I also love OME for the wards. For Step 2, I occasionally assign OME videos for topics students are very week in (low percentile on UW). I wouldn’t advise just watching all of OME in an untargeted way, however.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

Hi USMLE pro! Your precious input needed again; in addition to just doing question sets and reviewing the concepts you seem to be missing (one question at a time), do you think having a checklist of some rot memorisation stuff for additional revision helps (in my case the preventative medicine for example, in which case you either know it or don't know it, or for example the Obs checklist of investigations/tests ordered at each gestational age, or the gynae cancer screening guidelines)? Or is it that just doing random mixed question sets and reviewing them is enough, as long as you are not scoring alarmingly low in any one particular subject area? And by the way hope your research year goes great and you nail a spot at the IM program of your dream. You may have lots of time but still it's really sweet of you to use it to give back to this community (instead of just having fun in all your free time lol). Thanks in advance

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Out of curiosity how long did you study for ? Lastly i see that you did not use anything besides Uworld, what else did you look at for reference? ?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hi USMLE pro! Your precious input needed again; in addition to just doing question sets and reviewing the concepts you seem to be missing (one question at a time), do you think having a checklist of some rot memorisation stuff for additional revision helps (in my case the preventative medicine for example, in which case you either know it or don't know it, or for example the Obs checklist of investigations/tests ordered at each gestational age, or the gynae cancer screening guidelines)? Or is it that just doing random mixed question sets and reviewing them is enough, as long as you are not scoring alarmingly low in any one particular subject area? And by the way hope your research year goes great and you nail a spot at the IM program of your dream. You may have lots of time but still it's really sweet of you to use it to give back to this community (instead of just having fun in all your free time lol). Thanks in advance

My take is that if you don't know it to a sufficient degree, you will eventually get a question wrong and have to make a flashcard for it (and if you get questions in that topic right every time by guessing, that's fine with me). It's good to generalize your flashcards a little so that you learn the information in chunks (i.e., include the tests ordered at each gestational age, rather than just the gestational age that question was about).

In general, I think doing random, mixed blocks is the way to go, but it's crucial to review them in an efficient way (you will retain very little by simply reading the explanations).

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Out of curiosity how long did you study for ? Lastly i see that you did not use anything besides Uworld, what else did you look at for reference? ?

I studied for Step 2 for 3 weeks (but prior to that, I had done UW for 3rd year and done the NBME clinical mastery series for my shelf exams). Personally, I only used UW, the UWSAs, and the NBME SAs. When students need supplemental resources in addition to that, I usually recommend OME and sometimes FA for Step 1.

 

[snow9]

Thoughts on OME?

 

[rddn_jk]

Dumb question, but what is OME?

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

Dumb question, but what is OME?

Online med ED

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Dumb question, but what is OME?

Not a dumb question! See here: OnlineMedEd

 

[USMLE_Pro]

I think UW explanations + OME + cross referencing FA for Step 1 for topics you’re really rusty on should be all you need for content. In my opinion, Step 2 is even more about test-taking strategy than Step 1, so it’s even more important to really get as much as you can out of practice questions.

 

[Gorne]

I think UW explanations + OME + cross referencing FA for Step 1 for topics you’re really rusty on should be all you need for content. In my opinion, Step 2 is even more about test-taking strategy than Step 1, so it’s even more important to really get as much as you can out of practice questions.

This question is a little random but I'm struggling with something similar. With board scores like yours, what is it about IM that pulled you vs the other fields that usually draw candidates with your type of scores?

And a research year on top? What are your career goals?

 

[W19]

@Gorne

There are IM programs that are as competitive as derm... GI is a hot commodity (made that up) right now because of $500k/yr salary, and not a bad lifestyle.

 

[Medstart108]

Do you recommend Master the Boards Step 2 CK? I'm about 2.5 months before my exam and have a decent amount of study time before the exam. Should I read this or go to Uworld?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

This question is a little random but I'm struggling with something similar. With board scores like yours, what is it about IM that pulled you vs the other fields that usually draw candidates with your type of scores?

And a research year on top? What are your career goals?

I definitely felt pressure to choose a highly competitive specialty, but I just couldn't get into them. I tried an Ophtho rotation (I did Ophtho research in undergrad) and was basically bored to tears, it was the longest 4 weeks of my life. I really missed having longer talks with patients (i.e. not just saying "how's the vision?" and "look up, down, left, right"; of course that's just me, my best friend is going into ophtho though and loves it!). I initially liked surgery when I did a colorectal rotation, and I realized I really like talking to, and helping, patients with GI issues, and just find the pathophysiology inherently interesting (I love the ddx of abdominal pain). I didn't really like my IM clerkship, but I loved my medicine sub-I. In the end, I just chose what I was passionate about. Also GI fellowship itself will be extremely competitive, so in addition to working really hard in residency, hopefully my step scores will help me there too!

The research year was initially because I decided pretty late that I didn't want to do gen surg (July, after TWO surgery sub-I's) and wanted time to take electives to figure out what I wanted to do (i.e. the terrible horrible no good very bad ophtho elective, and the surprisingly awesome medicine sub-I). I took Step 2 CK in December (wanted to do it while the info was still somewhat fresh after 3rd year), and didn't actually start research until January.

That being said, I'm SO glad I did my research year. I absolutely love my lab (doing translational hepatology research). It's been a bit hectic also having a tutoring company, but also really rewarding!

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Do you recommend Master the Boards Step 2 CK? I'm about 2.5 months before my exam and have a decent amount of study time before the exam. Should I read this or go to Uworld?

Not a huge fan of MTB but some people like it. I only used UW, OME, and the NBME CCS Self Assessments. Definitely rec UW (random and timed blocks) over MTB. Retention for reading in general is very poor (5% at 2 weeks); practice q's or flashcards (ideally making your own) are way better.

 

[Medstart108]

Not a huge fan of MTB but some people like it. I only used UW, OME, and the NBME CCS Self Assessments. Definitely rec UW (random and timed blocks) over MTB. Retention for reading in general is very poor (5% at 2 weeks); practice q's or flashcards (ideally making your own) are way better.

Thanks! Sorry what is OME again? Do you have any flashcard recommendations? It seems like there aren't any good Anki flashcards. How would you go about making your own flashcards? I don't really know where to start.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Thanks! Sorry what is OME again? Do you have any flashcard recommendations? It seems like there aren't any good Anki flashcards. How would you go about making your own flashcards? I don't really know where to start.

OME = Online Med Ed

Flashcards are hard to teach without screen sharing, to be honest. I recommend making cards only based off questions you get wrong, including screenshots of images in the cards, and trying to be brief (students usually put too much info into cards, you should only be testing yourself on the 1 or 2 most important facts). Bolding key points is also helpful.

We're going to be adding a blog post to our tutoring site soon about flashcard creation, you can PM me for the link (or google my username) bc I don't want to advertise here.

 

[rddn_jk]

So your recommended strategy is pretty similar to mine, with the exception that I use Step Up to Medicine instead of OME (can't watch videos I get distracted). I almost always make flash cards out of wrong answers/right for the wrong reason answers on UWORLD. However do you recommend making flash cards for things in the answer explanation that may not be directly related to the correct answer? Example would be that the correct answer is Drug A with a mechanism of blah blah, however I also didn't know the mechanism of Drug B so should I make a card for that as well?

I've been doing this when I really don't know all the answer choices however I don't want to get bogged down in flash cards like I did on Step 1.

 

[Medstart108]

Does OME, or any other website offer good audio for Step 2 CK? I just want some audio to play when i'm driving in my car.

 

[rddn_jk]

Does OME, or any other website offer good audio for Step 2 CK? I just want some audio to play when i'm driving in my car.

I've never watched the OME videos however I will play the Kaplan videos (my school supplied them but they can be found elsewhere) while driving. They don't use very many images, mostly reading off powerpoints so you don't need to see it while driving.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

So your recommended strategy is pretty similar to mine, with the exception that I use Step Up to Medicine instead of OME (can't watch videos I get distracted). I almost always make flash cards out of wrong answers/right for the wrong reason answers on UWORLD. However do you recommend making flash cards for things in the answer explanation that may not be directly related to the correct answer? Example would be that the correct answer is Drug A with a mechanism of blah blah, however I also didn't know the mechanism of Drug B so should I make a card for that as well?

I've been doing this when I really don't know all the answer choices however I don't want to get bogged down in flash cards like I did on Step 1.

So for flashcards it really depends on the individual question, but I do try to focus on just the facts needed to get the question right. We spend a lot of time in tutoring teaching people to make good flashcards; its more of an art than a science haha.

You will end up with too many cards if you make them for every answer choice; that's overkill.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Does OME, or any other website offer good audio for Step 2 CK? I just want some audio to play when i'm driving in my car.

You could definitely just listen to the audio of OME, although the video enhances things significantly. The problem is that you'll retain very little of any information you just listen to (only about 5%).

 

[drdoom12]

You mention that reading explanations is low yield, so what is your recommendation for reviewing? I’ve tried anki in the past but it seems I never make it back to review my cards. Was a bit disappointed with my step 1 score and hoping to improve for step 2. Did above average or average on all of the shelf exams except OB.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[USMLE_Pro]

You need to review the cards! Also, people tend to put way too much info on their Anki cards, they should be short and snappy with just the facts you need to know to get the question correct.

Download the Anki app to your phone and set it up to have badge app notifications (you see a little red circle with how many cards are due that day).

 

[Spodermin]

Congrats on the amazing scores!
When you say you only used uworld and clinical mastery series...is that it? No review book during each clerkship, no uptodate, no Harrison's or Nelson's?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Congrats on the amazing scores!
When you say you only used uworld and clinical mastery series...is that it? No review book during each clerkship, no uptodate, no Harrison's or Nelson's?

Thanks!

I read UpToDate all the time to learn about my patients (I have the app on my phone and currently have 792 CME credits haha). The only review books I used were Pastana's on surgery and FA for Psych on psychiatry. I used OnlineMedEd videos, particularly for IM. Reading alone results in very poor retention, so I try to avoid it.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

Thanks!

I read UpToDate all the time to learn about my patients (I have the app on my phone and currently have 792 CME credits haha). The only review books I used were Pastana's on surgery and FA for Psych on psychiatry. I used OnlineMedEd videos, particularly for IM. Reading alone results in very poor retention, so I try to avoid it.

awesome . So do you think the uptodate readings helped with solving boards questions (like on your real step 2 CK)? What I am trying ask is that do you think a thorough background reading like uptodate helps with solving questions (maybe, I guess, by building a clinical intuition) or do you think it helps to understand medicine and be a great doctor in general but the only knowledge that helps solve questions is the one in your working memory (via flash card making/spaced repetition in weeks or months leading to the test)?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

It's difficult to know for sure, but I'd say that UTD is great for practicing medicine, but casually reading UTD articles not all that helpful on the USMLE unless you have an incredible memory. To retain information, you are much better off with flash card making and spaced repetition review based on high quality resources like UWorld.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

It's difficult to know for sure, but I'd say that UTD is great for practicing medicine, but casually reading UTD articles not all that helpful on the USMLE unless you have an incredible memory. To retain information, you are much better off with flash card making and spaced repetition review based on high quality resources like UWorld.

Oknand

It's difficult to know for sure, but I'd say that UTD is great for practicing medicine, but casually reading UTD articles not all that helpful on the USMLE unless you have an incredible memory. To retain information, you are much better off with flash card making and spaced repetition review based on high quality resources like UWorld.

ok. And when approaching the test questions, what advice would you give to speed up? Did you read the last line first and then glance answer choices before turning to the whole stem to look for answers or did you just read the whole thing in sequence?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Oknand

ok. And when approaching the test questions, what advice would you give to speed up? Did you read the last line first and then glance answer choices before turning to the whole stem to look for answers or did you just read the whole thing in sequence?

This is very student-specific. There are many, many reasons for people going too slowly, so, unfortunately, there's no great general advice here.

I read the entire question in order, but something different works for each student. I don't read the last line first, but I read the vignette very quickly and highlight, going back to the vignette to read more carefully as needed based on the question I'm being asked.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

This is very student-specific. There are many, many reasons for people going too slowly, so, unfortunately, there's no great general advice here.

I read the entire question in order, but something different works for each student. I don't read the last line first, but I read the vignette very quickly and highlight, going back to the vignette to read more carefully as needed based on the question I'm being asked.

Thank you so much

 

[rddn_jk]

When you first did uworld, had you finished all of your core clerkships? I've been doing it subject by subject as I do that core clerkship (I have only 130 questions left). I'm a little concerned that I might require an additional qbank to do as random since my test isn't until July and I'll definitely have gone through uworld a second time by then.

 

[ketosisevangelist]

My apologies for not initially answering, I thought you had added a 4th question to someone else’s 3.

1) I don’t use or recommend MTB and my students and I have been doing well without it (that doesn’t mean it’s not a good resource, I just think there are better ones). The only supplement to UW and NBMEs that I recommend for Step 2 are OME and in some cases a little bit of FA for Step 1.

2) Yes, Step up to Medicine is overkill for Step 2. I think it’s a very well done resource and you should feel welcome to read it for your medicine clerkship, particularly if you’re planning on IM.

3) I love Emma Holliday’s PPTs for shelf exams (I actually just used, and now recommend, the PDF of her PPT rather than watching the video), but I don’t feel these are high yield in the same sense for Step 2 CK, so I don’t use them as a Step 2 resource. I also love OME for the wards. For Step 2, I occasionally assign OME videos for topics students are very week in (low percentile on UW). I wouldn’t advise just watching all of OME in an untargeted way, however.

I just love Emma.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

When you first did uworld, had you finished all of your core clerkships? I've been doing it subject by subject as I do that core clerkship (I have only 130 questions left). I'm a little concerned that I might require an additional qbank to do as random since my test isn't until July and I'll definitely have gone through uworld a second time by then.

I did UW 1x with my core clerkships, but when I redid half of it for my dedicated, yes, I had already done my clerkships.

I would take an NBME (CCSSA 6) to see your baseline. You may already be well prepared, or not retained much of UW, and in the latter case, it may be worthwhile to do UW again along with making your own Anki cards.