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!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ludejaw]

Thank you very much for all your answers and your time! Sounds like you completed only half of UW the 2nd time around, my basic question is:

when you did UW what was your specific process and how long did the parts take?

I’m interested in finding areas where I’m being inefficient. I apologize for the numerous and sub-questions below but I’m very curious!

(For eg: Random, Tutor, 40Qs, from all subjects. did total set first - how long did that take? went back and reviewed question by question, how long per question? Made Anki per each question and moved on? How often were you reviewing Anki? set times? Whenever possible? Between day 1 of dedicated and the last day, how many times do you think you saw a particular Anki card? What are your Anki review settings?)

Thank you again for any insight, and all the best!!

 

[A$AP]

Actual exam itself: For the questions that were the toughest for you, what exactly made them tougher?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Actual exam itself: For the questions that were the toughest for you, what exactly made them tougher?

Sorry can't speak to the actual examination per NBME policies!

 

[Eagles6389]

@USMLEpro how many flashcards do you recommend to get through per day? And how many hours per day would you suggest spending on flashcards in comparison to hours spent on UWorld or another review source (i.e. Onlinemeded)?

I'm starting to make flashcards from my UWorld incorrects, etc. and am not sure how much time I should devote per day to going through them, or how many cards I should aim to complete per day.

 

[Staco]

I've always been terrible on making flashcards, not knowing how much info to put on each side. What did you typically write on each side of the flashcard?

Also, is there a particular program you recommend, or did you use physical cards?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

@USMLEpro how many flashcards do you recommend to get through per day? And how many hours per day would you suggest spending on flashcards in comparison to hours spent on UWorld or another review source (i.e. Onlinemeded)?

I'm starting to make flashcards from my UWorld incorrects, etc. and am not sure how much time I should devote per day to going through them, or how many cards I should aim to complete per day.

Usually, 3-4 hours per day making flashcards is appropriate, but every student is different (you can PM me to set up a phone call for more personalized advice, I've been really busy lately with tutoring people so don't have as much time to check SDN). Most of your time should be spent on UW, NBMEs, card making and card review, with OME only for topics you are really struggling with. How many cards you make per day depends on how many you're getting wrong, but usually 20-30 new cards a day is a good maximum if you're in a dedicated study period (fewer if you're only studying part-time).

 

[USMLE_Pro]

I've always been terrible on making flashcards, not knowing how much info to put on each side. What did you typically write on each side of the flashcard?

Also, is there a particular program you recommend, or did you use physical cards?

Many students struggle with how to make good cards, because it essentially requires you to become a good teacher (you're teaching yourself through the cards, pinpointing the facts you really need to learn). What I wrote and what I advise our students to write on each side of the card is very different for different types of question (I spent a 1 hour session today working with a student on how to make good cards; there isn't good general advice that I can provide here that would be helpful). Most cards end up having 2-3 questions, but sometimes single question cards are indicated.

I highly recommend Anki, both the desktop version and the mobile app. We have all our students use Anki.

 

[LARS_30]

Just took CK yesterday. Do you mind sharing your NBME 6, 7, 8 and UWSA 1, 2 scores? Did they match up with the 281?

 

[Shams al Deen]

If I'm getting 89% on my 2nd pass of UWorld is it worth doing the entire bank? Like I don't feel that I'm learning a whole lot with it. Would my time be better spent reading SUTM and doing an alternate QBank?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Just took CK yesterday. Do you mind sharing your NBME 6, 7, 8 and UWSA 1, 2 scores? Did they match up with the 281?

Don't have them all in front of me, but my NBME 8 really close to my test was a 240! NBME 6 and 7 were in 250s and 260s respectively, UWSAs 260s and 270s.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Got a 247 on UWSA 1, current UWorld average is 81% on 2nd pass (did all of UWorld during third year except peds). Take the test in 11 days. Do I have a shot at getting above a 250? Would love any advice, I'm doing about 160 UWorld questions a day + anki for weak topics/incorrects.

Sorry I couldn't reply in time, have been super busy tutoring, I hope your exam went great!

 

[USMLE_Pro]

If I'm getting 89% on my 2nd pass of UWorld is it worth doing the entire bank? Like I don't feel that I'm learning a whole lot with it. Would my time be better spent reading SUTM and doing an alternate QBank?

Take a UWSA to see where you're at. If you're 10 points or more above your goal, you can stop UW and move up your test. I only did 50% UW on my second pass.

For everyone, this KevinMD article details my CK advice: This medical student scored a 281 on the USMLE Step 2 CK. You can, too

 

[alwaysbehappy]

Hi, congrats on the score. Im right at 6 weeks out to my exam, and Im still finishing my last clerkship (ob) and then will have 2 weeks of just dedicated. Since there are only 3 nbmes, when would be the best to take the first one? how would you break down when to take them? I also want to make time to do uworld 1 and 2

 

[cocoasmackers19]

Hi there! sending a private message

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hi, congrats on the score. Im right at 6 weeks out to my exam, and Im still finishing my last clerkship (ob) and then will have 2 weeks of just dedicated. Since there are only 3 nbmes, when would be the best to take the first one? how would you break down when to take them? I also want to make time to do uworld 1 and 2

Depends on a few individual factors (the study schedules we make for our tutoring students are all pretty different). What did you score on Step 1?

 

[chromuffin]

I plan on taking ck in 3 weeks but think I may need to move back a couple weeks. First pass UW was 69%. Second pass is a 75% so far. Goal is a 250+. Haven’t taken any practice tests yet, planning for NBME 6 on Wednesday. How would you recommend studying if I haven’t made flash cards and don’t have the time? Step up to step 2 ck + UWorld? Peds and OB are my weakest subjects.

 

[APA 32]

Do you recommend taking the neurology CMS tests during CK prep? I've completed the CMS for the other clerkships but we don't have a neurology clerkship at my school.

 

[BillrothI]

Any recommendations in terms of the order in which to take the NBME exams? I was hoping to take all four before the exam next month (primarily as a learning tool). Does it matter which I take first and which I take closest to the exam?

Thanks!

-Bill

 

[USMLE_Pro]

There are currently 3 NBMEs for Step 2 CK, and I recommend taking them in order (6 -> 7 -> 8). Try to take NBME 6 as soon as you can! You should review all of these exams very closely--their main value is not prognosticating your score on test day (the UW self-assessments are better for that, although they can overpredict significantly), but rather the actual content and concepts are very high yield.

 

[rddn_jk]

There are currently 3 NBMEs for Step 2 CK, and I recommend taking them in order (6 -> 7 -> 8). Try to take NBME 6 as soon as you can! You should review all of these exams very closely--their main value is not prognosticating your score on test day (the UW self-assessments are better for that, although they can overpredict significantly), but rather the actual content and concepts are very high yield.

In your experience, by how much do you think they over-predict?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

I usually see up to 10 points, but it depends where you are on the curve, and of course it's just probabilistic, not a hard and fast rule. I'm usually comfortable with our students taking their exams if they score 10 or more points above goal on the most recent UWSA, but sometimes you want more of a buffer (particularly if there's significant test-taking anxiety).

 

[Aisha Afghan]

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.

If you may kindly add me to help how to make flash cards please . Thanks

 

[HaitianDrSoph]

I'm sorry if you mentioned this already: what was your Step 1 score?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

If you may kindly add me to help how to make flash cards please . Thanks

PM me and I can send you an article from my blog that details how to do this.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

I'm sorry if you mentioned this already: what was your Step 1 score?

I scored a 262 on Step 1

 

[sunsparked]

USMLEpro, thank you so much for answering all our questions with your wisdom!
I read your articles; and your mention the value in learning to approach a question from the test-maker perspective, to pin-point what a given question is testing etc. What can we do to learn that?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

USMLEpro, thank you so much for answering all our questions with your wisdom!
I read your articles; and your mention the value in learning to approach a question from the test-maker perspective, to pin-point what a given question is testing etc. What can we do to learn that?

The best way to learn test-taking technique is to work with someone else who is already an expert test taker and a good teacher. This can be a study buddy or tutor. If you want to do it on your own, you need to spend a lot of time analyzing your incorrects, looking for cognitive errors or systematic test-taking problems that are a theme in the questions you get wrong. Doing as many questions as possible, particularly NBME questions, and really studying them is another way to do this. But it's difficult--thinking like a test maker ("why would they include this piece of information if B wasn't the right answer") is something some people do naturally, whereas others need coaching to develop this skill.

 

[sunsparked]

Thanks USMLEPro!

 

[MedShot]

Hi and thanks so much for all your answers, i read your post and i thought id ask for your opinion on a solid approach to surgery for Step 2 CK, My step 1 score is less than stellar and i would like to make up for it on Step 2

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Thanks USMLEPro!

You're welcome! Also, everyone can feel free to PM me to request the link to my blog (has a lot of consolidated advice there).

 

[VinwardMD]

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!

Hi USMLEPRO, I am a non-US IMG. I want to get your advice abt my current situation.

I have alrdy done my step 1, thanks God that I passed but with a very low score which is 203. I really do not know what to do, Should I be happy or not, or should I continue to step 2 or not.

After several discussion, I decided to continue my step journey. This Oct I will be attending Kaplan Step 2 CK in center course until mid Nov.

I have alrdy bought STEP UP TO MED book.

So any advice for me or tips for my study?

Thank you.

 

[glip-glop]

What do you recommend for test day breaks? And I can't remember how the timer thing works at the testing sites, its been a while since step 1. Do we just click 'no' when it asks if we want to move on to the next block if we want to take a break?

Thanks

 

[ers_lovesmed]

What did you score on the MCAT?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

What did you score on the MCAT?

I scored a 42 on the old MCAT.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hi USMLEPRO, I am a non-US IMG. I want to get your advice abt my current situation.

I have alrdy done my step 1, thanks God that I passed but with a very low score which is 203. I really do not know what to do, Should I be happy or not, or should I continue to step 2 or not.

After several discussion, I decided to continue my step journey. This Oct I will be attending Kaplan Step 2 CK in center course until mid Nov.

I have alrdy bought STEP UP TO MED book.

So any advice for me or tips for my study?

Thank you.

I'm not a fan of non-personalized courses like Kaplan's, and Step Up to Medicine isn't a great resource for CK (it's great for the wards). You can PM me and I can send along some resources on my blog about preparing for CK.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

What do you recommend for test day breaks? And I can't remember how the timer thing works at the testing sites, its been a while since step 1. Do we just click 'no' when it asks if we want to move on to the next block if we want to take a break?

Thanks

Everyone is different! I took a brief break every 2 blocks. You should follow the instructions in the program software for taking a break.

 

[MrTaco92]

Do you have any experience with other qbanks? I'm looking for a good throwaway qbank in addition to uworld

 

[USMLE_Pro]

I recommend doing UW 2 times over a different Qbank (I really dislike Kaplan, USMLE Rx is my next go to AFTER someone has done UW 2x and thorough review of the NBMEs). I usually don't use secondary Qbanks with my tutoring students and find it's actually very rarely necessary (the extra value people perceive, in my opinion, is just from repetition, as they are often not using proper techniques for long-term content retention, so they've already forgotten most of what they've learned from the first Qbank by the time they do the second).

 

[Johnlocke3]

I recommend doing UW 2 times over a different Qbank (I really dislike Kaplan, USMLE Rx is my next go to AFTER someone has done UW 2x and thorough review of the NBMEs). I usually don't use secondary Qbanks with my tutoring students and find it's actually very rarely necessary (the extra value people perceive, in my opinion, is just from repetition, as they are often not using proper techniques for long-term content retention, so they've already forgotten most of what they've learned from the first Qbank by the time they do the second).

Hi, I am an non-Us IMG, got a 221 on step 1, can family medicine still be possible?

 

[SK-]

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!

Hi, thanks for dedicating the time and effort to help out. I am an IMG and unfortunately failed the step 2 ck by one point (got 208)
I have already done uworld twice (I almost remember the questions which makes it less useful for me now), uwsa 1&2 (I passed them on the margin) and mtb. I did 2 nbme exams 7 & 8 (failed 7, barely passed 8).
I think I have more difficulty “understanding” the questions than answering them but I am not sure. What do you think is the best course of action for me ? Should I be doing OMEDs for all the subjects I am weak in? Or should I start doing USMLE rx? I am open to suggestions even if it entails spending some money. Thanks so much!
Please let me know if you need me to clarify something in further detail for you to be able to answer my questions. I found the idea of making flash cards interesting. I have never tried that but I do take notes on a separate notebook, of topics that I get wrong. Sorry for the long post but I am in a spot where I need help. Thanks again

 

[step2now]

Which all nbmes did u do ? Offline or online?

 

[step2now]

Which all nbmes did u do ? Offline or online?

 

[sella.turcica]

Kinda surprised that nobody doubts even for one second that this dude scored a 281. i mean where is the proof? anybody could come and brag about a made up score on the www

 

[deleted894960]

Hi-

I am thinking about taking a Kaplan in person Step 2 prep course here in NYC- I have a lot of extra time left and my Step 1 score is low so I really want to score as high as possible with Step 2. Do you think taking the Kaplan course is a good idea? vs. just using Uworld- I could still use Uworld during the Kaplan course. I have about 2 months to prepare and the in person course may be a little more active than just studying on my own.

Any thoughts would help!

 

[Michaelis-Menten]

Anybody who has tried out Amboss? If yes, what would be your review?

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hey guys, so sorry for my long absence. I'm back now! Please feel free to ask me questions here and I'll do my best to respond ASAP.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Kinda surprised that nobody doubts even for one second that this dude scored a 281. i mean where is the proof? anybody could come and brag about a made up score on the www

You can PM me and I'll send you my score report. But it's true that "this dude" didn't score a 281, since I'm a woman

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Which all nbmes did u do ? Offline or online?

I only did the online NBMEs: 6, 7, and 8. Know many others who rocked Step 2 CK without touching the offline NBMEs.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Anybody who has tried out Amboss? If yes, what would be your review?

So, in certain use cases, it is appropriate, but I only very rarely recommend it to my students. It is not always useful for the typical U.S. M.D. student preparing for CK.

 

[USMLE_Pro]

Hi, thanks for dedicating the time and effort to help out. I am an IMG and unfortunately failed the step 2 ck by one point (got 208)
I have already done uworld twice (I almost remember the questions which makes it less useful for me now), uwsa 1&2 (I passed them on the margin) and mtb. I did 2 nbme exams 7 & 8 (failed 7, barely passed 8).
I think I have more difficulty “understanding” the questions than answering them but I am not sure. What do you think is the best course of action for me ? Should I be doing OMEDs for all the subjects I am weak in? Or should I start doing USMLE rx? I am open to suggestions even if it entails spending some money. Thanks so much!
Please let me know if you need me to clarify something in further detail for you to be able to answer my questions. I found the idea of making flash cards interesting. I have never tried that but I do take notes on a separate notebook, of topics that I get wrong. Sorry for the long post but I am in a spot where I need help. Thanks again

PM me, I need to know a lot more details to make a recommendation!