If you scored > 240 on Step 2, please read.

[lvspro]

Yo
I am considering using kaplan as my only study source for USMLE 2. Has anyone had success, ie. > 240, using this strategy? If so, how much time did you spend studying/day X weeks? I'm strapped for time, as I'm not taking a break from rotations, so I don't have the luxury of reading the kaplan/crush/cmdt/blueprints for ob winning combo.Anyhow, thanks in advance.
Peace

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[neilc]

i got 235 using basically only pathophys for boards and wards, first aid in the last 2 weeks and usmleworld qbank. i would say 240 is possible using only lots and lots of questions.

 

[lvspro]

Hey neil
Thanks for the heads up. Anyone have experience w/kaplan material?
Peace

 

[tangents]

i used crush and qbank, and just read thru crush in detail once and did lots of q bank. it worked out really well for me, i spent a couple of hours a day (60 min block of questions in am, read them over for about another hour or two, then read a chapter or two a day in crush) for about 2.5 weeks or so with a lot of breaks and slacking. being stress free was helpful, meaning i had little else to do and wasn't worried about the test...but then i worried like crazy after i took it thinking i didn't do enough. it does not require nearly as much as step one which i prepped much harder for and did about 30 points less on.

 

[Heather Noelle]

i got 235 using basically only pathophys for boards and wards, first aid in the last 2 weeks and usmleworld qbank. i would say 240 is possible using only lots and lots of questions.

neil - you used pathophys for b&w (purple book) or the green book, "boards and wards"?

thanks!

 

[GenSurg]

I used First Aid for Step 2 as my main resource. I took the exam during a lighter month (radiology at a community hospital) and studied for about 3 weeks, 1-2 hours a night. I supplemented OB with the Blueprints series.

If you have time, I think QBank can be helpful, but I didn't use it.

I really don't think it is likely to score > 240 on Step 2 unless you have a firm grasp on what you have already learned in medical school. That is, if you have done poorly on Step 1, I think it would be very difficult to increase your score by > 20-30 points. From classmates I have talked to, it seems that people tend to do about the same on all standardized tests, whether a shelf exam in medicine or the USMLE. If you are a good test taker, you are more likely to do well on the USMLEs.

http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=20049323

 

[neilc]

neil - you used pathophys for b&w (purple book) or the green book, "boards and wards"?

thanks!

sorry, my mistake in my post. i did use bards and wards. i used pathophys for boards and wards on step 1. good luck!

 

[12R34Y]

scored greater than 260 last month on step 2 ck using boards and wards (throughout the year) and right before exam...step 2 secrets as well. Went through peds and oB blueprints blue box summaries in weeks before exam as well. Did zero questions other than the 2 45.00 online NBME exams. they were right on (as they are written by the NBME) and almost exactly predicted my actual score.

after taking 6 shelves in the last 10 months. i didn't feel the need for more questions.

later

 

[DrDre']

Congratulations!
Still going for EM?
Applying to UI?

All the best, Dre'

 

[12R34Y]

Congratulations!
Still going for EM?
Applying to UI?

All the best, Dre'

Yep, EM all the way. Will definately apply to Iowa and hopefully will get to see all the old guys I used to work with if anything. Talked to some people who were suprised about how much they liked the program.

later

 

[md/mph'06]

hey 12R34Y. So we took our step 2cks around the same time then. i took mine on 6/22 and i haven't gotten my scores back yet. when exactly did u take it last month?

Thanks!

scored greater than 260 last month on step 2 ck using boards and wards (throughout the year) and right before exam...step 2 secrets as well. Went through peds and oB blueprints blue box summaries in weeks before exam as well. Did zero questions other than the 2 45.00 online NBME exams. they were right on (as they are written by the NBME) and almost exactly predicted my actual score.

after taking 6 shelves in the last 10 months. i didn't feel the need for more questions.

later

 

[12R34Y]

hey 12R34Y. So we took our step 2cks around the same time then. i took mine on 6/22 and i haven't gotten my scores back yet. when exactly did u take it last month?

Thanks!

june 9th

 

[md/mph'06]

thanks so i should probably look for my scores within the next week or so then (lol)

june 9th

 

[medlaw06]

for all those who have already taken step 2, i have a quick question....how many "odd-ball" diseases did you come across....i know, what is odd to me may not be odd to you, but i think you get what i am trying to say....like, were there quite a few questions on things like CHARGE Syndrome, McCune-Albright, Dandy Walker, and wierd things like that, or were there majority straight forward stuff that you routinely see on rounds (CHF, PE, etc.)

 

[medlaw06]

no one knows....and i thought you guys did over 240? 🙄

 

[md/mph'06]

still waiting on my scores. took step 2 6/22 but i'd have to say that the majority of my questions were the straight forward type of stuff you'd see on the floors. the only crazy question i remmeber was a rate-limiting question and the answer was something like endogonic or endothermic rx or some bs. i just guessed and kept moving. hope this helps! 🙂

 

[kedhegard]

I just got a piece of good news today. Someone asked about using kaplan videos and usmleworld. I used only these two sources, for 3 1/2 weeks, studying between 8-10 hours a day with a few days off. I ended up improving my score by ~55 points. I would highly recommend these two sources, study them in depth and do as many questions as you possibly can. Take notes off the hard questions, drill the easy stuff into your brain, and you can do it! I thought I was totally screwed after step 1, but I worked through it.

Good luck everyone, I hope you do well!

 

[melvindo]

If you wouldn't mind, what did you get on step ! and what did you raise it to?

 

[mele]

wow, you're my idol!

Do you mind sharing your study schedule? I was thinking of using the kaplan videos too but I have no idea how I'm going to get through all the hours of videos in the time I have alloted. Did you watch all of them? Are some more useful than others?

Thank you for your advice. I'm trying to achieve a goal similar to yours.

 

[kedhegard]

I went from a 199 to a 252. Basically I relied on the goljan lectures and kaplan qbank for step 1, and was let down pretty hard on the test. It was nothing like what I was expecting, and since I was getting ~85-90% on Qbank the night before the test, looking back I think that was useless and sort of a rip off. Supposedly USMLEworld is making a qbank for step 1, I hope so for all of my friends who will be taking it soon.

I finished my last rotation of 3rd year on a friday, and started studying the following monday. I was scheduled to take the test in 3 1/2 weeks from that date on a Wednesday. I started with the kap videos, all 200 hours, and watched them all in about 9 days using a video program that had an option to adjust playback speed. Watching the videos at about 1.6-1.8x regular speed and following along in the written notes, I tried to watch about 12-15 of the videos a day. After that, I started USMLEworld, with about 2 weeks left to go. I did about 5 tests a day, 46 questions each. That's not many, but I read each and every explanation to try to understand them. If I didn't understand the questions, I would go back and read the notes for that area (cardiology, ID, etc). I think that helped a lot too, following up areas I was weak in with a focused study session.

I managed to complete about 1800 of the 2200 (or thereabouts) questions in USMLEworld, plus a few other things when I wasn't near the computer (such as the "PreTest" step II question book of eight 50 question tests).

Hope that helps. It worked for me, much better that what I used for Step I. I would definitely swear against Kaplan's Qbank, to me it was way too easy and did not prepare me for the test. I always thought I was able to do better than I did the first time around. Maybe I just got lucky, but if you're like me and determined to do better, you can definitely pull it off.

The best piece of advice I can give you, if you'll let me do so, is to find something and stick to it. The videos and UW questions worked really well, but whatever it is you choose, stick to it from day one and don't chase rabbits. Take some sleeping pills if you have to the night before...BUT GET SOME SLEEP! I fell asleep during step 1 several times, causing me to not finish question blocks. The reason I did this is because I stayed up all night the night before worrying about how I would do.

I'll shut up now. Good luck, seriously. I hate the NBME, and I think their tests are useless and (as I've helped prove) neither reliable nor valid.

 

[mele]

Wow. I don't know how you absorbed all that info so quickly. Congrats on the great score, and thanks for sharing your strategy. I hope that step 2 score gets you where you want to go.

 

[JKP]

.

 

[driverabu]

Hey neil
Thanks for the heads up. Anyone have experience w/kaplan material?
Peace

I read through kaplan 3 times (IM only twice). I only read through B&Ws once, but I thought kaplan was sufficient. I also did around 7,000 questions...I know you said that you are pressed for time, so if I had to put in order questions from most helpful to least, here they are:
USMLEworld (absolute must)
NMS question book
Q-book
pretest
mock exam for step 2
q-bank from kaplan (I've heard mixed reviews and I personally did not do them, but can safely say to stay away from them if you are really pressed for time).

With this strategy I got a 242. Any other questions, just PM me.

 

[driverabu]

for all those who have already taken step 2, i have a quick question....how many "odd-ball" diseases did you come across....i know, what is odd to me may not be odd to you, but i think you get what i am trying to say....like, were there quite a few questions on things like CHARGE Syndrome, McCune-Albright, Dandy Walker, and wierd things like that, or were there majority straight forward stuff that you routinely see on rounds (CHF, PE, etc.)

I got a weird ash question on Charot-Marie-Tooth dz...something about the genetics of the disease...had absolutely NO clue...also had 2 questions on scombroid.....the fish that eats some sort of plankton with lots of histamine and when you eat it, you get a huge histaminergic response (eg, flushing, sweating, diarrhea, etc.)

 

[Pril]

I used:

1)Secrets for Step 2
2)Boards and Wards for Step 2 (Highly recommend this book as a final review a couple of days before the exam
3) Blueprints for OB-GYN and Peds
4) FA for Internal Medicine (really sucked but that was the only book I had)
5) Kaplan q-Bank, and the two NBME practice exams

 

[obgyn06]

I got a 208 on step 1 and a 250 on step 2.

For step 2, my theory was that the more questions I could get through the better. I did all of kapland qbank and about 1/2 of usmleworld. I wrote down all the answers and info that I didn't know. I spent ~75% of my study time doing questions. I really didn't study that much either. I gave myself 3 1/2 weeks to study. For the 1st week I studied from like 9-2 M-F and then the other 2 1/2 weeks I studied like M, T, W and S or S. from 9-2.

As far as texts go. I used step up to medicine, crush step 2 and first aid. I think boards and wards really doesn't have enough detail. I used it very sparingly.

Good luck everyone!!

 

[corpsmanUP]

scored greater than 260 last month on step 2 ck using boards and wards (throughout the year) and right before exam...step 2 secrets as well. Went through peds and oB blueprints blue box summaries in weeks before exam as well. Did zero questions other than the 2 45.00 online NBME exams. they were right on (as they are written by the NBME) and almost exactly predicted my actual score.

after taking 6 shelves in the last 10 months. i didn't feel the need for more questions.

later

Ditto!!!!

I didn't really do diddly squat except half a$$ed reading of First Aid Step II the last couple weeks or so. 99% of my studying came from preparing very hard for shelf exams that undoubtedly correlate with the real deal. No questions, no tapes, no B&W's though I had read it for shelf exams. No marathon sessions, no punishing schedule like Step I at all. I have had many people want to argue this point, but I will say again that if you do well on shelf exams, then you have already studied for step II. First Aid is a book that is really meant to bring back the concepts you already know, which is why in my opinion is should not be used for people still trying to learn the stuff. That is why it is called a review book. If you are reading through it and find less than 90% of the stuff familiar, then its not the book for you. Of course you can still do well on step II if you did not do all that well on shelf exams, but if you want the least amount of effort necessary to do well with more time off to relax during board prep, then bust a$$ on shelf exams and then you will do very well on the real deal.

Like the above poster, my score also was >260 and it went up from a 232 Step I. Shelf exams are a free way to measure your progress without having to pay for a review course. Use them to your advantage!!

 

[tequila_farm]

USMLEworld: didn't do
QBank: didn't do
NMS: didn't do
Crush: didn't do
First Aid: didn't do
NMBE tests: didn't do
Boards and Wards: read twice the week before the exam.

>270/99

Everything you need to know for the exam is taught in the third year. Boards and wards was a good resource to review this material. Just my $0.02.

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

USMLEworld: didn't do
QBank: didn't do
NMS: didn't do
Crush: didn't do
First Aid: didn't do
NMBE tests: didn't do
Boards and Wards: read twice the week before the exam.

>270/99

Everything you need to know for the exam is taught in the third year. Boards and wards was a good resource to review this material. Just my $0.02.

Good lawd!

 

[sacrament]

I got a very nice score by doing the following:

1) Studied part-time for two months during rotations (about an hour each evening, more on the weekends)
2) Did all USMLEWorld questions--thought these were relatively good preparation and are quite similar to the actual test. Was scoring in the 65-75% range.
3) Did all Kaplan QBook (not QBank) questions--these are okay, not as hard as USMLEWorld, not as representative of the actual test.
4) Read First Aid a couple times

All in all I probably studied significantly less than I did for Step One, and scored somewhat better.

 

[sacrament]

USMLEworld: didn't do
QBank: didn't do
NMS: didn't do
Crush: didn't do
First Aid: didn't do
NMBE tests: didn't do
Boards and Wards: read twice the week before the exam.

>270/99

Everything you need to know for the exam is taught in the third year. Boards and wards was a good resource to review this material. Just my $0.02.

This is conceivably true, but I wouldn't advise trusting any statement such as this made as a first post.

 

[shorrin]

This is conceivably true, but I wouldn't advise trusting any statement such as this made as a first post.

I don't think many of us want to believe it, considering the amount of work that so many of us have put in.

 

[sacrament]

I don't think many of us want to believe it, considering the amount of work that so many of us have put in.

Well, I do have to admit that I'm not exactly sure how much it helps to study. I did well on both Step One and Step Two but there sure weren't many questions on either test where I felt like the reason I knew the answer was because I studied. This is the primary reason why I didn't study as much for Step Two... because it just didn't feel like it made a difference the first time. But it's hard to say because obviously I don't have a "control" experience where I didn't study.

 

[tequila_farm]

I put forth a tremendous effort during my third year clerkships which enabled me to just review the material before the exam. Boards and Wards was an excellent review book. And, in my testing experience, was sufficient for the USMLE II.

 

[yaah]

I did only practice questions from NBME and Appleton & Lange. No Kaplan, no first aid. I got a 261. My theory has always been to do practice questions and thoroughly read the explanations as to why each answer is right/wrong. It worked for step I (although I looked at first aid for that) too.

I'll let you know how it works for step 3. 😳 Took it two weeks ago.