Is UWORLD a must for shelf exams? or do I save this for Step 2?

[ej37]

I keep reading on all the shelf threads about how good UWORLD is for basically every shelf. Also, it seems people love it as a step 2 resource as well. For those of you who used it during the year for each shelf, did you also use it for Step 2?

I have no problem purchasing the 12 mo subscription, but I don't want to "waste" the questions if that makes sense... what is a better use of my study time?

In case it matters, I'm applying to a fairly competitive specialty with a borderline step 1 score, so I figure I really need to rock M3 and as well as the Step 2... thanks in advance

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[Dirt]

Bought a yearlong subscription.

Used it for every shelf.

Reset it and used it for step 2.

 

[McGillGrad]

Bought a yearlong subscription.

Used it for every shelf.

Reset it and used it for step 2.

👍

 

[PokerDoc]

👍

👍

 

[turkeyjerky]

it probably is a great resource for shelf exams throughout the year and I would've loved to have had it available (doing questions beats reading, and pretest routinely sucks monkeyballs). However, I didn't buy it cause I'm cheap, and i was still able to get a 99 on every shelf I took (we didn't take the peds and family med shelves, and I have the neuro one this friday). So it's not a "must".

 

[username456789]

it probably is a great resource for shelf exams throughout the year and I would've loved to have had it available (doing questions beats reading, and pretest routinely sucks monkeyballs). However, I didn't buy it cause I'm cheap, and i was still able to get a 99 on every shelf I took (we didn't take the peds and family med shelves, and I have the neuro one this friday). So it's not a "must".

Your Step I score notwithstanding, I would like to take this time to tell you that you are a freak of nature. That is all.

 

[Bartelby]

it probably is a great resource for shelf exams throughout the year and I would've loved to have had it available (doing questions beats reading, and pretest routinely sucks monkeyballs). However, I didn't buy it cause I'm cheap, and i was still able to get a 99 on every shelf I took (we didn't take the peds and family med shelves, and I have the neuro one this friday). So it's not a "must".

Isn't the shelf average 70 with a SD of 8? Meaning you would be almost four SDs above the mean or approx 99.996%ile on every shelf exam you have ever taken? If that's true what did you use, it must have worked out pretty well.

OP, I loved USMLEWorld for Step 2 CK, and I got a score I was happy with. I think if you want to make sure you get a good score on the shelf exams it is probably worth the subscription fee, although I just used review books and did reasonably well (although not 'honors' material on several exams).

 

[drizzt3117]

No it's adjusted. I got 99 on med/surg and the percentiles they gave me were 97/98.

Isn't the shelf average 70 with a SD of 8? Meaning you would be almost four SDs above the mean or approx 99.996%ile on every shelf exam you have ever taken? If that's true what did you use, it must have worked out pretty well.

OP, I loved USMLEWorld for Step 2 CK, and I got a score I was happy with. I think if you want to make sure you get a good score on the shelf exams it is probably worth the subscription fee, although I just used review books and did reasonably well (although not 'honors' material on several exams).

 

[ArcGurren]

it probably is a great resource for shelf exams throughout the year and I would've loved to have had it available (doing questions beats reading, and pretest routinely sucks monkeyballs). However, I didn't buy it cause I'm cheap, and i was still able to get a 99 on every shelf I took (we didn't take the peds and family med shelves, and I have the neuro one this friday). So it's not a "must".

I kinda doubt your experience is representative of everyone else's, since I recall your step 1 score being through the roof as well 😉

 

[turkeyjerky]

Your Step I score notwithstanding, I would like to take this time to tell you that you are a freak of nature. That is all.

Thx dude

I kinda doubt your experience is representative of everyone else's, since I recall your step 1 score being through the roof as well

I know, but looking through all the shelf exam threads, it's full of people who got great scores and attributed it to uworld; this had me on the verge of buying a year-long subscription due to anxiety about adequete sources.

 

[myhandsarecold]

how about you look at it this way: would you rather use your USMLEWorld to boost your 3rd yr grades? or use it to boost your Step 2 score which may or may not even be needed when you start applying to residencies? it really doesnt matter anyway, i think the more you go through with it, the more that you read the explanations, the more it sticks.

buy the year

 

[KeyzerSoze]

There's no such thing as "wasting" UWorld questions. If you go through the question bank with each rotation and then go through it again before Step 2, it may not be as useful for predicting your score compared to just doing it once before Step 2, but it will be at least as useful for getting a good score.

 

[2012mdc]

it probably is a great resource for shelf exams throughout the year and I would've loved to have had it available (doing questions beats reading, and pretest routinely sucks monkeyballs). However, I didn't buy it cause I'm cheap, and i was still able to get a 99 on every shelf I took (we didn't take the peds and family med shelves, and I have the neuro one this friday). So it's not a "must".

No it's adjusted. I got 99 on med/surg and the percentiles they gave me were 97/98.

First of all, you guys are f'n beasts

How are these percentiles really calculated? I got a 94 on IM and my percentile was 98

 

[ArcGurren]

Thx dude



I know, but looking through all the shelf exam threads, it's full of people who got great scores and attributed it to uworld; this had me on the verge of buying a year-long subscription due to anxiety about adequete sources.

Yeah I understand that; my point is that for most people who want to honor/at least attempt to honor all their clerkships, having a qbank of some sort is probably the best way to go, and UW is routinely considered one of the best for shelf prep, both clinically and preclinically. I wish I had your kind of photographic memory that would allow me to forego all qbanks and just read everything once and call it a day 😉 but I gotta work with what I have.

For the record everyone - UW is not a great question source for Family Medicine, especially if you're taking that one first. I would instead recommend something like the AAFP questions + PreTest.

 

[2012mdc]

Yeah I understand that; my point is that for most people who want to honor/at least attempt to honor all their clerkships, having a qbank of some sort is probably the best way to go, and UW is routinely considered one of the best for shelf prep, both clinically and preclinically. I wish I had your kind of photographic memory that would allow me to forego all qbanks and just read everything once and call it a day 😉 but I gotta work with what I have.

For the record everyone - UW is not a great question source for Family Medicine, especially if you're taking that one first. I would instead recommend something like the AAFP questions + PreTest.

+1, Pre-Test was sufficient for me to score in the mid 80s on the FM shelf (had it 2nd after Surg)

 

[WolverineDoc13]

Has anyone used the USMLE easy question bank? My school subscribes to it, so it's free. 😀 I know it's probably not comparable to USMLE World, but I'm hoping it can at least help me score high on my shelf (in my first rotation, peds, now with the beast shelf coming up)