Just Received STEP 1 score. Advice for STEP 2 Prep.

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

hi
I am 2014 march graduate IMG & I am a permanent resident of America(Green card holder)
I took my STEP 1 on 3 December 2014 and received my score on 24 December 2014
I scored 236
I feel fine about my result-Not too excited or depressed about it but i feel okay
My specialities of interest are-1.surgery
2.Internal medicine
I am planning on beginning my prep for STEP 2 CK in the first week of January
I am aiming for a score 250+ in STEP 2 CK
My plan-
study time:4-5 months(exam in june)
study materials:Kaplan notes and videos
Kaplan Qbank
Master the Boards for STEP2
Master the Boards for STEP3
UWORLD
I plan on applying for observerships and try doing hopefully one or two in this time and give STEP 2 CS IN JUNE/JULY so that i will be ready for applying in september 2015
I would be happy to receive inputs on:
1.How to improve my score in STEP 2 CK TO 250+
2.Additional study materials if required
3.Good study plans for STEP 2 CK
4.How to improve my CV for applying in 2015 september for MATCH 2016

If anyone is interested i would be happy to share my STEP 1 Journey ,resources etc.

Thanks in advance

Cheers!

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[WBecks0]

Your resources and plan are solid. You'll do fine, Step 2 isn't as detail oriented as Step 1.
1. I think 250+ is very doable with your resources. It is not unheard of people getting well over 30 points on their CK score compared to Step 1.
2. I think you have plenty of materials. MTB 3 is overrated in my opinion. You have plenty of resources, don't go overboard. Many people only do UWorld.
3. Do UWorld and MTB 2. Break it down however YOU are comfortable with. Step 1 was a different beast but with CK, most of your basics are already there having taken Step 1. Now just get the hang of CK questions and what's expected of you. Don't stress CK too much. It's not as bad as you may think.
4. Your observership may be enough. Get in touch with a surgeon and ask them what else you can do.

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Your resources and plan are solid. You'll do fine, Step 2 isn't as detail oriented as Step 1.
1. I think 250+ is very doable with your resources. It is not unheard of people getting well over 30 points on their CK score compared to Step 1.
2. I think you have plenty of materials. MTB 3 is overrated in my opinion. You have plenty of resources, don't go overboard. Many people only do UWorld.
3. Do UWorld and MTB 2. Break it down however YOU are comfortable with. Step 1 was a different beast but with CK, most of your basics are already there having taken Step 1. Now just get the hang of CK questions and what's expected of you. Don't stress CK too much. It's not as bad as you may think.
4. Your observership may be enough. Get in touch with a surgeon and ask them what else you can do.

Thank you so much WBecks0 !
Makes me feel much better
All the best for which ever stage in your prep you are!

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

hey guys,
Wanted to tell you guys that i have started preparing for step 2 ck and i have started blogging my step 2 ck journey!
I thought it would keep me motivated and inspired as i have graduated med school last year and studying alone
without your friends and support system can be hard(i moved to the U.S. last year)
So if any one is in the same boat as me I think it will be helpful.
If any of you are interested in checking it I will put in the link here: http://lovelivedreaminspire.blogspot.com
Hope you all are having a great day!

cheers!

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Hey guys,
Back with an update.
I have finished MTB 2(once),Kaplan notes(once-didnt do inf diseases and half of nephro in IM-ran out of time)
and Kaplan Qbank-91% of questions with a 60% correct average
I am starting UWORLD tomorrow. I have subscribed to UpToDate as well.I will be writing down notes from both.
So the next month will be crucial.
Hope everyone is doing great!

Cheers!

 

[zizaludbA]

Hi there im in the same boat but im waiting my step 1 score i think i'll apply this year since i'll do my CS soon ! and also electives
i only did USMLErx internal medicine part questions (average 72% Tutor mode)
im still looking for better preparation techniques and i think ur plan is the only "recommended" plan
dont forget to do Uworld assessment 1 i heard alot about how accurate

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Hi there im in the same boat but im waiting my step 1 score i think i'll apply this year since i'll do my CS soon ! and also electives
i only did USMLErx internal medicine part questions (average 72% Tutor mode)
im still looking for better preparation techniques and i think ur plan is the only "recommended" plan
dont forget to do Uworld assessment 1 i heard alot about how accurate

Hey hope you get a great score on your STEP 1. I think it is a good idea to do a question bank before starting UWORLD.
So I think it is good that you are doing USMLErx. Because I think Kaplan Qbank has given me good foundation to start UWORLD.
Sure there are certain things you have to be careful about like screening guidelines etc. but you can look those up in UpToDate.
And yes I will be finishing my preparation with UWSA.
I am giving CS in june. Will have to start prep for that immediately after CK.
Good luck!

 

[zizaludbA]

Hey hope you get a great score on your STEP 1. I think it is a good idea to do a question bank before starting UWORLD.
So I think it is good that you are doing USMLErx. Because I think Kaplan Qbank has given me good foundation to start UWORLD.
Sure there are certain things you have to be careful about like screening guidelines etc. but you can look those up in UpToDate.
And yes I will be finishing my preparation with UWSA.
I am giving CS in june. Will have to start prep for that immediately after CK.
Good luck!

i remember an advice that a colleague told me about when i was in my 5th year which was using " Mind mapping" program and try to post all the notes from uworld/uptodate and Kaplan on them, print it and try to review every night before going to sleep in the final months
also what im planning to do is to do uworld twice (mark all the question in the first round) and write down the question number beside each topic so i can do a third/final review after all
( a guy who did uworld twice got around 250's and all what he did was MTB2 and uwould twice only)
Kaplan Qbank is a very solid bank in my opinion and close to the real exam in term of (confusion/50% chance to get the right answer) highly recommend to let it later or after u finish ur first pass in Uworld
goodluck my friend in ur preparation

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Hey guys,
There is a UWORLD question which focuses on different types of psychotherapies.
Is this high yield for step 2 ck?
Has anyone been asked question pertaining this topic?
Cognitive Behavioral therapy is what I know to be definitely important. What about Dialectal behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy etc.?

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Hey guys,
Back with an update.
Done with 60% of UWorld. I have recently been getting >70% on random blocks.
Will hopefully finish it by 23 April 2015.
Also arranging observerships for next month. It has been a crazy week.
I have a new blog post with all the progress on my blog.
If any of you are interested in checking it I will put in the link here: http://lovelivedreaminspire.blogspot.com
Hope you all are having a great day!

Cheers!

 

[FOLLOWYOURHEART]

Hey guys,
Finished UWORLD today.
I am 2 and a half weeks out of my exam.
The next few days will be-NBME,UWSA, mastery series.
Further details here : http://lovelivedreaminspire.blogspot.com

Good day everyone!

Cheers!