Need advice: should I do UsmleWorld now or do another read of Secrets?

[Saladin MD]

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Based on my experience from Step 1, I am only planning on reading one book for Step 2, namely Secrets. I'm almost done with my first read of it, but I didn't try to really memorize anything yet. I usually do a first read and then start rote memorization in the second read, using flash cards. Flash cards really make a difference for me. Anyways, long story short, I plan on reading Secrets at least 2-4 times before I give the exam, along with Uworld, just like I read First Aid for step 1 about 4-5 times.

I usually have one first read where I just read it like a novel, then the second read is when I actively memorize with flash cards, then third read is when I read very attentively but straight through, and fourth read is when I do a lightning read to boost my temp folder (short term memory) on the day of the exam.

My question is: I am almost done with my first read of Secrets. Should I begin Uworld now, or do another read of Secrets and *then* do questions? I am thinking that if I take it now, the cons will be that I will score much lower, but I mean, who cares? Does it matter? So long as I learn the material? (And I'll take a diagnostic NBME before the exam to make sure I'm ready for it, so I don't really need Uworld as a diagnostic tool, do I?)

For step 1, I was scoring like 68% on Uworld...but that was because I did it near the end of my studying, with only the lightning read of FA left to do. So if I do Uworld now--with only one read--I'll probably get around 40-50% right. Is that not a good idea since it's too low? I mean, if I take an NBME later on anyways, who cares how low I score on Uworld?

The pro's of doing Uworld now would be that I could annotate Secrets like I did with FA (Step 1)--although they don't give much room in the margins! But anyways, then when I do my second read (the memorization read), I can memorize the notes from Uworld too.

EDIT: I don't plan on doing Uworld twice, by the way. I could only complete 50% of Uworld for Step 1 before I got totally drained...plus, more importantly, I was running out of time. (This time I plan on doing 100% of it, but just once.)

Please also keep in mind that I'm in a time crunch, and I have a feeling that if I spend too much time on Secrets now, I'll run out of time for Uworld like I did for Step 1.

Thoughts?

 

[pdp2001]

you already learned this stuff. and much more recently than the info for step 1. DO UW!!! getting practice is way way more important that re-reading a book that probably won't have the answer in it anyway. secrets is crazy basic. it's great to jump start your brain, but UW and its answers are what you need to do right now. it's seriously way more helpful than reading. i went through FA twice and about 50% of UW on step 2 and did well. i did ob and peds in FA (since i was bad at them), secrets step 2, and 49% of UW in about 2 weeks. i ended up with a score 15 points higher than on my step 1.

relax. you'll do awesome. just do some questions. it's mostly about how to answer the question and not talk yourself out of your gut. i don't know how, but your gut knows medicine better than your brain.

 

[Saladin MD]

you already learned this stuff. and much more recently than the info for step 1. DO UW!!! getting practice is way way more important that re-reading a book that probably won't have the answer in it anyway. secrets is crazy basic. it's great to jump start your brain, but UW and its answers are what you need to do right now. it's seriously way more helpful than reading. i went through FA twice and about 50% of UW on step 2 and did well. i did ob and peds in FA (since i was bad at them), secrets step 2, and 49% of UW in about 2 weeks. i ended up with a score 15 points higher than on my step 1.

relax. you'll do awesome. just do some questions. it's mostly about how to answer the question and not talk yourself out of your gut. i don't know how, but your gut knows medicine better than your brain.

Hey, thank you so much for replying! Your post was very helpful.

So you read 100% of Secrets, did 50% of Uworld (got 50% or did 50%?), and did Obs/Peds from FA? I also suck at Obs/Peds since they were rotations I did two years ago...plus, there was no Obs/Peds on Step 1. So can you please tell me: do you think I need to do ALL of FA, or just the Obs/Peds section? Your post was a bit unclear on that.

Again, thank you for replying! Do you mind telling me your score on Step 2? Or just a score range if you don't want to reveal that? Or just PM it to me if you don't want to reveal it publicly.

 

[pdp2001]

oops. i meant i did FA twice for step 1. and the only read ob and peds for step 2 with 50% of the questions on UW for step 2 and did way better on that exam. i think i was getting around 60-65% right. i don't mind telling you my scores - 238 on step 1 (studied my ass off), 251 on step 2 (studied WAY less and only for 10 days that were interrupted by thanksgiving). but i will say i tried to study more efficiently to make up for my complete and utter inability to concentrate for more than 15 min at a time. i did peds and OB in FA because they were genuinely the things i didn't remember at all. i was also crap at surgery but secrets was a better all-over review for that since the questions aren't hard, i just couldn't remember basic surgical management. it's all about pattern recognition. study knowing that they will tell you what the pathology is and you need to choose the next step in either management or diagnosis. VERY RARELY will they ask a what's wrong with this pt? type of question. figure out what you seriously just never bothered to learn (learn it in FA), what you know you learned but can't remember (read it in secrets), then put down the books and do as many questions as you can stand before you head pops off your body. hope that helps. seriously, you'll be great. you've been doing this **** for a year.

 

[Saladin MD]

oops. i meant i did FA twice for step 1. and the only read ob and peds for step 2 with 50% of the questions on UW for step 2 and did way better on that exam. i think i was getting around 60-65% right. i don't mind telling you my scores - 238 on step 1 (studied my ass off), 251 on step 2 (studied WAY less and only for 10 days that were interrupted by thanksgiving). but i will say i tried to study more efficiently to make up for my complete and utter inability to concentrate for more than 15 min at a time. i did peds and OB in FA because they were genuinely the things i didn't remember at all. i was also crap at surgery but secrets was a better all-over review for that since the questions aren't hard, i just couldn't remember basic surgical management. it's all about pattern recognition. study knowing that they will tell you what the pathology is and you need to choose the next step in either management or diagnosis. VERY RARELY will they ask a what's wrong with this pt? type of question. figure out what you seriously just never bothered to learn (learn it in FA), what you know you learned but can't remember (read it in secrets), then put down the books and do as many questions as you can stand before you head pops off your body. hope that helps. seriously, you'll be great. you've been doing this **** for a year.

Thanks. I really appreciate your advice. I purchased FA because of what you said. I'll just do it exactly as you said. Secrets, FA (I'll probably do all of it though since I don't feel that strong about *anything* other than a few topics like psych), and Uworld.

 

[cogwise]

Secrets is kinda an old book now, with it being released in 2004. I have heard crush covers the same material and was released in 2007, so wouldn't that be a better choice considering the author may have updated the recently released book with updated info from recent exams.
So, which should be the preferred one out of the two? considering you can't buy both.