USMLE Official 2018 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

[Qester]

As 2018 approaches and people are starting to rev up for their CK studying I figured I would start the 2018 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread.

As always please follow all of the forum / NBME / USMLE etc.. rules and regulations when posting.


My dedicated starts tomorrow, have about 6 weeks to study over the holidays. Hoping for a 250 +, scored a 26x on step 1.

Good luck to everyone taking the exam in 2018!

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[Who Knows!]

Hey, hope everyone is where they want to be in this process. Sucks but it will all be over soon.

Took UWSA 2 yesterday (last practice exam) so thought I update before my exam next weekend

NBME 6- 206 5 weeks out before dedicated
USWA 1 - 241 3.5 weeks out
NBME 8 (offline) - 245 1.5 weeks out
UWSA 2 - 242 (pretty down about this- was hoping for 250+ but it is what it is )

Just gonna go into the test with confidence and shoot for that 250. Good luck. Cheers.

 

[quincyfuturemd]

Hey, hope everyone is where they want to be in this process. Sucks but it will all be over soon.

Took UWSA 2 yesterday (last practice exam) so thought I update before my exam next weekend

NBME 6- 206 5 weeks out before dedicated
USWA 1 - 241 3.5 weeks out
NBME 8 (offline) - 245 1.5 weeks out
UWSA 2 - 242 (pretty down about this- was hoping for 250+ but it is what it is )

Just gonna go into the test with confidence and shoot for that 250. Good luck. Cheers.

You made a huge jump from 206 just 5 weeks ago and should be really proud. I know everyone (including myself) aims for 250, 260 etc but 240s are great solid scores too. It's not a cakewalk to get to 240s practice tests either

 

[Doc2b82]

Have people stopped practicing with Kaplan Qbank all together? Iv read through many exam prep messages and it doesn't look like people talk about Kaplan that much. Just wondering if thats the overall consensus. Thanks

 

[morethan1effusion]

Hey everyone, just wanted to post for the panic-level worriers out there like me. Took CK on April 24th, and it was one of the worst days of med school for me

Step 1: 250

UWorld 1st pass: 76%
UWorld 2nd pass: 86%
NBME 6: 262
NBME 7: 260
NBME 8: 262

Step 2 CK: 266

Third year, honestly studied really hard. All UWorld. All San Antonio review videos. Online MedEd IM, peds, and OB/GYN. Kaplan surgery.
Dedicated study period was ~3 weeks, and it definitely wasn't enough time to do more than just UWorld. 80-140 questions per day with good review + question log. NO TIME to get through my log by the end. I had that uneasy feeling of not knowing for certain the algorithm for almost anything.
I can't explain it, but exam day for me was way worse than Step 1. Sweaty palms, tremor, literal confusion - basically DTs. Constant self-doubt. Catastrophic thinking. Second-guessing. Answer-changing. OCDing every question stem to the point that I had seconds to finish every block. The exam felt most similar to the NBMEs, except much harder in my opinion. Really ambiguous IM, very tricky psych questions, lots of left-field trivia, and, luckily, straightforward biostats.

Here's the crazy thing: my breakdown looks very average, even one x of lower performance. It must have truly been a difficult exam. I don't know what to say about it except that if you are finding it difficult, you're not alone. I think advice-wise, if you did well on the shelf exams, hit UWorld hard one more time. If you didn't, I'd take 4 weeks or more, and hit it like Step 1 with a good review source like Online MedEd + 100 qs a day and 2-3 review/memorization days. If I could do one thing differently, it would be to use another question source broken down by subject to get the rote information through questions, because memorizing screening charts = death.

All of this is to say that it's okay to feel horrible on test day - like wow, I abandoned all my test-taking strategies horrible - just know that feeling is garbage. You studied. You're smart. Good luck everyone!

 

[step1almostdone]

Hey everyone! I could use some advice/kind words. I've been studying for Step 2 for 2 weeks so far dedicated (after a few weeks studying for the Medicine shelf), and am taking the exam on Friday. I've been scoring pretty well on practice exams, but am starting to wonder if I could have used more time to study!
NBME 6-260
NBME 7-235 (Really disliked this test, I don't think I gave it my best shot either after seeing how bad people said it was)
NBME 8-262
UWSA 1-265
UWSA 2 (today)-258
I would obviously be very happy with any of those scores (besides 7), but I am a little worried because people say the UWorld test over predict, so I was expecting to see a little score bump on those. I know I read some people saying not to take Step 2 unless your UWSA was like 10 points above your goal. If anyone else could share their experiences, I would really appreciate it!

 

[Eagles6389]

Hey everyone! I could use some advice/kind words. I've been studying for Step 2 for 2 weeks so far dedicated (after a few weeks studying for the Medicine shelf), and am taking the exam on Friday. I've been scoring pretty well on practice exams, but am starting to wonder if I could have used more time to study!
NBME 6-260
NBME 7-235 (Really disliked this test, I don't think I gave it my best shot either after seeing how bad people said it was)
NBME 8-262
UWSA 1-265
UWSA 2 (today)-258
I would obviously be very happy with any of those scores (besides 7), but I am a little worried because people say the UWorld test over predict, so I was expecting to see a little score bump on those. I know I read some people saying not to take Step 2 unless your UWSA was like 10 points above your goal. If anyone else could share their experiences, I would really appreciate it!

In most of the score posts that I've seen over the last year for Step 2, people are scoring within their UWSA scores or close to it. Not sure where you're getting the info that they overpredict? They did for Step 1, but not that I've seen for Step 2

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I hope uwsas are within +/- 4 pt range. They upped my step 1 score by 14 points =/

 

[PillsburyDoughBoi]

Hey everyone! I could use some advice/kind words. I've been studying for Step 2 for 2 weeks so far dedicated (after a few weeks studying for the Medicine shelf), and am taking the exam on Friday. I've been scoring pretty well on practice exams, but am starting to wonder if I could have used more time to study!
NBME 6-260
NBME 7-235 (Really disliked this test, I don't think I gave it my best shot either after seeing how bad people said it was)
NBME 8-262
UWSA 1-265
UWSA 2 (today)-258
I would obviously be very happy with any of those scores (besides 7), but I am a little worried because people say the UWorld test over predict, so I was expecting to see a little score bump on those. I know I read some people saying not to take Step 2 unless your UWSA was like 10 points above your goal. If anyone else could share their experiences, I would really appreciate it!

Unless you are like England at the World Cup, I'd predict a 255+ if not even 260+

Stay confident, and go through the motions of the exam just like you did on your UWSAs. Think of it as just more UWSAs

 

[Mass_Effect]

CK in T-minus 9 days.

Here are my final stats before CK:
Step 1: 241
Uworld 1st pass (done throughout 3rd year): 67%
Uworld 2nd pass (during dedicated): 84%
NBME 6: 243
NBME 7: 235
NBME 8: 247
UWSA 1: 252 (1 month before CK)
UWSA 2: 258 (3 weeks before CK)
Free USMLE: 85% (9 days before CK)
Real Deal: ???

Really hoping for a 250. Busy right now with a hectic rotation, so I'm worried that stuff is leaking out of my spongiform brain before exam day.

 

[nux1991]

CK in T-minus 9 days.

Here are my final stats before CK:
Step 1: 241
Uworld 1st pass (done throughout 3rd year): 67%
Uworld 2nd pass (during dedicated): 84%
NBME 6: 243
NBME 7: 235
NBME 8: 247
UWSA 1: 252 (1 month before CK)
UWSA 2: 258 (3 weeks before CK)
Free USMLE: 85% (9 days before CK)
Real Deal: ???

Really hoping for a 250. Busy right now with a hectic rotation, so I'm worried that stuff is leaking out of my spongiform brain before exam day.

If you don't mind me asking - how many wrong ones did you count on your NBME 6? I'm very curious as to the percentage needed to get 240s in form 6. I did NBME 7 and got 530/245 with 84% correct and was wondering if 6 would be as harsh.

 

[sunflower18]

If you don't mind me asking - how many wrong ones did you count on your NBME 6? I'm very curious as to the percentage needed to get 240s in form 6. I did NBME 7 and got 530/245 with 84% correct and was wondering if 6 would be as harsh.

I got 247 on NBME 6, and it was 90% (18 incorrect).

Step 1: 241
UWorld 1st pass: ~78%
UWorld 2nd pass: 90%
NBME 6 (baseline): 247
UWSA 1 (1 week later): 261
UWSA 2 (1 week later): 261

CK in 2 days. Pretty nervous, but hoping my practice scores are legitimate and that this all works out! Good luck everyone!

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

hey yall need some advice because I'm neurotic and crazy ( but arent we all ?)
Uwsa1:242 (4weeks ago)
Uwsa2:240 (6 days out)
Free120:83% (1wkago)
Nbme 8:213 (2wks ago)-wtf?
-so my question is yall think im have a good shot at getting 245-250? or should i push it back?
-im taking it on the 25th...

 

[nux1991]

I got 247 on NBME 6, and it was 90% (18 incorrect).

Step 1: 241
UWorld 1st pass: ~78%
UWorld 2nd pass: 90%
NBME 6 (baseline): 247
UWSA 1 (1 week later): 261
UWSA 2 (1 week later): 261

CK in 2 days. Pretty nervous, but hoping my practice scores are legitimate and that this all works out! Good luck everyone!

Thanks! Steep curve for nbme 6. Looks like you did great at your UWSAs, let us know how it goes and good luck!

 

[hushhush88]

I really could use your advice guys, in some serious distress.

step 1: 236

start of dedicated to establish baseline, nbme 6: 190
finished uworld (3 weeks later), took uwsa1: 245
5 days later (today), nbme 8: 209

My exam is in 6 days. MD applying to EM, really wondering if I should push my exam back because if I fail I can kiss any chance of matching goodbye.

Really could use the help.

Did you end up taking the exam? I have the exact same uwsa1 and NBME 8 scores as you. And I'm wondering if I should push back.

 

[hushhush88]

hey yall need some advice because I'm neurotic and crazy ( but arent we all ?)
Uwsa1:242 (4weeks ago)
Uwsa2:240 (6 days out)
Free120:83% (1wkago)
Nbme 8:213 (2wks ago)-wtf?
-so my question is yall think im have a good shot at getting 245-250? or should i push it back?
-im taking it on the 25th...

Is NBME 8 a good predictor?

 

[electrolight]

Is NBME 8 a good predictor?

I doubt it. I took uwsa2 and got a 243 after I felt I made so many dumb mistakes.

The next day performed pretty well for myself (less dumb mistakes) and got a 235

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I doubt it. I took uwsa2 and got a 243 after I felt I made so many dumb mistakes.

The next day performed pretty well for myself (less dumb mistakes) and got a 235

this is how i felt on mine too. i switched 6 correct answers to incorrect answers... the 1% of people pick -_-

 

[MandM]

Longtime lurker, this thread helped me a lot (mostly mentally ) while preparing/taking/ now waiting for Step 2, and I wanted to return the favor in case this helps anyone else. OK fine and also wanted to channel my overwhelming anxiety into something productive/positive; I think I may get my score tomorrow and freak-out has ensued.. I'm having day-mares of seeing a "205" on my computer screen....

Stats:
Study time: 3 weeks
Step 2 Goal: >245, ideally 250+
UWSA 1: 261 (3 weeks out)
NBME 8: 255 (2 weeks out)
NBME 7: 245 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 257 (4 days out)
NBME 6: 255 (3 days out)

Step 2CK: ???? (May 30th)

I did well on 3rd year Shelf exams (other than surgery (LOL. It's a miracle I passed that thing) all 80-99th+ percentile) and really focused on building endurance re-question volume. I reset UWorld and tried to do at least 150 questions/day, usually 200. I also took every practice test available (I strongly suggest taking all NBMEs, even the dreaded NBME 7, as they felt more similar to the real thing to me) and reviewed my practice shelves (I screenshotted them during 3rd year) on areas I felt weak in. I also listened to OME (highly recommend neuro, Intern content electrolytes, respiratory, NOT PSYCH) when I was walking around/ on my way to a yoga/spin class.

The actual test felt... fine? I guess? Not good... It didn't feel quite as brutal as NBME 7 did as I was taking it, but that's not saying much. If anyone took the Family Medicine shelf I actually found it most similar to that in terms of vague questions, odd 'one step more' types of questions. I had about 10-15 minutes left over in each block to review answers, which was about on par with my practice NBMEs and more than my UWSAs.

Of note, I dropped -15 points on my actual Step 1 compared to my practice exams, so my anxiety isn't TOTALLY misplaced. However I also had some unforeseen medical issues going on when I took it (step 1) and obviously should have pushed it back.

Anyone know what time scores are released? I'm on an elective but I don't know if I'll be able to prevent myself from checking it surreptisiously while in the hospital..

 

[MandM]

do the cms exams help for step2ck? i didn't do them during the school year but I'm in dedicated right now and was wondering if they are helpful? also which ones should i do?

I would say definitely for this, but only if you have the answers (Facebook? someone else created answer keys? find a study group and go over them together?). The more questions you can do by the creators of the test the better...

 

[MandM]

Hey guys, took nbme 8 offline so don't really have a score correlation I was wondering what 25 incorrect would be around?

Tried to find it, but couldn't see any posts on the internet thanks.

I can tell you that I got a 255 on NBME8 and got 20 questions wrong.

 

[MandM]

Does the permit trick still work? Like if your permit for CK disappeared?

Mine was gone a week or so after I took it (the first time I checked) so not sure it means anything?

 

[bloop213]

Think it depends on when your expiration period ends. My permits disappeared on Sunday, just like with Step 1

 

[StanktheTank]

so when you guys say permit disappears do you guys mean the box that you can click for the permit? or when you click on the box it says not available???
totally forgot from step 1.
I took mine June 3rd and not sure if i will get my score this tomorrow or next week. really hoping for this week

 

[bloop213]

I believe if your eligibility period has not passed, then your permit should go away the sunday before results come out. That's what happened to me for Step 1, and both my CK and CS permits disappeared two days ago. Also, if this is your last step 2 exam (either step 2 ck or cs or you are getting results same week), I would try the trick that's on the 6/20/18 step 2 CS thread. The idea is you can sign up for Step 3 if you passed.

 

[bloop213]

so when you guys say permit disappears do you guys mean the box that you can click for the permit? or when you click on the box it says not available???
totally forgot from step 1.
I took mine June 3rd and not sure if i will get my score this tomorrow or next week. really hoping for this week

The box goes away

 

[TrashCanMan]

.

 

[MightBeACylon439]

Took it today,

I don't even know what to say. Completely blindsided. Absolutely more difficult that UWorld or UWSA. Tons of random Step 1 concepts. Had large amounts of Ob/gyn, peds, and vague psychiatry more than any other system by far. Third year pass 85%, half of Uworld in dedicated 95%, UWSAs >265, but don't think I'll get above 250. Only been an hour and count at least 15 wrong.

I still think about how rough this **** was. I am not looking forward to seeing my score. Averaged over 250 on my UWSA's but I fear seeing a 220 or lower pop up the day scores come in.

 

[idhope]

I just got my score: 251

My preparation period was 3 months, started 10 days after taking step 1 exam which helped me a lot. I did UW twice then Incorrect Qs.

UW 1st: 68% (5 weeks to exam)
NBME 6: 231 (5 weeks)
UW 2nd: 84% (2 weeks)
NBME 7: 239 (3 weeks)
NBME 8: 239 (2 weeks)
UWSA 1: 260 (10 days)
USWA 2 262 (5 days)

Please note that I am good at standardized exams and my step 1 score was 10 points above my highest NBME.

I know this was posted a while ago but could you please elaborate a bit on how you studied for the last 4 weeks?? Thanks!

 

[carbonic_anhydrase]

Got my score today
Nbme 6 -203
Uwsa 1-240 (2 weeks after nbme)
Nbme 8-226
Uwsa 2-237
Real deal 229
Disappointed.Thought I could trust my assessments and beat at least 230.Target was 240
But anyway happy it’s over
Good luck everyone!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Virgo32]

Got my score today
Nbme 6 -203
Uwsa 1-240 (2 weeks after nbme)
Nbme 8-226
Uwsa 2-237
Real deal 229
Disappointed.Thought I could trust my assessments and beat at least 230.Target was 240
But anyway happy it’s over
Good luck everyone!

congratulations on passing the exam. please share your opinion why your score dropped? was exam so hard? I'm having difficulty in understanding drug Ad questions. please tell me how did you study that?

 

[carbonic_anhydrase]

congratulations on passing the exam. please share your opinion why your score dropped? was exam so hard? I'm having difficulty in understanding drug Ad questions. please tell me how did you study that?

I barely slept the day before exam,maybe that was the problem.The exam was hard but doable.A lot of statistics,like 3-4 question in every second block.One drug ad,I left it to the end.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I barely slept the day before exam,maybe that was the problem.The exam was hard but doable.A lot of statistics,like 3-4 question in every second block.One drug ad,I left it to the end.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

im guessin the trend holds true. Biostats/ethics/OB

 

[PSYCH2019]

im guessin the trend holds true. Biostats/ethics/OB

I took it yesterday and I would say 120-150 of my questions for Ob Gyn, and I had about 50-75 peds which was exceedingly frustrating. The stats and ethics were very minimal and manageable.

 

[Dr.Jekyll75]

I took it yesterday and I would say 120-150 of my questions for Ob Gyn, which was exceedingly frustrating

Point for Dr. krieger

 

[throwaway9999999999]

I took it yesterday and I would say 120-150 of my questions for Ob Gyn, and I had about 50-75 peds which was exceedingly frustrating. The stats and ethics were very minimal and manageable.

Was it all left field or did UW+ OME cover it?

 

[PSYCH2019]

Was it all left field or did UW+ OME cover it?

Like everything with step 2 a fair amount was covered, but a portion you couldn't prepare for

 

[MandM]

Got my score today. Was freaking out (see post above lol). Clearly my experience holds true regarding the accuracy of the UWSAs and the NBMEs slightly under-predicting my score.

Study time: 3 weeks
Step 2 Goal: >245, ideally 250+
UWSA 1: 261 (3 weeks out)
NBME 8: 255 (2 weeks out)
NBME 7: 245 (1 week out)
UWSA 2: 257 (4 days out)
NBME 6: 255 (3 days out)

Step 2 CK: 259

Of note, I took it on a Wednesday and received my score 3 Wednesdays (21 days) later. My scheduling permit disappeared a week after I took the exam, no relation to when I received my score. Interestingly the breakdown of how I did was in the average-> a bit above average range, so that's kind of weird (good curve I guess?).

 

[Phe0chroma]

@MandM congrats!! My practice scores were definitely under yours but am hoping just for a 250.

Speaking to the curve, did you also count stupid mistakes after the exam? I keep thinking of random step 1 questions I shouldve gotten right or impulsive decisions on ethics questions. I had similar stupid mistakes on my NBMEs and would be happy with my last NBME score if it comes down to it (245).

 

[MandM]

@MandM congrats!! My practice scores were definitely under yours but am hoping just for a 250.

Speaking to the curve, did you also count stupid mistakes after the exam? I keep thinking of random step 1 questions I shouldve gotten right or impulsive decisions on ethics questions. I had similar stupid mistakes on my NBMEs and would be happy with my last NBME score if it comes down to it (245).

I really tried not to look too much up after the test. Many of the questions I initially tried researching were ones I couldn't find the answers to... Mostly because some of the questions were just so vague. Like it wasn't a problem of not remembering a fact, it was that there was information missing in the question stem and therefore I could make an argument for two plausible answers, so googling wasn't going to do me any good.

That said, I know I missed some Step 1 content questions, like specific inborn errors of metabolism, but I expected that... I'm also pretty weak in the blood disorders/lymphoproliferative disorders area of Step 1 content, and that showed on Step 2. I am not a very good rote-memorizer and so I didn't have high hopes for myself in those areas to begin with, and it wasn't an efficient use of my study time to attempt to memorize them all when I knew I wouldn't retain it.

No matter what, the test feels terrible (not sure if you've already taken it). I would have been shell-shocked had I not been a little bit prepared by taking NBME 7 (I thought I was failing that one) and had also recently taken the FM shelf (even worse, if possible).

*edit: just saw your post above. honestly its totally possible (likely even!) that you are remembering Step 1 question errors because you knew the content better than I did. I didn't even know enough to remember the question haha.

 

[sss2g2]

Does anyone have Emma Holiday videos or access to them that they can share? Thanks

I really tried not to look too much up after the test. Many of the questions I initially tried researching were ones I couldn't find the answers to... Mostly because some of the questions were just so vague. Like it wasn't a problem of not remembering a fact, it was that there was information missing in the question stem and therefore I could make an argument for two plausible answers, so googling wasn't going to do me any good.

That said, I know I missed some Step 1 content questions, like specific inborn errors of metabolism, but I expected that... I'm also pretty weak in the blood disorders/lymphoproliferative disorders area of Step 1 content, and that showed on Step 2. I am not a very good rote-memorizer and so I didn't have high hopes for myself in those areas to begin with, and it wasn't an efficient use of my study time to attempt to memorize them all when I knew I wouldn't retain it.

No matter what, the test feels terrible (not sure if you've already taken it). I would have been shell-shocked had I not been a little bit prepared by taking NBME 7 (I thought I was failing that one) and had also recently taken the FM shelf (even worse, if possible).

*edit: just saw your post above. honestly its totally possible (likely even!) that you are remembering Step 1 question errors because you knew the content better than I did. I didn't even know enough to remember the question haha.

Any advice on how I can prepare with the test 1 month out? Is Uworld still the best way to prepare for this test? Anything else I can do to get a score similar to yours? Thanks and congrats.

 

[MandM]

Does anyone have Emma Holiday videos or access to them that they can share? Thanks


Any advice on how I can prepare with the test 1 month out? Is Uworld still the best way to prepare for this test? Anything else I can do to get a score similar to yours? Thanks and congrats.

I think the best way to prepare really depends on where you're starting. The baseline test will help with that (I used UWSA1 for this). In terms of preparation there's the content knowledge and then there's preparing for the actual test, i.e. test-taking skills and building endurance. I finished UWorld the first time around throughout third year (I used it to prepare for shelves) and took every NBME practice shelf for each exam.

The 3 weeks of dedicated Step 2 studying were spent mostly on building endurance (doing 150-200 UWorld questions/day.) and taking every practice test available because my content knowledge was pretty strong after third year. In terms of content I think that UWorld has the best content/ algorithms of any resource. I will say that the actual exam seemed to go at least one step further than UWorld but I have not come across a resource that would have helped. If you need to increase content knowledge OME is also a great resource, especially if you're walking somewhere (I listened to it for efficiency's sake). If you haven't done all of the NBME CSSAs (I think thats what they're called?) for medicine, family medicine, OB and peds I strongly suggest doing them if you have the time and access to answer keys (or do them in a group so you can review answers), but obviously prioritize the UWSAs and NBME 6,7,8 (I didn't have time to review all of my previous CSSAs and it was OK.) The more questions you see by the writers of the test the better you will be at pattern recognition day-of.

Other than that, sleep and exercise.

 

[dragqueen]

Hey y'all, first time poster. I think there is probably something unhealthy about my use of these forums, but people sharing their data has been beneficial to me, and since I'm closer to average than most posters here figure I may as well share. So far it looks like 11 posters on this thread did better on the real deal than NBME 8, compared to one who did a bit worse. Most of those also had UWSA's within about 10 points of NBME 8. That's a bit reassuring for me. A dean insisted that NBME is more predictive and UWSA tends to overestimate, but my classmates who have taken it recently mostly say UWSA was closer for them.

Step 1: 238

NBME 6 baseline : 203 (ouch...)
NBME 7 after a week of reading with some questions: 207 (lol still failing very shame wow self hatred)

mostly paused for a 4 week rotation...don't think I lost any momentum or knowledge in that time luckily.

UWSA1 after ~1 week of 120 questions/day: 247
NBME 8 with 5 more days of questions: 233

So, looks like questions get the goods. 1 week left, guess I'll keep doing my thing and take UWSA2, hopefully that will be a confidence booster.

Good luck to you folks.

 

[centralperk]

Hey everyone! I just got back my Step 2 CK score yesterday and just wanted to share my experience. I would rank myself just above average in my class and received just above average grades on my COMSAE exams (DO version of Shelf exams), too.

Step 1: 239
-- Scored consistently in the 200-215 range on my NBMEs, but UWSA 2 undershot my score by 7 points two weeks out. Since NBMEs were not predictive of my score at all, I decided not to purchase any of them for Step 2 studying.

Step 2 CK: 249
--Finished my 1st pass of UWorld just prior to the end of 3rd year. I used my 1.5 weeks of dedicated study time between 3rd-4th and tried to do as many questions as I could on my 2nd pass of UWorld prior to the real exam.

UWSA 1: 222 (61.3%, 6 weeks out)
UWorld 1st pass: 61%
UWorld 2nd pass: 75.6% (Finished ~60% of the questions)
UWSA 2: 240 (68%, 1 week out)

I am so happy that my score improved from Step 1. If you have read the other posts in this thread, you will most likely feel miserable coming out of the exam (as I did), but be confident in yourself and stay focused. I wanted to push my Step 2 to a later date after taking UWSA 2, but I knew myself and couldn't study in the same capacity any more.

Good luck to you all on your exams!

 

[RadX]

I know this was posted a while ago but could you please elaborate a bit on how you studied for the last 4 weeks?? Thanks!

I did the incorrect Qs only + weekly NBME or UWSA.

 

[sss2g2]

Hey everyone! I just got back my Step 2 CK score yesterday and just wanted to share my experience. I would rank myself just above average in my class and received just above average grades on my COMSAE exams (DO version of Shelf exams), too.

Step 1: 239
-- Scored consistently in the 200-215 range on my NBMEs, but UWSA 2 undershot my score by 7 points two weeks out. Since NBMEs were not predictive of my score at all, I decided not to purchase any of them for Step 2 studying.

Step 2 CK: 249
--Finished my 1st pass of UWorld just prior to the end of 3rd year. I used my 1.5 weeks of dedicated study time between 3rd-4th and tried to do as many questions as I could on my 2nd pass of UWorld prior to the real exam.

UWSA 1: 222 (61.3%, 6 weeks out)
UWorld 1st pass: 61%
UWorld 2nd pass: 75.6% (Finished ~60% of the questions)
UWSA 2: 240 (68%, 1 week out)

I am so happy that my score improved from Step 1. If you have read the other posts in this thread, you will most likely feel miserable coming out of the exam (as I did), but be confident in yourself and stay focused. I wanted to push my Step 2 to a later date after taking UWSA 2, but I knew myself and couldn't study in the same capacity any more.

Good luck to you all on your exams!

Congratulations. Similar stats as you hitting the same percent on my first pass with about 6 weeks to go. Were you using anything else besides Uworld? Also how did you study Uworld in your last few weeks. Thanks

 

[751866]

I'm not trying to rain on the parade, but the creators of these test explicitly say that scores from different Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 are not comparable with one another. A 250 on Step 1 is not the same as a 250 on Step 2; the score distributions are also shifted about 10 points to the right. A 250 on Step 1 is about the 85th percentile but is about the 70-75th on Step 2.

 

[NK9]

Uworld 1st pass: 65%
2nd pass: 89%
UWSA1: 248 (10 days out)
UWSA2: 242 (3 days out)

Really hoping for the best at this point. Took the exam on Monday. I don't even know how i feel. Everytime i think about how i changed a few right answers to the wrong one right before the block ended, or how i left majority of biostats to the end (even though i practiced it well, i convinced myself that i might not get it right so might as well save it till the end) and ended up running out of time and making random guesses on a good amount of biostats questions.

At this point im just pushing the exam out of mind and trying not to think about it at all because i feel like i'll remember more questions i mightve missed.

Also, did anyone else feel that a good chunk of it was vague? I had quite a few questions where uworld covered that topic sure, but not the specific part the exam was asking me and i was just making educated guesses. Anyone else feel this way?

 

[drwatson1575]

Uworld 1st pass: 65%
2nd pass: 89%
UWSA1: 248 (10 days out)
UWSA2: 242 (3 days out)

Really hoping for the best at this point. Took the exam on Monday. I don't even know how i feel. Everytime i think about how i changed a few right answers to the wrong one right before the block ended, or how i left majority of biostats to the end (even though i practiced it well, i convinced myself that i might not get it right so might as well save it till the end) and ended up running out of time and making random guesses on a good amount of biostats questions.

At this point im just pushing the exam out of mind and trying not to think about it at all because i feel like i'll remember more questions i mightve missed.

Also, did anyone else feel that a good chunk of it was vague? I had quite a few questions where uworld covered that topic sure, but not the specific part the exam was asking me and i was just making educated guesses. Anyone else feel this way?

I certainly did!!!

 

[NK9]

I'm not trying to rain on the parade, but the creators of these test explicitly say that scores from different Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 are not comparable with one another. A 250 on Step 1 is not the same as a 250 on Step 2; the score distributions are also shifted about 10 points to the right. A 250 on Step 1 is about the 85th percentile but is about the 70-75th on Step 2.

Your statement is valid. But the one thing i keep hearing from my seniors who matched is that in their interviews the program directors, regardless of how low or how high their scores were, were impressed solely by the fact that they improved from Step 1 to Step 2.

 

[751866]

Your statement is valid. But the one thing i keep hearing from my seniors who matched is that in their interviews the program directors, regardless of how low or how high their scores were, were impressed solely by the fact that they improved from Step 1 to Step 2.

That may be the case, but they can be incorrect. Them perceiving improvement doesn't make it so. There's a lot of numerical illiteracy out there, but that doesn't change the actual facts. The scores are not comparable, and the distributions are shifted. It surprises me that it's perceived contrary to easily obtainable interpretations directly from people who make the test.

I agree that people may view it this way, but it is an incorrect interpretation.