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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[sisha]

Hi congratulations. A pass is a pass and I would take that score any day! Quick question. Did you take Step 1 as well? What advice would you give to someone who is just starting studying. I feel absolutely lost as to what resources I should use. It seems resources are so scarce compared to Step 1. People say to not use First Aid for Step 2 CK at all. How would you recommend one should use it and any other tips/advice on how to pass this exam. Thank you again and congratulations. I hope you will have a similar result for CS!

Hello! So the best advice I could give, and it is also the best advice I have gotten from my classmates who passed;
Take your time.

I went through the questions I got wrong from UWSA; word by word, and I went through the chapters in First Aid, slowly. I really feel like it is important to distinguish the right answer and the answer that look very similar to the correct one, but it is not. I wrote it down in my little Uworld journal; a Word doc that contains all the questions I got wrong. NBMEs are the great predictor of your actual score. Go through all the questions you got wrong, and understand why you picked the wrong answer. If I could go back, I would definitely try out more NBMEs than UWSA. Afterall, they're the ones preparing the exam questions, no?
Have a look at Online Med Ed, I cannot stress this enough, how key those videos are for my CK prep.
Dr. Williams will explain to you in a very elegant and simple way on how to distinguish the right answer from the wrong one.

Also, no book is superior than the other. It varies between individuals. I have tried Secrets, I tried MTB, I tried SUTM. You name it, I have tried them all. But to me, First Aid is so complete. You will not go into the exam and wondering "I don't recall reading that during my prep." SUTM is comprehensive as well, however, considering most of the facts are in bullet points, I don't find them that attractive to read. Again. Book choices depend on the individual itself. Some pass with MTB and Uworld. Some pass with SUTM. Find what works for you. And memorize the book.

If you're an IMG pls spend at least 3 months or more on prep. I was so impatient before, and my parents were pushing me to take it earlier, but I know, I was unprepared. I heard so many horror stories from people who failed, some failed twice. Don't rush it. When you're ready, you will know it.
Anything is better than a fail.

Best of luck!

 

[blueforest]

Feeling fine and good actually. Just scared. I know for one taking the exam is totally different from taking any UWSA or NBME.. I did study according to plan also.

Did you take the exam on the 1st? I'm rooting for you, hope everything went well. My exam is in 2 weeks.

 

[iamironman]

Hello! So the best advice I could give, and it is also the best advice I have gotten from my classmates who passed;
Take your time.

I went through the questions I got wrong from UWSA; word by word, and I went through the chapters in First Aid, slowly. I really feel like it is important to distinguish the right answer and the answer that look very similar to the correct one, but it is not. I wrote it down in my little Uworld journal; a Word doc that contains all the questions I got wrong. NBMEs are the great predictor of your actual score. Go through all the questions you got wrong, and understand why you picked the wrong answer. If I could go back, I would definitely try out more NBMEs than UWSA. Afterall, they're the ones preparing the exam questions, no?
Have a look at Online Med Ed, I cannot stress this enough, how key those videos are for my CK prep.
Dr. Williams will explain to you in a very elegant and simple way on how to distinguish the right answer from the wrong one.

Also, no book is superior than the other. It varies between individuals. I have tried Secrets, I tried MTB, I tried SUTM. You name it, I have tried them all. But to me, First Aid is so complete. You will not go into the exam and wondering "I don't recall reading that during my prep." SUTM is comprehensive as well, however, considering most of the facts are in bullet points, I don't find them that attractive to read. Again. Book choices depend on the individual itself. Some pass with MTB and Uworld. Some pass with SUTM. Find what works for you. And memorize the book.

If you're an IMG pls spend at least 3 months or more on prep. I was so impatient before, and my parents were pushing me to take it earlier, but I know, I was unprepared. I heard so many horror stories from people who failed, some failed twice. Don't rush it. When you're ready, you will know it.
Anything is better than a fail.

Best of luck!

thank you.

 

[Hughz]

Thank you... I just want to cover majority of the bases. Just to be sure.

Hi

I am about to start a solid 2-3 months revision plan.
It seems you have done most of resources, would you please advise me what to use alongside UWorld?

OME
Step up/ DIT
MTB2 MTB 3
FA

I am getting confused between these and need some guidance

Many thanks

 

[jacobus1919]

So, I never did schedule my exam last March 1, and extended it a week.

Planning on taking it this week most likely March 8.

so, here are my Prep scores..

NBME 8 = 200 (took it prior to doing uworld last year around December 2017)
NBME 6 = 239 (took it halfway I think while doing Uworld)
UWSA 1 = 241 (took it last month after finishing up Uworld)
FREE 150 = 87%
UWSA 2 = 236 (took it just today)

so, should I just take it?? Either way? any advise appreciated.

 

[RadX]

So, I never did schedule my exam last March 1, and extended it a week.

Planning on taking it this week most likely March 8.

so, here are my Prep scores..

NBME 8 = 200 (took it prior to doing uworld last year around December 2017)
NBME 6 = 239 (took it halfway I think while doing Uworld)
UWSA 1 = 241 (took it last month after finishing up Uworld)
FREE 150 = 87%
UWSA 2 = 236 (took it just today)

so, should I just take it?? Either way? any advise appreciated.

I think that will depend on your goal score and available time and money to extend your exam and stretch your study plan.

It appears from your assessment tests that you stand around 240. I think the most efficient way to improve your score is UW, maybe start with your incorrect Qs if you have limited time.

Good luck.

 

[jacobus1919]

I think that will depend on your goal score and available time and money to extend your exam and stretch your study plan.

It appears from your assessment tests that you stand around 240. I think the most efficient way to improve your score is UW, maybe start with your incorrect Qs if you have limited time.

Good luck.

Thanks. My goal is around 240. That is it. My eligibility ends this month. I have been doing incorrect Qs since finishing Uworld though.

 

[XFitWraith]

Any scores coming out today?

 

[Azmahkiani]

It's been kind of dead here as of late. Where are all the test takers (anxiety builds up)??

Sent from my FRD-L14 using SDN mobile

 

[blueforest]

It's been kind of dead here as of late. Where are all the test takers (anxiety builds up)??

Sent from my FRD-L14 using SDN mobile

I'm taking mine soon, I had horrible luck as I caught the flu and I've been battling it since Sunday night. I was sick for 2 days and then I got better. Idk what happened, but my chills, body aches, and fever returned abruptly and of course I was thinking of all the deadly things that could be happening to me. I'm still alive and pushing through UW incorrects, almost done actually. I tried SO HARD not to get sick, got the flu shot early September and kept washing my hands, bla bla bla. I did stop working out as I got closer to my test date, and I am probably eating fewer calories due to time/stress. I was also exposed to the flu in the ED at work throughout February. Sorry for the off topic, just wanted to rant. As Dr. Dustyn Williams would say, I'm sick as s*** and it SUCKS.

~ less than 2 weeks out and I'm powering through UW incorrects, reading FA in the evenings, and doing ANKI a few times a day.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

I'm taking mine soon, I had horrible luck as I caught the flu and I've been battling it since Sunday night. I was sick for 2 days and then I got better. Idk what happened, but my chills, body aches, and fever returned abruptly and of course I was thinking of all the deadly things that could be happening to me. I'm still alive and pushing through UW incorrects, almost done actually. I tried SO HARD not to get sick, got the flu shot early September and kept washing my hands, bla bla bla. I did stop working out as I got closer to my test date, and I am probably eating fewer calories due to time/stress. I was also exposed to the flu in the ED at work throughout February. Sorry for the off topic, just wanted to rant. As Dr. Dustyn Williams would say, I'm sick as s*** and it SUCKS.

~ less than 2 weeks out and I'm powering through UW incorrects, reading FA in the evenings, and doing ANKI a few times a day.

Hope you get well soon and are in great shape and form on your test day. Great that you are powering through no matter what. By the way does anyone here know of a less painful way (video/mnemonic/ anything) of memorising the paeds developmental milestones???

 

[drwatson1575]

Hope you get well soon and are in great shape and form on your test day. Great that you are powering through no matter what. By the way does anyone here know of a less painful way (video/mnemonic/ anything) of memorising the paeds developmental milestones???

I found this very useful.

CTS Medicine: How to Learn (Understand and Memorize) Pediatric Developmental Milestones

 

[Azmahkiani]

I'm taking mine soon, I had horrible luck as I caught the flu and I've been battling it since Sunday night. I was sick for 2 days and then I got better. Idk what happened, but my chills, body aches, and fever returned abruptly and of course I was thinking of all the deadly things that could be happening to me. I'm still alive and pushing through UW incorrects, almost done actually. I tried SO HARD not to get sick, got the flu shot early September and kept washing my hands, bla bla bla. I did stop working out as I got closer to my test date, and I am probably eating fewer calories due to time/stress. I was also exposed to the flu in the ED at work throughout February. Sorry for the off topic, just wanted to rant. As Dr. Dustyn Williams would say, I'm sick as s*** and it SUCKS.

~ less than 2 weeks out and I'm powering through UW incorrects, reading FA in the evenings, and doing ANKI a few times a day.

Ah man That sucks. Get well soon. I am just powering through uw as well. Got cs in 2 weeks though so will have to pause in between the grind. Keep at it. You are almost there.

Sent from my FRD-L14 using SDN mobile

 

[EGDoc1993]

I'm w8ing my results next week, will publish it.

Get well man

 

[blueforest]

I'm w8ing my results next week, will publish it.

Get well man

How long is it taking for scores nowadays? I had to wait 4 Wednesdays for step 1, is it the same for CK?

 

[EGDoc1993]

I think my results must be published on 4th wednsday, will see

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

Took it earlier this week. Will post a write-up when I get my score back.

 

[Yes we can!]

Hi guys ! I have ck in 3 days !! Scaring to death any advice ? I heard it is difficult , I realy need 250+

 

[Yes we can!]

Anyone took exam recently ?

 

[L.Messi]

I took the exam a month ago,
What do you need ?

 

[Yes we can!]

Is it realy hard as other guys say ? Compare to uworld , how was your expirience ? Will appreciate

 

[L.Messi]

I always feel the test is different from any other test. I only used uworld and tried to master it and it was enough for me.
I felt the test was easier than my step 1 ( although people say the test day is harder for step 2), mainly due to better preparation for me for the step 2, but still i felt horrible after the test.
I went through uworld twice and tried to understand the principles as much as i can.
Uwsa 1 3 weeks 258
Uwsa 2 10 days 248
Real deal 250+.
My advice is to trust yourself and trust your assessment exams.

 

[Yes we can!]

I always feel the test is different from any other test. I only used uworld and tried to master it and it was enough for me.
I felt the test was easier than my step 1 ( although people say the test day is harder for step 2), mainly due to better preparation for me for the step 2, but still i felt horrible after the test.
I went through uworld twice and tried to understand the principles as much as i can.
Uwsa 1 3 weeks 258
Uwsa 2 10 days 248
Real deal 250+.
My advice is to trust yourself and trust your assessment exams.

Tnx alot for replying to me !!!
Actually my step 1 was realy hard too !!!
My UWAS 1 is just like yours (258) and my 2 : 255
I only read uworld too, ok so its ok and normal to feel bad after the test , that's good to know !

 

[Azmahkiani]

Thanks for the nice consolation. It helps a lot when u r on the grind. Do you mind letting us know what your step 1 score was? Thanks in advance

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[L.Messi]

Tnx alot for replying to me !!!
Actually my step 1 was realy hard too !!!
My UWAS 1 is just like yours (258) and my 2 : 255
I only read uworld too, ok so its ok and normal to feel bad after the test , that's good to know !

I think you are good to go then, these are solid scores, just as i i told you trust in yourself and in your scores and try to be calm.
Hope you do great on your test.

 

[L.Messi]

My step 1 score was 230+.

 

[blueforest]

Hey guys, wow am I the only one that found the first block of UWSA form 1 insane? Last 2 blocks were great, but I almost started panicking that I will not be ready for my test next week. Got a 253, I don't understand these feelings lol. I haven't improved much from nbme form 8 (247) so it looks like it's about time to take the exam. Still have UWSA form 2 left. I'm having high test anxiety right now

 

[L.Messi]

Hey guys, wow am I the only one that found the first block of UWSA form 1 insane? Last 2 blocks were great, but I almost started panicking that I will not be ready for my test next week. Got a 253, I don't understand these feelings lol. I haven't improved much from nbme form 8 (247) so it looks like it's about time to take the exam. Still have UWSA form 2 left. I'm having high test anxiety right now

I just want to tell you, that after the first 2 blocks of UWSA 1, i felt hopeless and i felt that i am not really good ( despite feeling confident before taking the test) and i also started thinking to postpone my exam and that is all after the first block especially.
It is a normal feeling and i learned from that exam not only that i am ready to take the exam but also to be confident and try to go solve the question and leave the anxiety aside cause most propably it is false anxiety.
And this helped during the real deal.

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

Anyone have an idea of how predictive NBME 8 is? I know it came out recently and I haven't seen many people include it in their write-ups on this thread or others.

 

[Dr.Acidic]

Hey guys, wow am I the only one that found the first block of UWSA form 1 insane? Last 2 blocks were great, but I almost started panicking that I will not be ready for my test next week. Got a 253, I don't understand these feelings lol. I haven't improved much from nbme form 8 (247) so it looks like it's about time to take the exam. Still have UWSA form 2 left. I'm having high test anxiety right now

Hey man! thats a decent score, keeping pushing.can you please let us know how many mistakes you made in nbme 8 as its new we dont know its coorelation.thanks

 

[blueforest]

Hey man! thats a decent score, keeping pushing.can you please let us know how many mistakes you made in nbme 8 as its new we dont know its coorelation.thanks

Sure! My assessment score was a 540 (same exact score as my UWSA1) with 24 mistakes. NBME 8 correlated to a 247, UWSA1=253 as I mentioned earlier.

 

[Low Flow]

When should I reset UWorld and do a 2nd pass? I have been doing questions on each rotation during third year and have just about finished up my first pass (have 300 med questions left and all the surgery questions left). I just have another 6-week FM/IM rotation and a 6-week surgery rotation left (taking step 2 after that, June 29th) and wanted to get a 2nd pass of UW in before test day. How long did you all give yourself to complete a 2nd pass of UW on random?

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

When should I reset UWorld and do a 2nd pass? I have been doing questions on each rotation during third year and have just about finished up my first pass (have 300 med questions left and all the surgery questions left). I just have another 6-week FM/IM rotation and a 6-week surgery rotation left (taking step 2 after that, June 29th) and wanted to get a 2nd pass of UW in before test day. How long did you all give yourself to complete a 2nd pass of UW on random?

How much time do you have for dedicated Step 2 studying after your surgery rotation? I'd say finish those 300 medicine questions during your FM/IM rotation, do all the surgery questions during your surgery rotation, and then reset. It'll depend on how many questions you can do a day but most people seem to be able to crank out all of UWorld in ~3 weeks.

 

[Yes we can!]

Wow I am just comming from exam !!
Awful feeling !
40% of Q had 2 correct options , 40% had non , some was soso and 10% of Q were straght forward and strangly easy , no idea what I've don !!

 

[ElectricalAlternans]

Long time lurker. Got my score today.

Step 1 261

UWSA1 back in October 251
NBME 6 4 weeks prior 262
UWSA2 1 week prior 261

Real deal 265



UW is all you need. Maybe a little bit of MTB but be careful with mistakes. Trust your assessments. Super glad it is all over.

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

Long time lurker. Got my score today.

Step 1 261

UWSA1 back in October 251
NBME 6 4 weeks prior 262
UWSA2 1 week prior 261

Real deal 265



UW is all you need. Maybe a little bit of MTB but be careful of mistakes. Trust your assessments. Super glad it is all over.

Congrats. What was your exam date?

 

[ElectricalAlternans]

Congrats. What was your exam date?

February 20th.

 

[Low Flow]

How much time do you have for dedicated Step 2 studying after your surgery rotation? I'd say finish those 300 medicine questions during your FM/IM rotation, do all the surgery questions during your surgery rotation, and then reset. It'll depend on how many questions you can do a day but most people seem to be able to crank out all of UWorld in ~3 weeks.

Thanks for the advice. I took 2 weeks off after surgery to study for step 2. Figured I should be able to knock out at least 140 q/d *11d, which would put me close to finishing all of UW again. After those 2 weeks off I have my EM rotation and was thinking about moving step 2 after my EM rotation. Worried about trying to cram too much into that 2-week study window.

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

Thanks for the advice. I took 2 weeks off after surgery to study for step 2. Figured I should be able to knock out at least 140 q/d *11d, which would put me close to finishing all of UW again. After those 2 weeks off I have my EM rotation and was thinking about moving step 2 after my EM rotation. Worried about trying to cram too much into that 2-week study window.

I think moving it after EM would be ideal if you can do it.

 

[Pedia women]

Wrote my step 2 ck on the 16th of Jan, Got my result today. For anyone who needs encouragement the exam is doable. If I could you could too.

STEP 1 212
UWSA 1 228 9 weeks before exam
NBME 7 205 5 weeks before exam (this killed me gave myself an extra 2weeks and took a week off to just cry and think)
UWSA 2 248 1 week before

Real deal 246!!!

 

[Pedia women]

Congratulations, I am on a more awful situation.... I really need a good advice. I got 200 on step 1, I decided to atleast go 1 step further nd do ck... Exam was on 20 Feb .. Got the score yesterday , it's 240... Will I be able to get a residency spot ? I still have around 6 months to build my cv. But I feel sad... Can anyone please help me

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

Congratulations, I am on a more awful situation.... I really need a good advice. I got 200 on step 1, I decided to atleast go 1 step further nd do ck... Exam was on 20 Feb .. Got the score yesterday , it's 240... Will I be able to get a residency spot ? I still have around 6 months to build my cv. But I feel sad... Can anyone please help me

240 on CK is around average. If you can build your application in other areas you should be fine, although it would help to know what field you'll be applying to.

 

[Pedia women]

240 on CK is around average. If you can build your application in other areas you should be fine, although it would help to know what field you'll be applying to.

pediatrics is my subject of interest. do u think i can make it

 

[EGDoc1993]

recieved results yesterday
nbme 6 261
uwsa 2 258
uwsa 1 272
nbme 8 257
real deal 249
I felt that actual exam wasnt similar to anything, question stems were much longer on real deal than on any of the uwsa or nbme, also very vague. And as on my step 1 the statistic question wasn't similar to UW or kaplan q bank. I was thinking that I have failed so overall I'm happy with the results. My advice be prepared to read a lot of long questions

 

[Pedia women]

hey congratulations.... i also felt awful after the exams... uwsa were no closer in terms of real deal... i got 240, an average one i guess... i was scoring 254 in uwsa1 nd 250 in uwsa 2.... i was good at immuno nd psy but the score report says i screwed it. i had really worked in every possible way i could to atleast join the 50 club. i couldnt... my step 1 score is just 200..

 

[jacobus1919]

hey congratulations.... i also felt awful after the exams... uwsa were no closer in terms of real deal... i got 240, an average one i guess... i was scoring 254 in uwsa1 nd 250 in uwsa 2.... i was good at immuno nd psy but the score report says i screwed it. i had really worked in every possible way i could to atleast join the 50 club. i couldnt... my step 1 score is just 200..

I feel so awful everyday since I took my exam. I feel 100% i failed. I am now hiding in under a rock, I felt most of my answers were 50% or 100% incorrect. I think I failed

 

[blueforest]

You guys are scaring me my test is in a few days. Congrats to those who passed. @jacobus1919 relax and congrats on finishing. Don't be so hard on yourself it isn't worth it. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

It seems that recent takers agree the exam is nothing like UW. Great, that was my #1 test prep material lol.

 

[MakeAmericaGreatAgain]

You guys are scaring me my test is in a few days. Congrats to those who passed. @jacobus1919 relax and congrats on finishing. Don't be so hard on yourself it isn't worth it. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

It seems that recent takers agree the exam is nothing like UW. Great, that was my #1 test prep material lol.

Don't believe the hype. UWorld was the backbone of my prep (as it should be) and I can honestly say I didn't see any topics that I didn't have at least some familiarity with. Was the test hard? Sure it was. But was still about 60% gimmes and the rest just made you think. Remember, the UWorld writers and NBME writers are different entities. Their questions feel different.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

Don't believe the hype. UWorld was the backbone of my prep (as it should be) and I can honestly say I didn't see any topics that I didn't have at least some familiarity with. Was the test hard? Sure it was. But was still about 60% gimmes and the rest just made you think. Remember, the UWorld writers and NBME writers are different entities. Their questions feel different.

. I agree with MakeAmericaGreatAgain on this point. I wrote step 2 CK yesterday myself. I think the best prep for question STYLE is the NBME self assessment form questions. That makes sense because they are written by the people who write our exam questions. I only did about 40 NBME form four questions and spent the rest of my prep time with UW (mainly because the UW explanations in my humble opinion are a gold mine and THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU NEED. Period). Now there is one problem with UW which is that it, like phloston once said, "overtly tries to lead you down the wrong path/purposefully tries to trip you by giving misleading info intentionally". I think the NBME question writers, from what I gathered from my NBME practice question and exam experience, do not try to trip you. The reason their questions sound more vague is because I think they write scenarios which are like the ones that present to clinics. That is, in your wards/clinics, a patient, for example, who has community acquired pneumonia will not come and tell you that he has fever with chills and productive cough and pleuritic chest pain and nothing else. He will kind of give you a vague history where he may just tell you that he has a cough and fever. Will not tell you the temperature (high or low grade fever) and may not remember the exact colour of sputum and may even say that the cough is sometimes productive and sometimes not. So from there you make an overall impression by taking the labs and imaging studies and his comorbities and environmental exposures and everything. And then you will work from there. UW on the other hand will give you a more complete picture of the whole scenario so that you will be more certain about which way it is going, but UW will, every once in a while, play a mean trick on you where they will add info to the stem to purposefully throw you off the right line of reasoning. Gladly, while the questions may sound more vague, NBME DOES NOT PLAY TRICKS. If you have studied hard and done lots of practise questions (i.e. done your homework) you can trust the overall impression that forms in your mind from calmly reading the stem. So here's the short summary of what I mean: the best and most beautifully written pool of knowledge that you need for the test is the explanations of UW (full explanations, for all wrong choices included) and the best question resource is NBME self assessment questions bc they are THE USMLEs.

 

[Tunnelvision_1]

hey congratulations.... i also felt awful after the exams... uwsa were no closer in terms of real deal... i got 240, an average one i guess... i was scoring 254 in uwsa1 nd 250 in uwsa 2.... i was good at immuno nd psy but the score report says i screwed it. i had really worked in every possible way i could to atleast join the 50 club. i couldnt... my step 1 score is just 200..

Hi "pedia women" YES YOU CAN DO IT. this is a really juicy 40 point jump in score from step 1 to step 2. (200 to 240). I think if you take step 3 and pass it and have the result back by the time of your match, that may fetch you a few extra interviews from some of the community programs. And get clinical experience in the US in paeds for at least three months, preferably electives but observerships are far far better than no experience. Also very important to make sure you pass CS in the first attempt if you haven't already taken it. Super important. Also be proud of your effort. You have done the best you could and should be as proud of yourself as anyone who got 270 by doing their best. Of course 270 or 250 is a better performance no doubt, but all we can do is all we can do. And I sense you have given it your all. Which at least in my opinion is something to be proud of. Hope you make it