USMLE Official 2018 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

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Qester

Qester

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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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Just got my score today. I passed!!! 230's range. Could've been better but just to glad to have passed this exam.

Hope everyone who got their scores today pass! One step closer to the destination!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
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Hello guys!
I juat finished uwsa2 and although I received a satisfying score, I found it REALLY hard. It was by far the most difficult assessment that I have encountered. I also struggled with time in all 4 blocks.
so I would like to ask you compared to uwsa2 was your step2 real exam harder???
 
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Hey guys, got my score Wednesday!!! 252!!!!

STEP1: 226
STEP2CK: 252
NBME 6: 226 (1 month out)
No UWSA taken, I didn't have time :drowning:
SHELF averages: Medicine: WAYYYY below average, first rotation, almost failed it.
All others: Average->well above average

So how did I do it?

I used AMBOSS very heavily through 3rd year after bombing my Medicine SHELF. I never had trouble memorizing material, but I always struggled to decipher that relevant material in a question stem and couldn't rule out what pieces of information were extraneous. AMBOSS taught me how to do this, much better than UWorld did. AMBOSS taught me test-taking skills--and I've ALWAYS been an average test taker.

I used AMBOSS religiously through every block, and then used Uworld immediately before the SHELF. It took time, but AMBOSS taught me strategy and a decent amount of material, and then I applied it to Uworld. I kept a running UWorld Journal (google it!) and went over my incorrects before the SHELF. I started dominating SHELF exams.

For dedicated, I took 1 month and really wanted to kill it. I put AMBOSS aside, reset Uworld, and did Uworld again--NOTHING ELSE. I was meticulously updating my Uworld Journal in the process. 3-4 days before the exam, I learned the hell out of my Uworld journal.

The exam felt terrible. It was vague. Uworld and AMBOSS taught me how to rule out the blatantly wrong answer choices, and a lot was guessing between two answers.

I was thrilled to have jumped 26 points from STEP1.

I was so tired of being average. This feels good.
 
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madrid1117 said:
Hey guys, got my score Wednesday!!! 252!!!!

STEP1: 226
STEP2CK: 252
NBME 6: 226 (1 month out)
No UWSA taken, I didn't have time :drowning:
SHELF averages: Medicine: WAYYYY below average, first rotation, almost failed it.
All others: Average->well above average

So how did I do it?

I used AMBOSS very heavily through 3rd year after bombing my Medicine SHELF. I never had trouble memorizing material, but I always struggled to decipher that relevant material in a question stem and couldn't rule out what pieces of information were extraneous. AMBOSS taught me how to do this, much better than UWorld did. AMBOSS taught me test-taking skills--and I've ALWAYS been an average test taker.

I used AMBOSS religiously through every block, and then used Uworld immediately before the SHELF. It took time, but AMBOSS taught me strategy and a decent amount of material, and then I applied it to Uworld. I kept a running UWorld Journal (google it!) and went over my incorrects before the SHELF. I started dominating SHELF exams.

For dedicated, I took 1 month and really wanted to kill it. I put AMBOSS aside, reset Uworld, and did Uworld again--NOTHING ELSE. I was meticulously updating my Uworld Journal in the process. 3-4 days before the exam, I learned the hell out of my Uworld journal.

The exam felt terrible. It was vague. Uworld and AMBOSS taught me how to rule out the blatantly wrong answer choices, and a lot was guessing between two answers.

I was thrilled to have jumped 26 points from STEP1.

I was so tired of being average. This feels good.
Click to expand...

congrats...thats quiet a score! and congrats on bettering yourself as a test taker thats a bigger accomplishment :)
 
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Congrats!
Did anyone try free 120 questions? Howd u rate the difficulty compared to the real deal?

I just did a block and got 8 questions wrong :(
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Congrats!
Did anyone try free 120 questions? Howd u rate the difficulty compared to the real deal?

I just did a block and got 8 questions wrong :(
Click to expand...

I took the Free 120 five days out from the test and found it a lot more difficult than the Free 150 from Step 1.

For reference, I scored 96% for the Step 1 Free 150 and 88% for the Step 2 Free 120, eventually scoring 260+ on Step 1 and 270+ on Step 2.

Not even sure why I had a harder time with the Step 2 samples.

Good luck!
 
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If expecting results this week, when should the permit disappear (does this mean anything if it doesn't?) and when should we attempt the Step 3 sign up process? Thanks.
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Congrats!
Did anyone try free 120 questions? Howd u rate the difficulty compared to the real deal?

I just did a block and got 8 questions wrong :(
Click to expand...
those questions were VERY easy and simple to the point. the actual exam is very hard and vague, almost as if it covers material not available in uw or other resources.
 
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LowContrast said:
I took the Free 120 five days out from the test and found it a lot more difficult than the Free 150 from Step 1.

For reference, I scored 96% for the Step 1 Free 150 and 88% for the Step 2 Free 120, eventually scoring 260+ on Step 1 and 270+ on Step 2.

Not even sure why I had a harder time with the Step 2 samples.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thx for sharing ur experience.
I ended up getting an 85% on free 120. (And had 92% on step 1 free 150). The first block freaked me out.
My uworld average is also around 85%.

Since the step 2 assessments are not as predictive as the step 1 assessments, how does one know they r ready for the exam? And what should be done in the last couple of weeks??
 
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madrid1117 said:
Hey guys, got my score Wednesday!!! 252!!!!

STEP1: 226
STEP2CK: 252
NBME 6: 226 (1 month out)
No UWSA taken, I didn't have time :drowning:
SHELF averages: Medicine: WAYYYY below average, first rotation, almost failed it.
All others: Average->well above average

So how did I do it?

I used AMBOSS very heavily through 3rd year after bombing my Medicine SHELF. I never had trouble memorizing material, but I always struggled to decipher that relevant material in a question stem and couldn't rule out what pieces of information were extraneous. AMBOSS taught me how to do this, much better than UWorld did. AMBOSS taught me test-taking skills--and I've ALWAYS been an average test taker.

I used AMBOSS religiously through every block, and then used Uworld immediately before the SHELF. It took time, but AMBOSS taught me strategy and a decent amount of material, and then I applied it to Uworld. I kept a running UWorld Journal (google it!) and went over my incorrects before the SHELF. I started dominating SHELF exams.

For dedicated, I took 1 month and really wanted to kill it. I put AMBOSS aside, reset Uworld, and did Uworld again--NOTHING ELSE. I was meticulously updating my Uworld Journal in the process. 3-4 days before the exam, I learned the hell out of my Uworld journal.

The exam felt terrible. It was vague. Uworld and AMBOSS taught me how to rule out the blatantly wrong answer choices, and a lot was guessing between two answers.

I was thrilled to have jumped 26 points from STEP1.

I was so tired of being average. This feels good.
Click to expand...

This seems weirdly like an advert for amboss... lol

i will try it tho, tired of uw, and kaplan qbank was useless
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Thx for sharing ur experience.
I ended up getting an 85% on free 120. (And had 92% on step 1 free 150). The first block freaked me out.
My uworld average is also around 85%.

Since the step 2 assessments are not as predictive as the step 1 assessments, how does one know they r ready for the exam? And what should be done in the last couple of weeks??
Click to expand...
i would say just hammer home those points that are very volitle for you. ... ethics and small tidbits,. vaccines etc..
everything else youve already learned
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Thx for sharing ur experience.
I ended up getting an 85% on free 120. (And had 92% on step 1 free 150). The first block freaked me out.
My uworld average is also around 85%.

Since the step 2 assessments are not as predictive as the step 1 assessments, how does one know they r ready for the exam? And what should be done in the last couple of weeks??
Click to expand...

I tried to do all the practice tests I could (NBMEs 6, 7, 8, UWSA 1&2, Free 120, a bunch of CMS forms).

I also did 5 full-length practice runs during the last 4 weeks, I think those helped a lot.
 
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Anyone feel like the test blindsighted them? I know that they recently changed the exam format, but mine was no where near UWSA or Uworld. 80% of the questions I was like wtf...

UWSA 1 254, UWSA 2 261. Freaking out here
 
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quick question!
Did you take the free 120 questions test at home or in the prometric as a practice session?
 
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.hematoma. said:
Anyone feel like the test blindsighted them? I know that they recently changed the exam format, but mine was no where near UWSA or Uworld. 80% of the questions I was like wtf...

UWSA 1 254, UWSA 2 261. Freaking out here
Click to expand...

In what way and when did they change the test format?
 
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Step 1- 246

Prep 2-3 months; mostly Uworld
UWSA 2-232
Exam 10/5- Lots of vague questions; felt bad walking out of the test.
Result 10/24 (3rd wednesday)- 230
 
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I received it at 10:30 am. I passed! 235. I had a weird study trajectory. UWSA1 248, UWSA2 226, NBME 8 220. My real score was the average of my UWSAs. That exam is a monster. Never really felt like I had it under control like I did with Step I.
 
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First time poster, I appreciate this thread, it helped put my mind at ease during the wait for the results. The FSMB trick worked for me, the day before during the AM.

CK: 226, UWSA 1: 240 -- 3 weeks out, UWSA 2: 238 -- 2 weeks out, Uworld 2nd pass: 81%, No NBMEs.

Just like everyone before me said, this exam is a beast, post-exam you feel terrible and unsure of yourself. Brace yourself for an mentally draining marathon, be well rested and pack high caloric snacks during your breaks. Content wise tips? Ethics, Biostats, know them for lots of easy points, a majority of the questions were left down to educated 50/50 guesses, Uworld and study aids help you deduct the obvious distractors.

Basically it, goodluck everyone, thanks again!
 
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So far I remember around 20 questions from my test and turns out I got 15 wrong. Does this mean I likely failed? Has anyone had the experience of checking their answers after the test, finding that they got most wrong, but still passing?
 
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Questionarius said:
So far I remember around 20 questions from my test and turns out I got 15 wrong. Does this mean I likely failed? Has anyone had the experience of checking their answers after the test, finding that they got most wrong, but still passing?
Click to expand...
I had my test today and I think I messed it up. Freaking out!!
 
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Questionarius said:
So far I remember around 20 questions from my test and turns out I got 15 wrong. Does this mean I likely failed? Has anyone had the experience of checking their answers after the test, finding that they got most wrong, but still passing?
Click to expand...
I remember having flashbacks after step 1 and mostly about the Q's I found difficult or confusing..so I think as humans we tend to remember the traumatising questions more.. I hope you get your desired score.
How were your assessment scores?
 
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Northerncardinal said:
How were your assessment scores? Majority of the people have similar postexam feelings but they end up doing well. So don't worry.

Did you have any step 1 related stuff on your exam?
Click to expand...
I had a 243(SA1) and a 240(SA2). There were questions definitely from step 1, but I wouldn't recommend studying for those weird questions. They were based on pure recall.

Other than that, the questions on clinical management were easy/weird but the timing was an issue. I would suggest reading the first two lines and the last three lines of long stem questions and skim the rest.

Good luck! Feel free to ask any questions.
 
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graduatedoc230 said:
I had a 243(SA1) and a 240(SA2). There were questions definitely from step 1, but I wouldn't recommend studying for those weird questions. They were based on pure recall.

Other than that, the questions on clinical management were easy/weird but the timing was an issue. I would suggest reading the first two lines and the last three lines of long stem questions and skim the rest.

Good luck! Feel free to ask any questions.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Appreciate your suggestions. How was Biostats and ethics? Do you feel uworld and step1 knowledge enough for these?
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Thanks! Appreciate your suggestions. How was Biostats and ethics? Do you feel uworld and step1 knowledge enough for these?
Click to expand...
In my test biostatistics was pretty straight forward. Uworld more than enough. Ethics again I would say weird. If you know it you know it, otherwise you will choose the wrong answer even if you have the whole day to think about it. Lol.
 
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graduatedoc230 said:
In my test biostatistics was pretty straight forward. Uworld more than enough. Ethics again I would say weird. If you know it you know it, otherwise you will choose the wrong answer even if you have the whole day to think about it. Lol.
Click to expand...
please,which book can we read for such ethics questions
 
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how are you guys taking your nbme? are you just doing the 4 nbme blocks while you're still fresh or do you try to simulate full tests? i did UWSA last week fresh and got a 252, today i did first 4 blocks uworld and then nbme6 and got a 228. anyone an idea how to interpret this?
 
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graduatedoc230 said:
I can not suggest any book in particular. I am an IMG and all I used was Uworld. I did solve a few questions from AMBOSS and I would HIGHLY NOT RECOMMEND it!
Click to expand...
LIKE THE ETHICS QUESTIONS,WHAT WAS THE MAIN TEAM, INSURANCE,PATIENT SAFETY OR SOMETHING ELSE?? ANY answer will be of great help.im ALSO AN IMG.
 
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Wipp said:
how are you guys taking your nbme? are you just doing the 4 nbme blocks while you're still fresh or do you try to simulate full tests? i did UWSA last week fresh and got a 252, today i did first 4 blocks uworld and then nbme6 and got a 228. anyone an idea how to interpret this?
Click to expand...
Based on are what i have heard, Nbmes are quite unpredictive unlike for step 1.
I simulated with nbme 7 and 4 few days back and ended up getting very different scores..so not sure about the predictive value.
 
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Northerncardinal said:
Based on are what i have heard, Nbmes are quite unpredictive unlike for step 1.
I simulated with nbme 7 and 4 few days back and ended up getting very different scores..so not sure about the predictive value.
Click to expand...


i heard from a lot of people that uwsa is the better predictor if you take in account that it tends to overpredict - just a 24 point difference between uwsa and nbme is little hard
 
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gigabyte237 said:
LIKE THE ETHICS QUESTIONS,WHAT WAS THE MAIN TEAM, INSURANCE,PATIENT SAFETY OR SOMETHING ELSE?? ANY answer will be of great help.im ALSO AN IMG.
Click to expand...
Like I mentioned earlier, they were vague. The most frustrating part of CK is that you hardly remember your questions post-test. This increases post-test anxiety. I hope this time passes smoothly for all of us.
 
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graduatedoc230 said:
Like I mentioned earlier, they were vague. The most frustrating part of CK is that you hardly remember your questions post-test. This increases post-test anxiety. I hope this time passes smoothly for all of us.
Click to expand...
Thats true! I took it today and I can barely recall a few questions. Really vague concepts, many 50-50 questions and really long long long stems
 
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wrote today.it was hell but i can remember most of the questions. it feels like a truck just hit me. whoever started that rhetoric" uworld only is enough" needs prayers and scourging.
 
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graduatedoc230 said:
Do you mind sharing your self-assessment scores?
Click to expand...
yes of course!
nbme 6 (baseline 10w out) :225
nbme 7 (6w out) :215
uwsa 1 (6w out) :247
nbme 8 (2.5w out) :243
uwsa 2 (1.5w out) :260s (however thats not a true score bc I cheated in some qs-found it so hard that I was desperate :p )
uw% :77%
 
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gigabyte237 said:
wrote today.it was hell but i can remember most of the questions. it feels like a truck just hit me. whoever started that rhetoric" uworld only is enough" needs prayers and scourging.
Click to expand...

do you mind sharing what made you thing uworld wasnt enough? I am about to take the test in 3 weeks or so....got any last minute tips? what did you feel might have helped you more in terms of prep. TIA
 
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Congrats everyone! Some amazing scores on this board. I was a different student who was really just hoping to pass the exam. I just wanted to encourage others out there really struggling in their preparation for Step 2CK. I took NBME 8 one week before my exam and got a 200. I just got my score today and got a 231. Not an amazing score, but I was just so happy to have passed the exam. You can do it!

I heard the UWSA's are better predictors but I didn't take any.. stay away from the NBME's! My confidence was completely crushed after NBME 8.
 
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Doc2b82 said:
do you mind sharing what made you thing uworld wasnt enough? I am about to take the test in 3 weeks or so....got any last minute tips? what did you feel might have helped you more in terms of prep. TIA
Click to expand...
seriously ,i cant name a single qbank which will help you grade risk factors in order of importance. revise endocrino from uw3 pay attention to the use of lispro and glargine insuln. orthopedics from amboss. biostatistics and ethics from uw3. this will get you,easy points in the exam.
 
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NBME's = 230, 240, 250
UWSA = 240, 250

real score = 250's

Thank you everyone for your tips. I probably still will have a difficult time matching given that my step1 is 50 points lower (personal problems). Even though it is not an impressive score, im still very happy that I can prove to myself I can do about average
 
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question for the ones who recently wrote step2ck - how is the question style compared to uworld and nbme? more like uworld (long questions stems w lots of information) or like nbme (very short questions)

imo uworld and nbme are totally different and require different strategies...
 
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