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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[Matsumoto99]

I was getting low 80s on a mix of timed tutor and timed test. Best of luck to everyone! It is definitely possible to improve on an average/subpar Step 1 score and kill the Step 2 CK!

 

[NK9]

Don't worry, NBME 6 has a strange curve I think. You should do much better on NBME 7 and 8. Not sure if you saw my previous posts but I ended up with a 251 on the real deal after getting a 209 on NBME 6 about 2 months out or so. I got a 244 on NBME 8 1 month before so I didn't improve much in that last month but I'm still incredibly happy with my score. I was afraid of doing worse on the real deal compared to NBME 8. Based on my experience, I would trust the UWSAs and NBME 8.

Just finished NBME 7 and got a 233. I know its not a great score but its definitely a confidence booster after my performance on NBME 6. Thank you so much for your feedback! It is very encouraging and I will save UWSA and 8 for the end. Congrats on your great score!

 

[CingulateGyro]

Wanted to share a 4 week study schedule I made for Step 2 using Uworld and OME. I hope you find it helpful! I also adapted a shorter 3 week version using UWorld and Secrets.

 

[goal270]

Wanted to share a 4 week study schedule I made for Step 2 using Uworld and OME. I hope you find it helpful! I also adapted a shorter 3 week version using UWorld and Secrets.
View attachment 232973

Can you do all of UW using just this schedule?

 

[CingulateGyro]

Can you do all of UW using just this schedule?

Yes. Give or take a block as the number of UWorld questions can change.

I adapted this from the 4 week schedule I used. It’s an intensive schedule but I made it by request (and I understand sometimes all you have is 3 weeks and sometimes you gotta do what you have to do). If I only had 2-3 weeks off to study, I would try to do as many UWorld questions as I could before hand. I think it’d work best having IM before dedicated and then using the 2-3 weeks for non IM topics.

 

[Shams al Deen]

UWSA: 1 264
UWSA 2: 258

Took the real deal today, we’ll see how it goes. It felt exactly like a UWSA. I hope I landed closer to my UWSA1. I must say, I feel better coming out of step2 Ck than I did coming out of step1. And I ended up doing great and hitting my uwsa avg on step1. That’s all I’m asking for with step2! My fear is that the test was “easier” and thus the curve will be insane like the NBME curves. If that’s the case I’m screwed.

 

[NK9]

Which NBME would you guys recommend taking to measure baseline before beginning dedicated?

NBME 6 is a decent start. Just don't get too bogged down by your score. The curve for 6 and 7 is iffy. I'm saving 8 for the end cause I hear it's a good predictor.

 

[Makaar]

Just got results back today: 260

Couldn't be more pleased. Took April 13th

Step 1: 251

NBME 6: 250
NBME 7: 250
NBME 8: 238
UWSA 1: 258
UWSA 2: 258

Trust the process. Trust your practice exams. I walked out feeling just okay. Definitely got a fair number wrong so stay confident.

 

[Dr.Acidic]

Just got results back today: 260

Couldn't be more pleased. Took April 13th

NBME 6: 250
NBME 7: 250
NBME 8: 238
UWSA 1: 258
UWSA 2: 258

Trust the process. Trust your practice exams. I walked out feeling just okay. Definitely got a fair number wrong so stay confident.

Congratulations.Great score...I am done with my exam too and i felt ok after exam..But now i am recalling my mistakes that are making me frustrated, expecting results next week..How many mistakes you recalled after your exam.Thanks

 

[Fission Chips]

Hey everyone, quick question...

Is knowing First Aid cold enough to score above average on step 2 like it is on step 1? I'm in my first rotation, and honestly I'm just enjoying it as it goes. I feel like I'm learning a TON from clinic... trying to read and do practice questions after my day but I feel like I barely have time. I'm still planning on using aforementioned resources in this thread for my shelf exams, but I'm wondering if I should start consolidating FA step 2 CK into an Anki deck to work on over the next 12 months

 

[cool93]

255 !!!

congratulations....

 

[Cascade22]

On both the UWSA I got a 226, was feeling good, then got a 213 on NBME 8 today. Definitely pushing it back lol ugh. I thought I did good on the NBME going through it but apparently not.

 

[USMLEliteTutor]

On both the UWSA I got a 226, was feeling good, then got a 213 on NBME 8 today. Definitely pushing it back lol ugh. I thought I did good on the NBME going through it but apparently not.

The NBMEs generally under-predicted my score by an average of about 20 for Step 2 CK. Not saying you shouldn't push your test back if you're not feeling ready, but the UWSAs are considered to be more accurate in predicting your actual score than the NBMEs are.

 

[Maltoma]

The NBMEs generally under-predicted my score by an average of about 20 for Step 2 CK. Not saying you shouldn't push your test back if you're not feeling ready, but the UWSAs are considered to be more accurate in predicting your actual score than the NBMEs are.

Which assessments exams are predictive apart from UWSAs?

 

[thoradore]

Has anyone found answers/explanations for NBME 8 anywhere?? I have some questions about a few and cant find anything online

 

[Jmae24]

Two weeks out from Step 2 CK. Just took UWSA1 and pretty disappointed with my 238. Didn't do that well on Step 1 and was hoping Step 2 could make up for it.

How possible is it to get to high 240s 250 range in two weeks? I hear the exam itself is a horrible as well- vague questions on topics that you don't even recognize. Any advice on how to improve your intuition to get these types of questions right?

 

[RhesusPuffs]

took exam 4/17, scheduling permit disappeared today

 

[doctorsteve]

Any results for people who took the exam on 4/19?

 

[RhesusPuffs]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

 

[APA 32]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

how many passes of UWorld?

 

[Maltoma]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

How much time between exam and the assessment exams NBME 7 and 8?

 

[RhesusPuffs]

How much time between exam and the assessment exams NBME 7 and 8?

about a week. NBME 7 seemed insanely hard

 

[PillsburyDoughBoi]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

BOOM! Fantastic job! Did you do CMS forms during prep as well?

Also could you tell us a little bit about your study time, UW percentages and how you generally did on shelves/step 1?

 

[doctorsteve]

Exam date: 4/19 Step 2 Ck: 248 I'm a terrible standardized test taker so I thought I would post to give others hope who are worried about this exam!

NBME 6: 209 (6 wks out)
NBME 7: 228
NBME 8: 228
UWSA1: 245
UWSA2: 241

 

[cool93]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

wow !!! great score...congratulations !!!

 

[moromoke]

Took exam on the 26th of April while 34weeks pregnant.
The upside was that I found most of the Obgyn questions a bit easier( lol)
UWSA 5 days before was 234. mixed between good blocks and bad blocks
I remember like a good number of easy question I'm sure i got wroNG.
I somehow talked myself to the wrong answer. Too many vague Ethics questions
bio-stat was a killer. Walked out feeling crappy. I will take a 209 at this point.
I never want to go through that again!
update next wednesday

 

[Alterity]

Took exam on the 26th of April while 34weeks pregnant.
The upside was that I found most of the Obgyn questions a bit easier( lol)
UWSA 5 days before was 234. mixed between good blocks and bad blocks
I remember like a good number of easy question I'm sure i got wroNG.
I somehow talked myself to the wrong answer. Too many vague Ethics questions
bio-stat was a killer. Walked out feeling crappy. I will take a 209 at this point.
I never want to go through that again!
update next wednesday

I took the exam on April 26, and will take 209 at this point also! ObGyn was my weakest area (it has been quite a long time since my last pregnancy..lol) going into exam, but I have a graduate degree in epi and biostatistics so it was the other way around for me. I know I got about 20 very obvious and easy questions wrong...basically just as you said I talked myself to the wrong answer. I had a similar pattern with the practice exams so I tried to watch for it but wasn’t very successful, and have no idea what else I missed. UWSA 241 one month before and NBME 220 one week before. We’ll see what happens next Wed. Good luck with your pregnancy and the results!

 

[thoradore]

I took the exam on April 26, and will take 209 at this point also! ObGyn was my weakest area (it has been quite a long time since my last pregnancy..lol) going into exam, but I have a graduate degree in epi and biostatistics so it was the other way around for me. I know I got about 20 very obvious and easy questions wrong...basically just as you said I talked myself to the wrong answer. I had a similar pattern with the practice exams so I tried to watch for it but wasn’t very successful, and have no idea what else I missed. UWSA 241 one month before and NBME 220 one week before. We’ll see what happens next Wed. Good luck with your pregnancy and the results!

Did you think the real exam questions are more similar to NBME style (i.e. vague questions) or UWSA(very detailed)? Thanks and I'm sure you did better than you think, especially if youre good at biostats thats about 15 or so questions right there!

 

[Alterity]

Did you think the real exam questions are more similar to NBME style (i.e. vague questions) or UWSA(very detailed)? Thanks and I'm sure you did better than you think, especially if youre good at biostats thats about 15 or so questions right there!

I felt during the exam that I wouldn’t want to walk into the room without taking both NBME assessments and UWSAs. It was important to me to get a good sense on the NBME style questions so I took all available NBMEs during my study period. I struggled during the actual exam with questions on my weak areas, so no escape from them; make sure not to ignore your weak areas. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of mastering UWorld, and sticking to only just a couple additional resources to supplement your learning. Mine were MTB and OnlineMedEd. I gave my best, so whatever score I get I’ll live with it. “Pass” is of course, preferable! Good luck!

 

[NSánchez]

took it on 17th, got the results 10 minutes ago

UWSA1 - 270
UWSA2 - 260

NBME 6 - 252
NBME 7 - 250
NBME 8 - 269

Step 2 CK - 270+

only used UWorld + NBMEs! don't get bogged down w/ resources

Congratulatoins!! How many days or weeks before the test did you take uwsa2?

 

[Azmahkiani]

Hey guys quick question to those of you who already took the ck. How was biostats? Is uw enough or should I be practicing biostat questions outside of uw?

 

[RhesusPuffs]

Congratulatoins!! How many days or weeks before the test did you take uwsa2?

about 3 days

 

[RhesusPuffs]

Hey guys quick question to those of you who already took the ck. How was biostats? Is uw enough or should I be practicing biostat questions outside of uw?

yes UW is definitely enough. be sure to review equations like NNT and RR.

 

[Azmahkiani]

yes UW is definitely enough. be sure to review equations like NNT and RR.

Thank you! I plan on reading step 1 first aid for the formulas. I hope it's enough.

 

[Alterity]

Update on my post from a week ago:

Got my score today! Took the exam on April 26. US-IMG from a European school, graduated quite a while ago. It has been a long journey, but feels good finally to be ECFMG certified. All steps passed on the 1st attempt.

Actual 2CK score: 233 (I am more than pleased.)

NBME 3: 210
NBME 4: 206
NBME 6: 207
Kaplan Practice test 60%
NBME 7: 183 (pushed my exam date and focused on the weak areas)
UWSA 1: 230
UWSA 2: 240 (one month before)
NBME 8: 220 (one weak before)

CMS Forms in the week areas (e.g., ObGyn, Neuro, EM, w/scores ranging from 58-84)

Also, UWorld 1st pass 63%, 2nd pass 68% - prompted the need for a more comprehensive review of the incorrect Qs for the 3rd time, and did an additional pass on the weak areas involving 300-400 Qs. Used some UpToDate summaries and algorithms here.

Resources: UWorld, OnlineMedEd, MTB 2CK, review of my own sets of incorrect Qs entered to Memorang

And yes, like everyone else I was worried after the exam because I missed some really easy and obvious questions.

Hope sharing my experience helps. Good luck to all of you!

 

[moromoke]

CCSE: 220 before study
UWSA: 234 5 days before.
Only did Uworld once with review of incorrect.
total study time was about 10 weeks
phew: I'm all done. good luck everyone else.

final score for CK: 230

 

[moromoke]

Update on my post from a week ago:

Got my score today! Took the exam on April 26. US-IMG from a European school, graduated quite a while ago. It has been a long journey, but feels good finally to be ECFMG certified. All steps passed on the 1st attempt.

Actual 2CK score: 233 (I am more than pleased.)

NBME 3: 210
NBME 4: 206
NBME 6: 207
Kaplan Practice test 60%
NBME 7: 183 (pushed my exam date and focused on the weak areas)
UWSA 1: 230
UWSA 2: 240 (one month before)
NBME 8: 220 (one weak before)

CMS Forms in the week areas (e.g., ObGyn, Neuro, EM, w/scores ranging from 58-84)

Also, UWorld 1st pass 63%, 2nd pass 68% - prompted the need for a more comprehensive review of the incorrect Qs for the 3rd time, and did an additional pass on the weak areas involving 300-400 Qs. Used some UpToDate summaries and algorithms here.

Resources: UWorld, OnlineMedEd, MTB 2CK, review of my own sets of incorrect Qs entered to Memorang

And yes, like everyone else I was worried after the exam because I missed some really easy and obvious questions.

Hope sharing my experience helps. Good luck to all of you!

Congrats!, i guess we both scaled through.
that exam was a monster.

 

[PawPatrol10]

Hello, longtime lurker here. I took my exam on 4/30 and was sooo hoping to get my score today, but given that it’s already after 2pm, it’s not likely that today is my day, correct?
Congrats to those who did get scores today!

 

[EthylMethylMan]

UWSA1: 252 (5 weeks out)
UWSA2: 244 (today, 9 days out)

Kinda surprised that I went down a bit after 4 weeks, but I also hear that USWA2 is harder (it certainly felt that way to me). Is a 250+ feasible with 1 week of studying left? Probably a silly question that no one can really answer for sure, but it'd give me some peace of mind to hear any feedback.

 

[khandrew]

Hey guys! Got my score today. Sharing my experience cuz this thread helped me a lot.

Not US IMG

Result 250

More than happy with it.

Uworld 1st pass - 69%
Second - around 87%

Nbmes were far better predictors for me.

UWSA 2 was a joke - 228
NBME 6 was very close 248 - 2 weeks before exam.

Good luck for all of you!

 

[Alterity]

Congrats!, i guess we both scaled through.
that exam was a monster.

Congratulations to you too! We did good; given that both of us would have been quite content with a score of 209...lol, getting 230s doesn’t feel bad at all. It’s alll relative. Best of luck!

 

[Alterity]

UWSA1: 252 (5 weeks out)
UWSA2: 244 (today, 9 days out)

Kinda surprised that I went down a bit after 4 weeks, but I also hear that USWA2 is harder (it certainly felt that way to me). Is a 250+ feasible with 1 week of studying left? Probably a silly question that no one can really answer for sure, but it'd give me some peace of mind to hear any feedback.

There are no silly questions. Yes, I think 250+ is a realistic expectation. You are there already. Just stick to the resources you know for final studying. Do some UWorld questions on your weak areas. It is probably good to taper the studying the day before the exam, and add some exercise and get at least 8 hours sleep. The exam is long but doable. Confidence makes a huge difference during the exam - don’t worry about the drop, remember you should expect to know the answer to most of the questions; you clearly did during your practice test. Good luck!

 

[ItsADocsLife]

IMG here. Took step 1 in Feb. Hoping to improve on an average step 1 score with my CK.

Finished one round of UW along with incorrects averaged 65%. Done a few CMS forms.

Took NBME 6 today got 222 (which was kinda weird because I got only 29 wrong). I feel its kinda low.

Planning on repeating UW again along with OME notes and videos hoping to improve my score. Exam in two months. Is 250+ possible?

 

[electrolight]

IMG here. Took step 1 in Feb. Hoping to improve on an average step 1 score with my CK.

Finished one round of UW along with incorrects averaged 65%. Done a few CMS forms.

Took NBME 6 today got 222 (which was kinda weird because I got only 29 wrong). I feel its kinda low.

Planning on repeating UW again along with OME notes and videos hoping to improve my score. Exam in two months. Is 250+ possible?

I hope so because I got a 228 on form 6 with 27 wrong and would like a 250+ as well, only I have 1 month rather than 2 months

 

[EthylMethylMan]

IMG here. Took step 1 in Feb. Hoping to improve on an average step 1 score with my CK.

Finished one round of UW along with incorrects averaged 65%. Done a few CMS forms.

Took NBME 6 today got 222 (which was kinda weird because I got only 29 wrong). I feel its kinda low.

Planning on repeating UW again along with OME notes and videos hoping to improve my score. Exam in two months. Is 250+ possible?

I hope so because I got a 228 on form 6 with 27 wrong and would like a 250+ as well, only I have 1 month rather than 2 months

Take a UWSA; people generally say that these are more predictive of actual Step 2 CK scores (sometimes within 5 points).

 

[NK9]

Hey guys! Anyone have feedback regarding how closely NBME 8 predicts to the real thing? I took NBME 7 3 weeks ago and 8 today and got essentially the same score on both (230s, but i definitely improved on my weaker areas with a lot more bars closer to the higher end). Exam is in a month and I want to save UWSA for the end. So if anyone could give me some feedback on how to improve my score by at least 10 points in my UWSA 1 it would be much appreciated!

 

[ItsADocsLife]

I hope so because I got a 228 on form 6 with 27 wrong and would like a 250+ as well, only I have 1 month rather than 2 months

Glad to know I'm not the only one. Did you feel the curve was harsh on NBME 6? What do you plan on doing from now to till your exam (besides UW) ?

 

[504196]

Need advice. Scheduled for step II next friday.

Uworld Form 1 (2 weeks ago): 251
Uworld Form 2 (1 week ago): 244
NBME 7 today: 224

My goal was upper 240's/250.

Should I delay? I'm a little burnt out but could delay one week. Not sure if it's worth it. My gave over NBME 7 this afternoon to see whether my mistakes were knowledge gaps or dumb mistakes d/t fatigue

 

[electrolight]

Glad to know I'm not the only one. Did you feel the curve was harsh on NBME 6? What do you plan on doing from now to till your exam (besides UW) ?

I pretty much expected that from the NBME. I was shocked by my score TBH because I had just been doing Uworld throughout the year without really studying, my average was 65% as well. I'm redoing Uworld reading MTB and watching OME. I'll do a practice test once a week before I sit and that will be it.

 

[EthylMethylMan]

Need advice. Scheduled for step II next friday.

Uworld Form 1 (2 weeks ago): 251
Uworld Form 2 (1 week ago): 244
NBME 7 today: 224

My goal was upper 240's/250.

Should I delay? I'm a little burnt out but could delay one week. Not sure if it's worth it. My gave over NBME 7 this afternoon to see whether my mistakes were knowledge gaps or dumb mistakes d/t fatigue

You know yourself better than anyone, so take responses here with a grain of salt. I personally think you should take the exam on Friday. I got the exact same scores as you on UWSA1 and 2, and actually did a little worse on NBME 7 (218). I'm also taking CK on Friday. But I have no intention of moving my test date back. A lot of people, myself included, do a lot worse on the NBMEs (especially 7) than the UWSAs. What's more, looking at the people who report their scores online, it seems that most people's CK scores seem to fall somewhere around their UWSA scores. Search on here, Reddit, and other med school forums and you'll see this trend with almost everyone who reports their scores.

I definitely understand the concern. I took NBME 7 a couple weeks ago; it shook my confidence pretty badly, and it took a few days of doing well on UWorld to feel better. What you should do is look at the score reports for the UWSAs and the NBME. Find out which topics you're consistently weaker on and focus a little more on them leading up to the exam. You may get some peace of mind knowing you're hitting your weak points.

Overall, I don't think you should let NBME 7 discourage you. It really seems like it's trash as far as score prediction is concerned. You are most likely ready to take this exam, but you have to go in to it with confidence. Dust yourself off, study hard for the next week, and go into test day knowing you did really well on both UWSAs; you will probably hit your goal score based on that.