What’s up everyone. I’ve been one of those following posts on this thread for help on CK and other threads on SDN and Reddit for studying for Step 1 and 3rd year shelfs during 2nd and 3rd years. I figured now that I am done with both Step 2s, all 3rd year shelfs, and of course Step 1, it is now my turn to contribute some [hopeful] wisdom to help other students. It's better when we look out for each other. Feel free to ask questions on here or message me privately if you’d like to know any more details regarding what I post, especially regarding CK.
To preface, I am not a natural genius. I like to think I am just your average guy who is a story of working hard, but maintaining balance throughout med school. It is possible to do well in med school and have a solid life. Take care of yourself through each of these seasons; discipline includes rest. For me, that was found in my faith, my wife, my family, and my friends. The scores below are better than I could've ever prayed for or hoped for, and I am so thankful to have them behind me. All that said, here it goes!
Step 1, 241:
My Step 1 score was a 241. It was directly between my UWSA1 score of 239 taken one month out and my UWSA2 score of 243 taken one week out. I studied roughly 8 weeks for it, only used UWorld, First Aid, and Pathoma, and took two NBMEs of which I made a 228 and 219 on. I regret taking the NBMEs because they were highly underpredictive and discouraging to me, which influenced how I studied for CK.
Third Year Shelf Exams:
In general, I always used as many questions as possible via Uworld, AAFP for FM, or UWise for OB. However, I didn’t even entertain using the new, trendy Q banks like AMBOSS or another Q bank, nor would I have in hindsight, because they aren't proven in my opinion yet or at least better than the gold standard UWorld. I used limited resources, such as books, during third year, did not care for OME, and survived off of reading my notes repeatedly from UWorld Qs and those I found online. See details below. I have arranged the exams in the order of which I took them during third year. I honored 6/6 clerkships and the numerical grade I am reporting are my raw scores, not some ambiguous percentile. Honoring for our school requires honoring the exam and honoring via clerkship evals. I refer to some online notes in my reviews below; if you wish to have the links to them, I can send them.
Pediatrics, 84%, Honored – This exam was most important to me, as I am applying pediatrics this year. I did UWorld x2, took detailed notes of the Qs and reviewed them upwards of 7x, used an incredible compilation of notes I found online that I can send the link to if desired, and grazed over OME (which I feel did not help much). This was my first exam, so I thought arguably the hardest. I took all practice NBMEs in the two weeks before the exam and honored all of those too. I also raged through PreTest two days before and feel it helped a lot doing it right before.
Ob/Gyn, 86%, Honored – The key for honoring Ob/Gyn for me was UWise. I also did UWorld, but the details of this clerkship are found in the UWise Q bank. I thought Case Files was a waste of time, and I stopped even attempting this book during this clerkship. I found some great notes online that also helped push me over the edge I believe. I took one practice NBME and did not honor it, but was on the cusp, so do with that info what you would like!
Internal Medicine, 85%, Honored – You know the people who say doing UWorld and reviewing it neurotically for the details is all you need to honor IM? I am one of those people. That’s all I did. I didn’t read SUTM or any other books like Case Files. Uworld is all you need so long as you meticulously review each answer and explanation. I also found great notes online I reviewed several times. I took all the NBME practice exams, and they were either honoring or on the border.
Psychiatry, 87%, Honored – Fun fact, I was sick this week, so I really minimalized my studying for this exam. I did Uworld of course plus FA for Psych, which was totally sufficient. No fancy online notes existed for this one, and I only took one practice NBME which I honored.
Surgery, 87%, Honored – Preface for this exam: I had IM, Peds, and OB before this exam, which I believe helped tremendously. Although many say it was the hardest exam, it did not feel so to me simply because I had these other clerkships before. I did the most reading during this clerkship though. I read De Virgilio, which is easily the best resource other than Uworld I used all third year, plus his Qs in the back. I also read Pestanas x3 and did his Qs; this book is excellent towards the middle and end of the clerkship after you’ve done some UWorld and other studying. Nix Surgical Recall. All your surgery residents will tell you it’s a must, but I doubt it will help much on your shelf like these other two do. It may score you pimping style points, but guess how much that helps your overall grade in the long run, save MAYBE a clinical eval… cero. Uworld of course is key in this clerkship as well. I did three practice NBMEs for this one and honored all 3. No fancy notes online.
Family Medicine, 81%, Honored – Welcome to the biggest curveball exam of third year. This was my last exam, so I pulled much of my knowledge from the other 5 to honor this one. I also did 1000 AAFP questions, reviewed them in-depth like I always did UWorld, and slammed through PreTest two days before. I took one practice NBME and honored it.
Step 2 CS, Pass First Attempt:
I took two weeks at the end of third year before studying for CK to study for CS. I just studied maybe 3-4 hours/day and went through FA CS 2x. I practiced a few cases with my wife (not a med student) and some classmates. I studied more than the usual time because I was not even going to chance failing this exam. It is high risk, low reward – meaning, no one genuinely cares if you pass because it is expected, but failing is a huge deal. I also bought the UWorld CS thing, but it was a waste. I took CS in Houston. Something to keep in mind is that our school sees standardized patients every week in the first two years, so I felt very comfortable with the SPs and what I was supposed to do. However, FACS helps give you info that can save you from failing in CS, like screening questions, counseling your SPs, etc. Do NOT fly into this exam blind.
Step 2 CK, 258:
I took exactly four weeks to study for CK. I had gone through all of UWorld previously during third year, averaging 74%. My strategy was simple and not cheeky – Uworld. I did every question again, aside from surgery since I had just had surgery + did not have time to redo them, and meticulously reviewed every single question again. I did 140/day every day, studying from 0630 to 1630, took a two-hour break for dinner and a TV show, then reviewed from 1830 to 2000 and went to bed. I averaged in the end 82% on my second pass. I reviewed my notes throughout those 4 weeks, as well as my surgery notes taken from my previous clerkship, and glanced over the pediatrics and IM notes I found online of which I referenced above in being critical for honoring those two clerkships. I did not use any book, OME, or AMBOSS to study for CK. I said “sayonara” to the garbage NBME exams, not taking a single one aside from a practice CCSE required for our school at the end of third year six weeks before my CK, of which I scored a 235 without any studying. I only took UWSA1, in which I scored a 258, and UWSA2, in which I scored a 259. I will continue to be one of those who promote the use of UWSA for predictors over NBMEs for Step 1 and for CK, although I realize there are outliers for which these over- or underpredict heavily. In general, I have observed UWSAs for each to be way better predictors than the NBMEs though. I reviewed both UWSA1 and UWSA2, as they had great questions. I took UWSA1 two weeks before my exam and UWSA2 one week before. I got only 4 hours of sleep before my CK because I was so nervous. Like everyone else, I walked out fearing I scored well below my Step 1 and UWSA scores and felt it was significantly harder than I expected it to be, rivaling Step 1 in difficulty. Like many others, I was elated to see the UWSAs were strong predictors for me.
I realize this is a lot of information jammed into one post, and not all the information pertains to the 2019 CK score thread, so I apologize to those who get stingy about that. If anyone has any idea where else I should post this info, please let me know, as I want my experience to help everyone else not only taking CK, but also Step 1 and the shelf exams. I want others to be encouraged that I am not some natural brainiac who sold his soul to do well. I was able to maintain a balanced life throughout med school and still better than I could've ever prayed for or hoped for. Thanks for reading everybody, and thank you to everyone who has posted their feedback in the past too! Let me know if anyone has any questions or wants any feedback/advice.
But I can definitely offer my support and tell you if I think you should take the test if you're on the fence or there's any doubt
