Official 2019 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

[curiousmind8]

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Please, limit your posts and questions to only CK exam experience related. It's hard for others to go through so many unrelated posts to finally a post about CK exam.

Thank you very much to all those who share their experience with everyone.

Best of luck!

 

[doctororsomething]

Just got this email:

Your USMLE Step 2 CK score report will be available later this morning on NLES. Please note that depending upon the level of server traffic, you may experience a delay in accessing your results.

I took my exam on June 8th.

Good luck

 

[super_mom]

Posted my CK write up elsewhere recently, throwaway account here so as not to connect my usernames here and there. My thoughts below, seems like my experience was quite different than that of most others... hope it helps.

---------------------------

Hey friends, underdog 3rd/4th quartile student here at no-name MD school shooting for competitive field. I've gotten a ton of help from the Step1/2 subs these past years so wanted to finally contribute something small. Took CK within the last week, below are my thoughts on the test and what prep I used. Will update with score when it's released next month. Cheers and hope it helps somebody!

Step 1 + Background

• Struggled during M1, mostly Cs/Bs. M2 made all As but classes were "easy" and I still had large knowledge gaps
• Generally studied less than my peers and was usually underprepared, never used Anki till dedicated (big regret)
• Did poorly on all preclinical shelves (<40th percentile, some much lower) mostly due to lack of preparation
• Dedicated I basically only had time for UW, resources were UW (complete x1 only, timed organ system 40 blocks), Pathoma (watched ~70% of it during year, rewatched maybe 25% during dedicated), SketchyMicro/Pharm (watched all during year, rewatched ~10% during dedicated), barely ever touched FA (never read during year, read maybe 50 pages during dedicated... big regret), also listened to all of Goljan, did self made Anki cards daily (no premade decks ever)
• Throughout most of dedicated, almost daily felt as if I was learning things (or finally learning them well) for the first time. Was definitely more of a primary learning period than a review/solidify period for me unfortunately
• Practice tests were bad initially (first few NBMEs and UWSA1 in 180-190 range) and trended up around wk 3, last couple NBMEs were low 220s and UWSA2 was 237 (my highest practice score)
• Step 1 Score = 230-235 range after 6wk dedicated

M3 Year

• Intended to get through all of OME, SUTM/MTB, and UW during the year, did not go as planned due to other commitments/burnout/etc
• UW - did ~ 40% of it by the time I reset for dedicated (final avg 60% at that time), in particular barely did any of the medicine Qs
• Texts - barely cracked any, only one I really read was Pestana's, did not do those listed above
• OME - very sporadic, probably watched ~25% during the year
• Anki - daily reviews of self made cards from UW during the final weeks of all clerkships
• Shelves - only broke 50th percentile once, all others were in the 10th-40th range, mostly due to pure lack of studying, not doing many UW qs, etc. in my opinion (in one case I went into the shelf without having done any UW Qs that clerkship)

Step 2

• Plans changed a few times but ultimately took about 6wk dedicated with last couple weeks being evening study on top of other commitments (first 4wk were pure dedicated)
• UW - reset and made it through 90% of the Qs (I'm slow), initially averaging 55-60% per 40 block trended up to 70-75% per 40 block by the end, final avg was 67% (51st percentile)
• OME/texts - watched maybe 10-20% of the vids, some were rewatched and others I hadn't seen before. Did not actually use any textbooks despite plans to use MTB
• Anki - daily self made cards based on UW, no premade decks used
• Practice tests - NBME 6/7/8 were 226/213/226 roughly and UWSA1/2 were 248/234. Took in this order: 6 / UW1 / 7 / UW2 / 8. Didn't do Free 120 or any subject NBMEs or Kaplan tests
• Step 2 Score = stay tuned

Test Day Experience

• Studied lightly until ~7pm night before, relaxed a bit, slept well for 7hrs, woke up with coffee and medium sized breakfast, wore comfy clothes, arrived at test center 745a, reviewed FA CK high yield pages on the 45min drive there (#unsafe I know), brought light sandwich for lunch as well as granola bars and fruits for snacks and a bottled water and 2 red bulls
• Felt great on test day, ready to go, excited, mentally I put myself into a very good place to set up for success. Chatted with fellow test takers before and on breaks and this kept me calm and level headed
• Despite being scared by everyone on here saying they walked out super confused/deflated, thought it was the hardest thing ever, etc. I actually felt pretty good about the test overall (maybe I got a lucky form)
• Felt easier than UW as a whole, easier than Step 1 too (although maybe due to me being better prepared), stems on average slightly shorter than UW and longer than NBME, agree that NBMEs for the most part are garbage for CK however I still would recommend doing them
• My test hit my strengths well, avoided many of my pitfalls/weaknesses. Got lucky here. Also had tons of buzzword/kneejerk Qs that I didn't expect (for example, classic images like bird's beak achalasia... couldn't believe that one when i saw it haha)
• Two abstracts, both blocks had 38qs total. Left them for the end and had plenty of time. No issues there
• Zero biostats equations/calculations 🙁 all my biostats Qs were study design, population health, etc. (no Hardy-Weinberg_
• One biochem Q, very little other strict Step 1 stuff that I remember, apart from your "what's the diagnosis" stuff from pathology
• 4-5 very fuzzy EKGs, other images were fairly straightforward though. All imaging was clear and obvious except one ultrasound in a pregnant pt (but only needed stem to answer that one). Probably 5-6 auscultation Qs, pretty impossible to hear the murmurs well since quality is ****. Answered most with the stem, needed the listening for maybe 2 of them. No videos on my test
• One weird question that was basically an abstract but instead of the abstract it was a clinic SOAP note. Kinda odd, but pretty easy
• 6/8 sections I felt strong/good about, 2/8 I felt less good about but still thought I did fine. No sections completely wrecked me or made me feel clueless (vs. Step 1 where I had half the test feel this way)
• On average, I left 2 blanks and flagged 2-3 others each block. Blanks mean I spent 60-90 sec on it and felt clueless so moved on and returned to it at end. Flags mean I just wanted to think it over more at the end if time allowed. In general I'm a very light flagger overall (unlike those who will flag 20 per block lol) so take with a grain of salt. But in a nutshell, there were only about 2-3 Qs per block that were totally WTF for me. A couple blocks I left no blanks to return to
• Fatigue set in after 6 blocks, last 2 were tough for sure. I could feel myself getting mentally hazy but managed to push through
• Timing was actually not a problem for me which shocked me. Nearly all blocks I had an extra 5-10 minutes to go back and finish my blanks and review my flags. A few blocks a did this and then just hit end block with a few mins to spare (added to break time). Only 1-2 blocks did I finish exactly on time or have to consciously rush to catch up at the end. This is in contrast to my UW/practice tests, where 80% of the time I am slow and fall behind/feel rushed and have to speed up for the last 10 Qs (excluding NBMEs which I do quicker). I was very pleasantly surprised by this on test day. Not sure if I was just more speedy due to test jitters or what, but I rarely ever felt pressed for time for what it's worth
• Breaks - I planned to take them in this distribution with 3 and 5 min breaks just in my chair, in reality it was close to this but spent a few extra mins out of the room on the longer ones. I used up all 60mins (#s = block #, mins of break in parentheses) --- 1 (3) 2 (10) 3 (3) 4 (25) 5 (3) 6 (10) 7 (5) 8. Ultimately, worked out well as I basically did the exam in 4 two block chunks, with a longer lunch to break up the day. Ate lightly throughout, and finished 2 red bulls throughout the day's breaks. Went outside to walk/stretch on lunch.
• In my opinion, agree with others that UW is really all you need. Test felt very similar to it, even to the point where I had ~5 questions that were so similar to a particular UW Q that I got that same "deja vu" feeling as when you're doing a UW Q and remember it from doing it earlier in the year. Anki a must as well if that's how you learn. OME is great for foundation and general algorithms, wish I had done more of it during the year. I don't think you need a textbook for this exam unless you are trying for a very above average score. I felt fine without one

TL;DR: I'm a subjectively bad student who did average on Step 1 and awful during clerkships. Very basic 6wk dedicated for CK. Despite all this, I actually felt pretty good about the test during it and walking out. UW is all you need imo, test is very similar to it. Don't overthink things, and trust your gut. Score TBD.

I am happy that you took the time to share your experience because I am not a stellar student but seeing ur shelf scores gave me some hope since most of my shelves where in the mid 60s and some high 50s. I plan to take my exam in about 5 to 6weeks and I wanted to do these Pre made anki deck but I don’t think I will Master it.

I wanted to clarify that Anki you did was just from UW questions right?

Also how many hours a day did you study during ur dedicated? I am using UW for now and red some F.A. pysch and some kaplan internal medicine for clarifications on certain topics but mainly UW.

Did you do ur UW subject wise or random? I have being doing mine subject wise but will refresh my uWorld in a week to start doing timed random block. Plan to take my First UWSA in 3 weeks.

 

[Bin Rushd]

Just got this email:

Your USMLE Step 2 CK score report will be available later this morning on NLES. Please note that depending upon the level of server traffic, you may experience a delay in accessing your results.

I took my exam on June 8th.

Nice!
I did not recieve anything yet. Are you central or eastern time?

 

[Bin Rushd]

Nice!
I did not recieve anything yet. Are you central or eastern time?

Also, is your permit still up? Mine is. Took it on same day, June 8th.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Hopefully NBME decides to not be lazy and they release scores next week!

Although looking at past years, they've never released scores the week of the 4th

 

[Bin Rushd]

Hopefully NBME decides to not be lazy and they release scores next week!

Although looking at past years, they've never released scores the week of the 4th

Hopefully NBME decides to not be lazy and they release scores next week!

Although looking at past years, they've never released scores the week of the 4th

Yea, I'm still hoping I can hear back today, although the day is coming to an end. It'll be a very long 2 weeks if that's when scores will be released.

Has anyone else heard back who took it around June 8th?

 

[onthebackBURNER]

I am happy that you took the time to share your experience because I am not a stellar student but seeing ur shelf scores gave me some hope since most of my shelves where in the mid 60s and some high 50s. I plan to take my exam in about 5 to 6weeks and I wanted to do these Pre made anki deck but I don’t think I will Master it.

I wanted to clarify that Anki you did was just from UW questions right?

Also how many hours a day did you study during ur dedicated? I am using UW for now and red some F.A. pysch and some kaplan internal medicine for clarifications on certain topics but mainly UW.

Did you do ur UW subject wise or random? I have being doing mine subject wise but will refresh my uWorld in a week to start doing timed random block. Plan to take my First UWSA in 3 weeks.

Glad I could help!

Correct, Anki cards I reviewed daily were from UW and NBME questions. Made them while reviewing the questions I got right/wrong.

Daily, I aimed for 12hrs ideally of study time (with 1-2hrs of breaks/meals mixed in) but in reality I probably only did about 10hrs most days. About half of the days I did not do as many UW Qs as was my goal, usually due to getting a late start or spending more time on anki or just getting distracted for a while.

UW was done timed, random for me every time. In the last few days I did some selective blocks because I wasn't going to be able to finish all questions and wanted to at least finish my weaker areas. During M3 year I did Qs by clerkship but still did the systems random (ex: did Peds questions on peds, but random for all the options down below). I think the random was a great way to prepare for test day. I think subject based is best if you are coming from a very low baseline, but if you are in the middle of the pack I think random is the best way to prepare.

 

[super_mom]

Glad I could help!

Correct, Anki cards I reviewed daily were from UW and NBME questions. Made them while reviewing the questions I got right/wrong.

Daily, I aimed for 12hrs ideally of study time (with 1-2hrs of breaks/meals mixed in) but in reality I probably only did about 10hrs most days. About half of the days I did not do as many UW Qs as was my goal, usually due to getting a late start or spending more time on anki or just getting distracted for a while.

UW was done timed, random for me every time. In the last few days I did some selective blocks because I wasn't going to be able to finish all questions and wanted to at least finish my weaker areas. During M3 year I did Qs by clerkship but still did the systems random (ex: did Peds questions on peds, but random for all the options down below). I think the random was a great way to prepare for test day. I think subject based is best if you are coming from a very low baseline, but if you are in the middle of the pack I think random is the best way to prepare.

Thank you so much will start doing random for the next 5weeks.

 

[Flowerpower276]

Never really post on here, but thought I would share my story. Got my results about a week ago.

Step 1: 243

UWorld first pass: 65-70%, second pass 80%ish
Tests (in order):
NBME 6: 243 (4 weeks out)
NBME 7 + UWSA 1 (2 week out): 254 and 263
NBME 8 + UWSA 2 (1 days out): 258 and 265

Real deal: 268

Resources: UWorld + Onlinemeded + random things here and there from uptodate/first aid
Study duration: 4 weeks with a 1 day off a week

Background:
US Grad
MSTP program

 

[~Soñadora~]

Yea, I'm still hoping I can hear back today, although the day is coming to an end. It'll be a very long 2 weeks if that's when scores will be released.

Has anyone else heard back who took it around June 8th?

I got my score today! I took it June 8th. I hope you also heard back.
Step 1: 229
Step 2 CK: 225

I'm pretty happy with my scores! My NBME for CK were in the 210s range and my UWSA forms were both in the 230s so it makes sense I would score in the 220s. My Step 1 score was also between my NBMEs and my UWSA scores.

 

[GREY20]

I got my score today! I took it June 8th. I hope you also heard back.
Step 1: 229
Step 2 CK: 225

I'm pretty happy with my scores! My NBME for CK were in the 210s range and my UWSA forms were both in the 230s so it makes sense I would score in the 220s. My Step 1 score was also between my NBMEs and my UWSA scores.

congrats!! do you mind sharing how you felt after step 2? I'm wondering if you thought it was very difficult or if it was similar to UWORLD/NBME's

 

[PS2summerdays]

I got my score today! I took it June 8th. I hope you also heard back.
Step 1: 229
Step 2 CK: 225

I'm pretty happy with my scores! My NBME for CK were in the 210s range and my UWSA forms were both in the 230s so it makes sense I would score in the 220s. My Step 1 score was also between my NBMEs and my UWSA scores.

Congratulations!!!! Mind sharing how far before your exam you took the NBMEs/UWSAs?

 

[Bin Rushd]

I got my score today! I took it June 8th. I hope you also heard back.
Step 1: 229
Step 2 CK: 225

I'm pretty happy with my scores! My NBME for CK were in the 210s range and my UWSA forms were both in the 230s so it makes sense I would score in the 220s. My Step 1 score was also between my NBMEs and my UWSA scores.

Congrats man! I gave up refreshing my email and checking the site lol. Is it possible to hear back tomorrow? Or have they always only released on Wednesdays?

 

[Ttubule]

Congrats man! I gave up refreshing my email and checking the site lol. Is it possible to hear back tomorrow? Or have they always only released on Wednesdays?

I think it’s only Wednesday bud, sorry!

 

[sovereign0]

Got my score a couple weeks ago.

Step 1: 250-255

Half honors, half high pass clinicals
Shelf scores ranged from 80th-95th percentile

3 weeks dedicated, but really slacked off. I did about 40% of UWorld during clinical years (only during the first half, then stopped using UW), then reset and finished just under 50% during dedicated. Dedicated % correct was 83% or so. Not exactly a first pass, but was my first time seeing the majority of questions. Used OME sporadically throughout the first half of clinicals when I was actually utilizing UW. Used medbullets and AMBOSS library for reference pretty extensively throughout clinicals and dedicated. Most of my learning actually came from just trying to learn medicine well and understand concepts and reasons rather than algorithms.

Took about 1.5 practice tests a week,

UWSA 1 - 252 (3 weeks out)
NBME 6 - 243 (2 weeks out)
NBME 8 - 245 (1 week out)
NBME 7 - 252 (3 days out)
UWSA 2 - 265 (2 days out)

Step 2 CK - 270-275

I've always been a great tester and have had a tendency to get lazy, but in this case I was especially bad. I only did half of UWorld because I really felt like ti wasn't helping. I felt like I knew the material and just needed practice questions. The exam felt incredibly difficult to me. Lots of very vague questions with vague answers. Many times it felt like I knew the "textbook" or "real world" answer but the answer choices did not include those and were the 2nd- or 3rd- line option I would've thought of. I did not feel like UWorld or NBMEs prepared me for the test because both felt very concrete and the real deal felt far more like I was educated guessing on the majority of the questions. Probably marked 15 per block or so. I also was not on top of my game the day of the exam due to poor sleep (took some stuff to help me sleep that I don't usually take - bad idea).

This is definitely not a typical experience - I didn't study very much and did surprisingly well, but maybe it helps someone. I really feel like NBMEs are just educated guessing and more about test-taking skills with an emphasis on logical reasoning (or guessing, whatever you want to call it) based on a decent foundation of medical knowledge. Having the foundation isn't enough to do well, you need experience using that knowledge to answer questions. The real exam is strange because it assesses what you know despite you feeling like you know anything. It's like complete black magic.

 

[Ttubule]

Got my score this morning. Test date Friday June 7th (3 Wednesdays if you’re counting).. wrote up something the day of the test but I’ll summarize.

Step 2CK - 265

Background: step 1- low 250s

M3: I couldn’t tell you my exact score on any of the shelves. We get graded based on percentile (from last year’s test takers nationally). Essentially it’s like a high pass is >75th, honors is >85th.
High pass on 3 (medicine, surgery, and neurology), honors on 4 (family, psych, OBGYN, Peds). Range was something like 77th (neurology) - 94th (Peds and psych).

UWorld- went through this fully (except the 300 they added later) during third year on tutor mode based on the rotations I was on. Can’t remember the % correct but I think I was like 65th%tile whatever that is.
Second pass during dedicated was timed random and like 87% correct.

Practice tests:
NBME 6 (4wks) 256
NBME7 (2wks) 247
UWSA 2 (5d) 273
UWSA1 (2d) 270

Studying: took 4 weeks about of dedicated. I studied crazy hard for step 1 and this wasn’t like that. I felt pretty unmotivated and had a hard time getting rolling. Just really burnt from third year I think. Primarily used UWorld, finished all but maybe 200ish questions. Also supplemented with a little master the boards. Can’t say specifics but I had one SUPER random question on test day that I got right in about 10s that I gad never seen anywhere except MTB. I think it’s a good one but I’ve never opened step up to medicine so can’t compare the two.
Anki card for every missed and guessed question. Reviewed those daily. Never used OME or anything like that.

Best advice I could give people is to studying hard during Clerkship for the shelves. I had made Anki cards for each shelf and I made a giant deck of those and blasted through 150 every morning along with my UWorld second pass deck. Felt like that helped a bit. Otherwise, you basically just need UWorld. Just find a nice balance of memorizing facts and understanding some basic algorithms for diagnosis and treatment.

Good luck to all you future test takers. Message me anytime if I can help at all.

 

[~Soñadora~]

congrats!! do you mind sharing how you felt after step 2? I'm wondering if you thought it was very difficult or if it was similar to UWORLD/NBME's

I actually felt okay after it! I definitely felt it was very similar to UWorld and I felt that Uworld had prepared me well. I did not study hard core for it, as I was not aiming to get a crazy high score, so I feel like if I had studied UWorld more I could have definitely scored higher.

 

[~Soñadora~]

Congratulations!!!! Mind sharing how far before your exam you took the NBMEs/UWSAs?

5/18 NBME Form 6 - 211
5/24 UWSA Form 1 - 232
5/25 NBME Form 7 - 215
6/2 UWSA Form 2 - 237
6/5 NBME Form 8 - 224

6/8 Step 2 CK - 225

I only used Uworld and had four weeks of dedicated. I did not study all day as I did for Step 1, just did UWorld blocks and reviewed the answers.

 

[Cosmos Thiery]

From Canada, took CK a few weeks after our MCCQE Part 1 exam (where I got >90th percentile with the same studying).

UWSA1 - 265
UWSA2 - 265
STEP2CK - 250

Meh, significantly overpredicted but I'll take it... Only did UWorld (1.5 passes, 1st pass 50th %ile, 2nd pass 80th %ile)
No NBMEs
Haven't taken Step 1

It was a damn hard and long test. Wayy harder than the Canadian equivalent.

Congratulations on a great score. Also just completed my MCCQE1 and studying for Step 2 CK before Step 1.

How long after QE1 did you sit for CK? If I understand you correctly, your only study resource was UW or are there more add ons you would recommend?

Good luck in the rest of your exams!!!

 

[Fawaz]

From Canada, took CK a few weeks after our MCCQE Part 1 exam (where I got >90th percentile with the same studying).

UWSA1 - 265
UWSA2 - 265
STEP2CK - 250

Meh, significantly overpredicted but I'll take it... Only did UWorld (1.5 passes, 1st pass 50th %ile, 2nd pass 80th %ile)
No NBMEs
Haven't taken Step 1

It was a damn hard and long test. Wayy harder than the Canadian equivalent.

Thanks for sharing and Congrats on your score.
I am an IMG. I've taken Step 2 yesterday (Did Uworld and SU2M) and planning on taking MCCQE 1 in a month or two.
Do you think that Uworld would cover most of the topics on MCCQE 1 ? or do I need to go over Canadian Qbank also

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Looks like USMLE has officially confirmed that no scores will be reported next week.

SAD

 

[GREY20]

Looks like USMLE has officially confirmed that no scores will be reported next week.

SAD

Does that mean that people who should be getting scores on July 10th will also get pushed back a week?

 

[pb34]

Took the test today....320 questions is a lot...

Step 1: 227
UWSA1 : 232
UWSA2: 240
Step 2CK: TBD


I read online today that scores for test takers this week won't be released until August 28th...that sucks!

 

[super_mom]

Took the test today....320 questions is a lot...

Step 1: 227
UWSA1 : 232
UWSA2: 240
Step 2CK: TBD


I read online today that scores for test takers this week won't be released until August 28th...that sucks!

Yea 320 is alottttt but atleast u are done ✅ and congrats on being done. How did u prepare and how many weeks did you use for dedicated.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Took the test today....320 questions is a lot...

Step 1: 227
UWSA1 : 232
UWSA2: 240
Step 2CK: TBD


I read online today that scores for test takers this week won't be released until August 28th...that sucks!

Ya it is. COMLEX is 400, cause you know, DO.

 

[pb34]

Yea 320 is alottttt but atleast u are done and congrats on being done. How did u prepare and how many weeks did you use for dedicated.

I finished about 75% of Uworld over the course of M3 year. I reset it just before my last 6 week rotation and cranked through as much of it as I could while concurrently doing my rotation. I got through about 80% of it before my exam. I only had 1 true week of “dedicated” time but I was studying throughout the rotation.

To prepare I mostly used Uworld but also had been doing Wiwa anki cards throughout my rotations and tried to keep up with them. I also made some anki from my incorrect Uworld.

 

[super_mom]

So, as a write up for my step 2 ck experience, I realize this is not exactly the norm. For any students such as myself that had an average or less than stellar step 1, hopefully this'll give you some hope. I didn't take much of a real dedicated period. For the last two months I did maybe 30-80 uworld questions a day as time allowed. I ultimately finished only about 2/3 of uworld at around 68-71% from starting to finishing. I did review some OME during the course, but honestly I felt overwhelmed by resources and reverted to just uworld only. I was just so burn out on third year and ready to be done. Most of my shelves were close to honors but didn't actually make honors til the last one that was IM. Also the COMATs are awful, can't be said enough.

So step 1: 228, not the greatest, could have been worse. Realize this is at least 10 points lower than my lowest practice exam. Talk about getting blindsided.

NBME 7: 233, around 6 weeks out
UWSA 1: 258, a week before the test
UWSA 2: 240, two days before test (kinda rushed, nochalant)

Day of the test, I didn't realize there was an entire extra section as compared to step 1. I am a fast tester and still finished 2 hours early but still, talk about exhausting. The test itself was straightforward which I appreciated. Like UW without too too much critical thinking. I didn't feel great leaving the test. It really could have gone either way.

Final result, 255 Step 2 ck!

And for any DO students reading: 590s comlex 1 and 610s comlex 2. Studied OMM literally the night before on both. It was fine and read like a cleaner version of the COMATs.

Do you mind sharing how you studied for biostat?
I see that you used solely UW did you try anki? I see a lot of students saying how good it is but I rather just focus on UW at this point because I don’t have time being a mom of two.

 

[MTCH2020]

Do you mind sharing how you studied for biostat?
I see that you used solely UW did you try anki? I see a lot of students saying how good it is but I rather just focus on UW at this point because I don’t have time being a mom of two.

For what it’s worth, I studied 0 bio stats and did 0 anki. I tried firecracker around January for like two weeks, but that was a wash. Only you know what works best for you!

 

[super_mom]

For what it’s worth, I studied 0 bio stats and did 0 anki. I tried firecracker around January for like two weeks, but that was a wash. Only you know what works best for you!

Thank you so much will stick to UW for biostat and continue with my UW only for the exam so I don’t spread myself thin.

 

[WolfDick]

Felt a lot harder to me than step 1. Thought I was a lot more ready for this test is the thing. Was scoring in the 260’s on UWSAs and was pretty comfortable going in. But then I got my ass handed to me for 9 hours. Either all 5 answers were wrong or I had to pick between two equally correct answers. Could have gone well or I could be that person to drop 40 points off their practice tests. Who knows? Me in two months, that’s who.
Looks like I’m not alone thought. A lot of people seem to feel pretty rough after it.

 

[TorsadeDePointes]

Felt a lot harder to me than step 1. Thought I was a lot more ready for this test is the thing. Was scoring in the 260’s on UWSAs and was pretty comfortable going in. But then I got my ass handed to me for 9 hours. Either all 5 answers were wrong or I had to pick between two equally correct answers. Could have gone well or I could be that person to drop 40 points off their practice tests. Who knows? Me in two months, that’s who.
Looks like I’m not alone thought. A lot of people seem to feel pretty rough after it.

Damn. How handy did Uworld turn out to be ? Well congrats on being done with the beast.

 

[deleted972898]

Also took it today....it's a wild ride. Be prepared for some reaching for step 1 knowledge on a few questions

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

For everyone who keeps asking how close it was to UW or if UW was helpful...yes UW is helpful. It’s a must. But the questions on UW and the questions on the real deal are different. UW always gives you enough info to rule in/out certain answers where I felt like the real test I was like “uh I think it may be disease x, so I guess I’ll go with this answer for the first step, which usually isn’t the first step that I’ve seen in UW, but looks the most correct, I think.”

That’s how I felt the entire test. UW is the best way to prepare, but the real deal is like UW questions without the buzzwords or common presentation.

 

[WolfDick]

Damn. How handy did Uworld turn out to be ? Well congrats on being done with the beast.

Uworld is a great resource and I don’t think there is any substitute for it. I definitely got a lot of questions on the test where I knew the answer immediately because of one of the Uworld algorithms. But it isn’t all encompassing.
Take this with a grain of salt but I wish I had done an NBME. Idk how similar those are to the real deal but they probably woulda been a good bet.

 

[WolfDick]

For everyone who keeps asking how close it was to UW or if UW was helpful...yes UW is helpful. It’s a must. But the questions on UW and the questions on the real deal are different. UW always gives you enough info to rule in/out certain answers where I felt like the real test I was like “uh I think it may be disease x, so I guess I’ll go with this answer for the first step, which usually isn’t the first step that I’ve seen in UW, but looks the most correct, I think.”

That’s how I felt the entire test. UW is the best way to prepare, but the real deal is like UW questions without the buzzwords or common presentation.

Also this.

 

[deleted972898]

Uworld is a great resource and I don’t think there is any substitute for it. I definitely got a lot of questions on the test where I knew the answer immediately because of one of the Uworld algorithms. But it isn’t all encompassing.
Take this with a grain of salt but I wish I had done an NBME. Idk how similar those are to the real deal but they probably woulda been a good bet.

nah, NBME's are also straight forward. Not as vague as a lot of the real deal was

 

[WolfDick]

nah, NBME's are also straight forward. Not as vague as a lot of the real deal was

Solid point. Lots of trying to guess what the test writers were thinking. I think the problem with any clinical reasoning test is that we never just do “one next step” in medicine. There are multiple “next steps” equally time efficient that we decide to pursue simultaneously in a work up. So it’s hard to choose between those two seemingly important next steps on an exam. Sometimes it’s really clear like RUQ US for cholecystitis but other times it’s really hard to decide. It comes down to finding the hidden reason in the stem for why this test/treatment and not that one. Unfortunately you just don’t get the time on these tests to pour over the stem more than once so be looking for them or take the educated guess and move on.

 

[Gray_ish]

This is amazing. My strategy is similar. Just hammering Uworld thoroughly. I know my Step One portion fairly well.
What kinda Step One questions come in the exam?
Is Uworld enough?
Congratulations!!

Knowing your Step 1 content helps greatly, that's why I think it's best if you take Step 2 CK shortly after Step 1.
With regards to the "Step 1 content" on Step 2 CK, I think Psychiatry overlapped the most (felt like I was doing Step 1 while answering those questions). Obgyn overlapped the least. Med/Paed/Surg - structured in a different way i.e. focusing on clinically reasoning (1) What is the diagnosis 2) what is the next best step

Biostats also overlapped greatly. I would say that Step 1 biostats knowledge (UWorld + FA +/- B&B) is definitely enough for Step 2 CK. Hopefully you kept some notes from Step 1 haha.

UWorld is alone definitely enough. Didn't touch OME at all.

Feel free to PM me

All the best,

 

[cardiacsarcoidosis]

anyone know the latest date to take CK to get scores in before 9/15 this yr?

 

[deleted918591]

Took the test today....320 questions is a lot...

Step 1: 227
UWSA1 : 232
UWSA2: 240
Step 2CK: TBD


I read online today that scores for test takers this week won't be released until August 28th...that sucks!

where online did you read that? from my understanding is that US students it takes 3-4 weeks while IMG it may take sometime. Thats ridiculous if i have to wait a full 2 months... tf

 

[sharpshooter17]

Can someone please answer this question:
If theres a question with a suspected aortic dissection. What is the next -best step? -most appropriate step? Uptodate says that the clinical triad for the dx of Aortic dissection includes Sudden onset chest pain, >20mmHg difference between both arms, and a widened mediastinum. Now this widened mediastinum must have been on a CXR. The algorithm in Uworld also mentions that the first step shoud be EKG and CXR. Can someone please clear this confusion for the boards. If we have both options, what do we choose?

 

[strawberry cupcake]

Can someone please answer this question:
If theres a question with a suspected aortic dissection. What is the next -best step? -most appropriate step? Uptodate says that the clinical triad for the dx of Aortic dissection includes Sudden onset chest pain, >20mmHg difference between both arms, and a widened mediastinum. Now this widened mediastinum must have been on a CXR. The algorithm in Uworld also mentions that the first step shoud be EKG and CXR. Can someone please clear this confusion for the boards. If we have both options, what do we choose?

Can someone please answer this question:
If theres a question with a suspected aortic dissection. What is the next -best step? -most appropriate step? Uptodate says that the clinical triad for the dx of Aortic dissection includes Sudden onset chest pain, >20mmHg difference between both arms, and a widened mediastinum. Now this widened mediastinum must have been on a CXR. The algorithm in Uworld also mentions that the first step shoud be EKG and CXR. Can someone please clear this confusion for the boards. If we have both options, what do we choose?

I think that depends on patient's hemodynamic stability.. If he is unstable then we can give beta blocker & buy some time to do spiral CT .. but doing CXR is not mandatory i guess.

 

[Drscopes]

Can someone please answer this question:
If theres a question with a suspected aortic dissection. What is the next -best step? -most appropriate step? Uptodate says that the clinical triad for the dx of Aortic dissection includes Sudden onset chest pain, >20mmHg difference between both arms, and a widened mediastinum. Now this widened mediastinum must have been on a CXR. The algorithm in Uworld also mentions that the first step shoud be EKG and CXR. Can someone please clear this confusion for the boards. If we have both options, what do we choose?

CXR ECG are not mandatory for diagnosis of Aortic Dissection. If the clinical suspicion is high and the patient is stable, get a CT to confirm the diagnosis and then proceed to beta blocker (if needed for BP control) with definite management depending upon the type of dissection (A or B).
If the clinical suspicion is low, CXR ECG maybe done to rule out other possibilities.
If the patient is hemodynamically unstable, prepare for operative intervention, and confirm the diagnosis on table with a TEE.

 

[Gen3ricDO]

My print permit disappeared but the usmle webpage posted that no scores were being released this week. Anyone else?

 

[WolfDick]

where online did you read that? from my understanding is that US students it takes 3-4 weeks while IMG it may take sometime. Thats ridiculous if i have to wait a full 2 months... tf

I had heard it was August 28th for US too. Ridiculous

 

[pb34]

where online did you read that? from my understanding is that US students it takes 3-4 weeks while IMG it may take sometime. Thats ridiculous if i have to wait a full 2 months... tf

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

My print permit disappeared but the usmle webpage posted that no scores were being released this week. Anyone else?

Is your eligibility period up? If you picked April/May/June it would've disappeared this weekend.

 

[Gen3ricDO]

Is your eligibility period up? If you picked April/May/June it would've disappeared this weekend.

Yeah that was the problem. Thanks

 

[PS2summerdays]

Took the test today....320 questions is a lot...

Step 1: 227
UWSA1 : 232
UWSA2: 240
Step 2CK: TBD


I read online today that scores for test takers this week won't be released until August 28th...that sucks!

How long before the test did you take UWSA1 and UWSA2?

 

[deleted709753]

took step 2 ck today. wow, that was just as hard as step 1. feel exactly the same walking out of both tests--like i got smashed. I was hoping it was gonna go better this time around but nope. Still ran out of time on almost every block and guessing on like half the questions. damn it feels like they purposely try to make the test really really really hard