Scheduling STEP II CK

[medready2005]

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Hello All!!!

Just wondering if you guys knew what the best time period there is to schedule for the STEP II CK as well as the total time period you all take to study for the exam.

Thanks!!!!

 

[FPLover]

Hello All!!!

Just wondering if you guys knew what the best time period there is to schedule for the STEP II CK as well as the total time period you all take to study for the exam.

Thanks!!!!

You should schedule it as early as possible and give yourself as much time as you need to study. If you have consistently performed at 60% or higher on your clinical shelf exams, then you should need only about 2 weeks to prepare.

For those who have had borderline performances or had to retake shelf exams, I recommend 1-1.5 months to prepare. This is an exam you don't want to have to take twice.

I also recommend using Case Files for OB & Internal Medicine in addition to taking the Blanc Education Solution exams and a couple of the exams offered by NBME to see where you're at. Good luck

 

[CanIMakeIt]

You should schedule it as early as possible and give yourself as much time as you need to study. If you have consistently performed at 60% or higher on your clinical shelf exams, then you should need only about 2 weeks to prepare.

For those who have had borderline performances or had to retake shelf exams, I recommend 1-1.5 months to prepare. This is an exam you don't want to have to take twice.

I also recommend using Case Files for OB & Internal Medicine in addition to taking the Blanc Education Solution exams and a couple of the exams offered by NBME to see where you're at. Good luck

What is Blanc Education Solution exams?? link please. when you say 60% do you mean percentage or percentile?

Thanks.

 

[medblazer21]

Schedule it AFTER september of 4th year so you can hide it from residency programs. Its no good to give them those scores until you get the results back and know you did well.

 

[jdh71]

*

 

[surprisedgirl]

Schedule it AFTER september of 4th year so you can hide it from residency programs. Its no good to give them those scores until you get the results back and know you did well.

but can't you choose not to automatically have it sent to them? or will they ask if you've taken it already?

 

[aaroncwMD]

but can't you choose not to automatically have it sent to them? or will they ask if you've taken it already?

Can anyone give some more information with regard to "hiding" your scores from residency programs.
--how long can you hide them for (meaning if you wanted to take a year off to do research, can you hide them for a year?)
--how do you hide them (do you select this while you take the exam)
--can you hide both CK and CS?

thanks so much

 

[Rogue_Leader]

Can anyone give some more information with regard to "hiding" your scores from residency programs.
--how long can you hide them for (meaning if you wanted to take a year off to do research, can you hide them for a year?)
--how do you hide them (do you select this while you take the exam)
--can you hide both CK and CS?

thanks so much

When people are talking about "hiding" their scores, what they're refering to is not releasing the scores to residency programs. When you first submit your ERAS, you have to submit your USMLE transcript at that time, which will have every USMLE score that you have at that time and you don't have a choice in this matter. What you can "hide" are new scores that come in after your submit your ERAS. So if after submitting ERAS, you take the CK and get a 181, it is your option as to if you want to re-submit your USMLE transcript to programs or simply "hide" the score by not submitting it if you think it will hurt you. People will often refer to an option in ERAS about how you can automatically have ERAS automatically re-submit any new USMLE scores as they come in, or to have them held until you decide to re-submit them; it is typically recommended that you take the latter course of action because you wouldn't want to ruin a good application should you get a mediocre CK score. Whenever you re-submit your USMLE transcript, you have to submit it as is, you can not cherry pick which scores to transmit. So for example, if after submitting your ERAS, you have a 250 on the CK but failed the CS, you could not transmit just the CK score without also sending the CS. In terms of what you have to decide at the time of the exam, nothing regarding transmission of scores is decided at that time. There are some things in terms of whether you want to cancel the results of the test altogether, but decisions regarding score release aren't made at that time. There's no limit as to how long you can wait to release scores, but individual programs may have their own requirements as to how old the scores can be (within 3 years of application or something).

 

[medready2005]

Thanks for all the help soo far everyone!! Keep the advice coming!!!

 

[predodoc]

Do you have to TAKE the test after submiting or just submit applications before your scores come in? Basicly, Is taking it in August too risky?

 

[Abram Hoffer]

I have CK scheduled for 10/25. I need to re-schedule due to conflicts with my current rotation. When I try to open the 3 month window to schedule on Prometric, there are only Oct dates. Nothing in Nov. Nothing in Dec. This can't be right. Are all the dates taken? I have searched multiple different cities and nothing shows for Nov. WTF?

 

[CanIMakeIt]

I have CK scheduled for 10/25. I need to re-schedule due to conflicts with my current rotation. When I try to open the 3 month window to schedule on Prometric, there are only Oct dates. Nothing in Nov. Nothing in Dec. This can't be right. Are all the dates taken? I have searched multiple different cities and nothing shows for Nov. WTF?

Seems like your 3-month window is for october only. Check your eligibility period. You will need to pay $55 if u need to extend it once for another 3 months. Once u have extended, u will be able to see other months.

Make sure u cancel this apointment with prometric to avoid $116 rescheduling fee, which they will charge u if u don't cancel and simply extend your date with NBME people. (also I am not sure, check on NBME site, but u can only extend date after your current one has expired .... but i could be wrong.... If I were in that situation..I would cancel the appt, and then call NBME, send in my form when they tell me to and then reschedule)

Hope that helped. Good Luck.

 

[Abram Hoffer]

Seems like your 3-month window is for october only. Check your eligibility period. You will need to pay $55 if u need to extend it once for another 3 months. Once u have extended, u will be able to see other months.

Make sure u cancel this apointment with prometric to avoid $116 rescheduling fee, which they will charge u if u don't cancel and simply extend your date with NBME people. (also I am not sure, check on NBME site, but u can only extend date after your current one has expired .... but i could be wrong.... If I were in that situation..I would cancel the appt, and then call NBME, send in my form when they tell me to and then reschedule)

Hope that helped. Good Luck.

What a PITA! Seriously, though, thanks for the response. Mucho gracias! It was a big help, and I was thinking that that might be the case. I had no idea the trouble it is to extend and reschedule.

 

[silenthunder]

DUDE!!!!

before you assume your eligilibty period is over, make sure there REALLY is something available for the period.

I too am trying to schedule a testing site (for me, sometime in november)

Not much to be had. One site I was hoping to schedule at has NOTHING available for october, november, december!!!

(I thought this might be a glitch so I called prometric, and the girl told me: no availability at the site AT ALL!!!!)

I have also looked at 7 other sites in the general area. low availability at all of them. i am taking a backup test date and hoping for something else to open.

make sure your eligibility is indeed over. and it would really, really suck for you to pay the money to extend the period just to find out that, yes, there really isn't anything at that centre!!

Cheers,

Silenthunder

 

[cgk]

Do you have to TAKE the test after submiting or just submit applications before your scores come in? Basicly, Is taking it in August too risky?

Does anyone know the answer?

 

[Acherona]

Do you have to TAKE the test after submiting or just submit applications before your scores come in? Basicly, Is taking it in August too risky?

If you take it the last two weeks then it should be fine because your score won't be in yet. As long as Eras does not have your usmle transcript to release when you submit then they won't see it and you can still choose the option of not releasing. You have to make sure you submit sept 1 though, cuz if you stall then your scores might get in.

I also noticed there is *nothing* in the last two weeks of november in the entire new york area. I think maybe it is SAT time?