Should I take Step 2 CK now or wait?

[musicophilia]

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Hey everyone. I could use some advice. I've scheduled my Step 2 CK for Aug. 10th because that was the best time for me to take it. My Step 1 score was 209. I am an AMG from a lower-tier MD school in the US, with mediocre grades but a couple of decent LORs (i think).

I'm having second thoughts about my readiness for it (as always for any test for me!). I'm thinking of delaying my test until sometime in Sept. An Aug. 10th exam won't have it's score in on time for Sept. 1st ERAS apps anyway. Do you think my Step 1 will suffice for getting interviews? And should I delay my test?

Thanks for any input.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

Hey everyone. I could use some advice. I've scheduled my Step 2 CK for Aug. 10th because that was the best time for me to take it. My Step 1 score was 209. I am an AMG from a lower-tier MD school in the US, with mediocre grades but a couple of decent LORs (i think).

I'm having second thoughts about my readiness for it (as always for any test for me!). I'm thinking of delaying my test until sometime in Sept. An Aug. 10th exam won't have it's score in on time for Sept. 1st ERAS apps anyway. Do you think my Step 1 will suffice for getting interviews? And should I delay my test?

Thanks for any input.

take an official NBME practice test. Best way to figure things out.

A 209 isn't bad and will get you plenty of interviews at middle-tier places. But if you can knock step 2 out of the park, you're that much stronger

As I can attest with my 241/257, research, masters, and 3 obscenely strong psych letters, and no interviews from UCSF, Columbia, or MGH...psych at the upper levels is as competitive as anything.

 

[whopper]

If you feel you have a realistic gauge of where you are in your readiness to take the exam, I'd wait.

However you have to be sure of your own readiness. I wouldn't step into this exam if you felt you weren't ready, though one could argue that several will never feel ready--ever.

I used USMLEWORLD as a way to gauge how I was doing. It was a better way to gauge my progress vs Kaplan. I thought Kaplan's quesitons were too easy. It also tells you how many right you were getting.

From my own experience, people who do average on USMLEWORLD compared to the other people who use it (it compares your performance vs other people who use that service) are at the very low end of passing the USMLE.

 

[musicophilia]

From my own experience, people who do average on USMLEWORLD compared to the other people who use it (it compares your performance vs other people who use that service) are at the very low end of passing the USMLE.

That's interesting... I figured that people who do average on USMLE would at least do average on CK. This worries me a little! Cuz I've been doing just about average, with 6 days left to prepare!

The other part of me just wants this monkey off my back... but if I can't top my step 1, I might have to hold off a little bit.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

That's interesting... I figured that people who do average on USMLE would at least do average on CK. This worries me a little! Cuz I've been doing just about average, with 6 days left to prepare!

The other part of me just wants this monkey off my back... but if I can't top my step 1, I might have to hold off a little bit.

Don't forget just how many foreign med students are using UW

 

[Red Beard]

I second the above suggestion: shell out the bones for an NBME exam and see how you do on it. Do it as soon as you can.

The chance that you will significantly improve on that score in just a few days is very small, so you can use it to make your decision about going ahead with the real thing as planned or rescheduling it.

Otherwise you are going in both blind and nervous and that's not going to help you in the long run.

Good luck!