Hi y'all,
I've really enjoyed lurking here over the years and have benefitted greatly from some of the advice I have read here; I have had several threads bookmarked for years. I'd been kicking it around in my mind to do a write up on longitudinal step 2 prep in the post step 1 p/f world, assuming I got a competitive step 2 score. I had this idea for a couple reasons: 1) based on bad advice I've heard over the years and 2) seemingly poorly organized (in comparison to step 1) study strategies for step 2. I figured this could be my way of contributing to this little online community. I got my score today - 27x - which is high enough for me to feel confident giving advice on S2 prep.
For MS1/2s:
Don't sleep on step 1 and treat it like it is still scored. I had been told that step 1 was easy to pass and that it wouldn't require much effort to simply pass. I didn't take this advice but I think some of my classmates did, a lot of whom really struggled in dedication and many failed on their first attempt. My advice: use the tried and true methods for preparing for step 1: UFAPS B&B (uworld, FA, Anking, Pathoma, sketchy, and B&B). Not only will you be better prepared for your NBME exams, but you will cruise through step 1 dedicated. Additionally, excellent step 1 prep is critical for answering shelf exam questions in MS3, pimp questions on the wards, and the fundamental medical knowledge is essential for doing well on S2.
For MS3s:
You can't outrun your shelf exam scores, and your percentile on shelf exams will highly correlate with your eventual S2 score. In other words, put yourself in the best position to succeed on S2 by completing uworld for each rotation, finishing as many 2-4 hammer questions on Amboss as you possibly can, and taking all practice shelf exams (and studying the questions, answer explanations, and concepts in depth in the weeks leading up to your exam).
For Step 2 dedicated:
I had 3 weeks of dedicated for step 2, which was adequate. My biggest, and least intuitive advice, for step 2 dedicated is to complete as many questions written by the NBME (retaking CMS forms, NBME practice exams, and free 120) as possible and to study the answer explanations/concepts in depth. Entering dedicated, I had planned to maybe complete a 50% 2nd pass of uWorld; however, S2 is as much about test taking skills as it is content and uWorld questions have very little in common with NBME step 2 question formats. In fact, I would posit that it is possible to have a very high % correct on a 2nd pass of uworld in dedicated and end up with a below average score, as the question format and style between uw and NBMEs are 2 completely separate entities. My advice for uworld in dedicated - use it as a spot check if you find yourself weak in a specific area - and do not attempt to make a complete 2nd pass of uworld in dedicated. Retaking CMS forms and taking NBME practice exams should take absolute priority.
Recommended S2 dedicated resources:
CMS forms
NBME practice exams (9-14)
Free 120 (new and old)
Amboss 'high-yield ethics' study block (approx. 50 questions)
Amboss '200 concepts that appear on every exam' study block
Final thoughts:
For step 1, I matured approximately 29k cards of the Anking deck, which I found useful for step 1 and would highly recommend. I kept the step 2 tagged cards for 3rd year from step 1 and unsuspended step 2 cards as I went through each rotation. However, I found the step 2 anking cards to be much less useful compared to those for step 1. I would go so far as to say that Anking for step 1 is mandatory, and is a soft optional for step 2. I generally found much more benefit from my homemade cards from amboss/uworld/CMS/NBMEs to be of greater benefit (only around 3.2k for all of 3rd year and 700 for S2 dedicated). I suspect this may change in the future, as I expect S2 resources to improve in quality to cope with increased importance of S2 nowadays.
Anyway, relieved to have step 2 behind me and to be able to continue to focus on my AIs for the rest of the fall. I hope someone may find this useful.
I've really enjoyed lurking here over the years and have benefitted greatly from some of the advice I have read here; I have had several threads bookmarked for years. I'd been kicking it around in my mind to do a write up on longitudinal step 2 prep in the post step 1 p/f world, assuming I got a competitive step 2 score. I had this idea for a couple reasons: 1) based on bad advice I've heard over the years and 2) seemingly poorly organized (in comparison to step 1) study strategies for step 2. I figured this could be my way of contributing to this little online community. I got my score today - 27x - which is high enough for me to feel confident giving advice on S2 prep.
For MS1/2s:
Don't sleep on step 1 and treat it like it is still scored. I had been told that step 1 was easy to pass and that it wouldn't require much effort to simply pass. I didn't take this advice but I think some of my classmates did, a lot of whom really struggled in dedication and many failed on their first attempt. My advice: use the tried and true methods for preparing for step 1: UFAPS B&B (uworld, FA, Anking, Pathoma, sketchy, and B&B). Not only will you be better prepared for your NBME exams, but you will cruise through step 1 dedicated. Additionally, excellent step 1 prep is critical for answering shelf exam questions in MS3, pimp questions on the wards, and the fundamental medical knowledge is essential for doing well on S2.
For MS3s:
You can't outrun your shelf exam scores, and your percentile on shelf exams will highly correlate with your eventual S2 score. In other words, put yourself in the best position to succeed on S2 by completing uworld for each rotation, finishing as many 2-4 hammer questions on Amboss as you possibly can, and taking all practice shelf exams (and studying the questions, answer explanations, and concepts in depth in the weeks leading up to your exam).
For Step 2 dedicated:
I had 3 weeks of dedicated for step 2, which was adequate. My biggest, and least intuitive advice, for step 2 dedicated is to complete as many questions written by the NBME (retaking CMS forms, NBME practice exams, and free 120) as possible and to study the answer explanations/concepts in depth. Entering dedicated, I had planned to maybe complete a 50% 2nd pass of uWorld; however, S2 is as much about test taking skills as it is content and uWorld questions have very little in common with NBME step 2 question formats. In fact, I would posit that it is possible to have a very high % correct on a 2nd pass of uworld in dedicated and end up with a below average score, as the question format and style between uw and NBMEs are 2 completely separate entities. My advice for uworld in dedicated - use it as a spot check if you find yourself weak in a specific area - and do not attempt to make a complete 2nd pass of uworld in dedicated. Retaking CMS forms and taking NBME practice exams should take absolute priority.
Recommended S2 dedicated resources:
CMS forms
NBME practice exams (9-14)
Free 120 (new and old)
Amboss 'high-yield ethics' study block (approx. 50 questions)
Amboss '200 concepts that appear on every exam' study block
Final thoughts:
For step 1, I matured approximately 29k cards of the Anking deck, which I found useful for step 1 and would highly recommend. I kept the step 2 tagged cards for 3rd year from step 1 and unsuspended step 2 cards as I went through each rotation. However, I found the step 2 anking cards to be much less useful compared to those for step 1. I would go so far as to say that Anking for step 1 is mandatory, and is a soft optional for step 2. I generally found much more benefit from my homemade cards from amboss/uworld/CMS/NBMEs to be of greater benefit (only around 3.2k for all of 3rd year and 700 for S2 dedicated). I suspect this may change in the future, as I expect S2 resources to improve in quality to cope with increased importance of S2 nowadays.
Anyway, relieved to have step 2 behind me and to be able to continue to focus on my AIs for the rest of the fall. I hope someone may find this useful.
