Taking Step 2 during third year...

[PercutaneousKnowledge]

Hi everyone,
I am a new M3, I am currently on a pretty easy rotation(3) for three months with plenty of time to study. Would it make sense to take step 2 CK at this time to get it out of the way? I am only rotating four days a week with a light schedule during the days. Would not going through through clerkships put me at a huge disadvantage in terms of knowledge base for this exam or will I be fine with studying for the exam similar to step I (strategy wise)? Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[22031 Alum]

I don't think that's a great idea. The common saying that you need 2 weeks to study for Step 2 takes into account that you'd have a good amount of clinical experience to draw on. Trying to study for it the same way as Step 1, from books only, may be putting yourself at a disadvantage for no good reason.

 

[22031 Alum]

Also, even "easy" rotations can have tough shelf exams. By trying to study for Step 2 instead you may also be putting yourself at risk of bombing a shelf (and maybe a whole rotation as a result!) just to "get Step 2 out of the way." Doesn't strike me as good decision-making.

 

[Soilworkgmbh]

Don't rush it, enjoy third year getting to see patients. And when you study for your shelf, you'll be surprised how much they help you down the road when you take the step. If you study hard during the year, you'll only need 2 weeks to study before the exam. That's what I did and it worked out well.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

Some people are amazing test takers. There's a guy in our class that honors everything and did minimal studying for his >260 score. People like him could have easily taken it shortly after step 1. If you've got that level of testing ability, go for it. The last person in our school that actually attempted this though didn't do well.

 

[Elixir6]

You should probably just take Step 3 now as well to get it out of the way.

 

[DocVapor]

I think you should probably check with your school first to make sure they would even allow you to take it before you decide to start studying for it.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

It's a USMLE issue, not a school issue. A school would have to individually sanction you from taking step 2 once you've passed step 1. Which is rare, because people are generally not stupid enough to take it right after step 1. Or brilliant enough.

Anyone can take step 2 the moment their step 1 scores come back. Step 3 is an exception, requires us to have our MD (IIRC).