UFAP of Step 2

[dr.sartorius]

What are the UFAPs of Step 2? I keep hearing mixed things and I am looking for a list of must haves for step 2. I understand Uworld is a must but are there any books, videos, or audio materials that are GOLD for step 2? At the moment I'm looking for what books to purchase but any other suggestions for when exam time comes closer would be much appreciated! Would any of these also be helpful for shelves/rotations as well? Thanks in advance!

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[Morzh]

That's the (frustrating) thing - there is no such resource or combination of resources. The most popular combination seems to be the Master the Boards series - specifically using MTB for step 2 ck for the medicine subjects and MTB step 3 for surgery, OB, peds, etc.

Take my next thoughts with a grain of salt because I don't actually take my test until next week. I bought those books but only ended up reading 3 chapters before abandoning it for 100% uworld. I just didn't feel like I was improving with them. I think if you really use uworld correctly - (tutor/untimed with meticulous reviewing, use the notes feature and review every night, make some anki flashcards for things you are consistently weak in, have uptodate open in the other window for PRN further review) - then there's not much else you NEED to do very well. Definitely do some practice exams (NBMEs and UWSA) and consider the clinical mastery series exams (practice shelf exams) to gauge your progress and get comfortable with the "NBME style".

Assuming you're a traditional US student and recently completed your core third year clerkships, you've already learned (at some point) everything you need... your dedicated study time is a time to dust off and re-synthesize all that knowledge. There's not a lot of actual new learning going on (which is very different from step 1 studying). Now, and I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, I did very well on step 1 and the above approach seems to be working well for me. If you performed average or below on step 1 or have significant gaps in your knowledge then the review book approach may be necessary. But if you're already at a 240+ level I think uworld and repetition is the most efficient use of study time.

 

[Ismet]

Unpopular opinion here, and keep in mind I haven't taken the exam yet, but I like FA for Step 2. It definitely has mixed reviews, so I'd say maybe borrow it from someone and check it out. It's enough to give you a solid general base with a lot of high yield "key facts" highlighted in the margins, which have netted me a lot of points on UWorld and NBMEs. There's a lot that's NOT in it, though, so be prepared to annotate from UWorld, but for me that's how I learn best. I remember what I physically write down, whereas things like flashcards are less beneficial to me except for simple rote memorization stuff. YMMV

During rotations I liked OnlineMedEd, UWorld, and usually 1, maybe 2 review books depending on the course. Stuff like Blueprints, Pre-test, etc. I didn't start using FA until my dedicated Step 2 study time.

 

[madchemist89]

I suggest a 100% UWorld approach or UWorld + notes from your clerkship texts. The review books are too basic.

 

[dr.sartorius]

Thank you all for the helpful responses !😉