Step II USMLE - Official 2015 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread
Started by WBecks0
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I forgot about that! Thanks Jlaw!
I KNOW! Like taking the test isn't bad enough, the ecfmg people add to that! It's just so nerve wrecking, honestly, like other people here I am not aiming at 250, I just want a 230+1 and I would be ok. Right now, going by what people are saying with the test, that looks like a far away reality to achieve by the 13th 🙁
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And this rule applies for moving a test up in addition to moving a test back?
You may need 1-2 business days to work with in getting nbme to align in communication back to you to reschedule the test. I just did this recently.
It's $50 for 6-30 days and $~125 for 5 or less days to test day.
I think it's a 5 day before but not including test date or 6-30 day but not including test date rule where you have to pay. 5 days and less is much more than 30 days and less. If you are 31 days over but not including test day, it's free to schedule before or after (just as long as it's in your test scheduling period). If you are cancelling 30 days or less, you have to go to the prometric websote, enter your info and cancel your date.
Then you have to call prometric which can take a long time in waiting on the phone to pay the fee. Then they will email you and let nbme know.
Then you have to email nbme (email on scheduling permit) with the receipt that you paid and say you need to reschedule the test and paid the fine to prometric. Wait for nbme to respond and then your scheduling permit will be unlocked to schedule a new date back on prometric. That's where it could take a few days turn around time.
It just says if you want to change the date or test center.
RESCHEDULE / CANCEL POLICY
If you need to change (e.g., reschedule, cancel, change test center location) your appointment, you must go to www.prometric.com/USMLE or call the Prometric Regional Registration Center (RRC) noted on your Scheduling Permit. If you reschedule, your rescheduled test date(s) must fall within your assigned eligibility period. If you are unable to take the test within your eligibility period, contact your registration entity to inquire about a one-time eligibility period extension. A fee is charged for this service, and some restrictions may apply.
The date that you change your appointment, using local time of the RRC, will determine whether you pay an appointment change fee and the amount of this fee:
- If you change your appointment 31 or more days before (but not including) the first day of your scheduled test date, there is no fee.
- If you change your appointment fewer than 31 days but more than 5 days before (but not including) the first day of your scheduled test date, the fee is $50 US Dollars (USD).
- If you change your appointment 5 or fewer days before (but not including) the first day of your scheduled test date, the fee is $124.00 USD for domestic U.S.A. and Canada, $302.00 USD for International Zone 1, $342.00 for International Zone 2, or $552.00 USD for International Zone 3.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT CANCELLED OR MISSED APPOINTMENTS: If you cancel your appointment within 30 days or do not appear on your scheduled test date, you must call the RRC as directed on your Scheduling Permit and pay the appropriate fee to reinstate your eligibility record before you can schedule a new appointment. You will not be able to perform any transactions via the web.
If you do not take the test within your original or extended eligibility period and wish to take it in the future, you must reapply by submitting a new application and fee.
If you fail or do not complete your exam and want to retake it, you must reapply by submitting a new application and fee. Retest policies are available in the USMLE Bulletin of Information at www.usmle.org.
I wrote CK on Monday and I think my approach was/is a little bit odd/different in comparison to everyone else's. So heres my adventure:
I had a steady incline of NBME scores over the span of 4 weeks; started with a 206 cold no prep (NBME 4), there was a 220-230 in there somewhere, peaked at 250 (NBME 6), plummeted down to a 214 on NBME 7 (which to me was a crap exam, I'm sorry I didn't like it - and at this point I almost completed 2 question banks, or I just had a bad day) I then to my extreme amusement, scored a 209 two nights before (jet lagged after cramming in CS one weekend) on the UWSA (which made me laugh, put my books away, and call my mother).
I used UW, Kaplan, and USMLERx. I found it useful to have the apps on my phone or iPad while on public transportation over to a hospital, and on rare occasions I would see patients that were somewhat (or I'm desperately connecting in hindsight here), similar to some of the questions.
So anyways about the prep:
1. UW 1x
2. Kaplan 1x and then proceeded to do 50% of my incorrect
3. When UW would annoy me with their question details and Kaplan would piss me off with their "18% of students got this question right" nonsense, I turned to USMLERx which I found to be a pleasant question bank but not something to use alone.
***I don't think one source is better than the other - UW compliments Kaplan nicely in my opinion and they have full length 9 hour exams should you wish to do them****
All in all the exam itself was just like everyone said before, it's an even keel exam with a nice distribution of main topics but they like to favor specific subjects within those topics - for example I had 3 questions on the same psychiatric pathology, 2-3 questions on the same endocrine pathology, (literally the same answer), just different patient scenario. Which I think is a good thing because if you're comfortable to sticking to your guns in your answer choices, you'll thrive wonderfully. Make sure when you practice it is endurance driven. All of us know what its like to be on our last legs, re-reading the first sentence of a question over and over again, and BOOM! 4 minutes has gone by - that was me at block 7-9. First 6 blocks were your standard 5-10 min to review marked questions. I felt like the exam was going too well in the beginning because, as some have stated, some of the answers are just plain obvious knee jerk answers, and then I got worried that I was overlooking something because I mean c'mon..it's a USMLE exam, I should be crapping myself every question, so self doubt a struggle settled in every now and and again. I walked out not knowing what happened, picking the closest bar, and instantly looking up 20 questions (14 right and counting),
Please take my exam experience with a grain of salt because I'm horrible at test taking, which is unfortunate because it's plagued me for the most of my academic career. I have had super high practice exam scores, and bombed the occasional shelf to follow. At the same time I've had super low practice exams and somehow demolished the average. So for those of you asking which NBME is most reflective, because I've never had one be dead on or even only slightly in range, I would rely on what our top scoring people have said so far, consistency is key.
BOTTOM LINE:
Do the question banks, do the NBME's, call your mother if you have to, have faith that it will work out. As they say, "you can either be miserable or happy, the amount of effort is the same."
I had a steady incline of NBME scores over the span of 4 weeks; started with a 206 cold no prep (NBME 4), there was a 220-230 in there somewhere, peaked at 250 (NBME 6), plummeted down to a 214 on NBME 7 (which to me was a crap exam, I'm sorry I didn't like it - and at this point I almost completed 2 question banks, or I just had a bad day) I then to my extreme amusement, scored a 209 two nights before (jet lagged after cramming in CS one weekend) on the UWSA (which made me laugh, put my books away, and call my mother).
I used UW, Kaplan, and USMLERx. I found it useful to have the apps on my phone or iPad while on public transportation over to a hospital, and on rare occasions I would see patients that were somewhat (or I'm desperately connecting in hindsight here), similar to some of the questions.
So anyways about the prep:
1. UW 1x
2. Kaplan 1x and then proceeded to do 50% of my incorrect
3. When UW would annoy me with their question details and Kaplan would piss me off with their "18% of students got this question right" nonsense, I turned to USMLERx which I found to be a pleasant question bank but not something to use alone.
***I don't think one source is better than the other - UW compliments Kaplan nicely in my opinion and they have full length 9 hour exams should you wish to do them****
All in all the exam itself was just like everyone said before, it's an even keel exam with a nice distribution of main topics but they like to favor specific subjects within those topics - for example I had 3 questions on the same psychiatric pathology, 2-3 questions on the same endocrine pathology, (literally the same answer), just different patient scenario. Which I think is a good thing because if you're comfortable to sticking to your guns in your answer choices, you'll thrive wonderfully. Make sure when you practice it is endurance driven. All of us know what its like to be on our last legs, re-reading the first sentence of a question over and over again, and BOOM! 4 minutes has gone by - that was me at block 7-9. First 6 blocks were your standard 5-10 min to review marked questions. I felt like the exam was going too well in the beginning because, as some have stated, some of the answers are just plain obvious knee jerk answers, and then I got worried that I was overlooking something because I mean c'mon..it's a USMLE exam, I should be crapping myself every question, so self doubt a struggle settled in every now and and again. I walked out not knowing what happened, picking the closest bar, and instantly looking up 20 questions (14 right and counting),
Please take my exam experience with a grain of salt because I'm horrible at test taking, which is unfortunate because it's plagued me for the most of my academic career. I have had super high practice exam scores, and bombed the occasional shelf to follow. At the same time I've had super low practice exams and somehow demolished the average. So for those of you asking which NBME is most reflective, because I've never had one be dead on or even only slightly in range, I would rely on what our top scoring people have said so far, consistency is key.
BOTTOM LINE:
Do the question banks, do the NBME's, call your mother if you have to, have faith that it will work out. As they say, "you can either be miserable or happy, the amount of effort is the same."
Congrats on being done! What topics did you find your test to be heavily based on?
Also did you take any clinical mastery series during your prep? Do you think they helped?
My guess would be the vast majority of people tell the truth on here. And I honestly think most people could care less who says what. We know the objective stats according to recent score reports. And SDN numbers are invariably going to be shifted upward. If X number of people scored 280 on 2CK this year and they all posted here, that's not untruthful, but of course gives a projection of prevarication and fantasy.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to scores. Like other people have mentioned, people with higher scores are more likely to post. The average score stated on my score report is 240, so certainly a lot of people scored below 250. It's just that they don't post their scores. The more important thing is to read the actual exam experience to see what showed up. Almost everyone will be using the exact same resources, so trying to figure out what different people use probably isn't as important.
The exam experiences that @kirbymiester and @Ceusina had are very similar to mine (I took the exam a month ago). Also, @Phloston 's exam experience from a few months ago was fairly spot on.
I don't mean to be rude or anything but who cares if someone is scoring a 290 or 190. It honestly has nothing to do with what you're going to score. It's not like the USMLE has a restriction where only X amount of people are allowed to score > 260. Plus if someone lies again WHO CARES??? lol in the grand scheme of things and even in the step 1 and 2 arena it literally has NOTHING to do with us. Just do you man.
How long is the turn around time for score reports?
I don't know if it's because I took the exam 3 weeks from my due date and utterly sleep deprived for weeks, but I left feeling so unsure of how I did.
I feel like with a lot of these "next best step" questions I had answers narrowed down to 2 and then I have to make an educated guess...which is the worst feeling. Because depending on the resource you use that could potentially vary.
Also with some of these questions I had one curveball answer choice which would be something I've never heard of before (ie commotio cordis), but eliminated the other answer choices and had to kind of go with the oddball. But that only happened 3-4 times.
A lot of the Biostats questions also were more conceptual than calculations, which I found annoying because they were so wordy. The ethics and medical jurisprudence/legal questions can be challenging.
Oh, and the heart sound media questions...I hate those. I would much rather they describe the murmur or sounds in the question stem just like they did on UWorld routinely, but I get that's the point. In real life, I could catch most of the murmurs, but these artificial media clips just sound different to me. Blah.
Also, there were a few questions just worded so poorly and confusing where the actual question made no sense to me. I had to sit there and figure out what they were asking, which was very strange and never happened to me on Step 1, UWorld,etc.
Just be prepared for the epically long question stems. I was thrown for time and didn't get to go back and review my marked questions because the question stems were that lengthy. Maybe my sleep-deprived pregnant brain just couldn't process things.
I feel like with a lot of these "next best step" questions I had answers narrowed down to 2 and then I have to make an educated guess...which is the worst feeling. Because depending on the resource you use that could potentially vary.
Also with some of these questions I had one curveball answer choice which would be something I've never heard of before (ie commotio cordis), but eliminated the other answer choices and had to kind of go with the oddball. But that only happened 3-4 times.
A lot of the Biostats questions also were more conceptual than calculations, which I found annoying because they were so wordy. The ethics and medical jurisprudence/legal questions can be challenging.
Oh, and the heart sound media questions...I hate those. I would much rather they describe the murmur or sounds in the question stem just like they did on UWorld routinely, but I get that's the point. In real life, I could catch most of the murmurs, but these artificial media clips just sound different to me. Blah.
Also, there were a few questions just worded so poorly and confusing where the actual question made no sense to me. I had to sit there and figure out what they were asking, which was very strange and never happened to me on Step 1, UWorld,etc.
Just be prepared for the epically long question stems. I was thrown for time and didn't get to go back and review my marked questions because the question stems were that lengthy. Maybe my sleep-deprived pregnant brain just couldn't process things.
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Oh, you never heard of that before? We learned about it in path, quite an interesting thing to happen. It occurs when there is blunt force during a specific period of the T wave.
I get what you mean tho, if you havent heard of it...its like "wtf......", a typical USMLE thing
Yeah I chose that answer because I could figure out what it meant based on the Latin and it fit the stem. I guess I forgot about it. I don't know, my brain is a big fuzzball these days.
I had that question too! I had no idea what that was lol So logically I picked it.
240 average?! What's the SD?
Can anyone comment on the "score delay" for those taking it after July 11? They say target date is Sept 16. Does that mean ALL the scores will be released on Sept 16? or if you take it say 3rd week of July there is a chance you will still get it before Sept 16?
Thanks
Thanks
My understanding is that if you take Step 2CK before July 11th than your USMLE Transcript will include both your Step 1 score as well as your Step 2CK score by September 15th (the day that most everyone sends in their ERAS). If you take it after that July 11th date (as you have indicated is your date), than the Step 2CK score will appear on your USMLE Transcript by Sept 16th. Im sure there is a chance that these dates are not completely etched in stone, but either way it doesn't really matter.
In your case, just resubmit your application with the updated USMLE Transcript once your Step 2CK comes in a day later. Doubtful that any programs are screening Step 2CK scores on September 15th.
Has anybody tried Uworlds Biostats Subject Review? With everyone consistently reporting a high number of biostat questions I'm debating whether this would be worth the $25 for extra practice. Or is re-reading FA1's stat section a few extra times sufficient?
The website announced the date as 13th. They mentioned that those who take it on or after 13th are likely to have their results around September 16th. Now, they also mentioned if you want to be safe then take it by the 10th of July, so basically, 11th and 12th are grey areas.
I was going to ask the same! Any takers on this?
Recently finished MS3 and about to begin 4 weeks of dedicated studying. Do you guys think I should take one of the NBME's to start things off, or should I wait until I'm 1-2 weeks in? I'm curious about what my baseline score is but worry about how helpful that would be right now.. it's been 11 months since my IM rotation and I need to review a lot.
Step 1 was ~250 and I did pretty well on clerkships (half honors, half high pass) but not fantastic on the shelfs: 78 medicine, 75 family, mid-80s everything else -- admittedly I somewhat willingly sacrificed study time in order to spend time with family and stay sane.
I've really appreciated all the advise and experiences shared here, and in a few months hope to be sharing my own. My study plan is to reset my Uworld that I used throughout 3rd year and get all the way through + do as many missed Q's as possible. I bought MTB2/3 and will give it a try for the first week or so, but have a feeling I may abandon books for more Uworld time. Will also supplement with UpToDate readings as necessary. Will also read FA1 stats/immuno sections, maybe even dust off good ole' pathoma with all my notes for some bedtime reading.
Step 1 was ~250 and I did pretty well on clerkships (half honors, half high pass) but not fantastic on the shelfs: 78 medicine, 75 family, mid-80s everything else -- admittedly I somewhat willingly sacrificed study time in order to spend time with family and stay sane.
I've really appreciated all the advise and experiences shared here, and in a few months hope to be sharing my own. My study plan is to reset my Uworld that I used throughout 3rd year and get all the way through + do as many missed Q's as possible. I bought MTB2/3 and will give it a try for the first week or so, but have a feeling I may abandon books for more Uworld time. Will also supplement with UpToDate readings as necessary. Will also read FA1 stats/immuno sections, maybe even dust off good ole' pathoma with all my notes for some bedtime reading.
I like getting a "baseline" score after studying for 5-7 days. Just enough time to brush up on some of the major things I've forgotten... (how does aldosterone work again?!), but not enough time to have gone over the details. Basically, I just use that score to motivate me to study. My usual routine: I study halfheartedly for a week (thinking I'm studying hard, when in actuality I'm not), take a baseline exam, freak out, then really get down to business. At the same time, I also feel somewhat reassured when I realize that even if I got my (crappy) baseline score, I'd still comfortably pass if I took the real thing (this also helps when I'm waiting for my score and convinced I failed or got like a 205.. which is highly unlikely based on my practice tests...)
Essentially, a baseline score is all psychological for me. I don't think it adds much, if anything, to my content knowledge. I never review my baseline exam as thoroughly as subsequent tests (I probably should... but I don't).
Anyone find the NBME internal medicine practice forms useful for their studying / practice? I feel like UWORLD is giving too much information in their practice stems sometimes and want a more realistic look - never used the forms when I took the IM shelf so thought I would see if they were useful
I did it before Step 1 (which I took last October) so it may have changed since then. I didn't find it to be particularly representative of the kind of questions asked at the time and I thought there were way too many WTF questions in there. The explanations weren't that great either because at the end of finishing it, I really didn't feel like I knew very much more than I did to start. That being said, Biostats wasn't a forte of mine. Honestly, I think you're probably better off going through the formulae in FA1 and that's what I plan to do for CK.
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I took UWSA form 1 today. I've researched about UWSA a lot online, some people have mixed feelings. I do know people say their actual CK score matched or came close to what they got on UWSA but I felt like this exam was a little too medicine heavy. There was definitely not enough biostat, obgyn. The psych was pretty straight forward and simple compared to the NBMEs.
What are your guys thoughts?
What are your guys thoughts?
Its about averages. It was very similar to my exam with minimal biostats.
I thought UWSA 1 was pretty representative of the real thing but easier (shorter stems). The actual exam is very medicine heavy, its basically all medicine with a handful of other stuff thrown in to balance it out. You won't regret spending more time on medicine.
Is NBME 3 worth doing? It doesn't come with any feedback so I wasn't sure.
Also, what is the best order for NBME 4,6,7 and UWSA 1 since those are the only official exams? I know the higher numbers were better to take towards the end for Step 1 prep but it sounds like NBME 7 is the worst so maybe just do that one early?
Also, what is the best order for NBME 4,6,7 and UWSA 1 since those are the only official exams? I know the higher numbers were better to take towards the end for Step 1 prep but it sounds like NBME 7 is the worst so maybe just do that one early?
My plan over the next month is do #4 first, then 7 a week or so later (not doing last for reasons you mentioned), and then combine #6 and UWSA to simulate the full-length exam about a week before my exam.
I know some folks like simulating the full-length and it works for some. But I've always likened it to running 26 miles before the marathon... hardly anyone does it because it can start draining the tanks before you really need them. In terms of tests, it works for some people, but I doubt most. That said, I think the hardcore 10 hour study sessions one regularly engages in the weeks leading up to the test help with the stamina factor. On test day (and race day) that adrenaline gives the extra kicks to push through.
Good point. I'll see how I'm feeling as I get closer, maybe I'll change my mind about simulating a full-length. Exhaustion and timing became issues for me on step 1 during the last 3 blocks, so my thinking was that a full-length practice test could help prepare me better.
Good call. Trust your gut. You know you better than anyone!
Just got out of CK. What a nightmare! The stems were ridiculously long and no amount of prep could have prepared me for this. I had 10-30 seconds left over for each block and that was with rushing through a bunch. I'm sure I had several each block that I knew but got lost on with the stems.
How come everyone keeps saying the real deal is like UWSA? lol so confused right now.
I did NBME 3 first, kinda as a baseline. It still gives you a subject breakdown, so you can see where you were weak.
Took it today. Demoralized--people have said that this is normal coming out of the exam but I just can't shake the feeling. Definitely worried that I ended up making some serious errors and cannot stop thinking about the easy work-ups and gimmie questions that I missed. Actually had a thought while I was driving home from the exam about how I would have to explain my CK score during residency interviews. Sigh.
That being said, I want to do a quick write-up while the experience is still fresh in my mind. Wasn't very active on this forum but was around on the Step 1 forum last year so it's great to see familiar names.
Overall, the stems were long. Generally, they are 1.5 to 2x the length of NBME practice tests and UWorld questions. They tend to be full of extraneous information, obscure or borderline lab values, and are spaced out so that you have to keep your eye jumping around the page--you can't just glance at a few key words or values to create a differential. Being efficient at highlighting key info goes a long way--there were times when I took a look at a question I read and realized that I basically had the whole stem highlighted. That did not get me anywhere. So just don't zone out when you're reading a long stem and be mindful of what you're seeing so that you do not have to continually backtrack to the top of a question stem. I know that sounds like very simple advice but being mindful of how I needed to focus really helped me out on a few blocks (especially one where I had a nightmare drug ad).
Time is also a major issue. On most blocks, I finished with about 5-6 minutes left whereas I would have about 20-25 minutes left on UWorld, the UWSA, and NBME practice exams. Also, a lot of questions have a long list of lab values serving as distractors. Rarely, do they use a buzzword or classical finding to make a diagnosis easy for you. The main issue I had was that many questions were narrowed down to two equally valid answers and ended up vacillating between the two.
The exam was a fair balance of all subjects. I think the way that the biostats questions are presented on CK vs Step 1 makes it a subject that is important to cover, but if you are strapped for time (like I was) then it might be wise to not devote too much time to it. The way those biostats questions are written and the fact that you might be running low on time makes it easy to make simple errors. Just memorize the basic equations and I think you'll be set.
Step 1 Background: 245
Shelf Exams:
Did well during 4th year and generally read UptoDate while on rotations and did FC a few times a week to go through key concepts. Felt that FC was a good resource (especially when I was getting pimped) but questions are definitely the way to go for Step 2. I also picked up Step Up to Medicine and MTB2 but they just weren't for me, so I only referred to them if I had a specific question. Both books basically sit unused, though. Pestana's book was a good resource for surgery and I also found Blueprints to be a good FM and OBGYN resource.
Questions:
-USMLE Rx, mainly used this qbank for shelf exams. The questions highlight important concepts and the explanations are a quick, easy read. I found it very manageable during busy rotations.
-UWorld. The single best resource. I began it during my 4-5 week dedicated period and completed it 1.9x prior to the exam. I went through it slowly for the first pass (72% avg, random-timed), taking notes on questions. Then, I spent a few days slowly re-reviewing my incorrects. Afterwards, I began a second-pass and got through about 90% of the qbank (89% avg, random, tutor) before exam day.
-Kaplan. Bought this. Unecessary and only used it to go through some renal questions and remind myself of basic path. The questions are poorly written (not representative of the type you'll see on exam day). Also, the questions focus on nitty gritty details that really don't do much to further your knowledge base. It's also important to note how bad the interface is, how it seems questions are rarely updated, and how the lack of a true qbank app highlights how much this resource has been neglected by its owners and how little they value improving it. If you are going to use resources all year then you might want to do UWorld, Rx, and Kaplan, but I think that UWorld and Rx are sufficient.
-NBME Practice Exams. Again, I wasn't very active on this forum so I am not sure how the NBMEs rank and how highly they are valued compared to UWorld. I did practice exams in the following order, approximately every 5-6d during my prep and went through incorrects with another forum member--found this to be very helpful:
Will share my score and add details later if I feel anything else needed to be mentioned.
That being said, I want to do a quick write-up while the experience is still fresh in my mind. Wasn't very active on this forum but was around on the Step 1 forum last year so it's great to see familiar names.
Overall, the stems were long. Generally, they are 1.5 to 2x the length of NBME practice tests and UWorld questions. They tend to be full of extraneous information, obscure or borderline lab values, and are spaced out so that you have to keep your eye jumping around the page--you can't just glance at a few key words or values to create a differential. Being efficient at highlighting key info goes a long way--there were times when I took a look at a question I read and realized that I basically had the whole stem highlighted. That did not get me anywhere. So just don't zone out when you're reading a long stem and be mindful of what you're seeing so that you do not have to continually backtrack to the top of a question stem. I know that sounds like very simple advice but being mindful of how I needed to focus really helped me out on a few blocks (especially one where I had a nightmare drug ad).
Time is also a major issue. On most blocks, I finished with about 5-6 minutes left whereas I would have about 20-25 minutes left on UWorld, the UWSA, and NBME practice exams. Also, a lot of questions have a long list of lab values serving as distractors. Rarely, do they use a buzzword or classical finding to make a diagnosis easy for you. The main issue I had was that many questions were narrowed down to two equally valid answers and ended up vacillating between the two.
The exam was a fair balance of all subjects. I think the way that the biostats questions are presented on CK vs Step 1 makes it a subject that is important to cover, but if you are strapped for time (like I was) then it might be wise to not devote too much time to it. The way those biostats questions are written and the fact that you might be running low on time makes it easy to make simple errors. Just memorize the basic equations and I think you'll be set.
Step 1 Background: 245
Shelf Exams:
Did well during 4th year and generally read UptoDate while on rotations and did FC a few times a week to go through key concepts. Felt that FC was a good resource (especially when I was getting pimped) but questions are definitely the way to go for Step 2. I also picked up Step Up to Medicine and MTB2 but they just weren't for me, so I only referred to them if I had a specific question. Both books basically sit unused, though. Pestana's book was a good resource for surgery and I also found Blueprints to be a good FM and OBGYN resource.
Questions:
-USMLE Rx, mainly used this qbank for shelf exams. The questions highlight important concepts and the explanations are a quick, easy read. I found it very manageable during busy rotations.
-UWorld. The single best resource. I began it during my 4-5 week dedicated period and completed it 1.9x prior to the exam. I went through it slowly for the first pass (72% avg, random-timed), taking notes on questions. Then, I spent a few days slowly re-reviewing my incorrects. Afterwards, I began a second-pass and got through about 90% of the qbank (89% avg, random, tutor) before exam day.
-Kaplan. Bought this. Unecessary and only used it to go through some renal questions and remind myself of basic path. The questions are poorly written (not representative of the type you'll see on exam day). Also, the questions focus on nitty gritty details that really don't do much to further your knowledge base. It's also important to note how bad the interface is, how it seems questions are rarely updated, and how the lack of a true qbank app highlights how much this resource has been neglected by its owners and how little they value improving it. If you are going to use resources all year then you might want to do UWorld, Rx, and Kaplan, but I think that UWorld and Rx are sufficient.
-NBME Practice Exams. Again, I wasn't very active on this forum so I am not sure how the NBMEs rank and how highly they are valued compared to UWorld. I did practice exams in the following order, approximately every 5-6d during my prep and went through incorrects with another forum member--found this to be very helpful:
- NBME 7: 248
- NBME 6: 242
- NBME 4: 242
- UWSA: 262 (6d out)
- Free 131: 87% (1d out)
Will share my score and add details later if I feel anything else needed to be mentioned.
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I hear you on the demoralized part - I think that's just in our nature.
Step 1: 222 (after a super long leave of absence)
USWA: 229
Fred: 84%
NBME 4: 221
NBME 3: 250
NBME 7: 247
NBME 6: 244
Step 2: I will let you know! I'll be happy with 235 to tell you the truth - not applying to anything academic.
Step 1: 222 (after a super long leave of absence)
USWA: 229
Fred: 84%
NBME 4: 221
NBME 3: 250
NBME 7: 247
NBME 6: 244
Step 2: I will let you know! I'll be happy with 235 to tell you the truth - not applying to anything academic.
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Hope you crushed it!
starting my dedicated study period for 4 weeks today.
I have used only about 40% of Uworld throughout 3rd year.. most of my left over questions are internal medicine. Should I reset the Qbank?
I have used only about 40% of Uworld throughout 3rd year.. most of my left over questions are internal medicine. Should I reset the Qbank?
I had the exact same situation, reset it a few days ago. Glad I did because, like you, my remaining unused questions had no OB, surgery, psych and only a little peds. Depends on your study strategy, though. 6 days/week x 4 = 24 study days. There are ~52 blocks (of 44 Q's) in Uworld, so if you do 3 blocks/day you will finish Uworld in 17 days, leaving your last week of study for missed questions and review. If you're only able to do 1-2 blocks/day then maybe finish your remaining medicine Q's so you at least see them all, and then consider reseting.
I did it as a baseline. It kills whatever confidence you may have and is not representative of the real deal (based on the reports I've read here), but it does give you a break up and it also says "Hey, you can't possibly do worse than this" which is comforting in a twisted way. 😛
it depends on the NBME. On NBME 7, I got a 86% which translated to a 580 (254). On NBME 6, I got 88% which translated to 540 (246).
