Background: IMG, very average student, in the lower quarter of medical school.
took ck at the end of may,result in mid june. could not post earlier as i got busy with CS practice,couldnt wait to finish that ****.this forum definitely helped me in getting some confidence and a lot of insight on optimal preparation.
Duration:4 months
CK score:262
step 1 :something similar
Materials used: MTB for CK , Kaplan Pediatrics,Surgery,Ob/Gyn
Uworld:1st pass system wise:75-80%
2nd pass:random :90-95%
Clinical Mastery Series: are helpful
Behavioral, Biostat,Immnology mostly step 1 like.
no practice tests except free 137(?) from usmle software: 93%
Exam experience:Was definitely a race against time.I had my mind prepped that i would not get stuck in any question, would just mark and move on and that was what i did every block ,marked 10-15 questions each block but just had time to review them.yes , made many silly mistakes because of just skimming through questions,but that was how i had practiced ,may not
work for everyone.questions were a mix of straightforward to vague.similarly styled to Uworld but had little clues to answer.
Overall the exam is doable but you wont know have any clue how you performed ,its that vague.
The preparation gets much easier as it transitions from step 1 to ck and then to cs, but the exam itself gets vague and unpredictable.I will update about my CS results , although i have a feeling that my streak of luck might be coming to an end.