USMLE USMLE - Official 2016 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

Your USMLE Scores Increased, Guaranteed!
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
T

Trogdor_The_Burninator

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
27
Reaction score
52
Members do not see this ad.
Hello everyone!

With 2016 around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to start this thread and continue the 2015 thread into the new year!

Similar threads from the past have been extremely helpful to me (and I'm sure) and many others.

Good luck to everyone taking Step 2 CK in 2016!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
SilverCat said:
Step 1: 241; Shelf averages =mid to low 80s
5 weeks overall study time--used UWorld only
Finished UW (80-90% of questions complete)-->average 80-85% at end; doing 1-2 blocks per day, going through each answer explanation
NBME 7 (4 weeks before exam)=235
NBME 6 (2 days before)= 246

Actual Step 2 CK= 254

Not complaining, it's an OK score--considering how little I studied for this and my inability to concentrate at all while studying. I was expecting 220.

Take home messages: Expect to feel like garbage after this exam--it's a soul-sucking nightmare. Don't freak out if you miss those "linked questions" on the exam--where they give you the answer in the second question. I felt like I was guessing on almost every question, couldn't remember basic management options, and couldn't see much on some X-rays. It is apparently graded more leniently than you would expect.

Also, if you don't sleep the night before the exam, it's okay-->I think I got only 3-4 hours of sleep total due to severe anxiety.
Click to expand...

Great score! I have my exam in 9 days. Anything you would do differently in the last week? Also what is you thoughts on my NBME 7 question?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Red Husky said:
Great score! I have my exam in 9 days. Anything you would do differently in the last week? Also what is you thoughts on my NBME 7 question?
Click to expand...

I didn't really do anything different the last week--I studied harder on the last day because I saw my NBME 6 score and worried a bit.

I don't know if I would take NBME 7 in my last week--it may or may not underestimate your score.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Step 1=254
Shelf exams- high 80's to low 90's
UWorld, tutor by subject- low 80's
UWSA=252, 1 week out

Actual Step 2 CK= 264!!

Very excited, I walked out feeling much worse than step 1 so I was not expecting it. I used MTB2 and 3 to study as well as secrets and UWorld. No dedicated time but studied for 2 hours most days for 2 months.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Step 1: 244
Step 2: 270
3rd year shelves: Around 85

I ended up coming up with a plan with a close friend of mine in a different med school. Our goal was to do all of Kaplan, Rx, Uworld. We started studying around spring break during 3rd year. I started with Kaplan Qbank. Spent about 3 months doing it at leisurely pace, finished almost all of it; averaged 70%. Then moved to USMLE Rx, which I started at beginning of 4th year. My first rotation was my ICU month, so I did like maybe 200 questions. Took second month off to study for step 2. Spent first 2 weeks on Rx, did about 1200 questions, averaged 90%. Reset uworld and spent last 2 weeks redoing it (I had done uworld throughout 3rd year for shelf), averaged 90%. I miscalculated my efficiency and only did 80% of Uworld. Didn't do any practice exams because I was so stressed for time at the end. My friend had similar stats: He did all of Kaplan, averaged 70ish%, a little less Rx, and a little more Uworld than me, and averaged about 90% for each of those too; he ended up with 275.

Test day: Felt super-stressed for time. I ran out of time on one block and pretty much randomly guessed on the last 2 questions because I had 5 seconds left (it was the drug ad block; I suggest doing all the questions first and do the drug ad questions last; don't make the mistake I did). All other blocks I either finished as the time ended or within 10 seconds of time running out. Left knowing for sure I missed 2 questions. Both were those two part questions, where the second part shows you the answer to the first part. I probably had educated guesses (narrowed down to 2 or 3 answers) at about 20 questions. No questions I randomly guessed at (except for the 2 where I ran out of time).
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey guys, got my score back today and failed! Most of my bars were on the mid performance line. I'm willing to take any advice?!?! Do you think I'll be ready to retake the exam by December? My school didn't make us do shelf exams which I believed killed me! Again, any help would be greatly appreciated at this point!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DocHopeful2016 said:
Hey guys, got my score back today and failed! Most of my bars were on the mid performance line. I'm willing to take any advice?!?! Do you think I'll be ready to retake the exam by December? My school didn't make us do shelf exams which I believed killed me! Again, any help would be greatly appreciated at this point!
Click to expand...

Find the bars that are the lowest and focus on those. Do uworld, all of it. If you've done uworld the previous time around and took notes, review them. Then reset uworld and do all of it again, and read each explanation thoroughly. If you got time, do Rx, really quick/simple questions with short explanations, really help with buzz-word type questions. Whatever you do, end with uworld. What rotations do you have from now to December? If you have radiology/EM/anesthesia, ect (rotations with a lot of free time, esp for students not going into those fields), you should have plenty of time from now until december to do those qbanks and read MTB. You could try reading First Aid too, but since First Aid is written by people that made USMLE Rx, it seems redundant; so many do one or the other?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thelittleone said:
Find the bars that are the lowest and focus on those. Do uworld, all of it. If you've done uworld the previous time around and took notes, review them. Then reset uworld and do all of it again, and read each explanation thoroughly. If you got time, do Rx, really quick/simple questions with short explanations, really help with buzz-word type questions. Whatever you do, end with uworld. What rotations do you have from now to December? If you have radiology/EM/anesthesia, ect (rotations with a lot of free time, esp for students not going into those fields), you should have plenty of time from now until december to do those qbanks and read MTB. You could try reading First Aid too, but since First Aid is written by people that made USMLE Rx, it seems redundant; so many do one or the other?
Click to expand...
I was able to do MTB 2 & 3 one time through and UWorld 1.5x. But I was pulling 12 hour ER shifts and doing them when I had time. My ER rotation ended the day before I took my CK. I'll be honest, my exam kept beating me down with the length and the convoluted questions. I'm just drained emotionally!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Antiochos said:
Hello all,

2015 IMG, Step 1 274, Step 2 CK 278.

I compiled my experience with the latter in the attached pdf. It's mostly an assessment of the resources I used, brief remarks on strategy and related preparation concepts, as well as some thoughts on the exam.

Hope it is of use, and good luck to all test takers!
Click to expand...
Your step 1 writeup was fantastic. I read it multiple times during my dedicated period (wish I had read it sooner) and scored >260. I am incredibly happy to see that you've made another for step 2, and I intend to read it a few times. Thank you for your effort, and congratulations on your incredibly impressive scores.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
SilverCat said:
I didn't really do anything different the last week--I studied harder on the last day because I saw my NBME 6 score and worried a bit.

I don't know if I would take NBME 7 in my last week--it may or may not underestimate your score.
Click to expand...

What do you think about doing 2 NBMEs (4&6) back to back two days before the exam? Is it too close to the real deal?
Red Husky said:
Is there a good source for management diagrams.I used MTB step 3 and have my exam in 10 days. Starting to panic about next step in management type of questions since I used step3 book instead of step2 :/
I used 'step up to medicine" for Internal a few months ago and read the rest from MTB3. But have no time to go back and review step up. Is there a last minute good source I can use? Right now I am trying to finish UW (around 700 Qs left, 2nd pass)
Click to expand...

I case anybody else wondering. Onlinemeded is great but even better than that is UpToDate. Wish I started using it sooner. For most diseases, you can find a diagnostic/treatment algorithm in UpToDate. If I go back in time I just throw MTB out and make a list of most common diseases and read them from UpTpDate then do 2 rounds of UW.
Onlinemeded videos+UpToDate summaries+UW is even better! Wish life had a Control-Z!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Red Husky said:
What do you think about doing 2 NBMEs (4&6) back to back two days before the exam? Is it too close to the real deal?
Click to expand...

Why do you want to do that? If you have run through all of UW and feel that you know it well, and want extra practice questions and to simulate the testing conditions, okay. If you are trying to make sure you aren't in failing range, ok. But if you're trying to predict your score, I would save your money and time.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
SilverCat said:
Why do you want to do that? If you have run through all of UW and feel that you know it well, and want extra practice questions and to simulate the testing conditions, okay. If you are trying to make sure you aren't in failing range, ok. But if you're trying to predict your score, I would save your money and time.
Click to expand...

Well, I am an IMG with step1=227 So honestly if I get a low NBME on this one I should just cancel. Two lower than average scores don't get me anywhere in the match as an IMG 🙁
I know that self-assessments are not accurate (NBME=240 on step 1 ended up with a 227!) but what can I do?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Red Husky said:
Well, I am an IMG with step1=227 So honestly if I get a low NBME on this one I should just cancel. Two lower than average scores don't get me anywhere in the match as an IMG 🙁
I know that self-assessments are not accurate (NBME=240 on step 1 ended up with a 227!) but what can I do?
Click to expand...
I am so worried. This was my first ever step taken . I am totally lost. No idea what to do next
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Asperger said:
I am so worried. This was my first ever step taken . I am totally lost. No idea what to do next
Click to expand...
It all comes down to what you want and what your situation is. There is no formula. Just answered on your other post on what I think your options are. But what is done is done so don't beat yourself up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Red Husky said:
Well, I am an IMG with step1=227 So honestly if I get a low NBME on this one I should just cancel. Two lower than average scores don't get me anywhere in the match as an IMG 🙁
I know that self-assessments are not accurate (NBME=240 on step 1 ended up with a 227!) but what can I do?
Click to expand...

Have you already paid for the exam? I would just go for it if so. If you don't, you will always wonder "what if?"

What scores are you hitting in the self-assessments?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey guys!
IMG here, recently took Step 1 and now gearing up for Step 2 CK.
I am looking for an advice regarding resources for IM. Seems like a lot of people use MTB-2 for IM but it's also being said that the guidelines in MTB are pretty much outdated and that it contains a lot of errors. Given that, why is it used so much by everyone?
I am looking for review book, which is not too dense with text and can fit within my prep timeline of 4 months. Would it be better to go for FA CK instead of MTB? Or perhaps Step up to medicine or IM essentials? There are so many resources listed here that I am completely lost :shrug:
Any advice will be very much appreciated!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Guys,

If my scores are lower in mutilsystems and disease, where should I start studying? I mean what does this entail as far as the exam writers are concerned? Thanks!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
SilverCat said:
Have you already paid for the exam? I would just go for it if so. If you don't, you will always wonder "what if?"

What scores are you hitting in the self-assessments?
Click to expand...
Yes I have already paid and I can postpone for a fee but I got 2 weeks off from work to do the exam so later will mean studying part-time again.
The only SA I did was a few weeks ago UWSA=228 🙁 I am doing around 72% in UW. Right now I am reading everything once again and doing UW subject based don't know how far that would take me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Step 1: 246
Step 2: 250

Studied using Step Up To Medicine for IM and Blueprints for Peds and Ob-Gyn. I tried to use a book for surgery but ran out of time. Relied on UWorld for teaching me all the concepts and facts that I should know for each topic. I intended to do so much more, but I was studying during rotations and just didn't have more juice in me 🙁 I didn't have time to do a practice test. My test date was midway during my ICU month so....yeah. I don't think UWorld %score means much unless it's your second run through the QBank. Mine was in the 70s. I also didn't do fantastically on shelf exams during the year. I don't think I learned much during 3rd year lol other than how to survive in medicine. Most of my clinical learning was during 2ck studying. I really credit SUTM, blueprints books, and UWorld for my score. One other thing that I do is go through all UWorld answers that I felt unclear about in the week before the test so I had it in my immediate recall. I did this for Step 1 as well.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ShahRukhKhan said:
Congrats to everyone on crushing this exam! quick question, is nbme 7 worth doing? Seems like a lot of people drop in their score and that it doesn't predict the score too well but is it worth doing it for the knowledge/similarity to real deal? or is it just a waste of time? I have 10 days to the test, took nbme 4 last week and planning to do uwsa and nbme 6 later this week. Wondering if I should do some of the CMS tests instead of 7. Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

NBME 7 is worth doing. You may consider doing 7 first and then 6 afterward.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Welp, took this beast today... most of the questions were not as straight forward as uworld questions or nbme practice questions..
I mean topics aren't covered in the sources I studied so how am I supposed to do well on these
I guess you really have to be studious during 3rd year and go extra and beyond to know all the questions in step 2 ck and I guess I didn't do that...
It was about 40%(100% certain I got right)/30% (educated guess)/30% (less than optimal educated guess)...
I do not understand how people only miss 1-2 questions per block on these exams... I did uworld 2x (last 1x last 2 weeks) and it wasn't sufficient
I'm hoping my guesses go in my favor as they weren't blind but somewhat educated...
BTW question stems are really long and I felt it was more of a reading comprehension test rather than USMLE for a moment...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
kehlsh said:
Welp, took this beast today... most of the questions were not as straight forward as uworld questions or nbme practice questions..
I mean topics aren't covered in the sources I studied so how am I supposed to do well on these
I guess you really have to be studious during 3rd year and go extra and beyond to know all the questions in step 2 ck and I guess I didn't do that...
It was about 40%(100% certain I got right)/30% (educated guess)/30% (less than optimal educated guess)...
I do not understand how people only miss 1-2 questions per block on these exams... I did uworld 2x (last 1x last 2 weeks) and it wasn't sufficient
I'm hoping my guesses go in my favor as they weren't blind but somewhat educated...
BTW question stems are really long and I felt it was more of a reading comprehension test rather than USMLE for a moment...
Click to expand...

Congrats on being done with ck!! 🙂 You are 100% sure that you got 40% of the questions right. That is great!I read here people were unsure of almost every question and end up with a good score.

Did you run out of time on any block? (given that the stems were super long) And how was your timing in UW? I am finishing each block only 6,7 minutes before time is up.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Red Husky said:
Congrats on being done with ck!! 🙂 You are 100% sure that you got 40% of the questions right. That is great!I read here people were unsure of almost every question and end up with a good score.

Did you run out of time on any block? (given that the stems were super long) And how was your timing in UW? I am finishing each block only 6,7 minutes before time is up.
Click to expand...

I did 200-240q / day last 2 weeks to finish 2nd run of uworld. I believe that helped me to have stamina to push through each block with ease. Usually finished those block with 5-10 mins left.

Timing wasn't an issue for me for any block. However, there was a bulk of questions that I had no clue on how to approach. Just had to move on with a guess.

Be prepared to just move on with a guess a lot >< (if your primary source was uworld)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Paramyxovirus said:
Hey guys!
IMG here, recently took Step 1 and now gearing up for Step 2 CK.
I am looking for an advice regarding resources for IM. Seems like a lot of people use MTB-2 for IM but it's also being said that the guidelines in MTB are pretty much outdated and that it contains a lot of errors. Given that, why is it used so much by everyone?
I am looking for review book, which is not too dense with text and can fit within my prep timeline of 4 months. Would it be better to go for FA CK instead of MTB? Or perhaps Step up to medicine or IM essentials? There are so many resources listed here that I am completely lost :shrug:
Any advice will be very much appreciated!
Click to expand...

The third edition of MTB2 seems to be fairly legitimate in terms of current guidelines. Every time I thought a guideline sounded a bit odd from what I recalled being taught I double checked it with uptodate and sure enough it seemed to be consistently correct every time i checked. I may have overlooked the passages that were giving outdated information I suppose? (hopefully not!) I have only finished the internal medicine portion of the book though, so cant comment on the later chapters.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ShahRukhKhan said:
Congrats to everyone on crushing this exam! quick question, is nbme 7 worth doing? Seems like a lot of people drop in their score and that it doesn't predict the score too well but is it worth doing it for the knowledge/similarity to real deal? or is it just a waste of time? I have 10 days to the test, took nbme 4 last week and planning to do uwsa and nbme 6 later this week. Wondering if I should do some of the CMS tests instead of 7. Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
Hey Did you end up doing NBME 7? How was it compared to 4 and 6?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I am having a weird experience with UW. The number of my unused questions changes. Yesterday morning it was 246, last night 250 and this morning 252!! Anybody else had the same experience? I was about to give up on the last 200 questions and do a few CMS forms. Now I feel the questions they are adding to the Qbank might be too good to miss?!! Am I being a crazy?
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Can I get some help with the CMS questions, please? Below are the questions which I got wrong on CMS ob/gyn form 3.











*****SPOILERS/QUESTIONS BELOW*******

Lady is breast-feeding. Her temperature is 98.6. Lady has a 3x3cm, fluctuant mass in the lateral aspect of her left breast. Mass is mildly tender to palpation. Breast is not warm or erythematous. Breasts are symmetric. What's the dx?

Abscess
Breast Engorgement
Galactocele
Mastitis
Supernumery breast

52 year old f comes to the physician because of a 6 mth hx of urinary urgency. She has a strong urge to voice but passes only a small amount of urine. Shes unable to reach a bathroom quickly enough after feeling the sudden need to void. She says she often feels hot at night and occasionally during the day. BP is 90/50. Temp is 98.7. P/E is normal. A wet mount prep of vaginal fluid shows numerous WBCs. UCx is negative. Postvoid residual is 50ml? Which of the following is the most likely underlying causes?

Atonic bladder
Estrogen deficiency
Prolapse of pelvic floor
Trichomoniasis: (Chose this, but damn, it's probably EST. def, right? How would that lead to numerous WBCs)
UTI

37 yr old f at 31 wks gestation comes to doctor for a routine prenatal visit. Has a c/c of mild difficutly breathing, especially in the reclining position for past 4 days. BP is 130/80. Fundal height is 37 cm. PE shows no cervical dilatation or effacement. US shows normal appearing fundus. AFI is 35. NSIM?

Complete bed rest until delivery
Recommend to limit dietary sodium intake
Antenatal testing
Diuretic therapy
Weekly amnio for removal of fluid

50 year old f, G3,P2,A1 has had loss of urine w/ coughing, straining, or lifting since birth of her child 9 yrs ago. symptoms have worsened in past 2 yrs. during examination, she loses urine in small spurts w/ coughing, but anterior & posterior vaginal walls appear well supported. a cotton tip applicator placed in urethra moves in an arch of 45 degress w/ valsalva maneuver. what's the dx?

cystocele
enterocele
femoral hernia
4th degree obstetric laceration
hiatal hernia
indirect inguinal hernia
rectocele
urethrocele


21 yr old at 10 wks gestation has had severe nausea and has been unable to keep anything in her stomach for 48hrs. mild n/v for past 6 wks. examination is normal. ultrasound shows a normal 10 wk gestation. which is the most appropriate next step in dx?

cbc
serum bili concentration
serum gluc concentration
urinary ketones
urinary protein (I chose this like an idiot. i made the connection of elevated b-hcg. for some reason my mind went to pre-eclampsia and chose protein, smh).

37 year old f g2,p1 @ 36 wks gestation is admitted to the hospital after she was found to have fetal growth restriction during a routine prenatal visit. she has a 6 yr hx of mild chronic essential htn controlled w/ beta-blockers that were discontinued at 8 wks gestation. examination shows a fundal height of 30cm. U/S shows a fetal head circumference consistent in size w/a 35 wk gestation and abd circumference consistent in size w/ a 30 week gestation. estimated fetal weight is at the 9th percent. which of the following is the most appropriate test to determine the risk of intrauterine fetal demise?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cnickyr said:
step 1 : 216
cs : pass first attempt.
step 2 ck : 234
studied: about 1.5 months
only uworld q- bank : avg. 64 % , only did it once , read about 3 chapters of mtb3
uwsa 2 days before test : 225
Click to expand...

Great job on the almost 10 point jump. What'd you do in those last 48 hours to give you that bump?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Any thoughts for a current third year on the best resources? For Step 2 CK next year, as well as the family med shelf in a few weeks.

I own or am acquiring all of the Case Files, and I have Master the Boards. I've heard Step Up to Medicine is good. Do I need/want the Step Up to USMLE Step 2 CK as well?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
VCorp said:
Can I get some help with the CMS questions, please? Below are the questions which I got wrong on CMS ob/gyn form 3.
Click to expand...

1) think this was galactocele-- no s/sx of infection otherwise would pick abscess/mastitis
2) I think this was UTI but not 100%
3) Probably antenatal testing since that's usually a safe bet but not certain what they're getting at here. Def not diuretic therapy
4) Urethrocele = urethral prolapse due to pelvic floor weakening resulting in stress incontinence
5) urine ketones as that tells you how severe her malnutrition is
6) need to see answer choices
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sidefx said:
The third edition of MTB2 seems to be fairly legitimate in terms of current guidelines. Every time I thought a guideline sounded a bit odd from what I recalled being taught I double checked it with uptodate and sure enough it seemed to be consistently correct every time i checked. I may have overlooked the passages that were giving outdated information I suppose? (hopefully not!) I have only finished the internal medicine portion of the book though, so cant comment on the later chapters.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot buddy for the advice!!! Good luck to you for your exam! 🙂
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I keep thinking how badly I might have done on the exam. Already know tens of questions that I missed for 100%... It's not a great feeling to get out of a testing knowing you guessed on 60% of the questions le sigh.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
byaaaaaaah23 said:
1) think this was galactocele-- no s/sx of infection otherwise would pick abscess/mastitis
2) I think this was UTI but not 100%
3) Probably antenatal testing since that's usually a safe bet but not certain what they're getting at here. Def not diuretic therapy
4) Urethrocele = urethral prolapse due to pelvic floor weakening resulting in stress incontinence
5) urine ketones as that tells you how severe her malnutrition is
6) need to see answer choices
Click to expand...

Thank you so much. Greatly appreciate it.

Does anybody know what the current time length is to get the CK scores? I plan on taking my exam on October 7th (Friday), and was hoping I could have it by the 26th. Was wondering if anybody has had to wait >3 weeks to get their scores.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
theprince911 said:
I'm in the exact same situation... Taking this test a couple weeks after Step 1, and have a few days left. NBMEs suck. Got most of Uworld left because I was studying MTB and stressing about life and other things going on. Beyond the point of no return. I'm studying as hard as I can the next couple of days and going to turn it up on test day and hopefully walk away with a reasonable score. Really banking on how everyone is saying it's a tough exam to prepare for and hoping I can think my way to a score that won't kill me in the match.
Click to expand...

So I got my result today and am happy. Got low 240s. 1 point off from my Step 1 score (also low 240s). Studying for this test was a disaster, because I took it 5 weeks after Step 1 and was extremely stressed about my Step 1 result coming out, resulting in pretty half-assed studying for 3 out of my 5 week study period. Covered IM from MTB 2 (except for a couple of chapters like infectious diseases), and everything else from MTB 3 (except I never studied pediatrics). Didn't even get through my first pass of UWorld, still have 69% left. My UWorld average for the little that I do started in the 60s and increased steadily to mid-70s to 80s by my last couple of blocks. Because of this, I feel that if I had done more of UWorld I would have done a lot better. Took 3 NBMEs (which ranged from 210s to low 230s) and UWSA last, which was in the 220s. Scored ~10 points above my highest NBME on both Step 1 and Step 2, and UWSA was a horrible predictor on both for me.

Test day was horrible unlike Step 1 where I felt that I performed well. On CK, I left a total of about 7-10 questions over 2-3 blocks blank because this was the first time in my life that I was running out of time on a test, and I neglected to rush through and guess on those ones. I used my break time horribly as well and ended up doing multiple blocks without a break because I was unable to finish blocks with time left over, which was a critical advantage I had on Step 1 where I had 2 hours total of break. I had literally no idea how I did, so after the exam was over, I did not even remember any questions to gauge my performance. It was by far the hardest exam I have taken in my life, and was a "thinking test" on a whole different level from the Step 1 (which I expected to be harder given that my basic sciences were weak and I pretty much had to start from scratch).

I feel like if my studying were more efficient and if I were able to complete more of UWorld my score would have bumped up a bit more. I felt like nothing I studied helped me on the test. But UWorld made it easy for me to see what was important and also how to think through these things and enhance my own real life clinical judgment, which I then applied on the test in the many many situations I was unsure about. MTB was honestly great because it gave me a backbone to study; I need to read a book to generate a mental framework for things that I can then fill in with UWorld. MTB for base knowledge, UWorld to fine-tune.

I am glad that these exams are finally over and that I did better than I feel I should have considering my extremely haphazard approach to studying. Took them all one after another within a period of about 2 months. Feel like a huge weight is lifted. Can focus on the days ahead finally and hopefully interviews.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
ShahRukhKhan said:
Hey man, yeah took nbme 7 and got crushed! lol dropped >20 points from nbme4 (which I took 10 days before) into the 220's. Decided to push back my date just a bit because even though most people drop i dropped way too much for comfort. I think it is worth doing (not close to your test) because it exposed many gaps in my knowledge base and its so vague. Its also good practice to stay calm and take it question by question, which I didn't do. I tripped out after feeling like i was guessing so much and then started making dumb mistakes. Also reading that it was hard on this forum i think did affect how I took the test since it made me a little more anxious/cautious and I started over thinking some of the answers. hope this helps, good luck!
Click to expand...

I have my exam in less than a week and planning to do 2 NBMEs. I am also like that. I freak out when I don't know something. Right now my UW percentages have dropped during the past 2 days and suddenly I feel I know nothing and have to start over :/
Which one do you think is better: NBME 4&6 or NBME 7+one of 4 or 6?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Study Partner for Kaplan Lecture Notes USMLE Step 2 CK
Replies
1
Views
2K
dreroberts8888
D
Schwifty
  • Question Question
Official 2022 Step 2 CK Experiences With Scores Thread
Replies
47
Views
17K
scorpiondr_intospace
S
D
PASSED USMLE STEP2CK WITH 272, thank you everyone
Replies
2
Views
3K
Sunshine22002244
S
D
Dedicated time to study for Step 2 CK?
Replies
3
Views
4K
USMLE_Pro
USMLE_Pro
M
Step 2 or Level 2 Practice Test - High Quality but cheap - TruCurio
Replies
0
Views
2K
MEDWINNER1
M
Top