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

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Trogdor_The_Burninator

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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!

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Got an email that my score is ready early morning during rounds , snuck down to the Chapel, said my prayers and opened up the PDF .. I Passed with a great score, I met my goal and went up 26 pts from step 1 .. Thanks for all those who helped and good luck to all the rest.
Did you have to go through the false hope of not getting it back to day you expected to?
 
Did you have to go through the false hope of not getting it back to day you expected to?

Took 4 weeks to get mine back .. my permit disappeared sunday but the option to extended eligibility tab was still around . It freaked me out and i was not able to sleep last night because of it .
 
I'm so scared to hear this, these scores are extremely similar to mine.
I felt bad about the exam... but my friends told me they guessed huge chunk of the test and still got decent scores
I do not understand how it is possible to fail this exam if you were doing that great... did you literally feel like you bombed the test when u came out?

My old roommate's gf said she skipped the biostats questions completely, and got a 225. Here I am just barely passing the NBMEs with a 215+ or so. I wish I knew how the exam was curved or adjusted.
 
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I 1st block was 38Q , had the abstract and majority of biostatistics questions.. guess on all of them and moved on , the rest of the exam i had less than 1 per block .
 
Took 4 weeks to get mine back .. my permit disappeared sunday but the option to extended eligibility tab was still around . It freaked me out and i was not able to sleep last night because of it .

Well fingers crossed we get it back tomorrow
 
I 1st block was 38Q , had the abstract and majority of biostatistics questions.. guess on all of them and moved on , the rest of the exam i had less than 1 per block .
I was planning to guess and move on with abstracts but I got one with 4 Qs attached to it! No was around that!
 
Can somebody please tell me when I can expect to have result if I took the exam on 9/26? Please, thanks
 
Can somebody please tell me when I can expect to have result if I took the exam on 9/26? Please, thanks

So you took it last Monday, why would you think you'd get it back today? You shouldn't the score back till the 19th.
 
I thought Wednesday was the only day of the week they released USMLE scores.
I heard that they have other days when they are behind like this. I could be wrong though. Because people who took it on 8/15 got it today. It makes no sense.
 
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8/15? or do you mean 9/15?
I meant 8/22. Is there absolutely anything we can do in this case (if we have to wait till next Wednesday as someone suggested) since we were basically screwed out with 0 notice of a delay whatsoever? I know those who took it in July had a warning it would be delayed so that's different. I specifically planned out this day to release my scores the week MSPEs went out. Now because of some unknown delay that wasn't communicated to us along with me telling residency programs I would submit today, I'm undoubtedly going to be behind on interview invites and programs may have sent out all invites before I even get my scores back. Do you all think there's any chance it'll be released before next Wednesday or should I just retract ERAS
 
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I meant 8/22. Is there absolutely anything we can do in this case (if we have to wait till next Wednesday as someone suggested) since we were basically screwed out with 0 notice of a delay whatsoever? I know those who took it in July had a warning it would be delayed so that's different. I specifically planned out this day to release my scores the week MSPEs went out. Now because of some unknown delay that wasn't communicated to us along with me telling residency programs I would submit today, I'm undoubtedly going to be behind on interview invites and programs may have sent out all invites before I even get my scores back. Do you all think there's any chance it'll be released before next Wednesday or should I just retract ERAS

I don't think they'll be sent out before next wednesday.
 
I meant 8/22. Is there absolutely anything we can do in this case (if we have to wait till next Wednesday as someone suggested) since we were basically screwed out with 0 notice of a delay whatsoever? I know those who took it in July had a warning it would be delayed so that's different. I specifically planned out this day to release my scores the week MSPEs went out. Now because of some unknown delay that wasn't communicated to us along with me telling residency programs I would submit today, I'm undoubtedly going to be behind on interview invites and programs may have sent out all invites before I even get my scores back. Do you all think there's any chance it'll be released before next Wednesday or should I just retract ERAS

If it makes you feel any better I probably won't have my score back till Oct 26th. :/

Actually, now that the scores for people were delayed this week, I wonder if my score will also be delayed to the following week, considering a lot of programs have deadlines on Halloween day.
 
anybody have a rough idea as to what a 71% average equates to?

No one can predict how you will preform on exam day .. Uworld % means nothing especially if it's your 2nd pass .

For me they best predictor of my score was the school's NBME comp exam. I was within 1 point.
 
Now that i got my score, My recommendation are to beat the mean avg ....

UWORLD
ONLINEMED
SUBJECT CMS especially OBGYN , surgery and psych..
1st aid usmle as reference book

Also if you find yourself struggling in some topics , don't be proud to ask for help from a friend or a tutor. I worked with tutor towards the end to help put sone structure in my study and push me to study my most hated topics .. derm , optho etc..
 
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No one can predict how you will preform on exam day .. Uworld % means nothing especially if it's your 2nd pass .

For me they best predictor of my score was the school's NBME comp exam. I was within 1 point.
Thanks for the post. Did you find that UWSA predicted your score accurately, even after the modified version of CK?

Some people are saying that it actually underpredicts, so I'm curious.
 
Just took UWSA. Got a 59% = 390 = 204. I don't even know what to do at this point now. My exam is tomorrow. I thought the exam was certainly challenging/difficult. I didn't answer 26 questions because I ran out of time.

My averages were 48%; 60%; 50%; 78%.

I've applied this year for residency and I'm just completely speechless with this. Out of the three current NBMEs available for purchase, the only one I passed was 7, with a 210.
 
Some quick risk factor/treatment points off the top of my head:
-HTN is biggest risk factor for stroke; they'll try to trick you with atherosclerosis, DM, etc.
-Atherosclerosis is biggest risk factor for AAA (they'll try to confuse you by including HTN)
-HTN is biggest risk factor for aortic dissection (they'll try to confuse you by including atherosclerosis)
-In pt w/ diabetes, controlling blood glucose help slow down MICROvascular disease (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy). It has no effect on MACROvascular disease (MI, strokes, etc). I had at least 2 questions regarding this on my actual exam.
-Smoking is huge risk factor for pancreatic cancer (they'll try to trick you with alcohol). However, the amount counts. If a pt smokes and drinks and developed pancreatic cancer, normally I would say smoking is the biggest risk factor. But if he had 5 pack years only, and has been chugging six-pack a day for the past 30 years, I would probably change to alcohol.
-In pt with ASCVD, prognosis is based on HDL rather than LDL. Low HDL is WORSE than high LDL.
-Statins for all diabetics age 40-75. They'll try to trick you with stone cold normal labs, and trying to make you select follow up next year. Showed up on the actual exam.
-Pt w/ lots of asbestos exposure is more likely to develop bronchogenic carcinoma, NOT mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is pathognomonic, so if you get it, you had to have been exposed to asbestos, but this cancer is very rare. Showed up on exam
-Silicosis risk factor for TB.
-Alcohol causes more pancreatitis than gallstones in US. Showed up on exam. Very annoying because Uworld says its 40% gallstone, 40% alcohol. Only got this question right because I got pimped on this by an attending.
-In US, autoimmune is most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency; in the developing nations, it's TB.
-Dermatomyositis has risk of GI malignancy, so CT these people. Showed up on exam.
-Neck radiation mostly increases risk of papillary thyroid CA
-know VACTERL (for peds); they'll give you at least 3 of the symptoms on a new born and ask you what else would you find on this baby. They'll try to trick you with other very general malformations, but they'll only give 1 other defect from the acronym, which is the right answer.
-Celiac's disease is a risk factor for GI cancer. On side note (pt with celiac disease can be negative for anti-ttg and anti-endomysial antibodies if they also have IgA deficiency because anti-ttg and antiendomysial are IgA; in which case check anti-gliadin antibody, which contains IgG). This showed up as a two part question for me.
-Know the risk factors that classify you into the >5mm, >10mm, >15mm categories of T-spot test. Had several questions on this. If you know it, easy points.

These are the ones I can come up with from the top of my head. Hopefully it helps. Good luck to everyone!


THIS.
THIS stuff is where I got NAILED in the freak COFFIN.
I had 5-6 risk factor questions PER block, and 2-3 biostats... a crap load of step 1 psych medications that I hadn't reviewed.
Man.
It was a crappy exam.
 
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I'm so scared to hear this, these scores are extremely similar to mine.
I felt bad about the exam... but my friends told me they guessed huge chunk of the test and still got decent scores
I do not understand how it is possible to fail this exam if you were doing that great... did you literally feel like you bombed the test when u came out?


Actually, I felt pretty okay in terms of the medicine stuff and such.. but the risk factors, the preventative care, the biostats... the psych. man.
 
Some quick risk factor/treatment points off the top of my head:
-HTN is biggest risk factor for stroke; they'll try to trick you with atherosclerosis, DM, etc.
-Atherosclerosis is biggest risk factor for AAA (they'll try to confuse you by including HTN)
-HTN is biggest risk factor for aortic dissection (they'll try to confuse you by including atherosclerosis)
-In pt w/ diabetes, controlling blood glucose help slow down MICROvascular disease (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy). It has no effect on MACROvascular disease (MI, strokes, etc). I had at least 2 questions regarding this on my actual exam.
-Smoking is huge risk factor for pancreatic cancer (they'll try to trick you with alcohol). However, the amount counts. If a pt smokes and drinks and developed pancreatic cancer, normally I would say smoking is the biggest risk factor. But if he had 5 pack years only, and has been chugging six-pack a day for the past 30 years, I would probably change to alcohol.
-In pt with ASCVD, prognosis is based on HDL rather than LDL. Low HDL is WORSE than high LDL.
-Statins for all diabetics age 40-75. They'll try to trick you with stone cold normal labs, and trying to make you select follow up next year. Showed up on the actual exam.
-Pt w/ lots of asbestos exposure is more likely to develop bronchogenic carcinoma, NOT mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is pathognomonic, so if you get it, you had to have been exposed to asbestos, but this cancer is very rare. Showed up on exam
-Silicosis risk factor for TB.
-Alcohol causes more pancreatitis than gallstones in US. Showed up on exam. Very annoying because Uworld says its 40% gallstone, 40% alcohol. Only got this question right because I got pimped on this by an attending.
-In US, autoimmune is most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency; in the developing nations, it's TB.
-Dermatomyositis has risk of GI malignancy, so CT these people. Showed up on exam.
-Neck radiation mostly increases risk of papillary thyroid CA
-know VACTERL (for peds); they'll give you at least 3 of the symptoms on a new born and ask you what else would you find on this baby. They'll try to trick you with other very general malformations, but they'll only give 1 other defect from the acronym, which is the right answer.
-Celiac's disease is a risk factor for GI cancer. On side note (pt with celiac disease can be negative for anti-ttg and anti-endomysial antibodies if they also have IgA deficiency because anti-ttg and antiendomysial are IgA; in which case check anti-gliadin antibody, which contains IgG). This showed up as a two part question for me.
-Know the risk factors that classify you into the >5mm, >10mm, >15mm categories of T-spot test. Had several questions on this. If you know it, easy points.

These are the ones I can come up with from the top of my head. Hopefully it helps. Good luck to everyone!

Can we get more stuff like this? I swear most of the questions I miss are the Biggest Risk Factor.
 
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Took my exam on Sep 29th but my permit disappeared!!!! (unless I am looking in the wrong place). Does that mean I am getting my score this Wednesday? Anyone took the exam the same week and their permit disappeared?
 
Took my exam on Sep 29th but my permit disappeared!!!! (unless I am looking in the wrong place). Does that mean I am getting my score this Wednesday? Anyone took the exam the same week and their permit disappeared?

I think ur permit disappeared because ur eligibility period expired... u should get it on the 26th if the pattern holds true
 
Can we get more stuff like this? I swear most of the questions I miss are the Biggest Risk Factor.

I went on the CDC site few days before and checked on that stuff .. they have chronic diseases listed along with risk factors
 
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You had a great score. What was your feeling when you stepped out of the exam? I'm trying to gauge my performance actually. I have no idea how I did, it felt so vague and I felt so rushed for time. My score is probably coming out tomorrow and I'm on the edge of my seat.
Is your permi gone?
 
I am getting my score tomorrow too and feel horrible about my exam. Probably failed to be honest. At least I will confirm whether permit thing works or not :)
 
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I am getting my score tomorrow too and feel horrible about my exam. Probably failed to be honest. At least I will confirm whether permit thing works or not :)
Has anyone ever said they didn't fail? I mean I don't think I did great either and I think the same haha. I think it would be more of a problem if you left feeling confident and not aware of the brain frying you just endured.
 
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