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

[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!

 

[Copenhagen]

Long time lurker and just wanted to contribute back. Not a superstar like so many of you here but I just wanted to share my experience just in case it might help anyone similar to myself.

Background: DO Student
Step 1: 240

CK Prep:
Dedicated time: 2 weeks
UW x 2 (1x during 3rd year for shelves and 1x during dedicated)
- UW 1st time avg - 60% ish? (read all explanations)
- UW 2nd time avg - 85% (read only explanations for marked/wrong Qs)

COMBANK x 1 (a COMLEX-geared Qbank _ I only had enough time to review some of my wrong Qs)
- Avg - 78%

MTB x 1 (I skimmed this really fast during the last 4 days of dedicated)

NBME 3 (baseline, 2 weeks out): 220
NBME 6 (1 week out): 240
NBME 7 (4 days out): 235
Free 130: 82%

Real Deal (7/12): 256


I walked out of the exam praying for a 230. So I'm more than happy with this score.
Good luck everyone!

Great improvement from baseline / predicted scores. Your gut feeling is awesome.

 

[Señor S]

+1 if you look at my first post. Apparently it is perfectly normal to feel this way coming out, but those 3-4 weeks are simply dreadful. Qs keep popping up, and for some reason, you start wondering whether you got some of your gimmes wrong as well. It all builds up in your head and you go from 260->240->209. You start thinking that whatever you got wrong, everyone else knew, because it was SO basic! Then suddenly you think of some obscure Q you got right, and you're like - could I get 270? The mind plays crazy tricks on you. As I wrote previously, once you're hitting 260-270s, it all boils down to the performance on that day, and you could get anywhere between 260 and 280 - the difference lies in perhaps 1-2 Qs per block. Yes, you will make mistakes, and some of them will be very stupid. Someone noted that my UWSA percentage usually meant 275+, but despite a significant lack of sleep and prednisone and the absolutely weirdest mistakes (we're talking at least 10 of those "95% got this Q correct" style Qs), I still got 264, only 1 below my NBME 7. I have read somewhere that the biggest drop from someone performing similarly in UWorld etc. was to 255. You'll be alright... But it's impossible to just let go of those obsessive thoughts. Part of the game, I guess.

Thanks man. I certainly hope you're right. Something about that day just felt off to me, maybe because the first two blocks were so hard. I felt better walking out of Step 1 for sure. And now not only am I second-guessing myself about questions but also whether I should have taken it in the first place given that my Step 1 was good. I really hope I didn't fall too far but at the same time I just have this feeling of impending doom, and I'm not a person who usually feels that way (i.e., I usually have a pretty good idea of how I did on a test). And on top of it I have to wait until September...which actually reminds me, would it be possible to submit ERAS before the score is released? Does anyone know?

 

[Señor S]

One contribution to make up for all my moaning (take it for what it's worth):

I think First Aid for CK is a really good book. It's dense and long but I felt like it had almost everything you need to know. I really wish I'd spent more time reading it.

 

[Copenhagen]

Thanks man. I certainly hope you're right. Something about that day just felt off to me, maybe because the first two blocks were so hard. I felt better walking out of Step 1 for sure. And now not only am I second-guessing myself about questions but also whether I should have taken it in the first place given that my Step 1 was good. I really hope I didn't fall too far but at the same time I just have this feeling of impending doom, and I'm not a person who usually feels that way (i.e., I usually have a pretty good idea of how I did on a test). And on top of it I have to wait until September...which actually reminds me, would it be possible to submit ERAS before the score is released? Does anyone know?

It's like this:
You walk in and you're all: I'm gonna nail this sucker. These fingerprints will forever be associated with the highest score ever. Yeah!
You type in your code, quickly test your headphones and end the tutorial block.
Alright, game time. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Do a little Matthew McConaughey Wolf of Wall Street thing.
Question 1: Uhm. Yeah, I got this. No, wait. Why did they put in that information, it does not fit. Okay, let's put 6 months down. But UWorld said 12 months. Where is 12 months? FML... Mother of God, would you look at the time. When you came, you had an hour. Now it's less...
Question 2: Apparently this is an MRI. But if that is true, I have never seen an MRI before. Is this a homo sapien? Wild guess, 0/2. I'm gonna fail.
Question 3: Oh, hell yeah, I saw this word for word in Pestana.
And so on... Blocks 2-5 fly by. You get your red bull, bag of chips, protein bar, whatever you brought with you. You do your push-ups and squats between blocks. Gotta keep that blood flowing. I'm so ****ing awesome, no one will ever left swipe me again!
Block 6: Did I just yawn? No.... NO.... I am NOT tired yet.
Block 7-8: Re-reading every single Q, starting to mix the stems with previous ones, lots of deja vu. Why are they doing this to me? Just end this torture, OMFG! I am not coming out alive.

 

[curacaosasha]

It's alright. I assume you have a "go to" source whenever you come across a condition for which you think "s..., I actually do not know much about this". The reason why I would advice against MTB under these circumstances is also that such books are always outdated for clinical material. I am sure you have that kind of skeleton presented in MTB (or similar texts) down. I would def. recommend doing all 4 CMS forms IF you have the time for it, but at least do 3+4 as they have only recently been added and will probably be the best reflection of contemporary Qs. I did find a few things on the older forms which were outdated, but it really was not so bad. If I had to choose, the psych. and neuro forms were probably the most helpful for me. For NBMEs, do 4, 6, and 7. Forget 3, it is useless (at least that seems to be the consensus). Note that there is some overlap between 4 and 6, so you are bound to score higher on the one you do secondly.

Hey thank you so much for your valuable advice. 🙂

 

[*brobro*]

Yeah, I think you'll find a pattern of post test anxiety with lots of the high scorers on here. I was nearly running out of time on every single block, although that's common for me. I never have time to review marked questions. I guess I'm thorough and maybe its a blessing that I never get to change my answers. Anyways, I was totally shook after the test, kept thinking I somehow was going to drop far below my consistently high practice scores.

Step 2 = 267

Briefly, my study plan:
I used firecracker religiously throughout third year and it was my main resource for both shelf exams and step 2. I used Uworld just as consistently. I pretty much never opened a book all year, except for pre-test for family med because there was no separate Uworld for it. Oh, and Pestana's questions for surgery but just the questions and never read the text. I took my IM shelf as the last block of third year and then took just one week of dedicated study for step 2 CK. As I mentioned in my previous post, I used all the NBMEs available. Also, I always used the practice NBMEs for each shelf exam as well.

Hope this helps! I always appreciated lurking around these forums for helpful advice. If you have any specific questions, please PM me.

 

[Copenhagen]

Hey thank you so much for your valuable advice. 🙂

Anytime. Just to clarify with respect to the CMS forms: It is not that the OBGYN and peds forms are worse than the ones mentioned - just that the these subjects are much more vast, so don't expect exact duplicates to show up. However, in terms of getting an idea of how the real Qs will look like, they are still very valuable. If you are running low on time, you can probably skip the forms for surgery - Pestana Qs and UWorld are enough. I did not do the ones for internal medicine.

 

[curacaosasha]

Anytime. Just to clarify with respect to the CMS forms: It is not that the OBGYN and peds forms are worse than the ones mentioned - just that the these subjects are much more vast, so don't expect exact duplicates to show up. However, in terms of getting an idea of how the real Qs will look like, they are still very valuable. If you are running low on time, you can probably skip the forms for surgery - Pestana Qs and UWorld are enough. I did not do the ones for internal medicine.

Thank you ! Will be doing CMS 3+4 for all subjects except neuro and surgery, when I am done with my second pass of uworld. I heard neuro in these CMS forms is kinda vast and not much useful for step 2 as its not heavily tested like other subjects, Is that so ?

 

[Copenhagen]

Thank you ! Will be doing CMS 3+4 for all subjects except neuro and surgery, when I am done with my second pass of uworld. I heard neuro in these CMS forms is kinda vast and not much useful for step 2 as its not heavily tested like other subjects, Is that so ?

It is true that neuro is not very high yield in step 2 CK, but I actually found my Qs on the real deal to be extremely similar to the ones on the CMS forms so for me it was worth the effort. However, my opinion may be skewed due to the fact that I have not yet taken step 1.

 

[scorm]

Let's say you have 2-3 days until your test. You've still got 300 incorrects/marked remaining. Would you..

A) Finish those incorrects/marked at all costs?
B) Read Step 2 Secrets?
C) Read First Aid CK?
D) Some combination of the above? (explain)

pls respond

 

[Copenhagen]

Let's say you have 2-3 days until your test. You've still got 300 incorrects/marked remaining. Would you..

A) Finish those incorrects/marked at all costs?
B) Read Step 2 Secrets?
C) Read First Aid CK?
D) Some combination of the above? (explain)

pls respond

In my humble opinion, there is no point in reading Secrets or First Aid at this point. Do as many Qs as you can, but for the last day, you MIGHT want to review some of your own notes (or whatever source you have, e.g., UptoDate) on some of the very high yield topics / algorithms that can be difficult to remember due to the high level of detail. If you feel like you have these down, just finish your Qs. Also be tactical when you read the explanations. If you - when you answer the Qs - can tell yourself why the correct answer is correct and why exactly the other ones are wrong, do not waste time going over the explanation.

Now if you like me are prone to insomnia, then make you sure you take it slow the day before so that when it's bedtime, you don't have a lot of stuff going on in your head.

 

[JamaicanHerb]

Why is the exact same mitochondrial disorder question on every step exam i've taken?

 

[Copenhagen]

Why is the exact same mitochondrial disorder question on every step exam i've taken?

I haven't taken step 1, so I was happy about that one - it was the only one I knew, hahaha (assuming that you are talking NBMEs)!

 

[1badvette]

Why is the exact same mitochondrial disorder question on every step exam i've taken?

What exactly is this Mitochondria you speak of .. lol

 

[003043039]

My 2 cents:
Carib IMG
Step 1: 214

Dedicated study time ~4 weeks full time
UW 1st pass 64% average (did this over about a 4 month period when I was procrastinating actually studying) untimed, by subject
6/21 UWSA predicted 219
reset UW, 2nd pass avg 80%, timed, by subject
reviewing MTB2 and MTB3, then following each chapter with the related UW q's
6/30 NBME form 7: 235
7/5 NBME form 6: 260
7/6 NBME form 4: 263

Real deal 7/7: 259
my biggest regret: not studying poisoning/overdose/drug intoxications

 

[Copenhagen]

What exactly is this Mitochondria you speak of .. lol

I think he means midi-chlorians.

 

[dartmed]

For those that did the free 150 (well, 141 I guess), how did those questions compare to the real deal? About the same length?

I ended-up missing 14 questions total out of 141, putting me at a 90%. Anyone have an idea on what that might correlate to?

Also, how do you guys learn the immunodeficiencies/heart murmurs? Is there a resource that would be good for these?

I was thinking about going through the Step I stuff...but for murmurs I get lost when they say blah blah blah radiates to axilla. Like I have no idea if the murmur that radiates somewhere is something that I should be taking into consideration. Thanks for the help!

 

[recycledpaper]

Radiates to axilla is just buzz phrase for mitral valve involvement. Depending on whether it's holosystolic or diastolic, it could be either stenosis or regurg, with either having common albeit different etiologies (rheumatic for stenosis, endocarditis for regurg).

I think you should watch the OnlineMedEd video on valvular disease. It was pretty thorough. As for heart sounds, you can always watch on Youtube. I feel like 99% of questions you can answer based on the stem + logic, though.

 

[dfib slim]

For those that did the free 150 (well, 141 I guess), how did those questions compare to the real deal? About the same length?

The free 120 was like 10 easier with much shorter stems.

I ended-up missing 14 questions total out of 141, putting me at a 90%. Anyone have an idea on what that might correlate to?

Too variable to know. Go by your UWSA.

Also, how do you guys learn the immunodeficiencies/heart murmurs? Is there a resource that would be good for these?

First aid for step 1.

I was thinking about going through the Step I stuff...but for murmurs I get lost when they say blah blah blah radiates to axilla. Like I have no idea if the murmur that radiates somewhere is something that I should be taking into consideration. Thanks for the help!

Like the poster above said, onlinemeded would be helpful.

 

[Ina2990]

Are NBME's and UWSA still going to be predictive now that there's been a change in the item pool? I've seen posts of people who scored between 240-250 in those assessments and ended up getting between 210-220 on the real test.

 

[Light Yagami]

For those that took the exam recently, has Psych content been completely updated for DSM-5 or is DSM-4 terminology still being seen?

 

[dartmed]

Radiates to axilla is just buzz phrase for mitral valve involvement. Depending on whether it's holosystolic or diastolic, it could be either stenosis or regurg, with either having common albeit different etiologies (rheumatic for stenosis, endocarditis for regurg).

I think you should watch the OnlineMedEd video on valvular disease. It was pretty thorough. As for heart sounds, you can always watch on Youtube. I feel like 99% of questions you can answer based on the stem + logic, though.

Thank you!! I watched it already. I will study it more. It was pretty helpful...

 

[dartmed]

@dfib slim

Thank you! I don't think I will have time for the UWSA. I took NBME 4 and got a 240 almost 2 weeks ago now. I am hoping after all this studying that I didn't drop. I would be so happy with that score tbh.

 

[dartmed]

Are NBME's and UWSA still going to be predictive now that there's been a change in the item pool? I've seen posts of people who scored between 240-250 in those assessments and ended up getting between 210-220 on the real test.

I would be really, really surprised if people scoring in the 240/250 range are barely passing Step II CK. A 209 is a pass and if someone is getting a 210 after getting a 250 on an NBME or UWSA...something is off. Who are these people on SDN? I am not saying it won't happen if you had a bad test day, but that's probably far and few. Or if they were too cocky during the test and didn't pay attention to the details

 

[Copenhagen]

For those that did the free 150 (well, 141 I guess), how did those questions compare to the real deal? About the same length?

I ended-up missing 14 questions total out of 141, putting me at a 90%. Anyone have an idea on what that might correlate to?

Also, how do you guys learn the immunodeficiencies/heart murmurs? Is there a resource that would be good for these?

I was thinking about going through the Step I stuff...but for murmurs I get lost when they say blah blah blah radiates to axilla. Like I have no idea if the murmur that radiates somewhere is something that I should be taking into consideration. Thanks for the help!

1. Lengthwise, there is not that big of a difference, although it seemed that there were more questions that presented the biochemical findings (blood, urine, etc.) instead of just stating that they were normal.
2. The real difference lies in the fact that the stems on the real deal tend to throw in a few random facts that will confuse you. The free questions are extremely straightforward, classical cases.
3. You are bound to score a higher percentage on the free questions than on the real test. Not only because of the above, but due to the inherent difference between a 3-hour and an 8-hour test. I got 95% on the free questions, 90% on UWSA, 95% on NBME 6, and 90% on NBME7. I estimated my step 2 CK percentage to be approximately 85-90%, despite a minimal score drop (-1 from NBME 7 and UWSA, although the latter does not go higher than 265). Do not try to correlate. I have seen people with 85-95% get anywhere between 240 and 280. Use the free questions to get a sense of the length and wording of questions as well as get used to the test delivery software. Read the tutorial so that you can skip this on the exam and save 10-15 min. Trust me, you will need these extra minutes. I would recommend just testing the headphones and then ending the block.
4. The immunodeficiencies are considered high-yield material, and it seems to be the consensus that UWorld is adequate.
5. I would not recommend spending time looking for other sources regarding heart murmurs. Often times, you can answer the question without listening, simply because you know the pathophysiology.

 

[Copenhagen]

I would be really, really surprised if people scoring in the 240/250 range are barely passing Step II CK. A 209 is a pass and if someone is getting a 210 after getting a 250 on an NBME or UWSA...something is off. Who are these people on SDN? I am not saying it won't happen if you had a bad test day, but that's probably far and few. Or if they were too cocky during the test and didn't pay attention to the details

I agree, dropping from 240/250 to 210 is massive (10- almost 20% difference in correct items) and I have only seen one similar description on here (I think it was 240s to 210s).

Remember that there WILL be a lot of unfamiliar questions on the real test, and these will decide your fate as it seems that the so-called "gimme" questions are simply the ones that are very close to those seen in UWorld or NBMEs (or perhaps, CMS'). Among these unfamiliar questions, an unknown amount (10%?) is test material. The new questions that are scored are presumably drawn from these previously unscored questions. Since they have been around for some time, a large number of them are likely covered by the practice resources. Still, it is unlikely that the mean changes too much the day after changing the test pool, but perhaps the spread does. The mean has been steadily uprising for the past 5-6 years. Some people are better test takers and can handle the stress of seeing unfamiliar material - and are able to answer it because they have learned how to be in the mind of the question writer. Others may freak out and let this accumulating insecurity spill over to the questions that they would have surely gotten correct during their practice.

NBMEs and UWSAs are regularly re-calibrated so I honestly would not think too much about it. After all, they cannot make up new diseases just for the test, but they can always think of new ways of testing it. Remember when NBME7 first came out, people were complaining about it all the time. Now it actually seems to be the best predictor of the final score (with USWA). Don't numb your mind and learn practice questions just for the sake of memorizing them, but keep asking yourself why and always remember to pick the simple answer.

 

[AussieAg]

1. Lengthwise, there is not that big of a difference, although it seemed that there were more questions that presented the biochemical findings (blood, urine, etc.) instead of just stating that they were normal.
2. The real difference lies in the fact that the stems on the real deal tend to throw in a few random facts that will confuse you. The free questions are extremely straightforward, classical cases.
3. You are bound to score a higher percentage on the free questions than on the real test. Not only because of the above, but due to the inherent difference between a 3-hour and an 8-hour test. I got 95% on the free questions, 90% on UWSA, 95% on NBME 6, and 90% on NBME7. I estimated my step 2 CK percentage to be approximately 85-90%, despite a minimal score drop (-1 from NBME 7 and UWSA, although the latter does not go higher than 265). Do not try to correlate. I have seen people with 85-95% get anywhere between 240 and 280. Use the free questions to get a sense of the length and wording of questions as well as get used to the test delivery software. Read the tutorial so that you can skip this on the exam and save 10-15 min. Trust me, you will need these extra minutes. I would recommend just testing the headphones and then ending the block.
4. The immunodeficiencies are considered high-yield material, and it seems to be the consensus that UWorld is adequate.
5. I would not recommend spending time looking for other sources regarding heart murmurs. Often times, you can answer the question without listening, simply because you know the pathophysiology.

USWA does go higher than a 265 (270). I don't know if there is an upper limit anymore.

 

[dfib slim]

USWA does go higher than a 265 (270). I don't know if there is an upper limit anymore.

It gave me a 270 and I've heard it goes higher than that now.

 

[Copenhagen]

It gave me a 270 and I've heard it goes higher than that now.

Alright, thanks guys 🙂 Part of the re-calibration, I guess.

 

[JamaicanHerb]

For those that took the exam recently, has Psych content been completely updated for DSM-5 or is DSM-4 terminology still being seen?

terminology is updated but they come at you hard with diagnostic criteria and drugs not on the terminology.

 

[VCorp]

and are able to answer it because they have learned how to be in the mind of the question writer

Could you elaborate a bit more on this, please? I sometimes can do this at and times I lose that ability while doing questions.

 

[colonelmustard]

Are NBME's and UWSA still going to be predictive now that there's been a change in the item pool? I've seen posts of people who scored between 240-250 in those assessments and ended up getting between 210-220 on the real test.

What change in the item pool are you referring to? I'm under the impression that questions are regularly removed and added to the pool.

 

[dfib slim]

What change in the item pool are you referring to? I'm under the impression that questions are regularly removed and added to the pool.

I think he means going from 44/block to 40/block

 

[dartmed]

All right, took NBME 6 today, ended up with a 252. 1 week before my test date.

So far:
NBME 4 (2 weeks ago): 240
Free 150 (yesterday): 90%
NBME 6 (today, 1 week before my test): 252

I still have like a 1000 questions (2x time over the summer, not counting the one during the year) to go in Uworld. I was thinking about briefly glimping through FA for Psychiatry (especially the drug overdose/withdrawal), cover my weak topics (stats, heart murmurs, immunodeficiencies, glycogen diseases), and maybe do like 160-200 questions a day. Any recommendations for the last week from recent test takers? @Copenhagen - shout out to you. You are awesome.

 

[Copenhagen]

What change in the item pool are you referring to? I'm under the impression that questions are regularly removed and added to the pool.

Every now and then, the USMLE website announces that there will be a change in the item pool. I honestly do not know whether that has taken place with the 44->40 Q/block shift.

 

[Copenhagen]

Could you elaborate a bit more on this, please? I sometimes can do this at and times I lose that ability while doing questions.

This is hard to answer in a clear, concise way. What I mean is: If you have spent a little extra time looking at how the questions are “built” instead of just answering them and reading the explanations, you will get a better sense of what the information likely to be relevant for that case will be. I alluded toward this earlier, when I mentioned some of the risk factors, elements in history, etc., likely to be present in a case for a particular subspecialty. In that sense, we are all skewed in a particular direction regarding the kind of questions that tend to repeat themselves in the practice question banks, with the risk of thinking unidirectionally.


There are always other ways of assessing your knowledge, so you might benefit from re-phrasing that question in your mind and telling yourself “if they change this and that, X would have been the answer”. You might see a case fairly close to something you encountered on your CMS assessments, but now, 5 cm may be changed to 3 cm, and that totally changes the scope of the case. UWorld assesses this to a fair extent, but if you yourself are able to see which elements of the stem are absolutely essential, and which might be changed without affecting the overall case presentation, you are already in the head of the question writer.


This leads to the whole distraction part. Now, let’s say you have a straightforward case with a 65-year-old man with a few cardiovascular risk factors and substernal chest pain. Most likely diagnosis? Obviously, you will pick acute coronary syndrome or the likes. Now throw in some random information, e.g., he had a cold a week ago. If that information is thrown in the middle of the stem, you will tend to ignore it. But if it is the very last sentence before question itself “He also mentions that he actually had a severe cold a week ago”, there is a fair risk that your mind will start to wander. Could it be pericarditis? Hyper-IgD syndrome? Right now, you are thinking “of course not”. But that is how they get you. This is the difference between watching “Who wants to be a millionaire” from your couch and sitting in the hot chair.


So basically, this is what I mean. Learn how to filter and pick the choice that fit the most criteria. If you need to hypothesize a lot in your mind to make an answer choice fit, it is probably wrong. It is easy to say this now, having sat the exam, but I would say, I lost 10 questions because of this and I am sure this happens to a lot of test takers. UWorld does seem to teach you to overthink to some extent, but the real exam is just trying to “fool” you with random information and answer choices that seem “cool”, not by having you make up part of the patient history yourself.

 

[VCorp]

Yeah, I've noticed a couple of my friends, even though the sample size is n=2, had said something very similar to what you were saying. Both of them scored >265 on both exams, and are training at top 10 hospitals in the nation; both of which happen to be in CA.

It's funny you mention the extra distractors. When you said "cold a week ago" I probably would've shotgunned and chosen "viral myocarditis" and ended up getting it wrong since the main c/c was substernal chest pain but pt does have CVS r/f for ACS.

 

[Copenhagen]

All right, took NBME 6 today, ended up with a 252. 1 week before my test date.

So far:
NBME 4 (2 weeks ago): 240
Free 150 (yesterday): 90%
NBME 6 (today, 1 week before my test): 252

I still have like a 1000 questions (2x time over the summer, not counting the one during the year) to go in Uworld. I was thinking about briefly glimping through FA for Psychiatry (especially the drug overdose/withdrawal), cover my weak topics (stats, heart murmurs, immunodeficiencies, glycogen diseases), and maybe do like 160-200 questions a day. Any recommendations for the last week from recent test takers? @Copenhagen - shout out to you. You are awesome.

Thanks, mate 🙂

You seem to be on the right track. You will usually score a bit higher on the NBME4/6 that you do secondly, due to the overlap. NBME7 and UWSA are wisely saved for the end.

At first glance, your plan seemed ambitious, but then seeing that you have already gone through UWorld a few times, it is absolutely fine. However, I am wondering whether you are doing all the questions once again or just the marked/incorrect, etc.?

I have not read First Aid (I only skimmed through the one for step 2 CK and did not like the format, and I have not yet taken step 1), so I personally would not know whether it is helpful for Psych, but a lot of people rely on FA step 1 for step 2 CK as well. UWorld and CMS were more than enough for me, I honestly think I got all those questions correct.

However, that being said, when you are this close to the exam, it is a fair move to take care of your insecurities, regardless of the resources you believe in. If you enter the exam room confidently, you will surely give a better performance. The glycogen storage diseases are low yield, but then again, if you have sat step 1, you can probably go over them in no time, and it will reduce your anxiety level.

I would recommend going through these self-perceived weak areas as soon as possible, because the closer you are to the exam, the less likely you are to remember dry facts. The last couple of days are just to keep momentum and stamina and perhaps go through a few high yield subjects. The very last day should be a day (or at least half a day) off. What are the odds that you will read something that shows up word for word on the test? By this time, you know what you need to know. It is all about optimizing your cognitive function. Think of it as a marathon. You wouldn’t run a marathon the day before, but perhaps a slow 5K.

 

[ucheeee]

My 2 cents:
Carib IMG
Step 1: 214

Dedicated study time ~4 weeks full time
UW 1st pass 64% average (did this over about a 4 month period when I was procrastinating actually studying) untimed, by subject
6/21 UWSA predicted 219
reset UW, 2nd pass avg 80%, timed, by subject
reviewing MTB2 and MTB3, then following each chapter with the related UW q's
6/30 NBME form 7: 235
7/5 NBME form 6: 260
7/6 NBME form 4: 263

Real deal 7/7: 259
my biggest regret: not studying poisoning/overdose/drug intoxications

Congratulations. What did you do after uwsa to bump up to get 259?

 

[shouldigomd]

I posted here earlier so you can look at my day after feelings. Got my grade a week ago. I am carib IMG

UWSA (prestudy - 238)
NBME 7 (2.5 weeks before test) - 247
Step 2 CK (6 weeks total study) - 251

Satisfied but wasn't overly excited about the score as I was aiming 260+. NBME 7 is notably harder and it seems as though most do +5 points better. I was expecting a 10 point jump given 2 more weeks of study + pattern of people doing better on real thing. Overall I feel it wasn't my day. I missed a lot of the 50/50's that I remember. Luck plays a bit of a role when so much comes down to 50/50. Regrets are not taking more practice tests. Grinding the tiny details in Uworld (just like in step 1) is low yield and not worth it. I knew this going in but I guess I am crazy especially when you are aiming high you feel compelled to get the minutia. I needed to take more tests just for practice handling the stress of the 50/50 and guessing when you are in that situation. You can't know it all.

 

[dartmed]

I posted here earlier so you can look at my day after feelings. Got my grade a week ago. I am carib IMG

UWSA (prestudy - 238)
NBME 7 (2.5 weeks before test) - 247
Step 2 CK (6 weeks total study) - 251

Satisfied but wasn't overly excited about the score as I was aiming 260+. NBME 7 is notably harder and it seems as though most do +5 points better. I was expecting a 10 point jump given 2 more weeks of study + pattern of people doing better on real thing. Overall I feel it wasn't my day. I missed a lot of the 50/50's that I remember. Luck plays a bit of a role when so much comes down to 50/50. Regrets are not taking more practice tests. Grinding the tiny details in Uworld (just like in step 1) is low yield and not worth it. I knew this going in but I guess I am crazy especially when you are aiming high you feel compelled to get the minutia. I needed to take more tests just for practice handling the stress of the 50/50 and guessing when you are in that situation. You can't know it all.

That's a fantastic score!!! Don't beat yourself up too much, tbh.

I have my test on Thursday and I am so scared to take NBME 7 since I have heard that it was so hard from so many people. If I get like a 220, I might just get really discouraged. Lolz.

 

[dartmed]

Thanks, mate 🙂

You seem to be on the right track. You will usually score a bit higher on the NBME4/6 that you do secondly, due to the overlap. NBME7 and UWSA are wisely saved for the end.

At first glance, your plan seemed ambitious, but then seeing that you have already gone through UWorld a few times, it is absolutely fine. However, I am wondering whether you are doing all the questions once again or just the marked/incorrect, etc.?

I have not read First Aid (I only skimmed through the one for step 2 CK and did not like the format, and I have not yet taken step 1), so I personally would not know whether it is helpful for Psych, but a lot of people rely on FA step 1 for step 2 CK as well. UWorld and CMS were more than enough for me, I honestly think I got all those questions correct.

However, that being said, when you are this close to the exam, it is a fair move to take care of your insecurities, regardless of the resources you believe in. If you enter the exam room confidently, you will surely give a better performance. The glycogen storage diseases are low yield, but then again, if you have sat step 1, you can probably go over them in no time, and it will reduce your anxiety level.

I would recommend going through these self-perceived weak areas as soon as possible, because the closer you are to the exam, the less likely you are to remember dry facts. The last couple of days are just to keep momentum and stamina and perhaps go through a few high yield subjects. The very last day should be a day (or at least half a day) off. What are the odds that you will read something that shows up word for word on the test? By this time, you know what you need to know. It is all about optimizing your cognitive function. Think of it as a marathon. You wouldn’t run a marathon the day before, but perhaps a slow 5K.

Thank you!! Should I take NBME 7 or UWSA? I am thinking UWSA since I have heard NBME 7 had a lot of left field questions and can unpredict/miss the mark on the types of questions on the real test? Is this true?

Unfortunately, I am doing them all and not just incorrects. I did half of it during the year and the first part of the summer, I went through all the questions I did + finished-up the Qbank. Now, I am just redoing the Qbank. I think I will have maybe like 5oo questions I won't get through by Wednesday, but I am getting fairly comfortable with these questions which is what I am aiming for/can anticipate why an answer choice is wrong. On Wednesday, I plan to do a 100 questions and take the rest of the afternoon off for myself. Drink some wine, eat a good meal and go to bed by 11 at the latest. 🙂

I decided to just read the FA section for Psychiatry in the CK book/focus on the few pages on FA for psychiatry for drug overdose/withdrawal stuff. Thank you, @Copenhagen for all your input!

 

[1badvette]

I just finished NBME 7 .. Because of all the horror stories i've heard about it , i've decided to take in untimed/ tutor mode for practice purpose rather than an assessment. I worked on it with a friend that is helping me out and he gave me 60 sec to answer and read most question . After answering each question we went through each answer choice and discussed why each one is wrong and what they could've changed to make it right . I honestly didn't think it was as bad as people thought, now i'm sure the fact that i was not under much pressure played a big part into it, but the over all content was not difficult .. I think i missed an avg of 5-6 questions per block . So not sure what this comes up to on the scoring scale .

 

[dartmed]

I just finished NBME 7 .. Because of all the horror stories i've heard about it , i've decided to take in untimed/ tutor mode for practice purpose rather than an assessment. I worked on it with a friend that is helping me out and he gave me 60 sec to answer and read most question . After answering each question we went through each answer choice and discussed why each one is wrong and what they could've changed to make it right . I honestly didn't think it was as bad as people thought, now i'm sure the fact that i was not under much pressure played a big part into it, but the over all content was not difficult .. I think i missed an avg of 5-6 questions per block . So not sure what this comes up to on the scoring scale .

That's reassuring, though. Whew! I am like so nervous and I don't know why...these last 5 days are going to be a nightmare. I wish I could take the damn thing tomorrow.

 

[1badvette]

My advise from what i gathered from few friends is .. Make sure you review , preventive medicine , screening etc.. , toxicology , basic vitamins and biostat in these last few days if you are not so fresh on them . these topics will probably make up 10qs out of the 40 you will see in each block .

 

[shouldigomd]

That's a fantastic score!!! Don't beat yourself up too much, tbh.

I have my test on Thursday and I am so scared to take NBME 7 since I have heard that it was so hard from so many people. If I get like a 220, I might just get really discouraged. Lolz.

Thanks. Yeah im definitely not complaining just landed a bit short of my target and i had a long time (6-7 weeks) to study. I don't think you have to take 7 but definitely take a test. Putting yourself through the stress is honestly the best thing you can do at this point. This test really comes down to the 50:50's under pressure that can make you or break you.

 

[dartmed]

Thanks. Yeah im definitely not complaining just landed a bit short of my target and i had a long time (6-7 weeks) to study. I don't think you have to take 7 but definitely take a test. Putting yourself through the stress is honestly the best thing you can do at this point. This test really comes down to the 50:50's under pressure that can make you or break you.

I took two NBME's--4 and 6 with a 240 and 252, respectively. The 240 was two weeks ago. I am hoping that the real deal is similar to the NBME's, but we shall see.

No, seriously though. You will do great with that score!

 

[dartmed]

My advise from what i gathered from few friends is .. Make sure you review , preventive medicine , screening etc.. , toxicology , basic vitamins and biostat in these last few days if you are not so fresh on them . these topics will probably make up 10qs out of the 40 you will see in each block .

That's the plan. Thank you!

 

[Copenhagen]

I posted here earlier so you can look at my day after feelings. Got my grade a week ago. I am carib IMG

UWSA (prestudy - 238)
NBME 7 (2.5 weeks before test) - 247
Step 2 CK (6 weeks total study) - 251

Satisfied but wasn't overly excited about the score as I was aiming 260+. NBME 7 is notably harder and it seems as though most do +5 points better. I was expecting a 10 point jump given 2 more weeks of study + pattern of people doing better on real thing. Overall I feel it wasn't my day. I missed a lot of the 50/50's that I remember. Luck plays a bit of a role when so much comes down to 50/50. Regrets are not taking more practice tests. Grinding the tiny details in Uworld (just like in step 1) is low yield and not worth it. I knew this going in but I guess I am crazy especially when you are aiming high you feel compelled to get the minutia. I needed to take more tests just for practice handling the stress of the 50/50 and guessing when you are in that situation. You can't know it all.

Great score, bro! I know the feeling of not reaching one's goal when it was realistic. However, in a few weeks, the dust will settle, and I do not know of any residency programs that require more than a 250+. You will be absolutely fine!

I agree completely that the little details in Qbanks do not give you a lot of extra points. As I and others have written before, there are very few questions that you miss based on the fact that you did not extract the tiny little detail from your sources. It comes down to these 50/50 Qs. And it is surprisingly hard to keep calm and just pick the easy answer.

 

[Copenhagen]

That's reassuring, though. Whew! I am like so nervous and I don't know why...these last 5 days are going to be a nightmare. I wish I could take the damn thing tomorrow.

Felt exactly like you going in. Just keep going and build your confidence.