USMLE - Official 2017 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

[Jesus1]

Since there's no thread for the 2017 Step 2 CK, I figured I'd go ahead and create one. Happy new year in Step 2 CK land.

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[swk11]

Just got my Step 2 CK score! (No email beforehand) My goal was to beat my Step 1 score and... Mission accomplished!
Step 2 CK 264
Step 1 261
UWSA-1 271
UWSA-2 263
NBME 4 252
UWorld (after reset) 93%
All my practice tests were taken within a couple of weeks of each other. As true for most people, it seems the UWSAs are most predictive. For IM shelf, I used UWorld and SUTM. For all other shelf exams, I used UWorld and OnlineMedEd (videos, notes, and questions). I reset UWorld while I was on the end of Peds (2nd last rotation) and completed it a couple weeks into Ob/Gyn (last rotation). I took Step 2 CK about halfway through my Ob/Gyn rotation (maybe that's why I missed the Honors percentile cutoff by 1 point! haha). I pretty much only used UWorld for the last few weeks. Feel free to ask me any questions!

 

[em20178]

Took it this week. Definitely hard as hell. I hope the curve looks more like UWSA's so that I can hopefully get a 245ish.

 

[Joanna1987]

Is anyone planning on taking it after the pool change? I'm gonna take it mid-August, so I can still apply this year and honestly, I'm terrified. I read so much about people failing or scoring low after the change.
Any input?
I'm using OME videos + notes, UW and planning on doing Step Up To Medicine as well.

 

[LostinLift]

Just took CK, felt pretty good overall. Maybe 5 questions that I genuinely had to guess, 10-15 questions could only narrow down to 3, and 30-50 narrowed to 2. Looked through NBMEs as practice, repeated UW in dedicated 78% overall (pretty low OB/Surg scores as I had to relearn those), UW notecards, a few meded videos.

UWSA2: 250 although I wasn't super focused, hopefully score at 250 or thereabouts.

UWSA1: 235
UWSA2: 250

Step 2 CK: Mid 260s

Like I said above test day felt good, I underplayed it because it actually felt really good with only some questions that I wasn't sure about. Score report was above average in all areas (not super high in any) except female peripartum/breast.

Did a bunch of nbmes but didn't even look at score, just wanted their questions. Doing as many questions as possible, content review in weak areas, and feeling confident and rested on test day were the most important things based on the exam I had.

 

[swk11]

UWSA1: 235
UWSA2: 250

Step 2 CK: Mid 260s

Like I said above test day felt good, I underplayed it because it actually felt really good with only some questions that I wasn't sure about. Score report was above average in all areas (not super high in any) except female peripartum/breast.

Did a bunch of nbmes but didn't even look at score, just wanted their questions. Doing as many questions as possible, content review in weak areas, and feeling confident and rested on test day were the most important things based on the exam I had.

How'd you do on Step 1? Just curious

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[LostinLift]

How'd you do on Step 1? Just curious

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Slightly above average, 230s. Didn't really care for first 2 years, didn't study hard and just tried to pass each test as we were basically P/F. So my score was a big jump from where I was based on class exams by learning/working a bunch in dedicated. Shelf exams overall were average.

 

[augeremt]

Slightly above average, 230s. Didn't really care for first 2 years, didn't study hard and just tried to pass each test as we were basically P/F. So my score was a big jump from where I was based on class exams by learning/working a bunch in dedicated. Shelf exams overall were average.

How long was your dedicated period?

 

[LostinLift]

How long was your dedicated period?

I had a 4 week easy rotation and a 2 week break. I took about 6 days off in the middle randomly so roughly 5 weeks total.

 

[blueforest]

Is anyone planning on taking it after the pool change? I'm gonna take it mid-August, so I can still apply this year and honestly, I'm terrified. I read so much about people failing or scoring low after the change.
Any input?
I'm using OME videos + notes, UW and planning on doing Step Up To Medicine as well.

Hey Joanna hope you are doing well, decided to take a look at this thread this morning and glad to see you still working hard. How's your studying going? I took a long break from studying after Step 1 and can't believe how much time went by already. I really need to get back into things, and I have no idea where to start my prep for CK.

I'm waiting for First Aid Step 2 CK to arrive in the mail (damn it Amazon, I cheaped out on shipping and have to wait like 2 weeks). I'm also debating buying Step Up to Medicine since its been over a year since I took the Internal Med shelf. I haven't purchased Uworld yet, and I'm not sure if I should read Step Up to Medicine along with OnlineMedEd videos AND THEN start Uworld or should I just skip Step Up to Med and just buy Uworld and hope to finish it in 3 months and that's all the time I need? No idea what to do, any advice from others would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[Joanna1987]

Hey Joanna hope you are doing well, decided to take a look at this thread this morning and glad to see you still working hard. How's your studying going? I took a long break from studying after Step 1 and can't believe how much time went by already. I really need to get back into things, and I have no idea where to start my prep for CK.

I'm waiting for First Aid Step 2 CK to arrive in the mail (damn it Amazon, I cheaped out on shipping and have to wait like 2 weeks). I'm also debating buying Step Up to Medicine since its been over a year since I took the Internal Med shelf. I haven't purchased Uworld yet, and I'm not sure if I should read Step Up to Medicine along with OnlineMedEd videos AND THEN start Uworld or should I just skip Step Up to Med and just buy Uworld and hope to finish it in 3 months and that's all the time I need? No idea what to do, any advice from others would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

Hi!
I'm doing well a little scared of what's to come lol

I'm doing online meded and UW.
U world only 20-30 questions/day until I'm done with OME.

it's been a long time since I've done it, so I'm taking it slower and I'm doing it carefully.

Once I'm done with OME (in 2 weeks), I'm going to do Step Up with UW for 5 weeks.

OME is amazing. It's a really good resource, I like their notes and videos.

I think OME, SUTM and UW should prepare you well

I have MTB but not using it as of now.

I also used Kaplan for Surgery.

It's a little terrifying that the exam is so soon

Also, I decided to do NBMEs but their clinical exams, not the ones specifically for CK.

It's a good way to see the way they ask questions

Planning on taking UWSA 1 on July 12th.. let's hope for a good score


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[Joanna1987]

Hey Joanna hope you are doing well, decided to take a look at this thread this morning and glad to see you still working hard. How's your studying going? I took a long break from studying after Step 1 and can't believe how much time went by already. I really need to get back into things, and I have no idea where to start my prep for CK.

I'm waiting for First Aid Step 2 CK to arrive in the mail (damn it Amazon, I cheaped out on shipping and have to wait like 2 weeks). I'm also debating buying Step Up to Medicine since its been over a year since I took the Internal Med shelf. I haven't purchased Uworld yet, and I'm not sure if I should read Step Up to Medicine along with OnlineMedEd videos AND THEN start Uworld or should I just skip Step Up to Med and just buy Uworld and hope to finish it in 3 months and that's all the time I need? No idea what to do, any advice from others would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

Also, I would do OME for 1 month, then UWORLD And STEP UP (for weaknesses) for 2 months.

I took way too long with OME. Should have done it quicker but I was lazy


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[wallebergsyndrome]

hey everyone ! I am an IMG from India. YOG is may 2017. My stats
step 1 250
step 2 ck 260
total of 5 clinical electives in Medicine including two ward service rotations one in mount sinai and one in emory.
I want to apply for radiology. Please can anyone help as to how to proceed and if I stand any chances.
Thank you

 

[lavenderflowers]

hey everyone ! I am an IMG from India. YOG is may 2017. My stats
step 1 250
step 2 ck 260
total of 5 clinical electives in Medicine including two ward service rotations one in mount sinai and one in emory.
I want to apply for radiology. Please can anyone help as to how to proceed and if I stand any chances.
Thank you

You seem to have great credentials, you should be fine. You might find it even better to ask this question in a forum related to residency applications. Good luck with your endeavors!

 

[wallebergsyndrome]

You seem to have great credentials, you should be fine. Please note that this thread is for Step 2 CK, not residency match chances. You might find it better to ask this question in a forum related to residency applications. Good luck with your endeavors.

thanks but I posted my credentials in other forums but didn't get a reply. And sorry just that this forum helped me a lot with ck so thought I should post this

 

[Anicetus]

Did anyone NOT with a step 1 of like 250+, with shelves 90+ use only uworld and get a 260 on step 2? Or is that reality only really reserved for the people who have just been rock stars since step 1?

 

[LostinLift]

Did anyone NOT with a step 1 of like 250+, with shelves 90+ use only uworld and get a 260 on step 2? Or is that reality only really reserved for the people who have just been rock stars since step 1?

As above definitely not a rock star, rather a slacker with bursts of hard work. Basically just UW (some OME) and practice tests (3 nbme 2 uwsa).

 

[Tijou]

Did anyone NOT with a step 1 of like 250+, with shelves 90+ use only uworld and get a 260 on step 2? Or is that reality only really reserved for the people who have just been rock stars since step 1?

Scored a 259 on Step 2CK so not quite a 260 , shelves were in the mid to high 70's, occasionally low 80's. Used Uworld and OnlineMedEd. Also step 1 was waaaaaaay below 250 haha.

 

[Anicetus]

Scored a 259 on Step 2CK so not quite a 260 , shelves were in the mid to high 70's, occasionally low 80's. Used Uworld and OnlineMedEd. Also step 1 was waaaaaaay below 250 haha.

Wow!! That's quite a feat! Congrats! How much time did you take to study?

 

[W19]

Scored a 259 on Step 2CK so not quite a 260 , shelves were in the mid to high 70's, occasionally low 80's. Used Uworld and OnlineMedEd. Also step 1 was waaaaaaay below 250 haha.

Were your scores on the shelf 'scaled score' or the actual percentage?

 

[Tijou]

Were your scores on the shelf were 'scaled score' or the actual percentage?

Thats the actual percentage.

Wow!! That's quite a feat! Congrats! How much time did you take to study?

Thank you... spent about 5 weeks studying.. 1st 2 weeks were a combo of OME and UW and then last 3 weeks was purely UW.

 

[Anicetus]

Thats the actual percentage.



Thank you... spent about 5 weeks studying.. 1st 2 weeks were a combo of OME and UW and then last 3 weeks was purely UW.

Hmm yeah I'm thinking about delaying my exam. It's taking me about 12-14 hours each day to study 3 blocks of uworld (and this is my first dedicated pass. I did my first pass of each section in each clerkship throughout 3rd year).

Did you go through Uworld multiple times? Or did you do it just once in depth and use spaced repetition for reviewing details etc from online meded/uworld topics from earlier in your dedicated period?

 

[Tijou]

Hmm yeah I'm thinking about delaying my exam. It's taking me about 12-14 hours each day to study 3 blocks of uworld (and this is my first dedicated pass. I did my first pass of each section in each clerkship throughout 3rd year).

Did you go through Uworld multiple times? Or did you do it just once in depth and use spaced repetition for reviewing details etc from online meded/uworld topics from earlier in your dedicated period?

I did UW throughout 3rd year and completed my first pass around 2 weeks into my study period with an avg of 69%. During the first two weeks I prioritized my weakest subject areas and would do all or most of the OME videos writing down notes, then do 25 topic specific questions, followed by 30-50 random questions all in tutor mode. Then I spent 4 days going through only the questions I had marked, again prioritizing my weakest areas and doing about 120q a day mix of tutor and timed mode. Key is to actual review the answers, it was hard but if couldnt keep going I would only focus on why I got the q wrong. And for the rest of the study period I reset UW and would do ~125q a day mostly in timed mode in 25q chunks. I ended up completing about 80% in my "2nd pass", though it felt like a 1st pass because I had done most of the Medicine block a year prior. I was averaging mid to high 80's.

As long as you feel like you are learning the details and understanding why an answer is right and others wrong, I think you're in the right direction. I also found it helpful to constantly change my study medium and alt b/w videos, quizzes and drawing out algorithms on paper and studying the notes I took.

 

[EmpathMan]

I took mine today and I currently am just hoping to pass. I generally only marked up 5-10 on any UWorld block or UWSA/NBME and would leave 1-2 unanswered so I knew to focus hard on those first before other marked. I marked up 15-20 and left 4-6 unanswered per block on the real deal today. And the ones I marked up felt like at best 50/50, sometimes it was 3 or 4 possibilities. I also tended to hit 10 minutes left and still have 5 or more questions to go, so I never got to actually in depth review the marked like I wanted. Never had time issues on NBME/UWSA or any individual UW block.

In hindsight, things I wish I had done: Read through all of First Aid for Step 2. Reread FA for Step 1 Micro or sketchymicro notes, also maybe reviewed Pathoma for certain subjects.

Things I wish I hadn't done: Redone OME during dedicated. I watched most of the videos at 2x speed and reviewed my notes as I went. OME does diagnosis and treatment phenomenally well. My test focused HEAVILY on underlying mechanisms or "pick the most common ______", _____ could be complication, physical exam finding, etc. And the list of most commons seemed to be the bottom of the laundry lists you find in Harrison's. I knew my weakness was mechanisms and all of the complication/follow up stuff but I didn't review it. And now I'm kicking myself for that lol...

This was pretty similar to how the exam went for me. I've read so many posts about Step 2 CK and thought, "hey, the average is a 240, maybe it will feel better than step 1." Dead wrong, nope. I'm honestly not sure how people score so high on this exam unless you're a genius or just a phenomenal guesser. I'd estimate that only 10-20% of my test was anything remotely similar to UW. The vast majority of the test asked me things that were extremely vague or were things that a newly finished M3 would have little clue about. I scored well on my shelf exams throughout the year too, and I can say that my Step 2 was leagues harder than the shelves. I ended up marking 15 or so questions per block, which freaked me out of course. I heard that there were experimental questions on this test, but unless every single question I missed was one of those, this ain't looking good bubs.

 

[em20178]

Yeah guys I kind of feel the same way taking it the last week of June. Some sections were I had like 18 marked. Some I was able to cruise through and but a lot of 50'50' ball. I'm really hoping they have a UWSA like curve rather than the NBME practice test curves which are outright brutal.

For the record I have mostly average shelf scores (except for Pscyh which I scored a deviation above and Surgery where I scored a deviation below). But I did UW 2x, Combank (more than 1/2), Comquest (about 1/2), Rx (about 1/2). So in all well over 6000 q's. Well... gotta hope for the best. But at least I'm glad to know that I wasn't the only struggler on this test.

 

[temporaryumm]

Are scores not coming out this coming Wednesday because of July 4th? Took my test on June 15.

 

[Avalanche19]

Are scores not coming out this coming Wednesday because of July 4th? Took my test on June 15.

There is a blurb on the USMLE website that says scores are not released the week of the 4th and Christmas. I'm in the same boat as you and I'm hoping they decided to be less patriotic this year and release them Wednesday anyway

 

[BamaNicole]

Hey guys! I'm just about to start my M3 year and had a quick question for those who have already taken Step 2 CK - is there anything you did or wish you would have done throughout M3 to set yourself up for the best score possible? For those who have mentioned what they did during M3, I'm seeing a lot of UWorld + OnlineMedEd - anything else?

Thanks!

I made study guides and found that helpful. During IM, I would go through SUTM and make outlines.

 

[postbacpremed87]

There is a blurb on the USMLE website that says scores are not released the week of the 4th and Christmas. I'm in the same boat as you and I'm hoping they decided to be less patriotic this year and release them Wednesday anyway

I took it the 19th, so the 12th is our day of jubilation/apathy/misery?

 

[scurvymd]

got my score back this week (took it May 28 and score back June 14):

UWorld 1 pass 60%
NBME 4 (2 months out): 202
NBME 6 (10 days out): 207
USWA 1 (1 week out): 232

Real deal: 247

I didn't take time off to study, just studied in the evenings for about a month during one of my rotations

Hi I just saw this!! and CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SCORE!! I thought maybe if you had a chance, to post more or less what you did as I'm in a similar boat.. I felt my scores where going well but stop studying due to CS approaching and difficult rotations, long story short it had been three wks since I touch anything for CK and today I took NBME 4=220, I have aonly 6 wks until test and I'm stressing out thinking it will just get worst please any advice!! on how to improve please!!

 

[greatsurg]

I took it the 19th, so the 12th is our day of jubilation/apathy/misery?

Took mine on the 21st of June, hopefully we jubilate on the 12th

 

[Avalanche19]

I took it the 19th, so the 12th is our day of jubilation/apathy/misery?

I believe so

 

[tvelocity514]

UWorld 72%
NBME 7 (2 weeks out): 222
NBME 4 (8 days out): 236
NBME 6 (6 days out): 271
USWA 1 (5 days out): 232
USWA2 (3 days out): 236
USMLE Free 150 (1 day out): 90%

Real deal: ???

I took the real thing on 6/27 but I'm just now getting to posting about it. Walking out I felt like I failed 100% and would have to repeat the test. After going home and looking up some answers I got 1/2 right on the ones I could remember. I know the first section I bombed (like I had 25 marked lol). There was one more section that was a little better than that but still not good. Felt really good about 2 sections and ok/meh on the others.

I was VERY surprised that i had like 5-7 stats/ethics sections PER BLOCK. The stats wasn't bad though (except for the drug ad part but it wasn't bad if you spent a lot of time on it... just time intensive...). Stats is an easy 100 if you know the step 1 FA stats section. The ethics was not your typical: "A. tell mary she's a bad person, B. Tell mary to go jump in a lake, C. tell mary to kiss your booty, D. Tell Mary that you are there for her and offer her a kleenex. Afterwards, tell her she can stay as long as she wants in your office and that you will be there for her no matter what". It was more like: "A. Tell mary you are sorry she is upset and that you are there for her. B. Tell Mary you are there for her and will always be there for her. C. Tell Mary that although she is sad, you will always be there for her and can refer her to someone for her to talk about her feelings. D. Tell mary she's awesome". I say that jokingly because it was really that you had it narrowed down to two answers but still, they were really hard ethics questions (I am a US MD and ethics is really easy for me). I still think I got most of them right though except for 1-2 because there was one thing in them that led me in the right direction. I was just really caught off guard bc I haven't heard about so much stats/ethics in a test before for CK.

Cardio was really hard on my test but I love it so I was happy. MSK/derm/micro were probably my hardest subjects. Pulm/renal/heme onc were very basic on my test. Overall I felt like I had 1/4 easy questions aka straight UWORLD, 1/4 I would have never studied had I had another year to study, and 1/2 where I was like "ok I have this narrowed down to 2 so I'm going to pick an answer and mark it and hope for the best". I finished with 2 minutes to spare every block except one block that I dominated (yay for one block!....that was my 38 Q block lol).

Anyways, this test makes you come out of it feeling like you did horrible because you are so unsure of yourself. After looking up answers I think it went ok and I passed but I could still get a 210. Long wait ahead of me sigh. I would say that going through step 1 FA isn't worth it unless you are a 260 scorer looking for higher. I had maybe 4 questions that were in step 1 that I had not covered from studying for step 2ck (I used UWORLD and FA step 2ck). I thought my test was a mix between the NBME's and USWA. About a 1/2 mixture which I was glad about. Most people told me it was a lot harder than UWORLD but it felt easier to me because not every question was insanely long. Anyways, praying for a 240+ but we will see. Good luck to those still waiting!

 

[Md Blast]

UWorld 72%
NBME 7 (2 weeks out): 222
NBME 4 (8 days out): 236
NBME 6 (6 days out): 271
USWA 1 (5 days out): 232
USWA2 (3 days out): 236
USMLE Free 150 (1 day out): 90%

Real deal: ???

I took the real thing on 6/27 but I'm just now getting to posting about it. Walking out I felt like I failed 100% and would have to repeat the test. After going home and looking up some answers I got 1/2 right on the ones I could remember. I know the first section I bombed (like I had 25 marked lol). There was one more section that was a little better than that but still not good. Felt really good about 2 sections and ok/meh on the others.

I was VERY surprised that i had like 5-7 stats/ethics sections PER BLOCK. The stats wasn't bad though (except for the drug ad part but it wasn't bad if you spent a lot of time on it... just time intensive...). Stats is an easy 100 if you know the step 1 FA stats section. The ethics was not your typical: "A. tell mary she's a bad person, B. Tell mary to go jump in a lake, C. tell mary to kiss your booty, D. Tell Mary that you are there for her and offer her a kleenex. Afterwards, tell her she can stay as long as she wants in your office and that you will be there for her no matter what". It was more like: "A. Tell mary you are sorry she is upset and that you are there for her. B. Tell Mary you are there for her and will always be there for her. C. Tell Mary that although she is sad, you will always be there for her and can refer her to someone for her to talk about her feelings. D. Tell mary she's awesome". I say that jokingly because it was really that you had it narrowed down to two answers but still, they were really hard ethics questions (I am a US MD and ethics is really easy for me). I still think I got most of them right though except for 1-2 because there was one thing in them that led me in the right direction. I was just really caught off guard bc I haven't heard about so much stats/ethics in a test before for CK.

Cardio was really hard on my test but I love it so I was happy. MSK/derm/micro were probably my hardest subjects. Pulm/renal/heme onc were very basic on my test. Overall I felt like I had 1/4 easy questions aka straight UWORLD, 1/4 I would have never studied had I had another year to study, and 1/2 where I was like "ok I have this narrowed down to 2 so I'm going to pick an answer and mark it and hope for the best". I finished with 2 minutes to spare every block except one block that I dominated (yay for one block!....that was my 38 Q block lol).

Anyways, this test makes you come out of it feeling like you did horrible because you are so unsure of yourself. After looking up answers I think it went ok and I passed but I could still get a 210. Long wait ahead of me sigh. I would say that going through step 1 FA isn't worth it unless you are a 260 scorer looking for higher. I had maybe 4 questions that were in step 1 that I had not covered from studying for step 2ck (I used UWORLD and FA step 2ck). I thought my test was a mix between the NBME's and USWA. About a 1/2 mixture which I was glad about. Most people told me it was a lot harder than UWORLD but it felt easier to me because not every question was insanely long. Anyways, praying for a 240+ but we will see. Good luck to those still waiting!

Free 150? I thought the free questions everyone mentions were the 120 on the usmle website? Anyway did you feel it was worth the time doing those q's over reviewing weak areas the day before?

 

[iamironman]

UWorld 72%
NBME 7 (2 weeks out): 222
NBME 4 (8 days out): 236
NBME 6 (6 days out): 271
USWA 1 (5 days out): 232
USWA2 (3 days out): 236
USMLE Free 150 (1 day out): 90%

Real deal: ???

I took the real thing on 6/27 but I'm just now getting to posting about it. Walking out I felt like I failed 100% and would have to repeat the test. After going home and looking up some answers I got 1/2 right on the ones I could remember. I know the first section I bombed (like I had 25 marked lol). There was one more section that was a little better than that but still not good. Felt really good about 2 sections and ok/meh on the others.

I was VERY surprised that i had like 5-7 stats/ethics sections PER BLOCK. The stats wasn't bad though (except for the drug ad part but it wasn't bad if you spent a lot of time on it... just time intensive...). Stats is an easy 100 if you know the step 1 FA stats section. The ethics was not your typical: "A. tell mary she's a bad person, B. Tell mary to go jump in a lake, C. tell mary to kiss your booty, D. Tell Mary that you are there for her and offer her a kleenex. Afterwards, tell her she can stay as long as she wants in your office and that you will be there for her no matter what". It was more like: "A. Tell mary you are sorry she is upset and that you are there for her. B. Tell Mary you are there for her and will always be there for her. C. Tell Mary that although she is sad, you will always be there for her and can refer her to someone for her to talk about her feelings. D. Tell mary she's awesome". I say that jokingly because it was really that you had it narrowed down to two answers but still, they were really hard ethics questions (I am a US MD and ethics is really easy for me). I still think I got most of them right though except for 1-2 because there was one thing in them that led me in the right direction. I was just really caught off guard bc I haven't heard about so much stats/ethics in a test before for CK.

Cardio was really hard on my test but I love it so I was happy. MSK/derm/micro were probably my hardest subjects. Pulm/renal/heme onc were very basic on my test. Overall I felt like I had 1/4 easy questions aka straight UWORLD, 1/4 I would have never studied had I had another year to study, and 1/2 where I was like "ok I have this narrowed down to 2 so I'm going to pick an answer and mark it and hope for the best". I finished with 2 minutes to spare every block except one block that I dominated (yay for one block!....that was my 38 Q block lol).

Anyways, this test makes you come out of it feeling like you did horrible because you are so unsure of yourself. After looking up answers I think it went ok and I passed but I could still get a 210. Long wait ahead of me sigh. I would say that going through step 1 FA isn't worth it unless you are a 260 scorer looking for higher. I had maybe 4 questions that were in step 1 that I had not covered from studying for step 2ck (I used UWORLD and FA step 2ck). I thought my test was a mix between the NBME's and USWA. About a 1/2 mixture which I was glad about. Most people told me it was a lot harder than UWORLD but it felt easier to me because not every question was insanely long. Anyways, praying for a 240+ but we will see. Good luck to those still waiting!

You will be 234 as per popular belief of being average of UWSA 1 and 2. I pray for you to be 250+ and me being wrong. Thanks for the detailed review.

 

[tvelocity514]

Free 150? I thought the free questions everyone mentions were the 120 on the usmle website? Anyway did you feel it was worth the time doing those q's over reviewing weak areas the day before?

lol the free 120. Everyone just knows it as the FRED 150 and I still call it that in my head. I would do it 2 days before. The questions are decently easy but the ones I missed I am glad that I went over them.

 

[TripleOpIMXD]

So I took the exam on July 1. Does anyone know when the score will be released?

On the USMLE Website, it said exams taken before Jun 28 will be received in 3-4 weeks as usual. And that scores taken the week of 7/3 may have a delay which would be released ~2 months.

So my exam date is after the June 28 cutoff yet before the start of July 3.

How would scores in that timeframe be affected?

 

[bacterianotavirus]

Just took ck today and felt terrible at the end of it. I've been slowly recalling questions and I'm already at ~25 questions I know for sure I got wrong. And these are pretty straightforward ones that I just panicked and couldn't think straight. In addition to these, I marked around 10 per block. I really need >240 on ck to boost my step 1 score. I was just wondering if anyone had a similar test day experience as me but ended up doing fine?

What did you score if you don't mind me asking? I feel like I'm in similar boat.

 

[K T]

Took mine on the 21st of June, hopefully we jubilate on the 12th

Also took it on June 15th! Anxiously waiting for my score as well. Good luck everyone!

 

[Joanna1987]

UWorld 72%
NBME 7 (2 weeks out): 222
NBME 4 (8 days out): 236
NBME 6 (6 days out): 271
USWA 1 (5 days out): 232
USWA2 (3 days out): 236
USMLE Free 150 (1 day out): 90%

Real deal: ???

I took the real thing on 6/27 but I'm just now getting to posting about it. Walking out I felt like I failed 100% and would have to repeat the test. After going home and looking up some answers I got 1/2 right on the ones I could remember. I know the first section I bombed (like I had 25 marked lol). There was one more section that was a little better than that but still not good. Felt really good about 2 sections and ok/meh on the others.

I was VERY surprised that i had like 5-7 stats/ethics sections PER BLOCK. The stats wasn't bad though (except for the drug ad part but it wasn't bad if you spent a lot of time on it... just time intensive...). Stats is an easy 100 if you know the step 1 FA stats section. The ethics was not your typical: "A. tell mary she's a bad person, B. Tell mary to go jump in a lake, C. tell mary to kiss your booty, D. Tell Mary that you are there for her and offer her a kleenex. Afterwards, tell her she can stay as long as she wants in your office and that you will be there for her no matter what". It was more like: "A. Tell mary you are sorry she is upset and that you are there for her. B. Tell Mary you are there for her and will always be there for her. C. Tell Mary that although she is sad, you will always be there for her and can refer her to someone for her to talk about her feelings. D. Tell mary she's awesome". I say that jokingly because it was really that you had it narrowed down to two answers but still, they were really hard ethics questions (I am a US MD and ethics is really easy for me). I still think I got most of them right though except for 1-2 because there was one thing in them that led me in the right direction. I was just really caught off guard bc I haven't heard about so much stats/ethics in a test before for CK.

Cardio was really hard on my test but I love it so I was happy. MSK/derm/micro were probably my hardest subjects. Pulm/renal/heme onc were very basic on my test. Overall I felt like I had 1/4 easy questions aka straight UWORLD, 1/4 I would have never studied had I had another year to study, and 1/2 where I was like "ok I have this narrowed down to 2 so I'm going to pick an answer and mark it and hope for the best". I finished with 2 minutes to spare every block except one block that I dominated (yay for one block!....that was my 38 Q block lol).

Anyways, this test makes you come out of it feeling like you did horrible because you are so unsure of yourself. After looking up answers I think it went ok and I passed but I could still get a 210. Long wait ahead of me sigh. I would say that going through step 1 FA isn't worth it unless you are a 260 scorer looking for higher. I had maybe 4 questions that were in step 1 that I had not covered from studying for step 2ck (I used UWORLD and FA step 2ck). I thought my test was a mix between the NBME's and USWA. About a 1/2 mixture which I was glad about. Most people told me it was a lot harder than UWORLD but it felt easier to me because not every question was insanely long. Anyways, praying for a 240+ but we will see. Good luck to those still waiting!

Wow, thank you for such long post I don't know how it made me feel lol (the test was super hard, obviously) but I appreciate your input

Do you have any advices for someone like me? Which is a peron who's taking the test mid-August and I just went thru OME and I'm doing UW?

I'm also an IMG and kind of freaking out that you guys know way better about the test itself than I do (a totally different worls lol).

Anyway, thanks again!!!!

 

[Joanna1987]

So I took the exam on July 1. Does anyone know when the score will be released?

On the USMLE Website, it said exams taken before Jun 28 will be received in 3-4 weeks as usual. And that scores taken the week of 7/3 may have a delay which would be released ~2 months.

So my exam date is after the June 28 cutoff yet before the start of July 3.

How would scores in that timeframe be affected?

How was the test? I understand you took it after they changed the questions?
Did it feel like it was way harder than the questions available?

 

[Ciphurre]

Can someone please talk about the length of the questions stems PLEASE!?!?!

Nobody seems to agree...

 

[novafan3000]

For those who took the exam recently... is there any correlation between the free 150 and the exam itself? Meaning question styles...etc?

Did we ever get a response to this?... curious myself as apparently July 1 they are doing the usual changing out the question pool

 

[PianoMedic]

Can someone please talk about the length of the questions stems PLEASE!?!?!

Nobody seems to agree...

Caveat to what follows: I can only speak to my experience and my exam. Your exam WILL be different. You WON'T get my exam, so take everything I say and any others say as it is - our exam experience. It isn't necessarily predictive of what you will see.

I found the question stems to mostly be UWorld style (long vignette, answer choices wordy), with very few of the free 150 (120) or NBME shorter vignette style questions. Felt like I was reading forever on many of the questions. That being said, YMMV. I felt like my test was full of ridiculously difficult questions with few or no easy questions in any block. Most people I have talked with in person or read about on here felt they had easy questions or blocks even. I think my test experience was an outlier, but wanted you to have a response to your question. My guess is you are more likely to have a mix of UW and shorter vignette questions. What ratio that ends up being is anyone's guess. My ratio was UW:Short - 90:10. Might have been slightly higher or lower, but I ran low on time on nearly every block when I never had time issues in UW, UWSAs or on NBME 7. Good luck!

 

[NWwildcat2013]

Also took it on June 15th! Anxiously waiting for my score as well. Good luck everyone!

Took mine on June 13th. I am assuming we will get our scores on Monday or something.

 

[BCDO2018]

Can someone elaborate about the change in the test? I'm confused and now freaking out since I'm taking my test in a few days. Do you think it affects the curve, etc? Thank you!

 

[iceman55]

Can someone elaborate about the change in the test? I'm confused and now freaking out since I'm taking my test in a few days. Do you think it affects the curve, etc? Thank you!

Chilllll...they do this every year. The average stays the same or rises every year. Thats because these steps scores are comparable across at least 3 years. In other words, your score will be determined based upon everybody that has taken step 2 ck in the past 3 years at least.


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[Ciphurre]

Caveat to what follows: I can only speak to my experience and my exam. Your exam WILL be different. You WON'T get my exam, so take everything I say and any others say as it is - our exam experience. It isn't necessarily predictive of what you will see.

I found the question stems to mostly be UWorld style (long vignette, answer choices wordy), with very few of the free 150 (120) or NBME shorter vignette style questions. Felt like I was reading forever on many of the questions. That being said, YMMV. I felt like my test was full of ridiculously difficult questions with few or no easy questions in any block. Most people I have talked with in person or read about on here felt they had easy questions or blocks even. I think my test experience was an outlier, but wanted you to have a response to your question. My guess is you are more likely to have a mix of UW and shorter vignette questions. What ratio that ends up being is anyone's guess. My ratio was UW:Short - 90:10. Might have been slightly higher or lower, but I ran low on time on nearly every block when I never had time issues in UW, UWSAs or on NBME 7. Good luck!

Thanks for your response! when did you take your exam

 

[PianoMedic]

Thanks for your response! when did you take your exam

June 21

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[HelloEE]

Hi guys! I am writing here because I'm beyond nervous. I took the step 2 ck on July 1 st - and the exam was nothing like UW and NBME - so much harder and the q stems were quite longer - I don't remember this being this being the case with step 1 and now I'm feeling a sense of impending doom. I am not a great test taker - my practice scores were in the 250s but I work harder because of that. Now I wonder if I will get a passing score. I talked to people who took the test the same day and they also felt the same. Any advice?

 

[iceman55]

Hi guys! I am writing here because I'm beyond nervous. I took the step 2 ck on July 1 st - and the exam was nothing like UW and NBME - so much harder and the q stems were quite longer - I don't remember this being this being the case with step 1 and now I'm feeling a sense of impending doom. I am not a great test taker - my practice scores were in the 250s but I work harder because of that. Now I wonder if I will get a passing score. I talked to people who took the test the same day and they also felt the same. Any advice?

Did you take NBME 4, 6 , and 7 in test taking conditions? And what did you get on them?


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