Usmle Step 2

[Swaydaa]

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Hey guys just took step 2 today. I hope this is legal?? I scored a 230 on Step 1 and I thought it was a little tougher. You will probably hear many more people say it was easier, so take my statement with a grain of salt!

1. I had no less than 20 questions (yes 20) on amenorrhea (all types), womans fertility, and womens endocrine......CANT STAND THAT CRAP!! What sucked the most is they ALL stated...the mans sperm count was good....I was waiting for one of those. Had many OB questions (35-40) I was pleased at that...I like OB

2. I had about 10 questions on congenital heart defects...know the blood gases and symptoms that go with each (I hate that crap). One associated with an XRAY. They don't give the "classical" buzzwords.

3. I finished my last 5 days of studying with surgery.....cant even recall 2-3 freakin pure surgery questions....what a total waste time (in my opinion).

4. about 40-50 questions concerning what test you would do next.

5. I consider myself pretty darn good at reading EKG's and recognizing dysrythmias....NOT A Single rhythm strip or EKG....damn. I did have a question that stated the patient had peaked T-waves.

6. I had exactly 5 questions on epi/stats. sensitivity, PPV, NPV, power....ONE asking about relative risk. Do a quick run through on doing the math for these things...I thought I was good, but I proved to be a little rusty (spent 4-5 minutes on one question trying to figure out where to put the numbers).

7. Had a good number of trauma questions...definatley worth a little extra time.

8. I was lucky mine did not have a bunch of DERM...I was scoring mid to low 60's on Q-bank for DERM. As a whole, I thought the Q-bank was good/OK for step 2. It was nowhere close to being as detailed as the actual test....but It does cover all the topics. MKASP was pretty darn good I must say.....real close to the actual IM questions!!

9. I hear the test bank has over 10,000 questions. I only had 376 questions, so everyones test may be totally different.

10. The test was freakin looooooooooooong as hell. 9 HOURS. the last block and half I was shot. My eyes were the only thing holding me to the computor...the rest of my body was FALLING AWAYYYYYYYYYYy. Get some good rest. Lot tougher than step 1 concerning getting through and reading the page long question with labs.

11. About 4 to 5 questions on acid base with the actual blood gas in the question...pure respiratory, compensated, etc.

12. OB/GYN blueprints in my opinion is the absolute gold standard for USMLE step 2. Best of the bluprints series. Pediactric blueprints follows OB at a close second. I thought internal medicine blueprints stunk like Sh-t for the exam. I wil post my results when I receive them and then offer my study plan if it worked???


Thanks for listening...just had to get it off my back. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE. I hope you do well. 🙂

Anyone ELSE please feel free to add your experience!!!!

 

[phillybabe]

It appears the score reports until sept 24th have been sent out. I think you can get them from your dean's office if you call.

 

[kas23]

I took my Step 2 September 27th and the USMLE website says my score was reported today.

 

[DoctorG]

Took mine on sept 24th and was reported today as well.

 

[phillybabe]

Took mine on sept 24th and was reported today as well.

grrrrr 😡 😡 Dont know what happened but my dean's office didnt get any yesterday and now I have to wait till next wednesday. 😡

 

[E'02]

I'm a 3rd yr student and was just curious as to how long you guys studied for? Do people typically take a month off (i.e. July or August) to study? Also, does anyone recommend getting the Kaplan books to study from or is blueprints sufficient? Thanks!

 

[Maya_RS]

I took Step 2 on Sept 24 and got my score from my Dean's office yesterday too...

I studied for about a month (I took an easy rotation that month).

 

[tiffin25]

just out of curiosity, maya... how long did you study(i.e. hours/day) and what did you study? thanks

 

[E'02]

I wanted to ask that too Tiffan (thanks). Also, when you guys say you studied while taking an "easy elective" what electives were you referring to?

 

[Maya_RS]

I took an independent anatomy study month so I had pretty much all day to study. I went to the library in the morning, took a break for lunch, then studied until dinner. A couple of my friends were also studying for Step 2 at that time so we tried to motivate each other.

I mostly focused on Crush, NMS, QBank, and QBook. I also used Prescription for the Boards and First Aid. I tried to do as many questions as I could because I like the question-answer format to assess what I had read in the review books.

I'm sure you've already heard this before, but I think the best prep is to work hard during your 3rd year (we had to take shelf exams after each rotation) so that when you're studying for Step 2, it is more review of stuff you learned previously.

Just my two cents...but hope this helps! If you have any questions, let me know!

 

[E'02]

What did you do during your anatomy independent study? Was it classes you had or research? Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[VitaminK]

what were you guys average qbank scores?

 

[bignursemd]

grrrrr 😡 😡 Dont know what happened but my dean's office didnt get any yesterday and now I have to wait till next wednesday. 😡

so ...yeah my score was reported today, and my school is being a pain about releasing my scores.....oh well
oh yeah I took the test on Oct 1st
😳

 

[Amy]

so ...yeah my score was reported today, and my school is being a pain about releasing my scores.....oh well
oh yeah I took the test on Oct 1st
😳

Got my score today too, from my Dean's office. Took it Sept 30. 👍

 

[bignursemd]

Got my score today too, from my Dean's office. Took it Sept 30. 👍

ok...so I went to the deans office of the school that I'm doing an away rotation at, and picked up my score...and I'm really happy 🙂
I can actually sleep again......
what I used:
1)Crush X2
2)qbank---avg. score 70%
3)kaplan notes X1
4) Qbook
and alot of luck
-good luck to all
-peace

 

[trex92499]

Just took the test on Friday....

First of all, there should be no blatant basic science questions on this test, but I had several questions asking me about what enzyme did something in glycogenolysis and another about microtubule function. These were not disguised in a vignette and left me wondering if I had slipped into a time warp and was actually taking Step 1.....

Second, there was some crazy hard questions on there. Stuff that you would have to be specialty specific to really know....I want to do ENT, so I was able to recognize stuff like malignant otitis externa and congenital cholesteatoma, but the questions weren't just diagnose, it was diagnose-treat-follow up, really ambigious and tough.

In addition, the test seemed to go from hard to harder. By the last block, the questions had gotten so ridiculous and I was completely exhausted.....But i didn't have the amount of trauma or obgyn that people did, mine was just generalized craziness.

So, to prepare....I would use secrets, boards and wards, and qbook/qbank. That should be all you really need to do well. I used qbook because it was portable and I get annoyed reading on a computer, but the questions in qbook were right on the money, some almost identical.

 

[Swaydaa]

I agree that the test got harder and harder as the day went by.....It was a monster!

 

[norbel]

just took the test today...

thought it started out nice...then during the last four sections it snowballed into a hella hard test...i even had the same stupid microtubule question...not sure what to make of it...i used crush, FA and B&W with qbank...but they didn't seem as helpful for the last four sections...hopefully it will all end in passing grade...although i expected more from what everyone else was saying...good luck to everyone else

 

[Jules1231]

I took the test on Friday. I did not have much time to study. (had to study after i got out of my rotation-around 4pm) I read all of first aid for step 2 and step 2 secrets. I did a couple of qbank tests. I did study hard for my cores and did 2 ob/gyn electives (gyn-onc and repro-endo). So I thought the ob/gyn questions were easy. I think the hard questions depends on what you like and what you don't like. (spend time studying the things you hate) I did have a few of the basic science questions on my test. I wouldn't re-study that stuff though, just hope you remember it enough to guess right. Be careful as the test drags on though because your brain and eyes can start to play tricks on you-I know i missed 2 questions on hypercalcemia tx because I was thinking hyperkalemia. Oh well. Talk to your friends about some of the hard questions they had. I had several of the same questions my roomate had. Thank you to everyone who has been writing in this post. I feel it helped me.

 

[VitaminK]

do you remember any of your hard questions?

 

[Jules1231]

not that these are "hard" per say, but they're questions i've heard about several times
-pregnant appendicitis-RUQ pain
-someone has hep c what do you do next-give hep a and hep b vaccines
-osteogenisis imperfecta-MOA behind ds-collagen disorder (good 'ol step1)
-tx for hypercalcemia
-tet spells in kids
-amenorrhea-as long as she is child bearing age do a preg test first-even if it seems obvious it's something else
-had a labor curve graft-very easy question if you had at least seen one before
-know your biostats study designs-case study, cross sectional design, etc easy points-read over them that morning. also if as soon as you go in to the test you write down the stupid formulas-sens, spec, PPV, etc then you don't have to think about the 5 or so questions you'll get about them-saves a ton of time-because you don't have to draw the chart each time.
-if smoking is a choice, probably the answer
-had 2 ekgs, but one of my friends said he had like 10.
-In uterine rupture the baby could have been at +2 station and now (after the rupture) is at -2 station-just remember baby is kind of "sucked out" of uterus a little bit
-had about 3-4 cardiac tamponade cases
-know your vitamins-everyone i talked to had a couple of these in each block
This is about all i can think of right now, i brain is trying to block out the test 🙂
the biggest tip i can give is DON'T CHANGE YOUR ANSWER!! your first instinct is usually correct

Have a great day

 

[jmattwilson]

It took me exactly and I mean exactly 4 weeks to get my results back. My score wasnt as good as I hoped for but I suppose a 217 isnt that bad considering I never lifted a single book page for this test. I did do 5 days of Q-bank a friend let me have as her subscription lasted a few days after she took the test. It definately wasn't as bad as #1. It was long though infact I believe I feel asleep once. I agree with the above post "DO NOT CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS". I changed 6+ from right to wrong. Anyway after that test is over you have such a chilled feeling for the rest of 4th year.

 

[stormjen]

My Step 2 score was reported this past Wednesday, but my school hasn't responded to two emails I sent them requesting my score. Argh!

 

[electra]

I took the USMLE II in August, had scores back in four weeks. I was thrilled with my results. I thought the majority of the test was very straight forward. I found Blueprints to be very helpful in Peds and OB, as well as surgery.

My big topics:
LOTS of PCOS/amenorrhea/hirsute women
Lots of heme positive stool
Immunodeficiencies. More like for Step I, but very few questions on vaccinations.
STDs. STDs. STDs.
Hepatitis on the whole was, I though, big. Had a lot of questions like "kid goes to island for a month, comes back and sees you with jaundice/fever etc. How could this have been prevented? Immunization, condom, etc. Know your incubation and how you get hepatitis.

I thought this test covered a lot of basic stuff. My feeling was that the questions wanted you to recognize this patient.
good luck to anyone still taking.

 

[stormjen]

Anybody know how to find out what the mean score is for Step 2 currently?

 

[stormjen]

Anybody know how to find out what the mean score is for Step 2 currently?

Never mind, I'm an idiot, it's on my score report.

 

[yigit]

i'm getting 68% on qbank.
anyone wanna guess what I'll get on the real deal this week?

 

[ak1978]

yigit, you should try one of the nbme tests if you have time. I think that is even better an approximation of how you'll do. Best of luck! 🙂

 

[stormjen]

i'm getting 68% on qbank.
anyone wanna guess what I'll get on the real deal this week?

210

 

[Stinger86]

i'm getting 68% on qbank.
anyone wanna guess what I'll get on the real deal this week?

406

 

[Swaydaa]

After tons of feedback on predictors........the Nbme seems to correlate best with results.. Make sure you do both and average the two

 

[genieinabottle]

Never mind, I'm an idiot, it's on my score report.

Actually, I am curious to know the mean. I am taking the test this Friday.

 

[maxine]

Great Thread

 

[BellKicker]

The mean is 218 (as of a few weeks ago).

There's a lot of inflation in these test scores. 😡

I took my step 1 two years ago and my step 2 this fall. Both were 99s (won't tell you the 3-digit). My step 2 was 5 points higher than my step 1. Guess what? My step 2 is still a few percentiles below my step 1 score.

Makes me wonder whether maybe nbme should try to curb the inflation.

 

[kas23]

But this is suposedly a "curved" test, so this just means the dumb are getting dumber and the smart are becoming smarter. It doesn't mean all people are becoming smarter or grade inflation is occurring.

 

[BellKicker]

That's a good point.

Still, it means that it takes a higher score to make it past, say, the 95th percentile.

 

[kas23]

Yeah, if you looked at the distribution of scores, you would probably see a bimodal distribution (two humps - smart hump and not so smart hump), not a normal Gaussian curve.

 

[medstudent2005]

"smart" vs "non smart" curves, blah blah? you guys need to get a life...you know, of course you're not smart if you don't score above the 240s! gosh, how silly that they let you into medical school in the first place! so many dumb ppl!

*sigh*

 

[andwhat]

"smart" vs "non smart" curves, blah blah? you guys need to get a life...you know, of course you're not smart if you don't score above the 240s! gosh, how silly that they let you into medical school in the first place! so many dumb ppl!

*sigh*

Actually, I scored quite high on USMLE Step II CK recently, and I have to say that it is not entirely appropriate to comment "smart" vs "non smart" curves, because really anything can happen on these exams.

 

[BellKicker]

It's true, though. There's a tiny bar code with that info on the back of our heads. They scan you at interviews just to make sure the board scores weren't a fluke.

 

[kas23]

Actually, I scored quite high on USMLE Step II CK recently, and I have to say that it is pretty ridiculous to comment "smart" vs "non smart" curves, because really anything can happen on these exams.
Lets try and use some common sense here please. 👍
I am assuming that this comment originated form someone who has not taken the USMLE Step II CK exam as of yet, or maybe even USMLE Step I.

Actually, I coined those terms. And the fact that you couldn't realize this was just a joke means that you probably would fall into a "non smart" curve. FYI, I have taken both Step 1 and 2. I received a 2-digit score of 99 on each one. My 3-digit score on my step 2 was 13 points higher than my step 1 3-digit score. You do the math.

 

[andwhat]

Actually, I coined those terms. And the fact that you couldn't realize this was just a joke means that you probably would fall into a "non smart" curve. FYI, I have taken both Step 1 and 2. I received a 2-digit score of 99 on each one. My 3-digit score on my step 2 was 13 points higher than my step 1 3-digit score. You do the math.

Hey, I hit 99 on step II recently as well, however I am not bragging about it here or anywhere else though. Well its not a very funny joke. You have an opinion, and so do I. My 3 digit on step II was much higher than my step I score as well. Does that prove anything? No. I am not here to argue, simply stating that the curves dont mean too much in my opinion. I did not even realize until now that residency programs actually look at the performance profiles.

 

[bignursemd]

Hey, I hit 99 on step II recently as well, however I am not bragging about it here or anywhere else though. Well its not a very funny joke. You have an opinion, and so do I. My 3 digit on step II was much higher than my step I score as well. Does that prove anything? No. I am not here to argue, simply stating that the curves dont mean too much in my opinion. I did not even realize until now that residency programs actually look at the performance profiles.

DORK's I think you guys need to get a life 😀
you have got to be joking.....right ?
this has to be the most insane dribble yet!

 

[zpdoc]

Well, I finished taking Step II yesterday. Sooooo nice to be done and return to a semi-normal life.

All I really remember is lots of pediatric jaundice problems. Also lots of homeless alcoholics and lots of people w/every co-morbid condition you can think of.

I studied on and off after work for a couple of months, with the last ten days off for full-time study. I ended up doing all the questions in Qbook, which I thought was reasonably helpful, and one of the tests in the NMS book (although some of the info is outdated...ie: mode of delivery not a factor in mother to child HIV transmission??) Also went through Crush Step 2 and most of Boards and Wards pretty thoroughly (sp?), reviewing as needed. Also did both nbme self-assessments, which I thought were much trickier and involved than the real thing.

ok, now the waiting begins. Good luck to everyone taking the test soon, and congrats to everyone who's done.

 

[andwhat]

Well, I finished taking Step II yesterday. Sooooo nice to be done and return to a semi-normal life.

All I really remember is lots of pediatric jaundice problems. Also lots of homeless alcoholics and lots of people w/every co-morbid condition you can think of.

I studied on and off after work for a couple of months, with the last ten days off for full-time study. I ended up doing all the questions in Qbook, which I thought was reasonably helpful, and one of the tests in the NMS book (although some of the info is outdated...ie: mode of delivery not a factor in mother to child HIV transmission??) Also went through Crush Step 2 and most of Boards and Wards pretty thoroughly (sp?), reviewing as needed. Also did both nbme self-assessments, which I thought were much trickier and involved than the real thing.

ok, now the waiting begins. Good luck to everyone taking the test soon, and congrats to everyone who's done.

hey good luck to you! you thought that the nbme questions were a little tougher than the real thing, I thought that they were about the same, or slightly easier than the real thing ... freakin molecular biology all over my step II.. at least 13 questions, and a few related to the genome.. dont understand that..... fortunately went well though.. good luck to youre scores.. sure that it went fine..

 

[zpdoc]

hey thanks. maybe its because i took the nbme about a month before i actually took the test...

 

[Museless]

I did not even realize until now that residency programs actually look at the performance profiles.

Right on the same page as the performance profile of my score report it says:

INFORMATION PROVIDED FOR EXAMINEE USE ONLY (caps theirs)
The Performance Profile below is provided solely for the benefit of the examinee.
These profiles are developed as self-assessment tools for examinees only and will not be reported or verified to any third party.

 

[genieinabottle]

I took it on Nov 19th, and actually it was much better for me than Step 1. I never panicked like I did on Step 1. That being said, I think my test my well-rounded. I would say I had mostly medicine, peds, and Ob-Gyn. I didn't have too much trauma like ppl said, and any weird Step 1 type questions. I did have one pharm question that had a graph but it wasn't too bad. There was also various psych questions, to which I thought the answer was all, major depression! There were a few peds immunodefiniciencies which I can never keep straight on it. Overall, I think it was very fair.

I read Boards and Wards, 1.5 times
Crush 1.5 times (not as helpful as one may think)
I did Q-bank (all)
Some of the NMS CD

I think that was pleny to prepare for it!

 

[tiffin25]

i took three weeks to study...

read crush many times ( i read fast)
all of qbank- (read answers very carefully)
nms

those are all you need. good luck to all.

 

[Docta]

Actually, I coined those terms. And the fact that you couldn't realize this was just a joke means that you probably would fall into a "non smart" curve. FYI, I have taken both Step 1 and 2. I received a 2-digit score of 99 on each one. My 3-digit score on my step 2 was 13 points higher than my step 1 3-digit score. You do the math.

We are all basking in your brilliance...you are definitely going to be the best doctor on the message board...congrats!

 

[Firion451]

Hey, does anyone actually know what the minimum 3-digit score is to get a 2-digit of 99 on either step 1 or 2 CK? It seems as though a tremendous amount of people achieve a 99 (not just on SDN, but talking to others as well) so it can't correlate with an incredibly great percentile despite the fact that it maxes out the 2-digit scale. Any comments?