Usmle Step 2

[Swaydaa]

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!!!!

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[hokiedoc2005]

Just got my step II scores back 245/99. This was my study plan...

Three weeks of:

Crush twice
Blueprints of OB & Peds (a must--my two highest sections!!)
NMS step II questions(the whole book-5 tests)--I was scoring at about 65-70% on these
QBank--Scoring 70-75% on these questions

Felt there was very little surgery/trauma compared to what it seemed other people had.

Study your vitamin excesses and deficiencies--this really got me....

Hope this helps--good luck to all!!

 

[tigershark]

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?

I think it is around 244.

 

[zpdoc]

Just got my Step II score back: 242/98. So it seems like people are right about 244/245 being the cutoff for a 2-digit 99 (damn, just a couple more points! ).

I gave a rundown of my study schedule above for those who want to correlate. Good luck to everyone else who has yet to take it.

 

[Harrie]

Just took my Step II today. Boy was it long and painful.

 

[Stax]

Hello all,

I know that this thread has been dead for a few weeks (late December was the last date of a post!!), but I was hoping to continue it for those of us who are taking the test later!

I took the test on 12/29/04 and my score report was mailed approx. three weeks later on 1/19/05 (I received it a few days later in the mail).

What was studied:
Crush the Boards Step 2: Once
Step 2 Secrets: Once
Boards and Wards:Once
Kaplan Q Bank: did all questions with 77% average
NMS Question Book: did two tests with approx 81% average
Advanced Life Support for Step 2: once
Practice questions online from nbme: approx 90-95% average
Did not do any "self assessment" nbme tests

Score: 250/99 (Mean=218, Std. Dev.=23)

I shouldn't have waited so long to take it , but I was apprehensive about fitting it into a clerkship schedule. It really worked out despite doing an ER rotation and the first leg of interviews during December before Christmas break!

To those still waiting for the various matches-best of luck. For those matched congrats, but don't forget to pour one out for your lost brothas!

All the best,

Stax

 

[LovelyRita]

Hello all,

I know that this thread has been dead for a few weeks (late December was the last date of a post!!), but I was hoping to continue it for those of us who are taking the test later!

I took the test on 12/29/04 and my score report was mailed approx. three weeks later on 1/19/05 (I received it a few days later in the mail).

What was studied:
Crush the Boards Step 2: Once
Step 2 Secrets: Once
Boards and Wards:Once
Kaplan Q Bank: did all questions with 77% average
NMS Question Book: did two tests with approx 81% average
Advanced Life Support for Step 2: once
Practice questions online from nbme: approx 90-95% average
Did not do any "self assessment" nbme tests

Score: 250/99 (Mean=218, Std. Dev.=23)

I shouldn't have waited so long to take it , but I was apprehensive about fitting it into a clerkship schedule. It really worked out despite doing an ER rotation and the first leg of interviews during December before Christmas break!

To those still waiting for the various matches-best of luck. For those matched congrats, but don't forget to pour one out for your lost brothas!

All the best,

Stax

When did you start studying?

 

[swedcrip]

Obviously if the average poster of scores here was the average student, the average would be 30 points higher than it really is.

So to let some of the more laid back types out there know,

I studied 3 hours (first aid for step 2 - read OB/GYN and PEDS)

and I passed comfortably (>200). Got within 10 points of my Step 1. Throughout med school I've generally gotten by off less studying than the average student and maintained about average grades so I'm not saying everyone will pass without studying for weeks. But I think most people will. If after passing 3rd year (comfortably), you can't pass Step 2 cold, then something probably isn't right.

For all those future fellowship gunners (cards, GI, etc), then maybe your 250+ step score will come in handy. Otherwise, I doubt it'll make much difference. Bottom line, consider it strongly before killing yourself for several weeks during 4th year - do you need to? I doubt whatever someone memorizes those 2 weeks will make them better in their future field. You probably should have learned the fundamentals of everything already. So if you passed step 1 comfortably, passed your clinical shelf exams without cutting it too close, I wouldn't sweat step 2. It's a long, painful test. And waiting 6 months after finishing 3rd year isn't the best way to go. Some specialties want step 2 for the match. Others don't care, so taking it early might hurt you. But if I had to do it over again, I'd have taken it in July instead of December. If you're shooting for IM at a top tier program and they ask for step 2, buying review questions and studying a couple weeks might be helpful. For the less competitive fields/programs, I don't think everyone HAS to study for this.

 

[Stax]

To the question of how long I studied, I studied approx 4 weeks total (in between ER shifts and first-round interviews during December).

swedcrip,
I totally understand your point of view, and I am glad to see some new discussion on this thread. I have a classmate who told me she studied for about a week and still did better than her Step 1 which was high to start with. From my end I am trying to match in dermatology this year. So, in case I do not match (which could easily be reality with the odds that face derm applicants) I wanted to "sell out" for Step 2 to do well in case I am reapplying after my internship +/- a research fellowship.

All the best,

Stax

 

[swedcrip]

To the question of how long I studied, I studied approx 4 weeks total (in between ER shifts and first-round interviews during December).

swedcrip,
I totally understand your point of view, and I am glad to see some new discussion on this thread. I have a classmate who told me she studied for about a week and still did better than her Step 1 which was high to start with. From my end I am trying to match in dermatology this year. So, in case I do not match (which could easily be reality with the odds that face derm applicants) I wanted to "sell out" for Step 2 to do well in case I am reapplying after my internship +/- a research fellowship.

All the best,

Stax

exactly, everyone should put into context what the result would mean. For the very competitive residencies, it might matter. I read around here before taking it and was concerned that only a few had tried and passed without much studying. It's a risk in that retaking the test means paying for it again, but it's doable. This board is heavily populated by test achievers and those going after competitive specialties so I agree it's good that we give different perspectives.

 

[Heather Noelle]

Hi Kaplan notes users...

where do you get the kaplan notes from? I checked the website and don't see them available there. Thanks!

 

[SLUsagar]

Taking STEP 2 CK in month, starting to study now w/various commonly-used books...

in terms of QUESTIONS: i got the qbank and will finish all the ?'s.

I'm somewhat clueless in terms of the NBME questions vs. the ones from usmle... isn't one of 'em free or something but pretty easy? one better than other? should i just stick to qbank?

COMMENTS would be greatly appreciated!!!

thanks

 

[Stax]

When I talked about USMLE questions I meant the "Step 2 Multiple-Choice Tutorial and Practice Test Items" that can be found on this website:

http://www.usmle.org/Orientation/menu.htm

You can download them free (they seemed pretty easy to me, but I did them for quick review after all of my studying) either in Prometric or FRED format depending on when you are taking your test. You will be taking your test on the Prometric Software as the switch to the new software will not occur until:

Step 1 Test: May/June of 2005
Step 2CK Test: August/September of 2005

The NBME self assessment tests are the ones that I did not do, and I think you have to pay for them. I see from the posts that many have found this helpful somewhat in predicting performance on the exam... You can get started on these at the website below:

https://external1.nbme.org/nsasweb/servlet/mesa_main

I'm guessing for Step 2CK you would want the Comprehensive Clinical Science Self Assessment (CCSSA)...like I said I didn't take these tests because I didn't want the extra stress!

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

 

[SLUsagar]

thanks a BUNCH stax! very helpful!

does anyone know the cost of the NBME exams? (and how many there are?)

 

[Stax]

They are $45 in US Currency, and that there are two tests according to the webisite that is listed below that has the FAQ's for them:

http://www.nbme.org/programs/sas.asp

All the best,
Stax

 

[Benzo4every1]

Just bumping this back up. Did a search and found what I needed: books for step 2 There are I must some smart test-takers in here. Thanks for all the advice. Good luck to all dueling for Step 2 come late this year

 

[irrka]

Ok this must sound ******ed, but q bank and q book, those come through kaplan? usmle? where do you get them from?

 

[klubguts]

Qbank and qbook are Kaplan products...you can order them on their website. And no, you don't sound ******ed. Good luck.

 

[irrka]

holy *&?^ those things are $$$$$$!!!!!
anybody wanna unload their qbank/qbook? i'd be ever so grateful!

 

[apreet]

holy *&?^ those things are $$$$$$!!!!!
anybody wanna unload their qbank/qbook? i'd be ever so grateful!

Visit http://usmle.mahanbharat.com/forum/ for free resources.

tons of qbank and EKGs, Xrays, Fundus and Derma pictures,

 

[neilc]

woo hoo! passed it...now, everybody PLEASE cross your fingers for me, and hope i significantly improved my score....

 

[neilc]

well, got my scores, and i am stoked! i improved 42 points from step 1....i think i set some sort of record, lol!

234/95

for the correlation folks out there:
usmleworld: cumulative avg 64%, all unused. was getting in the 80's second time thru
NBME: i forget exactly, but it had me right at the mean on the list that compares scores. i think it was around 500.
kaplan q-bank: didn't use it

books: boards and wards and first aid. started with crush, but i thought it was way too superficial.

i am going to get falling down drunk tonight!!! wooohooooo

 

[andwhat]

so much about worrying about youre step I score, phenomenal, youre score rocks the heck out of youre step I, welcome to the residency of youre choice.... as I recall its Ob Gyn, should be no problem at all for you....
good luck - hope that you match at youre first choice...

 

[Swaydaa]

well, got my scores, and i am stoked! i improved 42 points from step 1....i think i set some sort of record, lol!

234/95

Excellent improvment. You put yourself back in the running for a good spot!

 

[Gulliver]

bump

 

[drbhooks]

First of all, congratulations on your Step 2 score. That is a terrific score. I am a M3 who is planning on taking Step 2 in August and I was wondering if you could tell me where do you get USMLE Secrets at? What is the full title and author(s) name?

Thank you,
drbhooks

3 weeks and 6 days from my test date until the Dean's office called me my results. I don't have the score report in hand yet, so I don't know the mean and standard deviation yet, but I scored over 240 .

My study concentrated on USMLE secrets, boards and wards and Q-bank (Kaplan). I know a lot of people didn't like Q-bank for Step 2 but it worked well for me. I did all the questions and repeats until all questions were answered correctly. My Kaplan scores ranged from high 80-90's in OB and psych to high 60's to 70's on medicine and psych (these are the scores without the repeat questions). I really think it is imperative if you are going to get the full benefit to go back and review the questions you missed. I would generally jot down a short note on the missed questions and then went back and reviewed this a few days before the big day.

 

[chapped1]

A number of posts have claimed that they "saw that their CS results were released"... what does this MEAN?? Is there a way to check if my exam has been scored already?

Second question: is it possible to calculate my 2 digit score from my raw score? I did not receive my "official" score card for some reason, but my Dean DID receive my score. I was told the 3 digit only... just curious about the 2 digit, since that seems to be based on the standard curve for the particular questions asked on your exam... any ideas?

Thanks

 

[swedcrip]

A number of posts have claimed that they "saw that their CS results were released"... what does this MEAN?? Is there a way to check if my exam has been scored already?

Second question: is it possible to calculate my 2 digit score from my raw score? I did not receive my "official" score card for some reason, but my Dean DID receive my score. I was told the 3 digit only... just curious about the 2 digit, since that seems to be based on the standard curve for the particular questions asked on your exam... any ideas?

Thanks

www.nbme.org
click on "NBME Licensing Examination Services "
to get to
https://external1.nbme.org/interactive/
or
https://external1.nbme.org/ciw/servlet/candidate_menu

login (usmle ID and a password) and click on exam status

if you don't have a password click on "First-Time User?" at the login screen

 

[irrka]

USMLE secrets: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-6665936-5076654?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

eek i hope this posts as a link

 

[Gulliver]

Well, that's just great about y'alls scores and all, but how bout some more feedback about the test. Any changes from previous years?

 

[blueMD]

Hey folks,
stupid question but when you say Crush
is that Crush the Boards or Crush Step 2. The reason is, Ive found 2 different book covers from same author Brochert. Just wanted to know if they were different, the same or what. Thanks!

 

[Jova]

I just took Step 2 and it was HARD!!

I ran out of time on every block (got to question 42-43 out of 46)! Has anyone else here ran out of time as well and still pass?

Almost every question was multi-paragraph with lots of labs. The freaking questions were so long that even looking at the labs in the "tile" display, I couldn't compare them to the question stem labs be cause the question would not do the scroll function. I have a sore wrist now from all the mouse manuvering during the 8 blocks.

It also seemed that in most questions the patient had so many co-morbidities, ie, a 62 y/o man with a history of prostate cancer, diabetes, alcoholic cirrhosis, lupus now has a proteinuria and a rash. Lots of labs. Lots of rheum, anemia, nephrotic syndrome, edema, liver failure questions. Most question were WAY more complicated, more lengthly, and more ambiguous than Qbank.

I hope I passed but I'm not sure. It definately felt MUCH harder than Step 1. After taking Step 1 I wondered how I did, but I knew that I had passed. After taking Step 2, I am not sure if I even passed.

 

[El Duderino]

I felt a lot better after step 1 than after step 2, probably because I felt that I SHOULD have felt better than I did after step 2 (comparatively better scores on Qbank, NBME and usmle-world). Time was a lot more of a concern, lots of ambiguous questions (i.e. on step 1, if you didn't know it, you didn't know it but on step 2 you'd think you'd know it until you read the alternative answers and either none of them would sound right or three of them would).

Step 2 was definitely more tiring, too. Anywho, I had a pleasant surprise when I got my score sheet after step 1, so let's hope for the same thing when my step 2 score arrives (took it on March 24th)...

Good luck on your scores...

 

[pxz]

Well, just took the step 2 last week and it was loooooooooooooooog..... I kinda rushed through the final two blocks so that I can get the hell out of there.

20% of Qs you can get them right blind-folded; 30% of Qs you can answer with certain confidence; 30% of Qs you can narrow down to 2/3 choices and make your best guess; 20% of them you have no idea (like basic biochem Qs).

I spent two weeks preparing the exam. Resources I used

USMLE secrets: best step 2 book, at least for me. (A lot of people use B & W but the style is just not for me)
USMLE mock exam: basically enforcement of USMLE secrets
USMLE world: 2000 + Qs. They summarize the important learning points after each answer explanation so you do not have to read five paragraphs to find out you already know it. I did 600 Qs as timed-mode and went through the rest 1400 in two days by just reading the learning points of each Q.

 

[FrankMD]

Hey guys,
For those of you who have taken Step 2 already...do you have any advice on what you would have done DIFFERENTLY to prepare for this test so you'd do better?

Thanks.

 

[andwhat]

bump

 

[usmler]

20% of Qs you can get them right blind-folded; 30% of Qs you can answer with certain confidence; 30% of Qs you can narrow down to 2/3 choices and make your best guess; 20% of them you have no idea (like basic biochem Qs).

They ask basic biochem on Step 2?

 

[Harrie]

They ask basic biochem on Step 2?

Yeah, I got one question that was straight biochem. It showed some glycolysis reaction and asked an enzyme kinetics question. I couldn't believe it! Still, these are just a few questions. Just make a good guess and move on.

 

[MLT]

hi all
i just want to know if anyone has seen the new edition of Kaplan Qbook (step 2), and what r the new things in it?
actually i have the older edition, and i want to know if it is necessary to buy the new one

is there a great difference between them?

 

[KCOM2006]

I have a long commute to work everyday (30 min) and when doing out rotations, I'll be driving 1,000-2,000 miles (couple hours).

I'm hoping to find a Good USMLE Step 2 AUDIO Review. I'd prefer subject review or keyword association material more than random test questions.

Does anyone know of anything?

 

[Peeshee]

Supposedly there is a Goljan step 2 audio, but I am having trouble finding it. I havent heard how good it is compared to his step 1 audio either, but most likely it is good. Does anyone know where to download this audio or buy it?
It would be very much appreciated!

Also, I have a question about www.usmleworld.com. How long did it take to finish? Would 1 month be enough to review all explanations and answers thoroughly?
Would you recommend doing qbank step 2 ck before USMLE world, or vice versa?
thanks!

 

[diabetic_foot]

yes you could finish usmleworld in a month- you'd have to do about 70q's a day. i did usmleworld step 2 qbank (which i didn't finish) followed by kaplan step 2 qbank (which i did finish). the q's on usmleworld are harder and were quite frustrating at times and i got way too bored to finish the questions (got about 80% thru). they were good q's though. kaplan step 2 qbank questions were easier and helped to boost my morale after doing usmelworld questions. honestly though, i think doing that many questions was overkill on my part. both qbanks cover more or less the same material and it got very very boring after a while.

 

[Jova]

Just for an update: I passed!!!

What a relief! I ended up scoring average. So this is good news. To answer my own question: Yes, it is quite possible to pass if you run out of time on each block. On the actual test I ran out of time on each block, not answering 3-4 questions per block, that's about 25-30 question that I did not even answer!

I was not aiming for a high score (already matched, so just wanted to pass) so my exam prep was minimal:

-- I did not read any review books. (I bought Secrets, but only skimmed about 5-10 pages.)
-- I did half of the Qbank questions.

In retrospect, I would not have waited so long to take the test (it had been almost two years since I did OBGyn). But I definitely think it's possible to pass with minimal preparation.

 

[1estgo]

I took the Step2 , and like 80 questions similar from the Secrets.

 

[Benzo4every1]

Bump for Rheumogal
Here is a small compilations of what was said in this link as far as books to use:

Qbank
USMLE Secrets vs Crush Step 2
Boards and Wards
Blueprints OB GYN and Peds
USMLEworld (question bank)
Practice questions online from NBME website:
https://external1.nbme.org/nsasweb/servlet/mesa_main
First Aid Step 2

 

[medlaw06]

hey all...FINALLY, a thread on this part for Step 2ers....almost all the threads are for step 1. Quick question since my exam is in 1 month....do you think that studying for step 2 EXCLUSIVELY by doing questions after questions is a smart idea....In all my neurosis, I purchased kaplan q-bank AND usmleworld...

personally, i don't like UW, but people are saying that the questions (in terms of difficulty) are more like UW on the actual exam than on kaplan since kaplan's questions are easier than the exam. however, the questions on UW are literally 1 or 2 liners (well...alot of them, but not all) and I have heard that the actual exam has REALLY long questions....

any thought (particularly on the first thing about studying exclusively by doing quesitons)

 

[Baylor_eye]

Has anybody got scores back that took the test in May????

 

[Etomidate]

So far people have stated that vitamin excess/deficiency and congenital immunodeficiencies are stressed.

What about the inherited enzyme deficiencies (i.e. Tay Sachs, Hurlers, etc.)?

 

[12R34Y]

So far people have stated that vitamin excess/deficiency and congenital immunodeficiencies are stressed.

What about the inherited enzyme deficiencies (i.e. Tay Sachs, Hurlers, etc.)?

I took STep 2 last week and had ZERO vitamin excess/deficiencies and maybe 2 or 3 congenital things.

REMEMBER EVERYONE's TEST IS DIFFERENT! Maybe massively different. So saying that something is stressed off of a few people's assessments may not serve you well at all. Look around and see that everybody thought the test stressed something different.

it wasn't too bad.

good luck,
later

 

[irrka]

bumparoo

 

[Espion]

Has anyone been using Step Up for Medicine? I'm using it for my IM rotation (shelf exam this Friday), but I wonder if it is enough for Step 2?