Usmle Step 2

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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!!!!
 
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Took the test on Sept 30 and just got the result back yesterday:

222/90 (was hoping for 230+ but I will take it)

Studied for 4 weeks with B+W and Secrets. Finished all the Qbank questions and averaged about 70%. I felt prepared for the test but I definitely felt that my stamina was running low by the last two blocks.

Gynecology killed me for whatever reason.. 👎

I' m just glad that it is over. 🙂
 
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Got 226/92.
A combination of kaplan q-bank and usmleworld was perfect for me.
I scored around 70 in qbank and 60 in usmleworld.
I also used kaplan notes which are expensive but excellent and to the point. 🙂
 
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well, I took the test this Thursday and It was HARDER than step 1. The first two bocks were doable and all of a sudden..&^%&*(#@!! I had to take a break after every block because I was so exhausted. it seemed every patient has CHF/DM/COPD/HX of SMOKING/EtOH presenting with DOE and SOB. There was no easy question that you can get by just knowing the buzzwords. You could easily spend five minutes on every question if you want to make sure your answer is right. I barely finished the blocks on times.
 
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Took Step 2 on Friday (10/28)...and I really don't know what to think. I found the test challenging yet do-able. However, I feel that I have no earthly idea as to how well or poorly I did because many questions were very vague and generic with multiple answers that could potentially be correct. I can't say that it was more difficult than Step 1 because I felt that Step 1 was very black and white (you either knew it or you didnt); however, Step 2 was a lot more gray. Thus, I may have done very well or extremely poorly. Hopefully it is the former 🙂 .

I found that about 50% of the test questions were straight-forward and easily answered...about 35% more that you had to think about to get the right answer...and 15% that I had to make a semi-educated guess on. The worst part of the exam is the fatigue factor. This is one long test and it definitely wears on you by days end. I felt I could have done better on the last couple of blocks if I would have been more focused. The time factor was definitely an issue for me. I barely finished 2 of my blocks in time. My second block killed me, but the rest were ok. I felt that I had a good mix of questions; however, there was a strong emphasis on unrestrained passengers in MVAs, elderly pts with chest pain or dyspnea, and child psychiatry. Or maybe these are the questions I remember most because they caused me the most trouble.

I studied with Crush Step 2, First Aid for Step 2, and USMLE World (cumulative avg 66%). I felt that USMLE world was a very useful resource and prepared me well for the exam. Also, I recommend reading the rapid review section at the end of FA the night before or morning of Step 2....I had at least 6-7 questions that I answered that were directly from that review. It felt good.

Hopefully I did ok....I am anxiously awaiting the scores. I will let you all know once they arrive. I am just glad it is over and I can get on with my life.
 
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A couple questions:
1. Has anyone who took step 2 on October 4 received their score yet? (Or for that matter, when did people who took it on Sept 27 get their score?) I'm trying to figure out if Tuesday test dates are sent out 3 weeks (or instead 4) from the wednesday after test date.

2. If you chose automatic score release on ERAS, does a new USMLE Transcript upload date show up in ADTS, and if so how many days before/after you receive your score does this occur?

Thanks! ALF
 
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ALF said:
A couple questions:
1. Has anyone who took step 2 on October 4 received their score yet? (Or for that matter, when did people who took it on Sept 27 get their score?) I'm trying to figure out if Tuesday test dates are sent out 3 weeks (or instead 4) from the wednesday after test date.

2. If you chose automatic score release on ERAS, does a new USMLE Transcript upload date show up in ADTS, and if so how many days before/after you receive your score does this occur?

Thanks! ALF
Click to expand...

I took Step 2 on October 4 and heard from my Dean's office on Thursday, Oct 27 and received the mailing on Sat.
 
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Yes, a new USMLE transcript will be uploaded by the program when your score is released. The scores are released on a Wednesday, so you should check each Wed. to see if your score has been reported. You can also check "exam status" on the NBME website, which is a more direct approach.
 
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mucha said:
Got 226/92.
A combination of kaplan q-bank and usmleworld was perfect for me.
I scored around 70 in qbank and 60 in usmleworld.
I also used kaplan notes which are expensive but excellent and to the point. 🙂
Click to expand...

Mucha,
Got the same exact score as you, just found out today! Scored 67 in qbank, 61 usmleworld. Was shooting for 230+ but obviously am very pleased!

-General tips-
Please note, that I will probably only remember the things I had the most difficulty with.

1. PNA - different presentations, know atypical vs lobular etc
2. Ethics - didn't know how to approach this - is it ethical to w/d support - not really addressed in any texts i used
3. Biostats - this pissed me off - got really hard ones -- intention to treat, weird graphs -- just go over ALL the biostats the night before from UW and read the answers well - should get a few points doing this
4. Side effects of psych meds
5. Easy EKGs - A fib


Can't remember any more

Recommend
1. Crush step 2 - go through as many times as humanly possible
2. Secrets - another way of reviewing Crush
3. Blueprints Peds - go over congenital anomalies (cyanotic vs noncyanotic)
4. Blueprints OB - go thru once

Test questions: UW >>> Qbank

Harder questions, better answers, cheaper

I did both and felt ok about it - would recommend but only if you have time.

I did the $45 exam A 4 weeks before - predicted 196

I finished each section with 8-15 mins to spare. Time was NOT a factor for me. Felt that UW was good prep for timing.

General tips
*Don't change your answers - seriously!
*Take a 5 - 10 min break between each section
*When stuck between 2 choices, pick the MOST common answer - example: PICA, microcytic anemia - pick iron deficiency over lead poisoning although both can occur
*Stash tons of caffeine and water in your locker
 
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Well, I took step 2ck today. For those of you who say it is like UW, please put down your crack pipe!!!! My exam was nothing like UW. My first block was cool. I finished with 20 mintes to spare and I thought..sweet, this is going to be a good day...then..blocks 2,3,4,5,6,7,..holy...cr$%! I got nailed. block 8 was ok. test I have never heard of, choices so close, your head wanted to burst!! Unbelievable!! I'm sure I failed. Granted my Step 1 was not hot, but I was told over and over that Step 2 was easier. I'm sure I'll be back for a return visit and I already have interviews scheduled. thats really going to suck having to explain why I enjoyed step 2 so much I went back for more!!!! Maybe it was bad luck, but my UW experience lulled me into complacency, aahhhhhh! 😱 PS oh yeah, study murmurs, labor, dyspnea Good luck
 
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got my score back.....218. Eh. Took it 10/12. GL everyone. All I did was step 2 secrets....read throught it like 3 times very well (i knew like the back of my hand the third time). I didn't do a SINGLE question!!!! Maybe I should have, but since it matters so little for me (step 1 was okay) I probably would not have. 🙂
 
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Just got done with Step II. I thought it was much, much easier than Step I. A lot of "gimme" questions with classic presentations, a lot of mechanism of disease, very few therapeutic/intervention questions and not that many about diagnostic modalities either. The hardest part for me was the length of time - I tried doing three blocks without a break when the test started and by the third block my eyes were crossing.

My study strategy - First Aid for Medicine, Peds, OB, and Psych, with notes taken in First Aid for Step II (which I then read obsessively). Questions - I did PreTest, Casefiles, and most of Appleton-Lange for Peds and Psych, MKSAP for medicine, PreTest's USMLE Step II question book, and the NMS Step II question book. I think the high question volume was what helped the most.

Good luck to everyone, and I'll let you know when I get my score!!
 
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APACHE3 said:
Well, I took step 2ck today. For those of you who say it is like UW, please put down your crack pipe!!!! My exam was nothing like UW. My first block was cool. I finished with 20 mintes to spare and I thought..sweet, this is going to be a good day...then..blocks 2,3,4,5,6,7,..holy...cr$%! I got nailed. block 8 was ok. test I have never heard of, choices so close, your head wanted to burst!! Unbelievable!! I'm sure I failed. Granted my Step 1 was not hot, but I was told over and over that Step 2 was easier. I'm sure I'll be back for a return visit and I already have interviews scheduled. thats really going to suck having to explain why I enjoyed step 2 so much I went back for more!!!! Maybe it was bad luck, but my UW experience lulled me into complacency, aahhhhhh! 😱 PS oh yeah, study murmurs, labor, dyspnea Good luck
Click to expand...

Did it at least test similar topics as those covered in UW? From your experience, what do you think is the best thing to study?
thanks!
(Most people feel this way after the exam...You probably did just fine.)
 
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APACHE3 said:
Well, I took step 2ck today. For those of you who say it is like UW, please put down your crack pipe!!!! My exam was nothing like UW. My first block was cool. I finished with 20 mintes to spare and I thought..sweet, this is going to be a good day...then..blocks 2,3,4,5,6,7,..holy...cr$%! I got nailed. block 8 was ok. test I have never heard of, choices so close, your head wanted to burst!! Unbelievable!! I'm sure I failed. Granted my Step 1 was not hot, but I was told over and over that Step 2 was easier. I'm sure I'll be back for a return visit and I already have interviews scheduled. thats really going to suck having to explain why I enjoyed step 2 so much I went back for more!!!! Maybe it was bad luck, but my UW experience lulled me into complacency, aahhhhhh! 😱 PS oh yeah, study murmurs, labor, dyspnea Good luck
Click to expand...

My sentiments EXACTLY. Took the exam 10/12. . .havent gotten my score back yet and I still feel that way. . .although. . .my school probably would have contacted me by now if I'd failed. So I AM feeling a little better. Dont worry it may not be a round trip ticket, apache
 
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What the hell. 2 weeks of prep.

B&W
Step 2 Secrets
Kaplan QBank
NMS Question Book


242
 
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Idiopathic said:
Suck it wolfie. That absolutely rocks. Im hoping for the same.
Click to expand...

i hope you're being sarcastic about the sucking, because if you're not, then be prepared for an old-fashioned ass whooping.
 
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Ok, yes, they may have been a few questions that "seemed" similar to UW. But I was astonished at the LACK of slam-dunk quest. that I had heard so much about. Each block kept getting harder and harder, and I was telling myself, where are the gimmees?? I admit I'm not one of the gunner students with 99's that frequent this forum, but my last NBME was 500 which should have easily put me into the passing range, but my test was NOTHING like my NBME. I'm very scared and disappointed. This has been a big strain on me and my family (wife, 2 kids). After my NBME, I decided to take exam, but I obviously needed more time. I'm really down. As for study material. Kaplan is great, but know EVERY SINGLE WORD of it. don't skip a line. I should have spent more time with the books and NOT UW. With that said, you need to do several thousand questions to get you into the mode. My avgs.
Kaplan 65%
UW 54%!!!!!(65-70% last 10 test)
Mock 83%
NBME 1 390, form 2, 470, form 3, 500

Oh yeah, my test was FRED. It's very simple to use. I had over an hour left when I finished. GL to everybody. I'm going to go raise my liver enzymes now!!!! see ya!
 
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Total studying so far

50% of Kaplan QBook - 65-70%
1000 UW questions - 62%

NBME #1 today - 570 (predicts 235)

I felt like the NBME was a little easier than UW. I think I got between 65-70% of the questions on the assessment, if it helps anyone.
 
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All right, I attacked the ogre today. Thank goodness it's done. Right now my head feels like jello.

STUDY PLAN:
Duration - about three weeks on a light rotation, intensely for the last week only
Resources -
(1) Step 2 Secrets. Read through & highlighted once, read through & memorized 50% a second time. I can't sing the praises of this book enough - I HIGHLY recommend it. There was nothing on my exam that this book didn't cover.
(2)Blueprints OB/Gyn - Reviewed about 7 chapters on obstetrics & amenorrhea
(3)NMS question book - did about 300-350 questions.
(4) Costanzo's Physiology - yes, blast from the past - I only read the endocrine section, b/c I felt weak on my pathways
(5) Surgical Recall - I reviewed the trauma sections
I'm not a huge practice question person, so no, I didn't do Qbank, didn't do NBME self-assessments, didn't touch USMLE World. The fact that Secrets is written in a question-answer format was very helpful, b/c it allowed me to test myself as I reviewed and learned material. Secrets was really my one, main resource; I supplemented with other books only for discrete topics in which I felt even more stupid than baseline. 🙂

MY TEST:
*Lots and lots o' trauma. MVAs, penetrating wounds, weird blunt trauma, you name it.
*Lots of Gyn - tumors, menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea; fewer infections than I anticipated
*Lots of OB - ranged from fair to positively annoying. Tons of questions about specific congenital abnormalities in an infant - to what was the mom exposed? And then a list of every possible teratogenic exposure imaginable. It sucked.
*I had OODLES of LOC questions
*Also a surprisingly high number of questions about "muscle weakness" and gait instability
*Lots of Peds presenting to the ER with _?_
*Many PNA questions
*Several rash questions (rheum, peds, a couple easy derm)
*Several shock questions
*Two EKGs, 5 poor-quality CXRs, no CTs 🙁
*Five Biostats ?'s, all straight from Secrets
*Surprisingly, I had several questions (at least 10) that seemed misplaced - i.e., more like Step1 material (pathophys, mainly)

SUMMARY:
In all, I thought it was easier than Step 1 (although experience has taught me that my impression and my actual performance have NO correlation with one another! 🙄 ) . The main issue just becomes endurance - by the end, I was going cross-eyed, and during my last block I finally pooped out and didn't get to the last five questions. Make sure you get plenty of rest the night beforehand!

In my case, the rumors about OB and trauma were definitely true - knowing these topics was very helpful. Secrets was terrific for review.

We'll see what happens! Good luck to anyone else planning to take the test! :luck:
 
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Took Exam 7/28/05

Prepared for 4 weeks in an informal "Step 2 Elective Class" offered by medschool ~ 2hr/day during weekdays and did the following on and off for 4 weeks.

Did about 85% of Kaplan Qbank - 76%
Finished Kaplan Qbook - 75%
NMS Step 2 Question book - 75%
Step 2 Secrets Question book by Brochert - 80%
Read through Step 2 Secrets twice
Skimmed through Boards and Words.

The actual test was very similar to shelf exams. Mostly medicine pulm/cards/heme heavy. I was able to finish the exam right on time.
NBME Test 1 on 7/5/05(before studying) - 480 => 213
NBME Test 2 on 7/25/05(3 days before test date) - 700 => 256

Actual score received about 8 weeks later - 260/99 🙂

It's possible to rock this test if you put a little time into it.
Good luck!
 
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Did about 85% of Kaplan Qbank - 76%
Finished Kaplan Qbook - 75%
NMS Step 2 Question book - 75%
Step 2 Secrets Question book by Brochert - 80%
Read through Step 2 Secrets twice
Skimmed through Boards and Words.

FONT[/SIZE]What is the Step 2 Secrets Question book?]
 
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99/250! Suck it Idiopathic! - congrats on the forthcoming spawn - good luck to you during testing/interviews. Later buddy
 
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Dr. I Bleed Blue and Gold said:
Took Exam 7/28/05

Prepared for 4 weeks in an informal "Step 2 Elective Class" offered by medschool ~ 2hr/day during weekdays and did the following on and off for 4 weeks.

Did about 85% of Kaplan Qbank - 76%
Finished Kaplan Qbook - 75%
NMS Step 2 Question book - 75%
Step 2 Secrets Question book by Brochert - 80%
Read through Step 2 Secrets twice
Skimmed through Boards and Words.

The actual test was very similar to shelf exams. Mostly medicine pulm/cards/heme heavy. I was able to finish the exam right on time.
NBME Test 1 on 7/5/05(before studying) - 480 => 213
NBME Test 2 on 7/25/05(3 days before test date) - 700 => 256

Actual score received about 8 weeks later - 260/99 🙂

It's possible to rock this test if you put a little time into it.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

Very strong work. Congratulations!!!
 
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Just took step 2

completed 95% usmle world
100% First aid, portions of Crush, OB section of blue prints, most of Peds Blue prints, and other random stuff.

I think I peaked about a week ago and have been forgeting more than I've been learning since.

I thought the exam was pretty hard. More basic science than I was prepared for. The OB remained difficult despite really trying to read lots of OB. Trauma was my major weak point on usmle world and of course every other question seems like someone is getting thrown from a car.

Tons of OB, Peds, and Psych (thank god!!!!), not nearly enough respiratory, cardio, or rheum (my strong points according to usmleworld).

Now I gotta go on interviews and back on rotations - I was enjoying staying home all day for the last couple weeks - it felt like the second year all over again 🙂
 
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I agree, I took test last week and it was extremely difficult. Nothing like my UW or NBME. I'm very concerned. And I have interviews too..this is really going to suck..because I'm sure they will deep six me if I fail. 😱
 
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Just got my step II score today. There is definitely a correlation b/w the NBME practice tests and the real thing.

I didn't study all that much. During my 4 week vacation, I spent the first ~2 weeks reading First Aid and doing ~75% of Q-Bank. I subsequently bought an X-BOX and played it for a week straight w/o studying. The final week, I finished Q-Bank and Read Step 2 Secrets Once.

Q-Bank: Avg low-mid 80's on random blocks (my cum avg. was not accurate b/c i accidentally submitted some blocks before I took the test, dont ask me how I did that)

NBME Practice I (2 weeks prior): 790 (268)
NBME Practice II (2 days prior): 800 (>268)

USMLE Step II: 279
 
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Thats the highest score I have ever seen. Why did you keep studying after NBME I? Enjoy Derm or Rads...see ya! 😀
 
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Radiohead said:
Just got my step II score today. There is definitely a correlation b/w the NBME practice tests and the real thing.

I didn't study all that much. During my 4 week vacation, I spent the first ~2 weeks reading First Aid and doing ~75% of Q-Bank. I subsequently bought an X-BOX and played it for a week straight w/o studying. The final week, I finished Q-Bank and Read Step 2 Secrets Once.

Q-Bank: Avg low-mid 80's on random blocks (my cum avg. was not accurate b/c i accidentally submitted some blocks before I took the test, dont ask me how I did that)

NBME Practice I (2 weeks prior): 790 (268)
NBME Practice II (2 days prior): 800 (>268)

USMLE Step II: 279
Click to expand...

That looks like an almost perfect score!! Congratulations!
 
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APACHE3 said:
Thats the highest score I have ever seen. Why did you keep studying after NBME I? Enjoy Derm or Rads...see ya! 😀
Click to expand...

I'm actually going into EM. Rads and Derm are too boring for me personally. (No offense to anyone who is going into those wonderful fields)
 
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I'm actually going into EM. Rads and Derm are too boring for me personally. (No offense to anyone who is going into those wonderful fields)

Thats actually refreshing to see. Take a look at Vandy ER program..top notch. AND Nashville isn't that bad. GL
 
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APACHE3 said:
I'm actually going into EM. Rads and Derm are too boring for me personally. (No offense to anyone who is going into those wonderful fields)

Thats actually refreshing to see. Take a look at Vandy ER program..top notch. AND Nashville isn't that bad. GL
Click to expand...

I'l be interviewing there next week. 😉 Definitely on the top of my list.
 
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got my step 2 score today. just wanted to reassure the people who took the nbme practice exam 1 and didn't do well. my predicted score was 199. i ended up getting a 236 on the real deal, and i took the practice exam the night before the test. so just stick with your study plan and knock the exam out. my study plan was fairly similar to others who posted before, but if you want to know specifics, let me know.
 
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Broken Ankles said:
got my step 2 score today. just wanted to reassure the people who took the nbme practice exam 1 and didn't do well. my predicted score was 199. i ended up getting a 236 on the real deal, and i took the practice exam the night before the test. so just stick with your study plan and knock the exam out. my study plan was fairly similar to others who posted before, but if you want to know specifics, let me know.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I def. thought form 1 was harder than form 2.
Congratulations!
 
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I've been gleaning useful info from this thread/forum for my Step II prep, so now that I've taken the exam and received my score I thought I would post my experience.

I studied over a five week period. The first 3.5 weeks I studied approximately 4-5 hours a day, M-F with all evenings and weekends off. During the last 10-12 days I studied more Step I style(ie. 8 hours a day, putting some time in on weekends as well).

I used the following resources:

Several of the main chapters of NMS medicine(GI, cardio, resp, ID, rheum, neuro)
I know that NMS is more detailed than most Step II resources, however I believe that internal medicine is really the foundation for most of the material covered on Step II. I know covering medicine well helped me on surgery, peds, OB and even psych questions. This was also the book I used during my medicine clerkship, so I was familiar with it.

Bluprints Peds(very worthwhile)
OB portion of Bluprints OB/GYN(also very worthwhile)
Approximately half of Case Files OB/GYN (excellent book for Step II and OB shelf)

Step II Secrets(aside from questions, this was my only resource for surgery and psych)
I was hesitant about this book initially as it seemed a bit too superficial. As a result I didn't use it until the last week so. After having taken the exam, however, I wish I would have used it all along and I think that anyone would be well served to memorize the facts it contains. There were a significant number of questions/concepts on the exam that were right out of this book.

Questions: I did all of Kaplan Qbook, with my exam scores being around %80. I also did about 1300 USMLEWorld questions, always in random format, with my average ending up at 68%.

NBME assessment #1: 254 (taken about 3 days into studying)
NBME assessment #2: 267 (taken one week before real exam)

Actual exam: 268

I definitely took more of a question focus for this exam than I did for Step I and I think it really helped. Also, although I didn't use kaplan Qbank, I can say that USMLEWorld is a worthwhile investment. It was a bit more detail oriented/picky than the real exam, but it really covered the exam topics well and was a great review.

I felt that all subjects were well represented on the exam. Just like Step I, there were a good number of questions that seemed straight forward, a fair number that took a familiar topic and managed to ask about it in a way that made it difficult to eliminate all but one answer, and of course there were a fair number of questions that were out of left field. Time was not a factor, but endurance definitely was and I'm glad I used all of my break time.

Also, I believe that studying hard for the shelf exams really paid off on Step II(even more so than studying hard in the first two years of med school did for Step I). Obviously irrelevant for fourth years, but worth noting for 3rd years.

That's all. Definitely a manageable exam. I think the more practice questions the better. And Step II secrets is worth learning well.

Long post, hope some of it is helpful for somebody out there.

good luck to anyone who is taking the exam this year, and good luck to next year's class...

paz
 
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Thought I should share my experience since I have gained so much from those here. I will share now instead of after my score comes out since I won't remember a thing except how tired of the test I was in block 6.

I studied for 5-6 weeks. Not really hardcore at all one point. 2-3 hours at the beginning and maybe 5 hours daily at the end. Read B&ws, first aid, did 100% of UW (final 64%). Also skimmed blueprints OBGyn. Can't really say I busted my butt on this one.

NBME 550 3 weeks before the test.

The actual test I thought was very similar to UW. Maybe easier even. 60% of the questions were very easy. 30% I narrowed down to 2 and hopefully picked the right answer. 10% I was making a slightly educated guess on and maybe 4 questions I had never seen anything about that in my studies in medicine.

Thought the ethics questions were pretty tough. As were the stats which I only had 2 out of maybe 7-8 questions were easy. Others focused on study design and were actually pretty tough (not even those pain in the a@@ questions about bias). Lots of "dude riding his bike and hit a tree" type questions (is it really that easy to injure yourself riding your bike? and moreover are you going to hit a tree?). I did read the trauma section of surg recall the night before which helped. Lots of young patients (<18) but not really pediatric problems. surprised that there was not much renal but there were a good amount of electrolytes. no really esoteric syndromes (thank goodness). not a huge amount of cardiac stuff. A few easy psych questions. No toughies (like I thought every question was on the psych shelf). couple of easy drug intox questions. I think that is about it. Crappy pictures all around. I am superstitious so I never comment on the survey at the end that the pictures absolutely sucked. I wish they weren't even there because they actually end up confusing me.

Good luck to all. If my score is above 240 then I will update. Otherwise I will just say I got a 240 anyway. Just kidding.

Ps. sorry for my poor grammar. english is practically my second language, being educated in mississippi and all.
 
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aredoubleyou said:
Just took step 2

completed 95% usmle world
100% First aid, portions of Crush, OB section of blue prints, most of Peds Blue prints, and other random stuff.

I think I peaked about a week ago and have been forgeting more than I've been learning since.

I thought the exam was pretty hard. More basic science than I was prepared for. The OB remained difficult despite really trying to read lots of OB. Trauma was my major weak point on usmle world and of course every other question seems like someone is getting thrown from a car.

Tons of OB, Peds, and Psych (thank god!!!!), not nearly enough respiratory, cardio, or rheum (my strong points according to usmleworld).

Now I gotta go on interviews and back on rotations - I was enjoying staying home all day for the last couple weeks - it felt like the second year all over again 🙂
Click to expand...

So, I thought I'd update, here's what I did
Sterp I 223
I did as described above 95% USMLE world & First aid. Suplemented with OB & Peds blue prints. Over the course of a few rotations I was actively reviewing portions of Medicne with my medicine text (Fishman et al: Medicine).

Devoted studying time of ~2 1/3 week.

Scored 230 - which is not as high as I was hoping, but I'm not at all dissapointed, although this is a low score on SDN (amazing how that works isn't it!). Strongest subject by far was Medicine, weakest OB and Psych (the psych really suprised me). Don't know what I would do differently - so no real regrets. Probably OB blueprints was not high yeild, but again, maybe I would have flunked it withlout it - no way to know.
 
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