USMLE World Scores and Step II Scores

[lmh14]

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Probably been discussed before, but can't find a recent thread....

I'm just curious about what scores people were getting on USMLE World, and then how you ended up doing on Step 2.

All you have to do is post two numbers...... 🙂

Thanks folks, and good luck with everything!!

 

[angleoflouise]

For those that received a 99 on Step 2CK: Did you do UW questions throughout your 3rd year rotations? I am not doing my questions randomly, but only pertaining to each rotation. I've done about 600 questions, with a 70% average and am wondering if my score is superficially high.

Thanks!

 

[silas2642]

For those that received a 99 on Step 2CK: Did you do UW questions throughout your 3rd year rotations? I am not doing my questions randomly, but only pertaining to each rotation. I've done about 600 questions, with a 70% average and am wondering if my score is superficially high.

Thanks!

No, I didn't use UWorld during third year.

 

[PRIMER]

For those that received a 99 on Step 2CK: Did you do UW questions throughout your 3rd year rotations? I am not doing my questions randomly, but only pertaining to each rotation. I've done about 600 questions, with a 70% average and am wondering if my score is superficially high.

Thanks!

I did not use u world throughout 3rd year. I only used it for surgery. Also, I did world randomly when I studied for CK.

 

[kdburton]

For those that received a 99 on Step 2CK: Did you do UW questions throughout your 3rd year rotations? I am not doing my questions randomly, but only pertaining to each rotation. I've done about 600 questions, with a 70% average and am wondering if my score is superficially high.

Thanks!

whats a 99?

 

[Captopril]

whats a 99?

If you have taken a United States Medical Licensing Examination, and have received a score report for said exam, you may have noticed two scores. One is a three-digit score, the other is a two-digit score. A "99" is a possible two-digit score.

This is a difficult concept to grasp, so please let me know if you would like further explanation of this wonder of statistical achievement.

 

[kdburton]

If you have taken a United States Medical Licensing Examination, and have received a score report for said exam, you may have noticed two scores. One is a three-digit score, the other is a two-digit score. A "99" is a possible two-digit score.

This is a difficult concept to grasp, so please let me know if you would like further explanation of this wonder of statistical achievement.

Its okay I know what it is I'm still just curious why people are hung up on targeting a certain two-digit score. The average score for Step 2 this year equated to a 99.

 

[Xtrasystolic]

Surprisingly quite a few Program Directors and Coordinators are still using the 2-digit score while reviewing applications.

I talked to some over the phone who right away asked me what my 2-digit scores were. I really wish they should all use the 3-digit scale 😀

 

[kdburton]

Surprisingly quite a few Program Directors and Coordinators are still using the 2-digit score while reviewing applications.

I talked to some over the phone who right away asked me what my 2-digit scores were. I really wish they should all use the 3-digit scale 😀

What specialty are you applying to?

 

[Xtrasystolic]

Internal Medicine.

 

[metacurious]

.

 

[garoldee]

took CK on 11/21, any idea when I should get my score back?

Step 1: 242
Shelfs: 79%ile on peds, 80+%ile on medicine, OB, psych, 93%ile on surgery
Studying: did ~1900 UWORLD questions, all timed 44q random blocks, 77% overall, hitting over 80 on the last 7 or so. read crush once
Step 2 CK: TBD

 

[mcdoc11]

USMLE World: 78%, 100% complete, all random sets
-studied for 3 weeks, used UWorld + Crush (read + anotated with UWorld answers)

Step 2: 274
This test felt much harder than step 1, felt rushed the whole time.

 

[karen456]

Hi !!!

I am new in the forum.

I am taking my step 2 this tuesday, so far my NBME scores are:

NBME 4: 225
NMBE 1: 225
NBME 3: 223
NBME 2: 223

USMLE WORLD Self Assesment: 233
USMLEW %: 63% Timed/all mixed up. I have 70% and more in my last ones, but the accumulated is 63.


Took my exam yesterday... IT WAS HORRIBLE.... The questions were TOO long... I found it so much difficult than the NBME´s 🙁

 

[ACSurgeon]

For those out there reading this post and thinking they must be failling for doing significantly worse than the poster below, I hope this offers reassurance. I scored similarly on step 2, with an average on UW qbank of 68%. Some blocks were in the 70's and even 80's (very few) but some were also in the 50's. This was after doing all the surgery and medicine questions during 3rd year. Bottom line, if you have a good clinical sense coming out of third year, and are scoring in the 60's, you have the potential to do great on this test.

My NBME 4 prediction was 255.

Also, on the actual exam, I flagged 5-10 questions per block as ones I was uncertain of. Obviously I got many of them correct, but again, do not freak out if you are flagging more questions than you'd like.

Good luck to everyone.

For posterity:

Step 1: low 260s

Step 2CK: 267
UWorld avg (100% complete): 79%, averaged about that on my last 6 practice tests.

Uworld Practice Test: predicted >268, missed like 4, 0, 5, 3 for each of the test blocks (or something like that, I forget).

Did UWorld over the course of 3.5 weeks (2 question sets/day) with many days in between for relaxing, boozing with friends, etc. Didn't open a book, very doable test.

Actual test: Felt pretty good about it. Ob/Gyn was my huge weakness (like 50-60% on UWorld) and it killed me (relatively) on the actual test per my score report. Didn't feel like it was too bad though.

 

[Lespedeza]

Took the exam yesterday 11/22/10. I thought it was way harder than I was expecting, and feeling sort of down about it actually. 🙁 I put in a decent effort in my preparations, but felt like I wouldn't have felt better even if I had studied another 3 weeks.

Step 1: 245
Step 2 CS: Pass
Shelf exams raw percent: Mid 70s on all, with the exception of pscyh in the mid 80s.

About 3 weeks of devoted time:
USMLE World: Completed about 75%. Starting off averaging in the mid 60s. Last few days before the exam I was in the low 70s, and ended on 3 blocks of 77%.
Free Practice Q from NBME: I did 1 block and decided the questions were too straightforward to do me any good. I got 41 or 42 correct out of the 44. These questions are much simpler than the real thing. Would not recommend.

Step up to Step 2: In hindsight, I think the Peds coverage was NOT sufficient. Would have supplemented. The OB section didn't seem sufficient for USMLE world questions, but on the real exam, the OB questions were pretty straightforward.

Doctors in Training: This guy has the most annoying voice. His lectures are also mostly reading through Step up to Step 2 and with some supplementation. I bought the course though, as a way to get me through the material, which it did. He also makes corrections throughout Step Up to step 2.

The real thing was full of long questions (longer than USMLE world) with somewhat vague answer choices. I think the questions ranged from -- "This is too straightforward and easy, I must be missing something" to "I have no idea which answer choice is the best management, because I have no freaking clue what they are getting at!" Time management wise, I had always been able to get through a USMLE world section in roughly 40 minutes. On the real thing, I spent about 50 min on most sections, with 1 or 2 sections requiring the entire time.

I am a pretty good standardized test taker usually, and approach questions with a "go with your gut" mentality. The thing that bothered me most about this exam was I felt there were too many questions where I was choosing an answer without any sense of conviction. (which I realize may make me sound like a crazy person). I was hoping to score ~260, but now am just hoping, I didn't fall too below my Step 1 score. 🙁 Will update when scores come in.

Okay, so apparently, I was worrying and causing wrinkles for no reason a all. Got my score report today:

Step 2 CK: 260!

Mean of 230 with a SD of 23.

I'm so, so happy with my score. And for those of you waiting for your scores, who've taken the test and feel crappy about how it went-- don't lose hope yet!

 

[BrickCityOrtho]

Long time lurker, first time contributor here. Figured I'd add my $0.02:

Used almost entirely just UWorld. Flipped through a couple of selected First Aid chapters, but barely used that book. Studied ~7 weeks, but this was on top of regular 8-12 hr workdays, not during vacation time.

Step 1: 233

UWorld: ~65% first time through entire bank. 75%+ on the last few sets. Then went back and got through ~700 incorrect questions.
UWSA (8 days prior): 243
NBME 4 (4 days prior): 251
Real deal: 255

UWorld is worth its weight in gold. On test day, I found myself second-guessing myself a lot more than ever before and therefore taking a lot more time than usual. I don't think the Q stems were that much longer than UWorld, but I myself just took longer. Definitely just filled in "C" for 2 questions at the end of one section as the clock expired.

Bottom line is, work hard in preparation and you will do well (regardless of feeling like you got hit by a truck when you walk out of the test). Don't sweat your UWorld percentage too much, just make sure you actually learn from your mistakes. Feel free to PM me with any questions, etc. Good luck to everyone.

 

[garoldee]

update:


Step 1: 242
UWorld: 76%, all timed random 44 q blocks
Step 2: 258

Judging by this forum I was expecting to do a little better, and I had a very good feeling coming out of the test. But I can hardly complain.

Interstingly, I did very well on OB/GYN on World, it was my best category, but it was my worst part of the real deal. not sure what to make of that.

 

[spaceshuttle]

Going back many pages i like how the average score from posters are 245-270 or greater. this forum is highly skewed to people only posting if they get a high score. If NBME took their averages from this thread, the average CK score would prob be 250

 

[Captopril]

Welcome to the wonderful world of SDN, make yourself at home.

Going back many pages i like how the average score from posters are 245-270 or greater. this forum is highly skewed to people only posting if they get a high score. If NBME took their averages from this thread, the average CK score would prob be 250

 

[pathology1]

Hi all:

 

[pathology1]

preparation:6months
sources: kaplan LN-live prep-uworld

assessments:

NBME 1 before study 205
NBME 2 4 months back 215
NBME 1 3 months back 233
NBME 3 2 months back 247
NBME 4 3 weeks back 261
UWSA 2 weeks back 252

Kaplan Q bank 75%

Uworld Q bank 78% mostly untimed mixed.

kaplan simulated test 79%


Exam day:


1st 2 blocks very easy with enough time to revise

3rd block very tough with vague lengthy Qs i missed 6 Qs

4th-6th blocks fair enough.

7th easy

8th difficult


overall fair exam . Qs length somewhat longer than uworld and quit similar in context.

50% IM 20% paed 10 % surg 10% ob/gyn 10 % psych/behav/biostat


preventive medicine heavily tested. alot of vague Qs

ecgs 3 heart sounds 2 derma pictures peripheral blood films CT/x-rays

STEP 1 last Feb 243
step 2cs pending??!!

I will post my score hopefuly in 3 weeks as usual

Thanks ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,( uworld is the key )

Hi all:

I got my results :

Step 2cs : Fail in CIS

I don't know what happened. I took Kaplan course and did very well. the prof. told me
that i am in vey good position to easily pass the real exam. My best grades were
in CIS but i failed it in the real deal.
any how i will not give up because i am confident in my self and i will do my best
to pass this objective exam. I am planning to retake it by the end of january.
Plssss any advice or recommendations.

Step 2ck : 266/99.

 

[cowme]

Thats awful, I'm sorry you have to retake this awful test.

-Did you always drape the patient and wash your hands?
-Did you always introduce yourself and your position and shake hands with the patient?
-Did you not interrupt the patient, and give them time to speak?
-Did you show empathy for their pain, not repeat painful moves on exam?
-Did you leave adequate time for counseling/workup?

If you did all this, and still failed, I think you just got crappy luck man. Read First AID CS, take it again and rock it. I'm sorry to hear this

 

[The General]

So I am one of those long time follower, first time posting peoples. Thanks to all before me for sharing.

Just took the test on 12/17/10, so no score back but will update when I get the score.

Study material for CK: First Aid, UWorld, Kaplan video lectures (not notes), ~500 Kaplan Questions, Flipped through secrets.
MCAT (2006): 15 (Carib school, so didn't study but did try my best on the test day)
Step 1 (July 2009): 243/99
NBME 2 (Pre-study): 196
NBME 3 (Nov 14): 231
UWSA (Dec 2): 259
Step 2 Practice CD: 85%
NBME 1 (Dec 3): 256
NBME 4 (Dec 9): 244 😱 😕 🙁
Uworld overall average (mixed, subject wise, timed, untimed, etc): 73
Uworld average of 23 blocks (unused, mixed, timed): 74.8 -- I went back and figured this out.
Step 2 CK (Dec 17): Awaiting.

Exam experience: Long but not hard. Felt a lot of time, "Hey I have seen this somewhere before, probably uworld". The exam tested everything and was evenly spread out between topics depending on how content heavy the topic actually is. A strong pathophys I believe really helped to make the educated guesses that the harder questions required. Most of the questions was straight forward, a few tricky ones and a few just "WTF". Time was not an issue ; the questions were SLIGHTLY longer than uworld question length. After the 244 on nbme 4 (I am pushing for 250+, inshallah) I got a little kick in the butt and after reviewing my extended feedback realized that what I was missing was where I was trying to be over smart(uworld habit), so the last week I reviewed my first aid twice with uworld and sitting in the exam I could see the exact page in first aid that the question was being asked from (also had my uworld notes in FA). In the exam I kept it simple, did not 'assume' stuff (like I used to in uworld) and went with the knowledge (hope it works out!)

UWORLD is your best key for the exam, do it right and on exam day you will have a smile on your face when the same picture (yes) or a VERY SIMILAR QUESTION shows up, many many concepts on the exam were from uworld.

First Aid, I liked it, it gave me a comprehensive book in which I could write all my notes for review and also had a lot of questions covered that were on the exam. I recommend it, even though many before me curse this book out.

Secrets was good for a read towards the end of studying, helped clarify some concepts and added some information to the knowledge. Will not recommend as a SOLE source, unless you are already a genius 🙂

Kaplan video lectures, good to understand and appreciate medicine. IM guy, we know who he is, he is not very good, yes he is funny and makes you remember stuff, but his material is not quite that great. Step 1 videos were way superior by kaplan.

I HATED KAPLAN QBANK, worthless &*^#*&#$, it gave me headaches and i cursed at the screen so many times and finally decided its not worth it, IT SUCKS. Sorry Kaplan, I love you guys for teaching me medicine but seriously, work on the qbank please.

One question for you guys, when should I expect my score back since I have taken the exam on Dec 17? Could it be out Jan 5 or thats too early?

Once again, thanks for all the help, support, guidance that I received from this forum.

If you have any questions for me, I would love to answer.

 

[bola]

Studied for 2.5 wks with Secrets and UWorld. Used Step Up to Medicine for clarifications when needed.

UWorld - 65% complete, Avg 81% (had seen 50% of the questions in 3rd yr)
Shelfs - >95th %ile except Medicine (didn't finish the shelf)

Initially tried to read Step Up since I didn't do so hot in my medicine shelf but just couldn't - it's just not organized in a way that works for me. Ended up reading some portions of Secrets twice. Thought the book was very useful. If I could change anything, I'd finish UWorld but very happy with my score.

It was a veeerrry long test and I felt the 1hr break was barely sufficient, took a break after every section no matter how short and didn't really have a designated lunch due to fear of the alkaline tide- get a good night's rest and bring some sugary snacks and caffeine to tide you through.

Step 1 - 275
Step 2 CK - 270

All the best guys and thanks to all those that posted their experiences over the last few yrs...SDN likely singlehandedly put me through med school 😍 studying may have contributed too 😀

 

[BetaBlocked]

Wanted to give my score to help balance out some of the geniuses on here scoring >245.....

-UWorld Qbank: Completed just slightly >50% of all the questions in randomized, untimed tutor mode. My scores for each block of 44 questions ranged from 69% correct to 48% correct (most blocks I scored around 48% correct).
I took EXTENSIVE notes on each question, and I went to primary sources (textbooks, etc) to figure out why I got the question wrong and to learn more about diagnosis/treatment/etc.

-UWorld Self Assessment: Predicted score from their algorithm = 170 three digit USMLE score. Taken 2 days before actual exam.

Freaked out and studied like a mad man. Quite possibly the worst 2 days of my life.

-NBME Free Question Set: 60% correct. Taken the evening before my actual exam.

Freaked out some more, but I knew I couldn't push back the exam date because I needed my score back in time for residency programs to actually consider me.

Test taken: (next day) Dec 7th 2010
Results received: Jan 5th 2011
Step 2 CK Score: 195 / (79)

Very glad it's over. I don't do well on standardized exams.

 

[Therecanbeonlyo]

For those that received a 99 on Step 2CK: Did you do UW questions throughout your 3rd year rotations? I am not doing my questions randomly, but only pertaining to each rotation. I've done about 600 questions, with a 70% average and am wondering if my score is superficially high.

Thanks!

The score will be somewhat inflated in that if you are studying OB-GYN and taking only the OB questions you will do better on them than if you were just doing random sets.

That being said, I used SOME of the questions throughout the year, erased my data and did almost all of the question bank when studying (you actually usually forget most of the questions), and so did 3 of the guys I studied with. We all got 260+.

I really don't think it matters, just don't get too caught up in the score that you're getting on the practice tests. I'm assuming you're using them in prep for the SHELF exams, and the shelf scores are fairly predictive of how you'll do on Step 2

Cheers

 

[Tritleb]

Thanks to everyone for your posts. I'm afraid my post won't be terribly helpful as I'm a bit dumbfounded, but I feel like I should pay it forward anyways.

Step 1: 258/99 after 4 intense weeks of studying and a very, very dedicated 2nd year of medical school. Felt like I "knew" most answers on the test, or at least had a reasonable guess.

Step 2CK: 260/99 after 3.5 days of studying, most of which was inefficient reading in a car while being driven to residency interviews. Struggled through the exam, had difficulty finishing each block on time, and felt like I "knew" very few answers, and was doing more guessing than anything else. Was almost convinced 260 was a mistake when I opened the PDF.

Uworld: 78% correct after about 30% done, all random, unused and timed.

My advice to do well on step 2CK, study HARD during third year rotations. There simply isn't time to relearn everything (the volume on this test is actually probably much greater than step 1) in the week or two you may be able to carve out of your 4th yr schedule to study. Oh, and take it as late as possible 😀

 

[The General]

Final result: 258/99 - Very happy 🙂 -- Avg on my report was 230 w/ SD of 23.

Goodluck to all, shall see this forum once again come Step 3 time.

So I am one of those long time follower, first time posting peoples. Thanks to all before me for sharing.

Just took the test on 12/17/10, so no score back but will update when I get the score.

Study material for CK: First Aid, UWorld, Kaplan video lectures (not notes), ~500 Kaplan Questions, Flipped through secrets.
MCAT (2006): 15 (Carib school, so didn't study but did try my best on the test day)
Step 1 (July 2009): 243/99
NBME 2 (Pre-study): 196
NBME 3 (Nov 14): 231
UWSA (Dec 2): 259
Step 2 Practice CD: 85%
NBME 1 (Dec 3): 256
NBME 4 (Dec 9): 244 😱 😕 🙁
Uworld overall average (mixed, subject wise, timed, untimed, etc): 73
Uworld average of 23 blocks (unused, mixed, timed): 74.8 -- I went back and figured this out.
Step 2 CK (Dec 17): Awaiting.

Exam experience: Long but not hard. Felt a lot of time, "Hey I have seen this somewhere before, probably uworld". The exam tested everything and was evenly spread out between topics depending on how content heavy the topic actually is. A strong pathophys I believe really helped to make the educated guesses that the harder questions required. Most of the questions was straight forward, a few tricky ones and a few just "WTF". Time was not an issue ; the questions were SLIGHTLY longer than uworld question length. After the 244 on nbme 4 (I am pushing for 250+, inshallah) I got a little kick in the butt and after reviewing my extended feedback realized that what I was missing was where I was trying to be over smart(uworld habit), so the last week I reviewed my first aid twice with uworld and sitting in the exam I could see the exact page in first aid that the question was being asked from (also had my uworld notes in FA). In the exam I kept it simple, did not 'assume' stuff (like I used to in uworld) and went with the knowledge (hope it works out!)

UWORLD is your best key for the exam, do it right and on exam day you will have a smile on your face when the same picture (yes) or a VERY SIMILAR QUESTION shows up, many many concepts on the exam were from uworld.

First Aid, I liked it, it gave me a comprehensive book in which I could write all my notes for review and also had a lot of questions covered that were on the exam. I recommend it, even though many before me curse this book out.

Secrets was good for a read towards the end of studying, helped clarify some concepts and added some information to the knowledge. Will not recommend as a SOLE source, unless you are already a genius 🙂

Kaplan video lectures, good to understand and appreciate medicine. IM guy, we know who he is, he is not very good, yes he is funny and makes you remember stuff, but his material is not quite that great. Step 1 videos were way superior by kaplan.

I HATED KAPLAN QBANK, worthless &*^#*&#$, it gave me headaches and i cursed at the screen so many times and finally decided its not worth it, IT SUCKS. Sorry Kaplan, I love you guys for teaching me medicine but seriously, work on the qbank please.

One question for you guys, when should I expect my score back since I have taken the exam on Dec 17? Could it be out Jan 5 or thats too early?

Once again, thanks for all the help, support, guidance that I received from this forum.

If you have any questions for me, I would love to answer.

 

[Purplerainangel]

I took it on 12/18, and was waiting for you to get your score back to potentially get mine. I THOUGHT I should have gotten in this week. I guess I have to wait till next week then🙂

 

[MedLover25]

Took CK 12/30, score just came in today.

Step 1: 205/84

Step 2: 216/92

Resources:
- Watched Kaplan vids during respective rotation (1/2 - 2/3 of each subject, never finished completely)
- Took a Kaplan live course and a IM boards review (online live) course
- Did not study more than just attending the class (i.e., did not read the red books)
- Read a few sections from Master the Boards Step 2 (Peds, OB/GYN, cards, GI, endo)

My mind definitely wasn't in this one as I had just recently split up with my gf of 9+ years. So the live course definitely helped me retain something, lol

Oh and I felt incredibly rushed during the exam. Only the last 2 blocks did I feel like I hit a "groove" like I was when doing U-World questions (~62-65%, did no more than 20% of the questions). Other than that the last 1-2 questions I basically guessed on.

-----------
NBMEs: Took 1 or 2 early on with scores of 160/170....and during these exams each block I spaced out for 10 minutes during a single question. Likely do to what I mentioned above.
-----------
Woooo done. Now I can take Step 3 in August/September! 🙂

 

[stapleit]

Got so much helpful advice on here and thought I've give back. hope it helps!!

step 1: 230

originally scheduled ck for october but pushed it back X?? to last day in december. I was on an AI and got distracted + interviews + senioritis. actual study time was 4 weeks

nbme1 (4 mo out): 430/199... freaked out, pushed back date
nbme4 (6weeks out): 440/202 ....^ ditto
uworld assessment (5weeks) 530/222
prometrics (3weeks): 78%...estimated 207 with medfriends
nbme3 (1week out): 460/221
nbme2: planned on taking but didnt want to freak myself out.

- used secrets, kaplan ob/im/peds, SUTM as reference
- uworld x2: 1st time: 65%
- crush was just way too watered down. not helpful IMO.

step 2ck: 251/99
😱 was not expecting at all!!

test day: a lot more gray areas than expected. got a lot of random topics i would've never studied in a million years (ie obscure hernias). took lots of breaks at the end of each block (after the 2nd one) which really helped freshen things up a bit at first, but was ready to go home by block 4-5. Overall, I felt like I did a lot of guessing, and came out of the test center hoping for a pass.

Just some encouragement if you're not scoring too well on the practice exams...use them as learning tools, not to gauge performance (which I did. it just freaked me out and was not helpful). I can't really explain the discrepancies between the practice tests and the actual exam - the gap between the nbme and the real deal is a big jump, but i'm not complaining, i'll take it! If I were to retake, I'd suggest secrets, SUTM, and uworld. Uworld was helpful but there were bits of info I found in SUTM that were really helpful for the actual exam. Sure, it's a lot more info but for someone like me who did okay but not so hot on the shelf exams (usually scored around average +/- 5), and being so far off from 3rd year, I thought SUTM was a good way to go back and do a refresher and some relearning. Secrets has a lot of good straightforward "next step" info. In hindsight, hard to say whether pushing it back did more harm than good. but it was pretty painful to have ck hanging over my head during interviews/etc. And did the extra time really help? Might've been better to get it over sooner than later.

Word of advice: it's true 3rd year is the best way to prep for this thing. otherwise, hit it hard as soon as 3rd year is over and you will be fine.

 

[COHEN001]

Don't waste your time reading this if you are among the top banana people. For me, top banana means an average med student! I am writing this to give a hope for those who, although very unlikely, might have similar Circumstances:

I am among the bottom 10 of my class (over 140 students). English is my fourth language, learned it at age 34 when I first arrived to the US. Ten years later I made it to med school with a very low IQ (112 in English) & (110 in German-my third language)..Fled my country with only $22. Lived in many refugee camps, in the streets, and inside the garbage containers. I was homeless ( a good one though, no IV drugs, no EtOH abuse, no aspiration pneumonia. Not even tattoos. I promise!). I also worked in a circus when I was in Germany. Made it to the US 6 years later!

I had to take the MCAT 3 times! ( I wanted to stay in the US and go to a US med school)..I did!
Prior to that I had to take the GRE 5 times just to get into the Graduate school, I was waiting for my Green card so I can pay an In-Stat-Tuition when in Med school!

When it comes to the standardized tests, I am as cowered as Napoleon (a historical fact about the man who, once, conquered Europe)..I can't sleep the night before even if I took 4 times the maximum dose of Benzo!

Med School
1st year: Failed the Anatomy shelf exam by 35 points! Passed it on the make up exam with 88%! Mostly A's for the rest of the Year, thanks to my Master's Degree in Medical Sciences!
2nd Year: All B's
3rd year: Failed the Surgery shelf by one point. Barley passed on the make up exam. Shelf exams range (70 in surgery-88 in OBG)..evals ( 91-100)
Currently a 4th year.. No more freaking exams

Steps:
Step 1: 202 (1st attempt)
Step 2cs: pass
Step 2ck (1st attempt) 172/62 Failed
Step 2ck (2nd attempt) 207/86 Tzanck Heaven!
(no sleep, not even for a second the night before any of these test days ! )

Preparation for the CK 1st time: UW 54% first round. Did not go thru the wrong q's All timed. All random. FA x 2
Preparation for the CK 2nd: time: UW 67% first round. Repeated the wrong q's. tutor mode/ Subject. I pretended that statistics subject does not exist in this world. FA x 3

I am very easily distracted (I diagnosed myself with ADHD and PTSD). On exam day of my 2nd attempt, the guy sat next to me was continually coughing (from block 3-block 7) and only stopped when the prometric manger BOUGHT a cough suppressor for him (after I talked to her). I really thought I am failing the freaking test again! Only clicking for the last 3-4 questions in each block with seconds to go!

I can't, for some reason, Imagine myself working in a hospital or inside a building.. A roof over my head and drinking clean water is kinda a privilege! I thank God every time I drink clean cold water in the summer or inside a warm building in the winter. After my residency, I may end up working for the UN, going back to the refugees camps all over the world, where I belong, helping those who are truly in need..

I won't, though, make it that far if I were not in America. This coming July I will be getting my US citizenship, and if my heart keeps beating, I will be a US doctor who works for the UN.

 

[Guyton Killah]

Congrats.

 

[Golding]

Impressive perseverance.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Your signature message is what is happening to me. I am holding it together when everyone thinks I am falling apart. Trying to muster the courage to check Step2ck scores that have been sitting in the system since dec 22nd.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Congrats to you! I took my exam Nov 29th, the very last day of my eligibility period. Just a week before you. I took a prometric practice exam 3 weeks before my test; got a 71% averaging 30-37 q's/44 RIGHT every block.

Uworld sim exam 2 weeks out 180.
nbme 10 days out 183
nbme 7 days out 186

actualt test
1st block: nervous did not answer 10 questions.
finished next 3 blocks
4th block did not answer 2-3 questions.
5,6,7,8th blocks finshed all questions.
freaked out and crammed gold standard and my weaknesses...and hoping for the best but too chicken to check.

all I need is a 189.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

they dropped it down to 44/ block.

What do you mean by this? Did step 2ck used to have more than 44 questions per block? I thought they increased it from 42 to 44. Maybe I was wrong. Can you explain?

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I just took my step 2ck nov 29th. I am too scared to open my scores.
Anyone want to predict how I did?

actual exam date 11/29/2010
1st block - did not answer 7-10 questions. freaked out nervous wreck.
2nd block: answered all questions
3rd block answered all questions
4th block answered all questions
5th block - did not go back to my marked questions, but did answer them all
6th block - did not answer 2
7th block did not get to one
8th block finished!



Form 3 NBME 11/21/2010 186
Form 2 NBME 11/18/2101 183
Form 4 NBME 9/22/2010 171
(extended feedback)
Usmleworld Sim Exam 2 weeks out 180.
Prometric Practice Exam 3 weeks out 71%.

Just hoping to pass and too chicken to open my scores.

 

[COHEN001]

they dropped it down to 44/ block.

What do you mean by this? Did step 2ck used to have more than 44 questions per block? I thought they increased it from 42 to 44. Maybe I was wrong. Can you explain?

It is actually the other way, the CK used to be 46 questions, and was dropped to 44 qs' a year or two ago. but the questions are freakingly longer, you can tell from comparing the practice NBME qs with the actual ones!

what was your study materials ?

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I had a high resolution penis,scrotum, and testicle right around lunch. I am female; I wonder if they know the gender of the person taking the exam. It was hard to stop laughing and concentrate again.

 

[COHEN001]

I had a high resolution penis,scrotum, and testicle right around lunch. I am female; I wonder if they know the gender of the person taking the exam. It was hard to stop laughing and concentrate again.

On my first CK attempt, I had AT LEAST one HQ pic of a Vagina in EACH block ( promise not exaggerating!) Imagine if I were taking that freaking test in a public library!!!

 

[psu07]

So I took the exam this past Saturday, so I'd thought I'd post my experience. First of all, I used only 2 resources, the first being uworld (def the most useful) and the second being MTB step 2 ck ( also very useful). I would say knowing these 2 resources well gives you a great shot at a great score provided you've put the work in your 3rd year. anyways here are I my stats:
uworld: 90% completed, avg 73% (first time)
uworld assessment: 248 avg 76% correct
nbme 3: 251
step 1: 241/99

i thought i was ready for the exam since I had done well on uworld and the practice exams, but boy was I wrong. I thought the exam was a total killer. I felt like I guessed on a lot of questions, i mean a lot of questions (note the emphasis lol). It totally is bumming me out that my hard work might not pay off. the questions stems were pretty long, like others have said and they made everything more vague than uworld. I walked out the exam pretty worried and now just hoping for a pass. I'll let u know how I do once I get my results back. plus, i can count 6 or 7 stupid stupid mistakes that I made that also have gotten me pretty worried. do other poster mind sharing how they felt once they finished the exam? is this feeling of not doing well, something you guys have felt too???

 

[DrVanNostran]

So I took the exam this past Saturday, so I'd thought I'd post my experience. First of all, I used only 2 resources, the first being uworld (def the most useful) and the second being MTB step 2 ck ( also very useful). I would say knowing these 2 resources well gives you a great shot at a great score provided you've put the work in your 3rd year. anyways here are I my stats:
uworld: 90% completed, avg 73% (first time)
uworld assessment: 248 avg 76% correct
nbme 3: 251
step 1: 241/99

i thought i was ready for the exam since I had done well on uworld and the practice exams, but boy was I wrong. I thought the exam was a total killer. I felt like I guessed on a lot of questions, i mean a lot of questions (note the emphasis lol). It totally is bumming me out that my hard work might not pay off. the questions stems were pretty long, like others have said and they made everything more vague than uworld. I walked out the exam pretty worried and now just hoping for a pass. I'll let u know how I do once I get my results back. plus, i can count 6 or 7 stupid stupid mistakes that I made that also have gotten me pretty worried. do other poster mind sharing how they felt once they finished the exam? is this feeling of not doing well, something you guys have felt too???

People like you score a 262! Good luck brotha!

 

[psu07]

People like you score a 262! Good luck brotha!

Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping that's true and gluck to you as well

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I disagree with the length of the questions changing. I am a repeat Step2ck taker. The last time I took it was in 2007; and I remember all the questions having 10-15 answer choices. Maybe the stems were shorter in 2007. On the test I took in Nov 2010, the answer choices were pretty standard at 5 all the way through; except for maybe some matching that had 10-15 answer choices about 5-10 questions per block. I think the format of the exam drastically changed from 2007 to 2010. I remember the test being full of pharm; and there was virtually no pharm on my test in 2010.

 

[stapleit]

I disagree with the length of the questions changing. I am a repeat Step2ck taker. The last time I took it was in 2007; and I remember all the questions having 10-15 answer choices. Maybe the stems were shorter in 2007. On the test I took in Nov 2010, the answer choices were pretty standard at 5 all the way through; except for maybe some matching that had 10-15 answer choices about 5-10 questions per block. I think the format of the exam drastically changed from 2007 to 2010. I remember the test being full of pharm; and there was virtually no pharm on my test in 2010.

Could it be that you just got a random mix of questions skewed either way?

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I think I got around a 61% (I can't access my account anymore) but it definately wasn't as high as 65%. I felt like I scored alot in the 55-59% and then occassionally in the 60-65% range.

I took the nbme mini-exam that is $45 online and got a 231.

I ended up with a 250. I got a 208 on step 1.

If I got 19 points higher than my predicted NBME score of 186 7 days before my exam, I would have a 203! I would be beyond excited.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Do you mean skewed to a lot of pharm or 'no pharm'? I do not think my exam was skewed at all. It was definitely randomized; chunks of vascular surgery, hand surgery; even developmental psych from undergrad days (10 yrs ago).

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I took my exam nov 29th. I used podcasts to study from this time around. McMumbi reading crush to me, STudywithsubstanceP.com, medpod101.com,appolo audiobooks. The 'quick hits' from these audio resources was a different method of studying for me than what I previously did.

SO I went above and beyond and used podcasts on top of uworld, crush, first aid, kaplan notes, and secrets.

I did not think the question stems were as vague as everyone keeps saying. In fact, I thought they were more directed than the last time I took this exam.

I did not answer 7-10 questions the first block. I tried valiantly to answer every question thereafter; but I still did not answer some I went and marked and one at the end of a subsequent block.

I am so panicked that I have not checked my scores yet and they are in the system.

I had to move out of my home state for rotations; and it was all I could do to come home 'and recollect myself'; so I waited till the very end of my certification perios to take the exam.

I had 5-10 multimedia questions. straightforward cardiac ausculation and tests to order.

What got me was questions from eons ago (undergrad) developmental psychology stuff; all the -arches' were on my test.

I remember changing my answers from right to wrong at least 5 times. no joke. I was constantly narrowing it down to two choices and choosing between two.

But there were no words I had not seen or heard before on the test.

I had lots of subspecialty questions.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

practice NBME qs with the actual ones!

You mean the practice NBME questions were shorter than the real questions on the test?