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!!

 

[ms2010]

hi everyone - i just took step 2 yesterday (7/1) - does anyone know when should i expect my score to come back?

 

[Zli]

hi everyone - i just took step 2 yesterday (7/1) - does anyone know when should i expect my score to come back?

7/22, 11am EST

it's always the Wednesday of the 3rd post-exam week. Mine came yesterday at 10:50 🙂
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I took the CK just 3 weeks after taking step 1, you can prolly find the whole story in the Step 1 thread. Anyways, I only did FA and UWorld (all on random, timed), religiously going through all the UW explanations, highlighting and re-reading. My very first test was only 50%, then went between 65-75, with the last 10 or so all being >70, and getting >80 in a couple. In the end it was 70% total. In all, it took me about 5 weeks to get through everything - the 3 I had between the two steps, and 2 more weeks studying for both steps in parallell. That brought my step 1 score down (to 246, so not so bad), but i think it was crucial for getting a good score in CK.

Did Uworld self-assessment three days before the real thing - it predicted 259. Final score - 255/99.

And less than a week 'till the CS. *gulp*

 

[argonana]

kind of tangential--sorry--but:

i have a good while to study for step 2 and am wondering whether i should do pretest (and maybe casefiles?!), etc. for psychiatry and ob/gyn before starting UW. i hardly used any books when studying for the psych and ob/gyn shelf exams (first aid for psych, high yield for ob/gyn), whereas I maxed out on resources for medicine and surgery--
not sure whether i should address this now before jumping into world questions. i definitely noticed when studying for the surgery shelf that UW doesn't come close to covering everything--it's good, but pretest taught me just as much-

thanks.

 

[zedx]

well, at least for obgyn, i'd suggest checking out BluePrints.

 

[SOUNDMAN]

I took mine 7/1 as well, and damn that thing seemed harder than I thought it was going to be, and I was doing well on UW etc. I felt much better coming out of Step I than this exam.

 

[RussianJoo]

I took mine 7/1 as well, and damn that thing seemed harder than I thought it was going to be, and I was doing well on UW etc. I felt much better coming out of Step I than this exam.

I am sure you'll be alright buddy... now you just gotta wait..

I was just happy to see the test center open.. after that whole Swin Flu email from prometric/USMLE people I got kind of scared.

 

[JellyDonut]

So I'm planning to use UWorld to study for shelf exams, but then should I re-do UWorld again for Step 2 or should I get other qbanks? Is it still beneficial to repeat those questions again? any advice for this?

thanks I appreciate it!

 

[radrebel]

Has anyone recieved their step 2 results from a test date of june17th or so? Do all the results not get released online at 12am Eastern wednesday like they were for step 1 last year or are they staggered throughout today? Basically, I'm asking if since I don't have the email or score at this point, am I going to have to wait until next week?
Thanks

 

[okayplayer]

I know, I got my hopes up that I'd get it today too but it's looking like another week. I tested 6/20.

 

[radrebel]

I emailed the NBME. They said no score reports this week due to the Independence Day holiday. So all of us waiting will just have to wait another week.

 

[DaveinDallas]

Ok - so I postpone my COMLEX 2 from mid July (having only 20 days including weekends to study for the pig) to early August (early emergency rotation) and merrily start doing UW questions....Specific subject exams are variable - on one -> 50% when average was 48%, on another 70% when average was a 67%....With just having started going over the material for the first time (other than 3rd year studying) I'm hitting mid-50s....

Question: is this typical? I've been seeing percentiles in the 65s and 70s being associated with the 230+ range. When did you start seeing scores go up? I haven't read the whole thread since it's a big 'un......

Tnx....

 

[RussianJoo]

Ok - so I postpone my COMLEX 2 from mid July (having only 20 days including weekends to study for the pig) to early August (early emergency rotation) and merrily start doing UW questions....Specific subject exams are variable - on one -> 50% when average was 48%, on another 70% when average was a 67%....With just having started going over the material for the first time (other than 3rd year studying) I'm hitting mid-50s....

Question: is this typical? I've been seeing percentiles in the 65s and 70s being associated with the 230+ range. When did you start seeing scores go up? I haven't read the whole thread since it's a big 'un......

Tnx....

I saw my scores go up about 20% into the qbank.. and then consistantly got mid 60's to low 70's... hopefully just like everyone else with that average i'll get a 230+.

 

[moinmoin]

I'm 45% into the question bank and my scores are still all over the place, with an overall average of 61%. I get 63-67% often, but with an occasional 50% thrown in as well. My test is in a few days and I'm freaking out. My step I was good but I'm sweating this step 2. I thought I would score 230+ but at this point I'm not feeling optimistic.

 

[stookie]

I just took the exam. It was okay. Some questions were easier that that of UW but for the most part, similar to UW. There were some questions that were really out there. What sucked about the entire thing was the noise level in the testing center. The last block left me a little bit shook. I hope I passed!

 

[RussianJoo]

I just took the exam. It was okay. Some questions were easier that that of UW but for the most part, similar to UW. There were some questions that were really out there. What sucked about the entire thing was the noise level in the testing center. The last block left me a little bit shook. I hope I passed!

i hope you wrote about that in the survey after the exam.

 

[kev2180]

I took step2 today...would it still be available in 3 weeks like on 28th...
does anyone know?...or is it an extra week since i took it on Saturday?

 

[docmd2010]

I took step2 today...would it still be available in 3 weeks like on 28th...
does anyone know?...or is it an extra week since i took it on Saturday?

what did you think of the exam? similar to UW? easier/harder?

did you think that all the material you needed to know was covered in uworld?

what subjects were emphasized more? emphasized less?

sorry for all the questions, taking my exam in 3 weeks!

Thanks!

 

[synapse lapse]

Argh UWorld. Missed some BS question on theophyline side effects, yeah since I'll be writing for THAT on a daily basis 🙄 LOL just getting frustrated.

 

[funshi baba]

just took the UW half length eval and am quite disappointed. My overall UW avg now is 56% but in the last wk, my performance on random ques has improved from mid 50s to mid-high 60s and ocassional 70s. I still get one or two mid-high 50. That kicked my overall from 54-56%. Started with avg of 46%

My UW half length came out to be 207(460) -block 1-45%, block2-71%, block3-65%, block 4-56%. I thought i was finally making some progress but i guess not really.

I haven't taken any NBME but if UW is anything to go by, then i don't expect doing superhot on that either.

Anyone with similar experience? any advice?

thanks

 

[obiwan]

I too would like to know because I"m taking mine in a couple of days and I pretty much used only UWorld as my studying tool.

what did you think of the exam? similar to UW? easier/harder?

did you think that all the material you needed to know was covered in uworld?

what subjects were emphasized more? emphasized less?

sorry for all the questions, taking my exam in 3 weeks!

Thanks!

 

[dsprague12]

Got 226 on UWorld Sim Exam. Got 266 on NBME4 1.5 wks later. Just keep doing Q's and studying and you'll be fine. Haven't gotten my score back from the real thing yet.

just took the UW half length eval and am quite disappointed. My overall UW avg now is 56% but in the last wk, my performance on random ques has improved from mid 50s to mid-high 60s and ocassional 70s. I still get one or two mid-high 50. That kicked my overall from 54-56%. Started with avg of 46%

My UW half length came out to be 207(460) -block 1-45%, block2-71%, block3-65%, block 4-56%. I thought i was finally making some progress but i guess not really.

I haven't taken any NBME but if UW is anything to go by, then i don't expect doing superhot on that either.

Anyone with similar experience? any advice?

thanks

 

[funshi baba]

Thanks. just took the NBME form 2 and i got 213. I don't think i can read FA anymore. I will switch to secrets and read up on my weak areas per the NBME break down.

 

[beponychick]

Got 226 on UWorld Sim Exam. Got 266 on NBME4 1.5 wks later. Just keep doing Q's and studying and you'll be fine. Haven't gotten my score back from the real thing yet.

Gosh, that makes me feel so much better. I took NBME2 about two weeks before my exam and got a 250 and took the UW assessment two days later and got like a 228. Im waiting for my score right now. Hope its more like the NBME.

 

[okayplayer]

Anybody get their Step 2 this morning? Evidently all the Step 1 people seem to have theirs but I have nothing! Took it 6/20

 

[RussianJoo]

grrr i took my exam on 6/19 and didn't get my results either.. maybe they'll still send them out later tonight?

Has anyone called to find out what the hold up is?

 

[maxhealth]

I took step 2 on 6/18 and so did my roommate. He got his score this afternoon, but I haven't gotten mine. Freaking out. Anyone know if NBME sends them out throughout the day?

 

[jiy76]

I took step 2 on 6/18 and so did my roommate. He got his score this afternoon, but I haven't gotten mine. Freaking out. Anyone know if NBME sends them out throughout the day?

No, its released at one time.The worst time to take the exam (in terms of waiting to get scores) is in June as the NBME usually has delays during the summer months. Usually its 3 wednesdays from your exam date throughout the rest of the year.

 

[RussianJoo]

yea.. this totally sucks...

seems that those who took their step1 exam on or around 6/9/09 got their scores today... so I guess we have to wait another week.. This totally f%$king blows. it's all computerized why can't they just spit out our score right away?

 

[maxhealth]

No, its released at one time.The worst time to take the exam (in terms of waiting to get scores) is in June as the NBME usually has delays during the summer months. Usually its 3 wednesdays from your exam date throughout the rest of the year.

Doesn't it seem strange that we took the exam on the same day and he got his result and I didn't get mine?

 

[bitter9881]

I took it today. I feel very humble/******ed right now. here's my story, if you'll bear with me...

I completed 94% of the uworld bank over the last 3 weeks, mostly did blocks in tutor mode, but did plenty of timed blocks over the last 1.5 weeks and my scores didnt seem to differ from tutor to timed. I always did full blocks, unused Qs only.

i scored 60% overall on uworld. in the last week my scores were consistently mid60% to mid70%, with an occasional block in the mid50% range. everything i was reading in this thread lead me to feel fairly good going in to the exam.

My grand plan was to take CK before i submit my ERAS and improve upon my step 1 score. (I wont say what I got on step 1, but it was low enough that any decent score on CK would be an improvement) I was really hoping for a score in the 215-230 range on CK so gen surg programs dont laugh at my eras before they throw it in the trash. i did well in my M3 rotations, i have decent research experience and extensive EC and community service involvement, and i'll have some really good letters. but i would really like a decent usmle score to go with all that.

CK felt terrible. it seemed like there were a lot of Qs that i just plain couldnt figure out. and i pretty much finished every block right as time was running out (unlike most timed uworld blocks, which i finished with 5-8 minutes left).

All I can say right now is I hope i didnt fail, that would be the nail in the coffin for me.

 

[synapse lapse]

Hope you did ok Bitter, sure you did better than you think since that's usually the case, especially given your UW scores.

On a side note what do you guys use to test for C Diff at your schools? We use stool culture but I missed a UW questions since they say cytotoxin assay is better. Frustrating when you learn something different, but guess it's good to know whats "right" on the step. Been a few questions like this so far.

 

[tfom08]

Hope you did ok Bitter, sure you did better than you think since that's usually the case, especially given your UW scores.

On a side note what do you guys use to test for C Diff at your schools? We use stool culture but I missed a UW questions since they say cytotoxin assay is better. Frustrating when you learn something different, but guess it's good to know whats "right" on the step. Been a few questions like this so far.

Are you sure you use stool culture? I thought everywhere used cytotoxin assays now. Because the finding the toxin is much more sensitive than actually finding the bacteria in stool.

 

[synapse lapse]

Are you sure you use stool culture? I thought everywhere used cytotoxin assays now. Because the finding the toxin is much more sensitive than actually finding the bacteria in stool.

Maybe you're right, I need to check on this. I don't know if we use stool cytotoxin assay (toxigenic culture) or ELISA. I guess I was confused since we order "stool C Diff" and I assumed it was stool culture, but maybe it is actually a toxigenic culture or an ELISA.

I never know these things b/c our hospital (Parkland) does things differently a lot of times due to patient population, volume, cost analysis, and other reasons. This is especially true on Ob/Gyn here.

 

[jiy76]

Doesn't it seem strange that we took the exam on the same day and he got his result and I didn't get mine?

Did you take it at the same center? Its odd that his score is reported and yours isn't but they never said it will be exactly 3 wednesdays for everybody (though it usually is). They say give it up to 4-6 weeks to prevent people from barraging them with emails and phone calls. You will get your score next Wednesday just hold tight.

 

[maxhealth]

Did you take it at the same center? Its odd that his score is reported and yours isn't but they never said it will be exactly 3 wednesdays for everybody (though it usually is). They say give it up to 4-6 weeks to prevent people from barraging them with emails and phone calls. You will get your score next Wednesday just hold tight.

Yeah, we took it at the same Prometric Center. I actually took mine at the 8am slot, he didn't start his til 1:30. I emailed the NBME and they sent a cryptic response stating scores can be delayed for various reasons and to please allow 8 weeks. Ugh, my mind is wandering as to all the reasons that only my score wasn't reported! Oh well, guess I just have to wait.

 

[busthwt]

This thread became next to addicting while studying for step 2 so i just thought it would be appropriate to contribute. Just got out of the exam and yea its true what they say. UWorld hits it right on the spot. Each block had maybe like 5-10 that were gimme's and maybe like 3-4 questions that are str8from Uworld word for word, your going to have your 10 questions that you will be unsure of. Needless to say if you just do Uworld and go over all the questions u missed and do questions over and over, you should be fine.

 

[polarisstar]

I took the USMLE world Sim after finishing 95% of the qbank and got a predicted score of 196. I wanted to cry!

I found this site when I was trying to search for other people's experiences with Step 2 and USMLE world. I've done 2200 questions, some 46 all subjects, some all one subject, sometimes timed, sometimes tutor mode, and spent lots of time re reading all the explanations and highlight, etc. I've been doing questions for 3 weeks every day, about 100-150 questions a day. (I'm taking a month off to just study) I've also been using Crush and Step up to Medicine to study. I've been getting about 55% of questions correct, though my scores on tests jump all over the place.

I think I'm learning the material but the 196 predicted score has me really shaken up. I pushed back my test date from 2 weeks from now to 4 weeks from now. (I'm doing a research block next.) I'm applying to Ophthalmology and got 219 on Step 1 so I was hoping to take Step 2 early and really do well.

Any suggestions of what I should do or how I should change my studing? I feel pretty desperate right now. I've never been a great standardize test taker.

Thanks to everyone who has been posting their scores on Step 1 and 2 and their USMLEworld qbank correct percentages.

 

[jonsir]

Didn't someone mention that if you push the exam back (after Aug, I'm assuming), you can have the option of hiding the score? But for some reason, if you take it before apps go in, the score has to be reported on the apps?

I hear ya. I'm getting really freaked out, cuz I'm not doing any better on the UW q's, and my last NBME predicted a really low score. Only problem is, when else would you take it? There's just no time.

 

[Elfy]

Any suggestions of what I should do or how I should change my studing? I feel pretty desperate right now. I've never been a great standardize test taker.

Yes, it's the darn PhD (I'm doing a PhD after med school so I should know). Switch off PhD mode when you do the MD part. Stop over-thinking every question as if it were an esoteric journal article footnote, it's not. It's a simple common sense but clinically lifesaving textbook concept with a simple practical application, even when it refers to a rare disease: either 1. differential diagnosis, or 2-3. the single next best test or treatment in management. It can only be one of three things, for a total of five answer options.

Attempt to memorize the material, make sure you understand it to the point it enters common sense domain, and then memorize some more. I'm not suggesting you should memorize anything without understanding, but as opposed to the PhD, memorizing is the key here. With a PhD you're not supposed to know that many facts but rather how to look for them (i.e. master rather the methodology than the facts), and then split hairs over a narrow range of things on a gray scale. With a MD you're supposed to know the facts themselves, a much broader array of things but which for the overwhelming part are black or white (there is only one best answer, which should make things easier). At 55% in UW I'd say you simply need a larger factual knowledge base first, and how to apply it to real-life situations second. I'd cover UW to learn from it as a supplement to whatever books you're using rather than worry about the percentages en route.

4 weeks is plenty of time. There are 4 NBMEs that are more predictive than the UWSSA, you may want to do one each week and worry about the percentages there. If you progress @ 10 points a week you'll hit 236 in the real thing.

 

[studentdoc9]

i'm in the 60% range on 'usmleworld' (first run through the qbank) and i just did usmleworld's mini-exam and totally scored lower. planning to take nbme's to get a better idea where i am.

i'm taking step 2 in two weeks and thought about pushing it back too.

 

[jonsir]

yeah, if I'm not scoring in the 'ok' range by the end of this wk, i'm gonna have to push it back, whether i like it or not. a failure on step 2 would be way worse than having a low step1 score on those apps.

sigh. 🙁

 

[theunderdog]

I feel like the UW self assess is worthless. most of the material in the assessment isn't even covered in the UW qbank itself. i finished 98% of the bank.

in contrast, most of what is in UW qbank is on the CK. so go figure.

 

[1trickpoknee]

Just finished my UWorld Self Assessment and hit a 243- can only hope I can come near that for the real deal.

 

[SOUNDMAN]

Anyone get scores today? I took it 7/1 and thought I'd get mine this week.

 

[bikedoc1021]

took mine 7/1 also. no score as of yet. damn, really wanted it today.

 

[okayplayer]

Took it 6/20, got it back today. 269 (99) after a 223 on Step I. Pretty ecstatic. For me the formula was hard work throughout third year, doing well on shelves and hitting UW very hard. Good luck to everyone else.

 

[futuris2kl]

I took it on 7/2 and was expecting the results today.... 🙁

 

[maniax]

I took the UW self assessment exam for step 2 CK a little less than 2 weeks before the real deal. Underestimated my real score by 24. The sim exam for Step 1 was much more predictive. I have gained invaluable info from this forum so I thought I would give those of you who took the sim exam for Step 2 a little a little calming info. I didnt take the NBME forms for step 2 as I did for step 1, but it seems that people agree that those are still the best judge for how you will ultimately do. My 2 cents.

 

[Clippers00]

1

 

[tfom08]

Is it possible that there are versions of step 2 Ck that are considerably more difficult than others? I can't understand how anyone could feel confident after completing the test I took today. I earned 230 on step 1. I had an overall average of 75% on Uworld = 91% among users. I redid questions ranging b/w 80-100% consistently; with most scores >90%. I am flustered to say the least. I never would have dreamed this test would be so challenging. I am applying to a competitive field, and am worried this is going to be a step in the wrong direction. Did others experience a similar phenomenon? It is kind of scary that I may have regressed by so much over one year although I worked extremely hard during third year!

If that UW average the first time through was timed, random, unused, you will score > 250. No worries, averages rarely lie. Just look at all the other people who have scored like you did. Some tests are tough.