USMLE World Scores and Step II Scores

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

lmh14

Member
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
75
Reaction score
0
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!!
 
Just got my score back, I am just thankful to god that I didn't release my score to ERAS! My nightmere came true and did as bad as I expected

Studied for 3 and a half weeks
USMLE world average: 59% (100% completed)
USMLE world assessment: 183 (4 days after I started studying)
NBME 2: 550
Step 2CK: 221 (Average is 229 with a 23 SD)

I felt bad getting out of the test center, I was sure I did bad on it. I could think of at least 30 questions I got wrong coming out, and then just stoped thinking about it. The test itself is doable if you are prepared. I still can't believe how bad I did, but oh well

Good luck everybody!
 
Just got my score back, I am just thankful to god that I didn't release my score to ERAS! My nightmere came true and did as bad as I expected

Studied for 3 and a half weeks
USMLE world average: 59% (100% completed)
USMLE world assessment: 183 (4 days after I started studying)
NBME 2: 550
Step 2CK: 221 (Average is 229 with a 23 SD)

I felt bad getting out of the test center, I was sure I did bad on it. I could think of at least 30 questions I got wrong coming out, and then just stoped thinking about it. The test itself is doable if you are prepared. I still can't believe how bad I did, but oh well

Good luck everybody!
You did just a little below average. Get a grip. That's not a horrible performance. Half of the doctors in this country had below-average board scores.
 
I know, I know! I just wanted to be consistenly the half then did better then average! Still hoping that program directors don't ask me about my step 2 score!

I am actually not bothered by my score now. Worse things can happen, like actually failing the test for example, I would've went crazy!
 
I studied for about 4.5 weeks, but none of it was hardcore studying. I'm a really bad studier, so I took a lot of breaks, got distracted a lot, etc. Used exclusively UW, First Aid, and Crush. Did almost all of my questions random by big topic (IM, surg, etc) in tutor mode before reading. Afterwards, read things mostly in FA to review stuff I didn't know, and brief go through of Crush. Crammed things I wasn't sure of in the end.
UW generally ranged from 75-80% based on topic, I think I finished with like 78-79% overall when I was done the bank.
Took NBME 4: Got 800 (>268)
Step 1: 228
Shelf scores were mostly blah, but had low 80s raw in psych, 84 or 85 in surg, and 89 raw in medicine.
Did not take UW self-assessment, got lazy and wanted to cram at the end.
Felt pretty good through probably 85-90% of the test. A bunch I knew I screwed up. But lots of reflex answer questions.
Score: 261. Still can't believe it really. Very excited.
 
Hey,

not gonna read through 1559 posts to find an answer to this question:

When doing UW, is there a "recommended percentage" on UW that equates to a "decent" score on the actual CK? (whatever 'decent score' means..)

I remember people used to say for the Step 1 that you should aim to get around at least a 60% on UW to get 230 (don't take my word on this, just vaguely remembering these figures).

Thanks.
 
thanks to all those who posted about studying habits and scores.

here's my experience:
had 4 week off. studied about 3 1/2 weeks total, no weekends. used usmleworld and secrets. completed 100% of world, started in the 50's, towards the end was scoring low 70's, cumulative around 65% or so. read secrets once in the beginning of my studying and then re-read selected sections in the couple days before my test. also read the cardio and pulm sections of step up medicine b/c i felt i was weak in those areas.
usmle score estimater at 1 week out: 224
nbme 2 at 3 days out: 256
step 1: 237/99
step 2: 251/99

thrilled with my score. like most others on this thread, i would definitely suggest getting through as much of usmleworld as possible.
 
congrats peace84! when did you take your test?

i took it on nov 6th and was wondering when i would get my score back. thanks!

thanks to all those who posted about studying habits and scores.

here's my experience:
had 4 week off. studied about 3 1/2 weeks total, no weekends. used usmleworld and secrets. completed 100% of world, started in the 50's, towards the end was scoring low 70's, cumulative around 65% or so. read secrets once in the beginning of my studying and then re-read selected sections in the couple days before my test. also read the cardio and pulm sections of step up medicine b/c i felt i was weak in those areas.
usmle score estimater at 1 week out: 224
nbme 2 at 3 days out: 256
step 1: 237/99
step 2: 251/99

thrilled with my score. like most others on this thread, i would definitely suggest getting through as much of usmleworld as possible.
 
thanks! i took it on 10/29, got the score back on 11/18. hopefully you will hear soon.

congrats peace84! when did you take your test?

i took it on nov 6th and was wondering when i would get my score back. thanks!
 
Lower than my Step 1 score, but I'm happy.

Step 1: 256
Step 2: 249
USMLEWorld average: 71% overall but I was doing more around 80% on the last tests. However, I got through all the questions, so some of the questions were repeated.

Study methods: Pretty much USMLEWorld. I did all of it and then tried to go back and go through everything I missed. I read about half of Crush before deciding it was a waste of time (way too lacking in details to tell me anything I really didn't know already). Then I started FA but found it pretty much impossible to get through since it was too dense. I honestly didn't do a lot of dedicated studying.
 
Wanted to contribute to a thread that guided me.

Step I 238
Step II 257.

Took the test 11/2 and got scores today. I casually looked at Secrets for about 2-3 weeks, then ramped it up with USMLEworld for 2-3 weeks after that during a low-key rotation. Ended up getting through about 70% of USMLEworld with about 66% overall avg; all timed, random. Was doing mostly low-mid 70's with some mid 80's by the end.

I felt the test was a slightly easier version than World. There were some questions I had to hold back from LOL because I had seen fascimiles of them on World. As others have stated, World is by far enough to get by. I didn't really get great shelf scores throughout 3rd year and I highly doubt that affects anything in the app process. Still, if I had to do it over, I'd start doing questions during 3rd year to help for shelfs and to prepare for this test; I'd also start donig the question bank a little earlier and finish all of them and review marked ones. I'm pretty happy.
 
Quick contribution:

All I really did was UW for ~1mo during some easy rotations. About 2 44q sets/day, all in random/tutor, often a weekend day off or slower pace. I finished all the questions, 70% correct.

This is somewhat misleading as I did many of the surg, Ob, peds, psych questions during 3rd year to study for shelf exams. I did not use any review book systematically during the month, only my 3rd year books for reference here and there when I wasn't satisfied with an explanation.

My score was 240's. My step1 was 230ish. My shelf scores were 80s with a couple of low 90s.

I think the best preparation for this thing is busting ass 3rd year and studying hard for shelf exams. During that time I used the Kaplan step2 notes as my backbone and did UW questions for most rotations.

At this point though I wasn't applying to a competitive residency, and I'll most likely want to stay at my home school for said non-competitive residency (personal reasons), so I honestly wasn't putting 100% effort in.

If you've got derm/plastics/ophtho dreams and a relatively poor step1 this test is totally doable if you put the time in. A productive 3rd year, one month's vacation, solid all day/every day studying, UW + high quality review book(s) and I think you should improve your matching odds. Take it early and rock out!

Best wishes to all.
 
Last edited:
I got my score today.
98/236

I did Kaplan Q bank and overall is 60.
UW overall is 70.
NBME form 4 , 530 one month before the exam. After finishing kaplan Q bank.
After that i did UW. Then i did UWSA got 500.
4 days before the exam, i did NBME 3 and got 560.

Thanks for the supporting and i got many idea from this website.

good luck all, i just want to advise to do UW only for step 2 CK.🙂🙂
 
Regarding books for the Step 2 CK, do you guys think the Kaplan step 2 Lecture series is good prep for Step 2 CK?

thanks 🙂
 
Regarding books for the Step 2 CK, do you guys think the Kaplan step 2 Lecture series is good prep for Step 2 CK?

thanks 🙂

They are good if you don't have any time constraint issues. If you do, meaning you are doing CK in less than four weeks, stick to a single comprehensive review book along with world, and review the subjects you feel week at from Kaplan if you like. Just don't sacrifice World to read the Kaplans. Make sure you read World carefully.
 
Thought I'd post my experience since I found this site helpful in my preparation. I spent about 5 weeks studying although my studying was mostly in the evenings as this was during a light rotation. I took 2/4 weekends off and probably studied about 5 hours a day. I mainly used USMLEWorld and will echo that it is excellent prep. I also used Crush, but didn't use anything else. I think that if you studied hard during 3rd year and did well on your shelf exams, this is really just review time and you should be able to do well!

Step 1: 254
Shelf Exams: raw scores of 83-99
USMLE World Assessment (done at beginning of studying): 234
NBME 3 (3 days out): 254
USMLE World %: 68%, random blocks, timed
Step 2: 260


Thrilled with my score but mostly just glad to be done!
 
Study strat: Read through FA to refresh memory, then on to UW sporadically for about 6 weeks total, 98% finished at I think 62% cumulative and mostly 70's in the last couple of weeks. I took the UW SA at about 2 weeks with projected of something like 207 and then an NBME at a month with like a 214. Took the test on 11/9.

Step 1: 231/96
Shelves: poor
Step 2: 238/99

Not sure if anyone around here has yet to take the test, but take heart kids. Apparently the score increases automatically.

Now if I could just get my CS score.
 
I've got the test in about five days and I'm 90% done with UWorld but I'm capping out in the mid 60's it seems after a brief stint in the 70's. Am I just burning out? Any suggestions?
 
I've got the test in about five days and I'm 90% done with UWorld but I'm capping out in the mid 60's it seems after a brief stint in the 70's. Am I just burning out? Any suggestions?

At the end of my study I used to get a few 80-88% in UW along with a few 53-58% interspersed between.

Don't put a lot of thought into your UW percentages unless you notice your cumulative is starting to take a real hit (drops 2-3 points?).

Otherwise just lay back, use UW in tutor mode entirely, read all the explanations for both the correct answer and the incorrect choices carefully, and finish it. If you want to see where you stand, use an NBME.
 
I studied for about 12 days (had schedule changes that made it wise to take it at an unexpected time that wasn't quite two weeks), looked through part of step up to med, did maybe 80% of UW with an average of 68? 70? something around there. All in tutor mode, recommended. Took the test on the 10th with (long-standing) construction going on on the other side of the (thin) wall... thank you prometrics.

Anyways, numbers:
Step I: 252
Step II: 263

(yay!)
 
I did 25% right now and I am avg 54%. I am using uworld and first aid only. I did well on step 1 in the 240s. I wanted to get atleast 230. Any advice?
 
So I'll contribute to the data stream....


Did about 30% of UWorld, studied for about 9-10 days for CK, averaged a 65%, with later scores usually around that number. Didn't study anything else.

Got a 235/97, which is a little lower than my Step 1 score, but I'm happy. I was just looking for a solid score.
 
So I'll contribute to the data stream....


Did about 30% of UWorld, studied for about 9-10 days for CK, averaged a 65%, with later scores usually around that number. Didn't study anything else.

Got a 235/97, which is a little lower than my Step 1 score, but I'm happy. I was just looking for a solid score.

Sorry to probe a bit, but why such a short study period?
 
This has probably been answered before, but when I tried to search, a ton of threads came up, so please humor me. Does anyone know where to find the answers to the NBME tests? I just did #4...I'm re-taking CK at the end of the month....completely lost focus and freaked out before my first sitting. So, I'm trying to calm my nerves by taking NBMEs and seeing that I'm already above passing. It would be great to actually review and make sure I know the right answers to the test though. Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Which is/are the best NBME to take. I don't have much time and am giong to just take one. If there is one to take which one should it be?

Thanks for the input. For the info - only doing USMLEworld.
 
So I'll contribute to the data stream....


Did about 30% of UWorld, studied for about 9-10 days for CK, averaged a 65%, with later scores usually around that number. Didn't study anything else.

Got a 235/97, which is a little lower than my Step 1 score, but I'm happy. I was just looking for a solid score.

mine experience is remarkably similar
I spent about 10 days of studying
40% UWorld with 58% overall average
NBME 1 ~ 230
NBME 4 ~ 240

Step 2 - 237/97 a little lower than my step 1 score of 241/99

for the amount of work I did I am psyched 😀
good luck everyone
 
why not?

I had a rotation going until 10/29, and I had interviews scheduled all through November. I also had to take CS in there.

I totally agree. At this point how much would killing myself for 15 extra points accomplish? I was doing well on the NBME's so i just took it easy.
 
Step 2: 260

1. Pray
2. read FA 1.5x
3. Crush 2x
4. Secrets 2x
5. UWorld 1x and did some of the wrong questions (73-74%)

Studied while on a light rotation for about 7-8 weeks. I think that Secrets and UWorld made the difference. You all will do well!!!
 
Last edited:
Got my score today👍👍

Step II: 249/99
UW Self Assessment (3 days before exam) 247
UW 65% correct with ~70% completed

I didn't put in a lot of effort on this exam due to taking it so late and having interviews/ERAS junk going on during my study time. So I was pleasantly surprised to have scored a few points higher than on Step I.

I had about 3 weeks of study time but really only studied about 2 weeks total (no weekends, days off for interviews, video games😉 ) I read through Crush Step II, but other than that I only used UW questions (untimed blocks of 44) as a study source.
 
246 on the real ck.
229 on the simexam about 2 weeks prior
218 on nbme 1 prior to studying.
60% overall on uw. Finished 90%. Last 5 blocks were more in the high 60s-low 70s

I studied lightly for about 5-6 weeks during easy rotations. Uw was all I used really. Just a little bit of first aid as well.
 
Got my score this past Wednesday. I took the exam on 11/20. Here's my info:

Step 2: 256
Step 1: 252

UW self-assessment about 5 days from test: I think I got either a 256 or 258
UW 100% complete, random, timed, no repeats: about 71% or so correct
Shelf scores: nothing too spectacular, ranging from 79 on surgery to 86 on pediatrics

Study strategy:
I "studied" for about 4 weeks for the exam. I say "studied" because I did a lot of TV watching and videogame playing during my study time. Anyways, my resources were UW and First Aid for Step 2 CK. Honestly, I read FA once just to read it and probably did not retain anything. I tried to read Secrets as well but didn't get past the first chapter. Study strategies will vary from person to person, but for me the most helpful thing was doing all of UW and reading through the discussions. I remember many times during the real exam where I felt like I was just doing sets of UW questions... they were that familiar.

In the end, if you do well during 3rd year and do well on Step 1, then it's likely you'll do well on Step 2. If you did average to ok on Step 1 and want to rock Step 2, then I think you'll have to put a little more time into the prep. My girlfriend increased her score by 13 points, but she put in a lot more time than I did.

Anyways, PM if you have specific questions. Good luck to all who still have to take the test.
 
Last edited:
Another data point.

Step 1: 252/99
Step 2: 247/99

UW: 100% complete, all but 5 tests done untimed/tutor/unused/random (time's never been an issue for me on tests); Overall 59% but last 5 (timed, random, unused) averaged to 68.8%.
Self-Assessments: None taken (UW or NBME)
Shelf Scores: Range from abysmal (55% on OB/Gyn, but it was my first shelf and I didn't study like I should have) to 96% (Peds [second shelf, oddly enough])

Study Strategy:
I had initially budgeted two weeks to prepare, but due to interview scheduling conflicts, I only had 8 full days. I started with UW, doing 8 tests of 44 daily on tutor/untimed/random (as above) and going over answers; I did this for 6 days, with a day off in the middle for an interview (home program). During this time, I'd take time off if the Titans were playing (twice) or my alma mater was playing a basketball game (once); otherwise, I tried to focus. 2 days before the exam, I read Secrets in its entirety, making a list of sections to re-visit. The morning before the exam, I took a 5 section UW "practice test" with the results as above, just to gauge where I was. That afternoon, I read the sections that I wanted to re-visit from my initial pre-read and got to bed early.

Test day involved reading the last chapter of secrets (100 top secrets) and a list of the "high yield" points that UW had pointed out that I had written down before the test. I took two sections, then took a break and re-read the above, took two more sections, then above... repeat until test is done. I average about 25-30 minutes per section, so I had enough time to do all of the above while spending 30 minutes reviewing during breaks.

If I had it to do over, I'd have definitely taken the full two weeks and gone over the questions I'd initally gotten wrong... over and over until I had 100% of the questions right. That's the only change I would have made.
 
Last edited:
I had 4 weeks of "study time" with some interviews mixed in between.

I reviewed First Aid one time before starting UW questions.
Did 50-150 Q a day and tried to review the answers (took about 3-5hrs a day), finished UW 5 days before my exam. Took the UW practice. And at the last few days, skimmed through first aid again and looked at the quick review things at the end of the book.

Step 1: 251
UW: Avg 63%, my scores pretty much stayed around their from start to finish
UW Practice: 236
Step 2: 244

studying for this exam had more of a very laid back feel than step 1, glad I'm 2/3 licensed 👍 Good luck y'all
 
Adding my information to this thread ---

- Study time of 1.5 weeks, ~150-250 USMLE World questions / day
- I read and semi-studied every explanation of each question I answered, correct or incorrect
- Completed 70% of USMLE World questions before taking the exam
- I did no other preparation (no First Aid, no Secrets, no books of any kind) other than doing these questions each day.

My results:
USMLE World question scores: ~60% when I started --> 75% by the end
USMLE World Practice Test Score: 258

I took Step II in late 11/2009 and finished with >1 hour to spare (racing through the exam because I was so sick of doing questions by that point). I only went over the questions I marked and did not check any of the others.

USMLE Step II CK Score: 258 / 99
(USMLE Step I Score: 253 / 99 with 5 weeks of studying, for reference)

Overall I found it very very similar to the UW questions and to the shelf exams.
 
Last edited:
Hey guys

This is a very dumb question. Don't flame me please. But...how many total sections are there on step 2 and how many questions / section? also how much time to we get to finish and how does this work

I figured you guys would give me the scoop as the NBME website talks about content but not time managements/timing etc. I almost forgot how step 1 worked, I thought it was a bundled time and you chose the break? what? please help as I have this terrible test coming up on 28th and I am so apathetic (and pathetic) at this point.
 
Hey guys

This is a very dumb question. Don't flame me please. But...how many total sections are there on step 2 and how many questions / section? also how much time to we get to finish and how does this work

I figured you guys would give me the scoop as the NBME website talks about content but not time managements/timing etc. I almost forgot how step 1 worked, I thought it was a bundled time and you chose the break? what? please help as I have this terrible test coming up on 28th and I am so apathetic (and pathetic) at this point.
There are eight 1-hour long blocks, each consisting of 44 questions. You start off with 45 minutes of break time that you can use to go to the bathroom, eat lunch or whatever. There is also a 15 minute tutorial which you are able to skip through if you want and any time remaining from that tutorial is added to your total break time. Additionally, any time remaining from a question block that you finish early is added to your break time. Throughout the test you are easily able to see how much time has elapsed, how much break time remains and how much block time you have left.

At the end of each block you are prompted whether you wish to continue onto the next block or take a break. You can also take "emergency" breaks in the middle of a block, but I think this is generally discouraged. I took the test and found time management to be much less of an issue than Step 1. I finished every block with time to review questions and also was able to add to my buffer break time so I could take my time with lunch and not stress about having to eat too quickly. Don't stress too much and good luck with your exam!
 
took it 12/3, got the score back today. I did 2000 questions in UW, no FA or secrets. (most leisurely, untimed in tutor mode). Averaged 76, with the occasional forays into the 80s and 90s.

step 2 CK = 267.
(Step 1 = 266, most shelves around 99 except for neuro, where I didn't do so hot)
 
I took it on 11/25 and haven't got my score report yet - should I be worried?
 
They don't provide us with any type of lunch or food during CK do they?

What did everyone bring to eat? I'm thinking of packing PB&J, some fruit or veggies, and maybe a protein bar, but any other suggestions for something that will stay good in my bag all day and not cause me to have the post-lunch crash would be greatly appreciated.

Also, a lot of people have posted their studying methods, but how did people pace themselves during the day of the exam in terms of number of blocks in a row, length of breaks, etc?
 
How is it that everybody here scored in the ~99th percentile? :laugh:

Is this a serious question?

The '99' is not 99th percentile. It is just a two digit score that approximately 10-20% of students achieve. All of them can't be in the 99th percentile.
 
Top