UWorld vs. the actual Step 2CK exam

[Captopril]

To those people who studied UWorld q's and have taken the Step 2 CK: Would you say that the actual exam questions were easier or more difficult than UWorld?

I've read everywhere that the real questions are definitely longer, which I am okay with. I'm wondering more along the lines of trickiness/nitpickiness of the questions. When I took Step 1, I noticed that UWorld demoralizes you and beats you into a pulp...so when test day rolls around you are in for a pleasant surprise due to the questions being much simpler. Can I expect the same for CK?

Would love any feedback. Thanks.

[I saw an old thread on this topic, but thought I'd start a new one since the test evolves over the years and that one was from '09]

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[OptimusKane]

To those people who studied UWorld q's and have taken the Step 2 CK: Would you say that the actual exam questions were easier or more difficult than UWorld?

I've read everywhere that the real questions are definitely longer, which I am okay with. I'm wondering more along the lines of trickiness/nitpickiness of the questions. When I took Step 1, I noticed that UWorld demoralizes you and beats you into a pulp...so when test day rolls around you are in for a pleasant surprise due to the questions being much simpler. Can I expect the same for CK?

Would love any feedback. Thanks.

[I saw an old thread on this topic, but thought I'd start a new one since the test evolves over the years and that one was from '09]

The perceived difficulty of the questions is entirely dependent on one's grasp of the material tested, but you sound like you have gone through UWORLD, and my take is that the difficulty of the questions overall lies somewhere in between the NBME's and UWORLD. The stems are certainly long, but often, half of the info there is irrelevant and you can skim the and read the bottom two lines of the question to find out what is being asked.

I would say that going through UWORLD plus reading explanations, and going over marked questions a second time through will set you up very well for test day. You will probably feel that there are more "gimme's" then Step 1 and that for the majority of questions, there are no tricks or traps, which is a nice feeling in retrospect. In summary, this test is more predictable than Step 1, and UWORLD is the best prep because it covers about 99% of topics seen on the actual test. Hope this helps?

 

[Captopril]

That helps a lot. The "tricks and traps" you mentioned is exactly what I was worried about. As long as it is a straightforward test, I am okay with it. Thanks for the info

The perceived difficulty of the questions is entirely dependent on one's grasp of the material tested, but you sound like you have gone through UWORLD, and my take is that the difficulty of the questions overall lies somewhere in between the NBME's and UWORLD. The stems are certainly long, but often, half of the info there is irrelevant and you can skim the and read the bottom two lines of the question to find out what is being asked.

I would say that going through UWORLD plus reading explanations, and going over marked questions a second time through will set you up very well for test day. You will probably feel that there are more "gimme's" then Step 1 and that for the majority of questions, there are no tricks or traps, which is a nice feeling in retrospect. In summary, this test is more predictable than Step 1, and UWORLD is the best prep because it covers about 99% of topics seen on the actual test. Hope this helps?

 

[LouisianaDoctor]

I have a question. On a lot of these UWorld questions they really spill the beans on the diagnosis. I'm looking at a question right now that's talking about intoxication.

They give:
A homeless man
Confused
Flank pain / CVA tenderness
Red urine
Metabolic acidosis (you have to calculate your own anion gap)

So it's extremely obvious it's ethylene glycol poisoning, and then they ask for the treatment.

Does USMLE Step 2 CK give you all these clues to the diagnosis?

Honestly, I failed Step 2 CK the first time I took it. I only looked over First Aid and didn't do any UWorld questions. I went into Step 2 CK thinking that every question was a trick and tried to over think every question ("Oh, I think I remember that in one special instance this drug may actually cause this...") and failed the hell out of it. This time around I'm doing things totally different. I've taken my time to read through books and have done every UWorld question. Now I feel like all (most!) the Q's are straightforward and are really just seeing if you know the info.

Is the Step 2 CK like that? Just straightforward and not really trying to trick you at every turn?

Edit: I'm not saying UWorld is easy, just that it's generally straight forward and not trying to trick you.

 

[2012mdc]

I have a question. On a lot of these UWorld questions they really spill the beans on the diagnosis. I'm looking at a question right now that's talking about intoxication.

They give:
A homeless man
Confused
Flank pain / CVA tenderness
Red urine
Metabolic acidosis (you have to calculate your own anion gap)

So it's extremely obvious it's ethylene glycol poisoning, and then they ask for the treatment.

Does USMLE Step 2 CK give you all these clues to the diagnosis?

Honestly, I failed Step 2 CK the first time I took it. I only looked over First Aid and didn't do any UWorld questions. I went into Step 2 CK thinking that every question was a trick and tried to over think every question ("Oh, I think I remember that in one special instance this drug may actually cause this...") and failed the hell out of it. This time around I'm doing things totally different. I've taken my time to read through books and have done every UWorld question. Now I feel like all (most!) the Q's are straightforward and are really just seeing if you know the info.

Is the Step 2 CK like that? Just straightforward and not really trying to trick you at every turn?

Edit: I'm not saying UWorld is easy, just that it's generally straight forward and not trying to trick you.

Step 2 is more clinical so it makes sense to test the common stuff and the common stuff can often be straightforward. Haven't taken CK yet UW for Step 2 is definitely less tricky than UW for Step 1

 

[Captopril]

Is the Step 2 CK like that? Just straightforward and not really trying to trick you at every turn?

Edit: I'm not saying UWorld is easy, just that it's generally straight forward and not trying to trick you.

I sure as hell hope so, my friend.

 

[Bonesaw45]

Dunno took CK today after doing really well on UWorld. Felt that the questions were way longer and unnecessarily tricky. Honestly I'm sitting here right now worried that I screwed myself and got somewhere in the 210s/220s after getting a 240 on step 1 and that I should have just waited until the fall when my app was out for interviews already.

On CK I marked the questions that I'm not 100% sure on and I was marking 10 - 14 questions per section which isn't much different that UWorld. But the ones I was unsure of I was really 50:50 if that, compared to being really almost sure on UWorld The difference is that on the real deal there was really bare minimum in terms of info that pushed you in the right direction for about 25% of questions. They DID NOT give the full story like UWorld does which I think is where UWorld is more a learning tool to learn all the symptoms together and recognize them later. Dunno I hope the questions I wasn't sure of are the experimental ones.

The most frustrating thing is that there would be whole steps missing from their workups on CK just to confuse you. That is my biggest problem, honestly i can't remember a good example right now I'm so pissed about the test but be prepared to read a question and get to the end thinking "Why the hell would I get to this point in my workup and not have X test". In a lot of ways the difference in real world and NBME world (dare I say UWorld? /pun) are more frusturating and murky on this test than they are on the UWorld questions for 10 - 14 questions per section.

The other thing is timing I was comfortably and consistently finishing timed sections of 44 in 35 to 50 minutes prob averaging 40 min. I finished most of these sections with 7 - 8 min left to review marked answers but not without really trying to speed through the last 10 - 15 questions, felt like i guessed a lot because of this.

I only used UWorld for 2 weeks, read all answers and reviewed notes on missed/marked got through 95% and honestly I could have done nothing for 2 weeks and still had the same amount of knowledge on the test questions I saw today. Not trying to be discouraging just had a really bad day today. UWorld is a great study tool for thinking through questions I just don't think that its as great a predictor of test difficulty as it was for step 1. I don't think there is really anyway however that by reading any other books I would really have made my experience any easier my problems were more with the questions than the content, but I'll let you know what the case is in 3 Wednesdays. That being said i hope I'm wrong and do a great job somewhere in the ballpark of my step 1, but I felt less comfortable about this than step 1.....****ty day

 

[Captopril]

Hey man, I hope it works out for you in the end. The way you're describing the vagueness of the questions is the same vibe I got from UWSA and NBME exams. That's the reason I brought this topic up to begin with. I felt like uw gives you so much info leading to the diagnosis, whereas the practice tests are completely vague.

Once again, hope everything works out. Keep us posted.

Dunno took CK today after doing really well on UWorld. Felt that the questions were way longer and unnecessarily tricky. Honestly I'm sitting here right now worried that I screwed myself and got somewhere in the 210s/220s after getting a 240 on step 1 and that I should have just waited until the fall when my app was out for interviews already.

On CK I marked the questions that I'm not 100% sure on and I was marking 10 - 14 questions per section which isn't much different that UWorld. But the ones I was unsure of I was really 50:50 if that, compared to being really almost sure on UWorld The difference is that on the real deal there was really bare minimum in terms of info that pushed you in the right direction for about 25% of questions. They DID NOT give the full story like UWorld does which I think is where UWorld is more a learning tool to learn all the symptoms together and recognize them later. Dunno I hope the questions I wasn't sure of are the experimental ones.

The most frustrating thing is that there would be whole steps missing from their workups on CK just to confuse you. That is my biggest problem, honestly i can't remember a good example right now I'm so pissed about the test but be prepared to read a question and get to the end thinking "Why the hell would I get to this point in my workup and not have X test". In a lot of ways the difference in real world and NBME world (dare I say UWorld? /pun) are more frusturating and murky on this test than they are on the UWorld questions for 10 - 14 questions per section.

The other thing is timing I was comfortably and consistently finishing timed sections of 44 in 35 to 50 minutes prob averaging 40 min. I finished most of these sections with 7 - 8 min left to review marked answers but not without really trying to speed through the last 10 - 15 questions, felt like i guessed a lot because of this.

I only used UWorld for 2 weeks, read all answers and reviewed notes on missed/marked got through 95% and honestly I could have done nothing for 2 weeks and still had the same amount of knowledge on the test questions I saw today. Not trying to be discouraging just had a really bad day today. UWorld is a great study tool for thinking through questions I just don't think that its as great a predictor of test difficulty as it was for step 1. I don't think there is really anyway however that by reading any other books I would really have made my experience any easier my problems were more with the questions than the content, but I'll let you know what the case is in 3 Wednesdays. That being said i hope I'm wrong and do a great job somewhere in the ballpark of my step 1, but I felt less comfortable about this than step 1.....****ty day

 

[killinsound]

edit

 

[myhandsarecold]

just took my CK today. finally am done!

agree with the people above. the questions can be vague and often have 2 answer choices that seem correct, even had a question where the would-be correct answer just became invalid due to recent guideline changes!!! anyway, exams like this is where UWorld and doing tons of questions become crucial because they teach you how to guess correctly. i ended up marking 5-6/block, mostly biostats or cardio questions; trying to 250+, but 240+ would be okay. keep doing those questions!!! i looked up most of the questions i wasn't sure on in the Step Up to Step 2 book and they were not there, good thing i didnt read it, although i found the answers on the USMLEWorld explanations and Step Up to Medicine. I read the Step Up to Medicine and so I ended up guessing correctly. Totally recommend Step Up to Medicine if you have time.

 

[theRainmaker78]

I've heard the score trends are monitored. And since the average scores have been going up, the difficulty of the test is increased. Students keep responding with good scores and a positive feedback cycle ensues and thus we're seeing the test change/evolve over the years.

However, a lot of people have similar experiences as the above posters and end up with good scores. Hopefully its the same for all of you. If ur willing, please let us know how you did when the scores come

 

[LouisianaDoctor]

just took my CK today. finally am done!

agree with the people above. the questions can be vague and often have 2 answer choices that seem correct, even had a question where the would-be correct answer just became invalid due to recent guideline changes!!! anyway, exams like this is where UWorld and doing tons of questions become crucial because they teach you how to guess correctly. i ended up marking 5-6/block, mostly biostats or cardio questions; trying to 250+, but 240+ would be okay. keep doing those questions!!! i looked up most of the questions i wasn't sure on in the Step Up to Step 2 book and they were not there, good thing i didnt read it, although i found the answers on the USMLEWorld explanations and Step Up to Medicine. I read the Step Up to Medicine and so I ended up guessing correctly. Totally recommend Step Up to Medicine if you have time.

Jeez these posts are scaring the crap out of me. I've been away from medicine for two years and have been studying non-stop for 2 months for Step II CK. I've finished Step Up To Medicine and UWorld. Every day I do a block of my weakest subjects according to UWorld, then I do a block of questions that I previously got wrong, then I do a block of questions from the entire bank. Some days I'll do another block after that or just focus on a subject I feel weak in. So that's 3-4 blocks a day. Every day.

I have three weeks until my exam. I just want to pass. That's all.

 

[greg1184]

Jeez these posts are scaring the crap out of me. I've been away from medicine for two years and have been studying non-stop for 2 months for Step II CK. I've finished Step Up To Medicine and UWorld. Every day I do a block of my weakest subjects according to UWorld, then I do a block of questions that I previously got wrong, then I do a block of questions from the entire bank. Some days I'll do another block after that or just focus on a subject I feel weak in. So that's 3-4 blocks a day. Every day.

I have three weeks until my exam. I just want to pass. That's all.

You will be fine. You have done more than most students do. Most students I know don't spend more than a few weeks on Step 2 CK.

 

[zetorche]

Don't forget the population here: folks are bound to be jittery and convinced they did poorly... we are med students. If your goal is to pass, and you have done all that prep already, you will. Given the 2 weeks you still have to go the hardest part will probably be not feeling burned out. I would take a few days off, and then go light until 3-4 days prior to the test, do 2 days of 6 blocks, then take the day before easy. I took it a few weeks ago and did FAR less prep. You will be FINE.

good luck

 

[DoctorBob]

Jeez these posts are scaring the crap out of me. I've been away from medicine for two years and have been studying non-stop for 2 months for Step II CK. I've finished Step Up To Medicine and UWorld. Every day I do a block of my weakest subjects according to UWorld, then I do a block of questions that I previously got wrong, then I do a block of questions from the entire bank. Some days I'll do another block after that or just focus on a subject I feel weak in. So that's 3-4 blocks a day. Every day.

I have three weeks until my exam. I just want to pass. That's all.

Keep in mind that the test is curved. If its hard for you, its probably hard for everyone else as well. Put in the footwork, keep things in perspective, and do the best you can.

 

[myhandsarecold]

forgot to add one more thing. usmleworld feels easier than the actual exam. i thought it was for Step 1 and it's same for Step 2. the NBME practice tests felt easier too. Although Step 2 is hard, I walked out of there feeling so so and not as doomsday. I ended up getting 249 in Step 1 and I walked out of there feeling like I failed, seriously, depressed me for the month+ that i waited for it and even cost me my psych grade from all the anxiety. Yesterday, I walked out like I passed and possibly did okay but not super confident. we'll see, my print out says scores within 8 wks but I hope not.

 

[Halitosis]

Keep in mind that the test is curved. If its hard for you, its probably hard for everyone else as well. Put in the footwork, keep things in perspective, and do the best you can.

hey DoctorBob,
i definitely see what you're saying, but if the test is curved, how come the nbme website state that passing is equivalent to getting 60-70% of questions right? if the test is curved, why is there an absolute value for passing?

do you guys really think passing requires 60 to 70% questions correct?

thank you.

 

[Doublecortin]

I haven't taken CK yet, but having used UWORLD through 3rd year and having taken all the NBME shelfs I definitely agree that many of the questions on the shelf were too ambiguous and incomplete in terms of history or work-up to make the definitive diagnosis

Dunno took CK today after doing really well on UWorld. Felt that the questions were way longer and unnecessarily tricky. Honestly I'm sitting here right now worried that I screwed myself and got somewhere in the 210s/220s after getting a 240 on step 1 and that I should have just waited until the fall when my app was out for interviews already.

On CK I marked the questions that I'm not 100% sure on and I was marking 10 - 14 questions per section which isn't much different that UWorld. But the ones I was unsure of I was really 50:50 if that, compared to being really almost sure on UWorld The difference is that on the real deal there was really bare minimum in terms of info that pushed you in the right direction for about 25% of questions. They DID NOT give the full story like UWorld does which I think is where UWorld is more a learning tool to learn all the symptoms together and recognize them later. Dunno I hope the questions I wasn't sure of are the experimental ones.

The most frustrating thing is that there would be whole steps missing from their workups on CK just to confuse you. That is my biggest problem, honestly i can't remember a good example right now I'm so pissed about the test but be prepared to read a question and get to the end thinking "Why the hell would I get to this point in my workup and not have X test". In a lot of ways the difference in real world and NBME world (dare I say UWorld? /pun) are more frusturating and murky on this test than they are on the UWorld questions for 10 - 14 questions per section.

The other thing is timing I was comfortably and consistently finishing timed sections of 44 in 35 to 50 minutes prob averaging 40 min. I finished most of these sections with 7 - 8 min left to review marked answers but not without really trying to speed through the last 10 - 15 questions, felt like i guessed a lot because of this.

I only used UWorld for 2 weeks, read all answers and reviewed notes on missed/marked got through 95% and honestly I could have done nothing for 2 weeks and still had the same amount of knowledge on the test questions I saw today. Not trying to be discouraging just had a really bad day today. UWorld is a great study tool for thinking through questions I just don't think that its as great a predictor of test difficulty as it was for step 1. I don't think there is really anyway however that by reading any other books I would really have made my experience any easier my problems were more with the questions than the content, but I'll let you know what the case is in 3 Wednesdays. That being said i hope I'm wrong and do a great job somewhere in the ballpark of my step 1, but I felt less comfortable about this than step 1.....****ty day

 

[NoWayOut]

just took my CK today. finally am done!

agree with the people above. the questions can be vague and often have 2 answer choices that seem correct, even had a question where the would-be correct answer just became invalid due to recent guideline changes!!! anyway, exams like this is where UWorld and doing tons of questions become crucial because they teach you how to guess correctly. i ended up marking 5-6/block, mostly biostats or cardio questions; trying to 250+, but 240+ would be okay. keep doing those questions!!! i looked up most of the questions i wasn't sure on in the Step Up to Step 2 book and they were not there, good thing i didnt read it, although i found the answers on the USMLEWorld explanations and Step Up to Medicine. I read the Step Up to Medicine and so I ended up guessing correctly. Totally recommend Step Up to Medicine if you have time.

Thank for everyone's input here... I was wondering after reading all the comments on UW providing too many details in the stems of the q's, if doing Kaplan Q bank would be any different and if it would actually help?
Thank you.

 

[greg1184]

Honestly, as I go through Step Up to Step 2, there is not much in there that UWorld hasn't already covered in some regard. I already finished UWorld once and am doing as much as I can in my 2nd pass-through while supplementing Step-Up.

So, I am not sure how much Kaplan QBank would add other than adding another set of questions to practice with and some minute details. I personally rather get intimate with UWorld going over every single question and answer choice getting as much as possible. As Conrad Fischer says, the only way to study for step 2 is learn as much medicine as possible.

 

[myhandsarecold]

Thank for everyone's input here... I was wondering after reading all the comments on UW providing too many details in the stems of the q's, if doing Kaplan Q bank would be any different and if it would actually help?
Thank you.

i think it would. i actually used USMLERx for this exam in addition to USMLEWorld. I also used USMLERx for Step 1 and they predicted my score accurately so I thought, maybe those guys know what they are doing. I ended up doing roughly 95% of all the total USMLERx questions in 1 week (ended up 80% correct on 1st pass, however, they do not provide a predicted score so I dont know what to think of that)! I followed this up with NBME 4 and got a 258, so using a qbank other than USMLEWorld could possibly work or adding another qbank to USMLEWorld could get you a higher score??? I skimmed through the USMLERx answer rational as I didnt have much time. In contrast I did the 2nd pass of USMLEWorld in 2 weeks (83% correct on 2nd pass), right after USMLERx; read the rationals more closely than I did in USMLERx. There's some overlap between the two but I noticed that USMLERx emphasized some stuff more than USMLEWorld. Though you could learn a lot from reading those rationals, I think that you already know all those information anyway from reading Step Up to Medicine/Step 2 or Crush or Secrets. The purpose of the qbank and doing tons of questions is being able to apply that knowledge. Practice makes perfect.

 

[DoctorBob]

hey DoctorBob,
i definitely see what you're saying, but if the test is curved, how come the nbme website state that passing is equivalent to getting 60-70% of questions right? if the test is curved, why is there an absolute value for passing?

do you guys really think passing requires 60 to 70% questions correct?

thank you.

Good question. I think the range of "60-70%" of questions represents the curve. From what I understand the test is curved by question and not by test. So some people can pass getting 60% because they had a harder set of questions, while others pass with 70%.

I do think that passing requires getting 60% -70% of questions correct.

 

[Bonesaw45]

Just really quick I'm not trying to throw people into a fit and scare you into running to Harrison's for Step study. Just felt like it was a ****ty exam and not a good test of our knowledge. Good or Bad I will be back in 2 weeks with my score and my breakdown, like people are saying maybe it was a bad test for all of us. The fact is you have your review books and you have UWorld and they both cover 90% of the same material so I don't even know how I would/could approach this differently if I had to do it again, maybe I would take 4 weeks vs 2 weeks so I could do more books but beyond that there is not much else.

 

[NoWayOut]

i think it would. i actually used USMLERx for this exam in addition to USMLEWorld. I also used USMLERx for Step 1 and they predicted my score accurately so I thought, maybe those guys know what they are doing. I ended up doing roughly 95% of all the total USMLERx questions in 1 week (ended up 80% correct on 1st pass, however, they do not provide a predicted score so I dont know what to think of that)! I followed this up with NBME 4 and got a 258, so using a qbank other than USMLEWorld could possibly work or adding another qbank to USMLEWorld could get you a higher score??? I skimmed through the USMLERx answer rational as I didnt have much time. In contrast I did the 2nd pass of USMLEWorld in 2 weeks (83% correct on 2nd pass), right after USMLERx; read the rationals more closely than I did in USMLERx. There's some overlap between the two but I noticed that USMLERx emphasized some stuff more than USMLEWorld. Though you could learn a lot from reading those rationals, I think that you already know all those information anyway from reading Step Up to Medicine/Step 2 or Crush or Secrets. The purpose of the qbank and doing tons of questions is being able to apply that knowledge. Practice makes perfect.

Thanks. Doing another Qbank is certainly good for practice. I totally agree that we may have a lot of the information and at the end it will be a matter of perfecting how we can apply it through doing questions.
I still hope to hear from someone that has gone through kaplan Q bank. It would be good to have the pros and cons.

Thanks again.

 

[zac16125]

I just took the CK exam and would say that it was harder than the Uworld qbank. Mostly because of the time constraint, but also the general content of the questions, which while comparable to the qbank, seemed to me to be more difficult on the actual exam.

 

[greg1184]

I just took the CK exam and would say that it was harder than the Uworld qbank. Mostly because of the time constraint, but also the general content of the questions, which while comparable to the qbank, seemed to me to be more difficult on the actual exam.

What do you mean by "content"?

 

[shivasHeroLike]

maaan i'm hoping the step2ck is similar to Uworld than to the NBME forms.

I found the NBME exams to be vague in their question stem but having very specific answer choices. At least with Uworld they give you enough information to pivot you in one direction over another.

 

[zac16125]

What do you mean by "content"?

Lots of mechanism questions, lots of step one-esque options in the answer choices. Questions requiring to know 3rd options, examplet has obvious disdease X, is allergic to drug for disease X, you know the correct substitute but its not an option so you have to go to the 3rd option. Stuff like that. I just thought it was generally a little more difficult than Uworld. A lot of it might just have to do with only have 1 min and 15 secs per question, when every stem is a paragraph, which gives you not very much time to think. So maybe the content was the same and it just SEEMED more difficult.

 

[Captopril]

Stuff like this is exactly what freaks me out about this exam

Lots of mechanism questions, lots of step one-esque options in the answer choices. Questions requiring to know 3rd options, examplet has obvious disdease X, is allergic to drug for disease X, you know the correct substitute but its not an option so you have to go to the 3rd option. Stuff like that. I just thought it was generally a little more difficult than Uworld. A lot of it might just have to do with only have 1 min and 15 secs per question, when every stem is a paragraph, which gives you not very much time to think. So maybe the content was the same and it just SEEMED more difficult.

 

[LouisianaDoctor]

Lots of mechanism questions, lots of step one-esque options in the answer choices. Questions requiring to know 3rd options, examplet has obvious disdease X, is allergic to drug for disease X, you know the correct substitute but its not an option so you have to go to the 3rd option. Stuff like that. I just thought it was generally a little more difficult than Uworld. A lot of it might just have to do with only have 1 min and 15 secs per question, when every stem is a paragraph, which gives you not very much time to think. So maybe the content was the same and it just SEEMED more difficult.

Do you mean like: Pregnant woman with UTI, can't use Bactrim, usually would select Amoxicillin, it's not an option, so have to choose Nitrofurantoin?

 

[myhandsarecold]

.

 

[jad2121]

I actually think nitrofurantoin or amox are first line in pregnancy. You can't use bactrum until after the first trimester

Do you mean like: Pregnant woman with UTI, can't use Bactrim, usually would select Amoxicillin, it's not an option, so have to choose Nitrofurantoin?

 

[Doublecortin]

I've done over half of kaplan Q bank and I can definitely say question stems are much longer than uworld. not sure about "vagueness" of questions. Most questions are pretty decent, explanations are not as well written as uworld, but they do have video explanations with conrad fischer and desgupta, which are not bad

Thanks. Doing another Qbank is certainly good for practice. I totally agree that we may have a lot of the information and at the end it will be a matter of perfecting how we can apply it through doing questions.
I still hope to hear from someone that has gone through kaplan Q bank. It would be good to have the pros and cons.

Thanks again.

 

[NoWayOut]

I've done over half of kaplan Q bank and I can definitely say question stems are much longer than uworld. not sure about "vagueness" of questions. Most questions are pretty decent, explanations are not as well written as uworld, but they do have video explanations with conrad fischer and desgupta, which are not bad

Thanks. My conclusion is the following :
For the purpose of gaining more detail on diseases, ect.= do UW
For the purpose of practicing time management with long stems +/- adding more to what you already know from books+UW= do Kaplan Q bank (if time permits)

I tried Kaplan Q bank after UW for step 1 and I think I only got 30% of it done. This was just before my exam and I think it helped me out the most when it came to time management, so I am assuming the same applies for step 2. As far as information, UW I felt gave more than I actually required. Don't know if that still holds true for CK.

 

[Dirt]

Just took CK.

As with step 1, UWorld questions are remarkably similar to the real deal.

Really the only resource you need.