BOTH Class of 2018 Study Thread

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ortnakas

ortnakas

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A lot of us loved our study thread for Step 1, so why not recreate it for Step 2?

I know we won't be thinking hardcore about USMLE/COMLEX until next spring/summer, but figured we could use this for strategizing now, and for shelf exams too.

Paging: @W19 @gobigorgohome22 @Entadus @Ibn Alnafis MD @AlgernonMed @TheShaker @Mad Jack @NontradCA
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AshNiffler said:
I just discovered the magic formula to getting through blocks quicker on uworld...putting my phone far far away from me.
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I've realized that I spend way too much time reading the explanations for questions I already know and have seen tested multiple times. How many times do I really have to read that ulcerative colitis is continuous and Crohn's has skip lesions???

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AlgernonMed said:
I've realized that I spend way too much time reading the explanations for questions I already know and have seen tested multiple times. How many times do I really have to read that ulcerative colitis is continuous and Crohn's has skip lesions???

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If they are gimmes, then yes move on. But you'd be surprised at the sort of mistakes I make on my exam. I'm talking basic management BS that I forget because I haven't reviewed it in awhile.

That's just me, though.
 
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recycledpaper said:
If they are gimmes, then yes move on. But you'd be surprised at the sort of mistakes I make on my exam. I'm talking basic management BS that I forget because I haven't reviewed it in awhile.

That's just me, though.
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Just thought of a question for COMLEX. Did you have the 10mins after 100q fully off? As in it didn't eat into your time? I know they are suppose to make that change sometime this summer. Curious if it's in place already.
 
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ortnakas said:
Thanks!

Glad I'm taking it in July.
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It was such a pain in the ass last year for Level 1. I was already behind on time so couldn't afford to take the 10mins and had to do 4hrs nonstop. Same for the afternoon session. So stupid do not give 10mins from the beginning.
 
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Why is it that when I'm on uworld, I feel like I have Myasthenia based on how hard it is to keep my eyes open but when I move over to Reddit/Imgur I develope Graves and have my eyes popping out?!
 
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1 week to go!!! Took a few practice tests in last few weeks.

- Step 1: 222
- Uworld SA1: 200 (2.5mo) -> Never reviewed and plan on retaking. Should have never taken it!
- Uworld 1st pass: 68% overall (68% medicine)
- NBME 6: 224 (1mo)
- UW SA1: 255 (2 wk) -> see above
- UW SA2: 246 (1 wk)

This will be my last practice test I think.
 
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cluelessmedstudent411 said:
1 week to go!!! Took a few practice tests in last few weeks.

- Step 1: 222
- Uworld SA1: 200 (2.5mo) -> Never reviewed and plan on retaking. Should have never taken it!
- Uworld 1st pass: 68% overall (68% medicine)
- NBME 6: 224 (1mo)
- UW SA1: 255 (2 wk) -> see above
- UW SA2: 246 (1 wk)

This will be my last practice test I think.
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You seem pretty solid for a score of 240+.

How many wrong qs did you have on UWSA and NBME6? Also, did you do a second pass of UW and if so, what was your %?

Thanks and good luck!
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
You seem pretty solid for a score of 240+.

How many wrong qs did you have on UWSA and NBME6? Also, did you do a second pass of UW and if so, what was your %?

Thanks and good luck!
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Thanks!

On NBME 6 I had 29 incorrect, UWA 1: 36 Incorrect , UWA 2: 44 Incorrect

I hate the NBME curve!!

I'm on my 2nd pass of UW w/ ~ 60% done and average is consistently 84%
 
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cluelessmedstudent411 said:
Thanks!

On NBME 6 I had 29 incorrect, UWA 1: 36 Incorrect , UWA 2: 44 Incorrect

I hate the NBME curve!!

I'm on my 2nd pass of UW w/ ~ 60% done and average is consistently 84%
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Just reread your response. Holy cow! You got 222 on NBME6 for scoring 85.5%! This is insanely brutal. So if one wants to score 240, they must not miss more than 10% of the qs??
 
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First pass of UWorld on timed random. 80% completed, overall score 67%. Cannot get into the 70s consistently and it's so frustrating. Trying to score 250+ and feeling discouraged
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Just reread your response. Holy cow! You got 222 on NBME6 for scoring 85.5%! This is insanely brutal. So if one wants to score 240, they must not miss more than 10% of the qs??
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224 actually with 85.5% correct but yeah that curve is a bitch. I thought my score would be higher while taking the test. To be fair the test did seem relatively easy while doing it.

You're on your 2nd pass right? How is that going? Taken any tests?
 
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Ugh I'm in trouble. 220s step 1 and mostly honors 3rd yr.

NBME 4: 185 :( (5 wks)
UWSA1: 213 (2wks)

My medicine/surgery was horrible per nbme4. They were my first two rotations. Focused on UW medicine for 3 wks and bumped it up 26 pts. I guess this exam/questions aren't clicking with me. What should I do?
 
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Took NBME 7 today. That thing is a bear. My score ended up much better than expected, but apparently I need to work on the "foundational sciences" as that section was borderline and lower performance. A few other sections borderline, so going to try to brush up on those. Been doing OnlineMedEd throughout the year with the Qbank, flashcards and notes, plus QuickTables. Added First Aid for Step 2 CK on Sunday and find it much better than MTB 2 CK. FA 2CK is still missing stuff that MTB has, so I'm flipping around a lot. Using First Aid for Step 1 a TON. Seems like a lot of what I'm missing in UW is Step 1 material or underlying pathophysiology. Thoughts on rewatching Pathoma or listening to Goljan again for brushing up on that?
COMLEX Level 2 in 2 weeks, USMLE Step 2 in 3 weeks, with my 4th year schedule starting this Monday. Nearly the home stretch!

For those that are interested:
Step 1: 253
UW 1st pass (5% remaining): Overall average - 79%, Medicine - 78%. Did all of surgery back in the fall, 1/3 of OB/GYN in the fall, and a little of psych and peds this spring. Only 80 Qs of Medicine before mid-April. So vast majority of the Qbank has been done over the past month.
UWSA1 (1 week ago): 680/271 (missed 20 Qs, 88% correct)
NBME 7 (Today): 580/254 (missed 21 Qs, 88.6% correct)
 
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apr27 said:
Ugh I'm in trouble. 220s step 1 and mostly honors 3rd yr.

NBME 4: 185 :( (5 wks)
UWSA1: 213 (2wks)

My medicine/surgery was horrible per nbme4. They were my first two rotations. Focused on UW medicine for 3 wks and bumped it up 26 pts. I guess this exam/questions aren't clicking with me. What should I do?
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How long until your test?

I am still studying for Step 2, but here is my two cents: If you have enough time I would suggest doing the OnlineMedEd videos for the Medicine sections you're struggling with and the Surgery videos. Surg shouldn't take a ton of time. Alternative for surgery is Pestana's Surgery Notes, quick read. Either way, I'd run through the questions in the back of Pestana's once you've reviewed surgery as a reinforcement and to further hone in on areas you can improve. Restudy those areas identified with Pestana's then go back to UW questions on random, timed.

I'm sure others will have suggestions, hopefully there is something faster than what I just proposed.
 
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PianoMedic said:
How long until your test?

I am still studying for Step 2, but here is my two cents: If you have enough time I would suggest doing the OnlineMedEd videos for the Medicine sections you're struggling with and the Surgery videos. Surg shouldn't take a ton of time. Alternative for surgery is Pestana's Surgery Notes, quick read. Either way, I'd run through the questions in the back of Pestana's once you've reviewed surgery as a reinforcement and to further hone in on areas you can improve. Restudy those areas identified with Pestana's then go back to UW questions on random, timed.

I'm sure others will have suggestions, hopefully there is something faster than what I just proposed.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'm 2 weeks away.
 
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apr27 said:
Ugh I'm in trouble. 220s step 1 and mostly honors 3rd yr.

NBME 4: 185 :( (5 wks)
UWSA1: 213 (2wks)

My medicine/surgery was horrible per nbme4. They were my first two rotations. Focused on UW medicine for 3 wks and bumped it up 26 pts. I guess this exam/questions aren't clicking with me. What should I do?
Click to expand...
2 wks left is not too much IMO if you are trying to get 10+ above your step1 score, which is usually the goal for most. I would not take it if I were you... You have a tough decision to make. If you can add another 2 wks to your schedule, that might put you in a good spot to even get 240.
 
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So I took my Level 2 PE in late April and just learned that I passed! So relieved, I was sure I had failed. Now I can really focus on Step 2CK/Level 2 CE.

I have 2 weeks left but I do have some flexibility to move back another week-ish, which I might end up using depending how I feel. Planning to take UWSA 2 today. My scores have been (so far):
NBME 3 - 211 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 1 - 246 (2.5 weeks out)

Step 1 was 240. Really hoping that NBME 3 was a fluke. I'll be happy with any score around my step 1 score. Good luck to everyone.
 
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zegrated said:
So I took my Level 2 PE in late April and just learned that I passed! So relieved, I was sure I had failed. Now I can really focus on Step 2CK/Level 2 CE.

I have 2 weeks left but I do have some flexibility to move back another week-ish, which I might end up using depending how I feel. Planning to take UWSA 2 today. My scores have been (so far):
NBME 3 - 211 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 1 - 246 (2.5 weeks out)

Step 1 was 240. Really hoping that NBME 3 was a fluke. I'll be happy with any score around my step 1 score. Good luck to everyone.
Click to expand...
What was your Uworld %?
 
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zegrated said:
So I took my Level 2 PE in late April and just learned that I passed! So relieved, I was sure I had failed. Now I can really focus on Step 2CK/Level 2 CE.

I have 2 weeks left but I do have some flexibility to move back another week-ish, which I might end up using depending how I feel. Planning to take UWSA 2 today. My scores have been (so far):
NBME 3 - 211 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 1 - 246 (2.5 weeks out)

Step 1 was 240. Really hoping that NBME 3 was a fluke. I'll be happy with any score around my step 1 score. Good luck to everyone.
Click to expand...
What was your Uworld %?
 
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lavenderflowers said:
Congrats for being done! Relax awhile! Maybe after you unwind a bit, could you tell us how it went? Like maybe your take on it?
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I honestly have no idea what to make of it. It was a mix of "Oh I know that" to "Was that even English?"

So I wish I could give you better insight. Its exhausting...that's something I can tell you for sure. Bring plenty of snacks. Lara and cliff bars saved my life

Especially since my chocolate hersey's bar completely liquidified like two seconds after I stepped outside
 
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BamaNicole said:
I honestly have no idea what to make of it. It was a mix of "Oh I know that" to "Was that even English?"

So I wish I could give you better insight. Its exhausting...that's something I can tell you for sure. Bring plenty of snacks. Lara and cliff bars saved my life

Especially since my chocolate hersey's bar completely liquidified like two seconds after I stepped outside
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Took it today as well. Fully embrace the brain hurt sentiment. I couldn't remember how to get back to my hotel after the exam for a few minutes.

Definitely have snacks. I took preworkout at the halfway point and that definitely helped me on back half.


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ShowtimeKaner88 said:
Took it today as well. Fully embrace the brain hurt sentiment. I couldn't remember how to get back to my hotel after the exam for a few minutes.

Definitely have snacks. I took preworkout at the halfway point and that definitely helped me on back half.


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Preworkout? Hardcore.

I was depending on my melted chocolate bar and monster
 
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BamaNicole said:
Preworkout? Hardcore.

I was depending on my melted chocolate bar and monster
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Haha yeah well for step 1 I tried to do Red Bull and it just wasn't enough kick. My preworkout is like 2 strong cups of coffee condensed in a powder. Gotta pull out all the stops for these ridiculously long exam days!


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ShowtimeKaner88 said:
Haha yeah well for step 1 I tried to do Red Bull and it just wasn't enough kick. My preworkout is like 2 strong cups of coffee condensed in a powder. Gotta pull out all the stops for these ridiculously long exam days!


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Bravo....I didn't know that was an option. I literally had trouble saying my name after I was done but I got through it.
 
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what do people eat in their breaks that don't make them sleepy? I can't be the only one who can get sleepy after a meal
 
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Step 1 I remember having a tuna sandwich with cheese and lettuce + a bit of a snickers bar and soft drink. Made me almost fall asleep in the next block!
 
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Okay, be gentle.

DO applying EM (both AOA and ACGME, most likely)
Just took UWSA2 today 6/6: 214
UWSA 5/17 (had just started studying): 194
Step 1 was a measly sub-210 so I figure to make it worthwhile taking Step 2 I'm aiming for 230+
COMLEX is next week (feel more confident about it) and Step scheduled for 6/21.

Is it reasonable to jump another 20 in two weeks or should I postpone?

If I postpone, the only dates that work will be 6/25 locally (extra 4 days) or I can find a date somewhere in the early days of my July EM audition rotation making it ~4-5 weeks from now.

Thoughts?
 
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@TheMountainsAreCalling10 I think you should definitely postpone. You are borderline passing right now. Schedule it at the beginning of your audition so you can have more time... Regardless how you score on step2, I would advise you to apply broadly (~100 applications) if you are applying to ACGME EM...
 
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W19 said:
@TheMountainsAreCalling10 I think you should definitely postpone. I don't think it's reasonable to jump another 20 points in 2 wks... Schedule it at the beginning of your audition so you can have more time... Regardless how you score on step2, I would advise you to apply broadly (~100 applications) if you are applying to ACGME EM...
Click to expand...

oh for sure, casting it (my money) to the wind for applications. I realize I'm much better in person than on paper.
 
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