could use some ck advice..

[jdig]

i am currently going through usmleworld.. just over halfway through, reading secrets concurrently. secrets is great by the way..
i started out in the low-mid 40's, and now i am right at 50% for the last several blocks... the test is in 9 days. i plan to finish secrets and world, but is there anything else i can do to ensure a pass.
i failed step one my first attempt (not even close sad to say) and just passed cs.
also considering taking an nbme after i finish world, but afraid it may kill my confidence.
i cant postpone due to trying to scramble, (retake step one feb5) so this is it!
thanks so much for your kind advice

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[ErinO]

I hear you. You just gotta hang in there. Dont let some test that has no say in how great a physician you can be - dictate your future. Just go in there with a mind to destroy it. The best books I have found are:

1. USMLE Step 2 Secrets: Excellent overall review book. From the same guy who wrote Crush Step 2 - but much better. Definately one of the best general reviews out.

2. Boards and Wards: Also a very nice quick cursery review. Great for hammering out a decent read over several days.

3. And probably the best medicine/ pharmacology handbook available... being truly great for both the wards and boards... The Consult Manual of Internal Medicine. I would say that if you use this book during your IM/FP rotation, you will come to find that it covers about 75% of the info tested on Step 2. The remaining is from Peds & Ob-Gyn. I really loved this book, and so recommend it to anyone. Its not to be used as a review book for the exams... but rather a main reference for the wards. Its definately worth checking out.

4. USMLE Step 2 CK: Again... a very nice overall review book from the awesome writers of the First Aid bible for STEP 1. Not as mindblowingly helpful as the Step 1 counterpart... but still great.

Actually, the listing came from a thread I recently started - but seems appropriate for the situation. Good luck!!

 

[Wrigleyville]

First Aid + USMLEWorld is plenty. Boards and Wards for light reading on the train or whatever.

Do you have a strategy or mapped out a schedule? Like two days of Ob, then Neuro, then Peds? I hope you have not been flipping through books and doing questions at random. A bad strategy is better than no strategy.

You should know the vast majority of the information already from your clinical rotations, or at least recognize that you used to know it. CK studying should be a review/refresher. As ErinO said, don't bother with books/references you used on the wards like Washington Manuals, they are useless to you now.

 

[jdig]

thats a good point..
wih 8 days to go i am trying to wrap up world and secrets, my 2 sources. fa was too dry...
i am great at getting it down to 2 choices, then i seem to have a hard time clinching it aaargh..
my last blocks are: ( i count blocks of 100)
49, 53, 48, 46, 50. this is right at 50%.. seems some pass here some dont.
i am trying to stay calm and review my weak are infectious disease (33%!).. i made 100 plus flash cards per the good advice i got

 

[nabeya]

thats a good point..
wih 8 days to go i am trying to wrap up world and secrets, my 2 sources. fa was too dry...
i am great at getting it down to 2 choices, then i seem to have a hard time clinching it aaargh..
my last blocks are: ( i count blocks of 100)
49, 53, 48, 46, 50. this is right at 50%.. seems some pass here some dont.
i am trying to stay calm and review my weak are infectious disease (33%!).. i made 100 plus flash cards per the good advice i got

With those scores on UW, I WOULD NOT take the exam, you are at high risk for failing with those scores, especially with infectious diseases which is one of the easier subcategories on UW. Not trying to scare you, but with those scores, you 'll either not pass or barely pass. It's up to you if you want to go ahead.

 

[scaredtodeath]

With those scores on UW, I WOULD NOT take the exam, you are at high risk for failing with those scores, especially with infectious diseases which is one of the easier subcategories on UW. Not trying to scare you, but with those scores, you 'll either not pass or barely pass. It's up to you if you want to go ahead.

I agree with you nabeya. not trying to discourage you but nabeya is right.

 

[VincentAdultman]

I agree with you nabeya. not trying to discourage you but nabeya is right.

While I don't really buy into the whole "%age as a predictor" thing, you're scores aren't good and I'd try to resched.

 

[jdig]

the funny thing is: my last 6 blocks on world are 52% and i got a 68% on the free 150 from nbme, both of which correlate to a pass on medfriends..
i do very much appreciate your advice.. when i called prometric today they said ck isnt offered the first 2 weeks in january ANYWHERE... huh???
so i think i am going to spend this last week on weak areas and go for it

 

[nabeya]

the funny thing is: my last 6 blocks on world are 52% and i got a 68% on the free 150 from nbme, both of which correlate to a pass on medfriends..
i do very much appreciate your advice.. when i called prometric today they said ck isnt offered the first 2 weeks in january ANYWHERE... huh???
so i think i am going to spend this last week on weak areas and go for it

Those 150 questions on the NBME CD are easy, 68% isn't all that great. Not trying to discourage you, but it's up to you whether you want to postpone it for another month or possibly have to live with a failing score and having to justify it when you go for residency interviews. Good luck.

 

[Wrigleyville]

If you want a better indicator you need to buy one of those 200q tests from NBME. The "free" test is old released questions, and they are notoriously easy.

 

[deleted113029]

If you want a better indicator you need to buy one of those 200q tests from NBME. The "free" test is old released questions, and they are notoriously easy.

Listen to wrigleyville since he did extraordinarily well on the CK. the nbme self-assessment tests are the way to go to see where you are and where you need to be.

nabeya needs to be a little less negative and provide some advice besides "postpone it because your scores suck" "those questions were easy and your scores suck nonetheless"

 

[jdig]

hey guys,
thank you for the advice..
the problem is that i am facing a bit of a deadline here... i have to get this score back in time to scramble if need be, and i have no real time i can use in january (very intense away rotation, last one yay) to study, so its now or never for me...
the scores arent the greatest...i know its a bit of a toss up.
i am afraid of an nbme at this point, if i do poorly it will kill my confidence, and i allready know from world where i am weak.
if i could just convinve my mind to not treat every other bug with 3rd gen ceph or pen i might get id up a notch!
seriously though, thank you all for your advice...
but being that i have to go ahead and take the ck, any advice for these last 6 days? i am 500 q's shy of finishing world, and i had a block of 65% yesterday whew..

 

[VincentAdultman]

hey guys,
thank you for the advice..
the problem is that i am facing a bit of a deadline here... i have to get this score back in time to scramble if need be, and i have no real time i can use in january (very intense away rotation, last one yay) to study, so its now or never for me...
the scores arent the greatest...i know its a bit of a toss up.
i am afraid of an nbme at this point, if i do poorly it will kill my confidence, and i allready know from world where i am weak.
if i could just convinve my mind to not treat every other bug with 3rd gen ceph or pen i might get id up a notch!
seriously though, thank you all for your advice...
but being that i have to go ahead and take the ck, any advice for these last 6 days? i am 500 q's shy of finishing world, and i had a block of 65% yesterday whew..

I found the 150 to be quite accurate, regardless of how easy they were to some. I would still postpone! But if you can't, take these last 6 days and do questions. Actually do nothing BUT questions. You're at the point where reading more won't help you.

Don't bother with the NBME...I agree it will just f@#$ with you.

 

[jdig]

thanks pompacil!
i think you are right, other than trying to iron out a few details (i think one hi yield "chart" for me has been the pt/ptt/bleed times in different heme discorders) and things of that nature..
i am doing all Q's..
thank you so much, worse case is a repeat performance
random scores today are avg 60% for some reason

 

[stillhere]

for what it's worth i also agree with nabeya about not taking the exam if you have low percentages on UW. i took my exam in november and barely passed! i mean barely!! i am soooo embarassed and was depressed for these past couple of days. and guess what my percentages were on UW? the same as yours...i was averaging around 53% but thought that would be enough to get a comfortable score. boy was i wrong!