Rx question bank (aka USMLE Rx Step 2 CK Qmax)

[Polymyxin]

What do people think of the Rx question bank for step 2 (not as a substitute, but to use in addition to UWorld)? A lot of people (myself included) used/recommend Rx for step 1, but I haven't heard much about it for step 2.

Thoughts?

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[res1cue]

of all non-uworld qbanks i liked it the best

 

[ketosisevangelist]

Medium and Hard only on Rx is demoralizing.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I loved it for Step 1, I found it to be absolutely trash for Step 2. Most of the questions are just recycled Step 1 questions, many questions feel like quick "one-liners" also they don't allow a refund after 10 days of purchase whether you used 10 questions or 100.

 

[Polymyxin]

So, is Kaplan better than Rx as a secondary Q-Bank (in addition to UWorld)?

 

[Modeselektor]

Medium and Hard only on Rx is demoralizing.

hahah yeah, but boy does it make uworld seems like a cakewalk when you come back.

 

[Polymyxin]

hahah yeah, but boy does it make uworld seems like a cakewalk when you come back.

So, do you think Rx is worth doing in addition to UWorld for step 2? I completed Rx for Step 1 (before UWorld) and it was a tremendous help in terms of approaching UWorld later. I now want to do the same for Step 2. For those who used/using Rx for Step 2...is it high quality enough?

 

[Modeselektor]

.

 

[Modeselektor]

So, do you think Rx is worth doing in addition to UWorld for step 2? I completed Rx for Step 1 (before UWorld) and it was a tremendous help in terms of approaching UWorld later. I now want to do the same for Step 2. For those who used/using Rx for Step 2...is it high quality enough?

It's allright, but from what I've seen most people do well enough with Uworld. The problem with step 2 is that different resources have different answers for the same question. Questions on screening for instance are different everywhere. This makes it hard to recommend a resource. In my opinion Rx is a decent supplemental qbank to Uworld, but take your errors with a grain of salt, and look up the answers on something like up to date.

 

[Bagheera]

I did use it but it wasnt useful at all.

 

[Polymyxin]

I guess I have to approach Step 2 differently (than step 1). A lot of people used 2 qbanks for step 1 (UWorld + Rx). But, it seems like most people just use UWorld for step 2...is that what you guys have seen too?

 

[1dayatatime]

Bump. What's the avg for step 2ck ppl who matched successfully nationwide (like 227 for step 1)? Should I get another qbank if I'm trying to score 250+?

 

[Phloston]

I loved it for Step 1, I found it to be absolutely trash for Step 2. Most of the questions are just recycled Step 1 questions, many questions feel like quick "one-liners" also they don't allow a refund after 10 days of purchase whether you used 10 questions or 100.

I agree that the quality of Rx for Step 1 is > than it is for Step 2, but I wouldn't call the Step 2 QBank trash. The reason I say that is because having seen how bad Kaplan was after finishing Rx, Rx didn't seem bad at all. I would call Kaplan trash quite honestly.

It's just the nature of things that Step 2 resources aren't quite as good as those for Step 1, and much of that is because most of people's hysteria is around Step 1.

 

[CaliAtenza]

I agree that the quality of Rx for Step 1 is > than it is for Step 2, but I wouldn't call the Step 2 QBank trash. The reason I say that is because having seen how bad Kaplan was after finishing Rx, Rx didn't seem bad at all. I would call Kaplan trash quite honestly.

It's just the nature of things that Step 2 resources aren't quite as good as those for Step 1, and much of that is because most of people's hysteria is around Step 1.

I'll second you on that. In fact RX isn't trash at all; it was pretty decent. It can't really hold a candle to Uworld, but its another good source of questions. I did it mainly to just have another 2000 plus questions under my belt. I didn't read the explanations really. The only thing with RX is that it forces you to know all of FA (I couldn't remember everything in that book lol), and for those not using it, they might be thrown off by some of the questions. I'm not sure how often RX gets updated either, as UWorld is constantly being updated.

 

[Phloston]

I'll second you on that. In fact RX isn't trash at all; it was pretty decent. It can't really hold a candle to Uworld, but its another good source of questions. I did it mainly to just have another 2000 plus questions under my belt. I didn't read the explanations really. The only thing with RX is that it forces you to know all of FA (I couldn't remember everything in that book lol), and for those not using it, they might be thrown off by some of the questions. I'm not sure how often RX gets updated either, as UWorld is constantly being updated.

I've just started as an editor for Rx for Step 1. I can comment that we're not deliberately trying to follow the FA text with the questions as much as merely link good page numbers there for helpful studying. I think if UWorld started linking FA page numbers to their explanations then it would look like they're following FA as well. In terms of reviewing/updating questions, this is done by teams throughout the year, and each question receives layers of review before changes are implemented (so if one person thinks a change should be made it always needs to be corroborated with updated sources and confirmed by multiple people). I actually brought it up at the last editorial meeting about citing at the end of the Rx explanations the dates the questions are last reviewed/updated, so that students can be confident things are always looked at. That's more of a technical-type issue but is something Rx will move to.

 

[Enzymes]

I have found both Kaplan and Rx for Step 2 to be very helpful for shelf exams...they cover much more content than UWorld. Sure, there are a ton of easy questions. I still think both qbanks are worth it. Maybe people just don't care as much about Step 2? Probably.