USMLE USMLE - Official 2016 Step 2 CK Experiences and Scores Thread

[Trogdor_The_Burninator]

Hello everyone!

With 2016 around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to start this thread and continue the 2015 thread into the new year!

Similar threads from the past have been extremely helpful to me (and I'm sure) and many others.

Good luck to everyone taking Step 2 CK in 2016!

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[chicago235]

I didn't get it last Wednesday . Hoping to get it today. I took the test on Feb. 19th what about you ?

I also took it the 19th! Hoping we get it in the morning :/

 

[Super_Verde]

Studied for 7 weeks
Read MTB step 2CK & the newest edition of first aid both twice.
120 firecracker questions a day.
finished UWORLD at 91% correct
7 weeks out NBME 4-->275
3 weeks out NBME 6--> 269
2 weeks out NBME 7--> 252 (freaked out & felt like I should have taken the real exam sooner. Moved my test up 2 weeks)
4 days out UWORLD self assessment-->265

I felt like the exam was much more difficult then UWORLD & the NBME tests. I felt like I got a 230 on the exam.

Got my score back today 269

 

[Leafcolonel]

Studied for 7 weeks
Read MTB step 2CK & the newest edition of first aid both twice.
120 firecracker questions a day.
finished UWORLD at 91% correct
7 weeks out NBME 4-->275
3 weeks out NBME 6--> 269
2 weeks out NBME 7--> 252 (freaked out & felt like I should have taken the real exam sooner. Moved my test up 2 weeks)
4 days out UWORLD self assessment-->265

I felt like the exam was much more difficult then UWORLD & the NBME tests. I felt like I got a 230 on the exam.

Got my score back today 269

Amazing score. What resources did you use for the clinical rotations?

 

[Plasmatron88]

Congratulation. you did it ... happy for you

Thanks a lot! Wish you good luck as well

 

[VCorp]

Any of you guys use this site for doing questions:

http://www.mudpiles.com/usmle2.php

 

[Lucylu1991]

I didn't get it last Wednesday . Hoping to get it today. I took the test on Feb. 19th what about you ?

Took it on the 24th and got my score last week. It all depends sometimes it takes longer. Do not worry, it will probably come out this week!

 

[blahblah56]

Anyone waiting for scores this Wednesday (3/23)? I took my exam on Feb 29th

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

Took my test March 18th...walked out like WOW...
Questions keep randomly popping in my head. How did everyone else feel after their exam?

 

[blahblah56]

250, higher than nbmes but lower than uwsa

 

[ATypicalLymphocyte]

Studied for 7 weeks
Read MTB step 2CK & the newest edition of first aid both twice.
120 firecracker questions a day.
finished UWORLD at 91% correct
7 weeks out NBME 4-->275
3 weeks out NBME 6--> 269
2 weeks out NBME 7--> 252 (freaked out & felt like I should have taken the real exam sooner. Moved my test up 2 weeks)
4 days out UWORLD self assessment-->265

I felt like the exam was much more difficult then UWORLD & the NBME tests. I felt like I got a 230 on the exam.

Got my score back today 269

How long did you use FC for? How many topics did you mark/flag? Did you find it useful test day? Thanks and congratulations on the awesome score.

 

[WhitMDtobe]

Took my test March 18th...walked out like WOW...
Questions keep randomly popping in my head. How did everyone else feel after their exam?

I took it the same day and felt the EXACT same way; trying not to be nervous! I looked up questions and all smh

 

[stepone2015]

How feasible is it to not use a book resource for CK? I honestly hate using books for shelves so far, and I can't imagine CK will be different.

I have 2 weeks of dedicated plus 2-3 months before that of relaxed rotations. My step 1 was 250, and my CK goal is >260.

I've already almost completed UW through the year, so I'll redo that. I started Kaplan recently and like it. So, I was thinking of trying to do those two and learning them cold. I can probably throw in Emma Ramahi or whatever her name is, plus Online Med Ed.

Is that feasible or should I add in RX?

 

[ru4real1666]

I got a 250-255 on Step 1 and only used UW and got a 260-265 after 3 weeks of studying. I think not using a book is EXTREMELY feasible and to be honest, maybe even recommended. Just UptoDate all guidelines that you become confused on. I was 9 months out from clinics when I took Step 2 so I think UW is all you need.

 

[TheNsg300]

Studied for 7 weeks
Read MTB step 2CK & the newest edition of first aid both twice.
120 firecracker questions a day.
finished UWORLD at 91% correct
7 weeks out NBME 4-->275
3 weeks out NBME 6--> 269
2 weeks out NBME 7--> 252 (freaked out & felt like I should have taken the real exam sooner. Moved my test up 2 weeks)
4 days out UWORLD self assessment-->265

I felt like the exam was much more difficult then UWORLD & the NBME tests. I felt like I got a 230 on the exam.

Got my score back today 269

Well done, mate!!

 

[Super_Verde]

How long did you use FC for? How many topics did you mark/flag? Did you find it useful test day? Thanks and congratulations on the awesome score.

I used Firecracker since my 2nd year. I loved it! I used it for every rotation and marked them as past when I finished the rotation. By the end of my last core I had everything flagged & I had already seen everything numerous times. I thought it was very helpful.

Thanks I studied hard. Good luck to anyone taking that exam.

 

[Super_Verde]

How feasible is it to not use a book resource for CK? I honestly hate using books for shelves so far, and I can't imagine CK will be different.

I have 2 weeks of dedicated plus 2-3 months before that of relaxed rotations. My step 1 was 250, and my CK goal is >260.

I've already almost completed UW through the year, so I'll redo that. I started Kaplan recently and like it. So, I was thinking of trying to do those two and learning them cold. I can probably throw in Emma Ramahi or whatever her name is, plus Online Med Ed.

Is that feasible or should I add in RX?

My close friend just used uworld 2.5 time and made notes from it. He didnt use FA or MTB. Studied for 6 weeks and got a 263. He scored mid-low 70's on all his shelf exams too. So it it completely doable not to use any books.

Avoid RX- it's garbage!

 

[1badvette]

For those who took the exam or currently studying for it , How was pediatric on the exam ? i'm having a hard time with it currently and can not seem to find a good resource .. Onlinemed is ok for Peds , just not sure it's enough and i absolutely hate MTB section for peds .. Thanks

 

[Lidaaaa]

hey guys,

Just took the exam yesterday.
All my blocks were 44 except one that was 42, and the last one had 20..
Overall, its obviously a very long exam, and idk if it was just my luck but atleast 60-70% of my exam were 4-5 lines.
Dont get me wrong it was still pretty tough and there were long stems but definitely doable, i had about 1-2 mins left after each block.
It was similar to UWorld but a little bit more tough.
I took UWSA 4 days before and got 234 so, ill be happy with anything above a 235.

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

I took it the same day and felt the EXACT same way; trying not to be nervous! I looked up questions and all smh

What madness that day was lol. Should we be getting scores this wednesday?

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

250, higher than nbmes but lower than uwsa

Congrats on the great score! How did you feel after you walked out of the exam?

 

[Classof2013PreM]

Sat for the exam on Thursday! Glad to finally get this monkey off my back haha

Study plan:
No dedicated time, but studied on and off for 3 months after finishing clerkships.
UWORLD: finished the qbank at 76% correct first pass, re-did my wrong questions
MTB2: Skimmed this book in the week preceding my exam
UWSA: 258 (4 weeks out)

Step 1: 258

The exam felt comparable to UWORLD, with a lot of questions that I was 50/50 on between two answers! Hopefully the standardized testing gods look kindly upon my guessing haha. Will update when I get my results- hopefully broke the 260 barrier!

 

[Super_Verde]

How long did you use FC for? How many topics did you mark/flag? Did you find it useful test day? Thanks and congratulations on the awesome score.

I used it since my 2nd year. At the start of every rotation I would flag every topic for it & do an average of 120 a day. By the end of my last core I had seen everything a few times. I thought it was very helpful.

Thank!

 

[alks.ocmp]

I swore to myself that I would write my experience after presenting my exam last year but completely forgot. Now I think it would be useless to publish it in the abandoned 2015 one so I hope no one minds if I post my 2015 experience here in 2016.

IMG from Mexico
Presented Step 2 CK before Step 1 (now I´ve already done both)

My prep time was around 6 months of around 4 hours of study 5-6 days a week.
I used Kaplan Lecture Notes first, then First Aid (avoid it, it REALLY sucks), then Master the Boards 2 (Bible!) and lastly Step 2 Secrets. Used UWorld for 2 months and consider it the best tool in the preparation process.

Did no predictive exams (NBME, UWSA) or anything like that because I barely had enough to pay for the exam and UW.

My final score was 252.

My exam impressions: I thought it was way harder than UWorld, my exam questions were super long, sometimes with 2 batches of labs and the question being about what would've happened if X was given at admission. OBGYN was a piece of cake, but IM and Peds were really hard. Interestingly, Psych was my absolute best in UWorld and my absolute worst in the real exam (don´t know why, lol). No issues with time management except on one block that was a Pulm/Cardio nightmare.

 

[1badvette]

Everyone i've talked to in that taken the exam said the same thing .. IM and Peds are the most challenging subjects on exam , OBGYN was a straight forward and everyone ended up scoring the lowest in psychiatry for some reason .

 

[WhitMDtobe]

What madness that day was lol. Should we be getting scores this wednesday?

Yes I think so, and my nerves are SO SHOT! I still am working through questions in my head. Positive thoughts!

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

Yes I think so, and my nerves are SO SHOT! I still am working through questions in my head. Positive thoughts!

I am so nervous too! Do you have any idea what time they're released? I will probably be refreshing my email on my phone all day tomorrow during my rotation.

 

[WhitMDtobe]

I am so nervous too! Do you have any idea what time they're released? I will probably be refreshing my email on my phone all day tomorrow during my rotation.

I believe 11am or 12pm EST?? Not 100% sure on this.

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

I believe 11am or 12pm EST?? Not 100% sure on this.

Oh boy...SO NERVOUS!
Let me know if you get your score and I'll do the same.
Do you know anyone else who took it the same day/week?

 

[WhitMDtobe]

Oh boy...SO NERVOUS!
Let me know if you get your score and I'll do the same.
Do you know anyone else who took it the same day/week?

No, one of my colleagues took it the Monday after us and he is hoping to see it tomorrow (although I told him sounds more like the next wed). We shall see!

 

[SunKissedG8tr]

No, one of my colleagues took it the Monday after us and he is hoping to see it tomorrow (although I told him sounds more like the next wed). We shall see!

From what I hear if you took it on a Weds-Fri you get it in 3 Wednesdays. If Sat-Tues you get it in 4 Wednesdays, so he will probably get it next Weds.

 

[WhitMDtobe]

From what I hear if you took it on a Weds-Fri you get it in 3 Wednesdays. If Sat-Tues you get it in 4 Wednesdays, so he will probably get it next Weds.

Check your email! (Sorry on nights so I have been sleeping lol)

 

[VCorp]

Think I might be in trouble. It's my second time going around it. Finished 18% thus far, and I'm sitting at a 70%.

 

[alks.ocmp]

Did you save your charts from the first time? It might pay off to start working in your weak spots and skim through your strong areas. You seem to be dominating Derm, Infectious and Nervous, so I would start working on the others. It's a bit hard to know where you might be failing though, because having 0% with only one question is not definite. Shape your study schedule after the weak spots, especially if you don't have a lot of time b4 the exam.

 

[plasmodium]

Hi everyone. I recently took step 1 and am beginning rotations in a few weeks. I'm now starting to do a bit of reading about MS3 and step 2 experiences.

Instead of resource overloading, I would like to know one resource very well. I would ideally like to use UWorld + 1 core resource to study for all of the NBME shelf exams and for CK. I was thinking SUTM would be ideal. Could SUTM be used for rotations other than IM? Also, out of curiosity, are there any widely encompassing, text/info-heavy resources similar to RapidReview Pathology by Goljan for MS3? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[MDprodigy]

Hi all,

I've finally written my step 2 CK today. I just wanted to share my experience with you all as I have noticed not many follow through with their experiences and advice

Total prep time: 3months and a half
Around 7 hours of study daily
Resources used:
UWORLD
First round percentage: 61%
Second round percentage: 80%
Kaplan qbank: signed up, did 50 questions and realised it's useless
First Aid CK:annotated from uw

My Nbme scores were all over the place: 1 each week till exam
Form 4: 210
Form 3: 185
Form 6: 233
Form 7: 223
UWSA: 244

I'm not really sure what to take from all this
The exam was quiet hard, I don't think my three month preparation actually benefited me much. I've always been an average student anyways and i would need significant amount of time compared to other others
Ill be posting back when i get my scored

Good luck



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[kenjixshadow]

x

 

[dfib slim]

Any advice would be appreciated!

UWorld and OnlineMedEd for all rotations and;

Family Med: Case Files, free AAFP questions, UVa clerkship questions, ambulatory care section of SUTM
Internal Med: SUTM and MKSAP
Peds: Case Files and Pre Test
Neuro: Blueprints and SUTM
Psych: First Aid for the Psych Clerkship
OB/GYN: Case Files and APGO uWISE
Surgery: Pestana's

For Step 2 CK, UWorld again with some NBMEs sprinkled in. Some add in MTB2/3 but I don't plan on it. Not taking CK until July but have been killing the shelves with this set-up.

 

[pd1112]

UWorld and OnlineMedEd for all rotations and;

Family Med: Case Files, free AAFP questions, UVa clerkship questions, ambulatory care section of SUTM
Internal Med: SUTM and MKSAP
Peds: Case Files and Pre Test
Neuro: Blueprints and SUTM
Psych: First Aid for the Psych Clerkship
OB/GYN: Case Files and APGO uWISE
Surgery: Pestana's

For Step 2 CK, UWorld again with some NBMEs sprinkled in. Some add in MTB2/3 but I don't plan on it. Not taking CK until July but have been killing the shelves with this set-up.

This. Sticky & auto-reply to 95% of the threads/posts/questions in Step 2 & Clinical Rotation forums. / end thread / end both forums

 

[mer20]

Hey guys, got my results today. Please any recommendations for how to prepare? Did a lot of UWSA, First aid and some kaplan.
Thank you

 

[LightHouse123]

What do you guys mean by the test was hard?

Is it that you hadn't seen the material before?

The questions pushed to a deeper level of a topic you already knew?

For the 50-50 questions, was it because they were details you didn't bother/have time to master?

 

[zrg56]

Hi everyone! I took my test on April 4, my scheduling permit did not dissapeared yet. I don't know if I will get my score tomorrow or the next week.

 

[pd1112]

Hi everyone! I took my test on April 4, my scheduling permit did not dissapeared yet. I don't know if I will get my score tomorrow or the next week.

Ok


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[zrg56]

hey guys,

Just took the exam yesterday.
All my blocks were 44 except one that was 42, and the last one had 20..
Overall, its obviously a very long exam, and idk if it was just my luck but atleast 60-70% of my exam were 4-5 lines.
Dont get me wrong it was still pretty tough and there were long stems but definitely doable, i had about 1-2 mins left after each block.
It was similar to UWorld but a little bit more tough.
I took UWSA 4 days before and got 234 so, ill be happy with anything above a 235.

Hi! Did your scheduling permit dissapeared?

 

[doxorubicin10]

Hey guys I'm in a dire need of your help so please read my situation and give me your thoughts.

Basically I'm an IMG and far as how smart I am average person that being said I tend to take a little longer than the usual medical student to prepare.

Step 1: 205
Now preparing for step 2 ck hoping to redeem my self some how but my assessments are not helping .

Started November 2015 and used MTB 2,3 and Yale. Read most of usmle secrets.

Uworld : first time got 56% and second time got 69%
Kaplan: about 60% completed 50% of qbank
UsmleRx: around 60% completed 50% of qbank
Usmle Rx simulations: 213, 227, 229
Nbme 3: 160 took it at the beginning Jan 2016
Nbme 4: 180 end of Jan 2016
Nbme 6: 204 March 2016
Nbme 7: 206 April 2016
Nbme 4: 221 took it again cause I ran out of
assessment and I never reviewed it
Clinical Masters:
- IM 1: 74%; IM2: 68%; IM 3: 72%
- Ob1: 70%; Ob2: 62%; Ob 3: 54%
- Peds1: 58%; Peds3: 56%; Peds4: 62%
- surgery 4: 59%
Uworld simulation: 214 yesterday
Free 130 is set for tomorrow

I'm just hoping to get 220+ and my exam is next week. I'm just afraid that I'm so close to boarder line with Uworld simulation and everyone saying it's so accurate one wrong mistake I can fail. So basically what I'm asking is what do you guys thing I feel I used up all my resources and don't know what more to do. Also does the free 130 have any correlation? Basically would I at least pass considering the position I am in right now ?


If I was to take the exam I was planning on going through Uworld incorrects and just reviewing my notes.

 

[Nabin]

Hey guys I'm in a dire need of your help so please read my situation and give me your thoughts.

Basically I'm an IMG and far as how smart I am average person that being said I tend to take a little longer than the usual medical student to prepare.

Step 1: 205
Now preparing for step 2 ck hoping to redeem my self some how but my assessments are not helping .

Started November 2015 and used MTB 2,3 and Yale. Read most of usmle secrets.

Uworld : first time got 56% and second time got 69%
Kaplan: about 60% completed 50% of qbank
UsmleRx: around 60% completed 50% of qbank
Usmle Rx simulations: 213, 227, 229
Nbme 3: 160 took it at the beginning Jan 2016
Nbme 4: 180 end of Jan 2016
Nbme 6: 204 March 2016
Nbme 7: 206 April 2016
Nbme 4: 221 took it again cause I ran out of
assessment and I never reviewed it
Clinical Masters:
- IM 1: 74%; IM2: 68%; IM 3: 72%
- Ob1: 70%; Ob2: 62%; Ob 3: 54%
- Peds1: 58%; Peds3: 56%; Peds4: 62%
- surgery 4: 59%
Uworld simulation: 214 yesterday
Free 130 is set for tomorrow

I'm just hoping to get 220+ and my exam is next week. I'm just afraid that I'm so close to boarder line with Uworld simulation and everyone saying it's so accurate one wrong mistake I can fail. So basically what I'm asking is what do you guys thing I feel I used up all my resources and don't know what more to do. Also does the free 130 have any correlation? Basically would I at least pass considering the position I am in right now ?


If I was to take the exam I was planning on going through Uworld incorrects and just reviewing my notes.

The only thing that concerned me here is it seems you've spent a lot of time using all those resources and assessments, have you worked on the areas which showed you were weak on? First time UW averages and UWSA seems to have predicted accurate scores more or less. I am stating that based on my experience and those of which I've read here. Borderline passing can be risky for CK. Its better to be in a safer margin than that before giving the exam. If I were you, I'd just use UW and understand inside out the concepts that I am lacking. UW covers pretty much everything needed for the exam if you do it the right way. By that I mean, trying to use less resources but doing them really well. That was the lesson I learnt from step 1 and applying that in CK helped me prepare in a shorter time but more efficiently. Try to understand what mistakes you're making and why you're making them. This exam is totally different to step 1. You need to make a lot of choices based on instincts. You can either develop that with a lot of clinical experience or by understanding the pattern of mistakes you're making. Is it down to the content of the subject? Is it because you overthought? Is it because you considered doing something invasive when a simple bedside procedure would have been a good start.

Just know that clinical practice should be simple, at least on our level. And that's what the board expects from us. They want us to take simple choices, cheaper choices, try to figure out if something is life-threatening and requires immediate intervention. I am not trying to be a lecturer here. From my experience, I felt the exam cannot be prepared just by going through books. You need to develop that instinct to make simple, sensible and common sense choices. You have to imagine yourself in a clinical setting and ask yourself whether you'd really put that patient through. I am sure you already know that, just trying to reinforce it onto you. Those assessments are pretty accurate in telling where our knowledge stands. You just need to know what to work on. I don't think it would be a wise idea to dwell on the borderline. CK can be tricky if you fail to make simple choices or fail to trust your instincts. Only you can teach that to yourself by training your mind using UW the right way.

 

[you.old]

Took my test yesterday.

Med School: IMG
Step 1: 267
Preparation time: ~ 5 months

Resources: UW twice (83% => 95%), UTD for reference. MTB/Secrets/Kaplan here and there. MKSAP 16 - Did around 200 questions. Not really a Step 2 CK stuff. Firecracker in the first couple of months to get things started.

Assessments:
NBME 3 (1.5 months out) = 273
NBME 4 (1 week out) = NBME 6 (2 months out) = 271
NBME 7 (3 weeks out) = 260
UWSA (2 weeks out) = 265+
Fred (2 months out) = 93%

Feelings after the exam: I felt like "all the rumors were true". Vague questions - check; Double diagnoses - check; Long stems - not really (more like UW and Fred); Time issues - check (didn't have spare time to go through marked questions in almost any block); Mentally draining - check; WTF feeling after the exam - totally. Apart from this, the content was like that of UW. It's just that some of the questions are twisted to the extreme.

Anything I could have done differently: Not really. I focused on UW which is the best resource for preparation. I used UTD which is the most convincing reference.

Felt a bit relieved after looking at experiences of some high scorers that this is a common feeling. Just hoping that I didn't mess things on the big day.
But the fun part is -- no more studies (at least for now)

 

[zrg56]

Hi! Did your scheduling permit dissapeared?

I didn't receive my score today Did you receive yours?

 

[zrg56]

hey guys,

Just took the exam yesterday.
All my blocks were 44 except one that was 42, and the last one had 20..
Overall, its obviously a very long exam, and idk if it was just my luck but atleast 60-70% of my exam were 4-5 lines.
Dont get me wrong it was still pretty tough and there were long stems but definitely doable, i had about 1-2 mins left after each block.
It was similar to UWorld but a little bit more tough.
I took UWSA 4 days before and got 234 so, ill be happy with anything above a 235.

Did you receive your score today? I didn't receive it

 

[SoneSNSD]

I got mine: 246. I take it.
My test was on March 31st.

 

[zrg56]

I got mine: 246. I take it.
My test was on March 31st.

Congratulations on your great score! I guess I will receive mine next wednesday!