Hi everyone! I was new to posting a week ago but I, like the rest of us, always creep on these forums for support and insight. Therefore I wanted to write a post about my experience with CK to help out others because others have helped me stay positive.
1. You are not alone
- People are always more likely to write about their success and not their failures because naturally we are embarrassed. I failed CK the first time and I was devastated. I went into the biggest depression, I didnt see it coming at all, I wasnt even worried but then this came out of no where and I was a mess. And one of the hardest parts was thinking all my classmates were moving forward and didn't have to deal with this. But for anyone in my boat, you're not alone! And I completely understand and feel for how hard that is, esp. after you've worked so hard and come so far already. To get something snatched from you in a second, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy,
2. Life's not fair, but you can get through it.
- No matter how sad you feel, you need to keep going. You need to find hope. MLK- "If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all". A big part of that is a solid support system. Reach out to close friends and family and they will be your biggest cheerleaders. Ask friends or siblings in medicine to tutor you, or go over questions together so you can change your way of thinking! The people in your life give you strength and it can definitely be hard to reach out due to fear of judgement but your closest friends are more empathetic and understanding than you think.
3. Your feeling during the test has ZERO (and i mean ZERO) correlation to how you do.
- Okay here's my story...
Take 1: Just finished rotations, did uworld once and then half my incorrects and was scoring in the 70s. Took nbme 6 and got a 223. Took the real test and failed by a few points
Take 2: Used conrad fisher videos, did uworld twice, read MTB2. Did all 3 nbme's and got in the 230's, did UWSA got 242, and reviewed these w/ recent med grads. But still felt nervous since my nbme the first take was so over predictive. Test day: FELT HORRIBLE. I mean i literally cried on one of my breaks. It felt NOTHING like uworld or the nbmes. I marked more than half my answers cause I was so unsure. It was the worst test I had ever taken and with so much riding on a second take, I cant even begin to explain my anxiety. I walked out of there feeling worse than when i found out I failed. It took a month to get my scores back and I was a mess the whole time. It was torture.
Step 2 CK (take 2) score.... 248!!!!!!!!!
Guys, im serious I never in a million years thought I was capable of such a score. I know it's easy to read a lot of posts and be like, wow this person was scoring so high and then felt bad but scored the same they must have psyched themselves out. Or this person is complaining about a score I would have been happy with. I mean i went from both extremes. From the way bottom to a score I would never imagine. From 20 points below my practice tests to 20 points above. I still now dont know how I could have scored that from a test i felt so bad during but I hope that gives insight to others to try their best not to panic.
Sorry that was long, but I am so thankful and grateful and I hope I can help others stay strong the way my family, friends, and random ppl on the internet
have helped me. Please message me if you need anything at all! And the Best of Luck to Everyone!!!
Charlie Day- "People will tell you to do what makes you happy, but all this has been hard work. And I'm not always happy. I don't think you should just do what makes you happy. Do what makes you great. Do what's uncomfortable and scary and hard but pays off in the long run. Be willing to fail. Let yourself fail. Fail in the way and place where you would be proud to fail. Fail and pick yourself up and fail again. Without that struggle, what is your success anyway? You don't have to be fearless just don't let fear stop you."
