ALL GLORY BE TO ALLAH
ALHUMDULILLAH
USMLE STEP 2 CK EXPERIENCE:
SHAHZAD WAQAS MUNAZZAM: 263
REHMAN MEDICAL COLLEGE,PESHAWAR
PAKISTAN
EXAM SCORE: 263 EXAM DAY: 6-FEB-2020
Indeed Allah sees everything !!! It has been awhile since i have my result, just needed some time to pen it down, due to ongoing Residency in Pandemic,Laziness and no motivation its really hard to write anything. Alhumdulillah the good news was doubled for me with getting the visa in just 10 days whole process amongst the entire obvious Chaos. Hope you folks are safe and sound in your homes in this ever emerging crisis. PayBack Time to return to this group,got alot of help from such platforms. Keep up the good work so that everyone in the same phase gets benefited.
SOURCES USED:
1.U World online (did it 2 times, twice mcqs and explanations once only).
2. MTB step 2 ck on and off, did not finish it completely, Kaplan was low yield so skipped it
3. A few CMS forms offline average 80%. Low yield as a whole. Do it Only if you have time to spare.
4. FA step 1 ( just did an overview)
5. NBMEs and UWSAs.
TIME FRAME:
Duration of dedicated study. Around 4-5 Months.
NBMEs:
Nbme 1 offline: 226 (Start of Prep)
Nbme 4 offline: 236 (1 month before exam)
Nbme 6 offline: 253 (3 weeks before exam)
Nbme 7 offline: 252 (2 weeks before exam)
UWSA Assessment:
UWSA 1 online: 261 (1 week before exam)
UWSA 2 online: 260 ( 2 days before exam)
Exam score: 263 MashAllah
PREPARATION PHASE:
I started my preparation with kaplan books and videos quite early but I was not consistent with the books,although i did a finish a few subjects, was not satisfied with them, it was not how i should have studied and they turned out to be quite low yield along with MTB as they lacked updated knowledge and many topics were deficient so i skipped these two courselines and started doing U World. Had taken a lot of breaks in between which i should not have, even left it quite a number of times.
- U WORLD ONLINE:
You need only and only Uworld for the exam. Provided your basics are strong thats a given!!! Otherwise you need to go back and review your background knowledge
I did my step 1 back in final year. So for me i had almost forgotten most of the basics from step 1. But I was lucky that i knew the Step 1 material that were tested on my CK.
On my First Go of UWorld i got almost 76%in untimed mode subjectwise. Took me 3 months tops, as my speed was dead slow, i was super lazy,had training going on. some days i would not even do a single question. I took a one month leave, THAT was the Game changer for me and prepare myself for my exam. (I am really really Thankful to my Two Collagues who upon my simple asking agreed at once without thinking to be my substitutes and do my duties in the meantime.)
On Second go of UWorld which i did in last month i got around 90% in timed mode subject wise. (Took me 3 weeks almost).
I highlighted alot of points in my first go but didnt go through them in second go due to shortage of time to look for them all so I just went through the whole Uw altogether thereby revising questions and concepts. I did not read the explanations for second time except for those i picked incorrect.
2.CMS:
Did a few old forms.Got around 80% average.
Not Reflective of actual exam AT ALL.
3.NBMEs:
Must do nbmes. They are really good source for self assessment .i did offline. Did not take NBME 8 or Fred exam.
4.UWSA:
For step 2 ck they have more predictive value than NBMEs which had more weightage in step 1. But its not a hard and fast rule as i had seen quite a number of aspirants whos figures did not match with their UWSA scores.
MY STEP 2 CK EXAM:
Exam was very tough, Very Long stems and More closely resembled UWorld .It wont make sense to you , I did not know how my exam went when i came out of centre. It was terrible!!!
- Time will be short, doesn’t matter how fast you are so be on your toes, get done with as many questions in first go as you can.
- Step 1 is heavily tested even on CK . I had quite a number of items directly from Step 1 which i ironically remembered and was able to answer conveniently while rest had the basic knowledge touch one would need to answer step 2 questions.
- Exam is a 9 Freaking Hour exhausting torture,manage your break time wisely
- Exam wont make sense to you that the answers you pick are right or wrong . Happens to everyone . You will feel like you screwed it up.
- My exam did not start well , the stems were very different from Q banks and self assessments but it ended quite well The farther the exam progressed i miraculously became more and more accustomed to the test items and was able to solve them in first go. When the exam ended i was not exhausted at all . I was kind of relieved with a lot of stamina left as i had been preparing myself for this day all this time.
EXAM PATTERN.
Alot of ECGs were on my exam i would sayatleast 1 in each block
1 or 2 short clips
BS and ethics portion was average and okayish .
There were not as many graphs as in step 1 but more radioimages and scans.
Surgical items were easy for me as it is my field so i was doing quite well on those items
I tried to do as many questions in first go as i could as time was really short ,items really long, hardly if any time was left for second read and review of questions.
Major chunk of exam was build on concepts, the preparation of CK is easy but the exam itself is more tougher although doable
MY MISTAKES.
I took a lot of breaks and was not consistent, did not study at all or the little i did was not up to the mark.Although the course is easy enough to be done in around 4-5 months but with pure dedication and one needs to to be done with these as early as possible. If you do not waste your time. It can be done in a very convenient fashion in a short period of time.
MY ADVICE TO YOU.
This is JUST an exam ,study and work smart for it,Get the Residency do your best to achieve it BUT Do not settle for it. This is ALL materialistic approach like many others. Your own home countries need you more than what your aiming for especially NOW.Do not deviate from your goals and aims due to diversions and distractions know yourself, get your resources and plans in order, work and implement, just do them and show the world your results. Its a very mean and nasty world, it does not matter how good or tough you are,it will make you suffer and keep you there if you let it, do not be a fool, Follow your instincts and practice them, be different than the crowd. Do not go for materialistic wordly assets . Ten rupees earned the right way are better than millions you make by corruption. DO NOT GIVE UP, the moment you give up on something, its over, everyone at some point feels like giving up, its the endurance after reaching the breaking point that helps you grow. I would not have done anything if i had listened to others or had given up when i wanted to.People will give up on you thats human nature .Be consistent, do not deviate from your courseline and use limited and high yield sources in such a manner that you revise them as well in the planned time period.
On a major note though , i never liked the medical personnel but this is the time to value your profession,know where you stand,when no one is supposed to be outside,supposed to be sitting at home, we are on jobs, we are supposed to be on our posts delivering our routine services on the Frontline With Masks that are a far cry from Personal Protective Kits. THIS is what Matters!!!
At the End, Folks this is an Exam, do it for your own gain of Knowledge, the course material is the Best in World and Standardized,well written, up to dated, apply it on your patients and implement that knowledge. Feel and Value the True Essence of Medicine as there is nothing more satisfying and filling as taking away someones pain and saving a patient Life.You all will be well aware of it especially now.
If anyone has any Querries what so ever. Let me Know
Kindly remember me in your Prayers always.
Best Regards!!!
MashAllah MashAllah MashAllah MashAllah.