How to get a 240+ on step 2?

[jhu1]

how can someone prepare himself to get a 240 + on step 2? how long to study? what books to study? what question banks?

People that have got 240+ please advice me ... I appreciate that

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[OveractiveBrain]

Oh, I will advice you.

(1) The verb to advise is spelled with an s. Advice is something you give. Advise is the action of giving advice

(2) Go to http://www.google.com Type in "Step 2 Kaplan BitTorrent" download torrent

(3) Download and install Bittorrent or other Torrent program. Open torrent from step 2 in this torrent

(4) Wait 1 week while it downloads.

(5) Watch all the Kaplan Videos (~200 hrs) twice.

(6) Read First Aid CK 27 times. Not 25, not 26, not 28. 27.

(7) Do All of UWorld. If you want to do two Qbanks (which is not necessary) do Kaplan first, then UWorld.

This will guarentee you get a 240+. If you are a smart person instead of a numb minded medical school memorizer, it might even push you above 260. This would take about 9 weeks to do if you crammed it. Spread the videos over your clerkships and you can stroke the bot like it is your job.

P.S. Pirating of copyrighted material is not only wrong, it is ilegal. Unless of course you live outside the United States. Then its just wrong, not ilegal. You sound like an FMG (none of this "international" crap, FMG, just like the FNG), so you should be legally free to do as you please.


PPS Barring that, read First Aid 100 times. Memorize every word. Then do UWorld. That should put you at 230+

PPPS Also, it doesnt hurt to be a genius from birth.

 

[Guyton Killah]

Oh, I will advice you.

(1) The verb to advise is spelled with an s. Advice is something you give. Advise is the action of giving advice

(2) Go to http://www.google.com Type in "Step 2 Kaplan BitTorrent" download torrent

(3) Download and install Bittorrent or other Torrent program. Open torrent from step 2 in this torrent

(4) Wait 1 week while it downloads.

(5) Watch all the Kaplan Videos (~200 hrs) twice.

(6) Read First Aid CK 27 times. Not 25, not 26, not 28. 27.

(7) Do All of UWorld. If you want to do two Qbanks (which is not necessary) do Kaplan first, then UWorld.

This will guarentee you get a 240+. If you are a smart person instead of a numb minded medical school memorizer, it might even push you above 260. This would take about 9 weeks to do if you crammed it. Spread the videos over your clerkships and you can stroke the bot like it is your job.

P.S. Pirating of copyrighted material is not only wrong, it is ilegal. Unless of course you live outside the United States. Then its just wrong, not ilegal. You sound like an FMG (none of this "international" crap, FMG, just like the FNG), so you should be legally free to do as you please.


PPS Barring that, read First Aid 100 times. Memorize every word. Then do UWorld. That should put you at 230+

PPPS Also, it doesnt hurt to be a genius from birth.

Dr House

 

[Saladin MD]

Oh, I will advice you.

(1) The verb to advise is spelled with an s. Advice is something you give. Advise is the action of giving advice

(2) Go to http://www.google.com Type in "Step 2 Kaplan BitTorrent" download torrent

(3) Download and install Bittorrent or other Torrent program. Open torrent from step 2 in this torrent

(4) Wait 1 week while it downloads.

(5) Watch all the Kaplan Videos (~200 hrs) twice.

(6) Read First Aid CK 27 times. Not 25, not 26, not 28. 27.

(7) Do All of UWorld. If you want to do two Qbanks (which is not necessary) do Kaplan first, then UWorld.

This will guarentee you get a 240+. If you are a smart person instead of a numb minded medical school memorizer, it might even push you above 260. This would take about 9 weeks to do if you crammed it. Spread the videos over your clerkships and you can stroke the bot like it is your job.

P.S. Pirating of copyrighted material is not only wrong, it is ilegal. Unless of course you live outside the United States. Then its just wrong, not ilegal. You sound like an FMG (none of this "international" crap, FMG, just like the FNG), so you should be legally free to do as you please.


PPS Barring that, read First Aid 100 times. Memorize every word. Then do UWorld. That should put you at 230+

PPPS Also, it doesnt hurt to be a genius from birth.

What a pissy response. What's funny is that you criticized the OP for using "advice" instead of "advise" when you yourself incorrectly spelled the word "illegal" not just once but twice (which makes me think it is not a typo). I'm usually not one to nitpick on spelling mistakes online since it's just a forum, but yeah it is a bit ironic in this context since you're busting someone else's balls for the same thing.

The OP asked a question. Answer it or move along.

To the OP: I haven't received my score yet, but I took two NBME practice exams and was scoring above 240, so I'll tell you what I did...

I read Secrets, then First Aid (FA), then UWorld which I did once fully, highlighting a good portion of it as I went, and then I reread my highlights and made some notes, and finally read my notes again...So it was kind of like three passes over Uworld (once actually doing the questions, a second time reading my highlights, and the third time reading my notes from the highlights)...I thought that worked out really well.

For the record, I read Secrets about three times (really small book), and FA I did once or twice (one solid read cover to cover and then a second more selective reading of it...you can count that as one or two reads.)

Anyways, I thought this recipe worked out really well. I got a pretty mediocre (decent but "nothing to write home about") step 1 score, so I am hoping I improved with Step 2. I did well on the practice exams but who knows if it will translate to success on the real thing. I hope it does.

All the best.

 

[stiffany]

What a pissy response. What's funny is that you criticized the OP for using "advice" instead of "advise" when you yourself incorrectly spelled the word "illegal" not just once but twice (which makes me think it is not a typo). I'm usually not one to nitpick on spelling mistakes online since it's just a forum, but yeah it is a bit ironic in this context since you're busting someone else's balls for the same thing.

The OP asked a question. Answer it or move along.

To the OP: I haven't received my score yet, but I took two NBME practice exams and was scoring above 240, so I'll tell you what I did...

I read Secrets, then First Aid (FA), then UWorld which I did once fully, highlighting a good portion of it as I went, and then I reread my highlights and made some notes, and finally read my notes again...So it was kind of like three passes over Uworld (once actually doing the questions, a second time reading my highlights, and the third time reading my notes from the highlights)...I thought that worked out really well.

For the record, I read Secrets about three times (really small book), and FA I did once or twice (one solid read cover to cover and then a second more selective reading of it...you can count that as one or two reads.)

Anyways, I thought this recipe worked out really well. I got a pretty mediocre (decent but "nothing to write home about") step 1 score, so I am hoping I improved with Step 2. I did well on the practice exams but who knows if it will translate to success on the real thing. I hope it does.

All the best.

Saladin, how long did all of that take?

 

[Saladin MD]

Saladin, how long did all of that take?

I actually had huge delays getting a date for the exam because my application initially got rejected (long story)...So I ended up having to wait for a couple months to finally get everything cleared...As soon as I got my license to take the exam, I just took the next available date...

Anyways, the point is: I had tons of time because of that, and so I just studied lightly but consistently during it all. I started in mid-September and took the exam at the beginning of December...Whatever that comes out to.

I initially had planned on a Step 2 blitzkrieg haha, but fate had another plan...The Russian winter slowed down my step 2 tanks...In any case, I think it worked out for the best because the added time I think really helped...I felt very confident during the exam, and there were no regrets (as in "if only I had studied such-and-such!")...I hope my Step 2 result is similar to the practice exams (or ideally a few points higher)...

(Just so I don't leave out anything: I did read Secrets last year one time and do 40% of UWorld then...I took an NBME practice exam, did horrible, and then scrapped the plan to take the Step 2 last year...I got the equivalent of a 79 on the practice exam back then...so Secrets was pretty good in the sense that you can read it and at least pass the test! But anyways, I didn't want a 79 so I just decided to postpone my plans to take the Step 2 for after I graduated medical school...I'm an IMG by the way.)

 

[FreakofMeds]

~

 

[hj0517]

OveractiveBrain - mate wow, your parents must be darn proud of producing a lovely little troglodyte.

And since this seems to be some sort of grammar lesson, before you run off all excited because I called you mate and you can FINALLY tell someone you made a friend, note my tone.

 

[tfom08]

I am a US Allo student, and I recommend Kaplan books if you have time to read them. Honestly, I found skimming those to be helpful compared to just doing UWorld questions. I studied for 3.5 weeks while taking a light elective and didn't have trouble getting through Kaplan Peds and Ob/Gyn (used Step Up for IM). I thought they were actually pretty light reading, and I like the full prose compared to looking at nothing but bullet points and tables. UWorld is still the key resource though.

 

[peace zealot]

Do you people think that it's worth using "Step up to Medicine" in step 2 CK prep?

 

[Saladin MD]

I honestly don't like Kaplan books at all, and don't recommend them. But that's just me. I thought FA was still solid for step 2...not as biblical as it was for step 1, but still good.

Peace Zealot, I love your user name. I'm also a peace monger.

 

[IM Substance P]

I glanced through Step Up to Medicine, and it's not all that special.

Crush Step 2 is a decent road map for CK studying. I also liked this Deja Review book I got from Amazon for a good price.

Honestly, I only used a three-month subscription to USMLEWorld that I completed while on a couple of lighter rotations in third year. It was the perfect review for Step 2, and I scored 240+ (by a lot).

The key to CK studying is being wise in your third year studying. You should highlight things in your Pretest and Blueprints books judiciously so you can re-use the guide later and actually just review the highlights.

 

[peace zealot]

So the only key is to do well with USMLE World.
@ Saladin MD
Thanks

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

What's y'all's take on this book? Looks solid to me but wanted to run this by you guys ...

http://www.amazon.com/Passing-USMLE...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260477749&sr=8-2

Thanks!

 

[Saladin MD]

What's y'all's take on this book? Looks solid to me but wanted to run this by you guys ...

http://www.amazon.com/Passing-USMLE...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260477749&sr=8-2

Thanks!

Has a pretty underachiever title to it, lol. What happened to CRUSHING the boards.

 

[Cerberus]

What it takes to get a 240+ on Step II just depends on the test taker. How much you retained from M3 clerkships. How well you did on Step I. How well you take tests. I think the backbone to any study plan should be USMLE World (Full Disclosure, I don't get any kickbacks from them, although I should). Do the questions, read and understand the answers, use it to identify your weaknesses. I personally just read through Crush Step II and then did UW questions with the rest of my time.

 

[eviljafar]

World is really really great prep. for Step 2 ck especially if you haven't already been using it all year (I bought the 1 year subscription). I was able to get a good score (much higher than 240 but not super insane) by spending 3 weeks on usmle world alone. I seriously used no other source at ALL--this worried me about a week before the test- but in hindsight I'm glad I used nothing else. I think it would be wise to repeat the questions you got wrong in the final days before the test. I'm a US med. student who did well on the core clerkships (not sure if that might affect some taking my advice).

 

[badgerred]

My experience is that the review books particularly First Aid and Crush Step 2/Secrets teach you what you already know. I can see how those books are informative if you've never taken shelf exams or done any rotations but when I read those books, it doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know. They just teach the basics and to do well on Step 2, you have to have knowledge that goes beyond the basics. This is why I recommend Kaplan because they are comprehensive sources of information and on these exams, you will not get lucky enough to be asked something as basic as "chest pain radiating to the back, CXRAY was clear, patient has hypertension" what does he have...aortic dissection! Sorry but that's how review books are written and you will only occasionaly get gifts like that. Case in point, none of the review books go into detail about specific types of breast cancer and what to do in each case. They do a poor job of explaining how to approach and manage cervical cancers (ASCUS, LSIL, HSIL and age of women who have them). These books are not going to explain the subtle difference between acute hepatic failure and fulminant hepatic failure. None of thus books explain the differences between testicular cancer, testicular torsion, torsion of the appendage, epidydimitis, hydrocele and varicocele and the first diagnostic step and management in each case. I'm not suggesting these books don't include any of these items; they include some of these item and ignore others. I could provide other examples but these immediately came to mind. In my experience the only sources that covesr this type of information is USMLE WORLD and the Kaplan books. And I recommend UW over the Kaplan books but in terms of having a comprehensive source in a book form, I recommend Kaplan.

With all that said, I understand the need to be practical. If you have only 3-4 weeks to study, I recommend USMLE Secrets and UW. But if you have time to study (3 months +) or are just starting 3rd year, I think Kaplan and UW is the way to go. I'm a big fan of Saladin's post and agree with his approach. I am not really disagreeing with him aside from our opinion about Kaplan text books. I think if you can read Secrets 3 times and get through UW twice (or once if you have a great memory), that's all you need to do well. I'm just providing advice for a person with the ideal situation (just started 3rd year and has time to study) In that case I recommend Kaplan but I will admit they are long and occuply over 1000 pages of reading so I wouldn't recommend them for people who have little times to study (less than 2 months) - good luck friends

 

[Cerberus]

My experience is that the review books particularly First Aid and Crush Step 2/Secrets teach you what you already know. I can see how those books are informative if you've never taken shelf exams or done any rotations but when I read those books, it doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know. They just teach the basics and to do well on Step 2, you have to have knowledge that goes beyond the basics. This is why I recommend Kaplan because they are comprehensive sources of information and on these exams, you will not get lucky enough to be asked something as basic as "chest pain radiating to the back, CXRAY was clear, patient has hypertension" what does he have...aortic dissection! Sorry but that's how review books are written and you will only occasionaly get gifts like that. Case in point, none of the review books go into detail about specific types of breast cancer and what to do in each case. They do a poor job of explaining how to approach and manage cervical cancers (ASCUS, LSIL, HSIL and age of women who have them). These books are not going to explain the subtle difference between acute hepatic failure and fulminant hepatic failure. None of thus books explain the differences between testicular cancer, testicular torsion, torsion of the appendage, epidydimitis, hydrocele and varicocele and the first diagnostic step and management in each case. I'm not suggesting these books don't these items at all; they include some of these item and ignore others. I could provide other examples but these immediately came to mind. In my experience the only sources that cover this type of information is USMLE WORLD and the Kaplan books.

I agree, but unless you are an IMG/FMG with a lot of time to study for STEP II, I would stick with UW as it is more than adequit in preparing for the stuff not covered in the review books.

 

[rumpelforeskin]

Look I was basically falling asleep on the exam and finishing blocks with more than 20 mins left in each. The exam isnt hard.

Dont waste time with books, that's what 3rd year is for. Just do USMLE World once over 3 weeks and go take the exam. I even got through all 6 seasons of Entourage during that time too.