USMLE Official 2021 Step 2 CK Experiences With Scores Thread

[EMDoc22]

All right y'all, let's get this party started. Here's to a smooth sailing third year, no Prometric drama with Step 2, in-person aways and interviews, and no CS/hopefully PE.

School: bone wizard

Step 1: mid 230s
Level 1: mid 570s

Step 2 goal: 250+
Level 2 goal: 600+

Interests: EM, OB/GYN (distant second)

Rotations (in order): Peds, IM, FM, Psych, Neuro, Surgery, EM, OB/GYN and then several electives mixed in

Resources: UWorld, Online MedEd, Tzanki deck since it's shorter and the Step 1 decks burned me out, might check out B&B for Step 2 when it comes out since Dr. Ryan saved my butt on Step 1

My rotations go until the end of June and unfortunately my schedule is pretty backloaded with my final 3 rotations being EM, OB and ICU so I guess that means I'll be taking Step 2 in early July. Obviously I'm not sure how auditions/aways will be playing out next summer and if PE will be a thing so a lot up in the air right now in terms of scheduling. My school does COMATs for our shelf exams but I don't plan on using any DO-specific resources for COMATs or Level 2 as I've heard UWorld is all you need.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

My school's timeline for third and fourth year said we should register for PE in September of third year. I feel like there's no way the NBOME is going to be able to restart in November and I really don't want to flush $1300 down the drain but I feel like I should just bite the bullet and register for this **** show next month so I have a date. I hope that somehow the NBOME will return to reality and realize the PE needs to be suspended for a while like the NBME did but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm kind of in the same spot. Technically my school won't clear us to take PE until we do this SP thing typically around January, but I don't even know if that will happen this year. But I'm able to register on the NBOME website, so I'm wondering if I should just do it. I'm not even sure exactly when I would take it but I'm just terrified of this mess that's going on, and I have zero faith in the NBOME doing the right thing and suspending it for our class since they won't even do it for '21.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Literally my top 2 and they're so far apart haha. Guess there's really no question here

 

[Deecee2DO]

How long are yall spending on studying per night? Lol Im trying to do 40 UW questions per night for IM and im pretty sure this **** aint sustainable. I feel like any more than 2 hours per night of studying during the week is gonna be too much. Thoughts?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

How long are yall spending on studying per night? Lol Im trying to do 40 UW questions per night for IM and im pretty sure this **** aint sustainable. I feel like any more than 2 hours per night of studying during the week is gonna be too much. Thoughts?

Probably around 2, maybe a little less.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

How long are yall spending on studying per night? Lol Im trying to do 40 UW questions per night for IM and im pretty sure this **** aint sustainable. I feel like any more than 2 hours per night of studying during the week is gonna be too much. Thoughts?

Typically around 2, though I probably get an hour or two of study time in during clinic in between patients

 

[EMDoc22]

How long are yall spending on studying per night? Lol Im trying to do 40 UW questions per night for IM and im pretty sure this **** aint sustainable. I feel like any more than 2 hours per night of studying during the week is gonna be too much. Thoughts?

I'm doing 40 each day right now (also on IM) but that's only because I'm in quarantine and have nothing else to do all day. On a normal day after work, I was planning on 20 questions and Anki and that's it. Any more than 2 hours is definitely not going to be sustainable after a 10-12 hour day.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

How are you guys handling the balance of showing assertiveness, but not being overbearing? The residents I am with are sooo laid back and my personality is more Type A, get ish done type of thing. However I dont wanna be overbearing or annoying and have that ruin my eval. Have you guys found that sweet spot?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Well....it took 2 weeks for me to quickly get over the thrill/novelty of "oh hey, this is surgery and it's really cool!". Get me out of hereeeeee lol

Also, what's the deal with surgeons training NPs/first assists ahead of the residents assigned to them lol like the resident is just passing instruments while the NP helps operate???

 

[EMDoc22]

Also, what's the deal with surgeons training NPs/first assists ahead of the residents assigned to them lol like the resident is just passing instruments while the NP helps operate???

This kind of *** combined with the vote in California last night that significantly expands the scope of NP independent practice rights is infuriating. No disrespect to midlevels as they are valuable members of the healthcare team but they really need to stop trying to push this BS about being equivalent to a physician. And physicians need to start prioritizing their own trainees (residents and medical students) over midlevels and NP/PA students because the ones who will ultimately suffer the most from unreasonable midlevel creep are the patients.

 

[iforget2]

This kind of *** combined with the vote in California last night that significantly expands the scope of NP independent practice rights is infuriating. No disrespect to midlevels as they are valuable members of the healthcare team but they really need to stop trying to push this BS about being equivalent to a physician. And physicians need to start prioritizing their own trainees (residents and medical students) over midlevels and NP/PA students because the ones who will ultimately suffer the most from unreasonable midlevel creep are the patients.

Yea I had always believed surgery would be relatively safe from mid-level creep but not anymore. I can't think of many specialties that are tbh

 

[Deecee2DO]

Anyone else feeling like an idiot presenting cases? How do I get good at this lol Is this normal? Surg I didnt have to present a single case but now I got thrown into IM and its hardcore-its currently my first day of my second rotation and surg at my hubsite is a joke and a half so I had no practice last rotation

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

.

Anyone else feeling like an idiot presenting cases? How do I get good at this lol Is this normal? Surg I didnt have to present a single case but now I got thrown into IM and its hardcore-its currently my first day of my second rotation and surg at my hubsite is a joke and a half so I had no practice last rotation

Develop a mental checklist and do the same order every time.
Ex.
Pt deets (name/age/sex)
CC
HPI
Labs
PE
A/P

You’ll pick up the stuff different attendings care about over time. Mentally know everything about the patient, or have it written down, but only present what is relevant to their current issue.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

.


Develop a mental checklist and do the same order every time.
Ex.
Pt deets (name/age/sex)
CC
HPI
Labs
PE
A/P

You’ll pick up the stuff different attendings care about over time. Mentally know everything about the patient, or have it written down, but only present what is relevant to their current issue.

This, though I always forget to do it myself lol

 

[ohmanwaddup]

lol someone messed up at my school and listed my score as 2022/112 for my FM comat. I'm sure it is just a placeholder, but maybe I am just a FM God. Bring me your back pain, your oxy seekers, your hypertension.

 

[ohmanwaddup]

FM COMAT score is out. got a 105 and my Comquest predicted fluctuated between a 109-111 so I under preformed which is a little disappointing. Def going to try and go harder for peds, I really want to honor

 

[JDDrCOX]

Alright guys after all the drama of cancellations. On to the next one, lets crush step 2 CK. What decks r u guys using on ANKI?

 

[EMDoc22]

I'm out of quarantine and can go back on rotations next week! I'm not a fan of my IM rotation so I'm anxious to get this one out of the way since I have an elective I'm looking forward to next block. Even with 2 weeks off of rotation, I'm still going to have about 500 UWorld IM questions left when I take my shelf so I'm going to make sure I finish the Dorian deck to cover everything. A lot of it seems to be Step 1 material so I'm banking on that being enough to pass since I don't really care about honoring this rotation.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Registered and scheduled Step and Level 2 today.....Step 1 fiasco made me paranoid lol let's all pray to the Prometric gods

 

[MakeLifeHappen13]

Registered and scheduled Step and Level 2 today.....Step 1 fiasco made me paranoid lol let's all pray to the Prometric gods

I would also try to grab the nearest Level 2 PE date that's available. The sooner the better.

 

[Cath Up]

Registered and scheduled Step and Level 2 today.....Step 1 fiasco made me paranoid lol let's all pray to the Prometric gods

I think the Prometric gods may actually live in a very warm climate

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I would also try to grab the nearest Level 2 PE date that's available. The sooner the better.

Did that a couple of weeks ago, thanks!

 

[EMDoc22]

Still no info from my school about registering for Level 2 so I’m about to just register and grab some open dates in July. I’m not going to let my school’s poor communication screw me out of being able to get boards done on time.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Still no info from my school about registering for Level 2 so I’m about to just register and grab some open dates in July. I’m not going to let my school’s poor communication screw me out of being able to get boards done on time.

How do you register without your school clearing you?

 

[EMDoc22]

How do you register without your school clearing you?

My NBOME account says I am eligible to take CE and PE and I can see open dates for PE. I’m going to try tonight and see if it will go through. At the very least I can get Step 2 scheduled since that’s the one I care about the most.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

My NBOME account says I am eligible to take CE and PE and I can see open dates for PE. I’m going to try tonight and see if it will go through. At the very least I can get Step 2 scheduled since that’s the one I care about the most.

You'll be able to purchase and schedule CE and PE right then and there. For Step 2, you need to purchase it and then submit your "application", which basically just means your school has to verify that you're currently enrolled. It took ~2 days for my school to do that, and then another couple of days to get my scheduling permit. So, I'd purchase Step 2 as well so that you can get the ball rolling.

 

[EMDoc22]

You'll be able to purchase and schedule CE and PE right then and there. For Step 2, you need to purchase it and then submit your "application", which basically just means your school has to verify that you're currently enrolled. It took ~2 days for my school to do that, and then another couple of days to get my scheduling permit. So, I'd purchase Step 2 as well so that you can get the ball rolling.

Can I just take a second to say how much I really hate that the crappy COMLEX exams just have to be more expensive than Step? Ripping off the $2600 bandaid as we speak and existing off of cheap microwaveable food only for the next few months.

 

[Necr0sis713]

Sorry if this was already mentioned, but does anyone know if there are answer explanations out there for the new NBME 120

 

[SurgDoc95]

Help predict me please!
UW 1st pass 66%
UW 2nd pass (15% done) 75%
UW1 7wks out: 230
NBME 8 today 248
Test date 10/22
Goal score 240+

Am I in a spot to move the test up or keep grinding for another couple of week?

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Help predict me please!
UW 1st pass 66%
UW 2nd pass (15% done) 75%
UW1 7wks out: 230
NBME 8 today 248
Test date 10/22
Goal score 240+

Am I in a spot to move the test up or keep grinding for another couple of week?

Take a few more practice tests to have more recent data points.

Since your test is in 2 weeks, I would keep your current test date as is.

 

[kittyle82]

Take a few more practice tests to have more recent data points.

Since your test is in 2 weeks, I would keep your current test date as is.

Hi Dr. USMLE...ARE YOU STILL TUTORING?

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Hi Dr. USMLE...ARE YOU STILL TUTORING?

Yes. Sent you a PM.

 

[SurgDoc95]

Take a few more practice tests to have more recent data points.

Since your test is in 2 weeks, I would keep your current test date as is.

Update! 247 UW2 today. Test in 6 days. Odds of 240+?

 

[Prehealth1011]

Update! 247 UW2 today. Test in 6 days. Odds of 240+?

Good odds. I get my score next week but my advice:
1) Go with your gut
2) When you're confused about what they're asking (this'll happen a lot), narrow down to the most likely and pick that. Think What would i have picked in a similar question in Uworld?
3) Do new free 120. My friend had a few repeats from it. I didn't have repeats but similar questions/answer choices were asked.

 

[SurgDoc95]

Good odds. I get my score next week but my advice:
1) Go with your gut
2) When you're confused about what they're asking (this'll happen a lot), narrow down to the most likely and pick that. Think What would i have picked in a similar question in Uworld?
3) Do new free 120. My friend had a few repeats from it. I didn't have repeats but similar questions/answer choices were asked.

What’s the turn around looking like? If I take it this Friday should I get it back on the 4th or the 11th?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

What’s the turn around looking like? If I take it this Friday should I get it back on the 4th or the 11th?

Should be the 4th.

 

[iforget2]

Anyone still waiting to see what happens with COMLEX PE before they sign up? Should I continue to hold onto the slightest of hopes I have that it'll be postponed or am I just dreaming?

 

[EMDoc22]

Anyone still waiting to see what happens with COMLEX PE before they sign up? Should I continue to hold onto the slightest of hopes I have that it'll be postponed or am I just dreaming?

I wanted to wait but I'm acting under the assumption that our class will be on a normal timeline and submitting applications on September 15 so I went ahead and registered since I have no faith in the NBOME to do the right thing. Everything is already booked up into August and July 31 is the last date you can take it and have a score back before September 15 per the NBOME website (as of right now). I really hope some common sense is knocked into them and they cancel through the summer like the NBME has but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

How did I get into this thread so late?

School: bone warlock

Step 1: 249
Level 1: 610s

Step 2 goal: 260+
Level 2 goal: 650+

Interests: DR/IR

Rotations (in order): FM, OMM, OBGYN, SURG, who ****ing knows after that.

Resources: UWorld, Cheesy Dorian, Master the Boards USMLE Step 2 CK (Making it into my own resource with UWORLD write-ins)

I have no idea how the rest of this year is going to go. I got Honors in FM. Passed OMM, in OB now. Unfortunately, my COMAT scores have not been great. I think I got in the low 90s for OMM, but it was real hard for me to care about that one. Got 99 in FM, but goddamn does the FM COMAT cover so many random things. I’m hoping I can really step up on this OBGYN one I have in a week or so.

I’m pretty set on DR and not totally convinced on IR but I really want a competitive program so I’m going to push as hard as I can until step 2 is done.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Also, for those who knew me from the old thread, I changed my pic and almost changed my username to Nandor the Relentless, but decided to keep the name.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Step 1: 249
Level 1: 610s

Step 2 goal: 260+
Level 2 goal: 650+

Interests: DR/IR

I’m pretty set on DR and not totally convinced on IR but I really want a competitive program so I’m going to push as hard as I can until step 2 is done.

Great choice. Looking good so far. If you can hit those targets for step 2, you will be in great shape for the DR match.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Great choice. Looking good so far. If you can hit those targets for step 2, you will be in great shape for the DR match.

Thanks! I’m looking at some decently competitive programs and am starting up IR research with a top 10 institution soon so I’m hoping that will help put me in a good spot (especially as a DO)

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Anyone still waiting to see what happens with COMLEX PE before they sign up? Should I continue to hold onto the slightest of hopes I have that it'll be postponed or am I just dreaming?

I would register. There are almost no dates left unfortunately, it's a mess. They don't seem like they plan on cancelling for 2021, so I doubt they will for us.

 

[iforget2]

I would register. There are almost no dates left unfortunately, it's a mess. They don't seem like they plan on cancelling for 2021, so I doubt they will for us.

Unfortunately found out a few days ago that our school hasn't updated the NBOME portal about our passing COMLEX I scores so all of us are currently ineligible to sign up what a mess this has all been.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Unfortunately found out a few days ago that our school hasn't updated the NBOME portal about our passing COMLEX I scores so all of us currently ineligible to sign up what a mess this has all been.

That stinks. It's crazy how out of the loop our schools have been keeping us on all of this. If it wasn't for SDN, I never would've known that I should sign up for PE because of everything going on. I would've waited months and then there would've been no spots. I can't believe the mess NBOME has created by just not postponing this exam.

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Unfortunately found out a few days ago that our school hasn't updated the NBOME portal about our passing COMLEX I scores so all of us are currently ineligible to sign up what a mess this has all been.

Same

 

[SurgDoc95]

Just finished step 2...what a beast of an exam

 

[USMLEA2015]

Hi, I need an advice please,
I am currently an IMG medical resident

How can I finish IM from the UWorld Qbank with taking notes and get the most benefits from it as a learning tool within 1 month?

Appreciate your kind help 🙏🏻

 

[A_Huge_Gorilla]

Late to this thread but just begun my STEP II CK Journey as well. Plans to take at the end of clerkship year after STEP 1

School: Private School

Step 1: N/A (Taking after Rotations)

Step 2 goal: As well I can do

Interests:
Rotations: Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum

Resources planned: (Both for Clerkships and Step II)
- AMBOSS Library
- USLME Rx Step II (Already Completed) (83%)
- Kaplan Step II (300 Qs Left) (77%)
- PreTest for Peds, Surgery and Neuro
- Pestana and DeVirgilio's Qs
- UWise
- MKSAP 17
- Amboss Q-Bank (Yet to start)
- U-World Q-Bank (Yet to start)
- Sketchy Micro, Pharm and Path (Watch already just reviewing)

Given that I am taking Step 1 and Step 2 close to each other, I then to spend sometime re-consolidating some basic science facts when I encounter them hence why some choices here.

Excited about the journey.

So I am considering to do both AMBOSS (shelf-specific) and have Uworld (random, timed) running throughout or vice-versa simultaneously.(per MVP Medical Review's advice) Thoughts ?

 

[ohmanwaddup]

I can't imagine taking step 2 and step 1 right next to each other. You're stronger than me

 

[EMDoc22]

Officially scheduled the trifecta from hell, all to be completed in a 16-day period. My school doesn't finish third year rotations until the end of June so I'm currently scheduled for Step 2 and Level 2 CE in mid July so I have some time to study. My last rotation is ICU and my classmates have said we're done by 2:00ish each day (and no shelf exam) so I'm hoping maybe that'll be enough time to study and I can take them at the end of June instead. I just really don't want to be studying for boards during audition season. Might be a little too ambitious but we'll see.