Did you read my status update in my facebook page? If you did not, well you are following the what I call “make sure I fail USMLE Step 1 on my first try” study plan. Please read my blog on how to prep for the USMLE step 1.

Askdoc

The most important thing you need to be able to do in Step 3 is to work up patients and manage the cases. It is presumed you can diagnose a case without problem. So just reading facts will not help you get a high score. To know if you “got it”, given lets say a 14 year old girl with amenorrhea, How do you work her up. Then after you get the diagnosis, how will you manage her. If you can do that then, you “got it”

askdoc

Thanks

Actually, you should have taken notes when you went through Kaplan Notes and you should go through those notes at least 2x more before you even begin with UW. You need around 58% average in UW just to pass this exam. When I started my UW qbank, I was averaging around 72% before building it up to 80%. That’s how I got my 99. If you are starting at 54%, it is possible for you to pass this exam but chances of even hitting 90′s will be poor. There is no good High yield notes for Step 2 CK and Kaplan Notes is too large to be used for multiple revisions unless you are a fast reader. So I don’t know what remedial measure you can do other than rereading Kaplan notes, this time making high yield notes. (You need to make diagnostic algorithms and treatment plans from Kaplan notes for this.) But 3 months will not be enough.

Askdoc

I have just found out about your blog and am trying to read all your posts on step 2 preparation. I am an IMG of 7 years ago with a terrible step 1 score of 85 which I got 2 years ago. In fact after my step 1 I was so disappointed that gave up taking the rest of the exams, but recently I changed my mind and I am taking my step 2 CK in less than 3 months. First of all I should tell that I am a very slow reader and it took me over 3 months to read the Kaplan Lecture Notes (read them just once for the first time). I have started UW just a few days ago and have gone through only about 250 questions with an average of 54% (highest 63% and lowest 47%). I took timed random tests of all subjects with max 44 qs. I had read in a forum to take 50 qs a day and on the 4-5th day redo all the wrong ones. I did that yesterday and well did 90% on the revise, but it was absolutely a false high score since I remembered the qs so well that I didn’t need to even read some completely.
I really do not know how the best method is to use the UW. Should I do it once completely, then go through my notes and after that redo the wrong answers?
Or should I start reviewing my Kaplan and do the UW subject-wise after each review?
I am going to start to work in a couple of weeks and also should move to a new place, so I am very worried that I would not be able to study enough after I start my job, and with the step 1 score I already have, I really need a 99 to be able to match.
I will be very grateful if you could lead me in my preparation.

Keep going through Kaplan. I suggest you use NBME assessment test this time. it could be that you are so used to UW style of asking questions you are not getting an accurate reading of your predicted score.

Askdoc

I took CK last year, failed it, I had done just UW and First Aid,and the Kaplan Notes. Then this year I tried Kaplan Q bank, did that a few times and passed. I never could figure out why that happened since everyone I talked to said UW was better than Kaplan, now, reading your blog I understand, you were accurate in your assessment- UW does focus unduly on low yield esoteric minutiae, whereas Kaplan Q are very high yield but seem so ridiculously straightforward that you don’t focus well on them. the entire time I was doing Kaplan I was scared I was doing too well. But the test was much more like Kaplan’s Q bank than UW.

Keep up the good work.

Also, I am studying for Step 3 now. what do you think of the Consult Q bank?

I hope you read this in time. I have been studying for the step2ck for a few months now and my exam is july 20th.
I went through all of UW first time through timed/random mode and ended up with a 62%. I took notes, studied them, and redid all the incorrect questions. I then took NMBE form 1 scored a 530. For 2 weeks after I studied some more and took the UWORD self assesment exam and scored a 620, approx 243 step 2ck score.
Then I thought to myself, might as well do the kaplan qbank. I hate the style of questions, and I am averaging actually the exact same score as my UW score..
What should I do? keep going through kaplan, or go through world again?
my assessments show that I should score at least a 230 on the exam, but this kaplan qbank is telling me otherwise.

Thanks,

Mike.