How I scored 252 on USMLE Step 2 (after failing Step 1) | Including tips for Step 3 and CCS.

[@liorc91]

I had around three weeks concentrated time for step 1, I was super anxious, and watched this video. After watching this video, I decided to implement the system Shay suggested here and started doing Uworld questions with my own Anki cards accordingly. At first I was despaired and felt like I am going to fail the exam.. After many many questions and cards, things started to fall into place. I eventually passed the exam! I am so grateful to Shay for introducing me with his system! If you have little time to study, you can do this! Best of luck to all of you!

[@ShaySharon]

Congratulations Lior! I'm so happy for you!

[@dr.soufianeabdouh2991]

Inspiring doctor Proud of you Greetings from Morocco 🇲🇦❤️

[@ShaySharon]

Thank you!

[@dons731]

Wuzzup ma ninjas 🥷

[@mirashahh789]

Woww hands off to you such an inspiring story

[@ShaySharon]

Thanks! I assume many people went down a similar path but didn't want to share their failure story. It all comes down to failure, learning from your mistakes, and embracing active recall and spaced repetition. When I failed, one of the first things I did is to look online and find similar stories. I was surprised to see that virtually nothing came up. So I decided to share my story after I pass all the steps. For the better good.

[@sarazohar4923]

U give me hope

[@BugaCharles-mh2or]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. That’s absolutely time saving. I’m planning to take step 1 in 5 months time, & trust me I’m going all in with your advice. Peace & love :)

[@ShaySharon]

I'm glad you found this video helpful! And good luck on step 1!

[@MJfp6lx]

​@@ShaySharonthanks

[@rezaayoubi9147]

it's not much buts it's honest work

[@mustafamukhtar5731]

Thank you so much Dr Sharon I will go with your advise

[@ShaySharon]

You're very welcome! Good luck!

[@hibafawad5060]

Great video ,you made anki cards from u world questions for both step 1 and step2

[@ShaySharon]

Thanks! Yes, I prepared Anki cards from UWorld questions for Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3. Because there are similar topics and questions between the steps, when I took Step 2 and Step 3, I edited my previous cards to fit the new questions. That saved me preparation time and made studying the cards easier.

[@ShaikhSalam]

Yesterday my sister did step 2 ....hope for the best. Love from Pakistan Stay connected

[@ShaySharon]

🤞

[@ShaySharon]

Read about my USMLE Step 1 failure here: www.shaysharon.com/weekly-newsletter/fd020

[@rhosoojin191]

You are inspiring ❤❤❤

[@ShaySharon]

Thank you! Good luck!

[@chillbabe2768]

Yes it s very funny sir when u said u wouldn t recommend fa to anyone :)) i can relate

[@ShaySharon]

😂 Yes, I know some people who enjoyed using First Aid, but I'm not one of them 😄

[@HK-xe4uc]

Thank you 🙏

[@ShaySharon]

You're very welcome! Good luck!

[@lovelylibra7349]

How were you able to review the explanations and answers for u world ? For ck ? It takes me 1.5 hrs to review 10 questions

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! It took me a lot of time in the beginning, but after a few hundreds of questions I became more efficient I focused on preparing the Anki card from the explanation, and didn't focus on studying it during my initial review. Then I used the Amki cards I prepared to study. This system kept my focused on what matters and saved me a lot of time Here's a video I prepared on the topic of building your schedule when you're pressed for time kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4XKXnuNpq6bmJI

[@ShaySharon]

New video alert! How to build your own USMLE studying schedule: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4XKXnuNpq6bmJI

[@ShaySharon]

Based on your questions and comments, I prepared a new video on everything I learned while studying for Steps 1, 2, and 3. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJa1gHZjZ8qDec0

[@nicoleperez126]

Dr. Did you study a particular book for step 2 before doing u world? Did you do it by systems? Do you have an explaination about Anki? Thank you and blessings!

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! I didn't use any book! I made the mistake of relying on books while studying for step 1 and found it to be a waste of my time. For step 2, I jumped right into UWorld and studied through answering the questions, reading UW explanations and preparing my own Anki cards from the explanations. I prepared a video on Anki: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hn6mp6xjo9mmprs And another video where l explain about how I studied, including system-based vs random. I also answer the most commonly asked questions there: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJa1gHZjZ8qDec0

[@emmafortune6824]

Do you advise one to retake the CK and continue pursuing the match or pursue another country entirely because I was told it's almost impossible to match after a fail. I recently didn't do well in the CK

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! That's a very good question (match after fail) that I heard many people ask but I don't have the answer for... It all comes down to the time, effort, and money you will have to invest to retake CK and get the score you need. If it were me, I would retake the CK and apply to the US and other countries as well.

[@emmafortune6824]

@@ShaySharon Thanks doctor

[@adwoaahenkan5674]

Doc how long do you suggest rewrite the step 1 again

[@ShaySharon]

Hi It depends on your starting point. Have you already taken the step 1 once and went through all of UWorld questions?

[@adwoaahenkan5674]

@@ShaySharon I didn’t pass the exams I’m troubled and don’t know how to start, I have 89%gone through uworld

[@ShaySharon]

And how much time do you have? How many hours a day and how many weeks/months until you plan on retaking step 1 again?

[@adwoaahenkan5674]

@@ShaySharon I have 3days a week and the rest is work… I want to retake in 3months

[@ShaySharon]

So it's definitely possible! I would plan it like this: 1. Reset UWorld. Delete all your statistics, and start from scratch. 2. On your free days - start with a 40-question block in 60 minutes. Random, all subjects included. DON'T use tutor mode. Every practice should mimic the real test 3. Prepare YOUR OWN Anki cards immediately after completing the block and study them throughout the day. 4. If you still have time - add another 20-question block. But add it only if you finished studying all the cards for that day and everything is 0-0-0 on Anki. 5. On your work days - study your Anki cards and don't go to bed unless you finished the cards for that day. If you have some spare time on your work day, do a 10-question block and prepare Anki cards. You will probably not see any improvement in your UWorld numbers until you're at least 60% through the question bank. Just keep at it! Let me know how it goes as many people are struggling like you are right now. It can help them in the process.

[@MYF-n6m]

Hello! Just failed step 1. Still have 82% of UW’s 2nd pass. In your opinion, should I continue UW? Should I buy a brand new subscription and go through it again?

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! First of all, don't be discouraged! If you're interested, you can read about my failure in Step 1 here: www.shaysharon.com/weekly-newsletter/fd020. Depending on how much time you have, here's what I would recommend to improve your chances of passing: 1. Restart UWorld from scratch and complete 40-question blocks in 60 minutes. Do them timed, not in tutor mode, and random. 2. After each block, create your own Anki cards and study them using the Anki algorithm. Instead of doing multiple passes on the entire UWorld question bank, I suggest using Anki as a more productive alternative. This way, you won't waste time on questions you already know and focus more on the ones you need to review. Trust Anki! If you're interested, you can watch my Anki tutorial here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hn6mp6xjo9mmprs. Feel free to ask more questions so I can provide more specific guidance.

[@MYF-n6m]

@@ShaySharon Thank you very much for your kindness!! About the anki method; can I use the “anking” deck? I have the ability to suspend the entire deck, and unsuspend specific card through the “browse” option, based on ID of the UW question, specific B&B video, etc. The thing is I am terrible at writing my own Anki cards, because I am entering to much info to the cards/creating to many

[@ShaySharon]

I used AnKing deck and it didn't serve me well. If there's something I don't know, the gaps in my knowledge are very specific. A general AnKing card that included what I need and a bunch of other stuff is not really helping me to study efficiently. With AnKing, I found myself chasing hundreds of cards every day, most of them were repetitive and unnecessary. When I prepared my own Anki cards I ended up with around 25-30 new cards for each 40-question block, and it was very easy for me to study them. Much easier than AnKing. So all in all, although it took me more time to prepare the cards, I spent less time studying them. The best part- I retained the knowledge much better, so as I made progress in UW, I noticed I need to prepare less new cards per block.

[@MYF-n6m]

@@ShaySharon Thank you for the quick reply! Much appreciated! I’ve watched your anki video (among many other videos of yours). Great stuff!! May I ask; can you give any tips how to decide which info should I take from the UW q, and put into my own flashcard? The specific idea that I hadn’t knew to answer the question correctly? The objective of the question? Information from the explanation that I notice that I don’t know? What’s your opinion about writing points from questions I got wrong and read them over and over again every day for 1-2 hours per day? Should use somehow the first aid book? Sorry for the questions avalanche, just a little excited and relieved to speak with someone who have passed the same path as I do 🙏🙏 Thank you!

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! For preparing cards - I would stick to facts you didn't know in order to answer the question, and anything that is mentioned is the explanation you didn't know. Remember- facts that appear in the explanation but not in the question will appear as a question down the road. I don't believe in reading facts over and over again - it's passive learning. It feels easy and quick, but it's easy and quick because your brain is not working hard. So you won't remember it well... You can use 1-2 hours daily to review many flashcards instead! I found the First Aid book a waste of time. I would consider using it as an add-on - on top of UW. But only at a later stage (or not all)

[@michelin860]

Hi, Doc! Did you take the NBME exams? If so, which ones? Thank you!

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! No, I didn't take the NBME exams. I focused on UWorld and it was more than enough for me.

[@michelin860]

@@ShaySharon wow, thank you so much! And was it only 1 pass of Uworld?

[@ShaySharon]

Yes, one pass only! I find the 2-pass system not productive. I explain why in this video (it's the first question I answer there) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJa1gHZjZ8qDec0 Good luck!

[@senpai-vu6og]

did you apply for Match 2024? if yes, how many interviews did you get?

[@ShaySharon]

I'm already in my fellowship... 😀 As an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, I went to med school after graduating from dental school and completing my residency. So, the sequence of my training is different than other professions. My goal in this video was to share my USMLE journey. If the match and interviews interest you, I think there are better resources than me to answer your questions. Best of luck!

[@javedimran568]

Very Inspiring.Do you do Uworld system wise or randomly,timed or tutor mode for step1&2ck?How much time you spent doing 1 block of Uworld question?can you make a video how you take note from Uworld to Anki as Uworld is very vast.

[@ShaySharon]

Hi! I chose random and not system-based. I didn't choose tutor mode. I ALWAYS did timed because I wanted it to look like the actual test. Getting used to random subjects and always being timed prepared me better for the test. Mentally and knowledge-wise. I don't want to violate UWorld copyrights, so I won't show their material on the screen. But what I did was to write down the relevant sentence/passage I wanted to memorize, and then cloze all the parts that I didn't know. I preferred to prepare a single flashcard with several clozes. I know others prepare several cards for the same passage, but for each one, they cloze something else. It's a matter of preference. I hope that helps. And good luck!

[@javedimran568]

@@ShaySharon Thanks.1. How much time you spent to do 40 questions of Uworld block,and for read its explanations?2 . Do you make Anki sub deck for each system of Uworld like Anki sub deck for cardiology,endocrinology etc and put those Anki flash card in Anki in system wise manner, or you put all of your 1800 Uworld Anki card for stem 1 in a singe Anki deck without creating subdeck for each system? 3.IF possible,Can you please share your own Anki deck link for step1 &2ck here ?

[@ShaySharon]

I spent 60 minutes on 40-question blocks. If I was pressed for time, I spent 30 minutes on 20-question blocks, but it didn't happen too often. It took me about 1-5 minutes to read an explanation and 10-30 seconds to prepare a flashcard. As I progressed in my study, I had to prepare fewer flashcards, and the reading the explanation took me 30 seconds to 2 minutes. I prepared 1 deck per system, no sub-decks. I studied all the systems together. I won't share my anki cards since it's based on UWorld material and it will violate their copyright. Hope you understand. Best Shay

[@franciscocomas5041]

What is your opinion about the nbmes ?

[@ShaySharon]

I haven't used the NBMEs because my time was limited, and I preferred to complete all of the UWorld questions before adding anything else. In general, I'd rather study my UWorld-based Anki cards to make sure I don't have any gaps before I move on to another source.

[@franciscocomas5041]

@@ShaySharon How many passes of uworld did you do for step 1? And for your second attempt, how much time did you study for it?

[@ShaySharon]

In my initial attempt at Step 1, I managed to get through less than half of UWorld's questions, and I hardly reviewed them in the 4 weeks I eventually had to study. For my successful second try, I completed all the UWorld questions (1 pass). Time - I had med school and work commitments so I had very little time left every day. It took me around 4-5 months. This was roughly equivalent to a concentrated 5-6 weeks of full-time study. Instead of reattempting questions (2nd pass), I concentrated on reviewing my Anki cards. It allowed me to target areas of need without wasting time on things I already know.

[@franciscocomas5041]

@@ShaySharon Sounds good will try to do the same Thanks Boss

[@sarazohar4923]

So inspiring

[@ShaySharon]

Thank you! I'm glad this video helped you!

[@sarazohar4923]

Question , if u take ur exam 7 years ago , despite being fail, does it affect people getting into competitive resudency

[@ShaySharon]

Great question! To my understanding, residency and fellowship programs can view all your test scores. Therefore, in a competitive program, showcasing your unique strengths and contributions beyond test scores is essential.