Step 2CK Score, How I Studied (General Overview), Test Day Experience

[@Baraa.K.Mohammad]

Hahahaha! Oh my god, your experience with the exam reminds me of mine during exam day last year! I remember that during the 3rd to 4th blocks, there was this eardrum piercing, literally screeching sounds & stomping noise... I almost lost it! The terrifying thing is that I have misophonia & my PARTICULAR trigger was stomping noises & basically any noise produced through walls. It was actually a very debilitating thing that I had to live through during my Step 1 preparation period (& most of Step 2 before moving out). I don't remember a single NBME that I have taken during the day because of my misophonia. I'd literally take my NBMEs in the middle of the night, after 3 to 4 hours of "sleep", just to be able to go through them while there was no noise! Gosh I can't believe what I did in my preparation period... It was a period of my life that I wish no one EVER has to go through! Anyways, back to the main story, lol! The stomping & screeching in my exam went on for almost 2 hours, the problem is that the proctors literally said that they can't do anything! I mean imagine going to the most (actually 2nd most) important exam in your life & your archnemesis is lurking around the corner just to show up when you least expect it! The very thing that messed my life up during preparation showed up in the real deal! That is what literally happened to me... but when you go through what I had to go through during my early journey. You are not gonna go back... I was like, Ok, are you kidding me? If it's gonna be this way then I don't care... Is it a challenge? You can't beat me! It was a miracle! I passed , my is gonna be soon... I'm hoping to get a great score like yours. I just wanna share an advice to all of those who made it this far: Don't let these exams or anything else in life get to you! You are stronger than you think, and the road is full of & bumps, sometimes straight up barricades, but with a bit of endurance and a leap of faith... You will get there! Also, do NOT forget to bring earplugs with you to the exam centre! lol!

[@enas3785]

OMG the guy coughing!! I had the same experience during my step 1 exam. The guy was coughing for 3 blocks!! I almost cried!!

[@Designsss.]

That was very inspirational. I'm so happy for you. Congratulations to you. Thanks a lot for sharing. I used to be an A student but ever since I entered medical school, I have been failing and I am at the verge of being kicked out. It's already affecting my mental health. Now people treat me like a failure. It seems I'm passing through this alone. Many people don't understand what I'm passing through. But I don't want to give up. Please can you be my real friend?🥺

[@alyssa-do]

Thank you so much for your sharing your story. It's incredibly brave to open up about your challenges. Remember, facing obstacles doesn't make you a failure; it makes you human. And you're definitely not alone in this journey. Many have been in similar situations and have found their way through and are practicing physicians today. Have you been able to speak to a learning specialist at your medical school? Or have you considered seeking a tutor? Depending on your school, these resources may be available to you at no cost and since they have knowledge of your curriculum, they may be able to offer specific study advice. You could also find similar resources online. Since you mentioned your mental health, I know everyone says it, but speaking to a counselor/therapist or trusted family member or friend might also be helpful. After losing a family member during medical school, I spoke with a counselor and they really helped me get through the difficult time while also hanging in there in medical school. And yes, I'm here to support you as a friend in your journey. Keep believing in yourself, and don't hesitate to reach out for help when you need it. You've shown incredible strength by reaching out, and that's a huge step. Take care of yourself (I know it is soooo hard at this time), and remember, this too shall pass and you are capable of getting through this.

[@Designsss.]

@@alyssa-do Wow! Thanks a lot for the encouragement. I really appreciate. That's a very great advice. Can we connect and exchange contacts? I don't know why it's hard to make great friends online.

[@overcraft1441]

Good job putting in the work

[@XxR3BxX]

Hope that you will have high scores In other exams 🙏🏾❤️

[@Dr.MukhtarAhmad-t2l]

very inspirational and useful

[@imnate5860]

Hats-off gr8 advice💯

[@plutobaby9996]

Chad score 🔥🔥🔥🔥jeez

[@Designsss.]

Please can we be friends? Many people are moving on with their lives. I think I am passing through this alone. And I just want people who understand and can support me well so that I can survive this. People who have passed through this before. With each exam that came, I was very afraid and it affected my mental health.

[@victorspitz9765]

Hi Alyssa! Thanks for your videos, I’m also a med student and would love to connect as we’re in a similar path… really want to start implementing some board studying to my schedule although I’m just an M1! Ty!

[@parnia8475]

Did you employ any particular strategies while answering questions, like highlighting in the question stem or explanations, taking notes on an external document, or creating Anki cards based on the question? Or did you simply read, answer, review explanations, and move on? Thanks in advance.

[@alyssa-do]

Hi! Thanks for your question. I just read, answered, and reviewed explanations and then moved on. I would also read why all of the incorrect answers were incorrect, even if I got the question correct. When the time came to re-attempt my UWorld Incorrects and NBME incorrects, if I missed a question for the second time, I would write everything down on pen and paper in the general format: clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, complications, etc. I reviewed this a couple times before I took the real deal.

[@alih6953]

Hello thank you so much video resources do you recommend Physeo for step 2

[@alyssa-do]

Hi! I personally don't have any experience using Physeo and didn't tend to use video resources in general. Have you been using Physeo to study for your shelf exams? Does it seem to be helping you score where you want to score?

[@smileychick24]

Do you mind sharing your spreadsheet/schedule? Congratulations!!!🎉

[@alyssa-do]

Great idea! I just posted a picture of my spreadsheet.

[@Rebeca_888]

Do you feel like doing the CMS twice made a difference in your score or completing Uworld incorrects? I completed the uworld bank and did all the CMS forms (8 for each clerkship) while preparing for shelves. I do not remember a lot since I did all of it over a year. Which approach do you feel made the greatest impact on your scores during dedicated? I have about 6 weeks to prepare.

[@alyssa-do]

Great question! It's hard to know what made the biggest impact on my scores, since I don't know the alternative outcome if I had done something differently. I do know that immediately after I went through my UWorld incorrects, I scored worse on my NBME full length exam (maybe I was overthinking, maybe it was just a more challenging form for me- who knows). Going through UWorld incorrects did help me more easily see my weak spots and just have peace of mind that I did them. If you choose to do UWorld incorrects, I would probably do them earlier on in your dedicated, and finish up with NBME content towards the end. If you find yourself running short on time, you could focus on your incorrects in areas that make up a large percentage of the overall exam (medicine, surgery) or your weaknesses (for me that was surgery and OBGYN). I also had a 6 week dedicated, and I went through the CMS forms second pass and UWorld incorrects during that time, as well as the NBME full length exams so it is possible (just a slog!).

[@Rebeca_888]

​@@alyssa-do Thank you for your response! My score also went down 12 points after I started doing uworld again. I finished the bank before dedicated but decided to brush up on everything and finished 70% of the bank (second run). I am now going to only focus on the CMS forms because I think uworld caused me to overthink as well. Did you keep track of the questions you got wrong on the CMS forms? Did you do the practice full lengths in between or just left them all to the end of dedicated? Did you do anki during dedicated or use Divine Intervention podcasts?

[@alyssa-do]

- As far as keeping track of the questions I got wrong: On my second pass through the CMS forms, I took special note of the questions I got wrong for the second time, and questions I initially got correct but then got incorrect on the second pass. I took note of these and wrote down presenting signs/symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and complications for the condition(s) in the question and really tried to understand where I went wrong in the question. - I did one full length NBME at the beginning of dedicated, and then most of the full length NBMEs towards the end of dedicated - No ANKI or Divine Intervention during dedicated. I actually never used Divine Intervention but I've heard it's good. I did listen to the Mehlman Medical videos in the morning while I was getting ready for the day!

[@Rebeca_888]

Thank you so much for all of your help! I will go through all the CMS forms and do the same with the questions I get wrong. Is there something you did to prepare for the biostatistics or ethics portion of the exam? @@alyssa-do

[@dugartemd]

Awesome vid! So you did twice the offline nbme full forms? Ty

[@dugartemd]

@@alyssa-do awesome! Any technique to review the content? Notebook from uworld? Anki? Thanks!

[@alyssa-do]

I mostly just read the ENTIRE answer for each question (both correct and incorrect answer explanations even if I got the Q correct). Throughout the year, I would save different tables and figures to my flashcards on UWorld if they seemed important but that was about it. During dedicated when I was reviewing my UWorld incorrects, if I got a question wrong again, I would write out the disease presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications on a piece of paper. I reviewed all of these prior to taking the exam.

[@dugartemd]

@@alyssa-do thanks a lot really helpful!

[@poojareddy1572]

Congratulations!! How did you deal with the vague questions if any on the real deal? Also was your real score close to your average NBME score?

[@alyssa-do]

Thank you!! After doing so many NBME questions, I felt like the real deal was actually less vague. My personal approach is to answer most questions by reading the last sentence, then going back and reading the entire question stem, and then I try to come up with an answer in my head before looking at the answer choices. I felt like if I looked at the answer choices first I would be biased, and this way I forced myself to truly understand what was going on in the stem. For NBME forms 9-13, my average score was 253, and my scores ranged from 246-261. UWSA Form 1 and 2 I scored 248 and 262. Overall, I scored much higher on the real exam.

[@poojareddy1572]

Thank you so much!

[@sobechukwuchiegboka7873]

Did you reset your uworld for brand new questions

[@alyssa-do]

Nope! I only went through my Uworld incorrects during my second pass.

[@doctorposting]

i just found out i passed Step1 and now i’m on youtube stress-watching videos😂😂😂

[@alyssa-do]

Congratulations on passing Step 1!! I would recommend stress-watching the Mehlman videos on how to prepare for Step 2 because his advice is spot on. 😊 Good luck in your preparation!! You will do great.