Step 2 Ck (270)

 STEP2 CK 270 writeup.

Total duration : 8 months (dedicated: 2 months)

Resources used: 

UWORLD: 

Needless to say Uworld is the best and most important resource for step2ck. I did 2 complete passes of uworld. I made my own notes in a notebook of the important points from uworld and went through these notes during my second pass. Writing stuff keeps me from dozing off while solving qs and helps me retain better. But everyone have their own way. Find what works for you. 

During first pass I did 2 blocks/day in tutor timed mode. 1 in morning and 1 in evening/night. It took me around 4 hours to go through a block. It is very important to do first pass as thoroughly as possible, reading all the incorrect options as well as the explanations because during second pass you don’t have the same energy while going through the content, 2nd pass should be more about test taking strategy, improving timing and revising small details. 

I did 100 qs/day during second pass. I made 2 decks in uworld flashcards section, one titled “algorithms” and the other “high yield” which contained tables/points I thought were important. In the weeks before my exam I went through these flashcards (just once, without reviewing) for a quick revision, and it helped in revision. 

AMBOSS: 

I actually started my prep with amboss, before buying uworld. However I wouldn’t recommend doing amboss first, as uworld does a better job in explaining concepts since u have to dig deep into amboss to learn. After my first pass of uworld, I did amboss again to test what I had learned in uworld, and to get a break between 2 passes of uworld so that I don’t solve uworld from memory. This time I did around 80q/day and only 3-5 hammer ones. 

Amboss has its perks. First, it complements uworld and have somewhat similar concepts but different presentations. Secondly the more questions you do the better. Step2 is all about critical thinking that takes practice to develop. Real deal had many questions that I hadn’t seen in any qbank but you can solve them if you have the feel for the question and know what they are asking. Amboss also has those History of presenting illness (HPI) type questions that you do not find in uworld much. Step2 exam also has these. 

DIVINE intervention:

Divine intervention’s podcasts were GOLD. I listened to his rapid review series (around 100 podcasts 30-40 minutes long) on my morning run. He presents the concepts in a scenario like manner which kept me engaged to get the answer before he told me. Most of the High yield concepts are covered in these and its another source of info into your head apart from uworld. Highly recommended. There are also some very high yield podcasts that people do a few days before their test. I would link them below. You can download his podcasts free from https://divineinterventionpodcasts.com/category/rapid-review-usmle-step-2/. Also fav the ones you find most info in, so you can listen them later too. 

Also there are Divine’s shelf review videos on youtube, they are about 3-4 hours long for each shelf, do these about a week before your test. He goes through many many concepts in these, truly some of the highest yield videos out there. Do check the comment section however as some of the info is updated since he posted these to make sure u don’t miss anything. Following are some of the High yield episodes. 

CMS Forms:

These are the clinical mastery series from NBME. Each form contain 50 qs. I only did the latest 4 ones for each subject. They are nbmes styled questions and you’ll find some new concepts in here, but they do not represent the real test at all. Do them to get exposure to more questions. 

AMBOSS ARTICLES :

(copied from reddit); these are the High yield articles that I recommend going through detail and then solving the associated questions. I recommend going through these and amboss biostats close to your exam. You’ll find these useful inshaAllah. 

Health care system -https://next.amboss.com/us/article/Np0-pS

 ===> 7 QUESTIONS

infection prevention and control https://next.amboss.com/us/article/WQ0PEf

 ====> 11 QUESTIONS

patient communication and counseling https://next.amboss.com/us/article/3K0STS

 =====> 13 QUESTIONS

overview of palliative medicine https://next.amboss.com/us/article/3n0SGg

 =====> 7 QUESTIONS

quality and safety https://next.amboss.com/us/article/mp0VJ

 ======> 29 QUESTIONS

ethics https://next.amboss.com/us/article/DO01uT ======> 73 QUESTIONS

palliative medicine (very important) https://next.amboss.com/us/article/3n0SGg

 ======> 7 QUESTIONS

Death (very important) https://next.amboss.com/us/article/vP0AgT

 ======> 5 QUESTIONS

SCREENINGS/IMMUNIZATIONS 

I did screenings from the USPSTF website (only do A and B recommendations) and immunizations from CDC website. Also listen to divine’s podcast on screenings (episode 325) and vaccines (episode 350). 

Note that the cdc website has a lot of details on vaccinations like catchup, intervals between doses etc. you do not need to learn these. Just learn the routine immunization, special situations and contraindications of each vaccine. Also amboss has a table for travel vaccines. Do that for completeness sake. 

SELF ASSESSMENTS:

I did Uwsa1 after first pass of uworld. Uwsa1 and nbme9 are the hardest self assessments. Don’t be discouraged by them! I did nbmes offline during the last month. I wish I had spread them out over 2 months during my 2nd pass of uworld to actually see some improvement. I don’t recommend doing them back2back. Go through nbmes thoroughly as some of these concepts are repeated. UWSA2 was most predictive for me. I scored one point higher than it. Real deal was most similar to free120 in terms of question lengths are vagueness. 

VIDEO RESOURCES :

At the beginning of my prep I tried various video resources like bnb or onlinemedEd. These are not needed. if you have a strong foundation from step1 you should jump directly into uworld. Most of the video resources teach you concept from scratch with some step2 related stuff mixed in. you don’t need that because you learn those things in step1. Make uworld your study tool. You can watch a video or two for a topic you find specially hard, but that’s all. 

TEST DAY EXPERIENCE: 

The test is long (duh). You will get tired by the end of it. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the day before. Unfortunately I could only sleep 3 hours and Allah knows how I went through that test (redbull, snickers and whole lot of prayers). During my second pass I had left 320 questions for myself at the end and did them in one day, simulating test day and taking breaks as I would on real deal.  It gave me the confidence that yes I can sit through those 8 hours because I had done it before. 

Also go through heart sounds and Ecgs a day or two before test. Dirty medicine ecg video is a nice one . for heart sounds check out medzcool heart sounds on youtube. 

Take breaks after every block. Wash your face. Eat something. instead of thinking about the whole test, think of each block as a separate test and an opportunity to get your dream score. 

Final remarks: 

Believe in yourself and the work you put in. Allah swt will reward you if your intentions are clear. Steps journey is a long one. Take care of your mental health. Have friends you can talk to. I would like to mention a few people here who were there for me throughout the year, always believed in me and had Faithful prayers for me,my wardmates and ofcourse, my family ❤️. They deserve more credit than can be put into words.Make dua for yourself and watch miracles happen. Make sure to help others whenever you can because it’ll come back to you in wonderful ways. Reach out to me if you need help with anything. Please remember me in your prayers if you find this writeup helpful. Now Go crush that exam!! 

Best wishes.

Faraz waheed.