11-02-2006, 04:14 PM
I found this on another site::: - Very helpful
I would advise anyone who wants to make a serious attempt at the USMLE Step 2 CK Exam to start by making a study plan. I think 5-6 months is enough for really good preparation. Try to do it as soon as possible after your Step 1 while the knowledge of basic sciences is very fresh in your mind. Get your 3 month block at the very outset but book your exam date after about the first 2 months of preparation when you will hopefully have a better idea about when you might be comfortable giving the exam
Do the first reading in 2-3 months, take it nice and slow, try to understand what you are studying and if you don't get the concepts stop and clarify with others, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE and say that I will work on that later. Nail down all the concepts, pathophysiology of disease and mechanisms of symptoms. It helps to discuss with a study buddy because only when you try to explain something to someone else do you realise how much you really understand or know. I would suggest you use the Kaplan Videos + Books for this phase. Each time you finish a topic like say respirology log on to the USMLE WORLD website and do all the respirology questions under time pressure. Read the explainations carefully and take down notes from them. Do the questions well the first time, do not worry about how many you get right. the important thing is to learn the pattern of the questions, the explanations and to be able to process the question and make a choice in 1 minute. Do your first reading really thoroughly.
Do the second reading in about one and half months, if you have done your first reading well you can easily do this in this time. Start using the Kaplan Q bank this time assuming that you have finished the USMLE WORLD Q bank by now.
Do the third and final reading in about 1 month and early in this reading start doing the NBME forms 1 by 1 and then the Kaplan simulated test for a real feel of doing the full 8 blocks in one sitting
Finally 10 days before the exam stop doing all questins and read the First Aid for Step 2 CK for a quick final brush up and then you're all set to go.
I got a 286/99 but I still maintain that Step 2 CK is a very difficult exam for which you have to prepare really well and the key thing is that the questions are detailed and you have to process every word in the question to get the right answer. So learn to read and process the question as quickly as possible because if I break it down I used to take 45 seconds to read, process and understand the question, and only 15 seconds to think of the answer, look for the answer in the myriad of choices, mark it glance up and down to see that if any of the other options was a better option than the one I marked and if you don't see a better answer than the one you marked then trust your first instinct and MOVE ON and you need to learn to let go of the question once you are done with it. I know you feel like that your very dear life depends on each and every answer but if you get bogged down you will not finish the whole block and I think that that's a real tragedy, so learn to make a choice and to live with your choices.
I would advise anyone who wants to make a serious attempt at the USMLE Step 2 CK Exam to start by making a study plan. I think 5-6 months is enough for really good preparation. Try to do it as soon as possible after your Step 1 while the knowledge of basic sciences is very fresh in your mind. Get your 3 month block at the very outset but book your exam date after about the first 2 months of preparation when you will hopefully have a better idea about when you might be comfortable giving the exam
Do the first reading in 2-3 months, take it nice and slow, try to understand what you are studying and if you don't get the concepts stop and clarify with others, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE and say that I will work on that later. Nail down all the concepts, pathophysiology of disease and mechanisms of symptoms. It helps to discuss with a study buddy because only when you try to explain something to someone else do you realise how much you really understand or know. I would suggest you use the Kaplan Videos + Books for this phase. Each time you finish a topic like say respirology log on to the USMLE WORLD website and do all the respirology questions under time pressure. Read the explainations carefully and take down notes from them. Do the questions well the first time, do not worry about how many you get right. the important thing is to learn the pattern of the questions, the explanations and to be able to process the question and make a choice in 1 minute. Do your first reading really thoroughly.
Do the second reading in about one and half months, if you have done your first reading well you can easily do this in this time. Start using the Kaplan Q bank this time assuming that you have finished the USMLE WORLD Q bank by now.
Do the third and final reading in about 1 month and early in this reading start doing the NBME forms 1 by 1 and then the Kaplan simulated test for a real feel of doing the full 8 blocks in one sitting
Finally 10 days before the exam stop doing all questins and read the First Aid for Step 2 CK for a quick final brush up and then you're all set to go.
I got a 286/99 but I still maintain that Step 2 CK is a very difficult exam for which you have to prepare really well and the key thing is that the questions are detailed and you have to process every word in the question to get the right answer. So learn to read and process the question as quickly as possible because if I break it down I used to take 45 seconds to read, process and understand the question, and only 15 seconds to think of the answer, look for the answer in the myriad of choices, mark it glance up and down to see that if any of the other options was a better option than the one I marked and if you don't see a better answer than the one you marked then trust your first instinct and MOVE ON and you need to learn to let go of the question once you are done with it. I know you feel like that your very dear life depends on each and every answer but if you get bogged down you will not finish the whole block and I think that that's a real tragedy, so learn to make a choice and to live with your choices.