12-10-2008, 07:38 AM
First of all it is time to thank god and my dear forum members.
I gave my exam on 18th November and today I got my score. I apologize for not being the part of step 2 forum after my exam. Frankly speaking, step 2 exam was probably the worst exam I have done so far in my life. I literally felt that I did extremely bad in the exam and that was the reason I could not share my exam experience.
Pre exam preparation:
- Time: approximately 4 and half months. (when I started my preparation, stefan78, showman, guest78, vanco, drkhmer were all rocking the forum, which gave me great boost to start my preparation).
- Material:
Kaplan 2005-2006 notes (later I revised 2008-2009 notes for medicine, Gyne, Surgery)
UW Qbank: One time only, with average 69. Also revised Kaplan notes with UW Qbank.
Made Notes in Kaplan Notes (I have writter's cramp, so I couldn't write my own
notes.
Big NO to kaplan step 2 CK lecture videos. Did only Dr. Fischer's cardio that too because I was unable to concentrate initially.
Kaplan New Qbank: was recommended by my friend and did some 1000 Questions online and was getting around 67% on an average.
Used to keep step 1 Goljan rapidreview pathology, step 1 Kaplan anatomy, pharmacology and microbiology with me all the time.
Thats It. Nothing else. No FA, No blueprints, nothing. So basically Kaplan and UW.
NBMEs:
NBME 2: three weeks before the exam, online: 660 ( I was high on the moon!!!!!!)
NBME 3: One week before the exam, online: 570 ( I was thrown down to the earth, big time)
NBME 3 broke my confidence and I thought about postponing my exam by couple of weeks. I had to search all 99s in the past 2-3 months to look for their NBME 3 score. Average was 560 and I was kind of happy again
EXAM day:
Oh My God!!!!!! The same word still comes to my mind, if I try to remember how I did in my exam.
Almost all the questions were very long, much tougher than UW and Kaplan Qbank. I could barely finish my blocks on last second.
All the blocks (believe me all 8 blocks) were full of vague questions. I was not confident even in a single Question. SO STEP 2 CK IS LIKE THIS ONLY. Do NOT assume anything until you get your score . My questions were so vague that I couldn't remember even a single question properly once I was out of the exam center.
Many vague/long Psychi questions, few step 1 questions, difficult (to me) ethics questions and easy biostate questions like NNT, specificity calculations etcs.
Had 5 to 6 media questions. One was of child development and all other were of heart murmurs. I worked in a tertiary cardiac care unit for almost 5 years and my cardiology was like almost perfect. So I did not even read the questions and just listened to the media murmurs and got the answers.
Snapshot:
UW: one time only with average 69.
Kaplan new Qbank: 1000 questions with average 67.
NBME 2: 660
NBME 3: 570
step 1: 95/228
CS: passed at first attempt.
step 2 CK: 99/256.
My biggest thanks to GUEST78, who gave me lot of confidence and believe that I can do well. Guest78 I thank you very much. SAMMY for posting very challenging questions. VANCO for posting clinically relevant, basic and more step 2 CK like questions.
Many thanks to showman & Kaps, woodywoodpacker, drkhmer, stefan78 and all the forum members. This forum has played the big role in my score.
My special sorry to showman for not posting exam questions because I could not remember my exam questions. I am 100% honest here, swear to god. Plus I was also staying away from the forum since Mumbai terror attack. I was amused how mature physicians were fighting like cats. God bring peace to the world.
Any questions are most welcomed.
I gave my exam on 18th November and today I got my score. I apologize for not being the part of step 2 forum after my exam. Frankly speaking, step 2 exam was probably the worst exam I have done so far in my life. I literally felt that I did extremely bad in the exam and that was the reason I could not share my exam experience.
Pre exam preparation:
- Time: approximately 4 and half months. (when I started my preparation, stefan78, showman, guest78, vanco, drkhmer were all rocking the forum, which gave me great boost to start my preparation).
- Material:
Kaplan 2005-2006 notes (later I revised 2008-2009 notes for medicine, Gyne, Surgery)
UW Qbank: One time only, with average 69. Also revised Kaplan notes with UW Qbank.
Made Notes in Kaplan Notes (I have writter's cramp, so I couldn't write my own
notes.
Big NO to kaplan step 2 CK lecture videos. Did only Dr. Fischer's cardio that too because I was unable to concentrate initially.
Kaplan New Qbank: was recommended by my friend and did some 1000 Questions online and was getting around 67% on an average.
Used to keep step 1 Goljan rapidreview pathology, step 1 Kaplan anatomy, pharmacology and microbiology with me all the time.
Thats It. Nothing else. No FA, No blueprints, nothing. So basically Kaplan and UW.
NBMEs:
NBME 2: three weeks before the exam, online: 660 ( I was high on the moon!!!!!!)
NBME 3: One week before the exam, online: 570 ( I was thrown down to the earth, big time)
NBME 3 broke my confidence and I thought about postponing my exam by couple of weeks. I had to search all 99s in the past 2-3 months to look for their NBME 3 score. Average was 560 and I was kind of happy again
EXAM day:
Oh My God!!!!!! The same word still comes to my mind, if I try to remember how I did in my exam.
Almost all the questions were very long, much tougher than UW and Kaplan Qbank. I could barely finish my blocks on last second.
All the blocks (believe me all 8 blocks) were full of vague questions. I was not confident even in a single Question. SO STEP 2 CK IS LIKE THIS ONLY. Do NOT assume anything until you get your score . My questions were so vague that I couldn't remember even a single question properly once I was out of the exam center.
Many vague/long Psychi questions, few step 1 questions, difficult (to me) ethics questions and easy biostate questions like NNT, specificity calculations etcs.
Had 5 to 6 media questions. One was of child development and all other were of heart murmurs. I worked in a tertiary cardiac care unit for almost 5 years and my cardiology was like almost perfect. So I did not even read the questions and just listened to the media murmurs and got the answers.
Snapshot:
UW: one time only with average 69.
Kaplan new Qbank: 1000 questions with average 67.
NBME 2: 660
NBME 3: 570
step 1: 95/228
CS: passed at first attempt.
step 2 CK: 99/256.
My biggest thanks to GUEST78, who gave me lot of confidence and believe that I can do well. Guest78 I thank you very much. SAMMY for posting very challenging questions. VANCO for posting clinically relevant, basic and more step 2 CK like questions.
Many thanks to showman & Kaps, woodywoodpacker, drkhmer, stefan78 and all the forum members. This forum has played the big role in my score.
My special sorry to showman for not posting exam questions because I could not remember my exam questions. I am 100% honest here, swear to god. Plus I was also staying away from the forum since Mumbai terror attack. I was amused how mature physicians were fighting like cats. God bring peace to the world.
Any questions are most welcomed.