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Got my score: 231

8K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  drShark85 
#1 ·
Hi everybody! I got my results today and i'm sooooooo glad of it: 231. I wanna thank all people who wrote on this forum...i found all suggestions, experineces and so on very helpful to give this examination!
Maybe It's not an amazing score...but i'm fully satisfied of it because my only goal is to get a post-residency fellowship in USA and not a residency actually ( I'm radiology resident in my country).
Now my experience: I've studied for 5 Months, I studied 4 hours a day from monday to friday because I work as resident, and 8 hours during the weekend when I wasn't on call.

My study resources were FIRST AID 2CK + USMLE WORLD + KAPLAN Q BANK. Stop. I have not used nothing else.
ABOUT USMLE WORLD: My first resource. I found this Q BANK different from the real examination, easier of course and shorter questions, but, as people say, many things u need to know are in this Q BANK. I ended it after 1 month and an half about ( mainly because I wrote notes on my first AID). My percentage on the first round was 65%. Then, As I did for step 1, I went over and over again all questions and explanations, triyng to understand all concepts. Don't just memorize, try to understabd this Q Bank!
FIRST AID 2CK: not really useful as for STEP 1, i wrote notes on it from UWorld, tryng to integrate both resources ( as I did for step 1). Anyway I don't know wether it has been useful to do this "work".
I found the book too long, not schematic as FIRST AID STEP 1...u run the risk to focalize on informations that u don't need for this exam, to get confused...CONCLUSION: I only used it because a my friend wrongly suggested. Maybe it's more useful MTB2 and MTB 3, but I never seen them, so I cannot give u suggestions about it.
KAPLAN Q BANK: I found it quite useful, because questions are long, like real exam ( u may practise to read and get the informations u need to answer). Good explanations and videos.
I found it more difficult than UWworld. I bought last month, when I tought to be almost ready for the real examination, and my first score was only 50%! I didn't get desperate, I was prepared to it, because i read many opinions about this Q bank. In fact Some concepts are not tested on real exam, so this may lower your percentage. Moreover questions are very difficult and long. However my score were between 60% and 70%.
Conclusion: Do this Q bank if u have time or need to do more practise on question. I found this Q bank useful for Cardiology, Emergency and Surgery.

I didn't take neither USWA or NBME or similar. I didn't have time. So I did for STEP 1. Yes, I know, maybe u think I was crazy...and probably I was :rolleyes:. But I didn't want spend money anymore! I think only u can know when u are ready...no test can u tell it. Fortune smiles on the braves! :p Important is to be honest, u cannot know everything, especially if, like me, u work as resident, part-time and so on....u cannot study and know everything. It would be easier probably if I had not worked...

One week before exam: 1) I stayed home ( no hospital).
2) I "switched off" all distractors :p (facebook above all) :D
3)I took a deep Breath
4) I went over subjects that were not "clear"...especially on OBS and GYN...I hate them!!!

One day before: I didn't study

The day of the test: I arrived to the test center well rested. I managed to sleep and this was a really good thing ( so i didn't for STEP 1, anxiety almost killed me:)) ). Exam was tough. very long questions as i expected. I read all questions faster as I could, paying attention to time. I marked 15-20 questions for block, taking 3-5 about minutes of pause between each block. On the 4th block, despite I was quite calm, I started to have a headache and to feel tired. I took a 15 minutes pause and then i started again. Advertisement were easier than UW. Abstracts: i didn't have time to answer :notsure:. 70% concepts were from UW, 20% never seen, 10% Step 1 related. In conlusion. it was a strange examination, because I wasn't sure 100% about all the questions I gave..when exam ended, i was sure only to have not passed ( differently from STEP1) , but I never losed hope.
After all, I think this is exam is affordable but it's not just a walk, as some people say. Anyway is not impossible. So don't be scared! Probably is easier for people who practise general/internal medicine or recent graduated. I graduated 3 years ago and I practise radiology...so my clinical knowledge is not so huge as a clinician. Anyway I made it, despite all difficulties, so everybody can made it...important is to believe in it.

I'm far from home, I live alone, far from my family. I woke everyday 5-6 am for getting prepared to this exam, working all the day till 17-18 pm as resident. After I came home, I restarted studyng till I felt too tired to continue. And I made it in the end. So u can do it of course!
First I own this result to my family...far from me in the space but near in my heart. Everyday my parents and my brothers called to help me to make me feel better: when I was down, when I was tired, when I was anxious. I will never forget their help. They were with me during my test.
Second. I own this result to myself: because I found the strength to believe in dreams. 384 days I fought as a lion to find the time for studying for step 1 and step 2ck, despite my obligations as resident. I'm so proud of it. Despite all difficulties and all problems, one must have goals in life, one must believe in something. I love my work, I love to be a physician, not just to be doctor, but to help patients and to do my duty. In my view, a fellowship in USA may be a chance to improve my skills and to be a excellent radiologist ( i love MRI !!!)

I wish all readers the best for the future and I hope my experience may be useful. Don't hesitate to contact me if u need help. Goodbye and all the best for your career!
 
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#4 ·
Hi everybody! I got my results today and i'm sooooooo glad of it: 231. I wanna thank all people who wrote on this forum...i found all suggestions, experineces and so on very helpful to give this examination!
Maybe It's not an amazing score...but i'm fully satisfied of it because my only goal is to get a post-residency fellowship in USA and not a residency actually ( I'm radiology resident in my country).
I AM also done residency in my country ,,nd also think to apply for fellowship but firstable i want to apply for residency..may somebody know can we apply for fellowship and residency program in same year?..and for fellowship does the score have so much weight as for residency?
 
#7 ·
Thank everyone!

Tamta: the lengh of real exam questions was ,more similar to kaplan q bank than UW...many informations given were unuseful to aswer actually...one must be ready and fast to keep the informations u need to make the right answer.
ddaydreamer: Step 1 related questions were mainly about Microbiology, Physiology and Pathology in my exam...anyway don't worry...I found them simpler than the real STEP1
 
#10 ·
radiology fellowship

Tamta, I know it's possible to get a radiology fellowship even if u are home country certified...i knew some radiologists who made it. i guess it's not easy, chances increase if u have a strong recommendation letter by your dean, publications, experiences in other hospitals (mainly in USA). Personally, I don't know whether i will make it, i'm not really sure, but when i started taking steps, i thought "It's almost impossible, so what i'm waiting for?" ;) if u are interested on it, u may visit the radiology department websites...there are informations about fellowship programs
 
#11 ·
Tamta, I know it's possible to get a radiology fellowship even if u are home country certified...i knew some radiologists who made it. i guess it's not easy, chances increase if u have a strong recommendation letter by your dean, publications, experiences in other hospitals (mainly in USA). Personally, I don't know whether i will make it, i'm not really sure, but when i started taking steps, i thought "It's almost impossible, so what i'm waiting for?" ;) if u are interested on it, u may visit the radiology department websites...there are informations about fellowship programs
Thanks for information. All we think it is impossible when we start, in the beginning it seems impossible to pass step1' then when we pass it we forget that it seemed impossible for us, now we're thinking about step2, although less "impossible" but still a serious barrrier, then CS then paralell we keep in mind and worry about our red flegs, about LoRs, usce etc.. If we could do one or two of impossible things maybe god can do some possible things for us come true. So lets keep on chasing our i would not call this dream.. Higher level Of proffesional life. Thanks and good luck
 
#14 ·
Well Done :)

Congrats to you for this score with limited time :) .. I have a question , I will sit for exam after 10 days and I'm not sure if I remember Q bank or not , I practise UW nowadays really it's too long and full of information :scared: sometimes become despair and I can't read , my score never reach 70% :toosad: what your advise for me ??? please
 
#15 ·
DrAGA: all is important to get a fellowship...however I think (and I hope) USMLE scores are less important for fellowship than for residency...in fact fellowship program directors also consider letter of recommendation, publications, experiences...

Ezpaseva:

it's quite hard to say what the best advise is 10 days before the exam. How long have u studied? what resources have u used? only UW?

Less than 70%in this q-bank doesn't mean mathematically u cannot take and pass this exam. It depends on your medical knowledge, on your ability to master the concepts that are commonly tested and so on...it's not easy to explain. However, as many people say, the better you know UW, the better is!
Maybe u could go over your weakest subjects in these remaining days (mine were OBS and GYN)...

However, try to answer to these questions "How would I rate myself? Am I ready?"

I thought these things 2 weeks before the exam. I wasn't sure 100%, but my answer was...yes, I'm ready.

Although i didn't, a possible solution may be to try the self assessment tests, such as UWSA or NBME. As many people say, they could help you to understand how your level is.

Otherwise, if u dont' feel ready or NBME/UWSA scores aren't good, u could postpone the exam date.

These above are some possibilities, none is the best one...only it depends on u.
 
#16 ·
Hi everybody! I got my results today and i'm sooooooo glad of it: 231. I wanna thank all people who wrote on this forum...i found all suggestions, experineces and so on very helpful to give this examination!
Maybe It's not an amazing score...but i'm fully satisfied of it because my only goal is to get a post-residency fellowship in USA and not a residency actually ( I'm radiology resident in my country).
Now my experience: I've studied for 5 Months, I studied 4 hours a day from monday to friday because I work as resident, and 8 hours during the weekend when I wasn't on call.

My study resources were FIRST AID 2CK + USMLE WORLD + KAPLAN Q BANK. Stop. I have not used nothing else.
ABOUT USMLE WORLD: My first resource. I found this Q BANK different from the real examination, easier of course and shorter questions, but, as people say, many things u need to know are in this Q BANK. I ended it after 1 month and an half about ( mainly because I wrote notes on my first AID). My percentage on the first round was 65%. Then, As I did for step 1, I went over and over again all questions and explanations, triyng to understand all concepts. Don't just memorize, try to understabd this Q Bank!
FIRST AID 2CK: not really useful as for STEP 1, i wrote notes on it from UWorld, tryng to integrate both resources ( as I did for step 1). Anyway I don't know wether it has been useful to do this "work".
I found the book too long, not schematic as FIRST AID STEP 1...u run the risk to focalize on informations that u don't need for this exam, to get confused...CONCLUSION: I only used it because a my friend wrongly suggested. Maybe it's more useful MTB2 and MTB 3, but I never seen them, so I cannot give u suggestions about it.
KAPLAN Q BANK: I found it quite useful, because questions are long, like real exam ( u may practise to read and get the informations u need to answer). Good explanations and videos.
I found it more difficult than UWworld. I bought last month, when I tought to be almost ready for the real examination, and my first score was only 50%! I didn't get desperate, I was prepared to it, because i read many opinions about this Q bank. In fact Some concepts are not tested on real exam, so this may lower your percentage. Moreover questions are very difficult and long. However my score were between 60% and 70%.
Conclusion: Do this Q bank if u have time or need to do more practise on question. I found this Q bank useful for Cardiology, Emergency and Surgery.

I didn't take neither USWA or NBME or similar. I didn't have time. So I did for STEP 1. Yes, I know, maybe u think I was crazy...and probably I was :rolleyes:. But I didn't want spend money anymore! I think only u can know when u are ready...no test can u tell it. Fortune smiles on the braves! :p Important is to be honest, u cannot know everything, especially if, like me, u work as resident, part-time and so on....u cannot study and know everything. It would be easier probably if I had not worked...

One week before exam: 1) I stayed home ( no hospital).
2) I "switched off" all distractors :p (facebook above all) :D
3)I took a deep Breath
4) I went over subjects that were not "clear"...especially on OBS and GYN...I hate them!!!

One day before: I didn't study

The day of the test: I arrived to the test center well rested. I managed to sleep and this was a really good thing ( so i didn't for STEP 1, anxiety almost killed me:)) ). Exam was tough. very long questions as i expected. I read all questions faster as I could, paying attention to time. I marked 15-20 questions for block, taking 3-5 about minutes of pause between each block. On the 4th block, despite I was quite calm, I started to have a headache and to feel tired. I took a 15 minutes pause and then i started again. Advertisement were easier than UW. Abstracts: i didn't have time to answer :notsure:. 70% concepts were from UW, 20% never seen, 10% Step 1 related. In conlusion. it was a strange examination, because I wasn't sure 100% about all the questions I gave..when exam ended, i was sure only to have not passed ( differently from STEP1) , but I never losed hope.
After all, I think this is exam is affordable but it's not just a walk, as some people say. Anyway is not impossible. So don't be scared! Probably is easier for people who practise general/internal medicine or recent graduated. I graduated 3 years ago and I practise radiology...so my clinical knowledge is not so huge as a clinician. Anyway I made it, despite all difficulties, so everybody can made it...important is to believe in it.

I'm far from home, I live alone, far from my family. I woke everyday 5-6 am for getting prepared to this exam, working all the day till 17-18 pm as resident. After I came home, I restarted studyng till I felt too tired to continue. And I made it in the end. So u can do it of course!
First I own this result to my family...far from me in the space but near in my heart. Everyday my parents and my brothers called to help me to make me feel better: when I was down, when I was tired, when I was anxious. I will never forget their help. They were with me during my test.
Second. I own this result to myself: because I found the strength to believe in dreams. 384 days I fought as a lion to find the time for studying for step 1 and step 2ck, despite my obligations as resident. I'm so proud of it. Despite all difficulties and all problems, one must have goals in life, one must believe in something. I love my work, I love to be a physician, not just to be doctor, but to help patients and to do my duty. In my view, a fellowship in USA may be a chance to improve my skills and to be a excellent radiologist ( i love MRI !!!)

I wish all readers the best for the future and I hope my experience may be useful. Don't hesitate to contact me if u need help. Goodbye and all the best for your career!
congratulations!!! best wishes for your fellowship!
 
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#17 ·
Thanks for your word drShark85 .. before started UW I was satisfied and I was think I am ready .. I studied Kaplan Notes , q bank ( it was not like UW ) I don't know what happen , sometimes understand the concept of question but I can't get the right answer .. I am not sure if Am I ready or not ..
 
#18 ·
Congrats drShark85… It is a good score.
Could you please tell me when did you take the exam?
I took step 2 CK on Nov 3 and i am freaking out just by thinking of results.:scared:
My exam experience was similar, very long questions than i solved in UW question bank or most of the NBMEs. There were very few questions on which i am 100% sure. Most of the questions were confusing. So i don't really know what's going to happen.:confused:
 
#20 ·
mat17: i took the exam on october the 17th and i received the result 3 weeks later. I undesrtand what u are feeling...I was almost sure to fail. I tought " If i pass, i will take the lower score". I've been so happy to see my result! I hope u ll pass and take a great score!

shalu 88: i know u can get a felloship even u are home certified...Some specialists from other countries get a fellowship in USA before and then a residency.
 
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