NEO

Not always perfect!! Latest News of #health & #education.

[neousmle-blog]

Eligibility For The USMLE Step 1, 2

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE USMLE? Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS

outside the US and Canada, listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements, and  that meets other eligibility criteria of the ECFMG.

[neousmle-blog]

William L. Rodman : Founder of National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)

A smart doctor, or a good one

[captainmudphud-blog]

Step 2 CK

DURING THIRD YEAR ROTATIONS…

I consider my most important and intense preparation to be what I did in preparing for each rotation’s shelf exam. 

Ob/Gyn (upper 80s): Kaplan Ob/Gyn + Uwise + OME + Uworld

Psych (upper 90s): Kaplan psych + FA for Psych + OME + Uworld

Neuro (upper 80s): Blueprints + Kaplan IM neuro + OME + Uworld

Medicine (upper 80s): OME + Uworld

Peds (lower 70s): Kaplan peds + Uworld

Family (lower 90s): Case Files + SUTM Ambulatory + OME

Surgery (upper 80s): Pestana + SUTM GI + OME + Uworld

I only finished approx 70% of Uworld before I reset it for dedicated time.

DURING DEDICATED TIME…

Uworld Self Assessment: I didn’t touch any Step 2 prep material prior to dedicated time. I took UWSA1 first to figure out my baseline, which ended up being in the high 220s. I think coming off surgery followed by my medicine SubI bumped by score quite a bit.

Online Med Ed Videos: I don’t learn from questions if I don’t have a very clear view of the big picture. That’s nearly blasphemy, I know. But for me that’s the very painful truth I learned during Step 1. So I spent the first half of my dedicated time burning through the OME notes and videos. I can’t give these videos enough praise. Really. I’m almost certain that I would not have done well during third year, shelfs, or Step 2 had it not been for these videos. They are clutch. Shelling out $70 for the notes was totally worth it. 

Uworld + Anki: I took blocks on timed random and then slowly worked through the explanations. Instead of taking notes into a word document, as I’d done for Step 1, I decided to turn my notes into anki questions. This worked really, really well for me. Your mileage may vary. I only finished approx 80%, but I completed every category except for internal medicine.

First Aid for Step 1: behavioral sciences section ONLY to review for biostats and ethics. 

After over-complicating my Step 1 prep, I went pretty low resource for Step 2. The online med ed notes served as my “book” for Step 2. For each OME video topic, I read through the notes and then watched the video, annotating any additional information directly into the notes as I deemed necessary. After I had finished all the OME videos, I started working my way through Uworld. My anki cards kept me continually reviewing facts and integrations I learned from Uworld. I also reviewed the note packets I’d put together during third year when I was preparing for each shelf. No additional practice tests or resources. I took the real deal just hoping for the best. 

My final score was the in 260s.

[neousmle-blog]

Definition of USMLE! The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a multi-part professional exam sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Physicians with an M.D. degree are required to pass this examination before being permitted to practice medicine in the United States; see below for requirements of physicians with a D.O. degree.

You can read here more about United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).