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New_Sprinkles_1586

281 Write-Up

Hello, I am a non-US IMG and I'm writing this post to share my experience, hoping it might be beneficial to some of you. I presented my step 2 exam on August 25th and got my score on September 7th.

There are a couple of points I'd like to emphasize first.

  1. Your score does not define what kind of doctor you are and patients will never ask you how much you got on your steps. Even though I am incredibly grateful for my score, I know that it doesn't mean anything by itself (except a boast among the med community).

  2. MY way isn't necessarily the right way for YOU. You need to find methods of learning that best fit you, and only you. For instance, anki didn't work out for me while it was a life savior to others...

  3. I owe this score, to a great extent, to being a good test taker. You need to try to guess what the examiner was thinking when writing the questions. Pattern recognition plays an important role during your test and there is a way to improve this: PRACTICE.

  4. During the exam, as many others pointed out, it felt like I was guessing or just going with my feeling even though I wasn't sure about it. If you are well prepared, TRUST your gut and that should be enough.

  5. The preparation for this exam greatly depends on the amount of information you have gathered throughout med school. It relies more on the way of thinking than on retaining seamlessly random facts. You also need to find the best way for YOUR brain to retain info. For me, it was trying to understand the subject, make links with other topics and with practical real-life applications. Tutoring others is also an amazing way to get your head around difficult information.

I presented my step 1 exam on Jan 26th and took a break afterwards from studying for steps. I then started slowly studying for step 2 during my rotations in March and April. I had my final exam in uni in May and then started fully studying for step 2 starting June.

Now, for my resources:

  • My main resource was Uworld. I tried using it as a learning tool. The process can seem a bit frustrating at first since you are trying to answer questions on topics you might not be familiar with. I didn't find any problem with internal med questions (my school gave me a good foundation) but I found obgyn and peds more challenging. I used Amboss to work on my weak areas (obstetrics for instance since it was completely new to me). In general, I'd do random blocks in tutor mode, and really review each question thoroughly. For each new topic, I'd consult other resources to get a better understanding of the subject. Anything would work: amboss, uptodate, uni courses, google... My advice would be to limit the number of resources you use and just to try and accumulate knowledge in whatever way suits you best. The most important thing to me was trying to fully understand the material so that I was able to retain the information for longer.

  • I would take notes to review them later but tried to keep it as brief as possible (only new topics, only important elements for diagnosis and treatments or potential pitfall).

  • I tried reading FA, I didn't find it useful. Neither MTB. I just skimmed through a couple of pages and then gave up. But again, find the way that suits you best.

  • I tried to listen to some Divine Intervention podcasts but I didn't have enough time. The few I listened to were actually nice.

  • I just hate Anki so I didn't even bother.

My self-assessments were:

  • Step 1: 277

  • Amboss (05): 275

  • UWSA1 (06/08): 288

  • NBME 10 (13/08): 13 wrong

  • NBME 11 (15/08): 19 wrong

  • UWSA2 (18/08): 290

  • NBME12 (20/08): 282

  • First pass UW (finished 1 week before exam): 92%

Finally, the preparations for this exam can be truly exhausting, it feels like you're studying the material out of thin air (there is no bible like FA for step 1) and you might also feel like no matter how much you're trying you aren't giving your best. No matter what, keep going and trust yourself. Give as much as you can but don't forget to relax. Take some days off, enjoy time out with friends and family and don't exhaust yourself too much. This is a marathon not a sprint and your mental health matters more than any exam.

All the best for you guys out there! In case you need anything else, feel free to message me.