From a Constellation to a Constellation

  Step 1 experience (April 2021) Faateh Ahmad Rauf (Final year MBBS Batch of 2021) Introduction: I began my USMLE Step 1 journey in 3rd year under the guidance of my seniors and started off by covering Biochemistry from Kaplan 2014. Throughout the year I used USMLE oriented resources in addition to the prescribed coursebooks for the third year subjects in the form of pathoma, sketchy micro, sketchy pharm and the 2010 Kaplan pharmacology lectures. Most importantly, I supplemented my learning using Anki during the mandatory lectures, specifically I used the Anking deck. At the start of 4th year I watched and annotated all of pathoma within a month and then started watching Boards and Beyond system wise while doing questions from the same system from USMLE Rx. Once again I was doing Anki during lectures but I picked up real speed when the pandemic hit, with no lectures to distract me I quickly finished USMLE Rx and moved on to Uworld, of which I had completed 30 percent before I put ...

 Usmle step 2 experience 268 Stats: UW first pass %: 92 UW second pass % : 99 ( only got done with 10 percent) UWSA1: 271 (3 weeks before) UWSA 2: 281 (1 week before) New free 120 %: 89 (1 week before) Real deal 268: ( definitely didn’t go as well as my assessments) Thoughts about the exam: Difficulty: I personally thought the exam was the harder compared to the UWSAs, or maybe my form had a lot of question I found hard on it. I felt that I had underperformed in my exam, a lot of questions made me second guess myself and made me confused while picking between two options. The content however did not seem too alien; all the questions had some level of familiarity no weird diseases etc, it is with option choices where they get you. I had a couple of question on picking antibiotic regimens for diseases and they were no way as simple as the UWORLD ones. Patient safety/ ethics was not that big of an issue but then again you do not know until you get it wrong. Images were a nightmare, I ...

  252 in 10 weeks IMG experience. Title says it all I am a fresh medical graduate (IMG) who had a little less than 10 weeks to prepare for step 2 only resource used was uworld and anki. I prepared my final year exams well and think that helped. I did 2-3 blocks a day, it was very tough and had to review a block in 4 hours or less. As time went by you get familiarised with the concepts and keep reviewing and practicing. Shorter focused time is much much better than longer dedicated period. Parkinson’s law is what really helped me get through ‘time expands to fill the activities that you allot it’. If you Tell yourself you’re going to finish a block and review it in three hours you will review it in three hours if you give yourself a week you will review it in the week. I used the Tzanki deck and M3 deck to reference cards and review extra material, I personally think these are the two best decks out there in the STEP2 preparation forum. Every day I would wake up do my blocks (random...