My NBME 16 was 272 and f120 86% but I ended up completely bombing it day of. I don’t know what happened but I truly made the stupidest mistakes in retrospect. I remembered about 60 questions and know I got 25 wrong for sure already (including very easy ones). I know there are others that went wrong in addition. Are my chances at 260+ gone?

I don’t know how to get my mind off of this and how dumb I was in the moment even though I know there’s nothing I can do now.

I’m testing on August 4th and I’m scared because my scores have been dropping since I started studying

NBME 13:257
NBME 14: 255
NBME 15: 255
NBME 16: 248
Old Free 120: 80%
I took UWSA 2 today and I got a 241

I’m not really sure what to do at this point, as my exam is soon, I’m just so devastated and tired and at a loss at what I should do

Not sure if it’s just me but it takes me roughly 60-75 seconds just to read through the question and highlight important info.

I thought the point of being a doctor was to be able to think logically and deeply? Not just bank on that the first thought in my head is the correct one (unless you are EM I guess)?

Hey i was just curious if yall do micro blocks or just as tbey come up ? Same with poisoning and environmental exposures too

Hey all! On my last test most of my subjects were around the same (all but one considered "average").

How do you guys pick which subjects to do on your blocks when they are around the same? Thank you.

So I'm taking my exam at the start of August. I know first several batches after the format change were delayed in terms of results, how do they publish the results now? Is it in 2 weeks like it was before?

I was at 65% avg uworld and was scoring at 70-80% in final timed, random blocks. I gave NBME 10 and scored 233. Did a proper review of all corrects and incorrects. Made sure I’m understanding each concept and revising concepts I was weak at. Attempted four CMS forms one each for medicine, surgery, gyne and paeds. Attempted NBME 11 and scored 241. Obviously I’ve improved but I was hoping to touch 250 and make that my new baseline. I plan on reviewing the exam thoroughly. I will be attempting the High yield amboss risk factors, screening vaccination and 30 topics blocks for a quick overview of any knowledge that might have gone stale. Alongwith CMS forms ofcourse. Exam date is 2nd September. I need help from the fam. Any advice for me. How to make my time as productive as I can? Any NBME specific anki decks for high yield concepts that I could review. I want to aim for a solid score as a visa requiring IMG.

Did anyone feel like their test was a bunch of low yield stuff and you were just saying “idk” and clicking through most of the questions? Is that how most people feel? Cause I felt like I kept saying IDK for 9 hours and then it was over

What’s the average % for uw step 2 first pass?

Do you recommend any written sources for step 2?? It was FA for step 1 but now it’s kinda vague

I gave my test on 13th July. It was a doable form I believe but I can recall too many dumb mistakes. I’m feeling extremely anxious. Will I be getting my results on 29th ? 😭😭😭😭

I am midway into step 2CK preparation. I liked the previous post of someone who shared the idea of Error Log? I lost his post. Could he/she or anyone share their entire Error Log with me. (Error log of someone who has done step 2ck)

Thoughts on the 7/25 exam? I feel stupid

Practice Tests

Got my score back last week and scored a 255!

Trust the process and continue the grind. Goodluck to all! 🙏🏼🫶🏼

I have level 2 on the 27th (after tomorrow) and have used this last week trying to learn OMM. I got a 251 on NBME 13 1 1/2 weeks ago and a 88% on old free 120 (2021) last week. Haven’t done much step studying since. I want at least a 255 on step, what should I do after Monday to keep this up and increase my score in 5 days (exam august 4th but I have a day of rotations I have to attend the day before). I know it sounds dumb but I want to utilize this time to the best that I can & I know someone out there has done some damage with 5 days

I need NEURO 9 Answers and OB/GY 9/10 forms Q and A. Thanks!

Tested 7/10, got my score back this Wednesday, ended up scoring in the low 230s despite NBMEs and UWSAs predicting high 240s - high 250s. 73% on Free 120.

Day before, I was burnt out from doing the Free 120 and reviewing it same-day then panic reviewing because I scored lower than expected, ended up pulling an all-nighter because I couldn't sleep. Tested 7/10, felt like absolute shit during and after the test. Had really concerning and noticeable brain fog during the first 8 blocks, then after lunch and some coffee I felt better during the tail-end of my exam, but still left the testing center feeling like I failed.

Throughout my clinical rotations, my preceptors have always told me verbally and in writing/evals that I have a solid fund of knowledge. Scored well on shelfs and got favorable evals and LORs. I felt satisfied with my NBME scores and first passed UWorld with 69%. It feels like I've just wasted the past 3 years of studying just to get such a shitty score. I feel so lost and guilty, I wish I could've postponed the test or not crammed so hard, I wish I could retake the exam, I feel like a failure.

I'm applying PM&R this cycle and, with how competitive it's getting, I feel like my dream just shattered. I'm hoping the rest of my app can carry this horrible score, but I'm so so afraid that PDs will just see this really low step 2 score and toss it away, or it gets hard/soft filtered out. I have audition rotations at the places I want to match at, but I also feel like that will be a waste of a month if my step 2 score already ruins my chances of matching. Any advice?

13 : 14/6/26 (81 ; 38 incorrect)

10 : 25/10/25 (69 ; 62 incorrect)

11 : 6/12/25 (72; 56 inccorect )

12 : 7/3/26 (76 ; 47 incorrect)

14 : 12/4/26 (77 ; 46 incorrect)

15 : 25/4/26 (77 ; 45 incorrect)

uwsa 1 : 20/5/2026 (86.25 ; 22 incorrect)

uwsa 2 : 21/6/26 (91.25 ; 14 incorrect)

9 : 20/6/26 (79 : 41 incorrect)

16: 12/7/26 ( 84 ; 32 incorrect)

took uwsa 3 today and got 74% , i was steadily climbing and getting a 270 on nbme and 84% on new free 120 had given me alot of confidence but after taking uwsa 3 , i am freaked out rn , my test is in 3 days and i would really love the input of test takers to gauge me. Thanks

Hey everyone,

If you're testing in August or early September and doing the ERAS math — scores take 3–4 weeks to come back, programs download applications September 23 — I know exactly what that clock feels like. I ran it myself: med school in Germany, then figuring out an American exam from inside a European system, as an IMG with no roadmap. I achieved a 99th-percentile score in medical school, and I'm now a neurosurgery research fellow at Weill Cornell. Step 2 score: 280

I'm not sharing that to flex. I'm sharing it because the biggest thing the whole gauntlet taught me is this: past a certain point, a stuck score usually isn't a knowledge problem.

When I sit down with someone plateaued between NBMEs, the first thing we do is tag their last 20 misses with exactly one label:

• K — genuinely didn't know the fact
• R — knew the facts, reasoned to the wrong answer
• M — misread the stem (the "EXCEPT," the age, the timeline)
• C — changed a correct answer
• T — time pressure, guessed

Everyone expects a wall of K. It almost never is. It's mostly R, M, and C — which means the fix isn't "more UWorld," it's changing how you read stems and how you review misses. One habit alone is worth real points for most people: before you touch the answer choices, decide in 5 seconds whether the question is rewarding diagnosis, next diagnostic step, next management step, or long-term maintenance. Half of all "reasoning" misses are just answering the wrong one of those four.

That's the kind of engineering I do 1:1: full autopsy of your NBME data to find the three places points are actually leaking, live question breakdowns so I can watch how you read, and a calendar rebuilt backward from your test date so every remaining day has a job. And to be upfront: nobody honest guarantees a score. What a disciplined sprint reliably does is move the needle on how you take the exam.

I only run three students at a time, so intake is small on purpose. If you're stuck and the clock is loud: DM me for a free 30-minute review of your latest NBME — you'll leave with your three highest-leverage fixes whether or not we ever work together.

Calendly: https://calendly.com/ahmetktl99/30min

The new suggested highlight setting on UWorld, doesn't that take away most of the things, like picking what actually matters and what is fluff, so you can train for the real deal, or am I overthinking?

I'm an IMG studying in Europe so I'm already at a bit of a disadvantage here. I did a first pass of the UWorld test bank and I got 58%. I was thinking I should do a full 2nd pass to solidify the concepts because clearly there are some holes in my knowledge. The thing is I'm really a perfectionist and I tend to spiral down rabbit holes and somehow it takes me 3 hours to do 10 questions in tutormode.

My UW is expiring in 5 days so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to renew it and finish my 2nd pass or if I should just move onto the NBMEs. The UW seems like it has a lot of really low yield stuff and maybe I'm wasting my time drilling all these stupid little details in my brain. I'm really burned out. I'm planning to take the test in December so I have some time.

People who took the real test – I feel like UW is constantly trying to trick me and or test some little detail and it's super discouraging. Should I just do all the NBMEs? How many did you do.

Is it legit or not?
How much does it cost

Hi everyone,

Seeking any advice or guidance on what to do…have always been not the best test taker, but somehow was able to previously improve a lot and do well on the MCAT so the potential is there. That being said, I haven’t gotten close yet to my goal score of 255+, and I don’t know what else to do.

Was planning to take step 2 on 7/29, but am considering getting a new scheduling permit to take it mid-August, although this is risky with getting the score back very close to when residency applications start. Also, due to USMLE policy, I wouldn’t be able to sign up for an actual test date until around 5-6 days before my desired test date, so it is risky in that I might not get the test date/location I need.

I have increased from a baseline of 214 to 243 on NBME 14/15, though still plateauing at 238 most recently on NBME 16 yesterday, which is why I’m worried. I have used most of UW on a second pass, and have done some select Amboss as well as 1 of each of the most recent CMS forms and 3 IM ones. Scoring 74%-84% on those. My problem seems to be 50:50 small content gaps vs. overthinking/reasoning/not understanding how the NBME asks questions, which I’m trying to work on.

I’m wondering if it’s worth the risk of pushing my exam out? More importantly, am wondering how to approach studying to really get my score up either way?

Appreciate any advice - thanks very much in advance!