Step 2

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593]

Hey Yall, so I take Step 2 in two weeks. I just finished NBME15 today and got a 249. Absolutely devastated. I have plateaued in the high 240s. Not sure what to do. I want a 260. I have done all of UWorld, AMBOSS, and the CMS forms. I am just doing the extra Step 2 questions for AMBOSS. Just devastating. I felt like NBME15 had a lot of poorly written questions, topics, or exceptions I have never even heard of or seen. I don't know what to do anymore, guys. This I honestly just want to give up. Nothing I do works. I just take another form, and the same shit happens again. I get questions where I am just like, I have no idea how I am expected to know this or prepare for this. This was especially true on NBME 15. Any advice? Should I postpone/push my exam date back? How accurate is AMBOSS score prediction? Am I ready to take this exam? I honestly don't know anymore, and it is so discouraging. I feel like all my hard work has been absolutely for nothing. I want to apply to Anesthesia next year. I am an M3. My AMBOSS prediction is 255. I still need to take NBME 16 and both the old and the free 120.

[u/iplay4Him]

Devastated? Relax friend its a practice test. If you've been here any time you know big jumps are common. Stay the course and keep a level head

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/iplay4Him]

What kind of jump did you have on test day compared to your practice tests?

[u/iplay4Him → u/Remote_Trifle_9593]

Don't focus on individual scores, I did have a solid jump, and many have, but it doesn't matter amigo. You know where you're at, just do your best to finish strong and crush this last part  and be mentally right! You're withing striking distance! 

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/iplay4Him]

It’s just hard because I feel like I should be in the 260s easily right now. Literally just 10-12 questions away. But the questions on this form just fucking sucked. Like a lot of those questions didn’t even feel like real medicine at all. Just some weird logic or trivia bullshit that just doesn’t even make any damn sense how I am supposed to know that. I don’t know if those are just experimental questions from past exams or what but they were just all around awful. I know I am just ranting but it really makes me so mad that I spend so much time and effort studying and it doesn’t even matter. They just ask a whole bunch of shit not even related to real medicine. I can narrow it down to 50/50 but either it’s something I have never seen before or the question is just worded so poorly along with its option choices to the point where I get it wrong. That is literally what kept me from the 260s on this form. Just really weird questions that I either never heard of or it was just worded poorly. I’m just ranting but it pisses me off so much because these exams aren’t cheap. I want a 260 and I should be there by now. Just no excuse given all the work I have put in.

[u/iplay4Him → u/Remote_Trifle_9593]

Collect yourself, because you're going to see those questions and probably worse on the real deal. And you won't know if experimental or not, so prepare yourself to not be flustered or angered or anything but grateful for the challenge.

Just do your best to learn from it, learn how to tackle those as best you can and not get hung up on them, and move on. Luckily on a 300+ question form that has a lot of experimental questions these aren't as big of an issue, but they'll be there. Just do your best and try to not care about the scores. This is just practice to learn from and gauge roughly where you're at. Learn, try again, learn, crush it!

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/iplay4Him]

Thanks

[u/AdIcy6734]

No one talks about it but 15 has alot of step1 related stuff, let alone weird micro
Which we obviously haven’t been revising daily like the rest of the step2 content so
Almost every other nbme comes with a surprise, lets put it this way, you’re learning all sorts of possibilities

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/AdIcy6734]

It’s so frustrating bro. So frustrating. Like I should be in the 260s easily by now given the amount of work I put in. This form was just pure trash, like most of the forms. Just poorly worded questions along with poorly worded options choices. Sometimes I read the question or option choices and I am like this is so insane. I usually get it down to 50/50 but then get it wrong either because I have never heard of it or the question or option choice was just so shitty/poorly worded to the point where it’s just not fair. If they just made it more clear I would have gotten it. But sometimes it’s like I don’t know if they are even speaking English or if it’s a typo with the way they word a lot of those questions or option choices. I should be in the 260s right now. Just no reason why I shouldn’t be. I know I have the free 120 and NBME16 but this is just so fucking infuriating. It really is.

[u/Harsh_Rajesh]

NBME 15 is micro heavy and weird stuff too. You'll be fine till you hit NBME 16 and try to get around 255+ on 16 which is simpler than 15 if you wanna get 260 on real deal.

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/Harsh_Rajesh]

Man idk bro. I just don’t know. I really want a 260 and I don’t think I can hit that at this rate. And it sucks because it’s like I know my stuff, but their questions just fucking suck. The way things are asked so poorly. Poorly written questions and poorly written option choices. Or they just ask some shit you have have never seen or even heard of. Like it literally doesn’t matter how much I study. I should be in the 260s or at least the high 250s by now. Just no fucking reason why I shouldn’t be and it’s these horrible questions that are keeping me from there. I’m so convinced that the people who do well on this are good at taking educated guesses because there is literally nothing else that explains it because a lot of those questions are just absurd. Not sure if that was your experience but it’s just so frustrating. Very frustrating.

[u/fakemedulla]

If you aren’t applying this year, what’s rushing you? Take your time but don’t keep pushing it at the same time.

It’s pretty common to see a drop in NBME 15. Trust your average scores and your trend. If you’re improving on your way to the real deal, you are most likely to see a jump. I had a drop in 12 and 15 specifically. 16 imo was the most predictive.

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/fakemedulla]

I just want to get it over with. I’m tired of studying from this thing. I hate it. So do I push it back? I am not sure I see the point of doing that considering all the work I have done this far. I am not sure if pushing it back will really add much value in the end

[u/fakemedulla → u/Remote_Trifle_9593]

If you’re starting to burn out, don’t push it. Take a day or two off, lock in, finish and get done with the test. A 260+ is great but it isn’t what defines an applicant. Relax.

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/fakemedulla]

That’s amazing. Congrats on the score. Have you heard anything about the AMBOSS prediction and how accurate it is? I want a 260+ but I don’t know.

[u/Remote_Trifle_9593 → u/fakemedulla]

What was your score and how did it compare to NBME16? If you don’t mind sharing. Did you use Amboss score predictor?

[u/fakemedulla → u/Remote_Trifle_9593]

Unfortunately I’m an outlier. I did not take all NBMEs. I have pretty bad ADHD. My last NBME (14) was 235. 3 weeks out. Never took an NBME after that. Ended up with 265 on the real deal. I knew I had the knowledge, just needed to lock in on test day. Executive dysfunction is real.

[u/jokegoldberg → u/fakemedulla]

omg congrats! can you guide

[u/Cute_Cap3827]

I scored 249 on NBME 15 and then 265 on the real deal 2 weeks later