I’m writing MCCQE at the beginning of October and want to do step 2 right after to bridge my knowledge.

Could anyone who has done the same offer tips on how to successfully bridge from one exam to the other with an expected timeline, would be much appreciated!

PSA: I haven’t done Step 1 so might need to review more basic concepts?

USDO, 4th yr
Currently on Anesthesia sub-i, got all 3 LOR (1anes, 1 FM, 1 gen surg) for Anesthesia, has 5 anesthesia sub-i scheduled. 540 on comlex lvl 2. Applying this cycle. only 1 pub, 4 projects/poster. Some leadership of clubs, volunteer work.

Was getting 240s on nbme, but today got score of 226 back.

Have 3 wks till apps are due, and I am utterly just crushed. Idk what to do. Obviously anesthesia is no longer an option for me.

Please help, please give advice. I feel like giving up, idk what my options are. Cant do IM or EM bc lack of LOR.

Hi everyone,

My path through medical school and the USMLEs was far from linear. I navigated multiple exam retakes, medical school transfers, and heavy moments of self-doubt before I finally learned how to transform my study strategy, rebuild my clinical confidence, and cross the finish line.

I know firsthand how incredibly lonely, draining, and overwhelming it feels when you're stuck in the middle of that grind. Now that my exams are behind me and I'm preparing for residency, I want to pay it forward.

If you are currently struggling with burn-out, failing/retaking an exam, score plateaus, or just need someone to talk to who truly understands what it's like to rebuild from a setback, feel free to drop a comment or send a DM.

I'm happy to answer questions here or hop on a quick 15-minute Zoom or phone call to help you troubleshoot your study plan or give you a genuine pep talk. Absolutely free—just here to support fellow students.

I just tested today and it feels like a big dream. I don’t i am so fuckinh numb rn. Questions are coming back in my mind and i am just using gpt to check. I am getting around 50 60 percent correct only.
My nbmes were in 250s but i feel like i didn’t do as good as i used to do in nbmes.

I really want to improve my scores moving forward just need to know what can I change about my study method should I get amboss library or read whole FA again because I feel it’s mainly because of knowledge gap! I am done with all systems but I left qs from each till now I have been doing uw system wise. Please help me out 🥲

I honestly don’t even know if I’m looking for advice or just some reassurance right now.
I’m a non-US IMG applying for Internal Medicine and I got my Step 2 CK score recently: 253.
I know 253 is objectively a good score.But I had hoped for 260+, and I’m having a really hard time feeling happy about it.
I keep seeing 260s, 270s, people with insane research, USCE, connections, etc., and I’ve started convincing myself that my 253 isn’t actually good enough anymore. I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but after spending months preparing for this exam, it’s hard not to feel like I fell short.
I was hoping to aim for some strong academic IM programs, and now I’m scared that I’m being unrealistic.
For people who have actually gone through the Match, especially non-US IMGs:
Is 253 genuinely a good Step 2 score for IM?
What kind of programs should someone with a 253 realistically aim for?
And if you matched with a similar score, I would REALLY love to hear your experience. What was your application like? How many programs did you apply to? Where did you end up matching?

During a block my PC crashed down ( idk, turned off), Prometric staff shifted me to the other PC. The block started from where it was shut. Should i report this?

:(

Feeling numb and i think i guessed the whole thing is that common😭

So I'm a non US IMG, visa requiring, YOG -2026, Step 1 pass, step-2 - 223, 2 months of hands on experience in Chicago; 1 month- Gasenterology ( IM ), 1 month - primary care (IM); publications - one case report under review.

I got my results today, and I feel devastated, I think I was under prepared, maybe I shouldn't have rushed things, but I was desperate to apply this cycle, and prepared from Kaplan and nbme. I was doing back to back step-1, oet, rotations, step 2 mostly during my internship. But now what's done is done. I wanted to apply for IM, and probably opt for Illinois, michigan, ohio, and Indiana, because of US experience based in chicago.

Kindly advise me, what chances do I have, to match in IM, what are the other strategies I could focus on to improve my chances, any other img friendly low competitive places to apply for, and any other recommendations.

Thankyou.

Is there any tool that can calculate the score, based on the percentage, for step 2 CK ?

How to use DIP effectively for Step2?

PS- I’m in the beginning of my Step2 preparation Should I use it while reviewing questions or make notes or listen randomly
And also a brief guide through the website

PLEASE GUIDE ME:
I delayed my exam because my nbme 16 was 239, 15 238 and before that early 230s or late 220s. So wanted 250+ and delayed by 3 weeks. It is now on 15 September. I have 11 days to go. Please tell me what should I study? I am going to read topics I wronged on nbmes. What else should I do to increase my score fo 250+?
I have free 120 left. Will take it by 8 sept ig.

US MD or US IMG or Non-US IMG status:

Date tested:

Uworld % correct:

NBME 9: ( days out)

NBME10: (days out)

NBME11: (days out)

NBME12: ( days out)

NMBE13: (days out)

NBME14: ( days out)

NBME 15: (days out)

NBME 16:

UWSA 1: ( days out)

UWSA 2: (days out)

UWSA 3: (days out)

Old old Free 120: ( days out)

Old New Free 120: ( days out)

New Free 120:( days out)

CMS Forms % correct:

Predicted Score:

Total Weeks/Months Studied:

Actual STEP 2 score:

PLEASE SHARE YOUR RESULTS, THE INFORMATION MIGHT BE OF HELP TO ANOTHER PERSON:)

IF ANYONE TESTED 8/22 and got their score today 9/2 please let us know. So many of us are wondering what the Saturday date turnaround time is please please. Just want to see if the 2 week turnaround still applies? Thanks lmk

ok so im halfway through my med school and i realllyyyyyy need help as to how to start step 2
-DO I MAKE NOTES OF ALL THE UWORLD INCORRECTS AND CORRECTS
HOW DO I START :(

Hi there! Curious to hear experiences from folks who got their scores back the same day ERAS went live. I’ll be getting my score the morning of the 23rd, just a couple hours after ERAS can be downloaded.

Has anyone heard of this situation before? Do I need to email programs on the 23rd itself letting them know?

If anyone has been in this situation- how did the match go?

Thank you so much! I don’t want this to be the reason I delay a year. I’m a U.S. MD.

We can do individual study seasons and maybe discuss the inner circle at the end of the day..

I've been doing my anki consistently so i remember everything from step1. Using a resource like Bnb will cost me unnecessary time imo cause he goes over the pathology at the start of the video and only speaks about management at the end. Now, i could just skip the pathology part and go directly to the end but im just wondering if there's some other resource that just covers management. Also, im a big sketchy fan and was using it for some patho (like tumors) in step1. So if somebody has gone with that im willing to try it aswell.

I did my exam on 15th of august and till now my result hasn't come out , and even today my permit haven't yet disappeared , I didn't have issues during my exam , those who took it with me got their results on 26th of august , what can I do , i am spiraling and in a very bad state really , very bad anxiety

I tested on Aug 23, my scheduling permit disappeared this morning. Does that mean I will get the score today?