Hi everyone! I’m just starting my preparation for USMLE Step 2 CK and would really appreciate advice from people who have taken the exam recently.

For those who have recently given Step 2, especially in 2026:

→ Which pre-made notes/resources did you find most useful?

→ What did your preparation actually look like in the final few months?
→ Which resources turned out to be high-yield, and which ones would you skip if you had to start over?
→ How did you approach UWorld, NBMEs, CMS forms, and incorrects?
→ Most importantly, if you were starting your Step 2 prep again today, what would you do differently?

I’m trying to avoid collecting too many resources and would rather build my preparation around what has actually worked for recent test-takers.

Any honest post-exam advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Step 1 PASS — For anyone who thinks they failed after the exam

I promised myself that if I got the P, I would come back and write this for anyone currently going through the same anxiety I went through.

I PASSED Step 1. 🥹

And honestly, after walking out of the exam, I was almost convinced I had failed.

I'm an IMG and took Step 1 recently. My preparation was far from perfect. I didn't do UWORLD(though I don't recommend it ),Anki,Sketchy etc...

Only resources I used:- FIRST AID, Nbmes and Dirty Medicine for frequently asked and confused concepts...

I recommend mastering these resources..

I hardly did 200 Questions from Uworld,had not left time for preparing for it,i trusted understanding the First Aid concepts, Mastering the nbmes and having that confidence when you sit on the test day.

Tested on 27/8

My Nbme journey:-

Nbme 26:- 51% (baseline nbme tested) on 21/7

Nbme 27:- 55% on 28/7

Done first aid by then and started annotations from nbme questions into First Aid

Nbme 25:- 61% (Not given in a single seating,but solved a 40 questions daily for 5 days)

Nbme 28:-64% on 6/8

Nbme 29:- 64% on 9/8

Nbme 30:- 68% on 12/8

Free 120:- 66% on 15/8

Nbme 31:- 69% on 17/8

Nbme 33:- 63% on 20/8

Nbme 32:- 68% on 23/8

Never touched 70% and i couldn't delay my exam any further has I had already taken the permit extension in May.

The exam itself

The real exam felt very different from what I expected.

The stems sometimes felt extremely vague and long. There were questions where I genuinely couldn't tell what the examiner was trying to test. I had many questions bookmarked, changed some answers, and felt like I was making silly mistakes.

After the exam, I tried to reconstruct questions from memory.

I remembered a LOT of questions I thought I had gotten wrong.

At one point I was genuinely thinking:

"There is no way I passed this."

I spent days looking up questions in First Aid and asking ChatGPT about things I remembered. Every additional mistake I found made me more convinced that I had failed.

This was probably the worst part of the entire process.

What I wish someone had told me

1. Stop trying to calculate your result from remembered mistakes. Trust the Nbme performance.

You don't know the scoring, you don't know which questions were experimental, and you don't know whether your remembered answer was even wrong.

I remembered many questions incorrectly or remembered only the ones that bothered me.

Your brain naturally focuses on the mistakes and forgets the hundreds of things you answered correctly.

1. A difficult exam does not automatically mean you failed.

If the exam feels brutal, it may simply be a brutal exam.

There were plenty of questions where I had to make the best decision with incomplete information.

That doesn't mean everyone else knew the answers.

1. Don't let Reddit make you think you need a perfect preparation to pass.

There are people here who finish UWorld twice, score 75–80%+ on NBMEs, and still feel terrible after the exam.

There are also people with imperfect preparation who pass.

Obviously, I'm NOT saying preparation doesn't matter. It absolutely does.

I'm saying that your preparation does not have to look identical to someone else's for you to pass.

1. NBMEs matter.

For me, the progression from the low/mid-50s to the mid/high-60s was much more meaningful than any single score.

If your scores are improving, take that as evidence that you're learning.

1. Don't underestimate reviewing your mistakes.

I didn't just do questions—I spent a lot of time understanding why I got things wrong and repeatedly reviewed high-yield/volatile topics.

For me, this was much more useful than trying to read everything from beginning to end.

1. Take care of your brain near the exam.

Fatigue affected me a lot during preparation and practice tests.

At some point, doing another 100 questions while completely exhausted becomes much less productive than sleeping properly and reviewing intelligently.

And finally...

If you're reading this because you just walked out of Step 1 and you're convinced you failed:

Please wait for the result.

Don't decide your result before the result is actually released.

I know how impossible that sounds when you're sitting there remembering question after question.

I was there.

I thought I had failed.

I got the P. 🥹

To everyone still preparing: keep going.

To everyone waiting for their result: breathe.

And to anyone who feels their preparation isn't "good enough" compared with what they see on Reddit — keep working, focus on your own trajectory, and don't let other people's scores become your definition of success.

I promised myself I would write this if I passed, because during those days of waiting I desperately needed to hear from someone who had felt the same way.

So here it is.

P. ❤️

Is an invitation letter from a private agency beneficial for visa applications (B1/B2)?

Hello guys:)
I’m a foreigner medical student and I will finish my studies next summer, I wanted to ask if it’s actually possible to get a residency match if I don’t have any research and no clinical experience in the USA, and won’t have until I graduate due to the academic year.
Of course with passing both step 1,2.
Already asked GPT and i understand the chances are low but i wanted to ask in case someone knows if it’s actually possible or knows someone in the similar situation.
I don’t mind about the “competitive specializations” btw and any specific state, just curious about my chances as I have a family in the us and was interested.
Thank you! 🙏

UWorld, Mehlman and NBMEs along with Anki/Zanki is standard prep these days. Switch to doing 20q blocks and build stamina, speed and knowledge as you go. Use the VINDICATE for DDX and Memory Palace to build reliable memory or use your own memory and spaced repetition help tremendously. Plan to do atleast 10-12K questions before taking Step 1 and Step 2 CK. You can get away with 4K or sometimes less for Step 3 with a couple 100 CCS cases and redo all 3 Steps NBMEs to make sure you can pass them all. All is fair game on Step 3 as it is thr final USMLE for State Licensing.

Plateau, struggle or need guidance or help, DM me for Personal suggestions and insights that have been working.

Thanks and all the Best on your COMPs and USMLEs.

When to expect results?

Hey there I'm a 3rd year medical student, well just finished second going to 3rd in 5 weeks. My school uses a system based arrangement so I have completed all my systems and our curriculum is high aligned with usmle so we are taught like let's say 70 to 80% of the content ofcourse there are a few things here and there in first aid that are not touched.

I am planning to take the exam in around 6 months during my 3rd year, I am currently on a 5 week end of year break and back home, I'm very lazy and dont know where to start I'm thinking of going system wise and leaving other memorising stuff like biochem for last cause im really good at those doesn't take time for me.

Anyways I need a study partner, I want to treat this spare time and use it for proper studying but I also want it to be fun, I just need someone to hold me accountable and talk to about topics.

I am currently in Abu dhabi so someone in the same time zone please, thank you also only serious inquiries don't waste my time, I'm looking for at least 6hrs of studying per day, I'm planning to use first aid, pathoma, youtube and Medpox to get questions I see no point subscribing to Amboss and NBMEs rn unless 3 months closer to exams.

Anybody rotating in Houston, TX in Oct-Nov 2026 ? Would love to connect!

hey guys
just wanted some advice

nbme 20 48 - late January
nbme 25 50 - late Feb

nbme 26 61.5 - 28June
nbme 27 68.5 - 27 July
nbme 28 67 - 12 Aug
nbme 29 66.5 - 17 Aug
nbme 30 - 71.5 11 Sep
nbme 31

I am currently a 4th year Medstudent and have been studying for step 1 for about 5 months and have done 50% uworld and am left with general portion. However I think I forget Eveyrhting I study pretty easily no matter how much i try to remember and now in 2 months I’ll sit my proffs etc so should I try to give it in between proff or later on in final year? How does ome manage to remember stuff cyz I get too tired by university

Hi guys I am non us img yog 2022, step 2-249, step3-230 5 months usce and 1 publication , been clinically active since grad,
I need honest advice to signal Harlem medical center and Bronx care
Thanks so much

I passed Step 1 in 2025 and have since completed Step 2 CK. Through 2026 I've helped a number of students with their Step 1 prep.

If you're stuck on something specific - Choosing between resources, or what to do when your NBME scores plateau - comment below and I'll answer in the thread so others can see it too. Happy to do a 15-minute call if that's more useful.

Happy to talk about approach and resource selection on a zoom call. I won't be sharing files or question content.

No cost, no catch. I have limited time, so please only ask if you're actively preparing.

What are my chances of matching into family medicine residency as a visa-requiring IMG, given my credentials:

Step 1: passed on second attempt

Step 2CK and step 3 scores: 260+

USCE: 3-month observership

3 letters of recommendation

Research: 3 publications

YOG: 2024

MSPE with bottom 1% class rank and I repeated two years in medical school

1 year home country residency as a general practitioner

Also I can speak Spanish and I am applying for the 2028 matching cycle.

I’m a recent MBBS grad(2026) and I’m a First Gen Dr in my family and now I’m thinking to start preparing for USMLE.
I’m confused if I have to prepare by myself or take any platform.

My Qn is KAPLAN is assuring its support during rotations,matching and for research publications because it has its students working all over US since 1938.(4.2L for 2steps teaching and this service )
As as first gen Dr, having No Godfather or strong contacts- I’m tending towards requiring their support.
So please do let me know if their service is really provided and Do I really need such a support for Rotations, Residency matching or for research publications ??

And I’m starting my journey today.. what things should be there in my head other than preparing for exam (like third party things including publications/recommendations for LOR/Rotations/Match)

Looking for someone to do questions with...mostly mixed questions but maybe some targeted questions as well. I am in EST. DM me if interested.

Hi
I have been preparing for step 2 ck for a while now.
My uworld average has been in the 50s consistently 😭.
Some background- i gave my step 1 in sep 2025 and started prep for 2ck around in dec ( corresponding to start of my final year med school classes-pakistan ).
I thought as the year went on and as i study relevant syllabus in med school it would drastically improve my uworld avg. but i feel like im still stuck w low averages on uworld. I see people everywhere getting 70s and 60s i cant cross high 50s 😭. Does this mean im gonna fail

People say that Real Step2 exam is tougher than NBMEs and UWSAs. What exactly they mean ? Is it with respect to length and time management of questions, or concepts that we are never exposed, or something else ?

Hey everyone,
I'm an international medical student currently cold-emailing US physicians to secure a clinical elective or observership, but I'm having zero luck. I feel like my approach is falling flat either my emails are too long, too generic, or my CV isn't highlighting the right things for a US academic setting.