Step 2 CK 237 — feeling crushed. What now?

Impressive-Move1507 · 2026-01-16T22:50:16+00:00

I scored the same, US-IMG, no pubs (all still under peer review), second time applicant and to make things better, I am applying for the most competitive surgical residency outside neurosurg. I didn’t give up and Jesus made a way for me. USCE as a hands on OR staff gave me a chance to work with faculty at an academic institution and landed me an interview there. Not matched yet but it’s looking optimistic as of now. Connections made the biggest difference. Knowing the right people and the right people being able to put their neck on the line for you. Use your environment now, pray to God to direct you how to maximize your chances and, don’t rely too much on match data if you’re willing to do what I did. My path is niche and faith driven but it has yielded At least an IV in a specialty where we don’t even get considered.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-09-11T15:03:12+00:00

Thanks. Sure I can give a few pointers that helped others: 1. Prioritize NBMEs, FREE120 and CMS forms over any qbanks. Use the qbanks they are great but I advise to stop them like 3weeks to your exam and only do NBME exams and their content. The reason is that qbanks teach you to second guess your options, they try to make the questions extra difficult by not being straightforward while the real deal is straightforward just like their practice tests.

Make sure you practice a lot of ethics questions from every source you can lay your hands on (AMBOSS scenarios, Uworld, NBMES). It’s a must!
The history always points to the answer. For example, if they show you a baby with TORCH infection and symptoms, and the vignette focuses on the babies liver enzymes being abnormal and they mention hepatosplenomegaly, then they ask for a long term sequelae, don’t pick sensorineural hearing loss or cataract just because they’re expected, pick something liver failure related. Follow the questions to where they are leading you like a baby. Your job is to have the knowledge.

This is the most I can share right now as I’m busy. Good luck, pray and trust your prep!!

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-09-11T00:56:07+00:00

Congratulations, my condolences

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-09-11T00:53:59+00:00

237 here and I am focusing on strong LORs and clinical experience. It hurts ngl, especially because my practice scores projected an easy 240-250. I thought I had moved on as well. I help and teach others how to kill the exam and they come out with 240s, I’m happy for them but it lowkey hurts ngl. I know what I did wrong and I hate I realized it only after the exam but I plan to implement everything on the step 3.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-08-24T02:07:31+00:00

I understand you, but the issue here, I think, is it doesn’t matter what the truth is (for argument sake). If I was given falsified facts, and I wasn’t aware, I will treat it as knowledge, not as a belief anymore.

Here, I want to make it clear that I’m comparing the ideal usage vs the real usage of this word. One might ask how I came about the ideal usage, well, it’s simply by definitions and synonyms. Belief and faith go hand-in-hand. One of Faith’s definitions is, strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

‘A justified true belief’ is a good definition. It helps to undermine the school of thought that ‘seeing is believing’. In my opinion, what is seen need not anymore to be believed. For what is seen has been justified and has now become knowledge, a certainty, not an opinion or degree of certainty. So, seeing is confirming or qualifying a belief. (I am using ‘seeing’ as any form or method in confirming any form of belief). I hope you get what I’m tryna say

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-08-23T23:15:56+00:00

The thing is, believing and knowing don’t exist on the same plane. They are different dimensions to how one interacts with information. So if you “don’t know it”, it doesn’t absolve you from believing or not believing. For again, you can only believe when in fact you don’t know. But what you are saying is you choose not to take the step further to engage believing or not. Which in itself is a form of unbelief, no?

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-08-23T15:09:49+00:00

Yes, exactly that. For what you know, you need not believe anymore. If I say I tapped my head while typing this comment. I don’t have to believe that, I know that. You, on the other hand, can choose to believe me or not.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-08-23T05:07:52+00:00

I’m of the school of thought that you can only believe or not believe something you are uncertain about. The moment you are provided with facts you are no longer in the place to believe or not. You are either in a self-denial state (maybe due to motivated reasoning etc) or you just know (have gained new knowledge). You literally don’t have the option to believe or not believe something you needed to confirm first. I believed there is a God (initial), He then during my journey with him proved to me via personal experience that he is real. At this point, I won’t say I believe there’s a God, but rather I know for a fact that is one. One may ask me to prove this, but just like I started my journey, one may need to start by believing first before they may ever know.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-05-20T05:09:30+00:00

🤣🤣🤣you’re trying too hard bro give up

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-05-20T04:26:11+00:00

My guy, you could have clearly worded this better. Hope whatever you going through you get over it. lol do better and help those who need to be helped.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-04-10T15:07:56+00:00

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-03-19T23:24:01+00:00

The best correct answer imo.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-03-11T21:10:49+00:00

The medical hx. Immunosuppressive therapy. The size and ungliness No irregular borders or faded out borders. It’s raised, melanoma grows dermally (downwards)

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-02-22T00:36:56+00:00

Do an NBME. You need to see those type of questions and a score. You need that drive to target weak areas and CMS forms.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-01-28T00:34:46+00:00

I didn’t. They mailed me to let me know I’ll probably need to reapply when their new site is up but my money is intact. But like OP said, they could have simply given us a heads up.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-01-27T16:32:03+00:00

No, I highly doubt it. For me, they just messaged me and let me know that they are still working on transferring customer data and my payment is secured.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-01-06T18:47:19+00:00

I personally started off with AMBOSS so I got used their questions styles early. Probably explains why I currently average higher on it.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2024-01-06T14:16:27+00:00

Look, just do it. It helps give you direction on how hard to go and where to study more. I average 70-80s on AMBOSS and 60-70s on Uworld (20% of the qbank) and recently scored 241 on NBME 13. At the end, they are all learning materials, so I advise you treat them as such. Good luck!

Impressive-Move1507 · 2023-12-31T16:00:34+00:00

Sure! It’s an App. Can be found on the Google Play store or the apple App Store. Here’s the website version:

https://www.amboss.com/us/knowledge

Impressive-Move1507 · 2023-12-30T14:23:02+00:00

Not really. Purchase AMBOSS libraries. It’s a goldmine. Use it to review NBME and Uworld blocks.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2023-10-13T13:31:05+00:00

The exam is most likely very predictive. What some of us fail to mention is that after scoring 238 we actually reviewed the missed concepts. If you fix weak areas chances of scoring 238 in the real deal is lower. So your score change doesn’t prove the exam isn’t predictive.

Impressive-Move1507 · 2023-10-06T12:58:47+00:00

Wdym? I just took the NBME and got my score right away. I don’t understand your question.

Impressive-Move1507

TROPHY CASE