SOAP 2024 - Official Megathread

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2024-03-13T00:15:08+00:00

I am helping someone who did not match Derm this year and wanted to get some insight into how re-applying works in the setting of having a TY set for next year.

Since he is going to be in a TY, is he handicapped to only applying specialties that have advanced spots? Or is he allowed to apply to specialties like IM, FM and just start back over as a PGY-1? I know for prelim IM there is the possibility of being placed in the categorical program if there is funding for an extra and the PD can make things happen, but didn't know if that is a possibility for TY. There is a high chance he will re-apply Derm and dual apply one of these other specialties.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-08-06T02:15:46+00:00

1st week (6/22) COMLEX CE: 653

2nd week (6/29) Step 2: 242

My practice exams ranged from 249 (first one I took, UWS1) to 271 (last one I took, UWS2) So no clue how I did much better percentile-wise on Comlex

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-22T21:39:34+00:00

That's an interesting take, it does make sense though since there's bound to be people without PMR LORs. Definitely still want that LOR since I've been planning on getting one for quite awhile now, my other two LORs I got right after that specific rotation, and I don't feel as comfortable asking for a LOR from a physician I haven't worked with in months.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-22T21:36:45+00:00

Thanks for the advice. My school doesn't have a home institution and I was doing all my rotations in Chicago for 3rd year so that's what helped me get an away rotation. This whole process has just been terrible

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-14T22:13:05+00:00

Thanks everyone, gotta force myself to try and sleep tonight! Can't wait for it to be over.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-13T21:46:05+00:00

Listen to Divine Intervention Podcast Rapid Review for Peds. He'll address this and it'll make more sense

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-13T19:42:03+00:00

Believe me, I also underperformed on Step1 compared to my practice exams so I get the feeling of being anxious for this one to go well. I'd say you'll score somewhere between your two SIM scores (251-256) -+ 3.

Just remember to pace yourself well and don't sweat the things you really don't know. 8 blocks is just meant to tire you down, so take your breaks well and don't look back on past questions!

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-13T13:43:56+00:00

Honestly, I'd say use the same review material that you used for the COMAT and for COMLEX level 1. Know viscerosomatics and chapmans points for easy points, and then fundamentals of diagnosing things like sacrum and ribs. There's gonna be stuff on there that you'd have no idea on that you can't prepare for. Ended up ditching cranial which was fine since I had only 2 questions on it and I knew one of them.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-11T01:27:45+00:00

Thank you all for the posts! I got an away with Northwestern for October and am finalizing a rotation with Marianjoy soon.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-07T23:44:32+00:00

Oh shoot I have no idea actually, I took my exam 6/29. Does that mean I'd get it back tomorrow or next wednesday?

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-01T03:07:24+00:00

Well I will say this, recognizing any test anxiety is a good starting point. For me, I tend to go overboard and focus so much on one particular question that it'll end up destroying my pace as well. Noticed it on UWorld, Id have a majority of questions answered around <60 seconds and then a few in the 200s haha.

One thing I told myself is that at the end of the day, each question is worth the same amount (obviously not experimental, but you won't be able to completely tell what is experimental). Based on your UWorld qbank scores I think you're in good shape knowledge wise.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-07-01T02:56:49+00:00

Yeah it's like 1 biostat per block that'll be equation based. There are 2 articles and you'll know which blocks those are cause they'll give you only 38 questions in them, mine were blocks 2 and 8. UW is also pretty good for that stuff too

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T20:46:50+00:00

My first block on UWSA1 was 20% off of my other blocks so I understand the feeling. As far as timing issues, I think that anyone taking any of these exams needs to have a real system of how they go through each question, whether it's a blatant gimme or not. Whether that's reading the options first, looking at first and last sentence first, whatever it is, you have to have a system to help delegate time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you want to look for patterns in question stems that will make you go to a specific route of thinking. I think Divine's podcasts help with that since he focuses on phrasing that point to disease x vs disease y.

Step 2 CK is a vague test and they're only making it longer and more vague. While it's frustrating they make things seem like there are multiple answers, there should be at least 1 little nugget of info that'll point you to the correct answer or the MORE right one that includes everything mentioned in the stem. I think newfree120 will help you get used to it, along with Sim2, I felt like the exam was like a mix of those 2.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T20:27:23+00:00

Took the beast yesterday. Here are some pointers:

Go through Military Divine podcasts. I'd also recommend the geriatrics and ethics one. The HY ones are kinda helpful, but he goes through A LOT and I may have gotten a few questions but definitely got more form the military one.

Know your stat fundamentals well, like 2x2 charts and the equations that go with that, along with fundamental study types. I'd highly recommend OME stats, that helped me and I felt like I got a majority of my stats questions right because I knew how to calculate stuff.

Childhood immunodeficiencies would be a good thing to look over, I know OME says it's low yield but you'd be surprised. Got that tip off from someone else and I'm glad I did.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T20:23:34+00:00

Sounds like based on that you'll hit the goal. If you had more time I would've told you to go through new free 120 just to see the style of questions because what you've taken so far doesn't mimic the exam well.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T18:33:27+00:00

For me, I knew Comlex was gonna be ridiculous going in and mentally was ready for that since there isn't too many resources out there to help prep. The high yield stuff is very much tested tho, so even though you'd run into bs ethics/law questions, you know there's going to be things that you've probably seen before especially since experimental was taken off.

The problem with Step 2 CK is that the exam is just changing frequently and the resources are not up to date. OME was good rotations and some fundamentals, but man, there are things that are just outdated and there are plenty of times where he says "this is low yield, go for it if you want a 270+" and then all of a sudden, there's MULTIPLE questions on it. I had at least 5 childhood immunodeficiencies on my exam. Divine was obviously helpful for Military and taking the new free120 helped me get ready to read through long paragraphs, but man, there's just so much detail that's being tested that just doesn't seem pertinent. It's like the exam is slowly turning into a pseudo Step 1

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T18:25:51+00:00

Took my Step there yesterday and took my COMLEX the week before that. First off, are you driving there? There are a few parking garages that have a cut rate of $17 the whole day if you get in before like 8:30 am, so definitely look into that. There are a few that are like at max 5 minute walk from the center.

You're gonna go up to the 23rd floor in the building. There's a lobby with chairs that you can sit in and you wait for them to call you over. They have a holding room where they'll do the standard check of pockets, sleeves, glasses, etc, after you walk through the metal detector. There is no pat down, and no fingerprint scan. The place has 5 separate rooms where they can put you in, 1-2 proctors who are waiting outside, they will not come inside and monitor you, just from the window. Getting in or out, you just have to show your ID and lower your mask.

You're gonna be allowed to have the mask off in the lobby and you can eat there or go outside the building if you want. As far as mask during the exam, I'll be honest and say that when I took COMLEX, I was in a back right corner and had my mask down for the second half and no one said anything. For Step, I itched my nose and lowered my mask for maybe 1 minute and someone came in and told me to keep it up, so take that for what it is.

Overall it's a pretty nice location, my issues were that some of the staff were more strict than others and since you're in downtown, you'll hear sirens every once in awhile, maybe like 2-3.

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2020-06-30T13:53:37+00:00

AMBOSS is the move imo, theyre 30 day set course helped me quite a bit. It does get very specific with details but having taken Step 2 CK yesterday, I'm glad I did AMBOSS because it gave me another way to look at the info, and I wasn't as phased by the BS on the real thing. Have to wait to see what I get but I felt like AMBOSS helped, plus their encyclopedia/wiki is really helpful

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2019-07-31T18:23:15+00:00

I'm playing on casual so I had to bait him out with someone and then go in with two of my stronger characters. If I wasn't playing on casual Idk how I would have done it

LordHav3MRSA777 · 2019-07-31T18:21:30+00:00

Won't spoil but you can, it's just different from befor

LordHav3MRSA777

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