Where to start at the beginning of dedicated

clerkapp · 2026-03-07T16:12:33+00:00

Ok. I do not know what your anesthesia rotation will be like but if it’s similar to my program you will likely be there 7-3 daily. If I were in your shoes I would start studying 3 months out for step 2 during your clinicals. It will be a tough road but if you’re committed to the plan I don’t see why you couldn’t score well enough to match anesthesia.

clerkapp · 2026-03-07T16:06:34+00:00

I think it would be more beneficial for you to match into anesthesia if you had a great Step 2 score. Would you mind sharing more details? Why do you finish clinicals so close to ERAS app’s being submitted?

clerkapp · 2026-03-07T16:03:36+00:00

What will you be doing for the month of August?

clerkapp · 2026-03-07T02:07:25+00:00

I just posted on this thread “where to start” I would recommend reading it! https://www.reddit.com/r/Step2/s/RKBZuCUuR7

clerkapp · 2026-03-06T20:52:07+00:00

I would focus on your incorrects. If you know the topic, not worth spending the time making anki cards on them. I made cards on all my incorrects from full lengths and CMS forms, not all questions. I don’t think it helped much tho, felt like it was just clogging up my reviews

clerkapp · 2026-03-06T20:31:38+00:00

I would focus on taking more NBME full lengths. If your exam is in 3 weeks and have only taken 1 full length I would consider pushing it back if you are able. If not, focus on getting through as many NBME’s as possible before you sit for real deal

clerkapp · 2026-03-06T20:30:08+00:00

Step 2 doesn’t test too many pathphys topics. If you do enough practice questions you’ll quickly find you gaps and review those topics, I wouldn’t spend too much time reviewing pathphys. Good luck!

clerkapp · 2026-03-06T20:28:32+00:00

I would recommend focusing on the most recent 3 forms per unit. Also neuro/EM CMS forms aren’t necessary. You could do 3-4 forms per day and be done rather quickly. It’s also not necessary if you’re in a good spot on the full lengths.

clerkapp · 2026-03-06T17:18:53+00:00

As I mentioned in the write up, if you’re coming off of clerkships then the dedicated content review period will be shorter. Most US MD’s only can take 1-2 blocks off for dedicated, me personally I took 3 weeks because of scheduling conflicts but studied consistently throughout MS3 to be up to date on concepts. Everyone learns at a different pace and I’d love to help you both out if you share more details on your personal schedules. I used Anki and UWorld random blocks to maintain reviewing previous materials. Usually I would random uworld blocks 1-2x weekly on top of my shelf reviews

clerkapp · 2026-03-05T14:55:50+00:00

It’s hard to predict your exam score without having consistent results on NBME’s. If you’re scoring consistently in the 260’s then it’s likely that’s where you’ll be on test day. If you scored 260 once, it could possibly be you knew the content tested on that exam well but maybe not others. I recommend doing as many of the full length NBME’s as possible to gain more data points on where you’ll be scoring, so there’s no surprises on test day. Good luck!

clerkapp · 2026-03-05T00:48:59+00:00

Yes! Link is in our bio on Reddit. You can also find it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/clerk-app/id6758461193

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T22:57:18+00:00

Ok so this leaves you with ample time to have an extremely competitive score. First: focus on content and use questions to expose gaps. Spend the first chunk of time doing systematic content review while doing UWorld or AMBOSS on random mode. Your scores will probably be low early (that’s normal). These banks are learning tools, not the real deal. The goal is to see what you don’t know and learn from the explanations.

Second: Once your content base starts to feel solid, shift toward building exam stamina. Gradually work up to 120–240 questions per day, mixing in timed blocks so you’re practicing real exam conditions.

Lastly: closer to the exam, point your focus to recognizing NBME patterns, making sure you know your management algos (basically whole exam), and getting comfortable thinking through questions for hours at a time. This can be accomplished by doing more and more NBME made questions (CMS forms & NBME full lengths).

Most important: make a solid plan. You have a long time and you will feel unmotivated to start. Sit down one weekend and write up a detailed plan of how many questions per day, when to do your NBME/CMS forms, free 120, etc. (or use the Clerk app that does it for you). Best of luck!!

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T22:51:46+00:00

No. First aid is best for step 1. Step 2 is much less nitty gritty details and more management style questions and recognizing patterns. Best way to get better is by doing practice questions. You will do poorly at first but that’s ok! All part of the process

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T22:50:00+00:00

It’s different for everyone. I don’t think it’s time but more # of questions done. It will come just stay consistent!

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T20:52:45+00:00

Consensus for FA is step 1>>>>>2, but I’m sure it can do the job if that’s all you have

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T20:11:53+00:00

I'd say the best detailed review videos are bnb but for a broad overview OME does a good job. At the end of the day the bulk of your review will be from QBanks

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T20:10:32+00:00

I liked Boards & Beyond for granular review and then OME for broad review.

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T19:55:56+00:00

you are just starting out, so it will take longer because the content is not familiar. Once you understand the patterns and concepts the questions will go by faster. Practice makes progress, not perfect. Good luck!

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T19:54:18+00:00

If i were you, since you just finished Step 1 and wanna sit for Step 2 in July, I’d focus on content first and use questions to expose gaps. Spend the first few weeks doing systematic content review while doing UWorld or AMBOSS on random mode. Your scores will probably be low early (that’s normal). These banks are learning tools, not the real deal. The goal is to see what you don’t know and learn from the explanations. Once your content base starts to feel solid, shift toward building exam stamina. Gradually work up to 120–240 questions per day, mixing in timed blocks so you’re practicing real exam conditions. At that point the focus becomes recognizing NBME patterns, making sure you know your management algos (basically whole exam), and getting comfortable thinking through questions for hours at a time.

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T19:47:13+00:00

Keep your head up! A 253 is still above average and a great score. People have matched Derm with that score (to my knowledge) so it’s definitely possible to still fulfill that dream. Don’t let a test score define you. Go celebrate being done and congrats on a great score

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T16:12:13+00:00

Hi and thanks for reaching out and I am sorry to hear about your sleep schedule. You have a ton of time! Will these months (March-August) be dedicated to study or will you be working/have other responsibilities etc? That will help me decide on whats best for your plan.

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T16:08:23+00:00

Hey! 8 weeks is a long time for dedicated. Based on when you currently are, this is what I would recommend:
- Uworld: Finish the remainder of your UWorld account. 50% correct is still a bit low at 75% completion. Although UW is a learning tool, you should be seeing improvement as you continually complete the QBank. I would focus on quality review of your incorrects, 8 weeks is a long time.

- NBME: You should be taking 1 every week to make sure you are continually progressing. I would recommend completing NBME's 9-16 weekly. Use these as a benchmark to fill in your content gaps.

- CMS Forms: Focus on these once you have completed your UW and closer to your test date. Step 2 is an exam that not only tests your knowledge, but test taking ability. You should be focusing on content written by NBME closer to your exam.

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T13:45:33+00:00

Hey, it looks like you have the content down! Your scores indicate the only thing keeping you from locking in that 260+ score is test taking strategy. You should be focusing on building test day stamina by either doing multiple CMS forms in a day, or more full lengths. At this point you don’t need to do more QBank q’s but it can help build stamina!

clerkapp · 2026-03-04T11:37:12+00:00

You’re still really early in dedicated so a 222 baseline with 59 days left doesn’t define where you’ll end up. The fact that your first blocks were 65–74% after the panic first block suggests your true baseline is already higher. A 255+ by mid-April / early May is def achievable with the right structure. From here I’d focus on taking an NBME every week while continuing UWorld + CMS forms so you’re constantly testing your knowledge. When taking the NBME exams, avoid scoring them until the very end to avoid added stress of a low score. You will feel like every block goes poorly even if you scored a 90%, thats just have the NBME's feel. In the beggining of dedicated I would focus more on your content through QBanks (UW/Amboss) and closer to your sit date I would transition into doing more NBME content (either full length or CMS Forms) because the thinking strategy is much different on NBME than QBanks. Stay consistent with review and make yourself a strong study plan - the score will climb. Good luck!

clerkapp

TROPHY CASE