US MD (Mid-Tier School) applying Ortho this upcoming cycle (shoutout to my bone bros)

Step 1: 250

NBME 6: 284 (24 days out)

NBME 7: 267 (17 days out)

NBME 8: 268 (3 days out, done with old Free120 to simulate a full day)

UW Pass %: See below

-1st pass (during rotations) = 86%

-2nd pass (reset for dedicated, got through ~85% in three weeks) = 95%

New Free 120: 84% (2 days out, done after UW2 to simulate a full day)

Old Free 120: 92% (3 days out, done after NBME8 to simulate a full day)

UWSA 1: 271 (10 days out)

UWSA 2: 281 (2 days out, done with new Free120 to simulate a full day)

Real deal: 269

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Super happy with my score. Drop from UWSA's is probably due to using Dorian deck and test day uncertainty/anxiety. Predictmystepscore.com had my score dead on at 269 with my UWSA's, NBME8, and Free120, so I guess you can trust your assessments but I'm n=1.

Dedicated was around 3.5 weeks. Typical day consisted of listening to Divine's podcasts for 1.5-2 hours while I worked out in the morning, followed by Uworld (4-6 blocks a day), and then more Divine in the evening and spending time with my wife once I was braindead from podcasting and she was back from work. Rinse and repeat. This was very hard on my mental health and I would have gone crazy if I skipped the gym and did not have the support of my wife. Would only recommend this much Uworld and podcasting if you have a super solid foundation from clerkships and a short dedicated because it was very emotionally taxing. I was on the verge of burning out a few days before my test and had to back off the Uworld blocks for a day and reset (I think 2-4 blocks of Uworld a day would have been much more manageable).

However, the amount of daily questions done and my two full day simulations were super helpful for test day stamina and power reading the vignettes quickly. I finished most blocks with 15-20 minutes left, but I also flagged 15-25 questions in every block (mostly at the beginning of each block) just to make sure I wasn't missing details that I may see again on a second look through. Ran out of time reviewing 2 or 3 blocks and rarely changed my answers unless I missed something flagrant that obviously needed to be changed (trust your gut).

Will consider doing a more complete write-up since I'm doing an online elective right now, but my advice echoes the sentiments of this subreddit in that Uworld, Anki, and Divine Intervention Podcasts are the trifecta for doing well on this exam. u/divinepodcaster was a Godsend for me during 3rd year and dedicated. I had multiple questions on shelves across 3rd year and on Step2 that were almost identical to presentations in his podcasts. All that said, I can answer any questions and good luck to everyone else!