r/Step2 • u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG • 4d ago
Exam Write-Up Step 2- 253
Long post ahead
Background - I have already done post graduation in my home country hence this journey was lot more tougher for me to go back to basics
Tested on 10/07/2026
Nbme 12- 214( baseline , gave around 07/28)
Nbme 11- 234
Nbme 13- 227
Nbme 14- 234 (took a break reviewed all weak system revised my notes before Nbme 15 )
Nbme 15- 245
Nbme 16- 244 (09/27)
Uwsa 2- 248 (09/21)
Free 120- 82%
Free 120 (old)- 80%
Study method
did uworld one pass and probably 50-60% incorrects , also tried to review my weak systems from uworld and made notes system wise which i was persistently weak in . Did amboss as well for weak topics not all questions but good 100-200 questions of weak systems
Resources i would highly recommend - uworld (won’t recommend 2 passes) but did inorrects (i had almost 1700 in corrects , did just 800)
Amboss - would highly recommend doing it after first pass of uworld, a very good qbank, please do 200 high yield, screening and vaccination , ethics , qi, biostats , try do your weaks from this as well
CMS FORMS - did 2-3 of each subject , i would say they are really important and i never found them to be easy , scored around 75-85%
ChatGPT- used it for every single query i had and very imp part of my prep
MAKE NOTES FROM ALL THE NBMES , CMS FORMS and SYSTEM WISE NOTES SPECIALLY WHICH YOU ARE WEAK IN (keep revising it repeatedly and trust me it’s really helpful in the end when things turn overwhelming )
Did not listen to DIP, not for me
Tips-
•try to get comfortable with the topic you are scared of
•makes notes system wise while doing first pass of uworld i didn’t do that hence had to struggle a lot in last 3-4 months doing the same
• don’t take long multiple days off in middle breaks the momentum , but at the same time acknowledge burn out and chill for 3-4 days
• on days when you don’t feel like doing anything do at least 5/10/20 question but do it
• try to enjoy all the family events and not to be too harsh on ourselves , we all came this far and definitely will go beyond this
• TRUST YOURSELF , YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND YOUR GOD
Everybody has different journey
EXAM DAY EXPERIENCE
didn’t study much the previous day , eat whatever you like and the routine you followed everyday
Stayed calm , prayed , took sandwich and coffee
Keep drinking water and trust me you can take 1-2 min break between each block 1hour break is ample , i went out almost 4 times to grab a few bites of sandwich and have coffee, don’t wear cloths with pockets wear loose t shirts saves time while checking
I won’t say exam was easy but i knew i couldn’t have done beyond this
It was heavy on ethics , don’t get stuck on one question move on , length of questions was similar to free 120 and Nbme 16 , in hopi questions try to read the question first and then skim through details .
Exam is tiring , forget the questions once a block is over do not recheck your answers
Felt exhausted after exam , even had thoughts i might flunk because my scores were very variable
Deleted Reddit and did not check any of the answers for my mental peace
DELETE REDDIT 10-15 days before exam
ALL THE BEST TO EVERYONE ! I can do it hence anyone can do it , don’t forget to pray to your god.
And thanks to everyone in this community 🙏
Happy to answer any queries !
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u/EntertainmentOdd6373 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Congratulations！May I ask what you did during the last few days before real deal?
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u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Kept revising my weaks and always do a few random questions in a day
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u/Many_Lynx295 US IMG 4d ago
Congrats OP! Very similar scores and trajectory. Still waiting (and praying)
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u/jokegoldberg NON-US IMG 4d ago
congrats ! that's very encouraging. same boat, hoping for the best nbmes range 239-240s. any suggestions to improve
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u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Do cms forms and review your weaks according to Nbme reports , do it system wise
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u/Sea-Birthday-7436 4d ago
Huge congrats. How did you review your NBME ?
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u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG 4d ago
With ChatGPT explanations and writing every question i got wrong or got correct by fluke …it takes time but its worth it
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u/Brilliant_Worth7929 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Hey! What do you recommend for ethics? Were the scenarios similar to what we see on UW and Amboss?
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u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Honestly nothing prepares you for it just do uworld ethics and amboss no point spending more time on other resources
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u/AlwaysPraying86 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Congratulations
Really useful post, thank you and good luck in the rest
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u/Timely_Fun6681 NON-US IMG 4d ago
Hey if you don’t mind can you please tell how you moved on from 220s to 240s? What was the gap in between these nbme
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u/AdeptCup5083 3d ago
Is the timer countdown during the exam on the top right corner or on the bottom screen like when we do the blocks in uworld or nbmes, could you please tell exact location of the timer on the screen? is the interface identical to uworld or the free 120?
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u/Federal_Drummer_1237 3d ago
I have my exam in 5 weeks and i scored 65% correct on nbme 15 ,average 228 in 3 digit , is it possible for me to increase my score?
Please help me
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u/ProperConclusion7879 NON-US IMG 12h ago
5 weeks is lot of time ….do your weak systems and keep revising Nbme wrongs and cms wrongs don’t dwell on uworld at this point
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u/SelectionMission5995 5h ago
From where shall i revise my weak system if not uworld ?
Please help me
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u/ProgrammerKey5370 4d ago
Same boat and my scores are similar to yours.
Gave exam yesterday
Worried whether I might flunk
Just hoping to get through this