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October 1, 2007

dermatology books

dermatology books

dermatology books

USMLE Step 2 - How this exam can make or break your chances for a top residency

On our way through medical school, we hear over and over how important the Step 1 exam is to our future success, and this is very true. If you hope to get a competitive residency, something such as Dermatology, Surgery, ENT, Plastics, then you definitely need to get that 230-240+ on the Step 1, but it doesn't stop there. So many fantastic candidates have absolutely dominated the Step 1, only to take the Step 2 CK exam less seriously and get an average or even worse, sub-average score.

Think about it this way, if you do very well on Step 1 and then not as well on the CK exam, the residency program may think you are inconsistent, and this has been proven to be true over and over again. However, if you manage to score very well on the Step 2 CK exam, it looks great to a residency program, whether you have a top Step 1 score or not. If you did well on Step 1 and then well on Step 2, you are a rock-solid looking candidate, if you didn't do so well on the Step 1 exam, but turned things around and managed to do very well on the Step 2 CK, then you look like you picked yourself up and pulled through, which shows character and strength in the eyes of the residency directors. So you can see it works very strongly to your advantage to take the CK exam as seriously as possible, and to do whatever it takes to score well above the mean, which is very possible with a few of the best tools for the job.

So now that you understand how the CK exam can either harm you or help you out in attaining the residency of your dreams, let's take a look at THREE ways you can ensure that you pull-off a great score on the USMLE Step 2 CK exam.

#1 - Start early

It is understood that your 3rd and 4th year of medical school are busy with hospital duty, on-call duty, etc. So it is vitally important that you get a leg-up on the competition and start as early as possible. Ideally, you should start from day #1. If you can discipline yourself to study just an hour per day, everyday throughout your rotations, come exam time there will be no such thing as spending hour after hour in front of a book and your computer.

#2 - Stop with the "high-yield" stuff

As this pertains to #1, if you start early, you can learn to master not only the topical "high-yield" information, but it's secondary, tertiary, and quaternary information. The deeper your knowledge, the stronger you will be when it comes to exam day. The USMLE exams are no longer using "buzzwords", and easy keyword-type questioning. You have to know details, you have to know the lower-yield information if you hope to achieve a great Step 2 CK score.

#3 - Use 1 study guide + 1 qbank

Simple is always easier, and as long as you have a study guide that provides everything you need, you can use that plus a question bank in order to get everything you need. The best approach is to limit your resources, but use the best.

In order to ensure that come match day you get the residency program you desire, make sure to take the Step 2 CK exam as serious as any of the USMLE tests you'll take.

Do you want to know how to score well above the mean on the Step 2 CK exam?

Get a copy of my USMLE Step 2 CK BIBLE, which is the exact comprehensive study guide I put together to score well above average on my exam.

For more information, click here: USMLE Step 2 CK BIBLE

About the Author

Dr. Paul Ciurysek is a medical doctor and medical educator, educating medical students with his new USMLE BIBLE Medical Education Series

Hôpital Saint-Louis -- PARIS, FRANCE -- dermatology museum/Science meets Art!