**This blog post was updated July 2019.** Life as a third year medical student is an all-consuming whirlwind:

1. You’re finally applying what you’ve learned.
2. You’re working long hours and getting paid negative dollars.
3. You’re forgetting to eat normal human food.
4. You’re getting sick on your pediatrics rotations.
5. You’re feeling sick on all your rotations because #2 and #3.
6. You’re pressed for time and therefore cannot study the same way you once did.And yet you’re learning.

It might not feel like you’re learning, because most of the time it doesn’t feel like anything at all (except maybe damage control).

But, alas, you’re learning (!!), because:

“The best teacher is experience, and not through someone’s distorted point of view.” — Jack Kerouac, On the Road

This largely explains why—as you may already know—most students score higher on the USMLE Step 2 CK than they score on the USMLE Step 1.

Well, that and the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex. But, I digress.

Students tend to score higher on Step 2 CK because the process of preparing for the exam is more consistent with what we know to be true about adult learning styles. Namely, that adult learning requires hands-on experiences that enable us to apply what we know in various situations. What can be frustrating is that, at times, this process butts up against the “success algorithm” lurking in the back of our brains.

Success algorithm?

You know. The thing in the back of our minds that tells us we need to put in X number of hours answering X number of questions in order to achieve X score. The thing that says, “Seriously? A 5pm admission? You’re cutting into my valuable study time, man!!” The thing comprised of all the parts of us that struggle to operate within a system that is not directly and clearly tied to us achieving our personal goals so that we can just go home already.

Gosh.
Third year is hard.

Plus, your classmates pretty much all turn into crazy versions of their former selves.
Double hard.

And you’re attending social work rounds. And running to the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled in order to discharge your patient before sign-out. And somehow, you’re still hoping to find time to study conventionally, because at the end of everything is yet another standardized benchmark designed to assess how well you’re retaining all this information.

So when should you take Step 2 CK?

And, more importantly, how does one build “studying for Step 2 CK” into the hectic life of a third year medical student? Here’s my advice:

1. Remember that caring for patients and preparing to the take Step 2 CK are NOT mutually exclusive. Taking care of your patients is one of the best ways to prepare for Step 2 CK!

2. Carefully consider the order in which you did (or will do) your clerkships:

3. During each clerkship, you should put your limited free time to good use by maximizing active learning styles:

4. Evaluate your exam goals:

5. Plan to take Step 2 CK immediately after third year ends.

6. Determine how much uninterrupted time you need to study.

7. Take a practice exam!