Hello! My name Dr. Otario and I am in my final year of medical school at PNC. My inspiration for pursuing a career in healthcare came from growing up with a sibling who had a critical illness, which sparked my passion for healing and the humanities. Medical school has been a long journey, but I look back on it with immense gratitude, reflecting on how much I have grown both academically and personally over these four years.

Being the first in my family to pursue medicine, I initially felt overwhelmed by the depth of knowledge my peers seemed to carry. I often found myself googling medical abbreviations and terms that were casually tossed around in lectures and discussions—terms I had never encountered before. To bridge this gap, I relied heavily on review books, YouTube videos, and other resources to strengthen my foundational medical knowledge.

As the demands of clinical rotations increased and my available study time decreased, I had to adapt my approach to learning in order to prepare efficiently for both the wards and Shelf exams. On the recommendation of Dr. Steve, I began using MedScoreMax as a focused study resource. With a strategic schedule and the right tools, I was able to consolidate my knowledge while applying it in real clinical settings. A typical routine looked something like this (with slight variations depending on the rotation):

After Clinical Duties

This varied depending on the rotation—some days I accomplished a lot, and some days I took it easy. Listen to your body and mind; it’s okay to swap a study session for a run, nap, or a nourishing meal.

• Complete UWorld questions, aiming to finish the full question bank for the rotation.

• Use Anki to create flashcards for missed questions. I used the Anki × UWorld Chrome extension to streamline this process—a small investment of time and money that paid off significantly.

• Review MedScoreMax Prime Notes followed by Acquire Videos for the rotation-specific content. My goal was to complete all the videos before the rotation ended.

• Download MedScoreMax Whiteboard Notes as a quick reference or refresher.

During Clinical Duties

I was mindful not to appear distracted on my devices. Clinical hours are for being present and engaged with your patients, so any study on a computer or phone was clearly purposeful.

• Use downtime to learn from your patients; this real-world context makes study material much more meaningful.

• Keep physical review books handy (like Blueprints or Case Files) to signal focus and reinforce learning.

• Review Anki cards from missed UWorld questions.

• Revisit MedScoreMax Whiteboard Notes as needed.

Following this approach allowed me to efficiently build knowledge and apply it in real time on the wards. I didn’t waste hours searching through multiple resources, as everything I needed was succinctly summarized in MedScoreMax. This efficiency gave me extra time to enjoy life outside of medicine—working out, playing with my dog, hitting the beach—while feeling confident and well-prepared to help my patients.

Parting Words of Advice

• Find what works best for you. Your peers’ strategies may not fit your style, and that’s perfectly okay. Adapt as needed, but make sure you include review materials like MedScoreMax and ample practice questions.

• Remember, you are more than a medical student. Keep doing the activities you love outside of medicine—your well-being matters.

• Mental health is crucial. Medicine is rewarding but demanding, and burnout is common. Be kind to yourself and seek help when needed. MedScoreMax’s ClubMedEd offers excellent free resources for mindfulness and mental health.

Dear Medical School Redditors,

I just wrapped up third year (woohoo!) and wanted to share some tips that helped me navigate clerkships and NBME shelf exams.

One of the most frustrating parts of third year is figuring out how to prep for these shelves. Early on, I found a few blog posts with helpful information, but nothing comprehensive enough for my liking. So, I decided to compile my own set of tips based on personal experience. Standard disclaimers apply: what worked for me may not work for you—study according to your strengths and weaknesses. That said, using these methods, I scored consistently in the 93rd–99th percentile.

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General Resources

UWorld Step 2 CK:
It’s tempting to avoid this after Step 1, but UWorld’s Step 2 qbank is arguably the most useful resource across third year. The questions are generally easier than the shelves, but the explanations are invaluable. I recommend starting it early and doing the questions relevant to each clerkship. If you want to reuse it for Step 2 prep later, you can reset your progress.

Case Files:
Solid for learning clinical vignettes and differentials. Each book covers 50–60 cases with explanations on diagnosis and management. It highlights key differences between diseases, which is great for shelf exams. Critiques: sometimes generic and end-of-case questions can be weak. Best used as a supplement.

PreTest:
Offers ~500 questions per clerkship. Be selective—some sections emphasize obscure minutiae rather than high-yield material. For example, psychiatry includes psychoanalytic theory, which is low-yield for the shelf. Neurology was closer to shelf-style questions.

Online MedEd (OME):
Free video lectures covering most 3rd-year content. Videos are a bit simplified, but excellent for a quick, accurate overview of common conditions.

NBME Practice Exams:
Retired shelf exams can be purchased for ~$20 each. No explanations, but they give a sense of exam format and difficulty. Later forms tend to reflect the actual exams more closely.

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Rotation-Specific Tips

Ob/Gyn

• Text: Blueprints or Beckmann. Focus on weaker areas if time is limited.

• Qbank: UWorld + UWise (APGO website). UWise questions are concise but helpful.

• Shelf impressions: Narrow but challenging. Expect a fair amount of infectious disease and urogynecology.

Pediatrics

• Text: Case Files + reading about your patients. CLIPP can be useful if available.

• Qbank: UWorld. PreTest only if you have time and want extra practice.

• Shelf impressions: Broad and sometimes unpredictable. Know congenital heart defects, respiratory distress differentials, TORCH infections, developmental milestones, and joint pain causes.

Internal Medicine

• Text: Step Up To Medicine (SU2M) or IM Essentials.

• Qbank: UWorld (~1400 questions). Treat it like an interactive textbook.

• Shelf impressions: Very broad. NBME likes to sneak in neuro and ophthalmology questions.

Neurology

• Text: Case Files, SU2M neuro chapter, UpToDate for patient cases.

• Qbank: UWorld + PreTest. American Neurological Association also offers a 100-question qbank.

• Shelf impressions: Difficult but limited in scope. Watch out for psych and MSK questions.

Psychiatry

• Text: First Aid for the Psych Clerkship.

• Qbank: UWorld + Lange (700 questions).

• Shelf impressions: Straightforward. Focus on diagnostic criteria, pharmacology, and toxic syndromes (e.g., serotonin syndrome, NMS, PCP intoxication).

Family Medicine

• Text: Outpatient chapters in SU2M or Case Files. AAFP guidelines for HTN, DM, and other common problems are helpful.

• Qbank: UWorld and the AAFP 1400-question bank.

• Shelf impressions: Broad and cumulative. Review screening guidelines, and catch up on pediatric or Ob/Gyn topics if needed.

Surgery

• Text: De Steve (highly recommended for Recalls Package ), Pestana (quick overview), NMS Casebook (vignettes).

• Qbank: UWorld Surgery + selected UWorld Medicine questions.

• Shelf impressions: Broad and challenging. Half of the exam is medical management of surgical patients. Focus on diagnosis, management, and indications for surgery rather than procedural details.

12 Real MedScoreMax Success Stories on Shelf Exams

1. From 50% → 75% on Family Medicine
A student doing 40 UWorld questions per day felt stuck at 50%. By systematically reviewing incorrect questions in Anki and learning the USPSTF preventive guidelines while in clinic, they jumped to 75% on the shelf.

2. First Shelf Struggle → Consistent 80%+
One MedScoreMax user started M3 with Family Medicine as their first shelf. Scores were low at first due to broad content, but after finishing all UWorld questions, doing NBME practice exams, and drilling weak areas, they scored consistently 80%+ on later shelves.

3. Using UWorld + AMBOSS → 70–80% Range
Another student combined AMBOSS for first exposure and UWorld for reinforcement. They noted a dramatic improvement, finally hitting the 70–80% range after finishing all question banks.

4. Surgery Shelf Success with Practice Exams
A student found the surgery shelf overwhelming. They focused on DeVirgilio + UWorld Surgery + NBME practice exams, highlighting weak spots. By the time the exam arrived, they scored in the top 90th percentile, despite initially feeling lost.

5. Stepwise Improvement Across Clerkships
One MedScoreMax user reported starting each rotation mid-40s on UWorld, and finishing 70–80% by the end. The key: Anki for incorrect questions, spaced repetition, and focused review in final 1–2 weeks.

6. Mastering Screening Guidelines
A student struggled with Family Medicine questions on preventive care. By reviewing guidelines daily during clinic, and referencing them in practice questions, they scored well above average, turning an initially poor performance into shelf success.

7. Turning PreTest Weakness into Strength
A user noted PreTest was low-yield initially. They shifted to UWorld + MedScoreMax explanations and used PreTest only for reinforcement, which helped them confidently tackle questions they hadn’t seen on the wards, ultimately scoring in the 80th percentile.

8. From Random Guessing → Pattern Recognition
A student admitted to guessing on first pass UWorld questions. After reviewing both correct and incorrect explanationsin Anki, they began recognizing patterns, and their scores jumped from 50% → 85% on IM shelf.

9. Multi-Rotation Knowledge Boost
Family Medicine shelf was easier for students who took it later in the year after completing OB, Psych, and Surgery. One MedScoreMax user leveraged knowledge from prior rotations and scored high 70s, despite early struggles.

10. Consistent Anki Review → Step 2 CK Prep
A student did thousands of UWorld questions and turned incorrect answers into Anki cards. By exam day, they knew the “why” behind every answer, scoring consistently in the top 10% of all shelves, and felt prepared for Step 2 CK.

11. Practice NBME Exams → Confidence Builder
A user emphasized buying retired NBME practice exams, creating Anki cards for every question, and rehearsing why wrong answers were wrong. Their first FM shelf was rough, but scores improved steadily to high 80s across all subsequent shelves.

12. Perseverance Pays Off
One MedScoreMax student started their first rotation clueless, thinking they’d never learn enough. By doing questions every day, reviewing weekly, and keeping notes, they eventually scored >90% on IM and Surgery shelves, proving persistence matters more than luck.

 

🏆 NBME Shelf Clinical Master Exam Pack

High‑Yield Practice | Modeled After Real Prometric Testing | Student‑Sourced Clinical Recall Bank
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💡 What Is This Package?

The NBME Shelf Clinical Master Exam Pack is a comprehensive collection of exam‑style practice sets and clinically‑relevant recall questions, built to mirror the difficulty, format, and wording used in Prometric‑administered NBME clerkship exams.

It uses a combination of:
✔ High‑fidelity clinical cases
✔ Student‑reported recall‑style question themes
✔ Exam‑style reasoning & “best next step” decision‑making

This pack is specifically designed to train your brain to think like NBME exam writers — not just memorize facts.

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📦 What You Get Inside

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🔥 Why Students Love This Pack

💬 Natural NBME Language — trains you to predict “the NBME answer,” not just memorize facts.
📈 Pattern Recognition Training — focuses on the topics that repeatedly show up in student reports.
⏳ Faster Learning — no wasting time digging through endless resources.
🩺 Clinically Useful — reinforces diagnosis + management you see on rotations.

Most students say they learn more in 2–3 days using this pack than in weeks with random textbooks.

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🚀 Who Is It For?

This pack is perfect for medical students preparing for:

• Family Medicine 🌿

• Internal Medicine 💙

• Pediatrics 👶

• Surgery 🔪

• OB/GYN 👩⚕️

• Psychiatry 🧠

• Emergency Medicine ⚡

Whether it’s your first shelf or your last, the exam‑mode familiarity is a huge advantage.

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💎 Bonus Included

🎁 🧾 Screening & Management Cutoffs Mini‑Guide
A simple, quick reference for ages, intervals, and next‑step decisions — a top scoring edge.

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📌 Final Word

This is not just another question bank.
It’s a clinical thinking simulator that prepares you for what NBME shelves are really testing:

How you make decisions as a future doctor.

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