OnlineMedEd Review: How I Raised My Step 2 Score By 25 Points

In this post, we’re going to do something that’s really popular on the blog which is going over one of my top recommended resources.

This resource has really helped me raise my Step 2 score by 25 points from my Step 1. It also raised my Step 2 score by 15 points over my goal score!

What’s that resource? Drum roll… OnlineMedEd! [Use the promo code MDJourney25 for 25% off, valid for annual memberships only.]

In this post, I’m going to give a full OnlineMedEd review and insight into how I used it to study for shelf exams and my Step 2 CK exam!

I know a lot of you guys know about OnlineMedEd and for the few of you don’t, I hope you stick around the whole post just to understand what this resource can offer you.

For those of you guys who are familiar with OnlineMedEd, stick around because I’m going to go over how I used it to do well in my rotations, how I used it to do well on my Step 2 exam.

You can check out OME here at any time.

If you’d like a video format of this post, check out the YouTube channel below! Subscribe to my channel for more content like this one.

So without any further ado, let’s get to the post!

What Is OnlineMedEd?

So quick intro into OnlineMedEd for any of you guys who aren’t familiar. It’s what I like to definitely consider to be a comprehensive resource.

It has videos, it has notes, it has flashcards and it has practice questions. These are all there for you to do really well on your clinical rotations.

OME just released their basic sciences videos and are already becoming a big hit!  Some content are yet to follow (at the time of writing) but you can now watch lecture videos on Biochem, The Cell, and Immune. 

If this seems attractive to you, start watching them here!

But for the purposes of the rest of this post, we’ll talk about the clinical resources.

In the next section, we’re going to go through each of these resources that OME provides. Each resource focused on high-yield information and is easy to use.

The first two resources are usually resources that I absolutely hate to use in med school and those are videos and it’s because no one really ever does those two right.

But OnlineMedEd and Dr. Williams (one of the founders), do a great job with their videos and notes!

OnlineMedEd Videos:

Dr. Williams is an absolutely fantastic teacher. I need to say that first.

All his videos I would say do a really good job of taking extremely complicated medical topics and breaking it down to very easy to understand ideas.

He’s also very good at pointing what’s high yield. He’ll say, “Make sure you know this and this.” or  “This may not be as important”.

I really appreciated that as a medical student. I It would definitely help me focus my studying on things that are high-yield info early in the rotations.

I would then come back to the topics he told me to hold off on after I mastered the basics.

I definitely recommend you guys check out the free video on Coronary Artery Disease. You’ll be able to see what I mean how he’s able to just simply use a whiteboard and break down dense topics into very easy understandable bite-sized pieces of information.

So use the OnlineMedEd videos during your rotations! They save you so much time and teach you extremely well!

OnlineMedEd Notes:

So, the second resource that I absolutely love for OnlineMedEd are the notes! Remember, I usually hate reading notes (This tells you how good these are!)

The notes are usually some type of adaptation from Dr. Williams lectures and they’re usually a great supplementary resource to use after you watched one of his videos.

They’re also great resources to use even if you don’t have time for the videos (which, by the way, are pretty short).

The notes are usually one to two pages and always to the point and of course always high yield.

I absolutely love the diagrams that they have. My favorite being the decision trees they have often shown in their notes. In medicine we always have to know what to look for in a specific patient.

Should you be worried. Do you need to do some tests or do you need to be doing a procedure immediately because they’re in critical condition?

OnlineMedEd does a great job of having decision trees in their notes that really break down the steps you need to take.

It’s also important to remember that these types of questions are really common on your shelf exams as well as your Step 2 exam.

So for me, these decision trees came as a big help when I really had to study for these exams!

You can find some examples of the free notes in the dashboard section of OME here.

OnlineMedEd Flashcards

The third resource that OnlineMedEd provides are flashcards.

OnlineMedEd flashcards usually correspond to the videos you watch. So you may watch a video on Monday and then notice on Wednesday you’re starting to get flashcards about Monday’s topic.

It’s a great way to keep you accountable. Plus, the flashcards are always pertaining to the high yield information that the videos and the notes provide.

It’s a great way to see how well you’re doing with knowing the information that you need to know the most.

So for those students who love flashcards and love studying with them, like myself, I highly recommend you check OnlineMedEd flashcards.

Most people know about the videos and the notes which OnlineMedEd provides but I think the flashcards are definitely underrated and definitely recommend you guys check it.

OnlineMedEd Practice Questions:

The fourth resource OME provides are it’s practice questions.

This is basically another great Qbank that you can use alongside with UWORLD.

The questions are focused on whether or not you mastered the basics. If you can do this then your confidence level is bound to skyrocket.

When you’re doing UWORLD or taking your shelf or Step 2 exams, you’ll appreciate doing the OnlineMedEd practice questions!

Premium Subscription

As previously mentioned, OnlineMedEd videos are free for all med students, but this comes with exception of, for example, the Intern Bootcamp which is a separate paid purchase (It’s still business after all 🙂).

To unlock every free video in their library, you’ll have to register on their site (you can do it here now if you wish). But a free subscription will not allow you to download any material. 

If you register for OnlineMedEd premium subscription, however, you get to download all audio files, lecture notes and whiteboard graphics of your choice. This also means, you can study anytime, anywhere, even when there’s no internet. 

You can opt for a monthly subscription for $70/month (with $0.99 one month trial). There’s also an annual subscription which gives you access to every material and allows you to make unlimited downloads of them (message OnlineMedEd for this as prices change).

The monthly subscription limits download to 30 downloads a month so you might consider the annual one for your convenience and peace of mind. If you think you won’t download as much, go for the monthly subscription (good thing it rolls over to the next billing month if some are unused.)

Also, look out for occasional price downs that they advertise on their site here! 

So that’s that for the OnlineMedEd premium subscription now all that’s left is for you to decide. 

How To Use OnlineMedEd For Rotations:

Now in the last part of this post, I really want to break down how I used OME  to study for my shelf exams.

This will give you a framework if you’re not sure how to use it.

To study for rotations and my shelf exams,  I used what I like to call “The Sandwich Method”

This is a cute phrase which basically involves using OME at the start and end.

When you first start your rotation, you’re just not sure what’s the high yield information.  So, watch the OME videos and read the notes your first two weeks of that rotation.

Try to understand the most important things that need to know according to Dr Williams and according to the notes.

Once you’re done with the videos and the notes for the first time, then go to whatever resource that you plan on using for that rotation.

Use these detailed resources to fill in the details for the basics that you’ve now mastered using OnlineMedEd. Then make sure you master the details.

During the last few weeks, go back to looking at the OME notes and watching the videos for the topics you struggled with. 

This way you know that you’ve mastered the high yield information at the start and you’ve also made sure that your confidence is still there and you know that at the very end.

The detail is filled in in the middle and I found this was a great way to understand the info without feeling stressed when the shelf exam got closer.

So try that sandwich method out (OnlineMedEd -> Detailed resources -> OnlineMedEd) for your Shelf exams and I feel like you will do just fine without the excessive stress.

You can check out OME here if you’re interested to use it on your rotation.

How To Use OnlineMedEd To Study for Step 2:

How did I use OnlineMedEd to study for my Step 2 exam?

I used a similar version of the sandwich method.

I spent about five to six weeks on Step 2 studying along with doing rotations. I did about a week where I watched all the videos for topics that I struggled with and I read through all the notes.

I know that may seem like a  lot of notes. But remember, I had seen these notes several times throughout the various rotations that I’ve done throughout the year.

So it was a lot easier for me to focus on the topics that I was weaker at.

I did that for a week. I would then do flashcards and practice question with UWORLD as well as OnlineMedEd during the middle.

(If you want an ultimate guide on how to study for Step 2 CK, read my other post here! )

Then the last week before my exam – when you feel the most anxious before any test – what did I do? I went back to OnlineMedEd!

I made sure that I looked at the notes because I knew if I knew the info in the notes I would do just fine on the exam. Sure enough, my confidence remained high and the test went well.

OnlineMedEd Study Schedule: Step 2 CK Prep

Now you roughly know my own OnlineMedEd Step 2 CK Study plan. But on this section, I’ll give you more samples from which you can devise your own. 

(Disclaimer: These study schedules aren’t mine but are given for free online. Feel free to check out their original sources with the links provided.)

Study Schedule #1: 4-Week Study Schedule 

Resources: OnlineMedEd, first aid and UWORLD 

Weeks 1 to 4: 

 

• • Watch 3 hours worth of OnlineMedEd video lectures (+ Notes and Qbank) daily
  • Read at least 15-20 pages worth of first aid lectures daily
  • Do 40 UWORLD questions daily

Study Schedule #2: 4-Week Study Schedule

Resources: OnlineMedEd, Step Up and UWORLD

Weeks 1 to 4: 

• • Watch 3 hours worth of OnlineMedEd video lectures (+ Notes and Qbank) daily
  • Read at least 20 pages worth of Step-Up lectures daily
  • Do 40 UWORLD questions daily

Study Schedule #3: 4-Week Study Schedule

Resources: OnlineMedEd, Master The Boards and UWORLD

Weeks 1 to 4: 

• • Watch 3 hours worth of OnlineMedEd video lectures (+ Notes and Qbank) daily
  • Read at least 25 pages worth of Master The Boards lectures daily
  • Do 40 UWORLD questions daily

Study Schedule 4: 4-Week Study Schedule

Resources: OnlineMedEd, NBME and UWORLD

Week 1: 

• • Watch OME video lectures at least twice a week on weekdays
  • Do 17 blocks of the UWORLD Qbank daily
  • Review weak areas (daily if possible)
  • End of the Week: Catch up on weak areas, review and watch OME video lectures (night off)

Week 2:

• • Watch OME video lectures at least twice a week  on weekdays
  • Do 14 blocks of the UWORLD Qbank
  • Review weak areas (daily if possible)
  • Full length test #1 using UWORLD + NBME (night off)
  • End of the Week: Catch up on weak areas, review and watch OME video lectures (night off)

Week 3: 

• • Watch OME video lectures at least twice a week on weekdays
  • Do 14 blocks of the UWORLD Qbank
  • Review weak areas (daily if possible)
  • Full length test #1 using UWORLD + NBME (night off)
  • End of the Week: Catch up on weak areas, review and watch OME video lectures (night off)

Week 4:

• • Watch OME video lectures at least twice a week  on weekdays
  • Do 15 blocks of the UWORLD Qbank
  • Review weak areas (daily if possible)
  • Weekends: Watch OME lectures, review equations
  • Prepare permit, ID, lunch and snacks

These are some OnlineMedEd Study Schedule you can easily browse online that you can use in preparation for Step 2 CK.

Again, I’d suggest that you use this resource in conjunction with UWORLD or any other high- yield resource of your choice.

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OnlineMedEd has been amazing at helping me in my clinical rotations. To just wrap it off with a bow it also helped me a ton on my Step 2 exam.

So again, I highly recommend you guys check it out! Here’s a link to OnlineMedEd! [Use the promo code MDJourney25 for 25% off, valid for annual memberships only.]

If you guys have any questions at all about OnlineMedEd, feel free to comment below and I’ll be happy to answer them.

If you enjoyed this post then you may also enjoy the following:

Ultimate Guide on How To Study For Step 2 CK (2021)
How To Study in Medical School [Ultimate Guide]
What Are Clinical Rotations Like? [Detailed Breakdown]
How to Study For Rotations In Medical School (Step-By-Step Method)
How to Skillfully Present Patients in Medical School
Top Resources to Honor Your Internal Medicine Rotation
How To Study For Shelf Exams For Your Rotations Effectively [How To Get Honors]
How To Use NBMEs For Step 2 CK
Step 2 CK Scores By Residency Program

Also click here to get my free guide on How To Study Faster in Medical School + more for free!

Finally, if you need help in creating a study system that caters to your own strenghts and weaknesses, sign up to our Level Up Your Studying (LUYS) course. 

It’s a 3-Week course of content and video lessons to help you gauge your current study system, find loopholes and design a 10X better system system.

Find out if this course if for you here!

Thanks for reading!

Until next my friends…