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Step 3 MCQ (Multiple Choice test Question) Qbank


Our Step 3 MCQ Qbank subscription includes the following contents:


Over 1300 high quality, unrepeated multiple choice questions
State-of-the-art, classic board-type questions created by real-life physicians
Detailed explanation and educational objective for each question with excellent illustrations and charts that are easy to read and interpret
Board simulated interface design with FRED software features (highlight, strike-out, annotation, searchable lab values, calculator, mark/flag items etc)
Customization of practice tests (create subject-specific, system-specific or combination tests in timed, timed tutor, untimed, and tutorial modes)
Suspend and resume a test at anytime at your convenience with 24-hr account web access
Compare performance scores with other USMLEWorld users, see which subjects you need to improve and view your cumulative performance outline
Consisting of sequence and set questions
Compare progress on test over test basis via detailed chart
Ability to generate identical test blocks, ideal for instructor lead study group(s)
External references to medical journal abstracts
Improve your time management skill by monitoring time spent per question

Detailed description and information regarding our Step 3 Qbank subscription can be reviewied from http://www.usmleworld.com/Step3/step3_qbank.aspx page on our website.

Step 3 Qbank Subscription Rates


30-day Qbank membership: $99
60-day Qbank membership: $135
90-day Qbank membership: $185
180-day Qbank membership: $299
360-day Qbank membership: $399



Step 3 Self-Assessment Exam

Self-assessment exam subscription consists of:


Four blocks of questions (48 questions per block) in timed mode
Completely different set of questions (not taken from Qbank) written based on most realistic exam content
Answers and detailed explanation for each question
Educational objective for each question
Board simulated interface design with FRED software features (highlight, strike-out, annotation, searchable lab values, calculator, mark/flag items etc)
Score report with assessment score and approximate USMLE™ 3-digit score
Detailed analysis of relative strength and weakness in difference subjects and systems
Consisting of sequence and media questions

Detailed description and information regarding our Step 3 self-assessment exam subscription can be reviewied from http://www.usmleworld.com/Step3/step3_exam.aspx page on our website.

Step 3 Self-Assessment Form Subscription Rates


Self-Assessment Exam Form 1 (2-weeks): $30



Step 3 CCS (computer-based case simulations) material

Our Step 3 CCS section includes the following contents:


52 Interactive Step CCS cases (Interactive CCS software)
41 Case management read out material
Continuous updates to cases to comply with the exact Clinical Case Simulation (CCS) software keywords
Detailed Explanations for Case management, Scoring and Clock Management for interactive cases
Continuous updates to cases as needed based on the feedback
Key to Success and tips for the exam

Detailed description and information regarding our Step 3 CCS subscription can be reviewied from http://www.usmleworld.com/Step3/step3_ccs.aspx page on our website.

Step 3 CCS subscription rates


30-day CCS membership: $80
60-day CCS membership: $100
90-day CCS membership: $120
180-day CCS membership: $140
360-day CCS membership: $160


Discounted combination subscription packages

To review combination prices visit http://www.usmleworld.com/purchase.aspx and click on the large Step 3 image. This consists of all currently available subscription options including combination packages.


FAQ

Q: When does a subscription start? Can it be purchased now but used later? What if I purchase a combination package consisting of multiple courses?
A: A subscription duration starts from the moment it is activated and NOT from the time of setup/purchase. This allows you flexibility of starting a subscription when you are truly ready to utilize it. If your initial purchase consists of multiple courses (qbank, self-assessment exam form, CCS), you need to activate each of them individually via your account on our website.

Q: Is there a guest account or trial option to test the product prior to purchase?
A: We do not offer guest/trial accounts to test our product(s). However, you can view a demo of our software from each of the product pages. You will need to have Adobe Flash installed on your system to view the demo.

Q: Is the software accessible via mobile device (Android powered phone, Blackberry, iPhone, etc.)?
A: Mobile devices lack the necessary resolution of 1024x768 pixels, hence our services cannot be used from any mobile (or) other hand-held devices. It is recommended you consult system requirements to use our offerings via http://www.usmleworld.com/system_requirements.aspx page.

Q: How often is the content updated?
A: All of our products have a finite set of questions/cases and we routinely review and update them based on new research, changes in diagnostic and patient management practices. Question containing older or non-relevant material are replaced with updated question content. Once a new question/case is added or an existing question/case is updated, it is automatically made available to all users with an active subscription to that particular course (regardless of their course subscription duration).
- Content for Step 1 do not change that often as they are based on core scientific principals
- Content for Step 2 are added and/or changed based on new diagnostic procedure and medical research (this occurs quite frequently)
- Content for Step 3 are changed also based on new protocols in patient management (not as frequently as Step 2)
- Content in our Self-assessment exams, Subject Review are changed only if the question/concept is obsolete
- Step 2 CS and Step 3 CCS cases are updated based on new protocols in patient handling/management

Q: Does USMLEWorld offer any discounts?
A: Unfortunately, we do not offer discounts to individual subscribers for purchase of a new subscription. Please consult our help page at http://www.usmleworld.com/help.aspx under "Do you offer any discounts for students? Professionals? Institutions?" section for further details and steps.



Reference URL's
- View a non-interactive demo of qbank/CCS Interactive software: http://www.usmleworld.com/Step3/step3_demo.aspx
- Recent subscriber feedback: http://www.usmleworld.com/Step3/step3_testimonials.aspx
- System requirements: http://www.usmleworld.com/system_requirements.aspx
- Answers to a majority of general/technical queries: http://www.usmleworld.com/help.aspx


We will be giving away one 'Step 3 Qbank 60-day Membership' to two (2) members. Winners for each raffle will be drawn by forum administrator from among the members who meaningfully contribute to the thread (ask questions, respond to other member questions, share their usage experience, etc.).

For the step 3 CCS practice material.

I understand that the real exam will alter the next screen/information based on what the examinee chooses to do.

Does the CCS practice material simulate this experience? Can you redo cases to "fix" incorrect answers and do better on the overall course on a given case?

Do you plan on offering additional self assessments in the near future? Just want to confirm that before purchasing a package and getting left out :)

I understand that the CCS software is very counterintuitive and takes some practice to get used to. How closely does the step 3 question bank mirror the actual testing experience?

How many media items do each of these resources contain?

Any plans on an iPhone/iPad app or some sort of compatible web-based format? I'm taking Step 3 in May and would love to be able to do a handful of questions here and there on an iPad.

Does the QBank require the use of headphones for questions?

Does the question bank allow one choose questions in blocks of office, ER, Inpatient, Community clinic etc. like the Step 3 exam?
Thank you.

@alwaysaangel: We recommend you download and test drive the CCS interactive software provided by USMLE from their website to get a better understanding on its functionality as well as behavior. Our CCS interactive software is designed to mimic said behavior so users feel comfortable with the software on the test day.

Additionally, our Step 3 CCS interactive software does not perform any scoring hence, one can practice a single cases in multitude of variations.

@Keg: We currently do not have any plans for a new self-assessment exam for Step 3 MCQ.

@Depakote: It is highly recommended that you use and review the documentation provided with Primum Computer-Based Case Simulations offered freely by USMLE on their "Orientation and Practice Materials" page located at http://www.usmle.org/examinations/practice_materials.html prior to subscribing or using our Step3 CCS interactive software. As part of the freely available material by USMLE, you will learn how to efficiently use the interface, write orders, advance the clock and perform basic patient management tasks via a very detailed presentation.

Our offering assumes that you have used Primum Computer-Based Case Simulations offered by USMLE prior to using our interactive software.

@soccerman3: Our Step 3 MCQ consists of media items where as the Step 3 CCS interactive cases do not have any media items as of now

@shift_roro: As mentioned in our FAQ in the main post, mobile devices are inadequate to replicate the qbank interface. Our developers are aware of a multitude of requests from users to develop a mobile application and may develop one in future. Unfortunately, a time line of if or when this may occur is not currently known.

@Colbert: Some questions consist of media components hence, you will need to use speakers and/or headphones for them.

@zalato5: Yes, one can generate test block based on various combination including the ones you mentioned. Please review the non-interactive demo via the link in the main post.

Are you able to restart the Qbank (i.e. wipe out your previous answers and restart the whole Qbank over)? I got through all of my Qbank when I was studying for the earlier Steps and had thought about doing that but never got a chance to investigate whether that was possible.

Previous experience with USMLE world has shown direct correlation with amount of time spent on uworld and step score. I'm probably going to use uworld almost exclusively for step 3. I think it's a safe bet given my time constraints.

Previous experience with USMLE world has shown direct correlation with amount of time spent on uworld and step score. I'm probably going to use uworld almost exclusively for step 3. I think it's a safe bet given my time constraints.


I agree. I used USMLEWORLD 1 and 2 and they worked wonderfully. Considering using 3 as well this upcoming year!

I loved USMLEWORLD for step 1 and step 2. I understand that the USMLEWORLD Step3 has CCS practice as well. I used the CCS cases from the USMLE Website and I found that the feedback they gave was very generic. Will the USMLEWORLD CCS feedback be more specific for each case (i.e. telling me where I specifically went wrong in the case?)

I used USMLEWorld for Steps 1 and 2 as well and had good results with them. One issue may be that the computers at work do not let me install new programs. Is there a web-only version that I could use to do questions at work? I seem to remember there being one for Step 1 and 2.

@Scubadoc: That will depend if the subscription in question meets our reset eligibility criteria outlined on our help page at http://www.usmleworld.com/help.aspx under ‘I want to reset/delete my Qbank test history (or) start all over again, is this possible?’ section.

If the CCS platform does not provide any scoring, can you tell me more about the feedback it does provide? How specific is it, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?

I loved UWorld for steps 1 and 2 and am strongly considering it for step 3. I used a year long subscription for step 2 and if I could do it all over again I'd do the same with step 1. I think a year long step 3 subscription might be in the works. Thank you for offering a subscription in the raffle.

When do you recommend using the self-assessment test? while studying or in the few days efore the exam? any feedback about how accurate this test to the real outcome?

Thank you for the raffle!
Do you recommend any review book to be used along with the qbank that is easily annotated? I am a very satisfied customer for the first two qbanks and found the First Aid for Step 1 to work great with USMLEworld, but no Step 2 text seemed up to par. Thanks for any help!

I think USMLE world is hands down the best for all the steps due to its in depth explanations.

I wish the USMLEWorld interface wasn't so restrictive. I'd like to be taking notes about certain concepts while reviewing a test without the screen being locked by the UWorld program.

It would also be nice if we had unused assessments from previous steps that could be converted to an assessment for a later step exam.

What's the recommended screen resolution for the software? I remember I used the software in 24 inch monitor and texts are extremely small.

I agree with what many others have said that USMLE World was amazing for Step I and Step II. For those that have taken Step III, did you do both the Qbank and the CCS cases or are the USMLE CCS cases provided enough (in addition to USMLE World Qbank)? Thanks!

What's the recommended screen resolution for the software? I remember I used the software in 24 inch monitor and texts are extremely small.

The optimal screen resolution to use our course offerings is 1024 x 768.

For a complete listing of our system requirements, please see our system requirements webpage at http://www.usmleworld.com/system_requirements.aspx.

When do you recommend using the self-assessment test? while studying or in the few days efore the exam? any feedback about how accurate this test to the real outcome?

Our self-assessment exam subscriptions are independent of other subscription durations. The self-assessment exam can be activated via your account on our website and will stay active for 2-weeks from the time of activation. You can activate it before, during, or after your other subscribed course material.

The Approximate 3 Digit Score is calculated using data comparison with other users who took the same test block as you and is relative to yours.

These scores are an estimate based on other users' performance in our self-assessment exam and users typically do not share their exact score after the test for us to generate any direct correlation with the data. Based on the feedback we received from prior subscribers, however, their score was accurate within 10-15 points within 7 days of taking our self-assessment exam. This gap increased as their test date was further away from them taking our self-assessment exam. While we make no guarantee of this, it may be useful as an approximation.

You may also want to consult http://www.usmle.org/Scores_Transcripts/minimum_passing.html page to see how your three digit score stacks up against USMLE's minimum three-digit passing score.

I used UW for both Step 1 and Step 2 and learned a ton for it. I have considered using it to prepare for COMLEX step 3 but am concerned that while I'm sure I would learn a lot it is not very specific for comlex 3. Do you have any feedback from interns who have used UW 3 for Comlex 3?

Does the raffle included the qbank, ccs cases, and self-assessments?

I have wondered why U-world allows subscribers to reset the Q-bank only 1 time? It just seems that the consumer should be able to reset as often as necessary, especially if one purchases the longer subscriptions.

I have wondered why U-world allows subscribers to reset the Q-bank only 1 time? It just seems that the consumer should be able to reset as often as necessary, especially if one purchases the longer subscriptions.

I suspect a reason is that they don't want to make it too convenient for people to share the account.

I'm considering using UWorld for my Step 3 studies, given the experiences I had for Step 1 and Step 2ck. From my experience with CK, I noticed I can hold on to certain programs for a while before activating them. Is there any limit to how long I can hold on to a purchase before I'm not given the chance to activate it any more?

I wish the USMLEWorld interface wasn't so restrictive. I'd like to be taking notes about certain concepts while reviewing a test without the screen being locked by the UWorld program.


I completely agree! Kaplan lets you do this, and it was much, much more helpful than having to have 2 different computers open (one for questions, the other to type notes). I don't understand the reasoning behind this, especially when the answer explanations are sometimes a page or more longer! This feedback should be passed along.

Anyway, thanks for the raffle entry.:)

I also used USMLEWorld for Step 1 and 2, and plan to use it for Step 3! I agree that note-taking is somewhat cumbersome. Is there some easy way to search through the questions that have notes attached to them, so you can review them separately without going through all of your previous exams? Thanks!

I agree. I used USMLEWORLD 1 and 2 and they worked wonderfully. Considering using 3 as well this upcoming year!

Echo that. The only thing I did wrong with Step 1 was to not use USMLe World enough. Plan on usingnit exclusively for Step 3. It's ashame we can't access it from mobile devices such as iPhone considering that we do have downtime in clinic, OR or in the wards.
I do have one suggestion. I would often make notes in the system but found it impossible to copy and paste my own notes. Are there any plans to allow us to be able to get notes and explanations or reminders we write in the system?
Thanks

Can anyone who has used the Step 3 questions comment on how accurately they reflect the questions on the real exam?

If the Step 3 CCS interactive software does not perform any scoring how does the user know what they have to change to improve their score?

@alwaysaangel: We recommend you download and test drive the CCS interactive software provided by USMLE from their website to get a better understanding on its functionality as well as behavior. Our CCS interactive software is designed to mimic said behavior so users feel comfortable with the software on the test day.

Additionally, our Step 3 CCS interactive software does not perform any scoring hence, one can practice a single cases in multitude of variations.

@Keg: We currently do not have any plans for a new self-assessment exam for Step 3 MCQ.

@Depakote: It is highly recommended that you use and review the documentation provided with Primum Computer-Based Case Simulations offered freely by USMLE on their "Orientation and Practice Materials" page located at http://www.usmle.org/examinations/practice_materials.html prior to subscribing or using our Step3 CCS interactive software. As part of the freely available material by USMLE, you will learn how to efficiently use the interface, write orders, advance the clock and perform basic patient management tasks via a very detailed presentation.

Our offering assumes that you have used Primum Computer-Based Case Simulations offered by USMLE prior to using our interactive software.

@soccerman3: Our Step 3 MCQ consists of media items where as the Step 3 CCS interactive cases do not have any media items as of now

@shift_roro: As mentioned in our FAQ in the main post, mobile devices are inadequate to replicate the qbank interface. Our developers are aware of a multitude of requests from users to develop a mobile application and may develop one in future. Unfortunately, a time line of if or when this may occur is not currently known.

@Colbert: Some questions consist of media components hence, you will need to use speakers and/or headphones for them.

@zalato5: Yes, one can generate test block based on various combination including the ones you mentioned. Please review the non-interactive demo via the link in the main post.

I used USMLEWorld for Steps 1 and 2 as well and had good results with them. One issue may be that the computers at work do not let me install new programs. Is there a web-only version that I could use to do questions at work? I seem to remember there being one for Step 1 and 2.

We currently offer a web-based version for users with an active Step 3 Qbank subscription who are accessing from a restrictive network (e.g. hospital, work, etc).

To access the web-based version, you should first sign into your account via our website and then click on the "Launch" link to launch your Step 3 Qbank subscription. You should then go down to the "Cannot install Java (or) Firewall Issues" section and click on the blue "here" link, and you will be able to access the web-based version.

I do have one suggestion. I would often make notes in the system but found it impossible to copy and paste my own notes. Are there any plans to allow us to be able to get notes and explanations or reminders we write in the system?
Thanks

This feature has already been implemented in a newer version of our client. To ensure that you have the latest client available, we recommend that you launch the Qbank after logging in via our website.

You may print your notes via the Utilities -> Notes -> Print button.

I also used USMLEWorld for Step 1 and 2, and plan to use it for Step 3! I agree that note-taking is somewhat cumbersome. Is there some easy way to search through the questions that have notes attached to them, so you can review them separately without going through all of your previous exams? Thanks!

Yes, you may view all of your notes via the Utilities -> Notes -> Generate button. You may then also print a copy of your notes via the Print button.

Are there any statistics comparing USMLEWorld Step 1, 2 and 3 question bank and self assessments with actual exam results? How does USMLEWorld for Step 3 compare with the others?

Are there any statistics comparing USMLEWorld Step 1, 2 and 3 question bank and self assessments with actual exam results? How does USMLEWorld for Step 3 compare with the others?

I think you will find that if you do a google search you can find a lot of websites that give you calculators to find possible correlations between UW and actual tests with a +/- standard deviation. However, I haven't figured out how those websites have calculated those responses. Anecdotally, friends have told me those calculators have been spot on for them. But it was way off for me. I would take them with a grain of salt.

I loved UWorld for steps 1 and 2 and am strongly considering it for step 3. I used a year long subscription for step 2 and if I could do it all over again I'd do the same with step 1. I think a year long step 3 subscription might be in the works. Thank you for offering a subscription in the raffle.

:thumbup: Totally agree. If I could do anything different in my boards studying for step 1 and 2 I would buy the year long subscription and continually work at questions and solidifying answering the particular board question style. I'm hoping I can do that with step 3 but I'll probably need to start saving my money now!

We currently offer a web-based version for users with an active Step 3 Qbank subscription who are accessing from a restrictive network (e.g. hospital, work, etc).

To access the web-based version, you should first sign into your account via our website and then click on the "Launch" link to launch your Step 3 Qbank subscription. You should then go down to the "Cannot install Java (or) Firewall Issues" section and click on the blue "here" link, and you will be able to access the web-based version.

Nice.. did not know about the web-based version. Would this also work on the iPad's native Safari browser?

I wish this had an iphone interface, it would make studying much easier. Are you planning on any interface designs in the near future.
Thank you.

I wish this had an iphone interface, it would make studying much easier. Are you planning on any interface designs in the near future.
Thank you.
I'll echo the enthusiasm for providing usmleworld on the iphone. I do have one question regarding uw for step 3 though: Is it even necessary? All the time I hear residents say that they didn't study at all for step 3 and passed w/o difficulty--are these guys lying?